《Unchosen Champion》


 Chapter 1: Ghost Reef

    Coop loved his job.


    It wasn¡¯t his dream job or anything, but it still felt like a dream morphing into a nightmare when the sky was blotted out and the ground began shaking violently.


    Starting a career had snuck up on him in an uncomfortable way. He had just finished school and was a bit lost without the structured guidance it had provided. Trauma had caused Coop to become the kind of guy that took things step by step with little deviation. He wasn¡¯t fully conscious of this change, but at least in the back of his mind he knew that he wasn¡¯t really coping properly. Regardless, it had helped him become a successful student even if he lacked the passion that made other students exceptional.


    Go to class, do the assignments, take the exams, repeat.


    His simple mentality had also helped him become an even better athlete. He was more diligent than when he had the childish exuberance to pour his heart out in competition.


    Go to practice, train hard, compete, repeat.


    His hollow dedication even followed him into his hobbies, where it yielded the greatest rewards. Video games are inherently about gameplay loops and he would happily complete them repeatedly.


    Kill monsters, get loot, level up, repeat.


    He hadn¡¯t gotten through school because he was intelligent, he hadn¡¯t been an athlete because he was talented, and he wasn¡¯t good at video games because of skill. He thought that was okay. He just did what was expected of him. Time to start a career, he supposed.


    Apply for a position, go to the interview, never hear back, repeat.


    It wasn¡¯t working.


    He kept trying, because what else would he do? But there was a time limit. Rent was a ticking clock. Entry level positions that wanted 3-5 years of experience were unfair. His peers relying on their parents, also unfair.


    Eventually, after hundreds of cycles he spotted an opportunity. He found an open position with no experience requirements, fine. One that was extremely remote such that immediate family would be a detriment, no problem. Repetitive maintenance tasks, harsh physical labor, periods of isolation, and unavoidable extreme weather, it seemed perfect.


    By some miracle Coop ended up with the job. The stars aligned and Coop became a lighthouse keeper. Sort of. He was the junior caretaker of Ghost Reef, a chain of islands that were mostly glorified sandbars surrounded by treacherous coral reefs.


    The eponymous reef earned its name after it had led many sailors to their end by shipwreck or by shark. The islands were as remote as it could get, it was almost a hundred miles of open ocean to the nearest port on the Florida mainland. But there was a lighthouse and it was where Coop lived. He thought that was pretty cool, actually.


    His responsibilities revolved around taking care of the lighthouse, maintenance of trails, and tracking wildlife. In other words, his job was to live in a tropical paradise and do some simple chores. Coop¡¯s emptiness even started to change, little by little, he was filled with appreciation for the islands.


    It truly was a paradise. Rock Key was the largest island in the chain and the only one with any human habitation with its lighthouse and old stone fort. Coop walked the two beaches on Rock Key every morning to survey for sea turtle tracks; he was responsible for recording wildlife data. He maintained the trails by jogging one of them each day, stopping only if repairs were necessary. He lifted weights and exercised in the afternoon. In the evenings he read books and played video games in his lighthouse.


    He did a lot of snorkeling, especially around the wrecks, since there were still pirate treasures to be claimed. It was fun to see the fish reclaiming the remains of old ships for their homes. He visited the wild pigs that lived between a few of the smaller islands and who seemed to enjoy swimming far more than they should. Coop thought sharks would probably like pork, so he couldn¡¯t help but count the pigs each time he went, just to make sure no one was missing. So far, so good.


    He liked to watch the burrowing owls who were the busiest right after dawn, and would try to spot the bats that waited until dusk to come out to play. The absolute best feature was that on one side of the island you could watch the sunrise over the ocean and on the other side you could also watch the sunset over the ocean.


    For months he slowly grew to appreciate his luck, fate, and new supervisor who had accepted him in the first place. His supervisor, Mr. Jones, who insisted on just being called Jones, was the only other resident of the islands. He lived in the barracks of Fort Leon, an old coastal fortress on the north side of the island that was even older than the lighthouse, nearly 500 years old. It had seen battles, sieges, and blockades until the island chain eventually became a nature preserve for birds, turtles, and, of course, the coral reefs. It was a great improvement over housing soldiers and imprisoning criminals and pirates, in Coop¡¯s opinion.


    Jones was the senior caretaker and focused on archaeology and administration of the island itself. He was well into his seventies and had become as much a part of Rock Key as the fort. He was originally from Bermuda and became the caretaker of Ghost Reef when he was still a teenager. Jones was a meticulous guy who seemed happiest while roaming the walls of the fort. Coop¡¯s only complaint about Jones was that when they shared meals it was always fish.


    Coop and Jones met at least once every week to update the status around the island and to keep track of supplies while sharing a meal. Jones knew from experience how important it was to stay on top of their responsibilities when living in such an isolated location and Coop followed his lead.


    Electricity was generated by solar panels and rainwater was collected, treated, and stored in cisterns designed for a much larger population than the two caretakers. Both systems required Coop to regularly check and maintain. The water collection system needed a special paint that Coop would have to reapply at set intervals. It gave the drinking water a slightly different taste than tap water, but he had already grown used to it.


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    Food was brought by a ferry along with a handful of visitors and the more regular park rangers from the National Park Service. Jones played host to the visitors but Coop also made friends when he could. The ferry was the only communication they had off island since the radio was for emergencies only. One of the park rangers had even gone out of her way to regularly loan Coop new books to read. Coop found himself looking forward to her visits.


    The main feature of the island was Fort Leon, a huge six-sided stone fortress with a massive courtyard that was only halfway on the island while the rest extended into the ocean. It was completely surrounded by a moat that cut into the ocean floor and was deep, even on the land side. Coop was still a little scared of swimming in the moat.


    The castle-like fortress didn¡¯t have a proper drawbridge, just a regular, flat, wooden bridge and a gate that lined up nicely with the lighthouse on the opposite side of the island. The bridge had no railing and Coop had only overcome his fear of the moat a few times in order to jump off the bridge and, admittedly, only when the rangers were on the island. A little bravado in front of the mousy park ranger couldn¡¯t be helped.


    Beyond the moat on the ocean sides were extensive coral reefs that poked out of the water during low tides and gave only a few feet of clearance even at high tide. There was only one channel deep enough for ships and it led to a dock adjacent to the fort on the west side of the island. The skeletons of shipwrecks were scattered among the reefs, evidence of both the treachery of the shallows and the cannons that still occupied the walls of the fort. The walls themselves were protected by tall corner bastions which had borne the brunt of the assaulting ships over the years and proudly wore the scars to prove it.


    The rest of Rock Key was a nature preserve. The fort occupied the northern corner of the island while the rest of the island sheltered two white sand beaches, some short dunes with palm trees, some light interior scrubland, and a thick mangrove forest. The mangrove forest contained a saltwater lake that was constantly filled with birds and was fed by shifting salt water rivers that twisted their way among the mangroves back to the ocean.


    The entire island was basically at sea level and that was also true for the rest of the chain. The other dozen or so islands had names like Little Key, Long Key, or Salt Key, but they were really all just sandbars that a handful of mangroves had prevented from washing away during the tides. The aquamarine waters of the ocean were always calm thanks to the miles of shallow reefs and actual sandbars that protected the little island chain. During low tide it was possible to wade into the ocean for miles without the water reaching waist high.


    Taking everything together revealed scenery fit for a postcard. In fact, it was the basis of several postcards. The islands defaulted to a state of tranquility with only the calm lapping of waves, the breeze flowing through palm trees, and the calls of birds roosting in the mangroves to accompany the picturesque views.


    That¡¯s why the sonic boom that knocked Coop flat on his back was especially jarring.


    Coop couldn¡¯t hear anything but a loud ringing in his ears that he was afraid would be permanent, but even though he couldn¡¯t hear, he could definitely feel the continuous rumbling deep in his chest. His hands were covered in blood after reaching to his ears which made him even more concerned about permanent damage. What was going on? It was a nightmare.


    Coop could not get his bearings. He couldn¡¯t even sit up. Was his balance also damaged? No, he finally focused on a nearby palm tree to see it swaying like it was trying to escape the dune that it grew out of, even though there was no wind. Literally no wind, even the constant ocean breeze was gone. An earthquake? Coop wasn¡¯t warned about earthquakes. He had been warned about hurricanes, not earthquakes. The island didn¡¯t get earthquakes.


    He was still flat on his back with both arms extended out trying to keep steady like he had spontaneously decided to make snow angels in the sand. He was only a few minutes away from his lighthouse on the way to the fort. Coop¡¯s mind was racing while the rumbling deep in his chest continued, he thought he could actually hear it, a deep, low sound like an explosion with no end. Could it have been a nuclear bomb? Images of the Bikini Atoll flashed through his mind before he dismissed the idea. Unless it was an attack¡­ no, not even an attack would make sense, he was in the middle of nowhere, far from any strategic targets.


    It had only been 30 seconds but they felt stretched as Coop¡¯s mind raced. Another idea came to Coop, the rumbling reminded him of the space shuttle launches he saw as a kid with his parents. He thought maybe this is what it would be like if the space shuttle launched off his chest. He unclenched his eyes and looked past the palm tree canopy toward the sky. He couldn¡¯t see it. The sky was blocked by a mountain. But the mountain was all wrong, it had no snow covered peaks and was oriented so that the peak was on the west and the base was beyond the horizon to the east.


    The mountain was so gigantic, it barely seemed to be in motion. Like watching the moonrise, it was obvious that it was large, distant, and moving, but Coop¡¯s brain had no frame of reference to figure out how large, how far, or how fast it was. And it wasn¡¯t alone, there were other mountains or chunks of mountains riding its wake like how the dolphins sometimes raced with the ferry. It wasn¡¯t like any mountain Coop had ever seen either. He was sure they shouldn¡¯t have red veins that pulsed and waned like a heart beating, criss-crossing throughout the rock of the mountain and its smaller followers. Whatever was going on was beyond Coop¡¯s comprehension.


    Coop was rattled at this point and he was running out of ideas. Looking at the mountain he started to realize he was in shock. Surely if it was anything it would be a meteor, it would make sense for one of those to cause a sonic boom and break into smaller pieces when it hit the atmosphere. Probably. But this thing was huge. Way bigger than the comet that killed the dinosaurs. And it had glowing veins. Coop was sure he was witnessing the apocalypse.


    Coop was finally able to brace himself enough to get to his knees, the rumbling he could feel in his chest had not let up and he was convinced the ringing in his ears would be a permanent addition. Facing east, beyond the sky-blocking mountain he looked into the distance and could see more. More mountain meteors in the sky accompanied by dozens, no, hundreds of smaller rocks. Smaller rocks that were the size of skyscrapers. He looked to the south, beyond his lighthouse and saw more. Coop felt despair, he wasn¡¯t worried about his hearing anymore, he was sure he would be dead soon. Everyone would be.


    It was dark. It wasn¡¯t night yet, it had only been a bit more than ten minutes after 11 in the morning, but the mountains that were hurtling across the sky were so large and so numerous that they blocked out the sun. Coop could still see far enough to watch the ocean recede into the distance. Dry land surrounded Rock Key. He thought that the ocean seemed to be running for its life. Where would the ocean even go to hide?


    While he was watching he saw the first meteor land where the ocean used to be, miles offshore. One of the building sized ones. It caused the sediment to explode like a bomb had been detonated. Once the cloud of debris cleared, the meteor was still standing inside a massive oval crater. The scene was enough for Coop to stumble back onto his feet and try to get cover.


    He imagined the ocean rushing back. Isn¡¯t a tsunami what follows after the ocean recedes? Not that he thought it would matter much. The fort was further than the lighthouse so he decided the lighthouse would be his shelter. Uselessly, he thought he would be late for lunch with Jones.


    As he tried to run, but only managed to stumble his way back to the lighthouse, his vision started to shift. The colors of things started to change, the leaves were blue, the sand was dark green, the sky was purple, his hand was bright red. A gust of wind blew across the island making up for the previously absent breeze. He looked back at the palm trees and noticed they had also changed. Some had grown to be 10 times as large as they were before, the mangrove forest had also become massive. It had less of the shorter canopy expected in a hurricane prone region and looked more like a tropical rainforest.


    It made no sense. Coop thought he might be losing his mind. As he turned back to the lighthouse it suddenly erupted just below the top floor as a car sized meteor blasted through the white stone and continued over Coop¡¯s head. The explosion blew Coop off his feet and threw him backwards into a dune, knocking him out cold.

 Chapter 2: Jett Black

    When Coop¡¯s consciousness returned, the first thing he noticed was the gentle rumbling still in his chest. It was pleasant now. Comforting, even. When Coop opened his eyes he was greeted by the night. He was also greeted by Jett.


    Jett was the black cat who lived in the lighthouse. She never left the lighthouse, but now she was laying on Coop¡¯s chest staring at his face, purring. He was glad she was okay. He rubbed her cheeks and she closed her eyes, purring louder. Jett was the true lighthouse keeper, holding seniority over Coop. He didn¡¯t mind. She meowed once but didn¡¯t budge.


    Since he was flat on his back, again, he gazed up at the stars. They seemed sharper than normal. He was no astronomer. He couldn¡¯t properly identify more than two constellations, still, he found the sky weirdly unfamiliar. He took a minute to try and find the Big Dipper but he couldn¡¯t do it. He had a twinge of regret at not paying more attention to the night sky since he started living on Rock Key. It was pretty spectacular given that the only light pollution was from the lighthouse, and even that relegated to one corner of the island on the south, facing the open sea.


    He took a moment to assess himself. He wasn¡¯t injured despite his proximity to the exploding lighthouse. Actually, he felt really good. Well-rested for some reason. It was definitely not how he expected to feel after his senses had been assaulted during the previous chaos.


    He didn¡¯t think being knocked unconscious was a good way to get rest but he did feel about as well as he ever did. His senses had returned to normal, thankfully, and he could once again hear the calming waves gently washing up on the beach and the breeze flowing through the palm fronds.


    The palm trees were monstrous. Not all of them had experienced the same incredible growth, but a few of them boggled the mind with how they had changed. The unnatural alterations to the familiar tropical island made Coop uneasy.


    Sitting up and helping Jett up onto his shoulder, he scratched her chin with one hand while he faced the lighthouse. It still stood strong, the only differences were that it looked like a giant had taken a car-sized bite out of its neck and the light was uncharacteristically off. Coop didn¡¯t think it would be a good idea to stay in the lighthouse for shelter, he wasn¡¯t sure if the structural integrity was compromised after catching a meteor, so he decided to play it safe. He would gather a few things and head to the fort. Perhaps that was the same conclusion Jett had reached when she ventured outside. He would defer to her judgment in that case. Hopefully, Jones was also alright.


    Coop thought the date being 11/11 was supposed to be lucky, but he was reconsidering that little theory now. Tomorrow should have been ferry day which would come with fresh supplies. Was it still coming? He considered leaving with the ferry; assuming the meteors were an isolated event, it might be better to get away from ground zero. He walked along the path to the lighthouse while weighing his escape options.


    He caught some movement in his periphery and glanced to his left, toward the edges of the eastern mangroves. The distance was too great to make out any details, but his eyes still picked up movement. Lots of movement. His first thought was some kind of mass crab migration like he¡¯d seen in nature documentaries, but this island didn¡¯t have any major events like that. The way the moonlight reflected off what he assumed were the carapaces reminded him of metallic plates. With that observation he decided he didn¡¯t want to know, and hustled the rest of the way into the lighthouse.


    The lighthouse was 5 floors of white stone, and a glass top floor where the lamp was housed. The first floor had been renovated to be something like a living room. If it wasn¡¯t perfectly round it would seem like a regular house. A regular house without windows, he supposed. It was really dark without even the moonlight to brighten the interior. A set of curved iron stairs hugged the wall to the left of the front door leading further up.


    The first floor walls housed the solar charged batteries that powered the building while underneath the floor was a massive 50,000 gallon water tank. There was a curved couch framed by old black and white photos opposite the staircase. The photos depicted parts of Ghost Reef from decades prior, including the lighthouse from various angles. His laptop sat on a coffee table in front of the couch, plugged in but without power. The first floor was undisturbed, but there was no electricity even though the batteries should have been fully charged by the solar panels. Coop grabbed his emergency sports bag off the floor on the side of the couch and took the stairs up two at a time, despite the darkness.


    The second floor was a kitchen and dining area and the third floor was Coop¡¯s bedroom. In the kitchen, Coop added food to his bag, specifically the stuff that would need to be eaten soon before it spoiled. The bag already contained emergency supplies but he still added to it. He also grabbed some of Jett¡¯s food. She hadn¡¯t left her perch on his shoulder even with him rummaging around inside her lighthouse.


    On the third floor, Coop collected the book the park ranger had loaned him, he¡¯d have to return it to her when he saw her again. He also took the flashlight he kept at his bedside. Embarrassingly, even the batteries in his flashlight had died, further eroding his image of preparedness. He sealed the hatch above his bedroom feeling like that was everything. He looked at Jett who was patiently waiting for him to continue.


    Fully packed he tried to think of anything else he would need. He thought about the ridiculous growth of the trees and worried what that could mean for wildlife. He grabbed his pole spear, just in case. Not that it would do much, it was only a fiberglass stick with a steel tip, but at least he could poke things. But what if the crabs had grown as much as the palm trees? He shuddered at the thought of a grizzly bear sized land crab. Playing dead wouldn¡¯t work with a crab, he was pretty sure they ate dead things.


    The distances on the island were so small they were measured in acres instead of miles. Even though it would only take five minutes to return to the lighthouse to retrieve anything he forgot, he wasn¡¯t sure he¡¯d want to leave the security of the fort. If he could leave on the ferry he might never come back.


    Then again, if those meteors weren¡¯t isolated to this part of the ocean and were a global phenomenon, he might be stuck on Rock Key forever. He hoped Jones was getting updates over the radio.


    After one more quick check, he left the lighthouse and headed straight north, to the fort. He tried not to linger, afraid of the movement he had seen in the mangroves earlier.


    Thankfully, the light from the moon and the stars gave plenty of visibility outside. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness within the lighthouse, so the outdoors seemed bright in comparison.


    Before he had gone 10 steps he glanced over the ocean toward where he had seen a meteor strike and realized that the ocean was draining into a massive hole where the crater should have been. It wasn¡¯t actually lowering the level of the ocean, but it looked like a massive cavern must have been opened, causing waterfalls to appear all the way around. It was far enough away that he couldn¡¯t hear the rushing water but he imagined it would be roaring. More than the usual amount of corals were peeking through the water at the edges as well.


    But when the moonlight revealed a metallic reflection off what he had assumed were the corals, and he looked closer, he realized they weren¡¯t remaining stationary like corals should. Whatever was in the mangroves was also in the ocean, but that revelation wasn¡¯t even the worst of it. What truly disturbed him was further in the distance, northwest.


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    Beyond the new sinkhole was a mountain. A truly massive thing that was clearly beyond the horizon and yet was so tall Coop had to crane his neck to look at the top. From Coop¡¯s vantage, the clouds around it looked woefully inadequate. It was gargantuan. It was so big just looking at it gave Coop anxiety, his heartbeat elevated and he could hear himself breathing like his fight or flight response was as confused as he was.


    Something so large should have ended the planet right? It should have just cracked the whole thing in half. And that wasn¡¯t even the only one he had seen in the sky! He looked at the stars again, they twinkled back, still a perfectly clear night. There was no dust cloud blocking out the sky like what killed the dinosaurs. He stared, mouth agape for a few more minutes before he continued his short trek with Jett on one shoulder, his pack over the other shoulder, and his spear gripped tight in both hands, feeling unsettled.


    Coop passed the largest trees he had seen in his life. A few of the palm trees had grown to the size of redwoods and they probably would have made him more nervous if he hadn¡¯t already spotted the mountain. The beach was still the pristine white sand that it had been before, the tiny black and white shells that dotted the beach and housed little hermit crabs were all normal sized, but the trip itself was taking longer than it should. If so many other things weren¡¯t the expected size he¡¯d assume he had shrunk. More than five minutes had gone by and he was only halfway to the fort, but at least he hadn¡¯t seen any monsters.


    He barely realized he was walking towards the meteor that had flown through the lighthouse. It had landed closer to the fort than the lighthouse, and lined up perfectly with the bridge. Strangely he couldn¡¯t find the predicted crater. A weird crystalline stone almost seemed to have been gently placed on the trail. A far cry from the speeding object that had blasted through the lighthouse, but it must have been the very same. Coop thought he should give it a wide berth to avoid surprises like radiation or alien germs. He chose to go around on the beach side to avoid getting closer to any vegetation that had experienced the wild growth of the palm trees.


    As he edged toward the water something splashed in the shallows behind him. He reacted instantly. He braced Jett and bravely sprinted the last portion of the trail, ran over the bridge, through the iron gate, and into the fort. He locked the gate behind him without even glancing at what splashed. Why take any chances? Coop entered a side door inside the fort wall that brought him to the mess hall where he expected to find Jones.


    It was dark, lacking electricity just like the lighthouse, but the inner windows allowed enough moonlight to shine into the room, providing a comfortable illumination. The fort was mostly unused outside of tours, except for a handful of rooms that were situated near the entrance.


    When entering from the front gate, the first room on the right was a mess hall used to introduce visitors to the island and where Jones hosted dinners for Coop or the park rangers. It had several benches and tables, an attached kitchen with a bar window, and stairs to the unused mezzanine that led to the second floor and beyond. The decor on the walls were mostly old photos and paintings of the island, like the lighthouse, with the addition of a few nautical maps.


    On the opposite side from the entrance, the mess hall continued to a regular corridor that had bedrooms on either side before continuing to the next section of the outer fort wall. Jones used the first room. Coop left his pack, spear, and Jett in the mess hall and went to wake Jones, assuming he somehow fell asleep.


    Coop knocked but didn¡¯t get a response so he moved to check the radio, it had its own room across from Jones¡¯s bedroom, but it was also not functioning. He wondered if maybe the meteors had caused an EMP that disabled all the electronics or something. He really had no idea, but he¡¯d seen enough movies to believe that was a possibility.


    He moved on to the next area to check the backup generator, confident that an EMP would not have affected it, but even that didn¡¯t work. Was something wrong with it? Jones was meticulous with this sort of thing. Coop had accepted that he let his flashlight batteries die, but couldn¡¯t imagine Jones allowing the backup generator to stop working. He needed to find Jones.


    The inner courtyard of the fort was vast. It was essentially just a field of scrub grass with a few scattered palm trees. It was easy to imagine battalions of soldiers mustering in a different era. The entire courtyard was encircled by open galleries that were covered only by the top floor balconies of the fort. Coop was sure the interior galleries had a specific name but he thought of them as verandas. Jones utilized the gallery connected to the mess hall and had a small vegetable garden extending into the courtyard.


    The first thing Coop noticed upon entering the courtyard was the gaping chasm that had formed across the middle of it. The normally uninterrupted fort walls had been split and the back half of the fort had separated from the front half. Water had filled the gap so that it looked like a planned feature, an extension of the moat. The split was so perfect that the walls didn¡¯t even appear damaged, not a single stone had fallen out of place. Coop could see into the interior of each of the four floors within the fort walls. It reminded him of the picture books showing cross-sections of various things that his parents used to get him as a child.


    He imagined a titan sized chef using a knife to split the fort in half and sliding the separate halves away from each other. But that wasn¡¯t the only astonishment that the courtyard hosted, because Coop also spotted Jones next to his garden, suspended within a glowing orb of some kind of transparent blue energy a few feet off the ground.


    Coop initially rushed to grab Jones and pull him out, but the energy of the orb vibrated and physically repelled his hands the way magnets with similar poles push themselves away. He tried yelling but Jones didn¡¯t respond.


    He didn¡¯t know how to help Jones, so he waited, hoping Jones would be released. Strangely, Coop noted that he wasn¡¯t hungry at all. Before all this craziness had begun he was on his way to have lunch with Jones, and he was hungry at the time. Meanwhile, the sky was already hinting at dawn and he hadn¡¯t eaten anything. He didn¡¯t really feel like eating.


    He dismissed the thought, blaming his lack of appetite on the stress of the apocalypse. Jones was probably out by his garden in order to collect some herbs or vegetables for their planned lunch. He must have been captured by that orb when it all started. He tried poking the orb with a few different materials, sticks, a rake, a ball of dirt, but they were all repelled the same way he had been, so he went back inside to bide his time while petting Jett.


    While Jett sat on the table and purred, Coop tried collecting his thoughts. He gave up on the meteors. But they were only the beginning. How could he explain the incredible growth of the vegetation on the island? Maybe alien radiation that didn¡¯t affect the animals? Or maybe the animals had changed in a different way. He looked at the dozing cat.


    ¡°Hey Jett, you feeling okay?¡± Coop asked the cat who picked her head up and looked into his eyes before putting her head back down and closing them. She seemed fine. He hadn¡¯t fed her last night, since he was unconscious, and she hadn¡¯t complained. It was a bit strange, his experience with cats was that they had their routines and didn¡¯t like it when it was interrupted. Actually, Jett even being outside the lighthouse at all was strange.


    As he was musing about the personalities of cats the door swung open and Jones stood in the threshold silhouetted by moonlight. He glanced around the room before smiling.


    ¡°Coop! You¡¯re here, that¡¯s good.¡± Jones declared from the doorway. Coop was freaked out. Coop found Jones to somehow be both too calm and too excited for the situation.


    ¡°What the hell were you doing floating in an alien orb thing? Were you bodysnatched?¡± and then glancing around for something to quiz Jones with, ¡°Quick, who¡¯s this?¡± Coop asked while lifting up Jett.


    Jones paused, then chuckled before answering, ¡°That¡¯s Jett, our senior lighthouse keeper. I¡¯m surprised to see her out and about.¡± Coop wasn¡¯t sure if that confirmed he was Jones or if Jett was more well-known than he expected.


    Coop hesitated and put Jett back down. ¡°I guess that¡¯s good enough.¡± They both watched her settle back onto the table, unbothered by their attention.


    ¡°You look like you¡¯ve been through the wringer. I guess you weren¡¯t Chosen.¡± Jones noted, still a little too casually.


    ¡°Chosen? What?¡± Coop questioned. It was such a weird thing to say, he wasn¡¯t sure how to respond.


    Instead of answering, Jones offered an alternative, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go wash yourself and I¡¯ll explain what I can.¡± He glanced at Coop¡¯s arms before adding, ¡°You¡¯re covered in blood.¡±


    Coop had forgotten about the bleeding from the ears bit of the apocalypse so he agreed to clean up. He figured a body snatchers scenario was unlikely anyway and Jones was behaving as though he knew more about what was going on than Coop did. He wondered what Jones was caught up in earlier. He didn¡¯t seem any worse for the wear, unlike Coop.


    He supposed he would find out soon enough.

 Chapter 3: Unchosen

    Jones and Coop resumed their conversation in the mess hall while Jett held court on the table. Jett waited patiently as if she would be participating in the discussion herself. She was an old cat, apparently in her 20s in human years, which Coop hadn¡¯t even known was possible. She calmly listened as Coop described what he had seen during the apocalypse, allowing Jones to interject with what he had learned.


    After the first interjection, Coop had to ask where the hell Jones got his information, but he just insisted it was reliable and wanted to try explaining it all in order, encouraging Coop to continue.


    Supposedly, the meteors that Coop spotted in the sky were actually magical objects designed to release ¡®mana¡¯ on Earth. The sonic boom that exploded Coop¡¯s ears announced their arrival and all the proceeding events were caused by mana being released into Earth¡¯s ecosystems. Coop only half trusted what Jones had learned, unsure if Jones was damaged by the floating blue orb, or if whoever gave Jones this information mistranslated radiation and called it mana.


    In any case, Jones explained that the large meteors had landed on Earth in specifically calculated locations. They had to be precisely arranged in order to optimize the mana cycles of the planet. Neither of them knew what mana cycles were, but Jones interpreted it as mana becoming a part of the fundamental processes of Earth, something like the carbon cycle except magical. It seemed like everything had some mana and it came in all sorts of different types and flavors.


    The story was that the massive meteors awakened mana ley lines, jump starting the planet¡¯s mana cycle. Unleashing mana caused all sorts of reactions, even expanding the planet itself. This was why the fort was split in half and the trip from the lighthouse to the fort took longer than Coop expected. Rock Key had expanded with the Earth.


    The smaller meteors were also noteworthy, even if they were less exact with their placement. Some of them were mana seeds. These seeds form valuable ¡®Mana Wells¡¯ by slowly concentrating ambient mana around their landing spot. Jones speculated that the meteor Coop witnessed crashing into the ocean was one such seed. It would be a double edged sword to have one so close to them, it promised to be a source of potential wealth and potential conflict.


    The crystalline meteors that landed gently, causing no damage, were civilization shards. Civilization shards were essential for survival. There would be a limited number of civilization shards dispersed to locations that had the widest variety of mana affinities which normally corresponded to population densities. They were meant to establish the population centers for the newly mana enriched planet. They held the possibility of becoming places of shelter and safety, and would ultimately determine the fate of the planet. Coop wasn¡¯t clear on why the previous population centers couldn¡¯t be used, but if he asked, he was sure the answer would have something to do with mana. Jones was excited to learn they had one land on their tiny island, claiming they were very lucky.


    When it was Jones¡¯s turn the explanations got¡­ crazy. Crazier. Coop was more ready to accept the weird magical meteors and the expanding planet because he had seen it with his own eyes, and he couldn¡¯t come up with a more believable alternative to explain what he had witnessed. Mana, like the magical fuel from popular fantasy, was real? Fine, whatever. But when Jones claimed that, the instant the planet had received mana, his consciousness had been whisked away by an interested faction of aliens, Coop felt like he was being taken for a ride. Apparently, Coop drew the line at aliens.


    Supposedly, Earth was being integrated into a galactic community of aliens. A community regulated by an ancient AI that preexisted all known species. The AI itself was the original source of mana, which was the primary component that unified the factions of the universe. The AI had encased Earth inside a giant shield that isolated the planet for 111 years to allow the mana assimilation process to proceed uninterrupted by other civilizations.


    Yes, Jones reiterated upon Coop¡¯s skepticism, there were aliens out there. He even claimed that he had met one, as that was the source of his information. Still, it was all more magical than sci-fi. Jett just quietly observed them both while Coop remained incredulous.


    The problem for Coop was that he and Jones had vastly differing priorities. Coop really just wanted to know what was going to happen to them and what to do next, but Jones was absolutely fascinated with the machinations of the universe as a whole. Coop was in disaster scenario mode, while Jones was operating through the lens of a scholar discovering humanity wasn¡¯t alone.


    He had been summoned to an interview with some alien who offered him a sponsorship. Once he accepted, he became a ¡®Chosen¡¯ for their faction, and they gave him a short orientation to the universe while offering some advice for survival. In exchange, Jones would provide the faction with what they called pre-mana knowledge after the assimilation completed. Other factions would have other priorities.


    Of course, Jones had been recruited by a faction of academics. They called themselves Collegia Universal.


    Evidently, most humans on Earth were expected to have received sponsorship opportunities from aliens. Afterall, there were more factions in the universe than individual humans on the entire planet. Yet, not even one had expressed interest in Coop. He felt a grudge forming against the entire universe.


    Jones consoled Coop by pointing out that their isolation limited their prospects. Jones had only received a minimum bid due to his profession and he was told his survival would depend on him successfully journeying to a civilization shard. They hadn¡¯t predicted one would land on their remote island. Coop didn¡¯t feel any better.


    Coop had to ask, why bother with what essentially sounded like the draft for a sports league? The answer was limitations imposed by the system. The galactic community viewed the 111 year isolation of newly assimilated planets as a competition between factions, vying to gain resources, influence, or control depending on the faction¡¯s priorities. They were allowed to sponsor native sentient beings to compete on their behalf through open auctions prior to the assimilation. The factions were limited to native proxies by the system.


    Some factions would recruit armies to try and conquer the planet, while others would focus resources on smaller groups in an effort to propel them to dominance. One faction would even spend a fortune to sponsor the planet itself, earning the exclusive right to set the stage for the competition to play out. In Earth¡¯s case, the planetary sponsorship was won by a faction called The Primal Constructs. They weren¡¯t known for leaving native sentients alive on planets they successfully claimed and would be invading Earth with mechanical enemies.


    The civilization shards and their associated settlements were the primary resource the more competitive factions aimed to control. If, at the end of the assimilation period, a single faction monopolized the settlements, the planet would join their territory. If a variety of factions maintained settlements, then the planet would be divided among them based on the territories of their settlements. If no settlements remained, the planetary sponsor would claim the planet. In this way, humans themselves would be determining which faction would claim Earth, and if humans would survive at all.


    His advisor strongly suggested for Jones to seek a secure settlement and hope it lasted to the end for the best chance of survival. They anticipated a great rush to claim the shards resulting in initial violence, but once they were claimed they would quickly become safe havens compared to the rest of the planet.


    The shard owners typically wanted to keep a population of citizens happy and protected to advance the settlement and support their own efforts in defeating monsters. There were settlement leaderboards and population was a major factor in determining settlement strength. However, he was still advised to avoid cities belonging to the undead, insectoid, or most religious zealot factions. He was told to stay as far away as possible from those.


    Coop led Jones to a discussion on what to do next, not wanting to worry about galactic politics. The changes that mana brought would be extreme. The electricity being down, the radio not working, and the generator also failing were all caused by mana. Native technology was disabled everywhere and would need to be reworked to incorporate mana if it could work at all. With the planet in flux, no ferries would be arriving. They would have to stay on Rock Key for the foreseeable future.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    It wasn¡¯t all bad. Mana would conveniently provide for many of their basic needs. The strength they needed to accumulate would come in the form of fantastic magical powers that Coop couldn¡¯t help but feel excited about. Jones described classes and menus that would make more sense in a video game even though Coop doubted the old man had ever played one.


    Knowing that they had a civilization shard on their doorstep, Coop and Jones finalized a plan. They would claim the civilization shard, establishing a settlement. They had no choice other than securing the settlement themselves. Trying to progress fast enough would be a daunting task that Coop resolved to undertake. Jones¡¯s faction emphasized that ¡®leveling¡¯ was important, but the breakneck pace that would be necessary to rise above the monster tides was an aspiration meant only for the exceptional. And those special individuals would have significantly more martial resources and training poured into them by their sponsors than the academic faction had provided Jones. Coop once again wished he had been offered to become a Chosen.


    They would rest a bit before claiming the civilization shard in the morning. They would gear up as much as they could and go out together just in case monsters were already showing up. Coop would claim it and they would fortify the settlement together. They didn¡¯t expect anyone to come to the island from outside for some time, if ever, so they planned on bunkering down.


    By the time they wrapped things up it was late in the evening, meaning it had been almost 36 hours since everything began. Coop thought it felt much longer. Coop claimed a guest room and tried to fall asleep while wrapping his head around the new status quo of Earth. He slowly came to terms that there was a planetary competition beginning. One that would determine the fate of humanity. Coop wouldn¡¯t be idle.


    ¡ª


    When Coop woke up Jett was once again on his chest, purring. He felt even better than the previous night, but that was probably a given since he fell asleep in a bed rather than being knocked unconscious during the apocalypse.


    Jones had made all three of them some breakfast. He was curious to see how to derive benefits from eating, though they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to detect them until they had those menus from leveling up. Jones explained that the meteors fell on Day 0 making today the start of Day 2. He wanted to keep his records straight.


    They spent the rest of the morning scrounging up items that might be more useful in this new reality than they were before. Coop had been rearmed with a machete and Jones had a flare gun. They were almost ready to claim the civilization shard but they were trying to decide whether a rake would be more useful than the pole spear for Jones. He was in good shape but he was still an old man and having mana hadn¡¯t really changed much for either of them just yet, so they wanted him to have something with reach. The spear was probably deadlier than the rake on fleshy targets, but the rake was just a more robust item and they expected to find mechanical enemies from the Primal Constructs. Ultimately, Jones took the rake. They would be relying on Coop¡¯s machete to end things and keep the flare as an ace in their pocket.


    An unclaimed civilization shard would attract creatures, but it was so early on they didn¡¯t expect to find much. Especially since they didn¡¯t have to worry about other humans, but Jones was meticulous when it came to preparations. Coop had no objections. The only thing they decided not to do was rotate some of the multiple centuries old cannons to aim at the bridge. They¡¯d probably hurt themselves more than any monsters trying to hit them with old cannonballs. Not to mention the things were too heavy to easily move.


    As they exited the gate and approached the bridge Coop actually felt a bit enthusiastic. It felt like he was about to take the first step in a long journey. They looked like some budget Mad Max extras with the bits of improvised armor they had made and attached with duct tape.


    Coop had stayed far enough away from the civilization shard that he wasn¡¯t sure what they¡¯d find. It wasn¡¯t like there was any cover around it but it had been night and he was pretty rattled when he skirted the beach to avoid it. Now they could clearly see that it had only attracted a single mechanical defender. One look made it clear that it belonged to The Primal Constructs.


    Coop¡¯s first alien was kind of pitiful. It was the size of a very large dog with a shape that reminded Coop of a headcrab. It had four legs, and each had a rust colored metal plate ¡®shin guard¡¯. The ¡®knees¡¯ were the tallest part of the creature, reaching about three feet high, and they connected to the body with narrow cylindrical metal pieces. The body hung in the air suspended off the ground between all four of the evenly spaced legs. The top of the body was made of layered metal plates, while the bottom was a single solid piece, combining to form a shell that contained only darkness and a shining red light ¡®eye¡¯.


    Coop approached it cautiously, wary of it moving quickly or shooting laser beams out of its eye. He wanted to be ready to dodge out of the way. It barely moved, but it did shift its entire body so that its eye continued facing Coop, requiring all four legs to take small, shuffling side steps. Jones followed behind and at an angle.


    Once Coop was in striking distance he planted his lead foot and tried an overhand strike with the machete, intending to split the body from the top. There was no elegance to the swing; he just gripped the handle and brought the blade down like a hammer. The machine raised one of its legs and caught the swing with its shin guard. Coop barely kept hold of the machete through the impact as he jumped backwards to avoid a counter that never came.


    Coop was a pretty strong guy so he had expected to drive the thing into the ground even if he didn¡¯t split it open but instead the reverberation in his arm made him rethink his tactics. The machine was stronger than he was.


    He waved Jones off to the left side while Coop sidestepped to the right so that they could each flank the machine. The machine continued to face Coop who kept his guard up expecting retaliation at any second. The machine hadn¡¯t attacked yet and it wasn¡¯t clear how it would at all. Unless it shot lasers.


    Jones poked at its side with his rake but the machine lifted its back left leg to block. Jones tried to pressure it by pushing it off balance and, as he pushed, Coop tried another overhead strike, this time bracing his arm in case he was blocked again.


    The machine raised its front left leg to block Coop without giving up its right legs which were bracing against Jones¡¯s push. With both left legs off the ground Coop tried kicking the thing in the chin. This had a good result, lifting the machine into the air and forcing it to land backwards several feet. The top of Coop¡¯s foot would probably be bruised from the contact.


    The machine may have been strong but it wasn¡¯t massive. While Coop considered how to take advantage of this the machine reared back on both of its back legs and lifted both front legs before lunging at Coop like a praying mantis.


    He scrambled to get out of the way, but it was too quick. Coop realized too late that it wasn¡¯t unarmed after all. Its feet were spikes. One of them ripped through his left calf before he could escape, tearing a bloody hole that made Coop feel faint. The pain was immediate and Coop yelled in shock and agony while stumbling backwards, trying to avoid putting weight on his injured leg. He barely stayed upright, fearing a followup from the metal monster.


    Jones continued harrying the creature with the business end of his rake and the machine repeatedly blocked as it shifted its front legs and its eye to face Jones. He maintained his distance thanks to the longer reach of his weapon. He was really just shoving the creature around without causing any damage, but it was forcing the creature to keep one leg blocking and two legs bracing.


    Coop recognized the opportunity Jones had created so he gritted his teeth and forced the pain into the back of his mind as he lunged toward the creature. He managed yet another overhand strike with the machete, this time with more desperation. He was aiming at the cylinder that connected the leg to the body on a leg that was bracing against Jones¡¯s shoving. The swing struck accurately and the cylinder crumpled like an empty soda can before detaching from the body and spraying an oily substance all over the sand.


    With the loss of its leg Jones was able to shove the machine completely off balance and open it up for another strike from Coop who didn¡¯t hesitate to continue. Once its second leg was removed Coop started hammering away at the body. The blade of the machete wasn¡¯t sharp enough to slice the machine so he ended up bludgeoning it instead.


    Eventually, Coop was interrupted by a flash of bright white light. With his eyes fixed on the creature, he panicked thinking that the machine was self-destructing. In his desperate attempt to flee, he only managed to stumble on his injured leg and fall backwards.


    Instead of exploding, the monster dissolved into pale smoke that dispersed into the breeze. He noticed a message that without the horrible pain in his leg would have convinced him he was actually playing a video game.


    [You defeated Ancient Defender (Level 2)]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [You have a new quest!]

 Chapter 4: Champion

    Coop sat underneath the most normal sized palm tree in the vicinity while his leg throbbed with pain. He decided this palm tree was his new favorite. He felt some kinship with the tree that hadn¡¯t grown with mana, like they both weren¡¯t Chosen and were stuck being normal. Leveling up had proven normal people weren¡¯t doomed after all. He hadn¡¯t even realized he was worried in the first place, but the relief he felt was evident.


    Jones had bandaged Coop¡¯s wound using one of their first aid kits and was now sitting and resting as well. The wound in Coop¡¯s calf was probably the worst injury he had received in his life, but Jones wasn¡¯t overly concerned thanks to his belief in mana.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t clean your wound much, but I don¡¯t think you have to worry about infection. I don¡¯t think infection even exists anymore unless it¡¯s applied as a status effect.¡± Jones mused. ¡°If we weren¡¯t fighting that machine in the sand we would have noticed it had spikes on the ends of its appendages.¡± He shook his head like he was disappointed at his inability to prepare for every possibility.


    ¡°We won in the end.¡± Coop stated.


    ¡°They told me the first level would be the most difficult.¡± Jones added.


    ¡°If that was the hardest, then I think we¡¯ll be okay after all.¡± Coop doubted it though. That seemed like something a person would say to encourage a bunch of scared scholars. ¡°I¡¯m just glad it didn¡¯t shoot any lasers.¡± Coop declared. They both nodded at that, imagining a much more difficult fight.


    ¡°So, what do we do about this level up?¡± Coop pondered.


    Jones recounted what he was told about accessing the menus, and it turned out to be perfectly intuitive. With a quick thought Coop observed his status for the first time.


    [Status]


    HP - 36/50


    MP - 50/50


    Class - None (Requires Level 5) (Level 1)


    Profession - None (Requires Civilization Shard) (Level 0)


    Affinity - None (Requires Level 5)


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 5


    Agility - 5


    Body - 5


    Mind - 5


    Intelligence - 5


    Acumen - 5


    Unallocated - 5


    Titles - None


    Skills (Active) - Identify


    Skills (Passive) - Common Language


    Quests - Defeat Ancient Defenders I (1/5)


    Coop took his time examining each line. There wasn¡¯t much to look at. He told Jones he had more ¡°Nones¡± than a convent, earning a mere chuckle from Jones. Coop shrugged off the underwhelming response and continued reading.


    It was just so video gamey, he couldn¡¯t take it completely seriously. Despite being injured and bleeding his real blood onto the sand, reading a status screen with HP totals and attribute points in real life was too uncanny. He felt like the only reasonable way to handle these circumstances would be to treat it as the most high stakes video game imaginable, one with life or death consequences, where survival would be determined on how well he played the game. With that perspective, he reviewed his status with a bit more seriousness.


    He was surprised that he only lost 14 HP. He thought it hurt more than 14 HP, but he guessed a wound to a limb was just less lethal and, therefore, dealt less damage. He considered whether he had weak spots, or if they could deal critical hits on attacks.


    He noted that he had received five attribute points after his level up. Would it be five points every level? He wasn¡¯t sure, and without a class he wasn¡¯t sure where he would place them anyway. He inspected each attribute, revealing some more information when he focused. Unfortunately, they only gave the most simplistic description he could imagine.


    Strength increases Physical Power.


    Agility increases Physical Speed.


    Body increases Physical Defense and HP.


    Mind increases Magic Defense and MP.


    Intelligence increases Magic Power.


    Acumen increases Magic Speed.


    The simple descriptions weren¡¯t enough information. The only bit he could glean was that Body would probably increase his HP by 10 per point and Mind would increase his MP by 10 per point. Even that was only a guess based on some quick math. He had five points to spend which could effectively double any of his stats, but Coop was even more convinced to save his points until he had a class.


    Comparing attributes to each other wasn¡¯t particularly helpful since they were so distinct in purpose. Obviously, specific classes would value each one differently. His only thought was that ¡®Body¡¯ was overpowered. He would have expected Defense and HP to be two separate resources, but in this case, combining them allowed Tanks to double dip. Maybe even triple dip if HP regen was percentage based.


    He asked Jones about his opinion, and Jones told him that he had already put all five of his points into Strength. Coop hadn¡¯t expected physical changes to come from attributes, but he thought Jones had more muscle mass now that he looked at him. He wondered if, in the future, it would be possible to glean someone¡¯s specialization on sight.


    When asked, Jones revealed that he intended to try for a class that focused on ranged abilities, as he claimed he was too old to get in the thick of it. Coop was surprised he added points to Strength with that goal in mind. When Coop raised his concerns about wasting points, Jones stated he wasn¡¯t worried. He believed there was no limit to their level, so he could make up for it later. But Coop was doubtful. There was no telling how difficult it would become to continue leveling indefinitely.


    They debated back and forth but it was clear they were coming from different perspectives. Coop¡¯s position was that they shouldn¡¯t spend any points yet, but if they spent any at all, it should be in ¡®Body¡¯ since no matter what direction they took, it would probably be useful. Jones just didn¡¯t think it mattered how they spent points and anticipated the skills having the final say over their capabilities, and therefore, the points would simply fill gaps. In the end, Jones was at least convinced to spend his points on attributes that would be more universally useful.


    He asked Jones about the ¡®Affinity¡¯ line in the status, but Jones had only been told that it was normal to start with a single affinity. It had a hand in determining what classes would be offered, which in turn determined which skills they could select. Rarely additional affinities were acquired during class or race evolutions, but it was not the norm. Coop hoped he would get a good one to start with.


    Despite appearances, Coop had been a long time gamer. In fact, Coop wasn¡¯t even really his name, it was a childhood nickname that he earned by not knowing how to properly pronounce co-op with the neighborhood kids. It had stuck to the point that not even his parents called him anything else. At this point, ¡®Coop¡¯ was completely his identity, and his gaming habits only grew as he got older. His habits really became unhealthy after both of his parents died. Coop earned the reputation of a grinder. He grinded out his classes in school, he grinded out his workouts at the gym, and he grinded out levels in video games.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    In the back of his mind he recognized that he was avoiding confrontation with his own grief, but he continued anyway. He dabbled in all sorts of genres, depending on what his friend group were interested in at the time, but his favorite type were ARPG¡¯s; the type that had both a softcore and a hardcore mode. He knew strategies for both, he knew pitfalls to avoid, and he judged that he should try to capitalize on that experience. After all, this whole system seemed more and more like a real life hardcore RPG. It wasn¡¯t something school had prepared him for, anyway.


    Coop couldn¡¯t help but start theorycrafting. With his life on the line, he refused to stumble along without a plan. He thought it would be important to grab every advantage he could to try and ensure his survival, and that meant trying not to waste any resources. He doubted there would be the option to respec in real life, and he obviously couldn¡¯t reroll his character. The idea of roleplaying as himself made his head spin.


    He would follow a familiar hardcore gaming strategy; focus on survivability first and high damage second. He wanted defensive layers and sustain, but he figured, even with the overpowered Body stat, a pure tank would be a mistake. In most cases, killing things quickly is just as important as being durable for surviving. It was possible he would encounter DPS checks or enrage timers that a tank would fail. Not to mention just absorbing damage would be a literal pain in real life.


    Sometimes the best way to not die is to kill everything first, but in a hardcore game, surviving as a glass cannon was often too much of a gamble. In real life? Forget about it. For now his plan would be simple, grind to level five without spending any points. Once he hit level five he would weigh his options while aiming for some type of tanky skirmisher class. He wasn¡¯t worried about saving for a few levels because he and Jones had already defeated the first Ancient Defender. They had done it even when they went in blind without any levels at all. If necessary, he would specifically hunt Ancient Defenders until he hit level five.


    Jones finally interrupted Coop¡¯s train of thought when he suggested Coop go claim the civilization shard. Jones was wondering about the profession line in the status menu.


    As Coop got up he noted that his leg had already healed a bit. His HP had increased by two and it had only been around one hour since he had first checked. He figured he was regenerating a point about every 30 minutes. He wondered if that was a static amount or if it was percentage based. At this rate it would take a bit more than a full day to heal 100% from 0. That actually seemed really generous, it was possible to passively regenerate devastating injuries in a single day. He wondered if people in hospitals right now were finding themselves fully healed. That was a nice thought.


    As he limped to the shard he remembered to try his only active skill, Identify, on Jones. The result floated above his head like a nameplate before it slowly faded.


    [Human (Level 1)]


    That was it. Coop hoped the skill would improve in the future. If this new reality was going to be so game-like he wanted some dang nameplates with health bars. He read the description of Identify which indicated that it would display basic information of a ¡®souled¡¯ target. He tried it on his new favorite tree but it didn¡¯t work. He tried it on the shard and it also didn¡¯t work.


    Coop finally activated the shard by placing his hand against the gently glowing red surface and received a prompt. The prompt asked whether he wanted to claim this civilization shard which Coop confirmed.


    [Congratulations! You have claimed a civilization shard. You are the 373rd to claim a shard.]


    [Settlement events will initialize on Day 30.]


    [You have acquired a new title!]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [You have a new quest!]


    Coop was shocked that 373 civilization shards had been claimed. It had only been two days! He had fully expected to be among the first. Surely, most of the Chosen would still be in their boot camps receiving whatever bonuses their factions were providing. That would leave the random people who survived the chaos and had no idea what the hell was going on to claim them. And what kind of lunatic would randomly walk up to a six foot glowing red crystal from outer space? Especially when they attracted mechanical monsters! Coop would have kept his distance forever if Jones hadn¡¯t come out of his orientation with the knowledge of what they were.


    All he could do was shake his head at the way people are. He filed the importance of Day 30 to the back of his mind, it was too early to worry about that far in the future. Instead, he accessed the shard to check out the menus. There were two tabs. The first tab was ¡®Settlement¡¯ and the second was ¡®Personal¡¯. He mentally selected ¡®Settlement¡¯ to start with. It had three options.


    The first option was ¡®Status¡¯ which Coop selected. It revealed a top down view of the current settlement in his vision with various stats on the side. The population was 3, surprising Coop. It must be counting himself, Jones, as well as Jett, their kitty comrade. The settlement territory covered most of the northwestern portion of the island centered where the shard had landed. It didn¡¯t reach the mangrove forest to the east and northeast nor was the lighthouse to the south included. It did encompass the fort on the north end and if there was any way to expand it, the lighthouse wasn¡¯t that far. It also had a place to list all the services of the settlement, but there were none. The settlement was also missing a name but needed to be upgraded before it could receive one. He would need to investigate how to get upgrades.


    He found it immediately because the second option was the very ¡®Upgrade¡¯ category that he was looking for. The settlement was a camp and could be upgraded into an outpost if certain requirements were met. He would need to purchase a permanent building from the ¡®Construct¡¯ option, pay 1,000 basic credits, and hold the settlement for at least 11 days. A challenge to the settlement¡¯s ownership would interrupt the timer and a transfer would restart it. Fair enough Coop supposed. It could also be relocated by the Champion to another location within the settlement territory, or it could be transferred to a different person making them the new Champion. He¡¯d ask Jones if they should move it into the fort¡¯s courtyard.


    The third settlement option was the aforementioned ¡®Construct¡¯. It was an extremely long list of grayed out buildings with prices in basic credits organized from low to high. The cheapest were 100 Basic Credits. Coop had zero. The cheaper buildings were mostly basic service buildings like ¡®Swordsmith¡¯ or ¡®Bowyer¡¯. Each building came with an alien manager as well. He guessed they would be beamed in with the building somehow. He could see how these would be useful, but he thought the options were oddly medieval given their alien nature. Out of curiosity he did a quick scroll to see some of the more expensive options. Emperor¡¯s Palace, Magic University, Wyvern Chamber, and they all had different variants. But once he looked at the prices he regretted his wandering eyes. The costs soared far beyond millions of credits.


    Returning to the main menu he selected the second tab, ¡®Personal¡¯, which had two options. The first was ¡®Evolution¡¯ which just said ¡®Requirements Not Met¡¯ when he mentally selected it. The next was ¡®Profession¡¯ which revealed another list. This list was not super long and he began browsing. After reading through the list of 20 or so professions he realized they were mostly basic gathering professions. He guessed more advanced professions were hidden somehow.


    He asked Jones if he had the same list. He did not. His list had been much shorter and more specialized, mostly listing things that he had already done in life. He had already selected Archaeologist. Coop reviewed his list again. It was mostly seemingly generic things like Basic Gardening, Basic Mining, Basic Foraging, Basic Woodcutting, Basic Fishing. He figured he hadn¡¯t met the qualifications to reveal other hidden professions. The ones that were available were too limiting. He would need to be pretty self-sufficient being on a remote island so he was hesitant to select anything without knowing what his class would be. Would it be worth it to try and unlock a specific profession that could support his class? He felt himself worrying about making a decision prematurely.


    Before he added yet another choice to delay he looked one more time and found one that he thought would be worth taking regardless of how his class choice went. Basic Scavenging. It would allow him to obtain special loot from defeated enemies. He fully intended to defeat tons of enemies and this profession would synergize nicely. It didn¡¯t matter what his class was, he knew he would be grinding. So before he could talk himself out of it, he pulled the trigger and selected Basic Scavenging.


    [You have a new quest!]


    He checked his status screen again just to see the profession field update and confirmed that he was now a ¡®Basic Scavenger (Level 1)¡¯. He also needed to see what title he got and what it did. In games he had played, titles were usually a cosmetic thing to affix to your display name. He hoped it was more than that. He viewed his title.


    Champion - Owner of a civilization shard.


    Adds +5 to all stats. Scales with settlement.


    Coop was happy about that! It doubled all of his stats and he didn¡¯t even need to assign his points yet. And it would scale with the level of their development. He wondered how much it would increase when he leveled the camp to an outpost.


    He checked his quests, since he had received three since claiming the civilization shard. The first quest wanted him to defeat five Ancient Defenders, the second quest was to upgrade his Camp to an Outpost, and the third quest was a profession quest to scavenge the bodies of 10 defeated enemies. None of them specified rewards. He asked Jones if he had gotten any quests and he had also received one to defeat Ancient Defenders as well as a profession quest related to archaeology that he could easily complete in the fort.


    He asked Jones about relocating the shard and he thought that would be a good idea. Coop mentally pressed the relocation button and confirmed. He expected it to teleport where he wanted it but instead it just kind of hovered off the ground letting Coop push it. He pushed it over the wooden bridge and had to wait for Jones to crank the main iron gate since the shard wouldn¡¯t fit through the human sized one. Once they were inside the courtyard Coop wasn¡¯t sure where to put it. He wanted it far away from the entrance, but there was an open canal down the middle of their fort. An amphibious assault was also possible, right?


    After a brief discussion, they ended up leaving it as close to the halfway point between the entrance and the canal as possible. They could just move it again later if they wanted to.


    Deciding on the location had Jones thinking about what to do about the new water feature in the fort. It could be both a liability or an asset. It could expose the interior of the fort to enemies on ships but also provide shelter within the fort for allied vessels.


    Coop wasn¡¯t really thinking that far ahead, but the shard was priming them to upgrade the settlement and they would need to expand to do so. Coop suggested one large bridge in the middle and docks along the canal on either side. They were still protected by the shallow reefs, but they could also fortify the open cross sections of the walls with defenses to protect against water borne enemies. Then the interior of the courtyard could be designed so that both ends of the bridge were major hubs with spokes spreading to the inner walls.


    Jones loved it and started drawing pictures in his notes. When he asked Coop about zoning various districts Coop had to remind him that they couldn¡¯t build a single building yet. Jones was undeterred.

 Chapter 5: Invaders

    The next day Coop and Jones returned to the lighthouse trail. They were on a mission to defeat more Ancient Defenders, and since the only one they had ever seen was near the trail, that was where they began their search.


    They cautiously walked along the path while carefully scanning the dunes. The sun was bright and only a few fluffy clouds floated across the blue sky. There weren¡¯t many places that provided cover, so it seemed unlikely that they would be ambushed. Although when Coop brought the idea up, Jones suggested the mechanical creatures might be able to bury themselves in the sand. So Coop, who had been full of confidence in completing their quest after defeating their first Ancient Defender, was now moving much more slowly.


    When they finally found their first target it was not buried underneath the sand. It was merely waiting on the beach side of the trail, above the high water mark of the aquamarine ocean. It was periodically wandering a few steps before returning to the same small area. The creature had been following its little pattern for a while judging by the many tracks it had left in the sand. Coop identified it from a safe distance.


    [Ancient Defender (Level 2)]


    Coop and Jones approached it the same way they had approached the first one. But this time they were more aware of its abilities. They had planned to keep at least one of its four legs occupied at all times, preventing it from lunging at either one of them.


    They closed the distance a bit more urgently than the first time, worried that it would preemptively strike at them. Jones successfully distracted it by shoving at it with his trusty rake as his weapon, forcing it to lift one leg in defense. The creature had no choice but to immediately brace itself against Jones¡¯s push with its two back legs, gouging deeper holes into the packed sand. Jones¡¯s increase in Strength was already making itself known.


    This time Coop opened up his assault by kicking at the mechanical creature with the flat of his foot like he was kicking open a door. The move successfully baited the monster into defending with its last unoccupied limb. With two legs off the ground and the other two legs bracing the creature, Coop was free to swing the machete into the weaker cylindrical shaft that connected the legs to the body.


    It only took one solid overhand swing to dismember one of the creature¡¯s back legs, effectively ending the fight. They were still wary of it swinging its limbs before they carefully removed a second limb and finished it off. Defeating the monster was a lot quicker thanks to their increased stats and the experience from the first one. Coop watched as the rust colored creature blurred like it was becoming a watercolor painting before it rapidly deteriorated into wisps of white smoke and dispersed in the ocean breeze. He briefly wondered how he was supposed to loot it for his scavenging quest before he reviewed his messages.


    [You defeated Ancient Defender (Level 2)]


    [+2 Basic Credits]


    [Defeat Ancient Defenders I (2/5)]


    [Scavenge Defeated Enemies I (1/10)]


    At first, Coop was surprised. Scavenging was automatic. He found a new line in his status that displayed how many credits he had. Then he felt a little disappointed. The cost of upgrading the settlement was 1,000 Basic Credits. It would take a while if he had to collect them two at a time. His impression of Basic Scavenging dipped. Then again, if he had selected any other profession, or even waited to choose, he wouldn¡¯t know how to get any credits at all. Not to mention, he would never complain about a quality of life improvement like autoloot.


    Jones mentioned that they couldn¡¯t see how much experience they received towards their next level. Coop couldn¡¯t believe he hadn¡¯t noticed himself. They couldn¡¯t see their level progress at all, but Coop sensed they were close to leveling again. Jones agreed, thinking that there was something intuitive about experience. Jones has some theories about the relationship between mana and experience, but Coop wasn¡¯t worried about the details as long as it worked.


    They continued down the trail, south, towards the lighthouse, searching for the next Ancient Defender. The next one they found didn¡¯t stand any more of a chance than the previous one. Jones even discovered an easier way to finish it off by smashing the red light with the handle of his rake. They both leveled upon killing the second Ancient Defender. Coop delayed checking his notifications and continued saving his points. Jones put his free attribute points into Body which made him look ten years younger. He confirmed that each point added 10 HP.


    The third Ancient Defender was defeated even more efficiently than the others. Coop took the opportunity when the creature was blocking both of their opening attacks to thrust the machete into its eye rather than attack the bracing legs and it was defeated without the need of incapacitating it.


    After the fourth kill they both paused to view their messages.


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [You defeated Ancient Defender (Level 3)]


    [+1 Basic Credits]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Ancient Defenders I]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [Scavenge Defeated Enemies I (4/10)]


    Completing the quest had rewarded them with a full level and 100 basic credits. It had also chained into another quest, this time to defeat 25 Ancient Defenders. They were intent on leveling to five through fighting these creatures anyway, so they continued their hunt. They didn¡¯t run into any problems, defeating half a dozen more of the mechanical creatures before they doubled back to return to the fort.


    [You defeated Ancient Defender (Level 2)]


    [+2 Basic Credits]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Quest Complete! Scavenge Defeated Enemies I]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [Defeat Ancient Defenders II (6/25)]


    Coop¡¯s scavenger quest also chained into another that required him to loot 50 more defeated enemies, but more importantly it rewarded him with spatial storage for scavenged loot. Up to this point he had only received Basic Credits from scavenging, which didn¡¯t seem to need spatial storage. He was excited by the prospect of receiving even more things from his profession. But Coop was even more enthused by the level he had received in Basic Scavenging. It also rewarded him with five attribute points! Of course, he also hoarded those like toilet paper before a hurricane.


    A few more kills and they were bathed in the white glow of another level and received the welcome notification.


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    They defeated a couple more creatures before encountering something new. The next Ancient Defender they found was standing with a second Ancient Defender. They considered avoiding them but ultimately felt comfortable enough to take them both on.


    Coop and Jones split up so that each would fight one Ancient Defender at a time. They knew to avoid giving it the space to lunge at them and had yet to encounter any other dangerous maneuvers. Coop began his assault by kicking at the mechanical creature and forcing it to block. He attempted to jab the machete into its eye from around the blocking leg, but the creature blocked with a second leg before Coop could do any damage.


    Coop didn¡¯t give it any room to counter attack and used his offhand to grab the first leg and yank the creature off balance. He tried to elbow the creature with his mainhand as it stumbled but was once again rebuffed, this time receiving minor damage for his effort. The armor of the mechanical creature was significantly harder than his elbow.


    He heard Jones groan in pain and redoubled his assault on the mechanical creature. Coop was struggling to get around the defense by himself. He tried another combination using his shoulder to ram into the first guard and a desperate imitation of a side kick to draw the second guard. It succeeded but he was at such an awkward angle he could only swing his machete at the body with a downswing, catching the armored shell instead of the more vulnerable eye or leg connectors.


    However, his swing had caused the creature to lean forward toward the sand, exposing its back legs to follow up swings from the machete. He quickly destroyed the creature before hustling over to Jones who was barely holding his target at bay.


    The Ancient Defender hadn¡¯t expected Coop¡¯s reinforcement and was quickly defeated by their seasoned combination of attacks. Thankfully, neither of them had taken much damage.


    Jones had a minor injury to his forearm that they bandaged. He had received it from the creature swinging its arm after he thrust the rake between its guard, aiming for its eye. He had only lost a few HP from the attack, but was regretting not putting more points into Agility. He would have been able to defeat it if he had. He was considering whether or not to use his next points to correct that regret, but at this point Coop was convinced that he should save them for after they unlocked classes, especially if he was aiming to be a ranged caster. Jones suggested that physical speed would be useful no matter what class someone had, which Coop thought was a good point, actually. No one should turn down move speed.


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    They returned to the fort after defeating the pair of Defenders. Coop¡¯s Ancient Defender quest had progressed to 10/25 and his scavenger quest was just beginning at 4/50 while Jones¡¯s Ancient Defender quest was at 9/25.They were both level four, but would have to wait until tomorrow to hit level five. Coop felt like a kid on Christmas Eve with how much he was looking forward to his class.


    ¡ª


    Jett Black had earned her retirement. She enjoyed what she knew were her twilight years, satisfied with her achievements.


    She had recently received a new attendant to aid her in keeping the light and he was dutiful in assisting her. Nowadays there wasn¡¯t much that still required her attention. Her duties as Royal Guard of the Light had taken on the cadence of retirement.


    She remembered the hordes of invaders that plagued the lighthouse before she exterminated them. Instinct alone had allowed her to accomplish her tasks, but age had brought some wisdom and sense of self. The memories kept her senses resolute but she didn¡¯t need to worry. Her attendant had been diligent enough to prevent invaders from taking any interest in returning. She continued to patrol, but in retirement it was more of a comfortable stroll through the familiar comforts of the lighthouse. Her domain.


    Then, suddenly, for the first time that she could remember, she found herself outside of her domain. She was meeting with a representative from one of the most powerful factions in the universe. They were isolated on a vast golden platform that floated like a disc among the clouds of a nebula.


    Jett stared at the strange creature, but she couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of what it was. It was mostly human in shape, but it smelled like a cat. It had cat ears and stared back at her with cat eyes. A cat tail swayed calmly behind the creature as it observed Jett. Jett was uncomfortable, she was not in her own territory, and she was too old to be looking for a fight.


    Before Jett could flee, the creature gave a small bow and began to speak. ¡°Greetings, little one. I am Sterling Marius Princeton the Third, a humble ambassador from the Blessed Mau Collective, and I have brought you a gift, if you desire it.¡± Jett understood gifts, her current human attendant was generous with them. The cat man continued, ¡°This one would grant you awareness, knowledge, and understanding. Will you accept this gift?¡± Jett meowed and she was awakened.


    The Blessed Mau Collective had no interest in Earth itself, the Collective was well beyond vying for individual planets. If the recognized factions of the universe were able to be quantifiably ranked in terms of power, The Blessed Mau Collective would certainly have a single digit rank on its own. But even the single most powerful faction wouldn¡¯t dare challenge the Collective, for the number of factions that would volunteer to fight on their behalf was innumerable. If someone was able to add up all the support that The Blessed Mau Collective received they would probably come to the conclusion that cats ruled the universe.


    The felines of Earth were granted the opportunity to join the Collective. All of them. Most declined the offer, not prepared or not understanding enough to accept. Still, the number that did accept was in the thousands and the Collective¡¯s wealth was no worse for the wear despite winning nearly one billion sponsorship bids. Thus the faction that had spent by far the largest number of credits and offered the most sponsorships was satisfied. The Blessed Mau Collective looked forward to introducing its new brothers and sisters to the rest of the universe.


    Jett was returned to her lighthouse. She was greeted by disaster. The light was off. The lighthouse was damaged. Her attendant had utterly failed despite her brief absence. She was angry. She rushed out of the lighthouse to punish her disappointing attendant only to find him, unconscious and defeated, covered in blood.


    She felt bad about her intentions to punish him. He had clearly fought valiantly. Despite his loss, something she had never experienced, she would accept that he must have done his best even if it had been inadequate. She decided she would protect her attendant for now, as she was a generous cat.


    She gazed back at the lighthouse that had been her home for her entire life. The light really was off. Her watch had ended. It was a sad sight, but it was also exciting. It was time to expand her domain. She would return to consolidate her territory when she was satisfied. She watched over her attendant as he recovered.


    When he finally woke he was distinctly rattled. She watched from his shoulder as he packed her treats. She was once again satisfied with her decision to forgive him. He gaped in the distance after he left the lighthouse, though she had to admit she was too near-sighted to understand what he found so confounding.


    Then he took them both to the great fortress on the other end of the island. She knew it was home to another attendant, but he only visited her domain sporadically. On the way, her attendant nearly lost himself when a small, tasty looking fish jumped in the shallow water. He sprinted into the fortress without even glancing at it.


    Once they settled, her attendant asked if she was okay. She wanted to tell him that she was fine, and that he should check himself, since he still hadn¡¯t washed the dried blood from his previous battle. But her gift of language only allowed her to understand, she lacked the vocal cords to respond.


    Finally, the other attendant, attendant #2 arrived and spoke the words that she could not. Once they gathered together again attendant #2 spoke of his experience receiving a sponsorship. She recognized the interview, but she had been sent back before she had been given any orders. Likely due to her higher standing compared to attendant #2 who was given all sorts of directions that she, as a cat, would never have followed anyway.


    Her two attendants eventually made a plan to help her conquer the rest of her domain after they rested. She thought that was satisfactory and would let them do so. She would take on the responsibility of securing the territory. She could sense invaders already in the fortress. She would not let them be for long.


    She roamed into the basement level of the grand fortress. She was disappointed with its condition. It was damp and subsiding to the ever present ocean. Here she found her foes. They only had a moment to sense something was wrong before her predatory form ripped them apart. She meticulously cleared room after room until she reached the end of this basement section, where the fortress had been sliced in half leaving a portion exposed to the water. Her attendants would need to fix this at a later date. She doubled back to clear the other side¡¯s basement.


    She had received four level up messages which she was pleased with. She put her unallocated points into Agility and five into Body for good measure. She nodded to herself and continued defeating invaders. None of them were prepared to deal with a superior predator such as herself and they continued to be fertilizer for her gathering strength. By the time she reached the end of this half she had gained another two levels, putting her at level six. She once again put all her points into Agility and five into Body.


    Before she had a chance to review the rest of her messages she identified a new threat. She wondered what it was and as she wondered its identity was revealed.


    [Ruin Excavator (Level 5)]


    She would not tolerate its presence so she attacked as she had so many times before. However, this enemy was tougher. It had received her fangs but had not been destroyed like so many others. Frustrated at her opening salvo being rebuffed she was forced to use her feline grace to avoid its retaliatory attacks. It failed to even dishevel her fur before she had picked it apart with her claws. It had been decades since she played with her food like this, but she was satisfied with the result. The lone creature had given her another level when it would have taken dozens of the lesser invaders to do the same.


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    As she preened, another of the new invaders appeared from a hole in the ground. She could tell this one was special. As she wondered why, its identity was once again displayed.


    [Elite Ruin Excavator (Level 7)]


    Unacceptable. She engaged from the shadows without the creature noticing her presence, but her opening attack was even more ineffective than the previous. How dare these crunchy things defy her fangs. She was once again forced to pick it apart, piece by piece, using her claws, and avoiding retaliation with her feline grace. She was an arbiter of death in these shadowy halls and she would prove her place by defeating any who opposed her.


    When the creature finally submitted she had removed more than a dozen pieces from it. She would have taken a hundred if so required. She was rewarded doubly for this victory. She found that acceptable.


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    She placed her points into Agility and for the first time, Strength, for she wouldn¡¯t allow these crunchy creatures to continue defying her opening attacks. She also viewed the rest of her new prompts.


    Her affinities had been revealed, though to her they were obvious. Darkness, Sharpness, and Silence, of course. Her coat was black as night, her claws were sharp and deadly, and her prey never heard even a whisper of her presence. She was satisfied.


    She was notified that leaderboard access would be unlocked in the future. She wasn¡¯t interested. She was sure that she would be in her rightful position, at the top.


    At level five she had also unlocked several class options based on her affinities. She briefly perused the options before arbitrarily selecting the one with shadow in the name, since it reminded her of her coat. Next she browsed the skills. These were based on her affinities and class. Her eyes glittered at so many of the options, but alas, she was limited to five choices. Giving them no more thought she quickly chose the ones that would aid her the most during her hunts. She observed her status as she returned to her attendant¡¯s sleeping quarters.


    [Status]


    HP - 200/200


    MP - 100/100


    Class - Sentinel of Shadows (Level 9)


    Profession - None (Level 0)


    Affinity - Darkness, Sharpness, Silence


    Race - Cat (Rank 1)


    Faction - Blessed Mau Collective


    Strength - 20


    Agility - 35


    Body - 20


    Mind - 10


    Intelligence - 10


    Acumen - 10


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Awakened (Sapience), Venerated (Faction Bonus), Chosen


    Skills (Active) - Identify, Claw (Racial Bonus), Shadow Refuge, Shadow Step, Tactical Strike


    Skills (Passive) - Common Language (Limited), Feline Grace (Racial Bonus), Hidden Killer, Instant Reflexes


    She would obtain the rest of the delightful skills soon enough, she was sure. On a whim she Identified her young attendant.


    [Human (Level 4)]


    It was good that he was leveling, she feared he would become useless if he fell too far behind. She rewarded him with her presence.

 Chapter 6: Elite Challenger

    Once again, Coop woke up with Jett on his chest, purring. She was a good kitty and he told her so. He had the feeling she already knew it and that she thought he might be a little dim for repeating it. He didn¡¯t mind reminding her anyway.


    Today, he and Jones were continuing the hunt for Ancient Defenders. They planned to push to level five in order to unlock their classes. He thought they would be well ahead of the curve and couldn¡¯t wait to see where he would land on the leaderboards. Even if he was behind right now, he knew that properly crafting a build through his class, skills, and attributes would catapult him forward. It wasn¡¯t that he doubted anyone would be more competent than he was, he knew, when the competition was the entire planet, that many exceptional individuals would make their presence known. But he doubted even those people would stay at the top if they were just choosing things on a whim.


    This time, Coop had relegated his machete to a sheath on his back in favor of the pole spear. The plan was to seek more efficient kill shots by striking at the creature¡¯s red lights rather than the more arduous process of dismembering the machines. They were slowly making their hunting tactics more efficient. They had also abandoned their pseudo armor cosplays since the bits of armor had proven ineffective for both of them.


    Coop and Jones followed the same route as they had the day before and found the mechanical creatures in the same locations. The Ancient Defenders obviously respawned relatively frequently, but Coop hadn¡¯t figured out the timeframe just yet. They had even defeated some of them in the same location multiple times in their circuit yesterday. In Coop¡¯s mind, figuring out the creature¡¯s spawn timings would be the next step in improving their hunts.


    They utilized the same tactics they had refined the day before with the addition of Coop going for the eyes with the pointy end of his faux spear. It was devastatingly effective, allowing them to defeat the Ancient Defenders three times as quickly.


    Coop tried to distract himself from the notification messages by speeding up their route. Jones could easily keep up thanks to his additional attribute points. He had earned a significant number by leveling up his Archaeology profession during their down time. His profession level had already surpassed his class level. He had saved a few points for the inevitable class, but he had still spent some in Agility and Body, believing they were more universal than the other attributes.


    Eventually the anticipation grew too much and Coop started to immediately check every notification that he received, anticipating the level up every time.


    He was rudely interrupted by a uniquely large Ancient Defender strolling along the beach. The different behavior and unusual size of this specimen prompted an Identify from both of them.


    [Elite Ancient Defender (Level 5)]


    They looked at each other and nodded, confirming they were on the same page in deciding that this creature would make a worthy final opponent before unlocking their classes.


    Applying the experience they had garnered from defeating so many of this Ancient Defender¡¯s weaker brethren, they approached with the confidence of predators. But this elite immediately behaved contrary to the lesser Ancient Defenders by moving to engage them as soon as it noticed they were advancing toward it. None of the others had shown this level of awareness.


    When Jones thrust his rake at the creature it didn¡¯t just raise one of its oversized legs to block, like all the others, but also flung its leg forward as if it wanted to kick the offending attacker away. The extra movement effectively countered Jones¡¯s attack and forced Jones to stumble backwards before Coop had even engaged.


    Coop opened with a front kick into the waiting guard of the elite, but after witnessing Jones be pushed backwards he prepared for the counter. When the creature drove its guarding leg outward, Coop used his extended foot to launch himself up, before the creature¡¯s momentum pushed him away. This gave Coop a gap above the creature¡¯s guard to thrust his spear at the red light.


    The elite creature was much quicker than its lesser brethren and it was able to shift a second leg guard horizontally to protect its face, preventing the kill shot. If Jones had been able to occupy that leg the creature would have already been defeated. Instead, before Coop¡¯s backwards momentum took him out of range of the creature it flung its second guarding leg into his spear, tearing its strap and tossing the flimsy weapon aside, out of Coop¡¯s grip.


    Coop only landed a few feet away from the creature, but before he was able to completely recover his footing in the wet sand, it was upon him again. Rather than lunging with two legs like the rest of the Ancient Defenders had, it only committed one leg at a time. Each leg stabbed forward, one after the other, and Coop was barely able to avoid a crippling wound as he dodged backwards, up the beach toward the palms.


    At this point, Jones returned to the fight, attacking the creature¡¯s flank by slamming the pointed end of his rake in an overhead strike into the top of one of its back legs. The prongs weren¡¯t long enough to reach the vulnerable body-connecting cylinder, but it was enough to stall the creature and allow Coop to regain a fighting stance, even if he hadn¡¯t had a moment to draw the machete.


    In retaliation, the creature lashed out at Jones without turning, catching him completely off guard. The elite hadn¡¯t bothered to rotate as all of the others had and leveraged its radial symmetry to its advantage. As its two back legs consecutively stabbed at Jones it rotated like a carousel until it was facing him with its red light.


    Jones had retreated backwards as quickly as he could, hopping to avoid the legs until he was ankle deep in the ocean. The extra resistance slowed him down, allowing the creature to tear into one of his thighs. He didn¡¯t cry out, but his teeth were visibly clenched.


    Coop panicked, about to witness his friend and colleague be impaled by an alien machine. Coop was preparing to make a desperate attack with the newly freed machete to the flank of the creature when, instead of ending Jones who was sitting in the water surrounded by a cloud of red blood, with only mental defiance left in him, it used the familiar two-armed lunging attack toward Coop. The attack caught Coop completely by surprise as he had thought it was still focused on Jones.


    The creature flew 10 feet up the beach, closing the gap between it and Coop in an instant. One of the spiked legs pierced his gut and the other went through his left forearm, knocking him backwards and pinning him to the sand before retracting the bloody appendages from Coop. Coop painfully noted that he had lost 47 HP, 17 HP, had a bleeding debuff, and a crippled limb debuff. Coop wasn¡¯t as stoic as Jones and vocalized his shock and agony.


    The elite dismissively left him bleeding in the sand and walked toward Jones, content to leave him incapacitated. Coop once again found himself flat on his back staring into palm fronds. He briefly recalled the last time, even though he might be on the verge of dying right now, it was much scarier back then, when the meteors were blocking out the sky. Stupid monster should have finished him off. He lost another HP point to the bleeding effect.


    He thought it was weird how quickly he was able to push the pain out of the forefront of his consciousness. It was like he had years of experience subconsciously avoiding feelings, or maybe it had something to do with mana. Either way, he felt like he had options. It had only been seconds since the elite left him, Jones had put a little distance between himself and the monster, basically floating away to avoid using his injured leg. He still had a few seconds before he was in danger of attack.


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    Coop had to decide what to do. He rolled onto his side, ignoring the shooting pain from his pierced abdomen, and used his good arm to get to his knees before standing up. He retrieved the dropped machete and, observing the path that the elite was taking, finally chose how he would kill this monster.


    He had attribute points banked, he could spend them now to gain some advantage or extend his life, but that¡¯s not what he decided to do. Instead he scrambled up the palm tree, balancing along the trunk as it angled out over the water. This was one that had seen some pretty significant growth when it was exposed to mana, making it plenty wide for someone to use as a path. Coop ran along the trunk as the elite slowly caught up to Jones.


    Coop wasn¡¯t sure if he would make it before the monster killed Jones, but just as he began losing confidence the monster exploded into red flames. Jones held the spent flare gun above the water in one hand with his teeth still clenched.


    The flare burned hot despite the wetness and the creature''s momentum was arrested as it tried to shake off the damage. It slowly recovered with the help of the shallow water.


    As Jones faced the creature down, Coop leapt off of the tree. He intended to land on the body and stab the monster directly in the eye. Surprisingly, it almost worked out exactly as he envisioned. At least he was on target.


    When he landed on top of the creature, the creature collapsed in a heap, weakened by the fire, and Coop ended up collapsing along with it, receiving 10 HP of fall damage. Coop¡¯s machete swing missed its mark, but did crush one of the leg connectors. Before the creature lifted itself out of the shallow water Coop¡¯s second swing struck true and smashed the red light eye.


    Both Coop and Jones were bathed in the white light of a level while the monster evaporated into mist.


    [You defeated Elite Ancient Defender (Level 5)]


    [+76 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Elite Monster Token]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [New Affinity acquired!]


    [Class options available.]


    Finally! Level five already! Coop would have been jumping for joy if it hadn¡¯t ended up being such a desperate battle where they both sustained horrible injuries.


    Saving his attribute points had ended up being a dangerous gambit, one that he should have lost. He had lost 75 HP. He would have died without the bonuses provided by the Champion title. Before he checked to see if it paid off, he checked on Jones.


    ¡°Coop! You look terrible.¡± Jones couldn¡¯t help but point out. Coop thought he was secretly impressed by Coop¡¯s palm tree maneuver.


    ¡°Speak for yourself,¡± Coop retorted as he helped Jones back to his feet.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t give me that. I only lost 30 HP. I just have a debuff called crippled limb on my leg. I have to heal double the HP lost from the injury in order to cleanse it.¡± Jones retorted.


    Coop raised his eyebrows, ¡°You too? I wonder if that thing had some special effect. I got the same thing on my arm.¡± Coop checked his HP status. ¡°I also have the bleeding debuff and I¡¯m down to 25 HP.¡± Coop frowned when he realized his health regen would be much slower than the bleeding effect.


    ¡°Well, let''s get back to the fort. I¡¯ll patch you up, I can damn near see straight through you right now.¡± Jones cringed. ¡°Then you can take the next week, or however long it¡¯ll take you, to decide on a class.¡±


    Coop kept an eye on his health as he aided the hobbled Jones along the trail to the fort. If he got too low he would be forced to spend some attribute points. Jones had already confirmed that points in Body would add 10 points each to his current amount when they increase the pool. By the time they reached the fort he was down to 19 HP. Once he was patched up, the debuff eventually faded, but his HP didn¡¯t recover from the first aid.


    Jones was making all sorts of faces as he went through his updated status screen, and Coop left him to go over his own. Coop parked himself underneath one of the normal sized palm trees inside the safety of the courtyard, deciding that this was his new second favorite tree.


    He opened his status screen but hesitated. He was anxious about making a choice, feeling like he had built it up to be of such extreme importance that he needed it to be perfect. But that wasn¡¯t really the case. With a universe of possibilities, he felt like anything could be viable. In a video game, the scenarios are more static making some choices more correct than others, but in real life the possibilities weren¡¯t so limited. At the very least, there were class evolutions waiting for him in the future, if he needed to rectify minor mistakes. He tried to relax and recall the island vibes.


    Sitting beneath his second favorite tree he began imagining his perfect build. Even if this choice wasn¡¯t the end-all, he was still hoping to manifest an ideal outcome into reality. He wanted to be tough with lots of regenerating capability. He wanted to have high burst damage and also relentless consistent damage. He needed a movement skill, area of effect abilities, crowd control, maybe even stealth. And he wanted to be fast and do it all from range so that he could stay out of danger.


    As ridiculous as his greed could get, when he thought about all the skills he wanted he could imagine certain affinities that could probably encompass almost every single one. He¡¯d bet that some kind of air or wind affinity class could have everything he wanted except maybe stealth and toughness. He didn¡¯t even know what the limits were for affinities, his imagination was limited to the natural elements. He finally ripped the band aid and looked at his own affinity.


    His heart leapt into his throat when he saw it. Spectral Affinity. For those who are haunted by the dead, frequented by spirits, or are themselves ghostly existences. The memories he had subconsciously been avoiding for years surged back to him. The implications of his affinity bound him into an unavoidable confrontation. The crippling survivor¡¯s guilt he had effectively deflected washed over him.


    He remembered the day of his freshman orientation, being notified that his parents had been killed in a car accident on their way home after moving him into the dorms. How he utterly failed to grieve properly, refused to take time off, and just continued on like he was unaffected. He quickly established routines and distracted himself with a daily grind that he wouldn¡¯t let go. He thought it was his fault they died. Was he haunted by his parents? Had he become the living ghost of his previous life? Why would he be given such an esoteric affinity?


    His affinity was supposed to be the foundation of his power in the new reality that Earth faced. But instead he felt like it was exposing a weakness he had buried as deep as he could. He had transformed into a hazy shadow of his parents¡¯ only child. Outwardly busy, but internally uninterested and hollow. He contemplated whether or not this was some kind of message for a long time, unwittingly sobbing as the evening passed without him.


    Coop was being forced to face his past and come to terms with what he had become. It wasn¡¯t all bad. He thought they might even be proud of his mediocre, but slightly above average accomplishments. Despite his regrets, eventually, his resolve began to build. Realization that his parents¡¯ memory didn¡¯t need to be forgotten.


    He didn¡¯t need to run away from the memories everytime they came up even though they hurt. He let himself reminisce about the good times when they were together, and in a way they were still with him, they had left him with their legacy, and even now they were equipping him for the future. They taught him how to become strong and successful while encouraging him to build those attributes to help others.


    He finally started to come to terms with his loss, and slowly pushed away the feelings of guilt by accepting that it was a tragedy but it wasn¡¯t his fault.


    Eventually, he embraced the healing that he had unknowingly begun when first arriving on Rock Key broke him out of his routine of avoidance. He was definitely happier after he got to the island, appreciating the paradise and all the tropical life. Coop could mourn properly and live well as he knew his parents wished for him to.


    He looked up at the night sky through his tears and watched as the stars twinkled back at him.

 Chapter 7: Foundation

    Coop checked his class options with renewed purpose.


    [Phantom Blade]


    [Edgerunner]


    [Revenant]


    [Harbinger]


    [Ritemaster]


    He tried not to jump to any conclusions as he took in his choices. Of course, he would scrutinize each option, starting from the top of the list.


    ¡°Phantoms speak through the silent blade.¡±


    Phantom Blade was described as a master of assassination, utilizing intangibility to catch enemies unaware. The skills were said to aid an acrobatic combat style that takes advantage of the elusive nature of the Phantom Blade.


    Coop¡¯s first option sounded strong already. It seemed tailor made for stealth, evasion, and burst damage which were a few of the many tools he hoped to accumulate. He considered whether it would be pigeonholed into becoming a glass cannon, or if he could transform it into a dodge tank with stealth and high burst damage. Moving on he checked the next class.


    ¡°Few dare to walk the edge of life and death. Fewer run.¡±


    Edgerunner was characterized as a ranger, expert in hit and run tactics. Its skills would help with tracking, opening strikes, and escape when tormenting stronger opponents or chipping away at more numerous enemies.


    Coop¡¯s first ranged option sounded a bit risky to him. He didn¡¯t expect escaping to always be an option, and it seemed like a core archetype of the Edgerunner class. However, it did seem like it could yield some of the same advantages that his first option brought. Plus, he expected it to at least come with plenty of movement options and held a bonus for being ranged. He wasn¡¯t ready to dismiss either of his first two options yet. He continued to the third class.


    ¡°Where there¡¯s a will, there¡¯s a way.¡±


    Revenant was called a relentless combatant, focused on single-mindedly chasing victory with unflinching resolve. It appeared to be the first class offered with an emphasis on defense, but in this case it was magical defense instead of the overpowered physical defense. The class¡¯s skills would capitalize on the defensive investment by providing necessary flexibility, allowing the class to remain undeterred and uncompromising in its pursuit of its goals.


    Coop thought this option sounded interesting in that it was the first to directly address his primary qualification, durability. The class description implied that it would be heavy on the defense and sustain. Maybe it could be the tanky skirmisher he was looking for, but he continued browsing.


    ¡°Even immortals die when it is foretold.¡±


    The Harbinger class was proclaimed to be a deadly spellcaster that none could face unscathed. Its skills were primarily spells that would work by applying afflictions and significant damage over time.


    Right away, Coop could tell that his first spellcaster option was not what he was looking for. The description implied it was a glass cannon without the cannon, it didn¡¯t even address its own survivability. It sounded like the damage would be impressive but, because it was not burst damage, Coop would be vulnerable at the start of every single fight. Coop had horrible visions of afflicting spells on monsters and running around in circles waiting for them to inevitably die, hopefully before they caught and killed him first.


    Then again if he could force it to be tanky enough he could see potential viability. He thought the grind ability would be promising since damage over time abilities invited an efficient combat style; no reason to wait for enemies to die, just continue to the next one and so on. It was an effective but risky tactic in video games, not one that he wanted to try with his life on the line. He checked the fifth class.


    ¡°Control the forbidden.¡±


    Finally, the Ritemaster. Its description called it a versatile summoner that chained the spirits of the defeated, temporarily forcing them to serve. Its skills would provide it with curses and rituals that would allow it to bind spirits and weaken enemies.


    Coop once again had some doubts right away. The description implied that it would be another weak caster on its own with power that would escalate as he defeated enemies. It sounded nice to have meat shields, but Coop didn¡¯t want to be so vulnerable to need to rely on them. The other issue he saw was that it wasn¡¯t a typical summoner, but instead used the spirits temporarily. He figured that meant the summons would have a limited duration and any time spent without fighting was diminishing his capability. A snowballing class would probably have high power spikes, but he didn¡¯t like that it was tied to a summoner playstyle. He would rather the power have gone to himself like some kind of bloodlusting warrior that was personally strengthened each time he defeated an enemy.


    Coop shifted against his second favorite palm tree. The slight movement caused pain in his abdomen that reminded him of his rather grievous wounds. It was another clear, dark night in paradise. Coop began to weigh his options.


    His first two options, Phantom Blade and Edgerunner, were evidently both Agility based. Jones had recently argued that Agility was a uniquely valuable stat since it increased physical speed. Being fast would be a nice boon in just about every scenario Coop could imagine. Edgerunner further emphasized speed since one of its core features was the ability to escape. The fact that it was also ranged was another point in its favor. But would he need to learn to use a bow or some other weapon? He could have a bowyer installed in the settlement, but he wasn¡¯t sure if the ability to actually use the preferred weapon would come with the class or not.


    On the other hand, Phantom Blade, had the weapon in the name. He was already using a bladed weapon most of the time, that being the machete, though it wasn¡¯t looking so good after the last few days of combat. There might be plenty of room for improvement, but it was hard to misunderstand hitting enemies with the sharp side. He considered the simplicity of tools a point in Phantom Blade¡¯s favor, and easily added several more when considering the almost guaranteed stealth and burst damage. Furthermore, the Phantom Blade class specifically emphasized the intangibility of his spectral affinity. He wasn¡¯t sure if that meant he would be able to phase through solid objects, but it sure sounded like it.


    Still, when comparing the two agility classes, he wasn¡¯t ready to commit to one over the other. Honestly, he thought he would be happy with either one, but if the initial, admittedly minor, hurdles could be overcome, he would lean more toward Edgerunner. He didn¡¯t think anyone should underestimate the combination of range and speed. Especially when considering that Coop¡¯s primary purpose at the moment was to be grinding levels in order to accumulate more power. No matter what he chose he just hoped he¡¯d never make enemies with a Phantom Blade.


    Then there was the Revenant class. In retrospect, it checked the most boxes of any of his offerings. A tanky skirmisher with sustain and flexible skills. The real question was how flexible the skills would actually be. Would he have ranged options? Stealth? Area of effect or crowd control skills? And crucially, would having such a variety of abilities prevent it from having good damage potential? Coop had a lot of questions about the Revenant class, but he had to give it credit for realizing a few of his primary hopes right off the bat.


    The last two classes were both casters, though they appeared to be different archetypes. The first, the Harbinger class, had a lot going for it despite Coop¡¯s initial skepticism. When he considered his most immediate goals, to level himself and the settlement quickly, it was certainly in the conversation for the best option. But when he layed out his hopes for a class they definitely did not include a glass cannon with ramping damage. In the end, his first Intelligence class offering would be the first that he declined. If he could negotiate with the AI to give him this very class but make it scale off of HP as some kind of blood mage he would be selecting it right now. Give him the high damage of the class with the survivability of scaling with the overpowered Body stat as a choice and he¡¯d take it all day.


    The Ritemaster was another class that he nearly dismissed right away. Even now, while trying to weigh the pros and cons of each class, he found himself doubtful that it would be for him. In terms of raw power, he predicted that the Ritemaster class would have the highest highs and the lowest lows. He could imagine fighting with an army of spectral summons, each enemy defeated only fueling his army, but he was sure that he would be particularly vulnerable, even compared to the previous Harbinger class. Most of the power scaling would be in his summons, both from the number of them and the vitality of them, so when he had none he would be exposed. He didn¡¯t like the thought and would decline this class as well.


    He returned to the Revenant class. It didn¡¯t take much more consideration, from the starting point of all the classes, he thought this class fit the best. He admitted to himself that he was asking for way too much from the classes themselves, but even then, Revenant still held the possibility of fulfilling his requests. The only way he would really find out would be after he selected it when he could view the skills offered.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    With only a few trepidations he went with the Revenant class. If only he could have combined several classes instead of settling on one. Once his selection was confirmed he now had a list of skills to select from. He could only choose five total, regardless of which ones he picked. Briefly scanning the list, he thought that now he was cooking with gas.


    He had been offered 25 skills total. 15 were active skills and 10 were passive. He wouldn¡¯t choose any until he had decided on all five. He wanted to maximize synergy between his skills and he would try to identify potential combinations where the sum would be greater than the parts.


    First, he mentally put aside the skills where he simply didn¡¯t understand what they brought to the table. As an example, one offered him aura control, but as far as he knew he didn¡¯t have an aura yet, and none of the other skills provided one. He wouldn¡¯t waste one of his five skills gambling on that much of a shot in the dark. Half of the passive skills were pushed to the side along with a few active ones.


    The other five passive skills were jackpots as far as Coop was concerned. Each one would give him bonus attribute points relative to his points in Mind. One for each of the other stats. It was so perfect he would have jumped up to dance if dancing wouldn¡¯t have caused him extreme discomfort due to his wounds.


    He believed that these passive skills would be the basis for whatever combination of skills he chose. And it would all start with the first passive skill that he targeted as a must have: Mind Over Matter.


    ¡°Defiant Mind, Defiant Heart.¡±


    First, Mind Over Matter grants one point in Body for every two points spent in Mind. Also, 50% of HP damage is taken as MP damage instead. This would be a huge skill for Coop¡¯s pure Mind build. He thought this one passive skill was too massive. He supposed the only downside was that he wouldn¡¯t be maximizing the physical defense that comes with the Body stat, so initially he would be taking more physical damage, as a baseline, before it was cut in half. But still, if he understood it correctly, it meant he was going to have a truly ridiculous magic defense. If he was hit by a magic attack, his magic defense would be high thanks to his Mind stat reducing the initial damage, and then the HP damage that he received would be cut in half again with half dealing MP damage. He was already giddy with this one skill.


    He would scour the active skills for a pair of skills that could work in conjunction and be used consecutively. Then he would take those two active skills and take the two passive skills that granted either Strength and Agility, or Intelligence and Acumen.


    Until he progressed to level 25 when he would gain an additional skill, he would be reliant on this one skill sequence, so he needed to make sure it could be the basis for his entire build. Then the passives that specifically scaled his chosen combination would slide in, giving him the perfect start. This build would allow him to funnel his attribute points into Mind and rely on the passive skills for all the sweet, sweet bonus points. Coop wouldn¡¯t be calculating proper distribution ratios, he was going all in on Mind, assuming he could find the active skills to make it work.


    Unfortunately, the active skills were raining on his parade. The problem was that, even though they seemed strong, they were strong individually or situationally. An attack skill that interrupted the target was something he wanted to take, but it wouldn¡¯t work as one half of his two-skill rotation.


    He panicked a little, feeling like an artist that witnessed his own masterpiece before his vision went blurry and couldn¡¯t bring back the clarity. Mind Over Matter had individually taken care of half his build, but he couldn¡¯t piece together the rest with his limited skill slots. He considered altering his plan, but shook it off, remembering the flavor text of both his class and the one skill he had decided on. Where there¡¯s a will there¡¯s a way.


    The sound of the slap against his forehead broke the silence of the courtyard. He had just realized something so obvious he was embarrassed of his limited brain. How had he gotten to the point of choosing his class? Was it by relying on a skill rotation? He didn¡¯t have any skills to rotate! He and Jones had just been swinging weapons around like the amateur fools that they were. He could keep doing that!


    This realization convinced him to abandon the spells and the passives that would grant Intelligence and Acumen. He needed to supplement his regular attacks. If this was a video game, he would be making an auto attack build. Maybe he was gamifying his new reality too much, but he didn¡¯t really have any other life experience to base his decisions on. He viewed the passive skills for Strength and Agility, Adamance and Practical Application.


    ¡°Unyielding. Unrelenting. Unstoppable.¡±


    Adamance was the simplest of the passive skills. Every point of Mind applies one point of Strength. It had no other effect, but it provided twice as many bonus points as the other two passive skills that he intended to take. He thought it was fitting for the Strength skill to be the simplest.


    ¡°Practice makes perfect.¡±


    Practical Application grants one point in Agility for every two points in Mind. It also gave the additional bonus of reducing the mana cost of active skills as they are repeatedly used, based on the mastery of the skill. The synergy with Mind Over Matter made him excited once again. He didn¡¯t want to spend too much mana on skills since his mana pool was, at least partially, a bonus health pool. A cost reduction to his skills would be welcome.


    Next he looked through the remaining list of active skills. He could just take two of the most situationally useful skills, but first he would try to find a way to supplement his regular attacks. If he couldn¡¯t find something, he was leaning toward the interrupt skill and a movement skill. He would probably need to decide on a specific weapon and learn some technique somehow. He figured the settlement service options would help him decide on a weapon after consulting with Jones.


    Eventually, sparked by his weapon dilemma, he settled on a pair of active skills that he had initially put aside because they wouldn¡¯t work in a rotation. He wasn¡¯t sure they really should qualify as active skills but there they were. The first was called Retribution, which he felt was nicely on theme for the Revenant class.


    ¡°Onslaught of the immaterial.¡±


    The Retribution skill summons ethereal weapons with damage values that scale with the Mind attribute. Coop thought it would fit nicely with his new plan. For good measure he thought he would commit and take Retribution¡¯s apparent counterpart: Salvation.


    ¡°Fortifications of the immaterial.¡±


    Salvation summoned ethereal armor with armor values that scale with the Mind attribute.


    He figured taking care of both his lacking armor and weapon would be a good investment to begin with. He thought it was only a minor gamble to see how both skills would work. He reasoned that it would be an even greater gamble to continue without weapons and armor. It was unpredictable how crucial the more situational skills would be for now. In the meantime he wanted to take things that would immediately pay dividends in combat. He just hoped he wouldn¡¯t have to design his weapons and armor, and if he did, he hoped he wouldn¡¯t have to each time.


    With the plan set, he accepted the five skills. The foundation of his build was complete.


    [You have acquired a new title!]


    The notice surprised him. But he was about to check his status screen anyway. He was champing at the bit to spend all the unallocated attribute points that he had saved.


    [Status]


    HP - 87/150


    MP - 100/100


    Class - Revenant (Level 5)


    Profession - Basic Scavenging (Level 3)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 10 (+10)


    Agility - 10 (+5)


    Body - 10 (+5)


    Mind - 10


    Intelligence - 10


    Acumen - 10


    Unallocated - 40


    Titles - Champion, Haunted, Ethereal


    Skills (Active) - Identify, Retribution, Salvation


    Skills (Passive) - Common Language, Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application


    Quests - Defeat Ancient Defenders II (24/25), Scavenge Defeated Enemies II (18/50), Upgrade Camp to Outpost


    Basic Credits - 232


    Coop was so happy to see his attributes already being affected by his passive skills a grin spontaneously appeared on his face. It hadn¡¯t even occurred to him that it would apply retroactively to the stats he had gained from his title. His only concern was that the stat increases were indicated in a separate column, he wondered if they could be negated somehow. He¡¯d have to keep an eye on them and make a note if any enemies influenced his bonus stats in any way. He put all of his unallocated points into Mind.


    HP - 287/350


    MP - 500/500


    Strength - 10(+50)


    Agility - 10(+25)


    Body - 10(+25)


    Mind - 50


    Intelligence - 10


    Acumen - 10


    The increase in his stats made him feel incredible. It was indescribable, like he had just been resurrected. His only regret was not spotting any visible changes. He was in good shape, but nothing had changed when his bonus Strength went up. He supposed that might actually be an advantage, since his stats would be harder to guess based on his appearance.


    His health total had jumped up massively. Numerically, he was more alive now than he had been at his previous full health. How bizarre, considering he still had injuries in his abdomen and forearm. Both had noticeably improved after his health gain though. Unfortunately, his crippled limb status remained as he hadn¡¯t actually regenerated enough health yet. He¡¯d have to sleep it off. He¡¯d head back inside after one more thing.


    What the heck were these new titles?

 Chapter 8: Haunted

    Coop had two new titles that came out of nowhere. He had missed one notification for the Haunted title, as he got it when he unlocked his affinity, and he had received the Ethereal title after choosing his skills. He didn¡¯t expect titles to be given out so freely by the system. When he first saw them, he imagined them to be exclusive rewards for major achievements like claiming the settlement. He wouldn¡¯t complain, but it made him a little worried about what other people were accumulating.


    The description for the Haunted title didn¡¯t provide much clarity for Coop. It indicated that he would be more ¡®in tune¡¯ with spectral entities and it would have some effect on his aura. Other than the aura skill that he didn¡¯t take, he still had no clue about these auras. He suspected that they would come into play in the future, since he had now seen them mentioned more than once, but for now he would try not to worry about them.


    However, the other half of the title description did worry him. It basically confirmed that ghosts were real. Had they always been real or were they another consequence of adding mana to the system? Either way, he wasn¡¯t sure being ¡®in tune¡¯ with them was a benefit at all. He wasn¡¯t sure he would be sleeping as comfortably inside the centuries old fort thanks to this title.


    On the other hand, the Ethereal title was pure gravy. It was a reward for taking the full set of ethereal skills offered by his class. The combination of Retribution, the ethereal weapon skill, and Salvation, the ethereal armor skill, awarded it. The title indicated that it would prevent the summoned armor and weapon from being unwillingly separated. Coop would need to experiment with his new skills, but he was already having fantasies about calling summoned weapons like Thor¡¯s hammer.


    Coop nodded to himself as he returned to the mess hall. He had no complaints about his Revenant class choice. All of the skills had already delivered even more than he dared hope for. Even the skills he was the least sure about were already showing promise.


    He had been selecting his class and skills all night. The dawn light was reflected in the clouds above the towering walls of the fort. He would have liked to watch the sunrise over the ocean this morning, but he¡¯d have to skip it today. Coop consoled himself, confident that the future held plenty more to see.


    Jones was in the kitchen of the mess hall, cooking breakfast. He and Coop were still settling into some semblance of a routine. Many of the regular everyday activities had been rendered optional with the introduction of mana. They could go longer periods without sleeping, and they weren¡¯t sure if eating and drinking were necessary at all anymore, though they were still taking the time to eat a meal everyday. After going without electricity for almost a week, many of the perishable items were already spoiled or on the verge of going bad. The coolers they were keeping them in only kept the tropical heat at bay for so long.


    They wouldn¡¯t run out of food despite the lack of refrigeration. The island was always stocked with plenty of nonperishable foods and had plenty of natural resources. They were prepared for the possibility of an interruption to their deliveries in the event of a hurricane before mana had come into the picture, and now they needed to eat even less. Jones had tried to not let any of the food go to waste regardless, and he wanted to figure out how to make foods that provided tangible benefits. He hadn¡¯t been successful so far. Coop suspected it was due to the ingredients being from before mana became a factor.


    When Jones entered the mess hall from the kitchen, both he and Coop froze. Coop had a weird feeling of heaviness tickle the back of his brain that made him squint at Jones, and Jones had beads of sweat form on his forehead as he stared, wide-eyed, back at Coop. After only a brief moment, the feeling dispersed.


    ¡°Did something just happen?¡± Coop wondered.


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know. I just had an eerie feeling wash over me for a second.¡± Jones responded, putting the food down and wiping the sweat from his brow, still recovering.


    ¡°Me too, I think, but I wouldn¡¯t say it was eerie. It was like you had a more solid presence than I was used to.¡± Coop was already ready to shrug it off. He wasn¡¯t trying to neglect his feelings anymore, but it still seemed like he¡¯d have to roll with the punches when it came to mana stuff.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Jones took a seat and scrunched his face in what Coop had identified as his concentration expression. The wrinkles it made had been permanent additions to Jones¡¯s face since before Coop met him. ¡°I suspect what we just felt had something to do with our mana affinities, or perhaps our classes.¡± Jones had already formed a theory, which became the conversation topic of their meal.


    As Coop helped himself to Jones¡¯s experimental meal, the two island caretakers were joined by Jett who was ready to retire to bed after her nightly patrol. When Coop noticed her, he felt another slight twinge in the back of his mind, but it left him quickly and he was left with the simple impression of ¡®cat¡¯. The food was good despite being cooked on a flame, but they still didn¡¯t get any buffs for eating it. Coop asked Jones about his class choices while they ate.


    Jones¡¯s affinity was Stone Affinity. Coop thought he could¡¯ve guessed given that Jones was an archaeologist that had been living in a stone fort on an island called Rock Key for so many years. It even matched his earlier impression of Jones. Three of his class options had been the type of melee fighters he didn¡¯t want to be. One was a Strength based pugilist that conjured stone fists and the other two were Body focused tanks that either summoned stone shields or physically hardened. He was also offered a summoner class called Clayshaper that created stone golems.


    In the end he chose a class called Bronarch Mountain Adept. Apparently, Bronarch Mountain was the largest mountain in the known universe and Jones¡¯s class was an earth mage that gathered the mountain¡¯s strength in its spells. It sounded pretty good to Coop, but Jones wasn¡¯t overly enthusiastic about combat. He really just wanted to focus on his profession but recognized that he would need some class power to survive the coming years.


    When they finished eating, Coop invited Jones to see his weapon and armor summons. They moved to the courtyard, where they had yet to encounter any enemies. They both wanted to wait for their crippled limb debuffs to expire before they fought again, and it would take the rest of the day for them to heal up.


    Coop started with Salvation, to summon his ethereal armor. Activating the skill was as intuitive as Identify had been. He merely concentrated on the skill and mentally confirmed that he wanted it to trigger and it immediately followed his direction. The skill cost a steep 300 mana, Coop would finally see how quickly mana regenerated.


    Stolen story; please report.


    As the armor began to take shape, it looked like wisps of mist were spontaneously appearing inches from Coop¡¯s body before coalescing on his skin in the shape of armor. The mist solidified into a helmet, body armor that covered his front and back, greaves, and other bits like strappy sandals for some reason.


    He knocked on the chest piece and found it as solid as steel despite the armor being completely weightless. He guessed its solidity would be based on his Mind stat.


    The result was pretty damn cool, but there were some parts he wasn¡¯t entirely sure about. The breastplate matched the shape of his abs and pecs for some reason and he was wearing some kind of pleated skirt. Combined with their weightlessness he actually felt kind of naked. Also, the helmet had a mohawk made of mist that he figured would make him a target, and he didn¡¯t think wearing sandals to battle was a good idea unless he didn¡¯t value his toes. The solidified armor had an almost celestial glow, and the constantly escaping mist revealed a minty aqua effect as it dissipated, leaving more of a ghostly impression. It would be impossible to go unnoticed with it glowing and swirling the way it was.


    ¡°What made you choose ancient Greek armor?¡± Jones queried. ¡°I was expecting you to pick something more futuristic, or at least scifi. That¡¯s clearly a Corinthian type helmet and you even made pteruges.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t actually choose, it just came out this way.¡± Coop explained, looking down at his skirt, realizing it was like gladiator armor.


    ¡°Fascinating¡­ I wonder what determined its appearance¡­ we¡¯re in the wrong part of the world for ancient greek..¡± Jones opened up his notebook and began taking notes.


    Coop was surprised the armor was even based on Earth considering it was an alien mana power. Regardless, he was ready to move on to the Retribution skill and summon an ethereal weapon.


    He followed the same process as he had with the armor, concentrating on the skill and confirming he wanted it to trigger, but nothing happened this time. Why didn¡¯t it work? He was perplexed. When he summoned the armor it appeared right away. It didn¡¯t just pop into existence, but the instant he triggered the skill, mana was consumed and mist started to appear. The whole process completed quickly once it began, taking mere seconds to finish.


    He tried to summon an ethereal weapon again, this time imagining the machete in an effort to direct the skill more than the armor had required. This time 50 mana was consumed and a non-machete sword appeared through the same solidifying mist process as the armor. Not exactly instant, but still completing promptly.


    ¡°And that would be a xiphos to nearly complete the look,¡± Jones pointed out. When Coop looked at the sword with a confused stare he continued, ¡°It¡¯s an ancient Greek short sword, you¡¯re just missing a proper shield.¡± Jones explained, a little disappointed in Coop¡¯s lack of knowledge in this subject.


    Coop tried summoning a spear as well. His xiphos dissipated into the breeze and a spear successfully formed, consuming another 50 mana.


    ¡°That¡¯s a javelin, yet another from the ancient greek lineup. Here¡­ try summoning this instead.¡± Jones explained while writing in his notebook.


    Coop was given a drawing that described another sword. He tried summoning it, despite not really understanding the difference between it and the first sword. The shape was a little different and the measurements Jones had added helped. It appeared and was indeed different.


    ¡°A Roman gladius. You don¡¯t seem to be limited to ancient Greece. Can you summon a shield as well?¡± Jones asked.


    Coop tried to summon a shield using Salvation, but nothing happened. Was a shield not armor? He tried with Retribution and his last bit of mana was consumed as a small round shield appeared on his still weakened left forearm.


    ¡°I was thinking something like this.¡± Jones started drawing in his notebook. ¡°A hoplon, to match the rest of your ancient Greek set.¡±


    They waited for Coop¡¯s mana before he tried the larger round shield. He was able to summon it as well. While waiting for more mana Jones gave Coop the diagram of a much larger tower shield. They found there was apparently a limit on size. Jones continued to draw other weapons from various ages and civilizations, guiding Coop on a history lesson of the various ancient weapons.


    Coop tried to summon a rifle, but nothing happened. He tried a lightsaber which also fizzled. He tried other examples of modern and fantasy weapons, but it seemed like he would be limited to more historical armaments.


    He tried to summon some classic medieval knight armor when he regenerated enough mana, but found that his armor wouldn¡¯t budge from the hoplite armor. He was able to customize it in some small ways, though. He got rid of the mohawk and was able to tone down the mist¡¯s glow, thankfully. He ended up with what he thought was a more discreet and realistic palette of grays and browns. He retained the ghostly wisps, however, no matter the color scheme. He guessed that¡¯s what made it ethereal. He rather liked it too, since he felt it reflected the aquamarine ocean just as much as it represented his spectral affinity.


    In the end, Coop summoned dozens of swords, spears, axes, hammers, and maces. He knew history had been full of war, but he was still shocked at the variety each category held. Jones had led Coop through over 20 different spear variations alone. Luckily, mana regenerated in minutes compared to the hours it took for health, so they were able to go through many weapons and find the limits of the skill.


    There may have been more nuance, but it seemed like size was the primary limitation. He couldn¡¯t summon an ethereal greatsword or warhammer. He could summon a bow, even a longbow, and he could draw it and everything, but he couldn¡¯t summon arrows. Of course he could make them separately, and thought it might be a worthwhile investment to at least practice with the bow in the future. He could swap weapons in seconds, but each weapon change required a skill activation with the associated mana cost.


    Thankfully, they also found that when Jones put details into his diagrams, Coop could include them into the summoned weapons. This allowed him to give some heft to the weapons, which was way more comfortable than leaving them weightless. Jones predicted that it would be necessary for the weapons to have some mass in order to do proper damage. They were undeniably sharp, but the weightlessness made them seem too much like toys when Coop experimentally swung them around.


    Coop had tried throwing a few of the spear variants and found them extremely disappointing before applying a proper distribution of weight into them. He also tested his set bonus and found it quite convenient. He could have his weapon returned directly to his hand, without the resummoning cost. The weapon itself seemed to dissipate into mist and travel to him as nearly invisible vapors. The further away the longer it took to arrive, but even the longest distances they tested were still covered in a fraction of a second. The first time he tried to retrieve a thrown spear it nearly poked him in the eye as he stared at the mist in his hand.


    By the time they were done, their debuffs had expired and Coop was itching to try his skills out on some Ancient Defenders. He was struck with his typical indecisiveness when he considered which weapon to start with.


    In the end he had worked his way through his mana pool about 10 times. His next goal would be to learn how to properly handle some of the weapons. He assumed it would take a lifetime to master even a single one, but he was determined to start with a baseline of competence in at least a few of his ethereal armaments. He wanted to properly take advantage of having so many options at his beck and call. He couldn¡¯t deny that the Revenant class was delivering on the promise of flexibility in the skills.

 Chapter 9: Defender of the Dunes

    Sunset was rapidly approaching when Coop left the safety of the fort, crossing the wooden bridge and following the sandy trail where they had claimed the civilization shard. Instead of looking like a zombie apocalypse survivor with his machete and duct tape armor, he thought he looked a lot more like a legitimate warrior. He had changed his color scheme to what he had christened ¡®beach camo¡¯ and was wielding a six foot spear with a round shield the size of his entire torso.


    He planned to do some initial testing on the familiar Ancient Defenders along the western beach before retiring for the night. He¡¯d even get to enjoy another sunset over the ocean like the before times.


    Coop didn¡¯t have to waste any time finding a target, as the mechanical monsters were all over the sandy dunes. It was lucky they didn¡¯t seem to ever become aggressive. He supposed it was due to still being within the settlement territory. They were like starter mobs outside of a noob town. It meant there was a relatively controlled environment for the residents of the settlement to get some levels.


    He wasn¡¯t sure if there were diminishing returns on experience, as there was no experience bar or notifications indicating that he received experience at all. Without diminishing returns, he could imagine an overly cautious hero defeating millions of the weak mobs to continue leveling in relative safety.


    [Ancient Defender (Level 3)]


    Coop jogged toward his target. Once he was about 20 yards away he threw his spear as an opening attack and kept running toward the creature. He planned to force it off balance with his thrown spear, then use his set bonus to summon the spear back to his hand before it could recover and finish it off with a thrust to the red light.


    His spear flew through the air like a missile. When it landed it did devastating damage¡­ to the sand a few yards behind the creature.


    Returning it to his hand worked flawlessly though, so he followed through with his assault. Keeping his shield ready, he thrust the spear at the creature. The creature raised its leg in time to block the attack.


    When the spear tip collided with the shin guard the shin guard was smashed, splintering into several pieces. Coop repeated the spear attack blasting the leg out of the way for a third, final attack to the red light of the creature.


    The Ancient Defender evaporated into smoke that rapidly dispersed as it rose toward the sky. Coop felt incredible while he was disabling the monster¡¯s defense, and it wasn¡¯t because he had defeated yet another simple enemy. He couldn¡¯t really understand why, but it was like his brain had been flooded with endorphins as he fought. Could he be turning into some kind of battle junkie? Was it yet another mana phenomenon? Maybe his ethereal set rewarded him for proper technique? His throw was bad, but the spear thrusts felt right.


    Whatever it was, it might be addicting. He already wanted to find the next monster to fight, but first, he checked his notifications.


    [You defeated Ancient Defender (Level 3)]


    [+3 Basic Credits]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Ancient Defenders II]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [Scavenge Defeated Enemies II (19/50)]


    He was surprised that he leveled up as well. This was the first monster he killed since leveling to five, and now he was already level six. The level came from completing the second stage of the Defeat Ancient Defenders quest chain. He thought there might be an exploit there, timing the completion of that quest with a level up to get another full level right away. Then again he didn¡¯t see any reason to assume it wasted experience. If it completed when he was halfway through a level it would make sense for it to add the excess to the next level.


    The third Ancient Defender quest multiplied the total to defeat by 10 times, now asking for 250 kills. Coop thought these quests would get out of hand really quickly if they kept escalating like that. Hopefully, it would at least give him a level upon completion as well. He wondered how many quests could be in the chain and if the rewards at the end would be worth the grind.


    His stat increase was also ridiculous. The first time he hit one of these creatures it felt like he slammed his machete into a solid metal tank. Now, between his weapon and his 60 strength, he completely destroyed it. He quickly added his five unallocated attribute points to his Mind stat. His Agility and Body stats only went up two points from 35 to 37 each, but his Strength went to 65. Maybe someday his Identify skill would be able to tell him the stats of his targets. He bet the stats of the monsters would be scaling linearly with levels.


    Coop was convinced that his build was really, really strong. Wasn¡¯t he tripling his attribute points with his passive skills? Was his level effectively tripled because of that? He hadn¡¯t discovered anything else that levels provided, other than attribute points. He hoped that it would be enough to stay ahead of the monster tide that was slowly rising outside of the settlement areas.


    Jones¡¯s faction had been pretty clear it would be exceedingly difficult to keep pace with the monsters, but Coop was at least going to give it his best shot. He didn¡¯t think they would last very long in their isolated settlement if he couldn¡¯t. He glanced toward the sinkhole that was still leaving waterfalls in the ocean, only now it looked like a canyon, and the mountain, looming on the horizon.


    Before he moved on, he noted his Basic Credits increased by another 500 thanks to completing the Ancient Defenders quest. He was well on his way to affording the 1,000 he needed to upgrade the settlement to an outpost, though he also needed to purchase a building. He would only need a few hundred extra. He would have enough after scavenging 250 more Ancient Defenders and receiving the quest reward for defeating them.


    He rushed toward another Ancient Defender and whiffed his opening spear throw once again. The following attacks excited him all the same and the creature was defeated in a matter of seconds after he reached it. Without pausing he moved to the next monster, leaving behind some ghostly wisps as he went.


    Coop continued fighting in this manner until the sun fully set. He even managed to connect with his spear throw a few times. He had added some more weight to the base of the spear shaft, which led to slightly more success. He still needed to practice.


    His triple spear thrust continued to delight Coop the entire time, to the point that he caught himself grinning like a fool after defeating some of the monsters with it. It wasn¡¯t only fun and games either, his attacks were more quick and precise the more he practiced them. He was able to judge the follow through better as he adjusted to the length of the spear. He concentrated on properly planting his feet while minimizing excess movement. He tried to keep his shield engaged as well, but it was hard to see any progress with it when the enemies had no chance to fight back. He wasn¡¯t willing to actually let them hit him either.


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    It had only been around 45 minutes and he managed to defeat 31 more Ancient Defenders, completing his Basic Scavenger quest. It awarded him with ¡®Increased Yield¡¯ and started a new quest to scavenge 200 defeated enemies.


    He watched as one of the burrowing owls hopped nonchalantly out of its underground home toward an Ancient Defender. Coop got worried and started to make for the monster, to protect the tiny owl, but he didn¡¯t need to bother. Before he could take more than two steps the owl launched several arcing blades of wind, each one severing a leg of the monster with one final blade slicing the shell in half, eliminating the creature. Coop was shocked at seeing an animal use magic and quickly identified the owl.


    [Burrowing Owl (Level 10)]


    He shook his head in disbelief. Even the dang wildlife was leveling? And that quickly? He hadn¡¯t even realized they were allowed to use skills. He watched as the owl casually returned to its burrow.


    He headed back to the fort while looking at his status, worried that he had a very slow start. He was looking forward to completing quests tomorrow. He was going to push his level as well.


    [Status]


    HP - 370/370


    MP - 550/550


    Class - Revenant (Level 6)


    Profession - Basic Scavenging (Level 3)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 10 (+55)


    Agility - 10 (+27)


    Body - 10 (+27)


    Mind - 55


    Intelligence - 10


    Acumen - 10


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion, Haunted, Ethereal


    Skills (Active) - Identify, Retribution, Salvation


    Skills (Passive) - Common Language, Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application


    Quests - Defeat Ancient Defenders III (31/250), Scavenge Defeated Enemies III (0/200), Upgrade Camp to Outpost


    Basic Credits - 785


    Jones was somewhere else in the fort, so Coop took the time to take a shower and get ready for bed. It had only been a week and he was already used to the cold showers. They had mostly tried to keep a normal sleeping schedule, although Coop had missed a few nights already. Jones wasn¡¯t sure if they could go completely without sleep, but Coop was already confirming that they could get by with sleeping much less than normal. He seemed to consistently wake before dawn without any effort on his part. It wasn¡¯t like they had clocks or alarms anymore. Even on the days that he skipped sleep completely, he didn¡¯t seem to have any sleep debt the following day.


    It was too early to sleep and he wondered what they should build to upgrade the settlement from a camp to an outpost while he showered.


    Feeling fresh, he ventured out into the moonlit courtyard and accessed the civilization shard to review the construction options for the settlement.


    He could afford quite a few of the options now, but he didn¡¯t think most of them would be useful. It was a bit like selecting his profession. They were almost all basic gathering options that might help start a village from scratch, but weren¡¯t immediately useful with the presence of the fort and minimal population.


    A Lumberjack was only 100 Basic Credits, but they had no forest on the island. Coop didn¡¯t think the mangroves would work, even if many of them were now oversized. None of the three residents could make use of any of the various smiths, and there were a dozen of them.


    As Coop scrolled through the options he dismissed them one after another. The Mine wouldn¡¯t work, as it would probably fill with ocean water. They didn¡¯t need Housing or Walls due to the fort and there were only two of them and a cat anyway. He wasn¡¯t sure if they had enough room for any types of Farm or Ranch. Although he hesitated looking at some of the types of Groves and Plantations. Couldn¡¯t they produce coffee or sugar here? Coop didn¡¯t know to what end. Maybe in the future they would trade with other settlements or something.


    After a while, Jones joined him by the civilization shard. He had been inspecting the fort to see if there were any urgent repairs. Apparently, there were several unfinished maintenance projects that he was worried about. Jones wanted to make sure they were taken care of before next year¡¯s hurricane season. They had plenty of time, but it wouldn¡¯t be a good idea for the issues to accumulate when they wouldn¡¯t be getting any ferries.


    Coop went through the list with Jones who also rejected many of the options for the same issues as Coop. He also wasn¡¯t sure about getting into agriculture given how limited space was on a tiny island chain. Coop didn¡¯t like the idea of disturbing the local environment anyway.


    Jones had a bunch of ideas for how to establish a town in the courtyard. He had already done the city planning, more or less, after Coop made the flippant suggestion that they make a bridge and use spokes from either side. They just needed to do the construction. Normally, that would be the hard part, but they wanted to recruit some aliens to do it for them. Unfortunately, it seemed like most of the expert buildings were locked behind specific settlement requirements. They needed to meet certain thresholds, like having at least a Town, a population over 1,000, and certain prerequisite services.


    Coop also wasn¡¯t sure about certain aspects of their hypothetical city. Didn¡¯t they need some sort of industry? Trading partners? And what would the population be? They wouldn¡¯t be able to house more than 10 people in their limited barracks. They didn¡¯t have room for suburbs at all, not that suburbs would be feasible without cars. They would need to have mixed zoning instead of purely residential neighborhoods, and the city would need to be designed around walkability instead of what they were used to.


    Jones actually had the planning well in hand though, having spent a minimal amount of his life in car centric cities and mostly studying historical examples from before cars even existed. Jones assured Coop that they would be able to comfortably expand a city as the population grew with people seeking shelter from the monsters. They continued shopping for buildings, trying to plan for the long term with their limited resources.


    Eventually, they found a solid prospect for their first building construction. The Stonemason. It was one that Coop hadn¡¯t looked at previously due to the cost. It would be 750 Basic Credits, which would clear Coop out. But Jones predicted that it would be more than worth it. They could have them take care of the maintenance and repairs of the fort, as well as the roads that Jones had planned. Depending on his skill, he could also take care of the bridge across the chasm and reconnect the back half of the courtyard and fort.


    The Basic Credits wouldn¡¯t be that hard to recoup, as Coop planned on grinding mobs and clearing quests starting tomorrow. He would make plenty before they were eligible to upgrade the settlement on Day 13.


    Of all of the options, it seemed like the Stonemason would be by far the most valuable. They decided they didn¡¯t need to wait and Coop went to purchase the construction. He scrolled through dozens of variants, finding that the main difference was usually just which faction the proprietor was a part of. He settled on one that was independent for no reason other than he didn¡¯t want any faction gaining too much influence. Maybe Coop still held a small grudge against the factions of the universe for not sponsoring him.


    As Coop entered the top down view of the territory of the settlement, Jones pointed out the specific area he thought would be best. It was near the entrance of the fort in case they needed to supplement the Stonemason building with stone from a Quarry elsewhere. The interface that Coop was using was exactly what a real-time strategy game would provide with a holographic representation of the building to be constructed. He placed the Stonemason and it immediately consumed 750 Basic Credits and began spontaneously constructing itself.


    They watched as the foundations dug themselves into the courtyard and sprouted supports, floors, walls, ceilings, and a roof topped with a large stone chimney. It was a modest two-story stone building, with green shingles on a gable roof. It had dark brown fencing surrounding an outdoor area on one side that wrapped around to the back. A wooden sign hung from one of the awnings was swinging in the breeze. It read ¡®Stonemason¡¯ and had a squat man with what Coop assumed was a chisel and a large block of stone. The entire thing only took about 30 seconds to finish constructing.


    As they approached the building they heard deep bellowing laughter that echoed in the courtyard.

 Chapter 10: First Contact

    Balor Rockshaper was bored. He had retired 500 years ago and found it didn¡¯t live up to the hype. It wasn¡¯t building the grand monuments that he missed, it was the simple projects that required back breaking work day after day that he longed for.


    He looked at his stone hands and admired the proof of his experience. His calluses would never fade. Balor¡¯s ancient ancestors had been simple people. Rock elementals that constructed geometric shapes within the mountains of his ancestral planet, Karak dun Drak. The assimilation of mana led them to an evolution that turned them into humanoids, though to others they still resembled boulders. Changing their shape hadn¡¯t changed their constitution. Even after millions of years, they were still stone through and through.


    The Karak, as they called themselves, didn¡¯t try to hide their ancestry as some other species in the cosmos preferred. They were proud builders and Guild Drak, the primary faction of his people, was well respected for their abilities with stone. A steady stream of commissions for their great works kept them busy and the quality of their work was the only advertisement they ever needed. A city without a monument built by Guild Drak was no true city after all.


    A grandmaster like Balor would even be specifically requested to lead grand projects, bringing glory and fortune to Guild Drak. Unfortunately, his mountain grew too tall. Other builders grew jealous of his fame, and the Guild was unhappy that some projects would be canceled by the commissioning factions rather than go on without Balor.


    Fame hadn¡¯t come on purpose. Balor just loved to build, and, when he was young, had the foresight to dedicate effort into his class and leveling. Most builders in Guild Drak only wanted to do one thing and it was build. Balor wasn''t any different, but he wanted to build for a long time, so he leveled his class to maximize his lifespan.


    He had gone on great campaigns exploring the unknown, became a soldier for hire and fought on planetary battlefields, and joined adventure parties completing quests and defeating terrible monsters, all for his passion for building. Eventually, it paid off. He was able to place his massive warhammer over the fireplace and relinquish his magnificent plate armor to a corner of his workshop and just focus on building things.


    Many lifetimes of experience forged him into a great talent that the guild recognized to be worthy of the grandmaster title. At the time, he was thrilled with the reward, not realizing that it would be the beginning of his downfall.


    Once word had spread that a new Guild Drak Grandmaster had risen, the demand for his services grew to unprecedented levels. Instead of treating lesser commissions as beneath his title as was expected of someone in his position, he welcomed them. A grandmaster who was willing to build fortifications and shelters instead of monuments and temples only increased his demand. Not that he wouldn¡¯t build a monument, he just didn¡¯t have any preference as long as he got to build something.


    Balor was eventually forced into retirement by the Guild, told to enjoy his time in a mountain palace that they gifted him for all of his descendents. It all came to a head when a religious faction was offended that Balor wasn¡¯t available to build a monument to their god emperor as he was already engaged with building a riverwalk for a small colony and had refused to leave the project mid completion. Once the political forces began to move, the Guild decided enough was enough from their newest grandmaster and gave him a few options.


    Retirement was the most desirable for both parties.


    He tried to enjoy it, but it was too cold. And boring. His family wouldn¡¯t bother the elder Balor; those that would were long gone or off on their own adventures. They just wanted him to rest and enjoy his fruitful life in retirement.


    Balor needed a new project that he could work on in relative anonymity, without the Guild knowing and without his family hounding him to relax. He had been toying with an idea to get out from under their noses, but it would require a certain amount of luck that he wasn¡¯t sure he possessed anymore.


    He had made himself available for a service position in new settlements on a baby planet. Normally, factions provided these positions in an effort to establish a foothold in a new market. It was a gamble that worked often enough that factions continued the practice. Though the profitability of such a venture depended entirely on what factions rose to dominance on the planet. Occasionally, a truly desperate person would sign up independently. They were the people who were desperate in one way or another. Unfortunately, most settlements aligned themselves with specific factions and neglected independent services. Only the hopeless would rely on escape through an independent contract.


    Balor considered himself one of them, hopeless and desperate for a reprieve from retirement. If he was lucky, a settlement would snag his little workshop and he would get some work. He would show some primitives how to build a wall for the ages. He had modeled his workshop after his first, back when he was still only a journeyman stonemason. A humble affair, but it would suit his needs just fine.


    These baby planets were only protected for a limited time, 111 years, the blink of an eye. Even in the infinite cosmos there were only a few being assimilated at any given time. Each one would only have a finite number of settlements, and most of them would never have need for any specific service. Once his was approved he had let himself hope anyway.


    Now, a new planet had just received mana for the first time. He had watched some of the bidding for individual humans, as they called themselves. It was a populous world, though not unusually large, with an unusually high variance of potential ability among the natives. Many factions showed their interest and Balor was able to find some entertainment watching powerful factions openly enter bidding wars with each other.


    He thought the planet¡¯s people would be an interesting addition to the galactic community, as long as none of the more genocidal factions took control anyway. He found he was already rooting for the humans due to how they called their home planet. Earth. Perhaps they were spiritual cousins to his own rock elemental people.


    When the Great Golem that ran the system issued him a prompt he would have jumped for joy if he wasn¡¯t too heavy to leave the ground. His service had been requested by a mere camp on this Earth, it was still early, but he would have preferred a more established settlement to make it more likely he wouldn¡¯t be returned early due to conquest.


    He was already isolated in his palace bedroom so he accepted right away. He doubted anyone would try to visit, let alone discover his body floating in the Great Golem¡¯s protective mana shield. He was already planning the simple walls that would impress these primitives in their bid to develop a proper civilization as his vision momentarily went black.


    His spirit was whisked away and the first thing he noticed was the warmth. He thanked the Stones! Next, he noted the smell of the sea, an important factor to consider when he built this wall to last. Finally, having completed the transfer, he stepped outside and was greeted with the last thing he expected.


    This pathetic camp settlement already had a magnificent wall! He couldn¡¯t help but laugh.


    ¡ª


    Coop and Jones approached the newest resident where he stood, on the stoop of his shop, as his laughter slowly faded away. Coop was nervous! Wasn¡¯t this a first contact situation? He wasn¡¯t qualified to be an ambassador of humanity.


    When they reached the alien, Coop gaped, ¡°He¡¯s a Dwarf!¡± The stonemason was short and solid looking, with thick limbs and a thicker beard that was only a slightly darker shade of brown when compared to his skin.


    The Dwarf spun, ¡°Hey now lad, it¡¯s rude to call someone names.¡± He fired back, then squinted. ¡°I¡¯ll forgive you this time on account of your primitive nature.¡±


    Coop was chagrined, ¡°Sorry! Sorry! I was surprised¡­It¡¯s just we have stories about a people who look like you¡­ live in mountains or underground, long beards, love beer.¡± Coop was realizing he had absolutely botched this first contact.


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    The Dwarf-like person nodded sympathetically. ¡°Aye, an Echo. But we are called Karak and I am Balor. Your people wouldn¡¯t happen to worship us as Gods would you?¡± He asked hopefully, eyes twinkling.


    Coop and Jones both shook their heads. ¡°Well, that¡¯s too bad¡­¡± Balor sighed disappointedly. ¡°Got my hopes up there for a second.¡± He mumbled.


    ¡°Anyway! What do you even need me for? I was all excited about building a wall and you summoned me into the middle of this gorgeous thing! It¡¯s like a prank! Whoever built this doesn¡¯t need my help. Was it you, older but smaller one? I can smell the mountain on you.¡± He directed at Jones.


    Unlike Coop, Jones kept his cool. ¡°You can call me Jones, Mr. Balor. I wasn¡¯t the one who constructed the fort, no. I can tell you all about its history if you¡¯d like. We could take the tour, although we should wait for the day.¡± Jones offered.


    ¡°Yes! But let¡¯s not wait, show me around this masterpiece!¡± Balor was enthusiastic, and didn¡¯t want to wait.


    Jones led the way to the mess hall, and Coop, not wanting to be left out, followed along.


    ¡°I¡¯m Coop, by the way.¡± Coop introduced himself, wanting to start a conversation with Balor, and hopefully improve his impression.


    ¡°It¡¯s Coop, huh? You wouldn¡¯t happen to be the Champion would ya? I don¡¯t really understand your aura and Jones seems more like the Viceroy type to me.¡± Balor asked as his head swiveled along the interior walls of the fort taking in the sight with the enthusiasm of a curious child.


    Coop, seeing an opportunity to get some questions answered, responded eagerly, ¡°I¡¯m the Champion, can you tell me about my aura? Actually, what is an aura? How do you detect them? And what¡¯s a Viceroy?¡±


    Balor chuckled to himself, it had been a while since someone treated him casually enough to ask inane questions, ¡°A Viceroy is a position that can be assigned when a settlement grows to a certain level, they are usually administrators or advisors. They tend to have a certain demeanor¡­ like Jones here.¡± He tapered off as Jones gave him the side eye.


    ¡°An aura is a manifestation of a combination of variables, your stats, your kills, your intent. There are skills that can read aspects and other skills that mask aspects. The skills to do either are usually tied to a specific stat, but there are no hard rules when it comes to classes and skills. For example, in my true body I am a Strength based warrior. I have a passive skill that detects the Strength stat level of others. It doesn¡¯t give exact numbers, just the feeling of whether or not they are weaker or stronger or too close to call. It helps to know when to pick a fight. Most classes will have something similar.¡±


    ¡°And you, my new friend, have a weird aura. No offense, but you smell like the Undead. Jones there reminds me of the mountain. And you are both so weak, if my true self was here I would need to be wary of even breathing in your direction for fear of killing you by accident.¡±


    Coop had several followup questions about auras, about the Undead, about classes and skills, about Balor¡¯s true self, but right as he started to ask, Balor interrupted him.


    ¡°Now don¡¯t start thinking you can just use me as your guide to the universe and ask me every little question. I have a contract with the Great Golem to work as a stonemason and that¡¯s all I¡¯m allowed to do. I¡¯m only getting away with this much because it¡¯s all so basic, it should have been covered in your sponsorships.¡± Balor stated with finality.


    Coop frowned. Balor¡¯s interruption only added more questions he wanted to ask. As he accepted that he wouldn¡¯t get more answers right now, Balor had a request for him instead.


    ¡°So, Champion Coop, I have an apprentice stonemason slot available. Could you arrange for any of your interested citizens to come to me for an interview?¡±


    Coop hesitated just outside the mess hall. ¡°Uhh, it¡¯s just us, actually.¡±


    Balor stopped as well, ¡°Quit pulling my beard.¡± He squinted at the fort and back toward the shard. ¡°You and the Viceroy claimed and have held¡­ this?¡± He spread his arms to indicate the fort. ¡°By yourselves?¡±


    Coop just shrugged, causing Balor to shake his head with disbelief before he entered the mess hall. Jones had led countless guided tours starting from the hall, but Coop thought this one was a little special, with the alien and all.


    Jones began his spiel, describing the physical specifications of the fort. Balor was like a bobblehead with the way he looked at the ceiling, at the floor, and at the walls. Coop was impressed with Balor¡¯s discretion, the stonemason clearly wanted to use his hands more than just his eyes.


    Jones continued to give the fort¡¯s background before the walking tour began, but when he described the construction process, Balor had a fit.


    ¡°You mean to tell me humans created this structure WITHOUT MAGIC?! You take me for someone with air for brains!¡± Balor was indignant. Jones on the other hand was enjoying himself more than Coop had ever seen. Such an enthusiastic audience was a special treat, especially one that actually engaged the host.


    ¡°Indeed, Earth had no mana until a mere seven days ago.¡± Jones continued in his steady tone, he couldn¡¯t help but let a smirk slip out as he continued. ¡°Over 20 million stone bricks were placed by 200 prisoners in 13 months.¡±


    ¡°LIAR! You expect me to believe this was built without mana? Fine! But to claim it was done through forced labor and not by dedicated artisans is too far.¡± Balor was gripping his beard with both hands, like a security blanket. Coop watched as his fists opened and closed one after the other.


    Jones was ruthless and continued with some more fort trivia. ¡°Construction was completed nearly 500 years ago, and the fort has weathered over 400 hurricanes and tropical storms in that time.¡±


    ¡°500 YEARS!? HAH! Impossible! Even with mana that would be unlikely given the proximity to the sea. I have caught you in your lie. Now explain what these hurricanes are.¡± Balor was still gripping his beard, and the rims of his eyes were red and panicked. Coop was getting worried, he didn¡¯t think Jones should keep pushing the stonemason. This fort was a purely utilitarian construction, he imagined what Balor would do if he learned about some of the Wonders of the World. His head might explode.


    Coop tried to derail the conversation by explaining hurricanes to the agitated alien. ¡°A hurricane is a storm with sustained winds above 75 miles per hour and they¡¯re usually like 400 miles wide. Lots of rain and wind basically.¡± Coop trailed off realizing that Balor might not recognize miles, but the haunted look that Balor gave him told him that he got it. Coop supposed that was the effect of his Common Language passive skill.


    Balor sat down heavily onto one of the benches. It creaked desperately under his weight, not built for the density of a Karak. Balor just held his head in his hands. Coop was worried they had given their first alien resident a nervous breakdown.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­ I¡¯m a grandmaster¡­ what is this place¡­ what are humans¡­¡± Balor was mumbling to himself and Coop looked at Jones for help. Jones just shrugged, not worried at all, apparently.


    Jett had interrupted her nightly prowl to come see what all the yelling was about and Coop scooped her into his arms to pet her. Balor was stuck in a mumbling loop. After a few pets he sat with Balor and put Jett down on the table to keep petting her.


    Balor looked up from his lap toward the cat and froze for a moment. Then he nearly leapt off the bench and dropped to his knees with his forehead on the ground. Coop thought the ground shook with the force of Balor diving to the floor.


    ¡°Please forgive me your grace! I had no idea I would be so lucky as to meet one of your prestige! I am not prepared to greet you properly!¡± Balor begged and pleaded from the floor. Coop was even more confused, but Jett took it in stride and meowed at Balor¡¯s folded up form, before she continued her patrol of the fortress.


    After only a few more moments, Balor slowly returned to his feet. He was clearly shaken. Coop was finding himself confused a lot these days and this was another of those times.


    Balor finally cleared his throat, ¡°Well, I guess that explains a few things. Jones, if you could continue.¡± He nodded at Jones. Coop thought it was a bit forced, but tried to be silently supportive.


    Jones led them into the hall and began highlighting specific features of the fort. He also pointed out where repairs had been done, and where repairs were still needed. Balor nodded along and looked thoughtful. When Jones mentioned the upcoming hurricane season Balor¡¯s eyes got wide. He asked if the storms lasted a whole season, but Jones corrected his misunderstanding.


    Jones eventually shared their plans for the settlement in the courtyard as well, and Balor started looking less pale as he got more excited about how ambitious the projects would be. He could build nearly all of the infrastructure and make repairs to the existing stone work. He promised to take a look at the damaged lighthouse, and then further promised to make it his first priority when learning it was where Jett had lived.


    They left Balor back at his workshop, he had his personal quarters on the second floor. Jones thought it went well and was excited about their stonemason, but Coop was worried about the guy. Whatever he was going through when taking in the details of the fort could not have been good for his blood pressure.


    Coop and Jones parted for the night, and Coop made plans for the next day.


    He believed it was time to reestablish a routine, but a more healthy one than the ones he used when dealing with survivor¡¯s guilt and grief over his parents. He wasn¡¯t sure if exercising even did anything anymore now that there was a system determining Strength and Agility values, but he didn¡¯t think it would hurt to do some cardio and lift some weights anyway. It would probably be good for his mental health at least.


    As he drifted off to sleep he felt the determination to have a fulfilling day that only ever came right before bed.

 Chapter 11: Hunting

    Once again, Coop woke up before dawn. Jett had taken over his pillow at some point in the night, leaving him flat on the mattress. She had her two front paws pressed against his face while she slept, a smoking gun for how she claimed the pillow. He tried to hang onto his previous night¡¯s motivation and start forming a new, healthy routine.


    He splashed some water on his face to further wake himself up. He headed through the mess hall and up the stairs past the mezzanine, all the way to the top. He planned on starting the day with some cardio to warm up.


    Coop ran along the top of the fort in what he called his island uniform. A pair of shorts. The tropical weather was too hot for much else. His ethereal gladiator shoes were the only update he had added to his wardrobe since arriving on the island months ago. Real sandals would have been unpleasant to run in at best, but these were like running on a cloud. He never got sand or pebbles trapped in them either. He admired the wonders of magic.


    Unfortunately, half the fortress was separated from the other half, so he couldn¡¯t complete a circuit. Instead he had to double back to complete his light jog before dawn heralded the transition from night to day. He caught his breath while watching the sun climb over the ocean. He had an unobstructed view from his vantage leaning on the parapets of the fortress.


    He completed his cardio session by stretching next to an old cast iron cannon. The fort may not have really been a work of art the way Balor seemed to think, but it was a really impressive structure regardless. Even the top, which Jones would scold Coop for not knowing the name of, was remarkable. The fort was the thickest at the top, with the interior side extending over the open galleries below. Coop figured the whole thing was wide enough for a four lane highway all the way around the top of the fort walls. It was obvious it hadn¡¯t seen much use in a long time, being covered in scrub grass and sand, but Coop quite liked it that way. Like one of those grass roofs, but the beachy version, and on a castle.


    Coop headed back to the interior of the fort and rinsed off in the cold shower, feeling ready to start the day. He joined Jones for breakfast. Jones was running out of the food they wanted to eat before spoiling, so Coop made himself some oatmeal. They discussed future structures to purchase from the settlement interface that could provide food. There had been dozens of options for food services and they were leaning toward one of them being next. But first, Coop was going to farm basic credits and build up some savings for the upgrade cost. He had five days to make 1,000 basic credits. He challenged himself to do it all today.


    The Ancient Defenders didn¡¯t stand a chance. Coop left the fort with the intention of wholesale slaughter. He wanted to complete his Defeat 250 Ancient Defenders III quest, and start catching up to that level 10 burrowing owl. Once the quest was done he wanted to expand his horizons a bit and try hunting something new, assuming it wasn¡¯t too far outside his comfort zone. His only experience was with Ancient Defenders so far, and even though he was already twice their average level, he was still wary of biting off more than he could chew. The experience fighting the single elite monster with Jones weighed heavily on his mind. But he knew he would need to move on to stronger enemies eventually if leveling continued to slow down each level.


    He stuck with his spear and armor but didn¡¯t conjure the shield. He wanted to move as quickly as possible between monsters to maximize his killing efficiency.


    After only a dozen kills he got his first level up notification, but he refused to interrupt his hunt. He was moving faster without his shield, but he still had to pace himself to avoid exhaustion. Three spear strikes was enough to defeat every Ancient Defender he encountered, whether his opening spear throw connected or not. Planting his foot, twisting his hips, he engaged his full body with every attack. Each minor improvement was rewarded by whatever mysterious force that seemed to be subtly guiding his technique. He was forming a personal theory that it had something to do with his Haunted title, imagining a ghostly spearman was instructing him on proper forms and techniques.


    After 50 kills he reduced his attack chain to two. His swings had improved to the point that the first was enough to completely dismantle the defense of each monster and the second was free to defeat them. He judged that it had only been an hour.


    After 150 kills he was consistently landing his spear throw. His final adjustment to the throw was embarrassingly simple, a matter of accounting for his running gait and timing the throw with his steps rather than vice versa. Before, he was so focused on his arm and his upper body he would force his legs to follow rather than lead, and he would end up stutter-stepping mid run resulting in inconsistent throws.


    After 200 kills he was only swinging his spear once, to end the fight, while his spear throw reliably dislodged the creature¡¯s defense. The trick was timing his spear throw so that the creatures didn¡¯t have time to resume their defense before he arrived. He had to throw the spear from much closer than he was before, but the end result was an improvement to both his speed and stamina in addition to better accuracy with the reduced distance.


    When he completed the third stage of the Ancient Defender quest, he paused to take a break, dismissing his ethereal set. He sat in the shade of a palm tree with his feet in the water in an effort to cool down and catch his breath.


    It had been four hours of combat. Admittedly, it was mostly just jogging, but the vast majority of it had been in sand. Even with his improved stats his calves were feeling shot. He reviewed his notifications.


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Quest Complete! Scavenge Defeated Enemies III]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Ancient Defenders III]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [Scavenge Defeated Enemies IV (19/500)]


    Coop was satisfied with the results of his first real grind session. It seemed that even though his level was eclipsing the Ancient Defenders he was still able to level off of them. This was terrific news because when he looked at Defeat Ancient Defenders IV he knew he was in for it.


    [Defeat Ancient Defenders IV (0/5000)]


    He considered abandoning it and as he formed his thoughts a confirmation window appeared asking if he was sure. He declined. Even if he didn¡¯t complete it he saw no reason to actually abandon it. As far as he knew there was no limit to the number of quests, and he only had three right now. Besides, the third in the chain had given him 2,000 basic credits and another level. He was at least a little curious to find out what completing the entire quest chain would give him.


    Scavenge Defeated Enemies III had rewarded him with Increased Rarity (Uncommon). He checked his spatial storage, but the only thing in it was the lone Elite Monster Token. Other than the credits, scavenging wasn¡¯t picking up much. Coop wasn¡¯t disappointed though, he understood it was due to the single type of enemy he had fought so far. And on the bright side the Increased Yield from the previous quest turned out to double the credits he got per kill. In total he collected an additional 900 basic credits from scavenging. It was a pure bonus to the hunt that he would have done with or without his profession.


    Finally, he put all his unallocated attribute points into Mind and checked his status.


    [Status]


    HP - 470/470


    MP - 750/750


    Class - Revenant (Level 9)


    Profession - Basic Scavenging (Level 4)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 10 (+75)


    Agility - 10 (+37)


    Body - 10 (+37)


    Mind - 75


    Intelligence - 10


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    Acumen - 10


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion, Haunted, Ethereal


    Skills (Active) - Identify, Retribution, Salvation


    Skills (Passive) - Common Language, Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application


    Quests - Defeat Ancient Defenders IV (0/5000), Scavenge Defeated Enemies IV (19/500), Upgrade Camp to Outpost


    Basic Credits - 2,935


    He felt better after his stats grew. He stood and resummoned his ethereal set, admiring his 400 remaining mana. He was once again impressed with the bonus stat effect from his passive skills, his stats were going to be huge.


    He tried to imagine how he would have distributed his stats without the passives. Maybe two in Strength, one in Agility, one in Body, and one in Mind every level. If that was what the average class had to do, he shook his head with incredulity, his build was primed to snowball out of control compared to that baseline.


    He had to worry about others with synergistic skills instead of the average. He anticipated there would be skills that increased individual stats beyond what he was doing. What if a glass cannon had the ability to increase their damage stat by some proportion of the attributes spent? What about a tank with the same effect but on defensive stats? He would be outpaced in either scenario. He¡¯d still prefer his more well-rounded build, but he reminded himself not to get too caught up in his own advantages anyway. It was too early and he was too weak to have to remind himself to be humble!


    He hopped a bit to test the increase to his stats. He swung his spear a few times and even threw it into the ocean, summoning it back before it hit the water. Now that he had gathered some experience with his Strength and Agility, the increase was immediately noticeable. His armor and weapon were both scaling off his Mind stat as well. A few more minutes and he felt that he would be ready to test his growth against more monsters.


    Coop judged the position of the sun and determined that it wasn¡¯t even noon yet. He spent the time stretching and breathing while thinking about how long it would take him to defeat 5,000 Ancient Defenders. If he pushed himself at his current level he thought he could do it in a week. That wasn¡¯t bad at all.


    The problem was that he might already be at his peak efficiency for killing the monsters, so even with an increase in power he might not speed up very much. The major time sink was traveling between the mobs. As soon as he came to the realization, he decided that he would focus on his pathing during his next grind session.


    He walked back toward the fort without killing any Ancient Defenders, carefully analyzing exactly where each one had spawned. He tried assigning each spawn area a name based on some notable feature, but many of them were too similar at first glance to get unique names.


    Back at the bridge to the fort, he was stopped by Balor, ¡°Oi, Champion! Would you be so kind as to escort me to the noble lady¡¯s lighthouse?¡±


    Coop raised an eyebrow and pointed at the lighthouse. It was a straight shot down the trail and none of the Ancient Defenders lingered near the path.


    ¡°I can¡¯t leave the settlement territory on my own and it seems to be just beyond the boundary.¡± The stonemason offered.


    Coop shrugged and led the way. As they walked he asked, ¡°Do you need me to stay with you while you¡¯re there?¡±


    ¡°It should be fine, but I might need you to retrieve me¡­¡± Balor responded apologetically.


    Coop didn¡¯t mind, ¡°No problem, just yell if you need me, I¡¯ll be rotating between here and there until then.¡± Indicating the fort and the lighthouse. It was about time he found a new enemy, but he would put it off a bit longer to test some routes and put a dent into his fourth Ancient Defender quest.


    Coop resumed memorizing Ancient Defender spawns as they arrived at the lighthouse. After convincing Balor that the lighthouse was also built without mana, Coop let the disbelieving stonemason in. Balor promised not to disturb any of the lady¡¯s belongings. Coop just accepted that Balor''s people worshiped cats. Wasn¡¯t that like the Egyptians? Coop thought they might be Egyptian space dwarves.


    With his pseudo escort quest complete, Coop started his second grind session of the day. This time with improved stats.


    Coop blazed through the monsters, one throw and one stab at a time. He even eliminated a few with the spear throw alone, saving himself a fraction of the fight and travel time. His first route took him the entire length of the dunes, from the lighthouse to the fort, then completed the circuit by returning deeper inland from within the scrubland.


    He tightened the circuit by cutting off the end closest to the fort as the distances between the monsters was the greatest there.


    While his kill times weren¡¯t making the leaps and gains they were in the beginning, his own techniques were still improving. The timing on resummoning his spear after throwing it had gotten so exact, he could start the swing while the mist was still coalescing and have the spear mid thrust just as it solidified.


    After an hour of altering his route slightly over and over, he began to notice the increase in travel efficiency. If viewed above his pathing would probably look like a go kart track. He focused on a few spawn locations where the Ancient Defenders appeared in pairs. He relied on his Agility to evade the first guard and use only one spear thrust to eliminate the second mechanical monster in each pair.


    During the second hour he tried shaving off more of the spawns on one end of his little circuit, but he started to return to spawn locations before the monsters respawned. He ended up returning to his go kart track pathing and optimized it by trading a spawn in one location for another to see if it sped him up. He had never seen a monster spawn, but they obviously respawned frequently enough for him to grind on roughly 20 monster spawns indefinitely.


    By his third hour, Coop was flagging. He felt like his efficiency was dropping simply due to being tired. He forced a fourth, final hour so that he could compare his results with his first grind session, but he was exhausted. He hadn¡¯t received any debuffs or anything, but his body was giving up.


    Coop walked over to the lighthouse and sat in the shade of the entrance to review his notifications.


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Defeat Ancient Defenders IV (278/5000)]


    [Scavenge Defeated Enemies IV (297/500)]


    Despite his weariness and experimentation with routing between the monsters, he still outperformed his previous session. He wasn¡¯t sure if the improved routing, or the improved stats helped the most, but he would use the exact same path next time when he was fresh to see.


    Of course, he¡¯d accept each and every level with open arms. Coop dropped his 10 free points into Mind and while he was satisfied with the physical improvement that he felt, he also held some conflicting feelings. He wasn¡¯t unsatisfied with his gains, but he was disappointed that he wound up being physically limited from continuing. Was it his Body stat, or was it his physical body? If this was a video game there would be a stamina bar somewhere.


    As he considered the lack of stamina indicators and tried catching his breath, Balor joined him at the bottom of the lighthouse.


    ¡°You ready to go?¡± Coop asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready, Champion. I actually finished a few hours ago and was observing your hunt. You¡¯re a zealous one aren¡¯t ya.¡± The stonemason commented with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Reconjuring your spear is a neat trick. But what are you hunting these weaklings for?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got a quest to kill a bunch of them.¡± Coop stated, and further explained, ¡°I was testing to see how long it would take if I did it as efficiently as I could.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re trying to complete the chains?¡± The dwarf scoffed. ¡±The titles are hardly worth it if you ask me. There are better ways to level up.¡± Balor suggested.


    ¡°Title?¡± Coop¡¯s eyebrows shot up, suddenly interested.


    ¡°By the Great Golem, did your faction not teach you anything at all? The title you natives get for slaying an ungodly amount of a single invader that gives +100 to your highest attribute. It¡¯s not worth it. In the time it takes to complete the chain you could just gain more than 20 levels instead. It¡¯s a reward for someone like Jones, if he spent 100 years on this beach it would eventually be a nice bonus.¡± Balor was already exasperated with Coop¡¯s questions, not realizing they had barely even begun.


    Coop wisely held himself back, and simply answered Balor¡¯s question before asking more. ¡°I don¡¯t have a faction.¡±


    ¡°What? You¡¯re not a Chosen? You fool! Did you decline? It¡¯s not a binding thing, just a startup bonus!¡± Balor tugged on his beard.


    ¡°No, no, I wasn¡¯t offered anything.¡± Coop tried calming the excitable alien down. It didn¡¯t completely work.


    ¡°Well, what in the name of the Great Golem is motivating you to push that hard? I thought you had some faction that must have guided you all funny as a joke or something! You have some family you want to save? Maybe a girl you¡¯re hoping to impress? Eh?¡± He elbowed Coop a few times.


    ¡°No, nothing like that. Not really anything that complicated.¡± Coop inadvertently thought of Charlie the park ranger and shook his head. ¡°For now I just want to survive, and that means defeating these Primal Constructs. Simple. If they have escalating power, then I need to gather my own.¡±


    Balor nodded along, ¡°Fair enough, lad. Those Primal Constructs are a nasty bunch and not everyone can hide in other people''s settlements. I expect you, Jones, and the Lady Feline will all need to fight.¡± He straightened his posture as he declared, ¡°You won¡¯t have to worry about sieges, I¡¯ll have those glorious walls magically fortified soon enough!¡± He slapped Coop on the back with a rock hard palm.


    ¡°So Balor, what is the Great Golem you keep mentioning?¡± Coop ventured.


    Balor leveled a disappointed stare at Coop. ¡°The Great Golem is what my culture calls the entity that brought us mana. Most cultures have different names for it and if you know what¡¯s good for ya, you won¡¯t go questioning other people¡¯s beliefs.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Some of ¡®em get real weird about it. Many have made mana the central concept of their beliefs, worshiping it as a gift from their god.¡±


    Coop nodded in understanding. He was realizing that what Jones had been told was an AI might be a more mysterious entity than they were led to believe. It made sense that some would end up treating it as a god since it seemed like it was expanding the galactic community by uplifting entire planets with mana. Coop mulled the entity behind the system without asking any further questions.


    Once Coop was suitably recovered they headed back to the fort. Coop¡¯s thoughts wandered back to the title that Balor had revealed. It would reward +100 Mind. Absolutely massive. Too bad it sounded like the quest chain would be unfeasible to complete. Coop wouldn¡¯t give up on it completely, maybe just make it a lower priority and chip away at it gradually. Coop nodded to himself.


    He thought it was time to explore outside the settlement territory to see what else this new world had to offer.

 Chapter 12: Primal Kites

    Coop left the fort motivated to expand his horizons. He had decided to check the next island in the Ghost Reef chain. While he hadn¡¯t explored the mangrove forest at all yet, he was a bit scared of heading in there. The thick muck combined with the tangled mangrove roots would make any movement a real challenge, especially in a fight. He would need to adapt a new combat style before setting foot in the mangroves. Coop didn¡¯t feel ready for such a challenge yet.


    Instead he would head to the eastern beach, the one that he hadn¡¯t visited a single time since mana was introduced to the system. All his battles had been up and down the west beach or between the lighthouse and the fort, so he wasn¡¯t sure what he¡¯d find. Across a shallow channel from the eastern beach was the next island in the chain. During the highest tides the water between the islands would only reach Coop¡¯s waist, so he could easily wade across.


    As he left the fort behind, he glanced toward the Mana Well that had carved itself into the ocean off the west coast. Coop judged that it had graduated from a sinkhole to a canyon at this point. He hoped it wouldn¡¯t continue to expand. Even though it looked to be more than a mile, maybe even two miles offshore, he was a tiny bit worried that it would swallow the island if it grew indefinitely.


    He took a fork in the trail that cut across the dunes and led to the eastern beach. The scrubgrasses were the main feature on most of the interior of the island. He didn¡¯t spot any monsters among the grasses. The flat open areas were roamed by the local sandpipers who flew in short bursts only inches off the ground. They were joined by the land crabs that never seemed to leave the entrances of their holes, where they stood waving a single claw at each other. He wasn¡¯t sure if they meant to be threatening or inviting. He was just glad none of them were bear-sized.


    Coop thought calling his destination the eastern beach was a bit of a misnomer. It really faced more south than east, unlike the west beach that was on the west side and faced west. It didn¡¯t help his sense of direction that Rock Key wasn¡¯t so considerate to just be an obvious geometric shape. If the lighthouse wasn¡¯t visible from every corner of the island, he would probably manage to get lost.


    The western beach itself was pristine. It was a wide, picturesque white beach with the calmest waves on the island. It was backed by evenly spaced palm trees and framed by the mangroves on one end and the rocky point that held the lighthouse on the other. All Coop needed was a lounge chair and a pi?a colada with a tiny umbrella and he might be willing to abandon his ambitions of defeating monsters in favor of enjoying an extended vacation.


    With a deep sigh, Coop waded into the water, heading toward the next island. The beach itself was already outside of the settlement territory, but there didn¡¯t seem to be any enemies gathering strength anywhere in its vicinity. It was even more peaceful than the eastern beach.


    Halfway across the channel, the warm waters reached just above Coop¡¯s knees. It was too shallow to properly swim and it was too deep to highstep, forcing him to just drag his tired legs through.


    Coop didn¡¯t have time to gripe before something large breached the surface of the water with enough energy to splash Coop, 20 yards away. Coop summoned his shield and raised it to protect his upper body while keeping an eye on the water in his vicinity, afraid of what might still be swimming as much as whatever leapt out of the water.


    His large round shield blocked water and sand that had been thrown in the air. Coop spotted what had been hiding under the sand as it hovered above the surface. He quickly identified it.


    [Primal Kite (Level 10)]


    A new monster. Coop was surprised at the level jump between the Defenders and this thing. He didn¡¯t have time to worry about whether he skipped something when a pulse of energy slammed into his shield. The attack had enough power to force Coop a step backward, but his shield protected him from any damage.


    He quickly corrected his stance and began advancing on the creature. It hovered in the air above the surface of the water but was still near enough to the surface for Coop to strike it, if he was close enough. It was obviously a cousin to the Ancient Defenders he had become so familiar with, the primary difference being that the four legs were hanging limply from the body of the creature like the tentacles of a jellyfish. The body was the familiar symmetrical shape with a red light in the center. It was even the same size, but because it was hovering above the water, it rose about a foot above Coop¡¯s own head.


    Once Coop closed five yards on the creature it pulsed all four of its legs and lunged five yards away at a diagonal from Coop. At its new location it raised one of its arms like a pitcher winding up to throw a baseball and launched another attack. Coop easily blocked it with his shield, but the attack stymied his forward momentum.


    Coop retaliated by throwing his spear but scowled as he watched it sail wide. The creature was maintaining enough distance to prevent an accurate spear throw. Resummoning his weapon, he tried closing the gap, plowing the water with his legs, but as soon as he made it five yards closer, the creature lunged five yards away.


    The creature kept moving diagonally, so Coop tried to cut it off by approaching at an angle. It simply lunged diagonally the other direction.


    Coop tried throwing his spear at it, again and again, while pushing toward the mechanical monster, but most of the time his attacks missed completely. When they didn¡¯t miss, the monster was able to comfortably dodge out of the way. The water was further diminishing his accuracy, but even without the water he wasn¡¯t sure if he would land a suitable attack. Coop yelled in frustration as he wildly threw another spear after blocking an energy attack.


    The monster was living up to its name, kiting Coop around the channel while consistently launching ranged attacks from one of its tentacles. Eventually, Coop was ready to give up and come up with another tactic.


    He was never going to catch the creature when the tide was this high. He thought he could rush the monster if it was low tide, high stepping through ankle deep water. It would be even more exhausting than fighting in the sand, but there was no way it would be worse than charging through the deeper water as he was right now. It had only been a matter of minutes and he was already physically done.


    Coop started to back away from the creature instead of charging at it. Moving backwards was even slower than moving forwards, he had to be extra careful not to lose his footing and it was just more difficult on his legs.


    After a painfully slow five yards in reverse the creature simply moved closer to continue lobbing attacks at Coop. Coop felt dread rising in his chest. Would the monster chase forever? Coop felt like he was being hunted.


    Before the panic set in, he decided that he would have a better chance on land. He would kill the thing if it was foolish enough to keep following him. He continued his slow reversal with his shield raised toward the monster.


    He had only made it a quarter of the way back towards the relative safety of Rock Key¡¯s west beach when a second eruption of water and sand destroyed Coop¡¯s last hope of salvaging this miserable expedition. He identified the additional monster.


    [Primal Kite (Level 12)]


    Coop wasn¡¯t able to block both angles at once. He tried to corral the creatures by charging at a slight angle toward the nearest one to force them onto the same line. He successfully made the nearest lunge toward its brethren but his maneuver earned him an energy blast to the back. His muscles seized as he had the painful realization that the attacks were electrical in nature.


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    His high magic defense from the Mind stat and the protection of Mind Over Matter saved him from true danger. He took 62 damage to both his HP and MP but could only imagine how much damage the magical attack would have done without his magic defense. Without his layered defenses, it might have been lethal. But for now he wasn¡¯t in immediate danger since he started with 520 health and 750 mana.


    He recovered in time to block both of the creatures¡¯ follow up attacks. He retaliated with another disappointing spear throw and started his slow, sad retreat. At the rate he was going he might even need to worry about fighting in the dark.


    Another failed spear throw after trying to bait the creatures just a little closer left him clenching his teeth with frustration. He looked at the spear embedded in the sand and sticking out of the water in between the creatures with a scowl on his face. He needed a more reliable ranged option before he hunted these monsters again. He wished he could conjure himself at the spear instead of conjuring the spear to himself.


    Suddenly, a heavy fog clouded his vision that made the world seem black and white, the world stretched momentarily, and the fog lifted. He fell to his hands and knees and retched. What the hell happened? His face had only been inches above the water when he was slammed underneath, once, twice, four times in quick succession. Then he was blasted with an electric attack, his muscles seizing while he clenched his fists in the sand, enduring the pain.


    He lost 85 HP from the four combined physical attacks and 60 HP from the energy attack. His MP dropped the same amount with an additional 50 disappearing somewhere along the way.


    He rolled away from the physical attacks to get room to recover his balance only to find one of the Primal Kites right next to him, while the other lunged five yards away. Had they yanked him back? He lifted his shield as the nearest monster raised all four tentacles and extended them into rigid blades. It rapidly spun its body, swinging the tentacles like horizontal blades into Coop¡¯s shield. The more distant creature lobbed another attack at Coop¡¯s flank that Coop barely blocked with a shift of his shield arm.


    He belatedly recognized the spear in his hand and stabbed it into the nearest creature with an overhand thrust. He had lost all semblance of technique and the attack was more reminiscent of the times he bludgeoned Ancient Defenders to death with his machete. He missed the red light but the spear pierced the body of the Primal Kite, severely wounding it.


    He repeated the savage overhand attack three more times for good measure before it began to evaporate into smoke. As the first was defeated, the second monster shocked him with another energy attack.


    He turned to the creature, took two desperate steps through the water, and lunged toward it, leaping forward with his spear raised. The creature dodged backwards, but Coop¡¯s lunge had brought him close enough to hug the thing before it dodged. His arms combined with the length of the spear were enough to jab the tip into the body and drag the creature down into the water. Coop showed no hesitation to stab the monster to death while standing over it. It finally disappeared into a cloud of smoke that rose out of the shallow water.


    Coop collapsed onto his butt, feeling vertigo and exhaustion. Coop was just happy the situation hadn¡¯t gotten any worse. With only his head and shoulders above the water he checked his notifications.


    [You defeated Primal Kite (Level 12)]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [+4 Basic Credits]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Scavenge Defeated Enemies IV (298/500)]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Primal Kite (Level 10)]


    [+5 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Charged Metallic Scale (Uncommon)]


    [Defeat Primal Kites I (2/5)]


    [Scavenge Defeated Enemies IV (299/500)]


    Coop noted that these monsters had their own quest chain, but he didn¡¯t entertain the idea of hunting thousands of them. He would need to figure out a better way to fight them before he was willing to hunt even three more. He thought about conjuring a long bow and making arrows for a moment before dismissing the idea. He doubted he could even do damage with arrows that he crafted and he would be electrocuted by their superior ranged attacks while he tried.


    He noted that his Basic Scavenging had surprisingly leveled off the first defeated monster even though it had been relatively recently leveled off the Ancient Defenders. He suspected scavenging a new type of creature had provided him with a significant bonus. He might want to hunt a wider variety of monsters in order to boost his profession level. It had been lagging behind his class level even though the method of leveling both of them was the same: defeating monsters. At least it finally generated some loot, even if he had no idea what to do with it.


    He did know what to do with his five unallocated points granted by the profession level, and put them into Mind.


    Coop tried to recall the details of the fight. He had tried several different maneuvers, but he couldn¡¯t overcome the basic move set that the monsters employed. He felt like a king chess piece chasing a knight around the board. At least until he had appeared directly next to both of the creatures.


    It seemed like he had been the most caught off guard, but they had also seemed surprised in their own way, with one retreating and the other using a melee attack that neither had shown any interest in utilizing prior. Neither seemed ready for him to suddenly appear next to them. He doubted they had used some skill that pulled him into their midst.


    He held the spear, resting it on his shoulder as he thought about the moments before the fight¡¯s turning point. He had been agitated by the matchup to the point that he was grumbling in frustration.


    The class and skills that he was so proud of were being completely dismantled by the second type of monster he had ever encountered. He had been wishing that he could summon himself to his weapon due to the futility of his spear throws. Summoning his spear back to him was useless when he couldn¡¯t get near his targets. He reviewed the Ethereal title that enabled the weapon to return to his hand.


    The Ethereal title was granted by the combination of his Salvation skill, which summoned his ethereal armor, and his Retribution skill, which summoned his ethereal weapons and shield, which formed a full set. The title stated that the ethereal set could not be unwillingly separated. It didn¡¯t actually say it would summon the weapon to the armor, just that they couldn¡¯t be separated. In practice, not being separated meant he could return his spear to his hand after he threw it, with the spear transforming into an ethereal mist before coalescing in his hand after only a moment.


    Coop stood up and threw his spear toward the beach. It pierced through the shallow water and into the sand, standing like a leaning flagpole partway to the shore. Instead of willing it to his hand as he had practiced, he thought about the armor moving to the spear instead.


    A thick fog clouded his vision veiling the world in a dreamlike black and white monochrome. The world momentarily streaked, like it was being stretched out, before snapping back into proportion. There was no sound. Then the fog in his vision dissipated, returning his perspective to normal.


    He was hit by a bout of dizziness that left him stumbling into the water, but the spear was in his hand. He stared at it with suspicion.


    Did he just teleport?


    Coop let his dizziness fade before he once again stood up. He threw his spear to the beach with a high arcing throw, one that abandoned accuracy entirely for distance. It landed in the dry stand and stood almost straight up. He held his hand out as if he was gripping the spear and concentrated on moving to it.


    The foggy vision and world warping returned before he stood on the dry sand with the spear in his outstretched hand. He would have laughed but instead he fell to his hands and knees and vomited.


    His giddiness aided in his recovery. He rinsed his mouth with some ocean water before splashing some to hide the evidence of his embarrassing display. He noted that each teleport had cost him 50 mana, but with 900 mana it wouldn¡¯t be a problem. Of course, he needed to be conscientious of the fact that his mana was supplementing his health, so he mentally added a new rule to always maintain at least as much mana as his current health. It shouldn¡¯t be too hard a rule to follow since his health would essentially be half of his mana with the way his bonus stats were distributed.


    He returned to the fort for the day, teleporting almost as much as he walked. As he used his new found ability he toyed with various names for it. Whatever he called it, it was a game changer.

 Chapter 13: Mistjumping

    Coop woke up before dawn with Jett nestled under one arm. He was grateful she let him keep the pillow this time. Coop gently scooted her over before he jumped out of bed. He was filled with motivation this morning. There was only one more day before the leaderboards appeared and he had discovered a new ridiculous skill that he wanted to master as soon as possible.


    He washed his face and moved up to the top of the fort for his morning jog and stretching session. He filled his lungs as he admired the sunrise. Despite the changes, Ghost Reef was undeniably still a paradise. The waves of the aquamarine ocean sparkled with reflections of the morning sunlight.


    As Coop ate his oatmeal he considered a few things. Now that the plan for his class and build had culminated into the Revenant class he felt like he should start on a new aspirational plan. His personal goal was simple, but vague. His parents had left him with a decent life philosophy to be kind and help others and he would strive to honor that legacy.


    He had articulated it to Balor as wanting to survive and to do so by defeating the Primal Constructs, but when he truly considered it, survival wasn¡¯t really the best word to describe his goal. Really, his goal, or his desire, was to win. Of course, survival would be the primary condition, but winning might be a slightly different thing.


    He had been slighted by the factions of the universe when none deemed him worthy of a sponsorship offer. As petty as his motivations might be, the Primal Constructs weren¡¯t the only faction that needed defeating. Besides, wouldn¡¯t there be other factions vying for control of the planet at the expense of humanity?


    It was too early to start philosophizing on the nature of proxy competition between alien factions within the galactic community. He chuckled as he gave up and returned to what he did know and what he thought should be his aspirational goals.


    The leaderboards would become available on Day 10. There were leaderboards for individuals and for settlements. Wouldn¡¯t it be fun for the factionless to be at the top? Coop shook his head, reveling in his general lack of responsibilities beyond his own personal ones. At least he could leverage his gathered strength to offer a helping hand to those who needed it. He might not be truly noble, but he could still do some good.


    As he exited the fort to test his new ¡®mistjump¡¯ on the familiar Ancient Defenders he kept his train of thought on the leaderboards. They would be the best source of intelligence on the rest of the planet while they were isolated on their island.


    The factions¡¯ influence would be limited by time. People would rapidly gain levels while at faction training facilities and boot camps until a maximum of Day 30. Once those boosted people returned, Coop was willing to bet that a significant number of them would not be prepared or dedicated enough for a continued grind. He predicted that many would be lazy about continuing to gain levels, especially if they started with a huge head start.


    Coop could play the tortoise to their hares.


    He tried to imagine a person being power leveled for a month and then being given a quest to kill thousands of the same mob after being titled ¡®Chosen¡¯. He laughed to himself as he drove an ethereal sword through the armored body of an Ancient Defender. He would switch to the spear and start ¡®ghostwalking¡¯ once his mana fully recovered from casting Salvation.


    Would it be faster to hunt stronger monsters? Coop thought the answer wouldn¡¯t be a clear yes or no. However, he was absolutely certain that constantly hunting stronger monsters would be more dangerous, even deadly. Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained.


    He considered what he would find in the Mana Well that was forming a canyon off the coast, or even further at the monstrous mountain. He was sure there would be boss monsters and dungeons. He and Jones had already defeated one elite monster, there must be more somewhere. He expected to challenge them all, in due time.


    Balor was convinced that completing the quest chains wasn¡¯t worth it. He said that you could simply gain 20 levels for the equivalent reward in stats, but Coop thought that was a poor comparison. The only people who received quests to defeat invaders were those native to an assimilating planet, so maybe the rest of the universe was underestimating their value. Not to mention, a title that rewarded +100 Mind wasn¡¯t the equivalent of 20 levels of attributes because there was theoretically a maximum level an individual would reach. The title would add the equivalent of 20 levels on top of that limit, and that seemed valuable to Coop.


    Additionally, it would make more sense to start grinding the weak monsters while still at a lower level if it was going to be done at all. Returning to kill level two monsters at level 100 really did seem like it would be a waste of time.


    Coop was feeling a little more convinced that he would complete at least some of the quest chains, where the monsters presented a favorable matchup at least. He would try to compare his progress to others once the leaderboards came out. It shouldn¡¯t be too difficult to identify the entries that were faction trained as they appeared on the list.


    As Coop¡¯s mana fully regenerated, he tentatively decided that he would aspire for top the leaderboards and would pursue that goal by completing the quest chains, adjusting his plans as he measured his progress with comparisons to the faction trained. He also predicted he would need to remain flexible enough to address unexpected threats. One reason Coop didn¡¯t want to venture too far from the fort was for fear that he would be away when some event triggered, like a monster raid.


    He realized he was extrapolating a lot of video game expectations onto the real world, but he would rather have expected a sudden raid boss event than be taken completely by surprise. At least he knew some events were coming after Day 30.


    With his spear ready he prepared for his first ¡®shadowstep.¡¯ It had been roughly an hour waiting for his mana and consideration while killing. According to his quest progress he killed 70 monsters while casually jogging around his prearranged route with the ancient greek short sword that he had never used before. He felt a little more confident with the sword, but he needed something he could throw in order to use his ¡®etherport.¡¯


    He tossed his spear so that it landed right behind an Ancient Defender and teleported to it. He was hit with a wave of dizziness and nausea after he reappeared, but still ended the fight with two quick thrusts. The monster wasn¡¯t caught off guard and was able to block his first surprise attack. Coop¡¯s Strength was enough to destroy the guarding leg with only one attack though. He threw again and continued to teleport among the monsters and feel horribly sick until his mana dropped below his health pool.


    It was after only eight teleports. An inadequate amount for his desire to completely avoid running in the sand. Nevertheless he persisted in his rotation, teleporting when his mana sufficiently recovered. It was roughly every sixth kill that he was able to teleport again. The improved speed meant that he needed to add a single extra monster spawn to his route for them to keep up with their respawning.


    The second hour resulted in 95 monster kills. It was a huge improvement to what he had believed was near his maximum efficiency, and yet, he could immediately identify more points to improve. After a teleport he was slow to recover due to the vertigo from the rapid movement, losing him the element of surprise generated by the jump. Also, a bigger mana pool would obviously enable more teleports.


    The third hour he only killed 88 monsters, he realized he had artificially inflated his first set when he dumped half his mana on the initial teleports. Still, he could feel the progress that the practice was enabling. The dizziness was not as severe after each jump, as if he was acclimating to the movement. He also had a few notifications worth checking.


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


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    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Defeat Ancient Defenders IV (531/5000)]


    [Quest Complete! Scavenge Defeated Enemies IV]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [Scavenge Defeated Enemies V (52/1000)]


    He was still getting levels just from killing these monsters, and it didn¡¯t seem that slow at all. The constant fighting compared to tracking and hunting a stronger foe might even make it more efficient to grind weaker mobs for levels after all. At least for now while the level gap between himself and the monsters wasn¡¯t too atrocious. The stronger foes would be up next anyway.


    His scavenging quest reward gave him another Increased Yield bonus. The previous one had doubled his gains, so he had high hopes for the second bonus.


    He put his unallocated attribute points into Mind, bringing his total to 100! It was cause for a celebration, so he started the festivities by killing more monsters. The fighting still gave him a euphoric feeling whenever something went right, so he was happy to continue.


    Another hour and he killed 93 more monsters, he attributed the increase to the brief break he took while checking his notifications and the increased stats improving his mana pool.


    The Increased Yield bonus from scavenging was actually a 50% bonus this time, still a huge amount. Now he was receiving triple the base amount of Basic Credits for every defeated enemy. It was a welcome bonus based on his current habit of mass killing monsters. All the basic credits were beginning to burn a hole in his pocket. He would have to shop for the settlement soon.


    As he began another round he stopped after the first teleport and kill. His mana had only gone down by 49 instead of 50. Coop tested it one more time to make sure he wasn¡¯t mistaken. It was indeed only 49 mana. Coop was confused. He reviewed the Ethereal title, but found no hints. Then he remembered his Agility passive skill, Practical Application. It only added half of his Mind stat to Agility because it had a secondary effect. It claimed that the mana cost of active skills would be reduced with mastery of the skills.


    Coop had completely forgotten the secondary effect, already pleased with the Agility gain. This was the first time it had done anything and he was slowly coming around to how ridiculously strong it would get over time. He realized he needed to be spamming all of his skills in order to maximize its growth. At least, unless ¡®mastery¡¯ of the skill meant something other than repeatedly using it. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to try summoning different weapons during his off-time to see if the cost was eventually reduced.


    Before Coop began again he noticed a creature coming out of the surf, approaching the western beach. He moved closer, crossing the trail that connected the fort with the lighthouse, to get a better look. When he was close enough he Identified it.


    [Elite Ancient Defender (Level 6)]


    Coop noted it was approaching the beach from the direction of the Mana Well¡¯s chasm. He wondered if that¡¯s where these elites had come from. At the very least, the increase in mana concentration at the well might increase the likelihood of an elite appearing.


    He jogged down the undisturbed sandy beach, leaving a trail of fresh footprints and kicked up sand, with his spear ready. When he was within range he threw it at the elite, intending a direct hit rather than setting up a teleport. The creature blocked the line drive but was rocked backwards with a cracked shin guard.


    The last time he and Jones had fought an elite was before they even had classes and skills. Coop¡¯s Strength had been multiplied by more than 10 times at this point and the difference was immediately apparent. Their first battle with an elite had resulted in Coop needing almost two full days of recovery.


    Returning his spear to his arm, he attacked with a wide, sweeping arc from his maximum spear range. The creature barely managed to block the attack with a different leg as the spear tip threatened from its right flank instead of its front. The force of the collision between spear and guard caused the creature to crumple into the sand on the left side, with the blocking leg hanging uselessly after receiving the brunt of the damage.


    Coop wasn¡¯t only stronger now, he was also much faster than he was before. He was able to immediately capitalize on the disorientation of the creature, yanking the spear back and thrusting it into the red light before it had a chance to recover its stance. Both of the legs that would have been in position to block had already been weakened by Coop¡¯s two opening attacks and it had no chance to prevent the deadly blow.


    [You defeated Elite Ancient Defender (Level 6)]


    [+210 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Elite Monster Token]


    His gains had never been more apparent than after the utter destruction of a monster that had nearly killed both him and Jones only a few days earlier. Coop adjusted his grip on his ethereal spear and decided it was a decent time for a little break from hunting in favor of some exploration. He needed to know if they should prepare for more monsters coming from the Mana Well. Was it a pit that was already full of elites? Would they spill out and assault the civilization shard within the fort?


    Coop waded into the ocean, cautiously peering into the shallows ahead of him, anticipating something like the Primal Kites to ambush him at any moment. He was ready with his shield when water and sand erupted nearby. As the water around him splashed, catching bits of falling sand, he quickly Identified the floating monster.


    [Primal Kite (Level 10)]


    He was relieved that it wasn¡¯t an elite version. An elite Primal Kite would be a challenge he hoped to save for later. In the meantime, the regular versions in small numbers should be well within his ability now that he could catch them.


    The Primal Kite fired an electric blast that Coop blocked with his shield. He threw his spear as close to the creature as he could without threatening a direct hit. He didn¡¯t want the monster to dodge the projectile and end up too far from the spear.


    The monster correctly judged that the spear was not a danger and didn¡¯t dodge. Instead it started to charge another tentacle to launch a blast of electricity. Before it finished, Coop appeared adjacent to its flank, with the spear arcing in a full power strike to the floating body.


    The creature reacted in time, but could only spin and correct the aim of its still charging energy attack. The side of the spearhead smashed into the monster¡¯s body, cleaving a deep gouge into the metallic creature and shoving it partially back into the water. The change of position forced the charging attack into the water as well, where it fizzled harmlessly, failing to form a bolt at all.


    Coop pounced on the chance to defeat the creature, bringing the spear over his head and stabbing it point first into the body twice more before the fight was over. It didn¡¯t seem like the Primal Kites could charge attacks and dodge at the same time.


    With a little more practice Coop was confident he could destroy these creatures, but he anticipated the difficulty coming in detecting them before being forced into an engagement. He would also need to be able to teleport even more frequently.


    Coop continued wading toward the Mana Well. The water level varied with shallow sandbars reaching only ankle deep with deeper channels carved out by currents that caused Coop¡¯s waist to submerge. Luckily, he only had to fight one more Primal Kite and it wasn¡¯t waiting to ambush him in the deepest portions of his trip.


    The chasm turned out to be even further than he anticipated. It was well into the afternoon when Coop arrived at its edge. He had been afraid that the water would be flowing down the wide, circular breach like a waterfall that threatened to carry him down, but the ocean was calm all the way to the edge. He could practically taste the mana in the air as he neared the chasm.


    The Mana Well had created a massive canyon, but the water level only rose an inch above a sandy ridge that formed a rim all the way around the perimeter. Healthy corals had propagated all the way around the ridge, forming a reef that should have been much older. Coop was able to safely step onto the sandy ridge to look over the chasm.


    It was the most magical scene he had witnessed yet. Coop was enchanted by the wondrous view.


    Coop watched as a smooth curtain of seawater cascaded onto ledges of purple and blue corals and split into rivers that continued a journey down layer after layer. Coop had no idea how deep it went, the view to the bottom was obstructed by massive coral ledges that overlapped each other while leaving large gaps between. Smaller, bright colored corals, sea fans, and anemones decorated the edges of the gargantuan coral plates, reaching out into the spaces between the layers. A gentle glow illuminated even the deepest spaces where his sightline went uninterrupted.


    Coop realized that he wasn¡¯t gazing into a canyon as much as he was gazing into a small hole that pierced the ceiling of an entire coral forest world. He was relieved to see that the vast area extended underneath the ocean floor away from the fort rather than toward it. This opening was just the top of one edge.


    He couldn¡¯t help himself. He forgot his mission to make sure there weren¡¯t elites threatening to spill from the chasm and dropped down to the first ledge, barely 15 feet down, with the burning desire to explore.

 Chapter 14: The Coral Forest

    Coop had been mesmerized by the Coral Forest. He hopped from ledge to ledge, just taking it all in.


    It was beautiful and surreal, unlike anything he had ever seen but also sometimes familiar. He spotted a purple brain coral the size of a house and blue-green sea fans swaying in the open air that were large enough to fit into any old growth forest. When Coop realized that all the corals were living despite not being submerged he was even more awed.


    The coral polyps appeared to still be their normal tiny size, it was the calcium carbonate exoskeletons that experienced such incredible growth. It seemed like an entire ecosystem had sprung up around the concentrated mana, allowing these tiny creatures to build incredible structures.


    Gradually, Coop started to realize he had made a mistake. The unfamiliar Coral Forest, lack of a horizon, and constantly changing elevation depending on which ledge he was on had turned him around. He wasn¡¯t sure which way was home.


    Coop truly realized he was in trouble when he spotted his first monster. He noticed it before he dropped onto the ledge that it was occupying. It seemed like it stared back at him, daring him to continue.


    It was a hermit crab-like creature, with six pointed legs underneath a round, bulbous, blue-metallic body that hung all the way to the floor. Two scissor-like claws were held out in a challenge that Coop wouldn¡¯t accept. Where the Ancient Defenders and Primal Kites were smaller than Coop, this thing was the size of a van.


    [One That Waits (Elite Level ??)]


    Identify only confirmed Coop¡¯s hesitance. He had never seen question marks before, but felt it was safe to assume they meant a dangerous level difference. Coop would have retreated from a regular monster that presented with question marks, and this was an elite, so he turned around and came to terms with his being lost.


    Coop decided that he would find his way as long as he went up. He climbed from ledge to ledge, finally understanding that going up would be a lot harder than going down. He confirmed that his ethereal teleport had no line of sight requirements and made liberal use of his spear throws to gain further elevation.


    It was going well enough until he saw the ceiling. It was solid coral rock that gave no indication of direction or exits, only adding the occasional stream of seawater that percolated through the stone and joined the other rivers. At least the nearby bioluminescence was a pleasant blue-green with the occasional purple highlights. His downfall would have nice aesthetics.


    Coop tried testing the wind and tasting the air, he observed the orientation of different corals and the direction water was flowing, but nothing provided any hints for navigation. He felt like he had no choice but to pick a direction and commit.


    Panic set in. He was pretty sure he was going in a straight line, but was beginning to doubt even his ability to not go in circles. He started coming up with backup plans where he would have to live in the Coral Forest forever.


    He only got out of his own head when he nearly jumped into another monster, this one even more frightening than the last. He Identified it from a ledge beneath, thankful that it hadn¡¯t noticed him.


    [One That Hunts (Elite Level ??)]


    The monster was blood red and Coop couldn¡¯t tear his eyes off the teeth. It had the oversized mouth of a deep sea fish with teeth so long the jaw never closed completely. Coop couldn¡¯t see most of its body and was completely unwilling to get any closer. He did not want to tempt it into action.


    He was a lot more deliberate after the second monster encounter. He picked his way through the coral carefully until he finally saw something that filled him with hope. Familiar curtains of water that reminded him of the edges of the entrance to this zone.


    He made his way to the waterfall and gently peered through. He was thrilled to see the night sky filled with stars instead of the coral rock ceiling. He quickly teleported over the edge to get his bearings.


    At least it didn¡¯t seem like monsters would be erupting from the Coral Forest to attack the settlement any time soon. He wasted a lot of time confirming that was the case though.


    Coop was forced to fight more Primal Kites as he walked into their hiding places. He was happy to find his teleport cost was down to 48 mana after using it to fight and travel around all day. After the first Primal Kite was defeated he checked his notifications and found that completing the first stage of the Primal Kite chain had granted him 100 Basic Credits and a level, just like the Ancient Defender chain.


    [You defeated Primal Kite (Level 10)]


    [+6 Basic Credits]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Primal Kites I]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [Scavenge Defeated Enemies V (151/1000)]


    He was pleased to get a last minute level before the leaderboards unlocked, but the fact that he was wading through the ocean in the middle of the night prevented him from celebrating.


    Eventually, no more Primal Kites bothered him. As he approached the lighthouse he noted that Balor had completely repaired the lighthouse already.


    The services that were provided through the settlement system had limitations on how many resources they were allotted each day before they needed an upgrade or a supporting building to continue.


    At least, Coop was pretty sure Balor wasn¡¯t making up limitations to get out of working around the clock. The dwarf-like alien was really enthusiastic about working on the fort and lighthouse. Still, Coop didn¡¯t think he would be able to make such large repairs in a single session, but he supposed mana was an unknown variable. Balor had probably used his entire day¡¯s allotment to repair the lighthouse for Jett.


    As Coop made his way to the fort, he noticed movement in the scrubgrass toward the interior of the island and took a closer look. He expected to find land crabs doing crab things, but instead spotted a new mechanical enemy. It must have been a nocturnal one for him to have never seen it before. He identified it.


    [Ancient Prowler (Level 10)]


    Coop decided to take his frustrations out on this new enemy. Wielding his spear and shield he approached it aggressively. It held its ground, snapping its elongated jaw in Coop¡¯s direction. It was four feet long and he thought it resembled a mechanical rat, with a single red light in its forehead rather than eyes. And large metallic scales instead of fur. And no tail at all. Maybe not like a rat specifically. Unlike the symmetrical mechanical creatures, this one was oriented like most of the four-legged mammals he was familiar with.


    Coop jabbed with his spear only for the Ancient Prowler to evade his attack and lunge at Coop, bearing its jagged razor-like teeth, intent on clamping down on his extended forearm.


    Coop yanked his arm back, but the monster was too quick to force back out into the ideal range of his spear. Coop ended up slamming the creature with the shaft of his spear to knock it away.


    The Ancient Prowler landed on its feet despite being battered and flung several feet away. Coop took the opportunity to thrust the spear again, using his footwork to keep the creature at a better distance. It took Coop several attempts before he landed a solid hit with the tip of his spear.


    Before he defeated the creature with a follow up attack, a second creature lunged at his flank. He barely blocked with his shield, but while he was distracted, the first creature regained its footing.


    Coop focused on finishing off the injured Ancient Prowler, but every time he attacked, the other monster retaliated, forcing its way inside of Coop¡¯s attack range. By the time he was able to create enough distance to stab with the spear, it was the other Ancient Prowlers turn to dive inside of Coop¡¯s attack range.


    These things were quick and cooperative, covering for each other and taking advantage of Coop¡¯s openings. Coop was also pretty quick and more importantly, was tough. At least stat-wise he thought he was tough. He settled on trading blows with the creatures.


    The next time he landed an attack on one creature, he followed through with a finishing blow while allowing the second creature to land its attack. The creature bit his leg, but Coop was unfazed. It dealt a pathetic 10 damage to both his HP and MP after all of his reductions, but also applied a debuff called Vulnerable. The debuff increased the damage Coop would receive from future attacks. As if he would let the lone Ancient Prowler get any more attacks in.


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    Coop aggressively attacked the remaining monster, unwilling to let the fight last much longer. He landed a solid arcing blow on a backswing when the creature dodged the wrong direction, but before he finished it off, yet another monster lunged at him. Coop ignored the additional monster in favor of ending the previous one. Allowing it to bite his forearm, failing to pierce his bracer.


    He bashed the third monster off of his arm with his shield, noting that he had taken 30 damage, despite the attack being blocked, and received a second stack of the Vulnerable debuff. He turned to the bashed monster and thrust his spear into its body, pinning it to the ground.


    As he pulled his spear to apply the finishing blow, a fourth monster¡¯s teeth collided with his armored back. Coop plunged the spear into the head of the third monster and whirled at the newest monster. He had taken 50 damage from the surprise attack and another stack of Vulnerable.


    Coop swung with arcing swings, keeping the fourth monster at bay. Coop was easing his way back toward the dunes, not wanting to fight these things all night with their escalating damage. As he planted his leg and swung at the creature, a fifth attacked his back leg, dealing 70 damage to both his HP and MP.


    Coop kicked it off and stabbed the fourth creature when it predictably lunged at Coop, assuming he was distracted by the fifth monster, then he stomped on the fifth monster and executed it with his spear.


    He wasted no time getting back into a combat stance, paranoid that more of the monsters were waiting to attack him, but when none appeared he hustled the rest of the way back to the relative safety of the dunes. He was relieved by the sight of Ancient Defenders milling around. He quit taking detours for the day and headed back to the fort.


    When he made it back to the fort he entered the mess hall and took a seat. It was earlier than he usually woke up, but only by about an hour. He prepared to go over the Prowler fight and review his notifications but he noticed Jett strolling through the corridor towards his bedroom so he watched. Jett did a double take when she spotted him outside his bed at this time. She trotted over and rubbed against his shins so he scratched her back before she made her way to the bedroom to go to sleep. Coop chuckled at the cat¡¯s new routine.


    Coop finally checked his notifications.


    [You defeated Ancient Prowler (Level 10)]


    [+4 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Jagged Metal Tooth (Uncommon)]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [Defeat Ancient Prowlers I (1/5)]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    ¡­


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Ancient Prowlers I]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [Scavenge Defeated Enemies V (156/1000)]


    Yet again, Coop had found himself in a dangerous situation when he fought a new monster. The agile Ancient Prowlers exposed weaknesses in his spear technique and forced him to trade blows. Taking some damage was only something he could do thanks to his layered defenses, but if a fight with a stacking debuff like Vulnerable continued for much longer it would quickly get out of his control. Regenerating health also took too long to sacrifice it willingly while intending to fight for hours at a time.


    He thought the problem was with his footwork, he needed to be a lot quicker on his feet if he wanted to maintain a specific distance in combat against a quick foe that wants to get closer. He was especially troubled when they approached from the outside of his spear arm. He couldn¡¯t rotate his hips fast enough to use his shield and was forced to either accept the attack or use a weak backhand attack with his spear shaft below the blade.


    The next time he fought those Prowlers he wanted to try with a different weapon. He could have switched mid battle, but he wasn¡¯t that confident in any of his other possible summons yet. He¡¯d have to talk to Jones about his options, though gaining some experience and using the shortsword was the most obvious choice. He thought there might be a polearm that would suit his needs as well.


    Coop thought that maybe all five of the Ancient Prowlers he had fought were clones of the same monster, but his notifications credited him with killing all five individually. Either they were some kind of pack monster or they had a sensitive aggro range. Either way, killing five was enough to complete the first stage of their quest chain, earning him yet another last minute level on top of the level he earned naturally.


    Plus, his profession leveled after he scavenged the first kill, piling on the attribute points. He smashed the unallocated points into his Mind stat and checked his status for the last time before the leaderboards began.


    [Status]


    HP - 542/700


    MP - 1064/1200


    Class - Revenant (Level 14)


    Profession - Basic Scavenging (Level 8)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 10 (+120)


    Agility - 10 (+60)


    Body - 10 (+60)


    Mind - 120


    Intelligence - 10


    Acumen - 10


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion, Haunted, Ethereal


    Skills (Active) - Identify, Retribution, Salvation


    Skills (Passive) - Common Language, Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application


    Quests - Defeat Ancient Prowlers II (0/25), Defeat Primal Kites II (11/25), Defeat Ancient Defenders IV (626/5000), Scavenge Defeated Enemies V (156/1000), Upgrade Camp to Outpost


    Basic Credits - 5,431


    Coop still felt giddy seeing his attributes go up. Thanks to his passive skills, every 10 attribute points gave him 10 Mind, 5 Body, 5 Agility, and 10 Strength!


    His wallet was getting heavier as well. He only needed 1,000 basic credits for the settlement upgrade, which would be ready in three days. The rest he thought he would spend immediately, so he got up and headed to the civilization shard in the courtyard.


    Balor and Jones had been busy planning significantly more than a mere camp or outpost. They had used magical implements that look like tiny glow sticks that emitted a dim light to line the streets. Coop wasn¡¯t sure what the different colors were meant to represent, but he guessed it was zoning plans. Balor would slowly make progress as his resources regenerated each day. A Quarry or more laborers would increase his work rate, but they weren¡¯t in that much of a hurry.


    He followed the planned main street that went down the middle to the shard and continued to where a bridge would eventually be installed to connect the other half of the fort. A generous circular town square was allotted around the proposed bridge and a road would border the channel that flowed through the fort. The roads were planned to form spokes leading away from the circle to the edges of the fort where an outside ring was also planned.


    Coop enabled the relocation of the shard and pushed it to the center of the future town circle. It would make a nice centerpiece for the public area.


    Coop accessed the shard and sat down to browse the construction options. Most were still grayed out with unmet requirements, but with his growing wealth, many more were unlocked than before.


    There were six categories of buildings: Defense, Housing, Food Production, Food Preparation, Industrial, and Public Buildings.


    The available Defense structures were useless with the existing fort, various walls and watch towers dominated the section of affordable options. The more interesting choices were the more expensive options that required higher settlement levels or a larger population. There were options like martial facilities for training, police stations, guard houses, even a spy headquarters. Coop could get an instructor for some of his weapons in the future.


    He almost skipped over the Housing options, but thought that maybe it wouldn¡¯t be bad to move out of their simple barracks into mansions. Unfortunately, the prices of the more fancy lodgings were outrageous. They were clearly meant to be luxury items for a more established settlement.


    He did skip over the Food Production section, already knowing it would be full of farming and animal husbandry. They didn¡¯t need to mass produce food with a population of four, which included the cat.


    Food Preparation was the more interesting section. All of these buildings would generate a minimum amount of resources necessary to operate, so a fancy restaurant would have enough food for a few people a day. Balor¡¯s Stonemasonry already produced its own types of stone at a limited quantity everyday, which is how he conducted repairs on the lighthouse. Coop nearly chose the Bakery at 5,000 Basic Credits but put it aside for now in case he found something in the other sections.


    The Industry section was by far the longest, but they had explored the options more extensively when they selected their first building. There were choices that would expand or improve the Stonemason, but he''d rather get the Bakery.


    Lastly, the Public Buildings was also a large section, but it was also the most restrictive in terms of requirements. The only ones he could choose with his budget and settlement were the Market and Tavern. He couldn¡¯t see what good a Market would do for them right now, but the Tavern was interesting. It had food, drinks, and lodging all in one.


    As he thought about his choices, Jones joined him. The sun had come up while Coop browsed all of the options. They discussed broader city plans and what to prioritize. They didn¡¯t make any progress on deciding until Balor yelled from across the courtyard.


    ¡°Get a damn Tavern and a Brewery to upgrade the drinks!¡±


    Jones signed off on the idea with a shrug, and Coop went ahead and selected the Tavern. He scrolled through the many, many variants until he spotted one without a faction and selected it. He built it right on the corner where the main street met the town circle, with the front door on the main street. He imagined adding a second one across the street for some competition.


    They watched as the Tavern rapidly constructed itself before their very eyes.

 Chapter 15: The Clumsy Shark

    The Tavern they just built had taken a lot of real estate, so Coop was surprised when it was also three stories tall. It was a solid wood and stone structure with thick glass windows on the second and third floor. The wooden sign that hung on a pair of chains above the heavy wooden door had the image of a shark drinking a beer with the words The Clumsy Shark etched across it in a curved font. Coop and Jones headed inside.


    The scent of something delicious immediately assaulted Coop¡¯s senses. He felt his mouth watering. The main room was large and open, with booths lining the walls, and a long bar that extended across the entire left wall and was only stopped by a wide wooden staircase. The staircase led to a balcony that overlooked the main room from the back. A large fireplace with stools that indicated it could be used for bands or bards was in the center of the wall on their right. A bartender was wiping the bar with a white towel and he called out to the new arrivals as they stepped foot inside.


    ¡°Welcome! Welcome to The Clumsy Shark! Just sit anywhere.¡± The bartender invited. Coop thought he looked like a human until he noticed the two horns poking through his black hair. He had dark eyes underneath a thick brow and a black mustache. Despite being slender, he was a solid looking man with arms thick enough to indicate to Coop that he could throw unruly patrons out if he needed to. The only other oddity was that his ears were pointy and when taken with the horns made him look a bit like a devil. He wore a black leather vest over a white long sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows showing defined forearms.


    Coop and Jones sat at the spotless bar and Coop introduced them. ¡°Hey there, I¡¯m Coop and this is Jones.¡±


    ¡°Greetings, I am Desmond. Thank you for selecting our service.¡± He gave a mostly friendly smile, though he revealed sharp teeth reminiscent of a shark. ¡°You would be the Champion then, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yep, that¡¯s me.¡± Coop confirmed.


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Desmond smiled wider. ¡°Maeve! Bring two bowls and come meet the Champion!¡± Desmond yelled over his shoulder, still smiling. ¡°Would you two like anything to drink?¡± He asked as he returned his focus to Coop and Jones.


    They both accepted when the doors to the kitchen swung open. Coop didn¡¯t know what to do with his eyes. The girl that came out was beautiful. She had medium length blonde hair with thick bangs that bounced to her eyes with each step. Her large brown eyes were half-lidded and she had an easy smile directed at Coop. She wore a stereotypical medieval waitress outfit with puffy white shoulders and a mostly white apron, but the skirt was short and the neckline was dangerous. A large gold crystal that glittered in the firelight sat just below her collar bone accentuating the low cut. The only unusual feature other than her beauty was that she also had pointed ears that extended through her wavy blonde hair. Unlike Desmond she looked like an elf.


    Coop ended up watching his drink intently as she leaned over the counter to serve both of them bowls of stew. ¡°How are you two doing? I¡¯m Maeve. If you need anything just holler for me!¡± She greeted with a casual cheer that all waitresses master.


    Suddenly, the front door swung open with unnecessary force, and Balor appeared. He yelled, ¡°Ale!¡± and Desmond had a mug filled and served before Balor even sat down. Balor put his finger on the bar and a number floated to which Desmond nodded.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Coop asked, indicating Balor''s finger.


    Maeve was the first to respond, ¡°That¡¯s how you transfer credits.¡± She giggled. ¡°You just do some motion and concentrate on the transfer and the system takes care of it.¡±


    Coop tried it, using a similar motion with his finger on the bar, a bill appeared in his vision and he transferred 10 basic credits, the price for the two drinks and two bowls of stew. The number 10 floated above his finger. Maeve gave a sweet smile before she held her palm up to her chin and lightly blew with a wink and the number three appeared in her palm before Coop received three credits.


    When Coop looked confused, she explained, ¡°That¡¯s your cut as Champion of the settlement. All service buildings will pay a portion of their profits to you.¡± She gave another charming smile. ¡°It helps motivate Champions to facilitate business.¡± She shrugged.


    ¡°Anyway, Pa¡¯ takes care of the drinks and the cooking and I take care of the waitressing and lodging. So, if you need a bed, you come let me know¡­ Champions stay for free.¡± She gave a wide smile that made Coop think it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to stay every once in a while. As she returned to the kitchen, she called over her shoulder to the watching Coop, ¡°A Well-Rested buff is guaranteed!¡± before she disappeared behind the swinging doors.


    Only after she had been gone did Coop realize she had revealed that Desmond was her father. Coop brought his attention back to the stew that had excited him so much when he entered the Tavern.


    It was delicious and he and Jones had finished their bowls before Balor could finish his fourth mug. Jones excitedly pointed out that he had finally received a buff for eating. Coop checked and he also had a buff called Well-Fed that increased all of his stats by five and increased his regeneration rate by 25% for two hours.


    Jones asked Desmond how it worked, and Desmond explained that the buff was caused by the mana in the ingredients. Apparently, all the food from before mana was assimilated would be inert which is why they had failed to generate any buffs previously. Coop¡¯s suspicions were confirmed.


    As they were chatting Coop and Jones received a notification. Leaderboards had unlocked. Coop quickly found how to access them and checked the individual leaderboards. He was prompted to confirm his identity was Coop. He confirmed, wondering if the system knew it was really a nickname, or if that even mattered to the system.


    His position was 183,801,312.


    It was a huge number. At first Coop felt disheartened, but was it really that bad? He really couldn¡¯t say. There had been eight billion humans to start with, and most of them should have been offered sponsorships. The question was how many had already returned, and how many wouldn¡¯t be on the list because they were still receiving training.


    His position dropped by the hundreds as he watched it. He noticed it go up one place occasionally as well, and he briefly wondered why, before the sobering realization that someone ranked above him had died. He didn¡¯t even want to consider how many people had already died.


    He didn¡¯t like looking at his rank. He could view the top 10,000 as well as his own individual rank. He noted that it specified it was the Human leaderboard, but it didn¡¯t seem like he could view any others if there were any. He wanted to see the burrowing owl leaderboard. Instead he just looked at the top 10.


    Day 10


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">The Lich (Level 44)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Zombie Lord (Level 36)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Banshee (Level 35)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Hai Yun (Level 26)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Minu Misra (Level 25)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Rawiri Winiata (Level 25)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Tzultacaj (Level 25)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Hu Wei (Level 25)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Amawashi Haruto (Level 25)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Alex Nova (Level 25) </li>


    </ol>


    Seeing the first place level, he sucked air through his teeth. How the hell did someone reach level 44 already? He was level 14! And what was with the creepy name? Actually, all of the top 3 names were clearly associated with the undead, and there was a huge level gap between them and the rest. They didn¡¯t seem shy about revealing sponsorships with the undead.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The rest of the top 10 appeared to have used their real names, he didn¡¯t want to reveal his ignorance by guessing their nationalities. Their levels made more sense to Coop. Scrolling through the rest of the top 10,000 he found that they were all level 25. Other than Hai Yun, no one had gone beyond yet. He felt it was a safe bet to assume that was the limit the factions were capable of pushing their Chosen to in the first 10 days.


    Coop felt a lot more comfortable trying to chase down level 25 than level 44. It seemed like the order they were positioned was based on when they hit the level. None of the level 25s were overtaking each other.


    He wished he could compare himself to those who didn¡¯t receive power leveling from factions, but it was useless to complain. In the long run, he wasn¡¯t sure if the first 30 days would truly be that consequential. If they were running a marathon it would be like getting a head start of only a few seconds. The guidance and knowledge the factions possessed would probably be more valuable.


    He checked the settlement leaderboards and they were just completely empty. No settlements had upgraded beyond the camp stage yet. It made sense with the first requirement of being held for 11 days. He would check later, sure that it would start populating over the next few days.


    He realized they would need a name for their settlement. His first thought was to keep the real name of the islands, Ghost Reef. He brought it up with Jones, he was a bit more eager to keep the name, after a lifetime he was attached to it. That was fine with Coop.


    Coop excused himself to go grind Ancient Defenders. He was motivated to push his level as soon as possible and he wanted to take advantage of the Well-Fed buff that still had most of its duration left.


    ¡ª


    Prime Commander Zalanth was unbelievably frustrated with these barbaric humans. Normally, she was unflappable. After a lifetime of service for her faction she had developed supreme patience. These humans though, she couldn¡¯t wait to be rid of them. She had lived an honorable life for the glory of her God Empress, training generations of the citizen-warriors that made up the The Endless Empire. The Empress had decreed their purpose was conquest, and thus it was.


    She had been denied the honor of dying for her Empress during the last sanctioned war, surviving until their victory, and had been directed to instruct rather than fight in the next. It was a disappointment to be denied a future honorable death, but no one in the Endless Empire would reject any opportunity to serve the Empress. She put everything she had into commanding the primary training facilities of the Empire, taking the responsibility of instructing as seriously as battle.


    The Empress had seen fit to provide the gift of sponsorship to primitives in a bid to control a newly assimilated planet. It was unusual, as the Empire primarily challenged other factions where they could employ their own military might rather than rely on the proxy competition that newly assimilated planets underwent. The Empress had recognized something in the humans that she found compelling enough to strike early for.


    Commander Zalanth would never consciously doubt the wisdom of her Empress, unquestioning loyalty was deeply embedded into her heart, but she still came close after interacting with humans for the last standard 10-day cycle. She was the prime commander overseeing the instruction and training of their 100,000 Chosen. At least, it should have been 100,000 Chosen. The heretical primitives were wildly unpredictable even from the start.


    Almost a full third of their offered sponsorships had been flat out rejected during the required interview. An unbelievable figure for any faction, let alone one as exalted as the Endless Empire. A fortune in victorious sponsorship bids evaporated without providing anything in return.


    Lesser factions would have collapsed after that first setback, insolvent, with their corpses picked apart by their galactic competition. But the Empire was robust, with experience under a wartime economy which they found themselves shifting to, despite a depressing lack of true battlefields. They soldiered on, only to discover it was only the beginning of the difficulties.


    These humans had ridiculous notions of freedom and were stubbornly undisciplined. Even the individuals who accepted the sponsorship were a constant disappointment. They demanded explanations and would refuse orders they disagreed with under naive notions of morality. They were distrustful of the Empire¡¯s people, and painfully difficult to coordinate even amongst their fellow humans. Zalanth was at the limit of her creativity trying to find ways to motivate the primitives. Even the timid ones would quietly listen, indicate that they understood, and then make their own unique decisions. It was infuriating. No one in the Empire would dare question or disobey in such a way.


    To make matters worse, Zalanth had never seen more promising individuals when it came to mana. Many of the humans would have easily become elites in the Empire if judged solely on classes and affinity. They would have been showered in wealth, groomed to become specialists, operatives, or generals. Of course, a single interview would send them to prison or exile instead, given their personalities. No one in the Empire tolerated blasphemy toward their God Empress.


    These foolish humans had rare affinities at unheard of rates. A few of them even had more than one affinity to begin with, such an extraordinary event that every single time it had happened in the Empire it had been the start of a new era. Classes appeared that the Empire had never seen before in the entire universe, revealing new possibilities that could alter the way battles were conducted for all civilizations. They had a natural harmony with the system that other species would take generations to reach despite coming from a planet absent of mana, instantly able to understand the menus and intuitively activate their skills. It was infuriating.


    The Endless Empire always planned on victory. Their campaign on Earth was no different. They chose a tactically sound location and gathered an army of individuals with the intention of monopolizing any civilization shards in the region. Suitable prospects were given accelerated programs and returned to the planet as early as possible with the intention of hunting down and claiming any shards in the region, with instructions for prepping the settlement to become the headquarters for the Empire¡¯s operation.


    A second group would be returned after 10 days. These would be organized in structured parties of five who would confirm the success of the shard claiming and eliminate potential threats in a slowly expanding perimeter before the threats could establish themselves.


    The final group would be sent after 20 days to fortify their holdings and consolidate the region before beginning the campaign to conquer the planet over the next 111 years.


    Every day that they kept training each individual Chosen was an expense just as significant as the initial sponsorship itself. Most factions returned their Chosen as soon as possible to avoid compounding the costs. Yet, these humans did not grovel on their knees in supplication as they should, when given access to the training facilities for days and weeks. Their first inclination was to leverage their positions instead, claiming they would never be slaves, they bowed to no one, and shouted ridiculous things like freedom or death!


    The plan remained, but Zalanth was already worried. From the beginning, shortcomings appeared. It was essentially a roll of the dice determining which Chosen would also make a suitable Champion for their settlements. If their loyalty faltered it would handicap the Empire¡¯s entire strategy since they would hold control of their settlements.


    The other problem was that there were just so many humans on their planet. Forces larger than their own were possible, even in the region they intended to dominate at the start. The second group could be annihilated if a different faction had made their move faster than the Empire. Zalanth didn¡¯t understand how humans had grown so numerous under pre-mana conditions.


    The second group would be sent soon, and as Zalanth looked over the gathering battalion, grouping into 100 person batteries composed of the five person structured parties, she harbored even more doubts. She begged forgiveness from her God-Empress for her errant thoughts, but she doubted the humans would deliver their planet to the Empire.

 Chapter 16: The Mousy Park Ranger

    Charlie was gathered with her assigned party. They were preparing to return to their true bodies on Earth after receiving 10 days of training. She had become a ¡®Chosen¡¯ for a faction called the Endless Empire. One minute she was walking to her apartment with groceries, and the next she was being offered a sponsorship in exchange for representation. She would have thought it was a joke if not for the strangely beautiful, but mean looking, purple alien woman who was doing the offering and the explaining.


    Charlie was never the assertive type, so when offered guidance for facing an unknown future, she timidly accepted it. What came next was a whirlwind. On the first day, they power leveled all of the Chosen to level five through virtual reality simulations that they shortly explained were powered by mana. They gave her directions on how to properly distribute attribute points and guided her through selecting her class.


    The instructors became particularly infatuated with her after her affinities were revealed. She had the Wind and Rain affinities. Apparently, if in the future she gained the Lightning affinity, all three would evolve into the Storm affinity, something that had only happened once before in the Empire¡¯s recorded history. The battle mage that had achieved the feat was something of a legend on the battlefield, so they gave Charlie special attention.


    The class she chose was Aeromancer, a ranged spell caster that manipulated the winds and weather. She was happy that her favorite choice was also the one suggested by the instructor. They intended to build a party that would be dedicated to protecting her and maximizing her abilities. Charlie wasn¡¯t comfortable being elevated in such an arrangement and she hoped she wouldn¡¯t be thrust into a position of leadership and responsibility. She didn¡¯t really want to fight at all.


    The instructors directed her to put all of her points into Intelligence, but she only spent two or three points in Intelligence for each level. She saved the rest, wanting to put them into the defensive stats but unwilling to do so without permission. She was lucky that she didn¡¯t need to spend any points in Acumen. All of her skills would already cast instantly, though the effects were delayed by one thing or another built within the spell. Some required additional mana to charge and others needed time to build up before releasing their energy.


    After she had selected her class and skills they brought her to someone who was meant to be the first to join her party by choosing a complementary class to her Aeromancer choice. This person was another with an affinity that led to special attention. But even before they arrived Charlie heard cursing from their destination. A girl was vigorously refusing an instructor¡¯s directions, declaring that she wouldn¡¯t do what they told her, and for them to shove their directives where they didn¡¯t belong.


    Her first impression couldn¡¯t have been worse. Charlie steeled herself to meet someone uncompromisingly belligerent.


    Despite Charlie¡¯s preparations she wasn¡¯t ready when she entered the doorway. The defiant woman was astonishingly beautiful. She had smooth olive colored skin and long dark brown hair that flowed down her back and shone in the magical lights of the alien facility. Charlie was instantly jealous, and then immediately ashamed of it.


    The woman cast her green eyes toward Charlie and raised her dark eyebrows. Charlie noted the girl¡¯s black eyeliner and bronze eyeshadow were perfect despite them being abducted over 24 hours earlier. Charlie felt like a slob. Charlie quickly looked down and thought with a figure and a face like that, the woman belonged on a magazine cover instead of an alien briefing room.


    Charlie by comparison had a similarly dark skin tone but she was dusted by freckles that she self consciously believed looked like imperfections. Her short hair didn¡¯t quite reach her shoulders and it was unkempt, often windblown since she was outdoors a lot, and a boring brown. She thought the less said about her slightly boyish figure the better, though at least that had improved a little since high school. She was too shy for most to notice the hint of blue in her stormy gray colored eyes that she inherited from her mother.


    Charlie heard the woman¡¯s double hoop earrings chime as she whirled back to the instructor, ¡°Look what you did, you scared the poor girl! You better start apologizing!¡± Then she rushed over to Charlie¡¯s side, ¡°Hey, it¡¯s alright sweetie, my name¡¯s Camila. What¡¯s yours?¡±


    ¡°Oh.. I¡¯m Charlie¡­nice to meet you¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright Charlie, you don¡¯t worry about these purple people eaters, they need us more than we need them. We can¡¯t let them take advantage of us okay? I¡¯ve dealt with more than my fair share of demanding people. These are no different.¡± Camila assured Charlie.


    They had been inseparable since that first encounter, with Camila assertive and possessive of Charlie, and Charlie quietly admiring Camila.


    Camila wasn¡¯t a model or an actress or some other celebrity like Charlie had assumed, she was an aspiring lawyer in her first semester of law school at 23 years old. Despite Charlie¡¯s 19 years, she still felt like a newborn babe compared to Camila¡¯s worldly knowledge. When Charlie admiringly discussed Camila¡¯s demeanor, Camila just laughed and called it being calm like a bomb.


    Camila had picked her own class in defiance of the suggestions of the aliens, ruining their plans of forming Charlie¡¯s perfect party. When her affinity was revealed to be Kinetic affinity, her instructor had put herself into a tizzy, hysterical about the Empire¡¯s protocol, and while she patted herself on her back for advising such a promising candidate, Camila had just continued with picking her class, skills, and assigning her attributes. Her instructor was apoplectic when she found out and ran Camila up the chain of command for disciplinary actions, but Camila had spent that first 24 hours disciplining them one after another instead.


    Camila¡¯s selected class was called Interceptor and it was fittingly quick and tough. It was Camila that convinced Charlie to spend her saved points on Body and Mind, arguing that it was no good for her to rely on others so completely by avoiding the defensive stats. Camila herself was distributing her points in a similar way, but focusing on Agility rather than Charlie¡¯s focus on Intelligence.


    Now, Charlie was standing with Camila and the three others that had been assigned to a party with them. The Empire had wanted to compromise and create parties around both Charlie and Camila due to each of their classes, but Camila adamantly refused all their attempts to separate them. Charlie wasn¡¯t sure if the three others were also misfits, or if they were meant to be their minders. They had performed adequately enough during the training simulations and the whole party was level 25, the highest level anyone else had achieved. They were each equipped with a temporary storage necklace that held their gear and party location artifacts for regrouping after their return.


    She watched as Camila hopped in place, ponytail bouncing, and stretched her limbs with easy flexibility and grace. A countdown completed, her vision went black, and she was returned to her true body on Earth.


    Charlie found herself floating inside of a blue bubble with a prompt to exit. She didn¡¯t accept until she had dutifully surveyed her surroundings. The Empire¡¯s instructors had warned of rival factions, bandits, and other opportunists camping their true bodies, but Charlie was alone.


    If she had spotted anyone she was supposed to wait for her party to collect her. Weirdly, she was floating above a rather large lake. Before the assimilation began she was walking to her apartment after grocery shopping, nowhere near any lakes. Her neighborhood was a medium density suburb next to a major coastal city, and yet she was in rather unfamiliar wilderness. They had been warned of some changes to Earth due to the effects of mana, but this went beyond her expectations.


    She exited the mana bubble that was suspending her above the lake and fell in. The first thing that happened was embarrassing.


    She nearly drowned.


    She¡¯d never recommend swimming with sneakers, jeans, and a hoodie. She only survived by kicking off her shoes and tearing her hoodie off before stripping her jeans as she sank toward the bottom. She coughed and sputtered when she made it back to the surface, thankful that no one had seen her.


    She slowly floated to the nearest shore using a skill to generate a gentle breeze behind to push her along while she slowly doggy paddled.


    By the time she made it to the grassy shore Camila was already waiting for her, fixing her high ponytail and breathing heavily. Camila¡¯s stats and skills made her extremely fast and she ran directly to Charlie upon her return.


    When Camila beheld Charlie¡¯s state she couldn¡¯t help herself, ¡°Damn, if you¡¯re gonna go skinny dipping let a girl know! I¡¯m always down to join in the fun.¡±


    Charlie tried to hide herself, but with no cover, all she managed was to elicit Camila¡¯s laughter.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Camila had changed from her regular civilian clothes before setting off to meet Charlie. They both agreed that the faction¡¯s armor was basically magical bodysuits customized to the person¡¯s class. The base material was an untearable manaweave instead of more familiar Earthborne fabrics, and there were metallic flourishes that either had some defensive property or had relevance to the faction by displaying ranks and memberships. It was extremely resistant to stabbing and slashing attacks but didn¡¯t do much against blunt damage. They were all in matching dark grays, blacks, and reddish browns.


    Camila¡¯s was essentially a sleeveless high-waisted bodysuit with a high neck and accessorized with a protective metallic headband, bracers, and greaves for good measure. Camila¡¯s fighting style relied on movement and flexibility, and she was a being of absolute confidence, so she had been happy with her gear appointment, even with it as revealing as it was.


    On the other hand, Charlie had tried to have her gear changed and altered several times. She had been given what was essentially a charcoal gray long sleeve bodysuit. She felt uncomfortably exposed despite only showing her legs from her hips down. Charlie understood that it was perfect for her new magical skills, she primarily controlled wind after all, it made sense to be aerodynamic, but it was still too much for her sensibilities.


    Where Camila was a sporty Psylocke, Charlie had been a cloakless Raven. Of course, Camila loved it even if she didn¡¯t understand any of Charlie¡¯s references, she knew they were superheroes and thought that was perfect. Eventually, when Charlie refused to relinquish her hoodie even while wearing her armor during their battle simulations, Camila convinced the Empire to also cough up a heavy hooded cloak that unintentionally completed the look.


    The heavy cloak only worked thanks to Charlie¡¯s built in air conditioning.


    Charlie and Camila had already discussed what they would do, so they set off together in search of Charlie¡¯s parents. Their official mission was to first regroup with their party, then, as a group, confirm the status of the faction¡¯s settlements. They were supposed to secure them if necessary so that they could act as safe havens for the future subjects of the Empire. Then they were ordered to scout for potential threats or other settlements in an ever widening perimeter. If they found any they were meant to eliminate them or take control of them if possible, or report for backup if necessary.


    They had been briefed on all sorts of possible faction threats, but neither of them were particularly interested in conquering Earth in the name of the God Empress of the Endless Empire, so they made their own plans. The factions had no idea what was going on underneath the planetary mana shield that was encasing the entire planet, so their lack of enthusiasm would go unnoticed.


    Instead, the pair planned to find Charlie¡¯s parents, bring them to the safety of a settlement, then organize an expedition to Ghost Reef. Embarrassingly, when brainstorming on people they thought might need their help, Charlie had brought up Coop. Camila pounced onto the hint of a crush like a cat onto a mouse.


    Charlie didn¡¯t think she would even be noticed by a guy like that unless she was the only girl within 100 miles, and, in a twist of fate, that had been the exact situation when Coop started living on a remote island in the middle of the ocean. Though Coop seemed like an aloof guy, he still engaged with her whenever the Park Supervisor brought her to the island, further fueling her infatuation. Charlie¡¯s job as a Park Ranger was mostly writing articles and updating the website for various parks including Ghost Reef, so she told herself she had to visit for work and it was partially not a lie.


    Camila wasn''t worried about anyone. Her family lived in New York, and when she recounted all of her siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, along with her parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and all of their family friends, neighbors, and their families it made Charlie dizzy. She wasn¡¯t concerned because she knew they would take care of each other over any interfering faction of outsiders.


    So Charlie and Camila¡¯s foreseeable plans revolved around Charlie. They hadn¡¯t bothered coordinating with the three guys in their party, half hoping they just wouldn¡¯t see them ever again. Charlie doubted they would be so lucky, at least not until after they disabled the tracking artifacts by uniting them.


    When their party was first formed it hadn¡¯t taken long for all three guys to start hitting on Camila. She was not shy about shooting them down firmly and thoroughly. Two of them somehow didn¡¯t get the message and persistently continued, believing she was playing hard to get or something. The other one turned his attention to Charlie like she was his deserved consolation prize. It was gross.


    Camila led the way toward the remains of an interstate she had seen on her way to rendezvous with Charlie. It was a bizarre sight, having been perfectly cleaved with one half remaining and the other missing, presumedly pushed into the distance. The vegetation that was growing on the remaining pavement and the dozens of abandoned cars looked like nature had been reclaiming the road for hundreds of years instead of a matter of days. Charlie was able to navigate based on the remaining signs and the two eventually found the mostly intact neighborhood where her parents lived.


    Luckily, their block was also unchanged aside from some incredibly thick hedges in a few yards that had expanded past the sidewalks and into the roads. Several houses were looking pretty ragged; it reminded Charlie of the weeks without power after large hurricanes struck when she was still a kid.


    At her parents¡¯ house they found her father sitting in a lawn chair below the front steps with a stop sign held in one arm, leaning it over his shoulder. The sign itself was severely crumpled as if he had been using it like a hammer. His head was shiny and bald as ever, but his beard was looking unusually unkempt. His gray tank top and black jeans both had new holes here and there. When he saw his daughter he tossed the sign aside like it was weightless and ran to her.


    ¡°Charlotte! My daughter!¡± He crossed half a block in a rush and lifted her in his huge arms. ¡°I was so worried! But I couldn¡¯t leave your mother.¡± He openly sobbed.


    Charlie wasn¡¯t too short but to her father she may as well have still been an infant. He was a massive man before mana had been assimilated into Earth and by the look of him he had been spending plenty of attribute points into Strength. Charlie Identified him.


    [Human (Level 12)]


    Not bad, she thought, feeling proud of him. The Endless Empire had suggested even the fastest to level wouldn¡¯t exceed one level per day, but here was her Dad, at the end of Day 10, ahead of the curve.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Dad, I¡¯m fine.¡± She tried to calm him. ¡°Where¡¯s Mom?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s been in the kitchen,¡± He answered between sobs, ¡°I can¡¯t reach her,¡± he complained before crying even harder.


    Eventually, he calmed down enough to put her back on the ground, allowing her to introduce Camila. He told her she could call him Emmanuel and thanked her profusely for taking care of his little Charlotte. He invited them both into the house after walking them back to the front.


    Charlie¡¯s mother was in a mana shield receiving training from another faction. Charlie explained the situation to her father and after plenty of assurances he calmed down, feeling glad that she wasn¡¯t just okay, but being prepared to thrive upon her return.


    Charlie¡¯s parents had been inseparable ever since they first met when they were both 18 years old. When her father tells the story he describes how he was a lanky Haitian migrant who was taking an English class and she was a blonde, blue-eyed, freckled beauty of a French-Canadian. The teacher had introduced her as a friend when she sat in on his class, helping in practical exercises as a fluent speaker of both languages. He asked her out in broken English in front of the class during the exercise and she played along and accepted. Then after the class he held her to her promise and took her on a date for ice cream, and that was that.


    He worked as a bouncer while Charlie¡¯s mother went through college and they got married before she went to medical school. Charlie¡¯s mother became a doctor with a thriving practice, frequently volunteering to help in disaster areas and the whole family would join her. Her father claimed that his life hadn¡¯t even started until her mother entered his life. She thought he was understandably upset at being forcefully separated without warning when they had never spent even a single night apart.


    Charlie got him to let them know what had happened to him so far.


    Apparently, he had also been offered a sponsorship. He rejected it so quickly he wasn¡¯t even sure what faction it was. They claimed he had the soul of a titan, but he just wanted to be returned to make sure his family was alright. He had been returned quickly enough to witness the meteors in the sky and believed it was the apocalypse. Finding his wife suspended in the mana shield he refused to seek shelter, choosing to stay by her side until the end.


    There was no way to get any news, so he stayed home and waited for the end but it didn¡¯t come. Instead looters started showing up. Foolish opportunists who were gathering knick knacks that were now permanently useless thanks to the assimilation of mana. He defended his home and eventually checked on the neighbors around the block. Most of them were either missing or in the same state as his wife, so he started protecting the whole block. A few of the neighbors woke up and went off to who knows where. Most of them were oblivious enough to not even notice he had been there watching the street.


    The looters were preferred over what came next. Mechanical monsters that moved like wolves and hunted in packs. He¡¯d been destroying the ones that entered the street from either side, smashing them to pieces with his only available weapon, the corner stop sign. He hadn¡¯t even noticed his notifications until he was approaching level five.


    His class was called Enforcer, and he was indeed putting his points into Strength and Body. Charlie and Camila convinced him not to neglect Agility and Mind which he took to heart, though he didn¡¯t understand why they suggested Mind, not having any idea about magic. After his daughter revealed some of her magical abilities, he was shocked that it was real. The demonstration convinced him that he was both afraid of it and proud that his daughter could wield it.


    Both Charlie and Camila were shocked that his affinity was Gravity. There was no way it wouldn¡¯t be extremely powerful and they suggested he keep it a secret, as they had both been given the same suggestion. He had been offered several mage type class options, but he went with what he understood. He had been a physical man his whole life and even before putting points into Strength he was over six feet tall and over two hundred pounds. Now, he gloated that he could be whatever weight he wanted. Both girls feigned jealousy.


    After they caught up with each other, Emmanuel convinced them both to go to bed. They weren¡¯t that hard to convince once he put the idea to them. They both went, worried finding time to sleep might not be so easy in the near future.

 Chapter 17: Bandit Trolls

    Charlie and Camila spent the night in Charlie¡¯s childhood bedroom, sharing a bed and sleeping for the first time in 10 days with a pile of stuffed animals keeping watch. When they woke, Charlie¡¯s father had prepared them a simple breakfast. Despite the modest offerings, it was one of the best meals either of them had ever eaten. It was also the first time in those 10 days that they had any food. They had missed both sleeping and eating far more than they had realized, Camila even teared up while savoring a bowl of dry cereal.


    Afterwards, they taught Charlie¡¯s father about the various factions and systems that they had learned about during their training. They wanted his input on their immediate plans. He was supportive of their plan to find a settlement, confirm it was safe, and return with its location so that he could make his way there. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t budge from his wife¡¯s side, but he anticipated that they would join the settlement once she returned. She was always one for the big cities and helping people in them.


    The girls parted ways with Emmanuel before they accidentally led the rest of their party to his home. The next step was to find a settlement and return with the news of its status. After that was done, they would organize their own expedition under the guise of the official mission of the Empire.


    Charlie and Camila headed toward where the downtown area used to be, unsure of what they would find, but searching for signs of a settlement. Charlie felt like she was on a true adventure, like the characters from the novels she had been loaning Coop, but Camila quickly spoiled the feeling by gushing about how incredibly hot she found Emmanuel. The vulnerability he showed and the devotion to his wife, it was so moving, she exclaimed to an embarrassed Charlie. She pulled her hooded cloak tighter as they walked down the abandoned streets into the city. Camila, skipping with enthusiasm, didn¡¯t spare a thought toward Charlie¡¯s embarrassment.


    Camila¡¯s mood was next on the chopping block, though, her skipping ceased when the pair were stopped by a group of what Charlie could only describe as bandits. They looked, appropriately, like the remnants of a society thrown back into the past by the demands of survival. Five of them stood side by side, armed with blades and blocking the road while half a dozen sat on the roof of a nearby building, some with bows and others warming up spells.


    They appeared to be using an old bank as a base of sorts, barricading the corner lot with a wall of overturned cars and adopting the drive thru canopy as a lookout tower. Charlie had to admit that she was impressed. It worked as an excellent vantage point to monitor all four directions of the intersection. The bank made an ideal location for a checkpoint, but they obviously didn¡¯t have a civilization shard, and were merely using their numbers and location to take advantage of passersby. It wouldn¡¯t last long.


    The leader of the group of five spoke up from 25 yards away, ¡°Stop right there! If you wanna keep goin¡¯ ya gotta pay the toll!¡± he announced to the amusement of his lackeys.


    Camila scoffed, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be trying that from under a bridge?¡± She wasn¡¯t willing to entertain the demands of a group of level 10 and below bandits. He had made a grave error in assuming he could command anything from Camila in the first place.


    ¡°We could just go around,¡± Charlie offered quietly to Camila, she''d still prefer to avoid confrontation. ¡°What would we even pay with anyway?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too sweet, Charlie.¡± She whispered back, then yelled at the bandits, loud enough for all of them to hear. ¡°If you don¡¯t crawl back into your hole, I¡¯m gonna break your legs.¡± The absolute confidence she displayed while she made such a threatening declaration caused a few of the bandits to glance at each other with doubt. The leader was unmoved.


    ¡°Oh, give it up, girl, it don¡¯t matter what your level is when you¡¯re outnumbered!¡± The leader demanded while gesturing to his ranged support. The ones with bows readied their arrows.


    Camila didn¡¯t waste any more time ''negotiating'' and signaled to Charlie that she was initiating with a subtle movement. Charlie raised her hand above her head and snapped her fingers, deploying a wall of invisible wind in front of the group of ranged bandits, who twitched at the snapping sound, but were none the wiser to the barrier.


    While the fingersnap was a part of her spell, it was also a starter pistol for Camila, who burst forward with such incredible speed she turned into a blur, closing the distance between her and the lead bandit in the blink of an eye.


    She poured her momentum into a low kick that shattered the leader¡¯s legs and sent him careening into two of his fellow bandits. The combination of her skills, Body Acceleration and Maximum Velocity, incapacitated three of the bandits before anyone else could react.


    One of the bandits was composed enough to retaliate by swinging a sword toward Camila''s neck. She comfortably sidestepped the attack, proving a mountain of difference in their speeds. When he swung again, she shocked the bandits by stepping into the sword¡¯s arc to meet the blow with the knuckles of her closed fist.


    The punch activated another of her passive skills, Perfect Counter, to reverse the energy of the bandit¡¯s attack back to him, preventing any damage to Camila. The punch colliding with the sword sounded like a homerun being hit, and the bandit went down like a ragdoll, as his sword sailed across the street, defeated by his own kinetic energy being redirected to his jaw.


    The ranged support also joined the fight, but were proven completely ineffective when four arrows and two magical projectiles entered the wind wall. All six attacks were slammed into the ground by the downdraft created by Charlie¡¯s skill after only traveling forward a few feet.


    The last of the five bandits on the ground raised his hands up in surrender when faced with the obviously annoyed Camila.


    ¡°What did you guys want in payment?¡± Camila asked with a serious tone, releasing an unmistakable killing intent.


    ¡°I dunno! I¡¯m just a follower!¡± When Camila narrowed her eyes, not believing his claim of ignorance, he quickly added, ¡°I think maybe he hoped to recruit you to the gang! To trick you into working for us! Ya know to pay off a debt¡­ like that¡­ You¡¯re the highest level we¡¯ve seen!¡±


    Camila gave a non-committal grunt and beckoned Charlie to join her as they continued down the street. Charlie was glad they didn¡¯t end up killing anyone, but could tell that they had come close. Camila was prepared to execute them depending on the bandit¡¯s answer. Charlie hoped they wouldn¡¯t have more encounters like that. She spared a glance at the groaning heap of injured bandits. She thought that they''d be fine once their health fully regenerated.


    They traveled through the outskirts of the devastated city. Entire blocks had become completely dilapidated and others seemed like they were on the verge of being overrun by plantlife. The lowrise apartment buildings that comprised most of this part of the city still stood, but none were undamaged. It was like walking through an old warzone, the once familiar city unrecognizable to either of them. Charlie spotted faces in several of the apartments, peeking out their windows, through leaves and cracked glass, presumably in similar holding patterns to her father.


    Charlie couldn¡¯t believe this all happened just from the introduction of mana. The damage seemed older and more extreme than what was described by the instructors of the Endless Empire. She thought the damage must have been compounded by mana disabling all the infrastructure as well. From what she had learned, most planets weren¡¯t as developed as Earth was when assimilation began, so the aliens might also have underestimated the effects of mana on structures in the first place.


    They kept making their way toward the city center, through the increasingly dense development, looking for any clues of a civilization shard. They planned to continue all the way through the downtown into the more expensive waterfront. If they didn¡¯t find a settlement, they could scout out some boats for later.


    They saw plenty of people, but they quickly scattered as soon as they noticed the pair, not interested in exchanging greetings. Still, the number of people was no comparison to the millions that lived in the city prior to the assimilation of mana. Charlie was worried about so many people lingering in places like this, they should have been in the territory of a settlement for safety.


    The next time they were stopped, it was by a group of the mechanical wolves that Charlie¡¯s father had described in the suburbs. There were six of them who appeared in an arc that threatened both flanks of their prey. Unfortunately for them, they overestimated themselves just like the bandits had, and Charlie didn¡¯t mind killing monsters. Especially not the same ones that had threatened her family.


    This time Charlie started the fight. With a twirl of one of her fingers and Camila at her side, she summoned a small dust devil in the middle of the wolves that started to drag newspapers and small debris into the street. The metal wolves ignored the feeble winds, unthreatened, but it grew rapidly as she fed it with her mana.


    The twisting winds grew to half the width of a car and rose toward the sky, not yet high enough to even exceed the roofs of the five story buildings, let alone meet the clouds. With the gathering winds becoming too strong to ignore, the wolves tried to make distance.


    They had reacted too late as the winds continued to intensify, the wolves were dragged toward the swirling core. Five of the wolves scraped the pavement as they tried to escape, but they were each captured and torn to pieces by the miniature tornado.


    The final wolf lunged toward Charlie, but Camila stepped into its path, took a half step backwards to find the ideal spot, and landed a Perfect Counter into its snout, launching it back into the tornado where it only lasted a few more seconds before it joined the rest of its pack.


    With a wave, the winds ceased, but there was no hiding Charlie¡¯s tousled hair. Camila giggled and skipped over to run her fingers through it before Charlie was able to put her hood up.


    The wolves had all been less than level 10, but both girls received a level for completing the first quest in the chain to hunt them. Snagging a level after a quick encounter was a nice treat, but traveling to hunt small numbers of regular monsters in different regions was not considered a viable way to level. The general consensus was that the best way to level, outside of simulation training, was to hunt elite monsters in organized groups, or, grimly, to fight in wars. The elite monsters were found in special regions, like Dungeons or Mana Wells, or during special events that would occur both around settlements and in the wild.


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    As it got dark, Charlie and Camila decided they would prefer to make camp rather than travel through the ominous remains of the city at night. They chose an intact high rise office building and climbed a dozen floors. They found a cubicle farm where they were confident they wouldn¡¯t be found and definitely couldn¡¯t be snuck up on.


    They didn¡¯t sleep, instead passing the night discussing the state of Earth and what they thought the future held for them individually and for humans as a whole. The revelations that there was an entire universe of life out there had really been relegated to a footnote by the need to adapt to a new system in order to survive. The downtown office district had been even emptier than the residential areas.


    As depressing as the situation was, they still enjoyed chatting late into the night, pretending that they were pre-teens staying up late during a sleepover. When Charlie lamented the lack of junk food, Camila ran off and returned only a minute later with her arms full of bags of chips, candy bars, and sodas. She had raided some vending machines in a breakroom. Charlie hadn¡¯t had a best friend like Camila since early in high school before friend groups started drifting apart as they developed different interests with time and age. They cuddled together underneath Charlie¡¯s heavy cloak, telling stories and eating junk food.


    There was something about being abducted by aliens together that established bonds that would last forever.


    ¡ª


    Coop sat on the roof of the fort with his legs dangling over the inner edge, gazing at the outline of the planned city from above. The two buildings they had constructed fit in perfectly with the fort, but seemed lonely without more buildings, streets, and people. Balor hadn¡¯t started on the city, yet, as he was still busy reinforcing the fort walls with mana. It would be some time before he was ready to work on the bridge to the other half of the fort, at which point he would start repairing and reinforcing the other half. The stonemason had his work cut out for him.


    Coop admired the peaceful nighttime scene before he reviewed his status.


    [Status]


    HP - 312/950


    MP - 1700/1700


    Class - Revenant (Level 20)


    Profession - Basic Scavenging (Level 12)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 10 (+170)


    Agility - 10 (+85)


    Body - 10 (+85)


    Mind - 170


    Intelligence - 10


    Acumen - 10


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion, Haunted, Ethereal


    Skills (Active) - Identify, Retribution, Salvation


    Skills (Passive) - Common Language, Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application


    Quests - Defeat Ancient Prowlers IV (825/5000), Defeat Primal Kites II (11/25), Defeat Ancient Defenders IV (2572/5000), Upgrade Camp to Outpost


    Basic Credits - 17,044


    Ever since he had seen the leaderboards he had been feeling the motivation to grind. He had made some major progress over the last two days because of it, gaining six class levels and four profession levels. Two of the class levels came from completing the second and third stages of the Defeat Ancient Prowlers quest chain, and the other four had come from grinding Ancient Defenders during the day and Ancient Prowlers at night.


    After consulting with Jones about weapons to use against the dexterous Ancient Prowlers, he had decided to try another polearm before switching to a sword. He felt most comfortable with the spear, and thought that a transition to another polearm would be more convenient. If he tried the sword, he wanted to fight something safer to garner some experience before challenging the more dangerous Prowlers, but with a polearm he was ready to give it a shot right away.


    The polearm they decided on was the glaive. It was the same length as his spear, but instead of the narrow pointy speartip, there was almost two feet of blade on the end. He could still poke with it, but the real strength was in sweeping attacks that utilized the dangerous edge of the blade. The downsides were that he couldn¡¯t use it as an effective throwing weapon and he couldn¡¯t use his shield.


    It was a solid trade-off when fighting the Ancient Prowlers, as he was able to cleave them before their backup arrived, and keep them at bay with wide swings that were still deadly. The packs of five Prowlers never engaged with their full numbers, instead relying on an unbroken chain of one or two who would tag team into the fight when an opportunity appeared.


    After he had seen the leaderboards for the first time, he made use of his first Well-Fed buff and hunted the Ancient Defenders with his spear. His kill efficiency was continuing to improve and once the mana cost of his spearjump was reduced enough, he would have to measure his kills by the minute instead of the hour. Thanks to the Mana Regeneration provided by the Well-Fed buff he could get a taste of how efficient his hunts would be when he could teleport every engagement. He guessed he would be able to push above 300 kills an hour.


    Unfortunately, there was still a massive distance to cover before he was at that stage. He would probably be done with the Defeat Ancient Defenders quest chain before his teleport had its cost reduced by enough to use it on every monster. It still cost 46 mana per jump, even with his excessive use. He would need the cost reduced even further before he challenged the Primal Kites with any seriousness as well.


    Before the kites, he had added different monster rotation to his repertoire by hunting the Ancient Prowlers early in the night with his glaive. It was easy to be constantly engaged in combat with them quite literally throwing themselves at him until he retreated. The limiting factor when hunting the Prowlers was always his own health. The stacking Vulnerable debuff forced him to take regular breaks, to allow it to expire, and his nights always ended after only a few hours with his health dipping low enough to compel him to retreat.


    His health would barely regenerate enough for the next night while he slept and while he fought the much less dangerous Ancient Defenders during the following day. His skill option at level 25 would be an important one, there were a lot of utility options he hoped to find, but what he really wanted was some way to regenerate his health. It took way too long to recover passively.


    In two days he had managed to defeat almost 2,000 Ancient Defenders, reduce the mana cost of his teleport by two, kill 1,100 Ancient Prowlers, completing two stages of their quest chain, and completely finish off his basic scavenging quest to loot 1,000 defeated monsters. He was feeling comfortable with his second weapon, though he took a shortcut by using another polearm, and he had gained 50 more Mind attribute points. Checking the leaderboard, his progress was readily apparent.


    His position was 98,612,003.


    He had passed almost one hundred million people. This was huge progress when keeping in mind that the factions were releasing their Chosen constantly, and most of them would still be ahead of him, further suppressing his rank. Checking the top 10 was proof of new Chosen arriving constantly, with half of the top rankers being new entrants.


    Day 12


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">The Lich (Level 44)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Banshee (Level 38)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Zombie Lord (Level 36)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Hai Yun (Level 27)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Michael Williams (Level 27)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Wangmo Thaye (Level 27)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Tzultacaj (Level 26)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Pan Cheng (Level 26)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Kitwana (Level 26)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Na Ho-Jung (Level 26)</li>


    </ol>


    Hai Yun had retained position in fourth place, gaining a level before Michael Williams and Wangmo Thaye joined the leaderboard. Interestingly, Tzultacaj kept their position by gaining a level before the factions released all of their level 26s which appeared to be the next baseline for the faction¡¯s power leveling after two more days. The only other change was that Banshee gained three levels and jumped ahead of Zombie Lord. How Banshee gained three levels in the time it took the other top rankers of a much lower level to gain just one was yet another mystery of the undead.


    Coop had one more task before he went to bed. He was going to spend 15,000 basic credits on a Brewery, which would allow the Tavern to serve more drinks each day with a wider variety of offerings. The Tavern had been cleaned out of ale both days of its existence thanks to Balor¡¯s insatiable thirst. Coop figured since he was getting a kickback, he might as well maximize the settlement¡¯s lone source of passive income. Eventually, it would pay for itself, even if Balor was the only customer, with how much he drank.


    He strolled down the future Main Street toward the civilization shard and considered how effective Basic Scavenging had actually been. Completing the final quest in the profession quest chain had given him an upgrade to Rarity, adding potential Rare drops to the scavenged loot. The item drops hadn¡¯t amounted to much yet, but the yield bonuses had made collecting Basic Credits incredibly fast. In two days, he had made enough for an advanced industry building just from the scavenged credits.


    During Coop¡¯s last visit to the Tavern, Desmond had given him the impression that a mere camp being able to afford more than one of the most basic service buildings was already impressive. The Tavern cost 50 times the basic service buildings, and the Brewery was triple even that. Coop had to give the credit to the scavenging profession. At least when it was combined for his tactic of hunting thousands of monsters it was extremely profitable.


    He arrived at the shard and selected the Brewery. He chose an independent proprietor and had the building constructed on one of the side streets rather than the main, adjacent to the Clumsy Shark Tavern. He watched as a small wooden building appeared and went inside to meet the new resident.


    He entered what was essentially a barn that was filled with barrels. There were mechanisms and ovens along the back wall and what he assumed were stills. Coop didn¡¯t know the process and he was sure mana would make it unfamiliar anyway. He didn¡¯t spot any aliens. At least until one of the machines called out to him.


    ¡°Welcome, Champion. Thank you for accepting this one.¡± A robotic voice called to Coop.


    When he identified the source he was surprised to see the shape of a robot forming out of steel and copper that he had assumed was a brewing apparatus. Coop guessed it would be more accurately described as a golem, but it was very shiny.


    ¡°No problem, I hope you enjoy it here.¡± Coop responded after a brief pause.


    ¡°This one will do its best.¡± The golem stated, not sounding particularly lifelike, before it returned its attention to the barrels.


    Coop shrugged and said goodbye before letting himself out. It was time for bed. Tomorrow he had another full day of grinding lined up. Then the following day he would be able to upgrade the settlement to an outpost, christening it Ghost Reef, and appearing on the settlement leaderboards. He hoped the next settlement upgrade would be something they could complete with their limitations.


    He looked forward to another productive day in paradise.

 Chapter 18: The Endless Empire

    When the sun came up, Charlie and Camila ended their slumber party. They used the elevation of the office building to view the coast and chart a course through the rest of the city. From their vantage point, they could see that the waterfront condominiums looked to be in pretty good shape. The poor condition of the downtown office buildings and lowrise apartments that transitioned the suburbs into the city had been weighing on Charlie¡¯s psyche. They hoped there would be some friendly people on the waterfront.


    They had seen dozens of people by themselves or in groups of two or three, and all of them fled as soon as they noticed the pair. All of them except the group of bandit trolls, at least. Camila thought there must have been violence between people in the city to make them so skittish.


    As they traveled, another pack of wolves tried to ambush them, but Charlie repeated her wind weaving to create a tornado, catching all of them. Before they were destroyed by the tornado one of them was killed by an extremely powerful Assassin¡¯s Execution, revealing the presence of their least favorite party member. He just loved to use his one shot, one kill ability, even when it was complete overkill.


    Parker sauntered out from the shadows and called out to them, ¡°What would you have done if I was an enemy? You¡¯re so hopeless without me.¡±


    ¡°I would have smashed your face in,¡± Camila responded confidently. He just laughed it off, moving to put his arm around Charlie¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°It took me a while to catch up to you, didn¡¯t you miss me?¡± He directed toward Charlie.


    She shifted away and avoided the question, ¡°Did you find a settlement?¡±


    ¡°No, I was hurrying to meet with you.¡± He leered at her. ¡°I think the other guys might have had some luck, I¡¯ve been watching the artifacts and they haven¡¯t moved much. We should go to them!¡± He suggested.


    The look on Camila¡¯s face said she wanted to go in the opposite direction of their party members, but, since they were trying to find a settlement for the relative safety it would provide for people like Charlie¡¯s parents, she motioned for him to lead the way. He tried strutting but it was ruined when she made him pick up the pace.


    A few miles and a few wolves later, they were stopped at a checkpoint that had been created by cutting a hole into a semi truck trailer as a passage. The trailer blocked access to the next intersection, making the block a deadend other than the checkpoint. A group of people sat on top looking menacing while a pair stood in front of the passageway. The bearded guard in front of the passage demanded they identify themselves.


    Despite leading them there, Parker put the girls between him and the guard, forcing them to figure it out. Camila simply took charge by returning the demand.


    ¡°Who¡¯s asking?¡± Camila asked, taking a familiar stance of defiance.


    ¡°We¡¯re in control of the settlement now. If you want in, you gotta register.¡± The guard made his requirements clear, while the people on the roof shifted, paying closer attention to the visitors.


    Charlie thought she would be able to disable the entire group on top with a strong gust, but she was worried about their two flanks. There were people on a fire escape to their left and in some windows on the right. It seemed like they had prepared this position anticipating a fight. Glancing behind, she could spot people on the corners that weren¡¯t there before.


    ¡°Who¡¯s we?¡± Camila restated her question, not appearing intimidated in the slightest. As Charlie identified each guard, none of them were above level 15, but they were all above 10 and there were quite a few of them. Charlie could admit that she was a little intimidated, like they had walked into a trap, and judging by the way Parker had slunk behind them, he was too.


    ¡°The settlement belongs to the Endless Empire! If you got a problem, well I guess you could try running.¡± The bearded guard declared, doing his best to intimidate Camila. Charlie looked down at the symbols on her gear that supposedly identified them as being a part of the Empire. They seemed useless if no one even recognized them.


    ¡°Ah, perfect, we¡¯re a part of the Empire as well!¡± Parker suddenly volunteered, earning an annoyed glance from Camila. ¡°I¡¯m Parker Lee! these beautiful ladies are Charlie and Camila, uhh, sorry I don¡¯t actually know their last names.¡± He trailed off, regretting the attention he had brought upon himself.


    The guard nodded, ¡°Good, alright, you still need to register. Everyone¡¯s gotta write down their names, class, affinities, and faction.¡± The guard pointed to a clipboard that sat on a desk within the trailer.


    ¡°Sure, no problem,¡± Parker readily agreed and moved to sign in.


    As he was writing, Camila re-entered the conversation, ¡°You can have my name and level, but we¡¯re not giving you anything else.¡± She asserted, indicating herself and Charlie. The guard couldn¡¯t hide his frustration when his little bit of authority wasn¡¯t respected.


    ¡°You listen here, either sign in or you¡¯re gonna have some issues.¡± The bearded guard stepped forward menacingly, in a futile attempt to get Camila to back down. The atmosphere grew tense, but was quickly broken when one of the guards on the top of the trailer yelled to just let them through. Another joined him pointing out their levels as proof enough that they were who they said they were.


    The guard wasn¡¯t ready to back down, Camila just crossed her arms like she was waiting to speak to the manager. The truth was that their affinities and classes were too valuable to share willingly. If Parker hadn¡¯t gotten them cornered like this, she and Charlie wouldn¡¯t bother with this checkpoint. There was no way any settlement had a secure perimeter yet. They could just waltz in somewhere else.


    After a few moments, his partner put a hand on the bearded guard¡¯s shoulder and agreed with the hecklers. Someone on the trailer laughed out loud while the first guard fumed, but he backed down.


    Parker had already written down half of his information, but he wasn¡¯t sure if he should finish or not. His eyes darted from Camila to the guard a few times while the gears in his head visibly turned. Eventually, he finished signing in, but then remained outside the checkpoint in an effort to appease everyone. Charlie thought he was a weasel.


    Camila gave the angry guard a sweet smile as they walked past. It would have agitated him if she wasn¡¯t pretty enough to make the guard fall in love instead. Charlie thought no woman should be so powerful. Parker followed along through the checkpoint, after the girls.


    After the checkpoint they walked across a perimeter road into an expansive grassy field that was partially covered in hastily constructed shelters scattered in small clusters. Charlie recognized the international airport beyond the field.


    ¡°It¡¯s in the airport! Nice!¡± Parker exclaimed, apparently referring to the civilization shard.


    Charlie didn¡¯t see what was so nice about it. It was like an unorganized refugee camp, but it didn¡¯t make sense when there was a mostly empty city right there. She thought the people would be more comfortable using the still salvageable buildings around the city instead of sheet metal and scrap wood huts.


    The people in the small camps looked shell-shocked. She was sure most of them had been sponsored, but hadn¡¯t received anything beyond a quick introduction to the system before being sent back to deal with the revelations themselves. She commiserated, it was a lot to take in.


    At least she and Camila had found the nearest settlement, completing the first part of their plan. As they walked through the shelters, she estimated thousands of people were already settling in, and this was just one side of the airport. If the camps extended all the way around, a large portion of the city might already be here.


    They moved beyond the grassy ring and walked down a runway toward the airport, in the direction Parker claimed they would find the rest of their party. The girls would propose their expedition to Ghost Reef soon.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡ª


    Coop had finished hunting Ancient Defenders for the day after defeating a bit more than 1,100. He was taking a break in the cozy atmosphere of the Clumsy Shark Tavern. The colorful, layered rugs and fabrics hanging on the walls were illuminated by the flickering light of the fireplace. Coop would have expected it to be too warm, but Maeve assured him that they magically controlled the temperature in all the rooms. The fireplace was simply an aesthetic choice.


    Balor was emptying mugs almost as fast as Desmond could fill them. The handsome bartender had just finished telling an amusing anecdote and Balor was filling the room with his booming laughter, while Jones added his own, more subdued, chuckles.


    Even Jett was in attendance, sitting on the bar in a place of honor with a saucer of milk placed in front of her. Coop was surprised when he entered the Tavern and Jett was already inside. Typical behavior of cats to act like they own the place, but she received as much attention from the bartender and waitress as anyone else did, so it seemed like she had the right idea.


    The only absent resident was the brewbot, but he didn¡¯t think it would ever leave the Brewery. The robot still counted toward the settlement¡¯s population, so he planned to visit every once in a while to make sure it was content with its living arrangement.


    Coop was eating another bowl of stew with Maeve right behind him, checking to see if he needed anything. She had one of her hands on each of his shoulders while she leaned in to see how he was doing, an open smile on her face and her hair close enough to leave just the hint of a pleasant fragrance. Coop hadn¡¯t taken up her offer of a free bed for the Champion, but she hadn¡¯t been discouraged. It had only been two nights since the Tavern opened.


    The cheerful ambience of the Clumsy Shark was almost enough to forget about the apocalyptic scenario planet Earth was facing. Coop had to acknowledge how well things were going. He tried not to imagine how it was anywhere else on the planet.


    Coop planned to stay in the Tavern until the sun went down. When night came he would head back outside the fort to hunt the Ancient Prowlers until his health precluded him from continuing. His experience with the glaive was accumulating. He predicted that in a few more nights he would be as comfortable with it as he was with the spear. He was already prepared to swap between them mid battle if the opportunity arose. Summoning his weapons was quick enough that, if he was suitably flexible, he could catch opponents completely off guard with a sudden weapon change. The more weapons in his repertoire the better.


    After a few hours, the atmosphere began to die down. Jones was the first to retire, Jett followed soon after, on her way to begin her nightly patrol. Balor finished one last drink and he and Coop both cleared their tabs. Coop amusedly noted that Jett was the only one who hadn¡¯t paid. He said goodnight to Desmond and Maeve and headed down the Main Street to the fort gate.


    Casting Salvation to summon his ethereal armor followed by Retribution for his ethereal glaive he made his way to the Ancient Prowler¡¯s territory. He spotted several milling around separately, but knew that each one really represented a pack of five. He chose the nearest one to start with and Identified it.


    [Ancient Prowler (Level 10)]


    He charged forward with the glaive held in front of him, both hands gripping tight. His target faced him and held its ground, baring the teeth within its elongated jaw. Coop swung his weapon down in a deadly attack that he didn¡¯t expect to land. The monster dodged to Coop¡¯s left so he twisted the shaft and urgently transformed his attack into a horizontal swing that the monster couldn¡¯t avoid.


    The attack cleaved the monster, not quite finishing it off, but Coop was already dodging backwards. He narrowly avoided the second monster¡¯s surprise attack, anticipating that it would come right then. The monsters had no aversion to using their own comrades as bait in order to land their attacks.


    Coop¡¯s dodge left the second monster sailing past, giving him a valuable opening to raise his glaive in an upward arc and dissect the Ancient Prowler. Its body scattered into smoke before it hit the ground.


    Coop took one solid step forward, putting the injured first monster back into his range and brought the glaive down with the same path as his opening strike, chopping the first monster in half and defeating it.


    He was already in motion as the body dissipated into the breeze, hopping out of the way of the third monster¡¯s opening attack. The monster had taken a trajectory that prevented Coop from being able to destroy it in a clean blow, so he rounded on the monster and faced it as he had faced the first.


    An overhead strike that the monster dodged, into a horizontal strike that it had no chance of avoiding. Unlike the first monster, this one caught the horizontal strike with its head, destroying it instantly.


    Coop raised his glaive quickly, catching the fourth monster with the back of his blade, mid leap. The monster plopped to the ground, injured, where Coop¡¯s glaive chased it, defeating the Prowler before it could recover.


    The fifth monster¡¯s attack came from behind. Coop barely avoided it, making a desperate lunge out of the way when he didn¡¯t see the monster in the front or on either side. Only knowing that the attack was coming allowed him to react quickly enough to avoid taking damage.


    Coop brought the glaive down, tearing through the air with its sharp edge, and when the fifth monster dodged, he adjusted once again. The horizontal adjustment clipped the monster¡¯s legs, allowing Coop to finish it off.


    Coop resummoned his glaive in an effort to make progress on reducing the cost of Retribution with his Practical Application skill. Readjusting his grip, he continued to the next pack.


    Only about half the fights went as well as his first. On the others he would take one or two hits from the surprise attacks. Most of the time it was due to dodging incorrectly or too slowly. When those were his mistakes, the glancing blows that he received wouldn¡¯t even be worth mentioning if it wasn¡¯t for the stacking Vulnerable debuff. Occasionally, he would still be caught completely by surprise, when a sneak attack came when he didn¡¯t expect it, and that was when he also took some damage from their attacks.


    Whenever his Vulnerable debuff exceeded five stacks, he would return to the dunes and rest while he waited for the debuff to expire. It was a timed debuff that only lasted around 10 minutes. It was still an annoying intermission when Coop wanted to push the efficiency in his fighting.


    Conveniently, there was a lot less travel time between fights when hunting the Ancient Prowlers, so the number of kills that he achieved was a high number by default. He just needed to reduce and eventually eliminate the accumulation of the Vulnerable debuff.


    The glaive required a lot more use of his forearms as he twisted the weapon and adjusted his grip to slice the creatures with the business side of the blade. Both sides were deadly, but the blade itself was shaped a lot like the machete, with one side meant to chop. Compared to his usage of the spear, he was twisting the weapon a lot more to find the right angles.


    When he used the spear, adjusting his grip when he needed to switch between an overhand jab or an underhand thrust was tricky because he was only using one hand to hold the weapon while the other was occupied by his shield. It felt a lot more like an exercise of balance, especially when he was also adjusting it to throw, and then retrieving it with one of the other grips.


    When fighting the Ancient Prowlers, the glaive was the clear winner, but he would have to choose which weapon to use on a fight by fight basis. He anticipated defaulting to the spear most of the time just for the additional movement ability and the added defensive utility of the shield.


    Coop fought the Ancient Prowlers with his glaive reflecting the moonlight for his longest session yet. He was taking a lot less of the Vulnerable debuffs as he became better at anticipating when he was leaving an opening that the monsters would pounce on. He was even able to bait them with false openings on occasion.


    He only had to take a few breaks to make sure the Vulnerable debuff didn¡¯t get out of control, but his health was still chipped away and after nearly four hours he had to call it a night. Checking his notifications he was pleased to have received one level.


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    It was his only level for the day, and it came so late that he didn¡¯t anticipate getting two levels during the next day. His quest progress for the day was nothing to complain about.


    [Defeat Ancient Defenders IV (3700/5000)]


    [Defeat Ancient Prowlers IV (1525/5000)]


    He should be able to complete the Ancient Defenders quest tomorrow, and the Prowlers would take less than a week. Coop was excited for the free level, but he didn¡¯t think it was the last stage in the chain. His scavenging quest had five stages before it was completed. He thought these might follow a similar pattern, but he felt trepidation about finding out how many more he would need to kill. The first in the chain required 5 kills, the second 25, the third 250, and the fourth 5,000. Coop saw the pattern and he didn¡¯t like it.


    The second quest multiplied the requirement of the first by 5, then the next multiplied by the previous by 10, then by 20. Would the next stage require him to kill 200,000 monsters? He wouldn¡¯t be completing it if it did. It wouldn¡¯t be impossible, but it would definitely be a waste of time, and he would probably lose his mind in the middle of it somewhere. He frowned at the idea of grinding Ancient Defenders for years.


    Shaking his head he strolled back to the fort. He listened to the breeze as it flowed through the palm fronds and the gentle waves as they barely climbed the western beach. The moonlight sparkled on the placid ocean. His eyes were drawn to the entrance of the Coral Forest and the mountain beyond. He wondered what else he would find. He took his routine cold shower after he reached the fort, before he headed to bed. He was wondering if his parents would be proud of him as he drifted to sleep.

 Chapter 19: Refugees

    Coop¡¯s predawn routine began as usual. Jett seemed to be finding more creative ways to sleep, this time she had all four of her legs up in the air, occasionally kicking one or the other in response to her dreams. Coop left her to wash his face and do his morning warm up at the top of the fort.


    He would jog a bit and enjoy the sunrise while stretching, then he¡¯d take a quick shower and have breakfast at the Tavern. It used to be a lot harder to wake up before dawn, though he still did, but he used to rely on the aid of multiple alarms. Now, he woke up by himself. He supposed it was proof that sleep wasn¡¯t as necessary as it had been before. He still wanted to keep a regular schedule, as he credited his simple routine for granting him the wherewithal to grind so many monsters. The journey of gathering strength would be a marathon. In his own way, he was pacing himself.


    As he casually jogged along the ramparts he noticed something far in the distance, too far to make out any details. He continued his jog and watched the mystery object drift lazily toward the island. As the sun breached the horizon he realized it was a small boat.


    Coop interrupted his routine to find Jones and let him know they might have some visitors. A few minutes later, he was joined by Jones at the top of the fort, watching the vessel approach. Once it was closer it became clear that Coop¡¯s initial assessment, calling it a boat, was too generous. It was nothing more than a raft. It had three occupants.


    Coop hustled across the island to the eastern beach where the raft would land. He hurried in case they needed help. The cool sand on the trail was already warming in the morning sun as he marched across it. He didn¡¯t feel like much of a welcoming committee, but he¡¯d do his best.


    When he reached the beach the raft had already washed onto the shore. Two young boys were laying in the sand, exhausted, with relieved expressions on their faces. They had obviously been at sea for long enough to miss solid ground. The third person was standing further up the beach, watching Coop approach. She was an old lady, with white hair and a face that had been weathered by what must have been hard living in salt air and hurricane winds. She was leaning on a driftwood staff that was taller than she was, but that only meant the staff was a bit over five feet tall. All three looked ragged.


    Coop heard her rouse the boys in the sand to attention, warning them of his approach. She told them to stand up and look peaceful and let her try to communicate because the man wouldn¡¯t understand their language. But Coop did understand, they had a skill for that. He identified the old lady.


    [Human (Level 2)]


    Coop felt his eyebrows rise, surprised by how low level she was. The boys had both stood up, and were covered in sand. Even though Coop thought they must be around 12 years old, they were both half a head taller than the lady. He identified them as well.


    [Human (Level 0)]


    [Human (Level 0)]


    Coop wondered how they had managed so far, but judging by their states it had been a struggle. Their clothes were barely rags and their faces showed the pile of stress that they had been under. Coop raised a hand to greet them, ¡°Do you need help?¡±


    The old lady¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Why can I understand you?¡± She didn¡¯t expect a foreign man to speak the patois from her village, the only language she had ever heard. The boys looked at each other, also surprised.


    ¡°I think the system gave everyone the language skill¡­¡± Coop trailed off realizing how much there would be to explain if they didn¡¯t know anything about what was happening. But the old lady¡¯s expression changed from confusion to one of understanding.


    ¡°There were some in our village who spoke of the system. They tried to warn us but I didn¡¯t believe their words.¡± She said solemnly as the boys both looked at the sand, hiding their emotions.


    Coop read the depressing mood and invited them to the fort, pointing across the island where they could all see it standing. When he mentioned food, both of the boys¡¯ faces lit up with excitement. The old lady had them drag their raft up the beach and Coop jumped to help. The raft was just thin strips of wood held together with woven palm fronds, not something Coop would be willing to take to sea. A single oar was all they had to share, they were otherwise at the mercy of the ocean¡¯s currents. It had been luck that they made it back to land at all.


    He led the trio along the trails. The boys barely held themselves back from running to the fort, but the old lady kept a slow pace. The three newcomers all froze when they saw their first Ancient Defender and the old lady grabbed Coop¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Those creatures are dangerous!¡± She pointed, trying to warn Coop.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got them under control, don¡¯t worry¡­¡± He tried to coax them along but they still hesitated. He thought a demonstration would help so he gently released himself from the old lady¡¯s feeble grip and walked off the trail. As he approached the Ancient Defender, he conjured the short sword and dispatched the monster with one swing, splitting it in half down the middle before it dissipated into the breeze. He dismissed his sword and turned back.


    When he returned to the waiting trio, the boys looked impressed but the old lady remained worried.


    ¡°My village thought we had similar monsters under control, but they multiplied, grew stronger, more aggressive. They killed everyone that stayed, my son and his wife, their parents¡­¡± The boys stoically nodded along. ¡°We¡¯re the only survivors from the ones who remained in the village... You must flee and find a system settlement!¡±


    Coop got a slightly clearer image for how the areas away from settlements would become dangerous. Even with his experience fighting the weak Ancient Defenders, a horde of them would not be something he felt comfortable defeating.


    He tried alleviating their concerns, ¡°This is a system settlement, c¡¯mon to the fort and I¡¯ll show you.¡± He led the way doing his best to display reassuring confidence.


    The old lady explained as they made their way. She was one of the elders of a village that had 54 people living in it. They were just a small island community with a few fishermen and farmers that had been there for ages.


    When the meteors fell, half of the young adults were sponsored. They had all returned from their factions by the first day. They warned the village that they needed to flee to a settlement, but the elders declared there was no need and that they would stay put. They were already in a settlement after all, one that had remained for hundreds of years.


    The Chosen tried to explain what they had learned about the system, but to the rest of the village it was the ramblings of young people who had lost their minds after witnessing a rare natural disaster. They had witnessed an unbelievable event and afterwards began calling themselves Chosen, raving about impossible scenarios, so the village treated them with pity rather than respect.


    The Chosen wound up abandoning the village for their own search, taking fishing boats and leaving the rest of the villagers behind. The remaining villagers set up guards and easily dispatched the few monsters that stood around listlessly on their island. The monsters appeared weak, but they always returned.


    After only a few days the village was already adapting to the weak monster¡¯s presence, but the monsters started adapting as well. First, they started roaming instead of staying in one spot, forcing the villagers to remain more vigilant lest they be caught unexpectedly. Then the monsters started forming groups that the villagers had to actively avoid. The village started experiencing casualties. Eventually, the monsters started appearing physically larger and more aggressive, no longer roaming, but hunting. It all culminated with dozens of the stronger variants attacking their village in an almost coordinated assault.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    All of the other villagers were killed, the state of the Chosen who had fled was unknown, and only one elder and her two grandchildren escaped. They drifted on the raft for three days, remembering the warning the Chosen had given. They needed to seek shelter in a settlement created by the system, where the monsters would be subdued by magic.


    The village¡¯s Chosen had returned from their factions with the same warning as Jones, emphasizing the necessity of residing within a settlement. Coop and Jones had been truly lucky to have access to a civilization shard. Coop glanced at the Ancient Defenders, recognizing that they had been handicapped by the presence of their settlement.


    Jones was waiting at the gate of the fort, prepared to welcome guests. He let them know that he had warned the Tavernkeepers to expect them, so Coop continued, joined by Jones and followed by the villagers, through the entrance and down the future Main Street to the Clumsy Shark.


    Maeve was waiting inside the Tavern. She indicated to the trio that she had prepared baths for them and would have stew ready for them when they came back down. Before she led them up, she linked herself onto one of Coop¡¯s arms, pressing him gently, and invited him to let her draw a bath for him as well.


    He politely declined, so she led the trio up the stairs after giving Coop a wink. One of the boys earned a smack from their grandmother when she caught him staring a bit too hard before they were gone. Coop shook his head.


    ¡°Seems like that one likes you.¡± Jones observed. Coop wasn¡¯t blind, flirting with Maeve had already become another part of his routine. A part that he looked forward to.


    ¡°Nah, she¡¯s just playing around.¡± Coop denied.


    ¡°Or maybe you¡¯re the only eligible bachelor for hundreds of miles.¡± Jones retaliated, casually taking a seat. Coop joined him, sitting beside him.


    In any case, they had survival to think about, so he changed the subject and discussed further development of the settlement. Desmond emerged from the kitchen bringing both of them bowls of stew before returning to the back.


    In a few hours they would finally be able to complete the quest to upgrade the settlement to an outpost. The first quest had been simple, requiring a basic building, 1,000 Basic Credits, and waiting 11 days. They considered potential requirements for future upgrades. They were expecting more of the same with the addition of population requirements. If the trio of refugees joined them, they would already be up to a population of 10. Coop thought they could just keep adding buildings to slowly grow the population. As long as they didn¡¯t need hundreds of people, increasing the population with aliens seemed like a possibility.


    The villagers returned to the first floor with Maeve. They each received a bowl of stew as Desmond returned to the bar. Jones brought the elder villager up to speed, telling her about the fort and offering them all shelter as they had plenty of room. She had them call her Olani as she claimed she was no longer fit for the title of elder.


    Olani may have renounced her title, but she was clearly a natural leader. Rather than simply accept their hospitality, she volunteered herself and her grandchildren to work for a place in the settlement. Coop didn¡¯t think it was necessary for them to work, but she had already decided. She had many skills, so she would find ways to contribute, but her grandchildren didn¡¯t yet. So, she was assigning the boys to be lookouts for the fort, fearing a raid on even the system settlements. Coop thought it was a fine idea.


    Once they finished eating, Jones led them to the civilization shard to see if they could get professions started. The boys couldn¡¯t interact with the shard yet, and wouldn¡¯t be able to level at all until they got older. Olani, on the other hand, had many options. She chose to become a Basic Alchemist, something she was particularly passionate about doing. Jones guided the trio through accessing menus and assigning attribute points. The boys could access their status, but only had three of each stat. Olani put all of her points into Body after only a brief consideration for waiting until she unlocked a class. She was old, but planned to be even older.


    As they went through other nuances of the system it approached the time to upgrade the settlement. Coop was ready at the shard for the very second the upgrade became available. After he upgraded it he was prompted to assign a name, he named it Ghost Reef as previously agreed upon and waited for the fireworks.


    Nothing happened. He accessed the shard and confirmed the settlement had been upgraded to an Outpost. Jones, observing Coop¡¯s disappointment, asked what he expected, it was only an Outpost. Coop expected confetti at least. Coop viewed his notifications, disappointed at the lack of a visual celebration for a major accomplishment.


    [Quest Complete! Upgrade Camp to Outpost]


    [Champion title upgraded!]


    [You have a new quest!]


    The Champion title now gave him +10 to all stats instead of +5, a boost that he was happy to receive. It wasn¡¯t as significant for his current status as the original title had been when they first claimed the settlement, but Coop wasn¡¯t greedy enough to complain about bonuses not being large enough.


    The reward for completing the quest was interesting. He could contract five new residents for the settlement. They would be at a basic level from one of several vocations. He nearly grabbed five laborers to help Balor, but he and Jones went through the different options first. There were basic options like farmhands, gatherers, guards, and fishermen. The benefit of laborers was the most apparent after all, but they needed to provide housing before recruiting them. They decided to confirm with Balor that they would be useful before consuming their choice.


    The next quest in the chain, to upgrade the Outpost to a Village, required four buildings, one defensive building and three others, 25,000 basic credits, and a population greater than 10. Coop squinted at the requirements, realizing they could already almost complete it. He just needed to collect enough basic credits, which he could do with another day of grinding. The fort qualified as a defensive building and they had a Stonemason, Tavern, and Brewery for the other three. He could also recruit one laborer to push the population over 10. It was too easy.


    There was also an optional objective. The objective was to collect a relic to enhance the mana within the settlement¡¯s territory. It recommended a relic of the Champion¡¯s affinity. Neither Coop nor Jones knew anything about mana quality, but both thought it would be a good idea to complete the objective before upgrading the settlement, even if it delayed the upgrade. The quest even indicated the location of a suitable relic on the territory map.


    The shard provided a bird¡¯s eye view of the settlement¡¯s territory to the Champion. With the upgrade, the territory had grown to include a significant portion of the reef to the north and west, the lighthouse and a bit offshore to the south, and the entire eastern beach with most of the mangrove forest to the east. The map also zoomed out further to show the location of the nearest spectral relic. It didn¡¯t show specific geography, just a marked point on top of fog of war.


    Coop described the distance to Jones, about 60 miles north, who predicted it was the location of an oil rig. There had been nothing but open ocean in that direction prior to the introduction of mana, and while it was possible new islands had formed, Jones knew there were rigs in that direction.


    They had no idea how he would reach it. They might need to use the settlement to build a Shipwright, but they were very expensive and the settlement didn¡¯t meet the requirements for constructing one anyway. Coop thought that if they couldn¡¯t figure something out, they should just skip the optional portion of the quest, but Jones recommended patience. Still, Coop didn¡¯t want to delay the settlement upgrades for too long.


    Finally, Coop got ready to check the Settlement Leaderboards. He hadn¡¯t looked since they first unlocked, not wanting to spoil it for himself. They had been the 373rd to claim a shard, and that was all the way back to when they had killed their very first Ancient Defender, now it was Day 13 and they had successfully upgraded the settlement as soon as it was available. Their rank was guaranteed to be higher, slipping past any who failed to upgrade the settlement immediately. He checked the list and quickly found Ghost Reef at the bottom as no other settlements had become outposts in the short time since they had.


    <ol start="62">


    <li> Ghost Reef</li>


    </ol>


    It was a way higher ranking than Coop expected. He thought at best they might jump 100 places, not more than 300. He wondered if the civilization shards had been exchanging hands more frequently than anticipated, preventing any from completing the 11 day holding period. He didn¡¯t think that bode well for the state of humanity. He checked the top 10 for good measure.


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Silvervalley</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Gangcheon</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Lekawa</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Hope Falls</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Canyon Brooks</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Eynelon</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Fortunis</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Nadoba</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Windy Coast</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">New Elega</li>


    </ol>


    There wasn¡¯t a lot of information to glean. He didn¡¯t recognize any of the top 10 as previously existing cities. He wondered how many civilization shards there were in total. He hoped there was enough to go around, worried that more people like Olani¡¯s village would be in trouble as time went on.


    With the official christening of Ghost Reef, he had one more major objective to try to complete today. He bid farewell to Jones and Onali and headed up Main Street with the intention of grinding Ancient Defenders until sunset.


    1,300 to go before he completed the Defeat Ancient Defenders IV quest.

 Chapter 20: The Grind Continues

    The settlement had been successfully upgraded and was officially named Ghost Reef. Judging by the leaderboards, they were in excellent shape.


    They had also welcomed their first three residents who had arrived on nothing more than a raft. If it wasn¡¯t for mana, they would have been dehydrated and starving. Instead a nice bath and a quick meal was enough to get them back into shape. As he approached his refined hunting route to begin his grind, he wondered what the limitations of mana would be.


    Coop was primed to grind Ancient Defenders. It was early in the afternoon and the sun was shining bright. He began his familiar hunting cycle, killing the monsters with minimal resistance, and he concentrated on the accuracy of his spear throws and the timing of his teleports.


    The mysterious pleasant feelings whenever he properly executed techniques continued, even while fighting the weak monsters with his most proficient weapon. He wondered if he was being conditioned to enjoy battle by some outside power. He had to admit it was also possible he had just never discovered a passion for martial combat, but that wouldn¡¯t explain how he subconsciously recognized when his technique was correct.


    The repetition of his actions had helped him refine his technique quite a bit. When he remembered his clumsy attacks from only a week earlier he could only feel encouraged by his progress, and yet, there was still so much he could improve. It took a lot more practice and experience to properly develop skill with a weapon. Despite the good feelings he had while fighting, he couldn¡¯t forget he was essentially a very enthusiastic amateur.


    He thought it might be a good idea to add one of the weapon training facilities to the settlement for some proper instruction, but he also needed to get some housing for the trio as well as future laborers. He could provide facilities for Olani¡¯s selected profession, alchemy, and he wondered if Jones¡¯s Archaeology would benefit from anything. There was also the more urgent task of finding a way to the spectral relic, which might require some other ship building related construction. He¡¯d also have to save a larger amount for the settlement upgrade itself, with the requirement increased to 25,000 basic credits.


    His primary source of income were the credits he received from scavenging, but the demands seemed to be escalating faster than his income. He probably needed to investigate some ways to leverage the settlement itself into making credits. They wouldn¡¯t be able to establish trade routes, at least in the foreseeable future, but the Tavern had already shown him a way to add a passive income. If the population was higher, it would probably be a lot easier to bring a business plan together.


    As he went round and round, he noticed Jones and Olani defeating Ancient Defenders together near the fort. It looked like Jones was providing some power leveling to unlock her class and affinity. Olani was wielding the trusty rake instead of her driftwood staff. She gently poked the monsters before Jones blasted them with stone spikes, boulders, or rock bullets. It had been a while since he Identified Jones, so he checked his progress.


    [Human (Level 12)]


    Coop was surprised, he had assumed that Jones was concentrating on his profession entirely. Jones spent his days helping Balor with the fort. He never saw Jones fighting, and yet he had made some pretty impressive progress.


    Jones was actually unable to grind the same way that Coop had been, he was pretty severely limited by mana. He killed the monsters with devastating rock attacks, but he had to stop to regenerate constantly. The spells were just too expensive to maintain at a steady rate. He must have been popping out of the fort periodically to defeat a dozen enemies before returning to some other task while his mana regenerated. It made Coop appreciate his own skill choices all the more when thinking about such limitations.


    He figured that most people wouldn¡¯t be able to grind at the same pace he did, since they would be utilizing active skills to defeat the monsters. They would be a lot more limited by cooldowns and mana. He had just barely realized focusing on his basic attacks rather than active skills was a possibility when he was selecting his skills and now it appeared that would be the key to his success.


    It was another wrinkle in Coop¡¯s internal debate about the efficiency of grinding monsters compared to hunting down more dangerous ones when trying to level. Then again, if Coop became strong enough, he would eventually graduate to grinding the more dangerous monsters.


    In the meantime, he continued to practice his spear throws and teleportation. He no longer felt any dizziness from the jumps and was able to act as soon as he returned to the tangible world. In fact, his timing had improved to such an extent, he was able to begin an attack before the teleport even completed. It was all in his hand position. The teleport moved him so that the spear would be in his hand, so if he held his arm straight out he would appear an arm¡¯s length from the spear. He just had to remember that he was the one moving, not the spear, so if he put himself in an awkward position he would have to be ready to compensate.


    He still wasn¡¯t able to teleport to initiate every encounter, his mana couldn¡¯t keep up with the cost. His mana pool continued to increase, allowing him to squeeze more jumps into his rotation and the teleport cost had been reduced to 42 mana, but the progress in reducing the cost was slow. Practical Application seemed to require thousands of repetitions before it would provide its mana reduction bonus. But even though the cost reduction combined with his larger mana pool displayed a tangible increase in his hunting efficiency, there was plenty of room for improvement. He predicted that his mana pool would grow from his constant investment into his Mind stat to such an extent, even a full 50 mana cost would become negligible.


    He practiced anticipating the position of the spear and coordinating the location of his extended arm so that when he reappeared he would already be in an attack motion, further speeding up his reactions. At one point he accidentally made the jump slightly early and actually caught the spear inches above the sand. He defeated the monster and paused, realizing he had just made another major discovery.


    All of his mistjumps had used a stationary spear as his target, but why did he have to wait? He could catch the spear anywhere in its path. He quickly started experimenting. The results were incredible, adding an entire dimension to his attack range. He could throw the spear above the monsters and time his mistjump so that it completed as the spear flew directly over, then bring the spear down in a plunging attack with the help of gravity.


    He could essentially play catch with himself. The trick was challenging, requiring precise timing as well as conscious positioning of his main hand. The teleports weren¡¯t instantaneous, so he had to anticipate the velocity of the spear and activate his mistjump at precisely the right moment, slightly before he actually wanted to arrive. He discovered that finding the right hand position to catch the spear and attack in a fluid motion was helped by imagining that he was actually throwing the spear to a second version of himself. Imagining the second person ready to catch the spear, he was able to imitate the position as he teleported. As long as he timed it correctly he could execute a fluid attack.


    Coop realized that he might even be able to implement this method while using other, non throwable weapons. Instead of a proper throw, using the destination as an anchor for his teleport, he could toss a sword a shorter distance to effectively reposition. Of course, he would still be catching a sword, so it would take practice. There was a lot more room for creativity with this new discovery. Coop¡¯s initial assessment of his Ethereal title was that it would simply prevent him from being disarmed. He thought resummoning a thrown weapon was already pushing the limits, then he discovered the game changer that he could use it to teleport. Was even that only scratching the surface? He kept practicing as evening approached and his quest approached completion.


    After a bit less than five hours of meditative grinding, repeatedly testing his new technique, he reached his goal. He checked his recent notifications.


    [You defeated Ancient Defender (Level 2)]


    [+6 Basic Credits]


    [Defeat Ancient Defenders IV (4999/5000)]


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    [You defeated Ancient Defender (Level 3)]


    [+4 Basic Credits]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Ancient Defenders IV]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [You have a new quest!]


    Coop had still held a tiny sliver of hope that the fourth quest would be the last in the chain, but he was disappointed to find there was another. Thankfully, his worst fears weren¡¯t realized and the requirements hadn¡¯t multiplied by forty times, instead breaking from the pattern completely. Coop was even more convinced that this would be the last stage.


    [Defeat Ancient Defenders V (0/11111)]


    Even though it could have been worse, it was still a daunting challenge. He had already been pushing himself to complete the previous 5,000 Ancient Defenders. He thanked his lucky stars the new requirement wasn¡¯t 200,000. Coop put his unspent attribute points from reaching level 22 into Mind and kept hunting while he contemplated the new number. He summoned his sword to try some teleports with a non throwable weapon, jogging through the sand to each monster.


    Coop had questions about the system¡¯s number choices. He had thought it was just a coincidence before, but having to kill 11,111 was too blatant to overlook. The apocalypse began on 11/11, it was a bit after 11:00 AM, but now Coop thought it must have been 11:11. The settlement upgrade required 11 days of holding the camp and Earth was protected by a mana shield for 111 years. What¡¯s the deal?


    As he tossed his sword over an Ancient Defender, then caught it above his own head, behind the monster, and slammed it down, defeating the creature in a smooth combination, he wondered if the entity behind the system was sending messages. Maybe there was meaning behind the numbers, or maybe it was just being cute. He¡¯d probably need more information to make heads or tails of it.


    Killing 11,111 monsters was a lot, but at the rate he went with his spear he could do it in four days, maybe even three, without interrupting his current routine. Coop couldn¡¯t kid himself, of course he was going to do it. +100 to his Mind stat was too huge to pass up, especially when he was only a few days of grinding away. Basic Credits would also be a major motivator, he had too many settlement upgrades in mind and his best way to earn credits was grinding.


    The biggest negative to continuing to grind the Ancient Defenders was that he hadn¡¯t received any class levels directly from them in quite a while. He had still leveled from completing the quest, and he had supplemented his daily hunts with the nightly Ancient Prowler grinds. The Ancient Prowlers were still giving him levels at least. He was 20 levels above the Ancient Defenders at this point, it seemed reasonable that they weren¡¯t giving him the same amount of experience as they were before.


    Ever since he added the teleports to his rotation, the decrease in running through the sand meant he wasn¡¯t being exhausted at even a fraction of the same rate as when he ran the whole time. His improved stats also played a major part in his increased stamina. At this point he was pretty sure he would be able to grind for a dozen hours before really needing a break. When he thought about it, the progress boggled his mind. His stamina was improving at an insane rate.


    After another sword toss, he teleported behind the monster, caught the weapon with it cocked over his shoulder, and sliced the Ancient Defender into two halves. He switched back to his spear to pick up the pace. The reduced travel times when being able to properly throw the spear and immediately engage targets was too good to pass up.


    An hour later, Coop got a welcomed notification.


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    He may not get much class experience from killing the Ancient Defenders, but he still got Scavenging levels. His class level was 22 and his profession level was now 13. It would be nice to have them closer. When he was identified by other people, they would see his class level, so he believed the profession level was pure bonus stats and he wanted it to be higher. It seemed like Coop was putting way more emphasis on attribute points than even the system did, otherwise Identify would show the profession level in addition to the class level. Maybe Jones was correct when he believed skills were meant to be the defining characteristic of combat ability.


    Coop kept grinding until the sun started to go down. He figured he had gotten a good start on the final leg of his Ancient Defender grind. Checking his quest progress, he dismissed his ethereal armor and headed to the Tavern.


    [Defeat Ancient Defenders V (712/11111)]


    Coop had killed just over 2,000 Ancient Defenders and he had only started the grind in the afternoon. He thought three more days would be enough, tonight he would skip the Ancient Prowlers in preparation of some long days of grinding.


    When he entered the Clumsy Shark, Maeve cheerfully greeted him with a genuine smile. Coop returned the greeting and joined Balor and his tower of mugs at the bar.


    ¡°Hey, Balor! How are the repairs going?¡± Coop asked the dwarf-like stone elemental.


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe this fort was built without mana, it makes no sense. I¡¯m making progress, but there¡¯s so much to reinforce¡­ I haven¡¯t even started on the repairs.¡± Balor complained.


    ¡°Would general laborers help?¡± Coop wondered, planning to use the settlement quest reward to ease Balor¡¯s burden.


    ¡°Aye, but no more than three. There¡¯s a limitation on my workshop until your settlement upgrades a few more times. I¡¯d be able to start working on the bridge pretty soon with three laborers working for me.¡± Balor responded confidently.


    Coop nodded at that, ¡°You want to greet them now?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do that. I can get ¡®em ready right away.¡± Balor said, standing up while tapping his finger on the bar to pay.


    Coop followed Balor to the civilization shard where Coop purchased a three story apartment building that had 12 units. He placed it on the outer circle, where Jones intended the residential areas to go. Coop was a little worried that being near the fort wall would be unsafe, but Jones insisted it was the best location as they would be away from the heaviest traffic in the central areas. Shopkeepers like Balor and the tavern keepers lived inside their own buildings anyway.


    The variations of the apartment buildings were based on style. Coop selected one that matched the colors of the stones in the fort, and watched it build itself. There would be enough room behind it to provide a shared green space even after more buildings filled up the block. When it was completed he recruited three laborers who would be joining Olani and her grandchildren in the apartment building. After a few seconds, they appeared next to the shard as if they had been beamed in. They were all definitely aliens.


    One of them was basically a 7 foot tall beaver, another was a blueish, hairless humanoid that maybe could be confused for a human with weird contacts, and the other was a 5 foot tall insect that stood upright with wings folded on its back. Balor immediately got their attention, explained what they would be doing and that he was their foreman while Coop was the Champion of the settlement. They all nodded in understanding and gave a slight bow to Coop, who returned the gesture. Balor had the situation under control, so Coop let him show them to their new homes with orders to report to the stonemason at dawn.


    Coop went back to the Tavern to hang out with Maeve. When he arrived she came around from her position behind the bar and sauntered up to Coop.


    She poked him in the chest. ¡°You. stink.¡± She stated, punctuating each word with another poke of her finger. ¡°How about that bath?¡± She offered, a little stubbornly.


    Coop held her finger to prevent more pokes, ¡°I don¡¯t stink, you¡¯re imagining things.¡± He denied, believing it was true thanks to the changes that mana wrought.


    ¡°You do!¡± She affirmed, her raised eyebrows and slight grin making Coop nervous.


    Coop stepped back, away from her ¡°Do I really?¡± He asked, now worried that he had overestimated how much mana had changed.


    She nodded, bouncing her blonde locks, ¡°You smell like raw mana, like you¡¯ve been hunting monsters and running through their smoke all day.¡± She put her hands on her hips, ¡°So, the bath?¡± She insisted.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Coop had no idea what mana smelled like, but he was relieved that¡¯s all it was. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll take the bath, but not because you think I stink. Tonight, I¡¯m celebrating the settlement¡¯s upgrade and getting ready for the next goals.¡±


    Maeve lunged forward and snagged one of Coop¡¯s arms, pulling him toward the stairs. ¡°Perfect!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°Come on, my Champion, I can show you the rest of our amenities!¡±


    Coop didn¡¯t understand her impatience, but he let her pull him along. She had only been on Earth for less than four days so far.

 Chapter 21: Elite Raiders

    Coop ended up spending the night at the Clumsy Shark. He learned a lot from Maeve.


    The baths were magical, literally. They had magical water that maintained its temperature for as long as it was used. Coop¡¯s only complaint was that the tub was basically a large barrel. He either had to tuck in his knees or let his feet hang over the opposite edge.


    Coop ended up asking why all the system constructions and furnishings were so archaic. Maeve explained that the buildings weren¡¯t designed by the system at all.  The medieval stylings were representative of the more primitive galactic standard than what humanity had developed. The vast majority of the universe was at a much lower technological level when they received mana when compared to humans. She wasn¡¯t sure if this was because humans had more time to develop without mana, or if there was something special about humanity itself. After the introduction of mana, further innovation generally takes a different direction.


    Apparently, Jones had been open with sharing all of humanity¡¯s secrets. Maeve had even used what she learned to manipulate Coop into the bath! Jones had taught her human grooming habits, how they sweat, and all sorts of other things, then knowing that humans would be self conscious, she called Coop stinky. Coop felt a little betrayed by Jones.


    As an apology and to make things even between them, Maeve shared some things about her own species. Apparently, they were one that tried to hide their alien features to just look generically humanoid. There was sort of a galactic midpoint for alien morphology that would be familiar to most of the factions, and in Coop¡¯s opinion, the standard was suspiciously human.


    In Maeve¡¯s case, many societies had felt the echoes of her species¡¯ existence during their pre-mana histories, and most had a negative predisposition toward them as a result. Even humans weren¡¯t an exception. She and Desmond were apparently a type of demon. She promised Coop she wasn¡¯t after his soul, unless he was offering.


    Coop still thought she looked like an elf, but he discovered the tail that she kept hidden and the tiny horns hidden underneath her thick bangs and accepted that she was indeed a demon. Add some wings and there wouldn¡¯t be any doubt. He didn¡¯t think being a demon would be any more of a problem than being an alien when it came to humans though.


    Maeve also told him about the contracts they used to earn a place in settlements. They had to submit their establishment details to the system and if they were accepted they would be put on standby. If a settlement requested their service they would receive a quest from the system to operate on the new planet. Accepting the quest resulted in their true bodies being held in a protected stasis by the system while a manifestation of themselves was sent to the planet. Their skills were limited, though not so much inside of their domains, and they couldn¡¯t be killed for the duration of the contract as they would simply return to their true bodies instead.


    The contract would last until the planet¡¯s assimilation was completed or if they were forced to return early, which could happen if their settlement was conquered or defeated in some other way. If they stayed to the end they would be offered to either return to their true body or vice versa, remaining on the planet.


    Many factions participated in the process to try and get a foothold on a new planet without paying for sponsorships, but it was a gamble whether or not it paid off. There was no good way to predict the disposition of whichever faction ended up with control of the settlement or the planet. The safer bet was usually the planetary sponsor, but in Earth¡¯s case that would be less than ideal as the Primal Constructs had no interest in sharing, to a genocidal degree.


    Earth wasn¡¯t the first baby planet that Maeve and Desmond had worked on, but they had never arrived so early in the process. Maeve explained that they hadn¡¯t remained on the other planets because Champions tended to be real bastards. Give a random primitive being a bit of authority and they suddenly believe they are entitled to whatever they want. Maeve and Desmond had to remove more than one Champion from their establishment when they overstepped their bounds. The sour relationships generally hurt their business prospects, so they willingly moved on when the contracts expired. If they belonged to a faction they wouldn¡¯t have the independence to move so freely without finding replacements to maintain the establishment.


    They were excited about Coop, seeing him as a breath of fresh air compared the inflated egos they had experienced in the past. They attributed his becoming a Champion at all to be a fluke caused by the isolation of the shard. It normally took a certain type of person to take and hold a shard, and Coop wasn¡¯t the type. He had accidentally passed some tests and made an excellent first impression by greeting them properly, treating them with respect, and immediately learning how to pay. Most Champions never paid. Coop appreciated his scavenging profession even more. He could spend five minutes defeating Ancient Defenders and make enough to pay for a week of meals. He guessed other Champions had a harder time.


    Coop also learned about the beds. They were stuffed with some kind of mana beast¡¯s wool. It felt like laying on a cloud. He ended up staying the night. When he woke up, the cat-like purring surprised him, until he realized it was Jett. She just let herself in wherever she pleased. For a cat that had never left the inside of her home, she had become quite the explorer. Coop thought he would take her to visit the lighthouse some point soon, the little lighthouse keeper would probably be happy to know her home was repaired.


    Another surprise upon waking up was the Well-Rested buff. It increased all stats by a small amount, but also increased experience gained. It was a revelation that there even was experience! Coop wanted to make use of the bonus right away. The only problem was that the buff only lasted a few hours and the nearest monsters didn¡¯t seem to be yielding much experience anymore.


    Maeve apparently started her days even earlier than Coop. When he made his way through the main room to start his early morning jog she was already setting tables. They had a quick chat, and even though he was already visiting everyday, she insisted that he promise to come again soon. He would have even without a promise.


    Halfway through his warm up he noted Olani¡¯s two grandchildren shadowing him, copying his route around the ramparts. When he stopped to do his stretches, they followed along with youthful enthusiasm. They wanted to know how he summoned weapons. They were disappointed to know they would have to wait to see if their classes would have the same feature. He wondered when they would be able to start getting levels.


    After the sunrise, he bade farewell to his young companions and headed to the Ancient Defenders, intent on getting an early start to push his quest as far as possible.


    On that first day Coop defeated almost 3,800 Ancient Defenders. His scavenging leveled once and the mana cost of his mistjump reduced by another two mana, bringing it to 40 mana per teleport.


    Coop¡¯s most significant gains weren¡¯t so tangible though. It came in his familiarity with his new tactic for the mistjumps. He was seriously becoming scary with how smooth the attacks came out of a teleport. He could imagine an enemy dodging his spear only to be surprised, with no time to react to him swinging the dodged spear from right next to them.


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    The main weakness he noticed was that his mistjump was telegraphed by the location of his weapon. It didn¡¯t matter when battling monsters, as they didn¡¯t seem intelligent enough to notice, but a discerning enemy might be able to capitalize on the opening. If it came down to it, and he was fighting something that figured out the trick to his mistjump, he would mix it up by returning his weapon to his hand instead of teleporting. It would make it a lot harder to predict his movements when he may or may not mistjump whenever he was separated from his weapon.


    He fought Ancient Defenders until the sun started going down. He also spent a bit of time experimenting with his new mistjump breakthrough while fighting the nocturnal Ancient Prowlers with his glaive. He found that he wasn¡¯t ready to use the teleports against the nimble monsters. He was better off dodging with his footwork and relying on the glaive¡¯s deadly sweeping attacks to defeat them. They just reacted too quickly for Coop to reliably use the mistjumps to reposition mid combat. In the end his experiments only lasted an hour before he had to retire for the night to let his health regenerate. The stacking Vulnerable buff was really nasty.


    Coop defeated a bit more than 3,500 Ancient Defenders on the second day of grinding. He received another level to his scavenging, and his teleport cost reduced by one more mana. It was going really well. His long grind sessions were putting his quest progress well beyond his expectations. He thought it would take three or four days, even at his best, but at this rate it would take two and a half.


    He had to suppress an errant thought that he would be able to complete many of these quest chains, stacking up the bonus stats. He reminded himself that the Ancient Defenders were probably a special case, and while he might be able to hunt the Ancient Prowlers, he still didn¡¯t think the Primal Kites would be a feasible target. He could only imagine the monster variants becoming more difficult the further he ventured.


    After the second day of grinding, he was making his way lazily back to the fort, when a warning bell started ringing. Coop didn¡¯t even know there was a bell. He rushed to the fort and up to the ramparts to figure out what was wrong. One of Olani¡¯s grandchildren was waving for him and pointing over the wall. Coop went to see what the problem was.


    ¡°Monsters!¡± The kid exclaimed, pointing to a group of Ancient Defenders. They were obviously abnormal with the way they moved. Instead of shuffling in place like the normal ones, these moved as a group and were larger than the usual fare. When Coop Identified one he realized it was an entire pack of higher level elites.


    [Elite Ancient Defender (Level 10)]


    They were walking along the outer edge of the moat, showing obvious interest in getting into the fort. Coop nodded to himself, he knew it was only a matter of time before something attacked the settlement and he believed they could handle this. Had they come because they upgraded the settlement to an Outpost, or was it just a matter of time? If Coop hadn¡¯t lost track of his days, it should be Day 15. As he understood it, things shouldn¡¯t heat up until after Day 30, the date that all Chosen would have to be returned from training and settlement events began. The apocalypse was still in the orientation phase.


    Jones and Olani had joined him while he decided what to do. The pack was only seven monsters, but he and Jones had learned the hard way that it was a bad idea to underestimate the elites. But Coop and Jones were both in a completely different dimension, power wise, when compared to their first experiences fighting elite Ancient Defenders. They formed a simple plan.


    Coop cast Salvation and Retribution, summoning his ethereal armor and both his spear and shield. Jones prepared to support the battle using his ranged skills from the top of the wall. Olani applied two of her new skills to Coop, drawing complicated runes in the air that burned red and rapidly disappeared. Coop¡¯s damage and defense were each empowered for 10 minutes.


    With the buffs applied, Coop threw his spear from the top of the wall in a high arc, over the moat, and above the pack of monsters. He activated his mistjump while the spear was still falling. For a brief moment, Coop was pulled through the fog of the silent and frozen world. When he came out he was dozens of feet above the monsters.


    He braced with his shield and prepared a plunging spear attack with the intent of starting the fight with a surprise strike to defeat the first enemy . It reminded him of the last time he and Jones fought an elite together, he had tried an awkward flailing plunging attack with his machete back then to end the fight.


    This time, he impaled an unsuspecting elite pinning it to the ground where it quickly evaporated in defeat. He readied his shield and reset his spear before the dust even settled, feeling like he made a superhero¡¯s entrance, as the rest of the pack noticed his dramatic arrival and quickly turned to face him. They had a far faster reaction than the normal monsters.


    One of the Ancient Defenders took the initiative and used the pounce skill that had nearly killed Coop in the past. Coop caught it with his shield and easily blocked it. He retaliated by shield bashing the monster then thrusting his spear past his shield. The shield prevented any guard and the tip of his spear impaled the red light inside the monster¡¯s body, defeating it. In the opening exchange, two elites were already eliminated.


    An Ancient Defender that had been on the periphery was suddenly slammed by a five foot boulder, throwing the monster into one of its neighbors. Coop utilized the distraction to throw his spear and mistjump to the disabled monsters, finishing one off as he stepped out of the mist giving none of the monsters any time to react. As he repositioned to finish the second disabled monster, a different enemy pounced from his blind side and stabbed Coop in the torso with both extended spiked feet.


    At least it tried to stab Coop. It didn¡¯t even pierce his ethereal armor. He actually laughed out loud when he quickly checked his health to see he had lost 14 health and 14 mana from the surprise attack. Between the Runes activated by Olani, his Physical Defense increased by the Body stat, his Mind Over Matter skill¡¯s secondary effect, his massively elevated health pool, and his Salvation skill¡¯s ethereal armor scaling, Coop was nearly impervious to these monsters¡¯ most dangerous physical attacks. His layered defenses were coming along nicely.


    He finished the disabled monster and turned to the offender. Three quick spear thrusts empowered by thousands of repetitions broke the monster¡¯s guard and finished it off.


    Coop faced the final two Elite Ancient Defenders and before he engaged, one was impaled from an earthen spike shooting out of the ground. As it scrambled to free itself, Coop finished it off with a spear jab through the red light.


    The final enemy attacked desperately with each spiked foot, carouseling one after the other, but Coop caught each attack with his shield and arrested its momentum. He shoved it backwards with his shield before tossing his spear toward the monster and mistjumped into a leaping thrust to conclude the fight.


    Olani¡¯s grandchildren cheered from the wall. Coop had felt reasonably confident going into the fight, but they had dispatched the pack of monsters far more easily than expected.


    Coop lobbed his spear into the fort and mistjumped to the top of the wall before he dismissed his armor and weapons and rejoined the others.


    ¡°That went well,¡± He observed, modestly.


    ¡°Quite well. I even got a level.¡± Jones responded. ¡°But where did they come from? Were they leftovers from the edges of the settlement that were agitated by the upgrade growing the territory?¡± Jones started forming some theories.


    Coop just shrugged and turned to the boys, ¡°Good job spotting them.¡± Both kids beamed at the simple praise.


    With the quick defeat of a group of enemies they all felt that much more comfortable in their settlement. A pack of elites like that would have been formidable if they arrived just a week earlier. Coop and the group left the walls and returned to their business. Coop went to the Tavern to relax and prepare for the next day of grinding. One more day would see him completing his quest once and for all.

 Chapter 22: Slayer I

    The third day of grinding, Coop gained another level of scavenging, and another mana reduction to his teleport, bringing it down to 38 mana per mistjump. After he killed 3,089 Ancient Defenders, he left the dunes and moved to the beach to sit underneath his favorite palm tree and review his gains. He checked his notifications.


    [You defeated Ancient Defender (Level 3)]


    [+6 Basic Credits]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Ancient Defenders V]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [You have acquired a new title!]


    [You have acquired a new title!]


    The quest chain was finally complete. He knew about one title, but receiving a second title was a surprise. He checked them both.


    Bloodthirsty - The first to defeat 11,111 of any invader.


    Recover 1% of defeated enemy health on kill.


    Slayer I - Defeated 11,111 of a single invader type.


    Adds +100 to the highest stat. Scales with each invader type defeated.


    At first, Coop was overjoyed by the unexpected Bloodthirsty title. He was amazed that he was the very first person to complete one of the quest chains. First in the entire world! And it provided health recovery! He was in desperate need of some form of regeneration, as it was currently a major restriction on his hunting sessions.


    But recovery on kill was pretty limited, and at 1% it probably wouldn¡¯t amount to very much on an individual basis. This title really only contributed to the specific fighting style that awarded it in the first place, one where he was mass killing enemies. It really didn¡¯t solve his health regeneration problem during individual fights, or between fights. Health regeneration would continue to be a gap in his skillset even with this bonus, especially against challenging enemies.


    He also rained on his own parade by considering the existence of a world first title. It obviously meant there would be others. Had the very first Champion received a bonus title as well? The first to get a class? Coop worried he was missing out, despite the incredible gains he just made.


    The Slayer title was exactly as Balor had advertised, providing a massive boost to his Mind stat. He intended to scale it even further by completing more quest chains. He checked his status to see the changes.


    [Status]


    HP - 1700/1700


    MP - 1838/3100


    Class - Revenant (Level 23)


    Profession - Basic Scavenging (Level 16)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 15 (+310)


    Agility - 15 (+155)


    Body - 15 (+155)


    Mind - 310


    Intelligence - 15


    Acumen - 15


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion II, Haunted, Ethereal, Bloodthirsty, Slayer I


    Skills (Active) - Identify, Retribution, Salvation


    Skills (Passive) - Common Language, Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application


    Quests - Defeat Ancient Prowlers IV (2365/5000), Defeat Primal Kites II (11/25), Upgrade Outpost to Village


    Basic Credits - 64,162


    Coop took a deep breath and enjoyed the moment. His stats had already been snowballing thanks to the bonuses provided by his passive skills, but adding 100 Mind all at once was an avalanche. These weren¡¯t the stats of a level 23 at all.


    He also admired his growing title list and the much cleaner quest list. His credits were coming along, but he wanted to make some expensive purchases next and needed to keep a buffer for the settlement¡¯s upgrade, so he would have to save a bit longer. He was fired up for his next goal. The Ancient Prowlers wouldn¡¯t know what hit them¡­ Starting tomorrow night. Tonight would be for appreciating the leap in power he had just taken.


    Coop returned to the fort and checked the leaderboards, Coop was ranked 74,239,965. It was a larger jump than he expected since his progress the last few days had slowed with the level difference between him and the Ancient Defenders diminishing his experience gains.


    He had been happy with all of the alternative ways he was progressing aside from leveling, and yet he had still gone up almost 25 million spots. Gaining that many spots despite the Chosen who would be leapfrogging his position everyday was a real surprise. He guessed that he was passing the Chosen who had already returned a week ago and ceased making progress without their faction pushing them. He hoped that was it anyway, the alternative was grim. He didn¡¯t want to think about what could be causing that many casualties. He checked the top 10.


    Day 16


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">The Lich (Level 45)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Banshee (Level 43)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Zombie Lord (Level 36)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Yang Feng (Level 29)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Che Min-Jun (Level 29)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Deacon Burke (Level 29)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Dai Huang (Level 29)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Krisje van Riel (Level 29)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Hai Yun (Level 29)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Mauro Rios (Level 29)</li>


    </ol>


    The top 10 was still in flux, with factions¡¯ Chosen jumping onto the leaderboards as they returned. The undead in the lead continued to be bizarre, with Banshee gaining five levels, The Lich gaining one, and Zombie Lord not gaining any levels in the six days since the leaderboards appeared. The only other familiar name was Hai Yun who gained two levels and hung onto the top 10. Coop had gained three levels in the same time period despite turning his attention to completing his quest chain.


    He was planning on pushing himself onto the leaderboard after all the Chosen had returned, but at the rate they were progressing right now, he might be able to climb into the top sooner. The levels were so consistent, it seemed like anyone could jump ahead by snagging a few levels from the early invader quest chains. Maybe the ones that appeared on the leaderboards were the ones who returned from their training and immediately completed a few quests.


    Coop headed back to the fort to relax for the rest of the evening. He wanted to spend time with his companions in the comfortable atmosphere of the Clumsy Shark.


    Maeve warmly welcomed him and invited him to have a seat at the bar. He joined Jones and Balor who were already enjoying themselves, exchanging stories with Desmond. Olani had her grandchildren in a booth, giving them lessons that could only come from the wisdom of age. She didn¡¯t realize Jett was distracting both boys by demanding pets from underneath the table. Even the three laborers were present at their own booth, with the blue humanoid and the beaver-man challenging each other to an unfamiliar card game while the insectoid silently observed, idly moving his translucent wings. The ever present fire in the fireplace glowed with an orange light that danced across the room and reflected off the glassware behind the bar. The pleasant ambience of the tavern was impossible to resist.


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Coop couldn¡¯t help but smile to himself. He couldn¡¯t imagine a better way to survive the apocalypse. A tropical island paradise, slowly filling with friendly companions, secure and comfortable inside a magically infused fortress. He was further motivated to gather his strength. They would protect this little haven and invite more people to join them. They still had plenty of room to expand within the courtyard.


    The constant threat of increasingly powerful enemies loomed just a tiny bit further away with their recent successes.


    Maeve noticed his content expression and nudged his shoulder with her own, smiling to herself. He received a bowl of stew and a mug of ale from Desmond. He savored the meal before joining the conversations of Balor and Jones.


    The stone elemental and the archaeologists had become good friends, with Jones helping the stonemason using his class skills, and both sharing an enthusiastic appreciation of the stone fort that they all resided in. As usual, the topic of discussion was the development of the city. They were considering what to do immediately after completing the bridge that would connect the two halves of the fort. Balor wanted to start with reinforcing the walls on the half that hadn¡¯t received any attention. Jones thought it would be better to have Balor lead the laborers in starting the roads before turning their attention to the walls. Coop didn¡¯t mind either way, but Balor thought it was sacrilege to leave the stones of the fort neglected for any longer.


    Coop let the pleasant atmosphere wash over him until he retired for the night. He was going to catch up on his own chores the following day. He couldn¡¯t hunt the Ancient Prowlers until night fell, so he was giving himself a free day. He wanted to check the trails and do some of the minor maintenance that he had left behind in the pre-mana times. A bit of normalcy would do him good. Coop figured there was a reason someone invented weekends and he wouldn¡¯t deny their brilliance by not taking the time to decompress from his leveling grind every once in a while.


    Coop washed up and went to sleep in one of the fluffy beds offered by Maeve. He went to sleep with a subtle appetite for more leveling slowly building during his break.


    The next day, Coop was taking his time, strolling along the trails of the island. He cleared any debris that had accumulated and replaced rocks that had been knocked out of place. The Ancient Defenders silently observed him as he completed minor tasks that reminded him of the times before people had to worry about levels and mana or monsters and aliens.


    He visited the burrowing owls that nested in the dunes. He identified a few before finding the one that was gaining levels.


    [Burrowing Owl (Level 21)]


    The owl¡¯s progress was impressive. Coop hoped he¡¯d keep hanging in there. Hopefully, nothing more dangerous than the local Ancient Defenders would bother them. Coop thought it was interesting that not all of the owls were leveling. The others that he was able to identify were still just regular owls. The special one was successfully keeping them safe.


    Coop moved on, walking the beach and leaving a solitary trail of footprints in the undisturbed sand. There weren¡¯t any fresh sea turtle tracks or signs of new nests. The nesting season had ended before the meteors arrived. He hoped the turtles wouldn¡¯t be distressed by the assimilation of mana. Gazing out over the sparkling ocean, he wondered if the Primal Constructs were also in the deep sea.


    An osprey dove feet first into the shallow water while he watched, catching an unsuspecting fish before flying toward the mangrove forest with its meal. He wondered if it was even necessary for it to eat with mana in the system. It seemed like birds had been the least affected by the assimilation of mana. He spotted frigate birds, terns, and petrels hunting fish and gliding between the islands. Pelicans seemed unbothered by the Primal Kites as they dove and swam where he knew he would have been ambushed by the monsters. The ever present gulls always made their presence known with their squawks, they were by far the most vocal of the residents. Coop even spotted a pair of anhingas with their wings extended at the edge of the mangrove forest, drying from their time spent swimming in the water.


    He figured it was about time he took a peek around the mangroves, so he followed one of the trails past the lighthouse and eastern beach. Approaching the mangroves really put their scale into perspective. The canopy used to only be about 20 feet high, with a thick tangle of roots that combined with wet muck and shallow water to make navigating through the forest near impossible. It was easier to kayak into the forest through one of the many salt water channels that connected an interior shallow lake with the ocean. After mana caused many of the trees to experience wild growth, the canopy now extended upwards of 200 feet. The difficult terrain remained, but Coop could see deep into the forest.


    The canopy extended beyond the edges of the biome, causing Coop to walk in the shade before reaching the end of the trail. The shade lowered the temperature, but the increased humidity prevented it from being more comfortable. The air tasted like salt and the thick foliage prevented the ocean breeze from providing relief. Coop summoned his armor. He left his weapon unsummoned, not sure what would be effective in the unique environment against unknown enemies. He was on a scouting side-mission anyway,  both hands free might be useful for grabbing branches if he needed to escape.


    Coop noted that he would have a much easier time moving through the forest than the pre-mana times. He climbed onto a large root and comfortably stood as if he was standing in the middle of a sidewalk. The roots of the bigger trees were large and stable compared to the ropey unstable, regular-sized roots. They created a sort of midlevel of boardwalks that would allow Coop to skip the mud completely. The overlapping roots would keep him 10 to 20 feet above the water with plenty of mostly open space until reaching the upper canopy. The regular sized mangroves were almost like bushes instead of trees at this midlevel, and the interior of the forest was wide open other than the occasional oversized trunk or thick branch that extended upwards to join the canopy.


    He hopped onto a particularly large root and found that it provided an easy walk deeper into the woods. Coop was able to travel by walking along one root and switching to another when the path ended due to the root curving into the shallow water or reconnecting to the trunk of its tree. They criss-crossed at such a frequency that navigating through wasn¡¯t bad after all. He kept a watchful eye out for new threats, feeling like he was exploring a primordial forest that humans had never discovered. He half expected a dinosaur to appear in the distance.


    He peeked over the edge of his current root bridge and down through the tangle of smaller roots. The ground layer was inundated with the dark coffee colored salt water. He had no idea how deep it was now. Before mana had changed things it stayed shallow throughout, until reaching the ocean, but now he wasn¡¯t sure if he was willing to test its depth.


    As he looked into the water some movement caught his eye. Turning his head to follow the movement, he saw nothing. The sunlight filtering through the mangrove canopy played tricks on his eyes. Something had definitely moved though, he could see the ripples still bouncing off the roots in the water.


    He kept watching, imagining anacondas underneath every shadow. He caught more movement in the periphery of his vision and he quickly turned and Identified it.


    [Ancient Devourer (Level 25)]


    Coop kept his eyes on the monster. It was far enough that he wasn¡¯t worried about it noticing him, but he was still wary. It moved slowly, jerkily shifting along while gripping the branch against its body. To Coop it looked like a large metal snail that was dragging itself along the large roots. The cylindrical shell reflected the light that streamed through the canopy.


    Not wanting to risk a scenario like the one he experienced with his first Primal Kites, he decided that this was good enough for his scouting mission. The monster in here was a large jump in levels from any of the ones he had already fought. He backed away, keeping an eye on it just in case.


    As Coop returned the way he came something burst out of the water. He barely dodged in time thanks to the enhanced speed provided by his improved Agility. He dove onto his stomach and clung to the wide root bridge while the monster sailed over the bridge and back into the water on the other side. He caught the tail end of whatever had jumped out of the water to attack him and identified it.


    [Primal Serpent (Level 23)]


    There were anacondas after all. Coop continued his retreat, knowing there were at least two new monster types inside the mangrove forest. He stayed on his toes until he was able to jump off of a root bridge and land back on the sandy ground at the edge of the forest.


    He hadn¡¯t gone very deep into the forest, but he had still come out with some valuable information. The two monsters he managed to identify were a significant jump in levels when compared to the monsters he had been fighting previously. But they weren¡¯t too high. Coop felt his greed for stats, dreaming about completing the quest chains for all of the monsters he had found so far.


    Besides the Ancient Defenders, he already found that the island had the Ancient Prowlers and Primal Kites which were around levels 10 to 15. Now he could add Ancient Devourers and Primal Serpents which seemed to be leveled in the low 20s. He dared to hope that their levels would remain constant thanks to the influence of the settlement¡¯s territory.


    Coop suspected that the island was uniquely diverse. He couldn¡¯t imagine that there were this many monster types in close proximity all over the planet. If there were, he didn¡¯t think the leaderboards would be as tight as they were. Some people would be traveling around and stacking up the easy levels to pull ahead at the start, even if it wouldn¡¯t work out with them holding a lead for the long run.


    Coop hadn¡¯t even checked the rest of the islands in the chain yet, and it already seemed like he would have plenty of his own monsters to grind. He wasn¡¯t in any danger of stagnating with his levels using his current strategy of grinding monsters until completing the quest chains.


    Unfortunately, it seemed like he couldn¡¯t stay in paradise forever, just grinding monsters and hanging out on the beach and in the tavern. He already had a quest that would temporarily take him away from the settlement. No one had come up with any ideas on how to complete the optional portion to retrieve the spectral relic yet, so he was already leaning toward skipping it. Ignoring the optional part, they were ready to complete the upgrade quest and push the settlement to a village. Then he didn¡¯t have to worry about interrupting his grinding in the foreseeable future. He¡¯d just have to take the occasional day off, like today, to avoid either burning out or losing himself in the routine like he had after losing his parents.


    He had one more chore he wanted to complete before he relaxed for the rest of the day. He wanted to return to the lighthouse and clean it up a bit. It had been sitting for two and a half weeks without any occupants. He probably needed to at least give it some dusting.


    The lighthouse was as he left it. He gave it a quick cleaning and left the door open to air it out a bit. He opened the sealed hatches and put things away that he had abandoned in his frantic escape during the initial day. Everything was in order before he was finished.


    As Coop left the lighthouse, excited to spend more time with his companions around the fort, he heard the warning bell ringing, loud and clear.

 Chapter 23: Camila

    Camila was watching calm waves roll over the deep ocean. She was far from her family, but they weren¡¯t the source of her worries. Her concerns were too profound to be actionable, and that drove her crazy. She was naturally decisive, seizing upon worthy goals and taking action to accomplish them. In this case, there wasn¡¯t much she could do. Her worries were for the future of humanity as a whole.


    When reality fell apart, she latched onto the first sign of sanity she found. Despite Charlie being a timid one, it was immediately clear that they shared the same reservations toward the aliens. She had thrown in with the sweet cinnamon bun and neither would allow the pair to be separated. Camila thought they made a perfect combination, like chips and salsa.


    People thought Camila was inherently talented, but that wasn¡¯t how she saw it. She was constantly working hard to become the person she wanted to be, creating her own opportunities and striving to perform beyond expectations. Then a bunch of aliens just had to invade Earth and mess everything up. The invaders actually had the nerve to act like they were doing humans a favor, like they were uplifting a primitive society by sharing the wonders of mana. They even hand selected individuals and called them Chosen, then bestowed blessings upon them, like they were Gods.


    The entire scenario was too pretentious. Camila saw through her faction¡¯s posturing immediately, but intended to take every advantage she could get her hands on. She¡¯d take whatever resources they were willing to provide, whether it was intel on their new system, magical equipment, or just networking, but she wouldn¡¯t be manipulated into becoming their tool.


    Camila was shocked other people actually fell for it. Somehow, after barely any time at all, the Empire had managed to convince regular people that they were special, capable of conquering the entire world and presenting it as a gift to the aliens. All in exchange for the mere promise of a place of honor among the stars. Some really believed they were the Chosen of Gods.


    Observing her temporary companions left her shaking her head. Give people the tiniest of ways to differentiate themselves from others and they immediately take it to a violent extreme. A week previously these would-be conquerors had been cashiers and office workers. The Champion of the Endless Empire¡¯s settlement was a freaking sophomore film student. It only took a week before he murdered someone to claim the settlement in the name of the Empire.


    It was damn fanatical. The aliens said jump and these people asked ¡®how high?¡¯ She didn¡¯t want any part of it, but all signs pointed to them needing a settlement for survival. She still planned on making her own way once they gathered the right people.


    She and Charlie had a simple plan after being returned to Earth from the attempted indoctrination with the Endless Empire, but they had been met with complication after complication. The first step required them to establish their homebase in the nearest settlement, where they could take advantage of being trained by the aliens to regroup with their own people.


    Even the first step turned out to be a pain. The state of the settlement they meant to use as their haven had been a major disappointment. The Empire¡¯s lackeys were ruling the settlement like authoritarians, trying to force loyalty with the threat of being exiled from the safe territory. Camila didn¡¯t like it one bit.


    Camila and Charlie wanted to make sure that Charlie¡¯s parents would be safe in the settlement, so they were still playing along. Charlie wanted to rescue a pair of island caretakers that she knew before the apocalypse. So, like good little soldiers, they approached some of the leadership to let them know they would be gone on an expedition and would be returning soon with a few more.


    Those damn weirdos thought the expedition was such a brilliant idea they formed an entire squad to go along and map the region while scouting for intel on potential threats. A little attention from some purple aliens and they were already treating the rest of humanity as either pawns or enemies.


    Charlie and Camila wanted it to just be the pair of them, but instead there were four parties of five sailing through the ocean. The only essential member of the entire squad of 20 was Charlie, as she used her skills to fill the sails and was the one navigating to an island that none of the rest had ever heard of. But everytime someone spotted some land or structure they had to go investigate thanks to their enthusiastic squad leader, Kevin the Hammer, as he called himself. Camila didn¡¯t think anyone had any nautical experience at all, and worse yet they were sailing some relic of preindustrial exploration.


    Poor Charlie was being run ragged, using up her mana every time they needed to change directions. The worst part was all the creepy guys with capes that followed Charlie around while she tried to recover. What was it with the capes? Camila was constantly shooing them away so that Charlie could relax.


    Unfortunately, no amount of driving away worked on their own party. Parker, Richard, and Eric had developed an immunity to her admonitions. She was sure it wasn¡¯t so simple as them ignoring hints. She believed the Empire had put them up to keeping an eye on the pair of girls as the Empire had flagged them both as valuable assets. Parker was some kind of rogue, Richard a sword wielding brawler, and Eric a magical archer. None of them were anything special, but they all received the maximum allotment of gear, so the Empire deemed them worth investing in for some reason. Two of them had capes.


    Charlie had predicted the trip would take 8-12 hours to reach their destination. Instead, the expedition had been going for three days and two nights, and Camila found the company to be miserable. Somehow the rest of the squad were enjoying themselves immensely, fashioning themselves as pirates and sailors aboard the carrack. The next person to tell her a pirate pun was getting thrown overboard.


    Camila could admit that there had been a few highlights, like when a pod of dolphins followed them for one afternoon. Surprisingly, all the dolphins had been above level 20, implying other monsters were in the water for them to defeat.


    The one detour they didn¡¯t take was when they spotted a massive tentacle reaching into the sky from the deep ocean. Not even the enthusiastic squad captain nor the wannabe pirates had any interest in meeting a sea monster.


    Their little detours hadn¡¯t resulted in finding anything else of note, just some buoys and the occasional shallow reef, so when some idiot yelled, ¡°Land ho!¡± she found herself frowning. But this time Charlie finally confirmed that it was their destination, Ghost Reef.


    Camila found herself joining everyone else to lean over the side with the wind in her face to get a better look. At first it was just a speck on the horizon to the west. As they moved closer they could make out more details. From this side, the island was mostly mangroves, but a lighthouse was visible to the south and an imposing stone fortress to the north of the island.


    The fortress was startling, a huge construction in the middle of the ocean, it seemed to be almost the size of the island itself with half of it escaping into the sea. The introduction of mana had caused a channel to be cut down the middle of the fortress separating it into two halves, giving her a clear view to the ocean on the other side. Camila was amazed at the sheer scale of the stone construction, and judging by the conversations around her, she wasn¡¯t the only one. It must have been an immense undertaking to even deliver that amount of stone to the remote island, let alone build the thing.


    Charlie navigated them in a wide sweeping turn around the north, some distance from the island. She knew where the coral reefs should be, and was directing them to a channel that would lead to a dock on the opposite side of the island. As they went around on the north a loud, clear bell started ringing from the fortress. She thought that was good news as it meant at least one of the two caretakers was still alive. They might be trying to get the ship¡¯s attention for rescue. She hoped they could grab the two and head back before the squad got any ideas about exploring even further.


    As they approached the channel they could make out two figures on the ramparts. Camila was relieved that both were accounted for, but then she spotted two smaller figures running back and forth behind the walls. It seemed like there were more people on the isolated island than anticipated. She was curious who they would find. One of the taller figures disappeared from the walls while the other remained. Even at this distance Camila knew it was Jones still observing them as Charlie had described both him and Coop to her in many conversations.


    One of the crew announced that his mana detection skill indicated that they had entered a settlement¡¯s territory. This caught everyone by surprise. There was plenty of murmuring from the squad. A settlement out here in the middle of nowhere? They were supposed to be population centers.


    ¡°Be ready for battle.¡± Kevin the Hammer gave a meaningless order, they weren¡¯t actually sailors, they didn¡¯t have battlestations. A few people scrambled around but most people just kept watching the looming fortress. Camila scoffed, imagining them manning the missing cannons on their ship. Then again, they were close enough that she could see that the fortress actually had their own cannons, and it wasn¡¯t just a few. It was an intimidating sight.


    They slowly approached the dock. As they neared, the entire ship was washed with a looming presence that made the fine hairs on the back of Camila¡¯s neck stand up. She felt like she was being chased by the villain of a slasher movie that had come to life. She looked around to see that everyone felt it. Some were gasping, others were pale with eyes bulging. Kevin the Hammer had broken into a sweat with his eyes locked on the figure waiting for them on the dock. They were too close to turn the boat around and flee.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    The monster on the dock raised its arm in a wave. Once they were within shouting distance it yelled, ¡°Hey there! Y¡¯all need any help?¡± And the spell was broken. Whatever had gripped the entire crew was released. As they drifted closer, Camila, along with everyone else on the boat, identified the man on the dock.


    [Human (Level 23)]


    Every person on the boat was at least level 25, with most at 26, and Kevin at 27. The dockman shouldn¡¯t have been as intimidating as his aura indicated.


    ¡°Tch, his faction must have let him out early.¡± Kevin mumbled to no one in particular. Without a faction, only the exceptional would be above level 17 by now, and with a faction they should have been 25 for a week already. The crew came to their own conclusions on how he reached his level of 23.


    They finally reached the dock and the shirtless man moved to help secure the vessel. His shoulders and triceps bulged as he pressed the side of the ship while it gently compacted the buoys that lined the dock before it settled a dozen feet away off the dock. She thought the ship was much too large for him to have had any effect in slowing it down, but Charlie had done an expert job bringing them to a stop so smoothly. No one threw any ropes down.


    Kevin leaned over the rail and asked, ¡°What faction do you represent?¡± The ship was elevated enough that they would have to raise their voice to be heard on the dock.


    The man visibly shrugged, ¡°Don¡¯t have one.¡± He answered. ¡°We¡¯ve got food and beds if you want.¡± He offered, still waiting to help them tie down the ship. Only the sounds of the waves lapping against the dock offered him any response as he stepped back to get a better look over the railing without craning his neck straight up.


    Kevin finally broke the silence. ¡°Just tell us your faction.¡± He demanded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have one.¡¯¡¯ He spread his arms, ¡°What do you want me to say?¡±


    Camila left the scene while Kevin gathered his party and began discussing what to do, out of sight of the man on the dock. Camila went to retrieve Charlie who was still doing all the work steering the ship, powering the sails, and navigating the channel from the rear of the ship.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Charlie asked, wiping sweat from her brow. ¡°We docked right? I tried to be careful but it¡¯s hard to slow down.¡±


    ¡°Your boyfriend scared the hell out of everyone with his aura, so now they¡¯re afraid of getting off.¡± Camila explained to the flushed Charlie. ¡°C¡¯mon I want to make sure they don¡¯t try anything funny.¡± She added. ¡°Plus, I want to get a better look at him, he was waiting on the dock in nothing but shorts.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like Coop¡­¡± Charlie confirmed with a sigh, before adding, ¡°and he¡¯s not my boyfriend, we were more like friends from work.¡± She repeatedly reminded Camila knowing she would continue to ignore her. The pair made it to the bow while Kevin was still huddling with his party.


    The squad captain believed Coop was lying about his faction affiliation, but also suspected that he was only the muscle for the settlement. Kevin predicted that the Champion was the one watching them from the walls and it was his faction they needed to learn. The mission had unexpectedly changed from recruiting a few more willing residents for the Empire to dealing with a completely different settlement.


    Charlie leaned over the railing, excited to see her friend, ¡°Hey Coop!¡± She greeted him with a friendly wave garnering the attention of the rest of the squad as well. Many of them had never even heard Charlie¡¯s voice before. Camila also leaned over to get another look. He was tall, suntanned, and barefoot, with dark blue shorts that stopped above his knees showing off athletic legs. Camila had to admit that he was nice to look at.


    He gave a handsome open-mouthed smile to Charlie¡¯s greeting. ¡°Charlie!¡± He exclaimed with impossible to fake, genuine excitement. His unkempt hair was casually swept off his forehead. Camila looked at Charlie¡¯s hair and thought it must be an island thing.


    ¡°What are you doing here? Did you come to visit?¡± Coop asked, surprised to see Charlie.


    ¡°More like¡­ rescue you and Jones¡­¡± Charlie modestly explained, pressing her fingers together in embarrassment at her admission.


    ¡°Wow, you really went above and beyond, Charlie!¡± Coop enthused, causing Charlie to look down. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I took good care of your book.¡± He promised. ¡°We didn¡¯t think anyone would come, so we hunkered down in the fort. You should check it out. You¡¯ll love the stew.¡±


    Before Charlie could answer, Kevin leaned over the railing and cut in. ¡°Why offer useless things like food? Mana takes care of all that stuff.¡± He looked at Coop suspiciously.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a good idea to keep doing the things that remind us we¡¯re human.¡± Coop gave another casual shrug. ¡°You know, for keeping perspective.¡±


    A few of the crew scoffed, believing mana had truly made them superior beings. But Camila found herself nodding, realizing how simple but thoughtful the idea was. She only needed to look around her to find people who behaved more like aliens than humans. They could use the reminder that a nice meal or a warm bath might bring. When Coop¡¯s easy gaze met her eyes she caught the stupid grin that had snuck onto her face and paused her nodding. She stepped away from the railing, but couldn¡¯t stop the tingling feeling that ran down her spine.


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s hot.¡± She admitted to Charlie as she pulled her aside. Charlie was giving her a gratified smile. ¡°And he¡¯s just shirtless like that? All the time?¡± She jokingly asked Charlie, better understanding Charlie¡¯s motivation.


    ¡°Sometimes he would wear one of those stringy tank tops when we all had dinner together.¡± Charlie teased back, satisfied that Camila was on the same page.


    ¡°I thought you said he was sorta detached, like he had something weighing him down? He seems engaged and friendly.¡± Camila asked. Coop had been a recurring topic during their slumber parties.


    Charlie made a noncommittal gesture. ¡°Seems like mana did him good.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll say!¡± Camila nodded to herself, making a decision and turning back to the crew. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be staying.¡± She announced to the squad. ¡°C¡¯mon, Charlie.¡±


    Camila hopped onto the railing and, using a skill, vaulted from the ship to the dock. She landed so quickly she had turned into a blur. She looked up at the turning Coop and gave him her most innocent smile.


    ¡°You wanna show me around?¡± She made the request sound like an invitation. His flustered expression was exactly what she aimed for. Charlie landed gently behind her, using a gust of wind to make the jump and another to make a soft landing.


    Charlie took one look at Coop¡¯s face and gave a knowing laugh, ¡°Coop, this is Camila.¡± She introduced them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll get used to her. Probably.¡± She hesitantly assured the confused Coop.


    ¡°Charlie has already told me all about you.¡± Camila added, causing Charlie to match Coop¡¯s flustered expression.


    ¡°Uhh, good things, I hope?¡± Coop responded, still bewildered.


    ¡°Some¡­¡± Camila let her answer trail off to encourage his imagination. The truth wasn¡¯t that exciting.


    Camila glanced back at their squad and spotted a lot of complicated expressions over the railings. Some were scowling in frustration and others scrunched their faces in jealousy, she noted that even some of the girls looked disappointed that Camila was giving someone else attention, but the dam had broken. Someone finally threw a rope over so they could tie the ship to the dock and extend the gangway.


    Coop took care of securing the vessel while the squad disembarked, leaving one party to stay on the boat as security. She noticed how quick he was to offer a helping hand regardless of who needed it. It was the largest contrast between how he had been described and how he appeared. She expected to find an aloof guy, but he was attentive and helpful. It seemed like he had worked through whatever was depressing him before the apocalypse.


    Camila stayed close to Charlie while she took in the scene. The dock was a concrete sea wall, wide enough to accommodate a large passenger ferry. It was well-maintained, seemingly swept of sand and cleaned recently. Behind it was a wide flat area with thin stringy patches of grass stabilizing the sand, and even further was a wide moat that would be difficult to vault even with her skills. On the other side of the moat was the weathered, light red fortress with three layers of cannon ports open and threatening.


    The dock continued along the shore until it turned into a packed sand trail, lined by grapefruit-sized coral rocks. The trail led straight inland, parallel with the moat and wall until it reached the shade of a copse of abnormally large palm trees. The palm trees marked a crossroads of trails, leading in all four cardinal directions. The trail to the south ran along a picturesque white sand beach with a lighthouse in the distance, the east showed mangroves in the distance after more flat areas of thin grasses, and to the north was a wooden bridge that led to an iron gate and the entrance of the fortress. Admiring the beach, Camila would have taken a vacation here.


    Approaching the gate, they were greeted by the waiting Jones. He was obviously happy to see Charlie alive and well, and she was equally excited to see how young and healthy he was. Camila was introduced and he invited them all inside to a Tavern to continue the reunion between the park ranger and the caretakers. That was when Kevin cut in, halting the procession.


    ¡°Jones is it, then? What faction is your settlement? The young man here refused to share.¡± Kevin not so diplomatically asked.


    Jones was unperturbed by the question. ¡°The settlement is independent, as is Coop.¡± Jones confirmed. ¡°From what I understand sponsorships were concentrated around population centers, so those of us stuck in isolated places were less likely to be offered.¡± He tactfully explained.


    ¡°For real?¡± Kevin continued, turning to Coop, finally coming around to the possibility that he was telling the truth. ¡°In that case I¡¯ll give you this one for free, kid. You need an aura skill. A faction would have told you that before you hit level 5.¡± He gave Coop a pitiable look.


    ¡°I¡¯ll consider it when I hit 25.¡± Coop responded noncommittally, she could tell he didn¡¯t appreciate having Kevin look down on him.


    Kevin made an annoying sound with his teeth. ¡°Don¡¯t be arrogant about levels, it¡¯s hard to get them without simulation training from the factions. Non-Chosen won¡¯t get past 25 before Day 30.¡±


    Coop just hit him with a ¡°Heh.¡± and led the way through the entrance. To Camila he seemed confident, like he had just confirmed something that they didn¡¯t know. Camila wanted to know.

 Chapter 24: Island Hospitality

    Coop had done his best to be hospitable when he welcomed the ship full of people to the island. He thought he was improving his ambassadorial skills with all the practice he had been getting between the aliens and the refugees, but he didn¡¯t think it had gone very well. The leader had been kind of hostile from the start. He wasn¡¯t sure where he went wrong.


    As soon as he and Jones had seen the ship, they saw it as the perfect opportunity. Coop needed a ride to what they assumed was an oil rig. He was hoping to get in the visitors¡¯ good graces in order to hitch a ride. He glanced at the crowd as he led them down the main street. Most of them were gawking at the few buildings and the outlines of the future city. They were all sort of matching, it was clear their equipment had all come from the same place, but each one had individual customizations.


    He led the visitors to the Tavern, where the hospitality experts, Maeve and Desmond, would take over. He noted that before any of the visitors entered the establishment, they each openly stared at the civilization shard. It seemed like most of them had never seen one before. Another oddity from the obvious group of Chosen.


    The squad of Chosen didn¡¯t seem all bad. Their stated purpose was to collect stranded people and bring them back to the safety of their own settlement. He thought that was a noble task. If they had arrived at Olani¡¯s village a week ago they might have saved lives.


    Their attitudes, however, had confirmed a few of Coop¡¯s predictions. When he had first seen the leaderboards he thought that Chosen would see themselves as special and not be able to quickly adapt to leveling on Earth when the training wheels were taken off. At least with this group, he believed he was correct.


    Based on their levels, they had all been back for at most a week, when the factions had sent back level 25s, yet, none of them had made very much progress. Two levels in a week didn¡¯t impress Coop in the slightest. Hell, any of them could walk outside the fort for 10 minutes and kill enough Ancient Defenders to gain two levels from completing the first stages of the quest. Instead, they seemed to be leveraging their headstart to consolidate territory. That might be the right decision for a faction, but he didn¡¯t think it was the correct move for individuals. He didn¡¯t know enough about their plans to fully condemn their organization, but if it was him, he would be trying to leverage the headstart into momentum for even more levels.


    Coop meant to slip away to update Jones and Olani on their guests, but Charlie and her beautiful friend, Camila, stuck with him instead of their companions.


    ¡°So, how about that tour?¡± Camila suggested.


    She seemed eager for an excuse to leave the rest of the squad behind, so he obliged. He wasn¡¯t Jones, so his guided tour wasn¡¯t practiced, nor was it particularly informative. They still listened intently as he pointed out the buildings they already had and some of the general plans that Balor and Jones had worked out. Once they returned to the entrance he led them both to the mess hall. Charlie would be familiar with the interior of the fort from her visits as a park ranger.


    ¡°Well Charlie, we¡¯re gonna have to change our plans.¡± Camila stated as they sat at one of the bench tables.


    ¡°Definitely.¡± Charlie agreed.


    Coop looked at each of them in turn, waiting for the explanation. What was their faction planning? Did they have the authority to change plans like that? When they both just looked at each other pensively, seeming to forget he was even there, he asked. ¡°What plans?¡±


    Camila spoke up. ¡°Me and Charlie started this little expedition to come pick you and Jones up and bring you to the safety of a settlement. We were gathering Charlie¡¯s family and other people we didn¡¯t want to leave behind. Once we gathered everyone, we were going to decide whether to stick with the faction or make a break for it. With our levels we thought we would be able to survive the journey through the wilds until we found another settlement, as long as we left early enough.¡± She sighed with a weariness that surprised Coop.


    Camila continued by explaining where she thought things went wrong. ¡°We already screwed up by letting our faction know that we were leaving and bringing people back. We didn¡¯t want them to retaliate, thinking we had already gone awol. They ended up agreeing with the idea and added the rest of these people to the expedition and made it a whole thing.¡± She gestured her hands as if asking ¡®what can you do?¡¯


    ¡°Then it turns out you and Jones have your own settlement, and have gone above and beyond developing it. Obviously, you guys shouldn¡¯t leave. How the heck did you build it up so much already anyway?¡± She queried Coop.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like anyone else was gonna claim it and I make a lot of credits with my profession, I guess.¡± He had suspected scavenging combined with his grinding was a strong combination, especially when the settlement had upgraded and jumped onto the leaderboards way ahead of where he expected.


    Camila nodded, ¡°I don¡¯t think the Empire¡¯s settlement has constructed any buildings at all.¡± She looked at Charlie who shook her head. ¡°The faction keeps the civilization shard locked and secure, so we don¡¯t have professions yet either, and we¡¯re among their elites. The only time people see the shard is if they are making an official pledge to join the faction. Meanwhile, you¡¯ve got one sitting in the middle of your courtyard.¡± She laughed at the contrast. ¡°Of course you have a fortress for security. The Empire is using its residents as a meat shield to protect the shard and their core members.¡±


    Coop cringed at the idea of a human wall protecting the shard. ¡°You could just stay here.¡± He openly invited.


    Charlie responded sadly to the offer, ¡°My parents should be in the other settlement soon, if they aren¡¯t already. We¡¯ll need to go get them. And there were other people I wanted to look for back on the mainland.¡±


    Camila chimed in as well, ¡°That¡¯s not even the worst of it. The rest of the squad knows there¡¯s a civilization shard here, once they bring that information back, The Empire won¡¯t want to leave you alone. Hope you¡¯re prepared to play politics.¡± She added.


    It was Coop¡¯s turn to sigh. ¡°Damn. And I was just hoping to catch a ride on your boat. I¡¯ve got a quest I have to get off the island to complete.¡± Coop piled on.


    ¡°Well, we can help with that¡­¡± Camila pointed to Charlie, ¡°She¡¯s the only one that can drive it. She¡¯s got wind powers. They can¡¯t say no if we want to go somewhere.¡±


    Coop explained the location of the quest. Charlie was confident that it was doable, but was worried about what the rest of the squad would do. They decided they would wait until the next day to break the news.


    ¡°So Coop, how have you leveled so much? Our faction told us that we would be way ahead since people would only get a level a day, but you¡¯re pretty much caught up.¡± Camila asked.


    ¡°I dunno, I¡¯ve just been killing a lot of monsters while completing some quests.¡± Coop responded truthfully.


    ¡°A lot of monsters?¡± Charlie led Coop to elaborate. ¡°How many would that be?¡±


    ¡°Should be almost 20,000 so far.¡± Coop estimated. Charlie looked at him like she was expecting a punchline. Coop thought his quick math was about right.


    ¡°You serious, man?¡± Camila asked, flabbergasted. ¡±I guess that explains the ridiculous aura. It freaked out the whole ship.¡±


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    ¡°That guy was serious? I thought he was just being a jerk.¡± Coop wondered.


    Camila nodded, ¡°He was serious, but he was also being a jerk. You really do need an aura skill. Your aura is something else.¡± She explained.


    ¡°Your first impression is like a bloodthirsty ghost.¡± Charlie offered. ¡°Scary.¡±


    Coop would think more seriously about taking an aura skill after all. It seemed like he was broadcasting more information than he meant to without one. A more sophisticated reading of his aura would probably reveal his class, affinity, and titles. But there were so many different utilities he was hoping to add that would round out his build. Before he started dreaming about skills, he was interrupted by Jett hopping into his lap.


    The pair of girls were lavishing praise on the purring Jett when Jones and Olani also arrived. Coop informed both of them of the possibility of his boat trip as well as the demeanor of the visiting squad. Jones wasn¡¯t happy about getting the attention of a potentially aggressive faction so early, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. They would just have to be good hosts until Charlie sailed them away.


    When Jones found out about the state of the Empire¡¯s settlement he was surprised. They estimated over one million people were residents and they hadn¡¯t made any progress on their settlement. They were concentrating on strong-arming loyalty and registering people for their faction. Olani was just bewildered by the scale. She had lived her entire long life around barely more than 50 people.


    Eventually, Coop suggested they take the girls to see what professions they had available. He was curious if they would have synergistic ones since they had already established their classes. The group split up as Coop led the way to the shard.


    It was already evening after his day of chores and the unexpected arrivals. The sky was promising a spectacular sunset. The fluffy clouds were reflecting oranges and pinks from beyond the horizon while the sky remained blue. Coop had planned to take the day off before a ship arrived at their dock, but now he was fired up to get some levels just to shove them in his doubters¡¯ faces. He would be hunting Ancient Prowlers tonight.


    As they reached the town circle they met Balor. He was leaving the Tavern a bit earlier than normal and stopped to speak with Coop.


    ¡°Oi, lad, you got some rowdy ones banging around the Tavern. It¡¯s like a bunch of fresh recruits on their first leave.¡± Balor reported.


    ¡°Are Maeve and Desmond alright?¡± Coop worriedly asked. He felt bad about dumping the entire squad of visitors on them.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about them. Either one of those two would be able to put me out their door and on my arse. And I¡¯m a lot stronger than the lot o¡¯ them. A lot heavier too!¡± The stone elemental answered, flicking his thumb at the bar. ¡°I reckon they¡¯ll all be put to sleep by the ale soon enough.¡±


    Balor glanced at Coop¡¯s companions. ¡°Are these lasses yours then?¡± He asked, gesturing to Camila and Charlie seemingly just noticing them. ¡°Can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised, but I prefer mine sturdier! And with bigger beards. But good for you, Champion.¡± He patted Coop¡¯s shoulder with a heavy stone hand.


    Before Coop could answer, Balor changed subjects. ¡°Oh! We¡¯ll be working on your bridge soon enough. We¡¯re almost done with all the most important repairs. We can continue the mana reinforcement while starting the bigger project. I¡¯ll make that bridge a wonder to match the walls, don¡¯t you worry about that either.¡±


    Coop just thanked him as Balor waved over his shoulder, walking down the main street to his workshop. He looked toward Camila and Charlie to apologize about the Dwarf-like alien, but Camila was quicker.


    ¡°You¡¯re the Champion? Not Jones?¡± She asked with an eyebrow raised, deliberately ignoring the other parts of Balor¡¯s conversation. Coop nodded. ¡°The rest of the squad are under the impression Jones is the Champion and you¡¯re just the muscle.¡±


    He decided not to correct their mistake. After their brief stop with Balor, they continued to the shard. When they reached it, they discovered that neither Charlie nor Camila could access any menus. They only had options to renounce their faction. Camila was going to go ahead and drop the Empire, but Charlie cautioned her in case the faction had some way to keep track of their status when they still needed to return.


    Coop was disappointed that they couldn¡¯t get a profession. He tried to figure out why they were locked out of his shard. The only thing they could come up with was that they had already established they were residents of the other settlement. Residents might be bound to a single settlement. They weren¡¯t sure though. They knew the Empire planned to control more than one shard, so there might be some other mechanics that hadn¡¯t been revealed. At least they confirmed that they could easily drop their faction. They already knew that joining a faction required accessing a shard, as that was how the Empire was recruiting, but now they knew how to leave one as well.


    With the profession acquisition a bust, Coop had another idea. He Identified both girls to make sure.


    [Human (Level 26)]


    [Human (Level 26)]


    Double checking the leaderboards he confirmed that it was possible to boost both of them into the top 10. Other than the undead, none of the top 10 was level 30. If they completed the first two stages of the Ancient Defender and Ancient Prowler quests they could jump straight to 30 themselves.


    He explained what he was thinking to Camila and Charlie, but also added the caveat that he wasn¡¯t sure if it was worth it in the long run. Personally, he felt like he had no choice but completing the quests because how else would he get experience other than defeating the monsters? It was impossible for him to avoid the quests and there was no point in saving the quests for later if he never leveled anyway. With his grinding tactic the quests were essentially just the cherry on top. For the girls, they might want to save the quest chains for higher levels that would otherwise take longer to get the experience for.


    While they discussed his idea, he led them to his favorite palm tree on the beach. When they arrived he invited them to sit down and enjoy the sunset. He would have been more self conscious if it wasn¡¯t something he already tried to do everyday. Camila and Charlie shared a look but joined him in the sand, avoiding overthinking the unintentionally romantic gesture.


    It was a strange contrast, taking the time to appreciate a tropical island paradise while also experiencing an apocalypse, but they enjoyed it all the same. The trio had already begun establishing a camaraderie that they hoped would endure into the unknown future. Charlie had already been a thoughtful friend and Camila wasn¡¯t afraid to advertise her ride or die personality. Coop valued the effort the girls had already put into helping him and he was happy to offer his aid in return. In the end the girls decided to save the Ancient Defenders for when they were able to settle into Ghost Reef, but they¡¯d give the Prowlers a shot.


    Coop wondered how their faction planned on leveling. They explained the faction¡¯s doctrine. After Day 30, when all Chosen were returned, they would form balanced parties of five and enter special zones, like Mana Wells or Dungeons, where they would fight difficult encounters and rest before continuing. They were expecting settlement events to carry them for the bulk of their progression, but the parties would fill the time in between.


    The factions concluded that traveling to complete many of the invader quests was simply not worth it and favored occupying particular hunting grounds instead. It was more or less what Coop had assumed. He still thought Ghost Reef had an unusual density of invaders that altered the calculus.


    When he pointed out the Mana Well directly in their line of sight they were both shocked. It was another thing to keep secret from the rest of the squad, as Mana Wells were essentially strategic resources. Coop pointed out anyone could just look and see it, but they didn¡¯t think people would realize what they were looking at.


    After the sun had fully sunk beneath the horizon, he led the girls across the dunes to the scrubland that the land crabs and sandpipers yielded to the Ancient Prowlers at night. He explained how the quick little monsters fought in packs that relied on a series of ambushes and applying the Vulnerable debuff, then offered them a demonstration. He would start his grind and they could hunt other packs together when they were comfortable. They barely hid their self-assuredness as they were both higher level than the monsters and Coop himself.


    He used Salvation to summon his ethereal armor and cast Retribution to summon an ethereal glaive, preparing to engage the first pack. But he paused at the surprised looks he was getting. They hadn¡¯t expected him to equip himself so thoroughly. One of the advantages the factions provided was gear while everyone else struggled with collecting any armor at all. Settlements would eventually be able to craft equipment, but that would still be further along the timeline.


    Camila asked him if he sculpted his abs into his armor deliberately or what, but he told them that was just how it appeared. He believed it was mist and it just happened to be formfitting. She remained skeptical, but didn¡¯t hide her stare. He left them to start his hunt, but Camila wasn¡¯t done discussing his armor.


    ¡°What is it about a man in a skirt that¡¯s so sexy? I know he¡¯s got shorts on under there.¡± She asked Charlie.


    Charlie agreed. ¡°I blame Hollywood. How many times have you seen a hot gladiator or spartan?¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Camila was easily convinced.


    The pair watched as Coop approached the first pack of monsters.

 Chapter 25: Ancient Prowlers

    Coop began his Ancient Prowler hunting session with an audience. He trusted Charlie so he thought it would be fine that some of his abilities would be revealed. He wouldn¡¯t be showing much other than his Salvation and Retribution skills when he summoned his equipment, but they might be able to glean his attributes by watching carefully. He didn¡¯t use any teleports while fighting Ancient Prowlers, so that trick would still be in his back pocket. Defeating the monsters only depended on his superior attributes and his choice of weapon.


    He had made some huge gains to his attributes since the last time that he fought the Ancient Prowlers. The difference in the numerical value of his stats was staggering. He was noticeably faster and thanks to the +100 Mind bonus gained from completing the quest chain and earning the Slayer title. Compared to the more gradual increase to his stats as he leveled, the change was a massive step up. He predicted a much longer hunting session thanks to his ability to avoid even more damage. Preventing the stacking debuff would be the key to hunting the Ancient Prowlers.


    Camila and Charlie watched from the dunes as Coop fought his first pack of Ancient Prowlers, then another, and another. He just kept going, not needing any breaks. They were bewildered that Coop didn¡¯t seem to be limited by cooldowns or mana. After spectating for slightly too long, they went to try fighting their own battle.


    He could tell they felt confident that the pair of them would be more than a match for the Ancient Prowlers. They were both higher level than Coop and much higher level than the monsters. Coop had made it look easy, completely avoiding the ambushes and smoothly executing the monsters one by one before moving to a new pack, without stopping. He had warned them that they were tricky enemies, but there was only so much he could convey with words. He knew Charlie well enough to know she wouldn¡¯t do anything without taking some precautions but Camila had shown him nothing but confidence.


    The pair of girls approached a lone Ancient Prowler and opened with Charlie using her wind powers to summon a dust devil. The tiny twister immediately started kicking up loose sand from the otherwise compacted ground. They intended to eliminate the first monster and empower the starter ability into a tornado to defeat the rest of the pack while Camila protected Charlie. A standard tactic that they had used many times before, in training, and against the monsters in the city.


    The Ancient Prowler was too quick to be caught by the escalating tornado and launched itself at the offending mage instead. The dust devil was left behind, whipping up sand by itself, as the monster leapt to the side and then forward with a nimbleness that neither of the pair expected. Coop¡¯s speed had deceived them into thinking the monsters weren¡¯t so overwhelmingly quick.


    Camila intercepted the leaping monster, but, because of the monster¡¯s dexterity,  instead of countering the attack she was forced into an awkward block with her bracers, taking a stack of the Vulnerable debuff on the very first exchange. She was surprised that the monster had been as nimble as it was. Coop expected them to handle it, but felt a twinge of worry that their engagement had started so poorly. He paused in between packs, just in case.


    Charlie raised her arm and brought it down in a chopping motion, forming a thin blade of water that chased her fingers down. The water blade began moving away from her at a moderate pace. It wasn¡¯t very fast but it was cutting through the air with a dangerous sharpness. Normally, it would be easy to avoid such a slow moving and obviously harmful attack.


    Camila launched herself forward, flanking the creature as it reset its stance to resume its attack. She used her momentum to kick the monster into the path of the water blade. When Camila activated her abilities, she was easily a match for the speed of the monsters. The blade cleaved the kicked monster with barely any resistance before it evaporated into the air. The combination of skills defeated the first monster, but Camila had already taken some damage.


    The second monster ambushed Charlie before either of the girls were prepared. Her thick cloak prevented a serious injury, but she was almost knocked down, and received her own stack of the Vulnerable debuff. Charlie was slow to recover her balance, contrasting Camila¡¯s heavy investment into Agility and Coop¡¯s own stat bonuses.


    Camila was the first to respond to the ambush. She leapt forward and punched the monster with a straight right strike, followed by a jab, and finally a right hook. The monster was smashed into the ground by the series of punches, stunned, allowing Camila to follow with a stomp that crushed the monster¡¯s head. The second monster was defeated. Camila was dangerously fast, especially when she started building momentum.


    The third monster had tried to use the moment that the second monster was stunned to sneak attack Camila mid stomp. Her speed allowed her to finish the combination, and the ambusher failed to save the previous monster, but it still landed a solid attack on Camila¡¯s thigh, causing her to flinch away.


    Charlie blasted the attacker with a gust of wind that lifted it into the air and launched it away, giving the girls space to regroup. But the fourth monster didn¡¯t waste time, ambushing Charlie while she was distracted with her successful gust.


    The monster was foiled by Charlie¡¯s heavy cloak, but its low attack took Charlie¡¯s feet out from under her. Before the monster could follow up with more attacks on Charlie, Camila rejoined the fight as a blur, opening with a massive kick that split the monster in half. Both parts disintegrated into smoke as they flew away.


    The other monster paused its rush to rejoin the fight and stared the two girls down, slowly circling the two. Camila matched its pace before Charlie reengaged the fight by swinging her hand horizontally, forming a wide blade of water that moved slowly forward.


    Camila began as soon as Charlie¡¯s arm moved like it was the starter flag for a race, launching herself past the monster. The monster turned to face Camila who feinted once to the right before lunging left and striking the monster with a solid right elbow to the top of the head. She took one more step to spin and knee the monster into the path of the water blade. The monster was too stunned to avoid the attack and was defeated by the water blade.


    The final monster of the pack ambushed Camila, trying to catch her off balance after her combination on the previous enemy. Camila was too fast, and properly anticipating the ambush, was able to dodge backwards out of the way. The monster didn¡¯t get a chance to try again as Charlie¡¯s gust of wind pressed it into the ground as soon as it landed. Camila finished it off with a combination of kicks to the head, ending the fight like it was a brutal street brawl. Both girls glowed with a soft white light indicating that they had leveled.


    Coop returned to his hunting, a bit relieved that they had won after all. He didn¡¯t want them to know he held any doubts, so he pretended that he hadn¡¯t stopped to watch. He returned his concentration to his own battles.


    Watching the girls reset their fight had given him an idea for how he could improve his own tactics. The problem he needed to address was the stacking Vulnerable debuff. Thanks to his Bloodthirsty title¡¯s health regeneration on kill he was able to comfortably maintain his health pool, for the most part. However, if the debuff stacked too high, every attack he received would become dangerous. It wouldn¡¯t matter if his health was at its maximum if even a slight scratch dealt damage in the hundreds.


    Coop was finding that if he slowed his fights down, just a little, he could control the ambushes even further. This would allow him to dodge more consistently, especially with his improved stats, and therefore take less stacks of the Vulnerable debuff. Adding an extra second to each individual fight would save him a significant amount of time in breaks over the course of his hunt. If he could avoid taking any damage for long enough the debuff stacks would expire on their own, and he wouldn¡¯t need to stop at all.


    He switched to a more conservative battle style, avoiding damage as much as possible, keeping the monsters in his glaive¡¯s killing range. Even slightly slowed down, he was killing Ancient Prowlers faster than he ever defeated Ancient Defenders. The limitation with the Defenders was in the time taken to travel from monster to monster, but the Prowlers basically came to him. As long as he didn¡¯t need to retreat there was essentially no pause in his experience gains. The new tempo worked like a charm.


    ¡ª


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    Camila flopped into the sand of the dune, bloodied and frustrated. She watched as Charlie sat next to her with a wince. Charlie had avoided the jagged teeth of the Ancient Prowlers thanks to her heavy cloak, but Camila hadn¡¯t been spared. Charlie conjured a light rain shower that was so gentle it was more like a morning mist. It was a rare spell that increased their regeneration by a large amount, allowing them to heal as long as they stayed in the drizzle. Camila appreciated that it also washed the evidence of their injuries away.


    Camila looked at her health and grimaced. The one battle had reduced her to less than 40% health remaining. Even with Charlie¡¯s healing rain it would take some time to fully regenerate. She had accumulated four stacks of the Vulnerable debuff that Coop had repeatedly warned them about. The stinging wounds did nothing to alleviate her pride. Not even the level they had both received for completing the first stage of the Ancient Prowler quest chain made her feel better.


    It was embarrassing that they hadn¡¯t taken his warnings seriously enough. She watched as he cleaved a monster in two and cleanly avoided the sneak attack of the next. He barely moved his feet, pivoting only slightly to behead the ambushing monster before it even hit the ground. He made the monsters look slow and clumsy.


    She knew they weren¡¯t. Camila was fast. It was the entire basis of her class, with her damage being derived entirely from her speed and timing. She was forced to use all of her skills to outmaneuver the one pack of Ancient Prowlers, and that was with her unusually high investment into Agility forming a baseline of speed. Her class allowed her to completely ignore Strength in favor of Agility, but it didn¡¯t feel like enough.


    If Charlie and Camila weren¡¯t twice the level of the monsters they fought, they would have been in serious danger. She didn¡¯t think it made sense. The only other real monsters they had fought were pack monsters as well, and they hadn¡¯t had any trouble dispatching entire groups of them. They had been lulled into believing their levels made them nearly untouchable during the early parts of the assimilation. They hadn¡¯t bothered to consider how they matched up to every different skill set.


    In this case, the Ancient Prowlers perfectly countered their most powerful skill combinations by being abnormally quick and fighting individually, but consecutively. Charlie¡¯s most powerful skills relied on wide area effects that needed time to ramp up, and Camila¡¯s skills were best for protecting her for the duration. The monsters were too aggressive to allow Charlie to build up and were quick enough to put even Camila on her back foot for most of the fight while leaving most of the damage up to her.


    Their training had been inadequate for the situation. They had spent their time learning to fight within a specific type of balanced party against other balanced parties. In retrospect, the Empire¡¯s training had been overly choreographed and completely failed to establish the spontaneity of a real fight, and despite their independence they hadn¡¯t fully adapted to their own style yet. Every encounter the pair had, prior to this one, had shown their levels were enough to overwhelm any foe.


    Coop was still defeating monsters, one after the other, with no signs of needing to stop. She hadn¡¯t fully believed his claim of killing 20,000 monsters, thinking that even such an earnest seeming person would boast a little, wanting to impress the two girls. She believed him now. Once he had a pack engaged in combat, he defeated each monster in less than 10 seconds. In the time it took her and Charlie to defeat one pack, he could defeat five by himself


    Camila understood why Coop had seemed so confident about his level when Kevin had been talking down to him. Coop had earned his levels, but the factions had gifted them theirs. It was a harsh reality. She didn¡¯t get why the factions wouldn¡¯t prepare them better. Was the Empire incompetent, or did the aliens lack the perspective needed to prepare for an assimilating planet?


    Either way, she didn¡¯t care. She knew that she had some changes to make in her own mentality. Camila was glad to adjust. She was already itching for another round, but they would have to wait for their health to regenerate.


    Instead, Camila and Charlie discussed the fight, doing their best to identify mistakes and come up with ways to correct them. In the end, they just needed to avoid underestimating their enemies as that was their biggest blunder.


    While they waited, she came to the conclusion that the Empire¡¯s mistake was in assuming humans would be completely obedient. Camila was self aware enough to know that she would never be. She was contrarian, willful, defiant, and rebellious. She would never have been fighting as a duo against random monsters if she had yielded to the Empire¡¯s doctrine. They would have put her and Charlie up in the middle of the settlement, just to cart them out like show ponies whenever an event came around.


    She didn¡¯t think most of the people loyal to the Empire were being blindly subservient. They were selfishly hitching themselves to what they believed was a winner while jockeying for a better position in the future hierarchy. At least that was how she saw people like Kevin, more of an office kiss-ass or a teacher¡¯s pet than a lap dog. Of course, there were zealots that truly believed, but she had to imagine they were a minority.


    The second pack that they fought went better than the first, but she had still taken three stacks of the Vulnerable debuff and Charlie was completely out of mana when the last monster was defeated. They would still have to spend just as much time recovering.


    She leaned back onto the sand with both hands behind her head and one knee bent while Charlie sat and hugged both knees. They both watched as Coop defeated monster after monster. Eventually, he suddenly lit up like a spotlight was on him to show that he leveled. Both girls cheered, but they trailed off when they realized he wasn¡¯t stopping. Camila wasn¡¯t sure if he had even noticed the level. It hadn¡¯t changed his rhythm at all.


    They continued their own pattern of fighting one pack and then recovering their health. At the rate that they recovered, they were only fighting one pack an hour. It was quite the contrast to Coop¡¯s unbelievable pace.


    Coop was something else. Even if she hadn¡¯t taken any damage in their fights, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to continue until her skills were refreshed. She couldn¡¯t use them over and over. Charlie had similar restrictions in that she was limited by her mana pool. Coop didn¡¯t seem to have anything limiting his ability to fight.


    She was daydreaming while recovering when Coop finally approached them. It had been around five hours since she and Charlie had fought their first pack and it was getting late. They started right after the sunset, which was around 6 PM. Apparently, Coop wasn¡¯t done. He wanted to let them know that he was going to keep fighting for at least another three hours. He suggested they head to the tavern and try the stew, the baths, and the beds. Coop told them to have Maeve put everything on his tab. Camila laughed at the idea of ¡®knowing a guy¡¯ that would get them VIP treatment after the apocalypse, but they played along.


    Camila and Charlie thought visiting the tavern was a good idea, but wanted to fight one more pack Since they had almost fully recovered. They had defeated 20/25 of the Ancient Prowlers. One more level would have them pass Kevin, which would freak him out. Coop approved of the idea before he returned to his hunt, he had only stopped for a few minutes.


    He engaged another pack and expertly kept the monsters at the full length of his weapon, dodging with minimal movement when they attempted their sneak attacks, and decisively ended each individual fight with a single powerful strike with the blade of his glaive.


    After Camila and Charlie reached level 28 they headed to the tavern. Camila was also going to let Kevin know they were taking Coop on a little boat trip and he and the squad could come with or stay put until they got back.


    The Clumsy Shark Tavern was wonderful. Camila immediately loved it. There was a devilishly handsome bartender, a seductive waitress, a roaring fire in the fireplace, and the smells of alcohol and savory foods. Most of her squad was missing, she assumed passed out in one of the beds Coop was so excited about, but one group of five remained. She was amused that the Endless Empire¡¯s elite soldiers had been put to bed before 11:00 o¡¯clock.


    The waitress hopped over to them without missing a beat, welcoming them and inviting them to take a seat anywhere. Camila let her know they would be eating on Coop¡¯s tab at the bar, but first they needed to speak with the other guests. The waitress gave a sly smile at the mention of Coop that Camila reflexively mirrored before the waitress waved them in. Maybe they did ¡®know a guy.¡¯


    Kevin the Hammer was at a table with Parker and Eric from her own party and Lisa and Debra from his own. The five of them looked like stereotypical tourists looking for trouble in a small town that they didn¡¯t hold any respect for. Camila went straight to their table and added a chair for herself.


    She let Kevin know about their planned boat trip. Kevin¡¯s response was more or less what she predicted. He told her, ¡°Absolutely not.¡± He said they were leaving as soon as the rest of the squad regained consciousness as the ale had knocked them out. They would return to their settlement and go further up the chain of command to decide what to do about discovering another civilization shard. She could predict how it would go. They would need to warn Coop to prepare before they returned.


    Camila reminded him of Charlie¡¯s role in the squad, being the only one who could actually sail the ship, and suggested he stay put and enjoy the tavern¡¯s hospitality while they take their trip. She wasn¡¯t asking permission, just letting him know so he wouldn¡¯t panic when the ship disappeared for a while.


    There was some yelling, but Camila didn¡¯t back down. Surprisingly, Eric was the one who was the most offended by the idea that she would help Coop with anything at all. She guessed it wasn¡¯t really that surprising given how he leered at her all the time, but it was still annoying. Kevin had accepted the situation relatively easily, knowing how weak his position actually was. Either way, she left them and sat at the bar with Charlie to try the food.

 Chapter 26: Presence of Mind

    Coop finished his first dedicated Ancient Prowler hunt two levels higher than when he started. He had defeated over 3,000 monsters. It was an impressive amount, considering the increased difficulty when compared to the Ancient Defenders.


    The fourth stage of the Ancient Prowler quest chain was complete and he had made some progress into the final stage. Viewing his quest, he had already defeated 605 out of 11,111 Ancient Prowlers. It wouldn¡¯t be long before he upgraded his Slayer title for the first time.


    Coop was retiring for the night since he had started to collect more Vulnerable debuffs as the hunt went on. After so many hours he was feeling fatigued and started to get a little sloppy, taking damage that he should have been able to avoid. He didn¡¯t need to push all night, so he decided to end his hunt and return to the fort.


    He would spend the night in the barracks, away from all of the visitors in the tavern¡¯s lodgings. He took a cold shower before heading to bed. He made sure to rinse himself thoroughly just in case there was mana residue from his battles. Maeve had made him a bit self conscious that people might really be able to smell mana on him.


    Jett had already made herself comfortable in his bed. It seemed like she was also avoiding the island¡¯s guests. Coop scooped her up and gently placed her to one side so that he could get under the covers on the other. She didn¡¯t even wake up.


    Coop laid on his back and reviewed his many notifications from the night.


    [You defeated Ancient Prowler (Level 13)]


    [+5 Basic Credits]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Ancient Prowler (Level 13)]


    [+8 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Jagged Metal Tooth (Uncommon)]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Ancient Prowlers IV]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [You have a new quest!]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Ancient Prowler (Level 11)]


    [+6 Basic Credits]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Defeated Ancient Prowlers V (605/11111)]


    [Skill options available.]


    He had another big decision for himself. Coop allocated all of his points from the two class levels and two profession levels into Mind, pleased to be getting class levels directly from grinding again. He wasn¡¯t sure how long it would last before his level was too high relative to the monsters¡¯, but he would enjoy it while he could.


    Coop had reached level 25 and unlocked another skill choice. At this point he probably should listen to the advice that had been given to him about selecting an aura skill, especially if he was going to be increasingly exposed to visitors now that a neighboring settlement had been revealed. But he couldn¡¯t resist checking all of his options.


    Browsing through his skill selection, Coop noted that there were several skills he didn¡¯t remember being able to select the first time around. The list was much shorter than it had been the first time around. Roughly half of the skills had disappeared from the list, so there was a risk that if he didn¡¯t take a skill when he saw it, he might not get another opportunity. However, a few of the options he had skipped previously had returned. Even many that he had expected to be locked out of taking, since they were spells and he had gone all in on an attack build, remained options.


    Knowing that skills would become unavailable just added another wrinkle to his long term planning, but it appeared to be something out of his control. He would need more information before he could figure out if he could control the direction his future options went. For now, he resolved not to let the risk of losing skills lead him into any premature decisions.


    More than half of the active skill options were spells. He looked for the passive skills that would give Intelligence and Acumen based on his Mind attribute and was surprised to find them still available, they seemed like prime candidates for becoming unavailable based on his previous choices. Knowing how valuable the bonuses had been for him, he didn¡¯t want to ignore the ones for the other stats. He read the passive skill for gaining Intelligence. It was called Arcane Comprehension.


    ¡°Ghosts remember.¡±


    Arcane Comprehension would add one Intelligence for every point of Mind. It corresponded with the very simple Adamance skill that did the same thing for Strength. He thought it was kind of amusing that the opposites mirrored each other so closely. It would add an insane amount of stats and open up the viability of an entirely new branch of combat skills for him in the future. He wouldn¡¯t take Arcane Comprehension yet, he was just window shopping, so he moved on to the next passive skill, Clarity of Purpose.


    ¡°Make deliverance swift.¡±


    Clarity of Purpose was the passive skill that gave Acumen. It added one point of Acumen for every two points of Mind. Similar to his Agility passive, Practical Application, Clarity of Purpose also had a secondary effect. It stated that attacks would ignore a minor portion of the target¡¯s defenses. Coop couldn¡¯t find anything to indicate it wouldn¡¯t also apply to his Strength based attacks. It seemed like a surprising possible synergy.


    Given the preponderance of spell skills being offered to him, Coop thought he would eventually want to invest into both of these passive skills. He was worried they would disappear at some point, but it would still have to be in the very long run. If he could only get a single new skill every 25 levels it would take a long time to establish an entirely new branch of abilities into his build. He was looking at literally 100s of levels into the future. In the meantime, he had more urgent concerns, like finding a regeneration skill and getting an aura skill, or claiming other active utility abilities. He¡¯d have to risk losing the passive skills for now.


    Some of the most promising individual active skills would give him area of effect crowd control, create area denial, or add powerful but conditional attacks to his arsenal. His favorite crowd control could briefly freeze enemies in terror within a certain proximity, perfect for an emergency ability that could save his life. The area denial conjured disorienting fog that Coop could use to camouflage himself, basically giving him a limited stealth, something he had wanted since the beginning. The other various attack abilities offered executes and punishments aside from just direct damage. Coop was spoiled with choices, though he didn¡¯t find any promising ways to regenerate his health.


    He finally brought his attention to the aura skill. Without a regen option, he thought his aura was currently the most pressing concern that he could address with his skill offerings. It was appropriately called Presence of Mind.


    ¡°It''s dangerous to be lost in thought. It''s even more dangerous to be lost in someone else''s.¡±


    The description was simple, which is why Coop had ended up skipping it over the first time around. It stated it would provide Mind-based aura control. That¡¯s it. Without knowing what an aura was, it wasn¡¯t clear what the skill would do at all. Now that Coop knew a little more, he could guess that he would be able to both mask his own aura and use it to get information about other people¡¯s aura. This would make it a much more dynamic aura skill than the ones that Balor had described to him initially. Since it would be based on his Mind stat, he thought his attribute distribution would make it particularly potent.


    Feeling like his option might actually be a premium skill compared to just any basic aura skill, Coop went ahead and accepted it. He just wished he could bookmark some of the other skills to prevent them from disappearing, just in case. It would make planning his long term build a lot easier.


    Unlike applying attribute points, he didn¡¯t immediately feel any different. Coop was a little disappointed. He was hoping for sudden knowledge to appear in his head. He checked his status to confirm everything was in place.


    [Status]


    HP - 1524/1800


    MP - 3300/3300


    Class - Revenant (Level 25)


    Profession - Basic Scavenging (Level 18)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 15 (+330)


    Agility - 15 (+165)


    Body - 15 (+165)


    Mind - 330


    Intelligence - 15


    Acumen - 15


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion II, Haunted, Ethereal, Bloodthirsty, Slayer I


    Skills (Active) - Retribution, Salvation, Presence of Mind


    Skills (Passive) - Common Language, Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application


    Quests - Defeat Ancient Prowlers V (605/11111), Defeat Primal Kites II (11/25), Upgrade Outpost to Village


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Basic Credits - 87,466


    His Identify skill was missing! Was Identify an aura skill this whole time? He guessed that Presence of Mind had superseded it. Since it was an active skill, he probably just needed to use it the same way he had been using Identify.


    Coop tried concentrating on his own aura. He wanted to hide it, he thought about making it disappear, and something clicked in the back of his mind. He could feel that he had suppressed his aura. It felt like he was compressing a stress ball in the palm of his hand. No one would detect anything unless they could overpower his Mind stat, forcing his metaphorical fist open to peek at the compressed aura. He doubted anyone on Earth would even be able to match his Mind stat, forget about anyone overpowering it.


    As he let go of his concentration, he was suddenly aware of other auras. There were two within range for him to detect, but only one was close enough to understand. His eyes widened as he looked at the sleeping cat.


    [Awakened Cat (Level 34)]


    [Sentinel of Shadows (Agility)]


    [Venerated of the Blessed Mau Collective]


    [Sharp, Dark, Silent (Slayer)]


    Coop sat up and reflexively exclaimed, ¡°What?!¡± Jett only shifted in her sleep as a response to his outburst. He pulled up the individual leaderboards.


    Day 18


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">The Lich (Level 45)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Banshee (Level 43)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Zombie Lord (Level 36)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Hai Yun (Level 30)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Yang Fen (Level 29)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Che Min-Jun (Level 29)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Deacon Burke (Level 29)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Krisje van Riel (Level 29)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Mauro Rios (Level 29)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Platinum (Level 29)</li>


    </ol>


    Coop frowned in confusion. First of all, Jett was level 34? What the hell? But she wasn¡¯t on the leaderboard. Coop felt dumb for a second when he remembered it was specifically the human leaderboard. The weird undead names had made him forget, but they must still be human even though their identities indicated otherwise.


    The leaderboard had barely changed, with Hai Yun gaining a level and someone else disappearing from the number eight spot. He wanted to see Jett¡¯s leaderboard!


    He was pretty sure he could see so much information from her aura because his Mind stat was absolutely massive compared to hers. She might not even have an aura skill. Is this why all the aliens had been treating her with so much respect? Was he the only one that didn¡¯t know their cat was an absolute monster? He only ever saw her when she was sleeping or relaxing!


    He tried parsing the rest of the information he could glean from her aura. She wasn¡¯t just a cat, but an awakened cat. He had no clue what that meant, but it sounded cool.


    He figured Sentinel of Shadows was her class, it was also very cool sounding, and made sense since she had protected the lighthouse for so many years. Agility was her primary attribute, a natural choice for a cat.


    Venerated of the Blessed Mau Collective was too much of a mystery for him to work out. Was she sponsored? She was with him even before Jones had returned from his sponsorship, so if she was, they must have made it quick. Coop had to take a moment to come to terms with the idea that even the cats of Earth were sponsored over him. Although in the face of Jett¡¯s progress he had to accept they made a good decision.


    Sharp, Dark, and Silent seemed like it was just describing her, it was like an impression he got from her aura. He remembered Balor describing Coop as smelling like the undead, it could have been his mana affinity or his titles.


    The final shocker was Slayer. That was his title! She must have completed a quest chain as well! Coop¡¯s world first Bloodthirsty title must have been a close call. It had only been about a day and a half since Coop claimed it himself.


    Coop hadn¡¯t felt this confused since the day he witnessed the apocalypse.


    He tried concentrating on the other aura, but he couldn¡¯t get any information other than its existence. He was sure it was Jones as he was also in the barracks, just in the next room over through a stone wall. Maybe his skill was limited to a closer range, or it had a line of sight requirement. He eventually fell asleep but only after he stayed up even later, fiddling with his own aura.


    In the morning Coop had to remove the purring beast of a cat from his neck before he got out of bed. He went for his morning warmup and took a quick shower before he headed for the tavern. He was going to practice using his new aura skill on everyone he could find.


    First, Coop ran into Balor and his three laborers outside of the stonemason¡¯s workshop preparing to return to their ongoing projects. He checked their auras.


    [Stonemason (Level ??)]


    [Laborer (Level ??)]


    [Laborer (Level ??)]


    [Laborer (Level ??)]


    ¡°Morning young Champion!¡± Balor called out. ¡°I see you¡¯ve learned something new, keep practicing!¡± Balor astutely observed. Coop couldn¡¯t get any new information from the aliens¡¯ auras just yet. He wondered if Balor had detected him prodding around within his aura or if he could just tell based on Coop¡¯s own aura.


    Inside the tavern, he only found Maeve awake. She was already almost done cleaning the booths. He checked her aura for good measure.


    [Tavernkeeper (Level ??)]


    Coop guessed he had a ways to go with his skill. He wondered if all of the contracted people were protected by the system or if they were all that much more powerful than he was. Both options seemed equally likely.


    ¡°Morning, Maeve.¡± Coop called out. She gave him an alluring smile as she winked over her shoulder while wiping a table. ¡°Say, what level are you?¡± Coop asked innocently.


    Maeve stopped her cleaning and leaned on the table while raising an eyebrow at Coop. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t ask a lady such questions¡­¡± Before Coop could apologize she continued. ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t dream of keeping secrets from you. It¡¯s just that I can¡¯t tell you the exact number, for system reasons.¡±


    Coop had already figured it would be something like that. ¡°Is there a limit to levels?¡± He tried his luck.


    ¡°There¡¯s a limit to motivation.¡± Maeve responded coyly. ¡°If there¡¯s a maximum level, it isn¡¯t widespread.¡± She explained, shrugging. ¡°You want breakfast?¡± Coop nodded as she led him to the bar.


    While he ate he imagined old monsters that had been leveling for thousands or even millions of years. The idle thoughts gave him goosebumps. He was glad Earth was protected by the system¡¯s shield. It made him think basing his goals on the leaderboards was quaint given whatever was going on in the rest of the universe.


    As the visitors trickled down, he inspected each of their auras while he practiced keeping his own as hidden as possible.


    [Human (Level 26)]


    [Infiltrator (Agility)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Darkness]


    The first one to come down gave Coop a hostile look that seemed uncalled for. He was pretty sure this was one of Charlie¡¯s friends or party members, but Coop imagined his hostility leaked into his aura. Coop couldn¡¯t see as much information as he had with Jett. He guessed it was a difference in aura skills between the two targets. The Infiltrator sat at a table near the center of the room. Coop continued inspecting as more people woke up.


    [Human (Level 26)]


    [Puppeteer (Mind)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    Coop was surprised that another Mind based class appeared. Apparently, Coop¡¯s stat overwhelmed his target¡¯s because he got almost as much information as when he inspected the previous guy¡¯s aura. The Puppeteer joined the Infiltrator and began quietly chatting.


    [Human (Level 25)]


    [Honorguard (Body)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Warding]


    [Human (Level 25)]


    [Outrider (Agility)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    A couple came down together and went to a booth by themselves. He noted that the guy with his stats invested into Body didn¡¯t physically appear special. Coop wouldn¡¯t have been able to guess his main attribute without looking at his aura.


    [Human (Level 27)]


    [Crusader (Strength)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Tectonic (Captain)]


    Kevin the Hammer came down and sat with the Infiltrator and Puppeteer. Kevin¡¯s main attribute was Strength, but once again Coop wouldn¡¯t have been able to guess just by looking at him. Coop thought people investing into Strength would end up looking like The Hulk. He had seen Jones¡¯s physique improve, but now he was thinking there must be some limit to the changes.


    He wouldn¡¯t be able to guess a person¡¯s attributes on sight. Coop theorized that the attributes merely pushed people towards an ideal version of their current selves, rather than turning them into hulking beasts. It seemed like everyone would just end up better looking.


    Camila and Charlie eventually came down and joined him at the bar. He watched as Kevin¡¯s trio all openly stared at the girls, observing where they were going. The Infiltrator in particular seemed unhappy when Charlie bade Coop good morning without even glancing at the caped soldier.


    While Camila and Charlie raved about the beds, he checked them out as well.


    [Human (Level 28)]


    [Aeromancer (Intelligence)]


    [Legend of the Endless Empire]


    [Human (Level 28)]


    [Interceptor (Agility)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    Coop involuntarily raised his eyes at Charlie being a Legend of the Endless Empire. That seemed like something really special. None of the others were anything but Chosen. Even Camila, who was another elite of the Empire.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Charlie asked after she noticed Coop¡¯s impressed expression.


    ¡°Oh, nothing. Just glad you two enjoyed your night.¡± Coop deflected.


    ¡°It really was great! Except for Camila¡¯s snoring, it was perfect.¡± Charlie proclaimed, happy to share her review. Camila didn¡¯t even flinch, obviously not embarrassed to be accused of snoring in the slightest.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act like it kept you up, I had to shake you off me this morning. You were out cold, and we didn¡¯t even have any drinks.¡± Camila retaliated as she received a bowl from Maeve.


    Coop was intrigued, ¡°You shared a room?¡± He asked curiously. He wondered if the tavern had been fully booked last night. Based on the size of the tavern, he expected them to have at least twice as many rooms compared to the current visitors.


    Maeve chimed in with an impish look in her eyes, ¡°They shared a bed and took a bath together¡­¡± she said with a demure smile that was far from innocent, emphasized by the raised eyebrow.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t exactly shy about making sure we had everything we needed while we soaped each other up, Ms. Maeve.¡± Camila pointed out, playing along with Maeve¡¯s mischief.


    Coop tried to keep up with the implications being thrown around as he realized the combination of Maeve and Camila was dangerous. They fed off of each other¡¯s energy and anyone too close would receive collateral damage. Charlie¡¯s ears were as red as a fire engine as her sleeping arrangements were exposed. She was taking the brunt, this time.


    ¡°What can I say? I am an excellent host!¡± Maeve claimed with a look of absolute confidence.


    ¡°You certainly are!¡± Camila confirmed. The pair bantered together laughing as they shared inside jokes that must have been formed during the night. Coop and Charlie shared a sympathetic look with each other.


    After Maeve returned to her duties, Camila got back on task. ¡°So, we figured it would be best to take you on the boat today.¡± She gestured with a spoon full of stew. ¡°Get it over with as soon as possible, then we can get out of your hair and get things rolling.¡±


    Coop nodded, ¡°I¡¯m ready when you are.¡±

 Chapter 27: Cruising

    After arranging the boat trip with Camila and Charlie, Coop warned Jones that he would be absent for a while to complete the optional portion of the settlement quest. Jones promised to hold down the fort, as he had for decades. Coop also said goodbye to the zonked out Jett and told her to keep an eye on Jones while he was gone.


    Coop met the girls at the dock. While they were preparing to board the ship another group arrived to join them. Camila confronted the late arrivals and Coop gathered that it was the rest of Camila and Charlie¡¯s party, including the hostile Infiltrator, as well as the Puppeteer from Kevin¡¯s party, and the Honorguard and Outrider couple that he had observed at the tavern earlier in the morning. He inspected the other two from the girls'' party.


    [Human (Level 26)]


    [Shattershot (Intelligence)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Cold]


    He was surprised that the caped man with a bow and quiver had a primarily Intelligence build. He never would have guessed just by looking at him. The Shattershot outwardly appeared to be an Agility focused class, but his aura revealed something completely different.


    [Human (Level 26)]


    [Battlerager (Strength)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    The second was less of a surprise. His sword and armor neatly matched up with the rest of his aura. His gear was a thicker weave than the others and it was plated with dark metal armor. He kind of looked like a helmless samurai, but his sword ruined the effect. His sword was something Coop would have expected to see wielded by a knight.


    Coop thought their party of five appeared imbalanced. They had two ranged Intelligence classes with Charlie¡¯s Aeromancer and the Shattershot, two melee Agility classes with Camila¡¯s Interceptor and the Infiltrator, and a melee Strength class in the Battlerager. They didn¡¯t have any tank or a healer. Coop expected the tank and healer to be the backbone of any party in a class based system. Maybe Camila could fill the role of tank by negating damage, and Charlie had what appeared to be a very minor healing ability, but was this really a faction¡¯s idea of a balanced party? Maybe tanks and healers were too much of a rarity to find for every party.


    He listened in on the argument that had erupted between Camila and the Shattershot who Coop had realized was the one named Eric. Camila didn¡¯t want to take the last minute arrivals, suspicious of their sudden change of heart. Apparently, they had been against the idea of giving Coop a ride last night, but this morning, they changed their minds. Camila had been happy to go without them, and their abrupt reversal of attitude wasn¡¯t welcomed.


    Eric smugly declared that Kevin wisely decided to go along with her plan in an effort to curry favor with their neighbors. There was no reason for them to create any bad blood between new friends. Coop didn¡¯t like the way they looked at him when he said friends. They couldn¡¯t be more disingenuous. Coop didn¡¯t really care for the feeble excuses to come on the trip, as long as they didn¡¯t interfere with his quest. He didn¡¯t mind removing a few from the island anyway, it would be less of a headache for Jones and his other residents if fewer were there. The rest would be stranded without Charlie and the ship.


    Coop slid over to Charlie, who had carefully escaped the conversation, to find out more. ¡°What¡¯s up with your party?¡± He asked, having trouble imagining any teamwork fostering between them.


    ¡°It¡¯s always like this.¡± She huffed. ¡°The faction wanted to keep me and Camila on a short leash because of our affinities. I don¡¯t think these three are really supposed to be our party. They just keep an eye on us for the Empire.¡± Charlie responded, looking disgusted. ¡°They just want to go because we are.¡±


    Coop let them work it out. Eventually, they all boarded while the party of five that had stayed the night on the boat disembarked. Coop gave them quick directions to the tavern, they seemed to appreciate being relieved from guard duty. The eldest of the group, a bow wielding gentleman, nodded and thanked Coop before they left. Camila remained suspicious of the others¡¯ sudden desire to go along, but Coop just left it alone. He was already the target of plenty of hostile looks without getting into the middle of some internal faction disputes.


    Once they were ready, he offered to help Charlie however he could. There wasn¡¯t much for him to do other than keep her company while she operated the ship¡¯s wheel. It wasn¡¯t like he knew how to operate a ship¡¯s rigging. Charlie carefully navigated the channel through the corals and brought them back out to sea. He pointed in the direction of his quest and she formed a steady wind that filled the sails.


    Coop watched the island slowly shrink and finally disappear from the rear of the ship. He came to the conclusion that he didn¡¯t like leaving Ghost Reef. It had become more than a temporary home. Hopefully, his time away would be brief.


    No one had asked for the details of his quest. Only Camila and Charlie knew it had something to do with upgrading the settlement. For all the rest of the visitors to the island knew, it was them taking the ship on a joyride.


    Jones had been the main advocate for waiting to upgrade the settlement until they completed the optional portion. He believed that every early advantage they acquired would pay dividends in the long run. Coop thought he was right, but if Charlie and Camila hadn¡¯t arrived when they did, he would have upgraded the settlement without completing the optional portion. There were too many barriers before they could construct a building that would advance the settlement enough to acquire ships, and he wasn¡¯t going to try the trip on a raft.


    Coop had an intensifying anxiety for what would come after the first 30 days had completed. They were already more than halfway to one of the system¡¯s major cutoffs. He was hoping to get the settlement as far along as possible before then.


    He watched the ocean as the ship cut through the water. He stayed with Charlie at the helm and they caught up on several different topics. Charlie told him about the day to day activities during her training. Coop was surprised it had been as intense as she described it.


    The Empire didn¡¯t let them stop to eat or sleep, it was just wall to wall training programs with purple alien drill instructors that were absolutely obsessed with their God Empress. They even claimed she was the one that established the system, gifting mana to the universe as a gesture of her own insurmountable power. Coop had now heard claims that the system was generated by an ancient AI, the Great Golem, and the God Empress of the Endless Empire. He doubted anyone knew what the truth actually was.


    They also talked about the pre-mana times, how Charlie had become a full-time park ranger instead of going to college and how Coop had become a lighthouse keeper of all things.


    Charlie had been adorable when she would timidly offer to loan books during her visits, but Coop felt like Camila¡¯s influence had been for the better. Charlie was a lot easier to have a conversation with than he remembered, she didn¡¯t shy away from eye contact and make excuses to leave. He belatedly noticed the blue in her eyes during the moments that her windblown hair was pushed out of her face. It was embarrassing that he didn¡¯t even know what color his friend¡¯s eyes were until then.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The previous difficulty in connecting was at least partially his fault as well, considering how stuck in his own head he had been. He recognized that he was slowly growing more personable himself.


    They talked about their families, how Coop was completely unconnected and how that had helped him thrive on the island. He was able to focus on his personal progress while his companions helped him with the settlement development. Charlie on the other hand had worried about her parents, but that worry had driven her to make the best of her training. She had a different motivation for her personal growth, though Coop thought she was just a little too trusting of the Empire¡¯s expertise.


    Camila joined their conversation and they spent hours just chatting and telling each other stories. It was like hanging out on a cruise with a couple of friends, a welcome break from the apocalypse. They teased Coop about his battle skirt but he just called them jealous. He offered to build a clothier in his settlement so they could purchase their own when they returned. They could try to match, but they wouldn¡¯t be able to imitate the ghostly wisps of mist that were constantly escaping his own armor.


    The trio would have kept at it the entire trip if they hadn¡¯t been suddenly interrupted. The ship lurched to an abrupt stop like they had run aground. It was like being in a low-speed car accident. They landed in a pile against the railing that separated the steering area from the main deck. Coop had caught Charlie underneath him while Camila caught herself on top of Coop.


    Camila¡¯s weight suddenly lifted like she had jumped up and Coop helped Charlie up. When he turned to Camila he realized she was being dragged, upside down, by dark green tentacles. One had wrapped around her waist and one leg while another was around her mouth and neck. Her face was frozen in fear and her voice was muffled. Coop quickly summoned his glaive and gave chase. She was reaching toward him desperately as she was lifted into the air toward the main sail¡¯s mast.


    Coop leapt off the railing and sailed through the air trying to catch up with Camila. He swung his barely completed glaive above Camila¡¯s frantically struggling form. The blade of the glaive cleanly sliced the entangling tentacles releasing Camila. She started falling toward the main deck, head first, flailing her arms in a futile effort to right herself, still wrapped up in the severed cords. Coop managed to wrap one arm around her hips as he fell alongside her but instead of heroically catching her, they once again landed in a pile. She had her breath knocked out of her lungs, but he had saved her from any serious injury from an even more awkward fall.


    Coop lifted her up and glanced to the front of the ship. Most of the passengers were below deck, but the Honorguard had his sword and shield out and was standing back to back with the lady Outrider who was dual wielding daggers. They were frantically swinging their blades, slicing at the attackers whenever they got close. They weren¡¯t causing major damage, but they were still able to keep themselves from being wrapped up.


    The tentacles weren¡¯t only trying to grab at the occupants of the ship. They were also wrapping themselves around the wooden railings, the mast, and tangling with the rigging.


    Coop belatedly tried identifying one of the tentacles but received no response. It was like identifying the palm trees back on the island. He rushed Camila back up the steps to the quarterdeck where they had left Charlie alone.


    Charlie was using her slow moving water blades to cleave the tentacles whenever they appeared over the sides. Coop, seeing the aftermath of several of her water blades all over the deck, realized that they weren¡¯t tentacles at all. They had been ensnared by seaweed.


    He encouraged Charlie to get them moving again, wanting to escape the aggressive marine plant¡¯s habitat. He rushed to slice as many of the seaweed blades as he could to get the ship released and allow Charlie¡¯s wind to push them out. He leapt across the ship chopping the grasping blades wherever they had wrapped themselves. His glaive barely felt any resistance each time it dismembered the seaweed.


    The Outrider had joined him in removing the seaweed, but she had to hack at the offending leaves several times to get them to break and the Honorguard was forced to watch her back. Still, their combined efforts were winning out.


    He felt it when the ship slowly started picking up speed, but the seaweed hadn¡¯t given up. He was swinging his glaive like he was harvesting crops. The aggressive plants weren¡¯t very fast, but there were dozens of blades piling over the sides of the ship. Each one was at least two feet wide and long enough to reach across the entire boat.


    Coop was quickly moving around the ship, removing the blades of seaweed that tried to keep them in place. In a way, he was uniquely suited for such a task. It had only been a few minutes, but he could have kept it up for hours. It was a lot like his Ancient Defender hunting sessions, rotating position to cleave through an enemy that barely offered resistance.


    As they inched their way forward, the seaweed started to thin out. The last entangling tentacles were wrapped around the rudder and Charlie was forced to add more wind to the sails to tear them away. When they finally escaped, Charlie, Camila, and Coop stood together at the back of the ship watching the ocean behind them churn with angry seaweed blades. Camila turned to Coop and genuinely thanked him with fear still lingering in her voice. Almost being helplessly dragged away had stripped away her stable confidence and really frightened her. Mana had created all sorts of new and unexpected dangers.


    The three were still catching their breath when the rest of the mooks that had joined them came out from below deck, demanding to find out what had happened. Coop was understanding Camila and Charlie¡¯s attitudes toward them better and better. They had been completely absent during the desperate fight and still felt like they were slighted by the ones that had saved the ship, actually complaining that the lurching stop had ruined their card game. Coop noted how the Honorguard and Outrider couple kept their distance from the rest.


    The Empire¡¯s Chosen had been rude to start with, arrogant afterwards, and now entitled. They weren¡¯t leaving Coop with a good impression. They seemed to believe they were superior to him by virtue of being Chosen when he wasn¡¯t. As far as he was concerned, they should be thanking the rest of them for saving their lives, so he stood his ground and made his position known.


    Luckily, they didn¡¯t need to deal with unowed explanations for too long. A massive oil rig appeared over the horizon, hazy with the distance. Once it was noticed everyone stopped and watched as the ship approached it.


    They had to go slow because Charlie needed to conserve what remained of her mana after the battle. She needed to regenerate more if they wanted to avoid just colliding with their destination. It still took hours to get closer to the massive offshore oil platform. Sunset would be upon them when they reached the platform.


    Coop was shocked at the size of the platform. It was like a miniature city placed on top of four massive legs. Each of the legs that held the city in the air reminded Coop of a nuclear powerplant¡¯s cooling tower. It was elevated so high, they would be able to sail underneath it without worrying about the masts colliding with the bottom of the platform. Coop wasn¡¯t looking forward to climbing the absurd ladders that appeared to be the only available entrance from the water.


    The platform itself was chock full of buildings and metal walkways with huge cranes hanging over the edges. Coop was worried it would take days to find the spectral relic wherever it was on the platform.


    The whole structure was eerily silent, other than the large swells that crashed against the legs of the platform, there was absolutely no activity. Coop wondered if it had been abandoned before the apocalypse. Judging by what appeared to be the apartments, it must have been able to house hundreds of people at any given time.


    Jones was spot on with his prediction that the spectral relic would be on an oil rig, but Coop was having doubts about completing the optional portion of the settlement upgrade quest, now that he saw it. What exactly was he looking for? When he read ¡®relic¡¯ he imagined something old and small. Finding something like that in a place as large as this oil platform would be like finding a needle in a haystack. He needed more clues.


    Charlie smoothly brought the ship to a stop near one of the legs of the platform. If they wanted to disembark they would have to time a jump with the waves and successfully grab onto the ladder. It was close enough, but it seemed extraordinarily dangerous. The helipad up top was probably the optimal way to arrive. There was no way Coop could use a spear throw and mistjump to get on top of the platform. He would have to be superhuman to be able to throw that far.


    He tossed a rope and after just three tries he was able to snag one of the lower rungs of the ladder to keep them from drifting away. He secured the rope as well as he could, but the ship was much too large of a vessel to be held by a mere ladder and some rope. There were some cleats that he could better secure the ropes to, after he was actually on the ladder. Hopefully, the ocean stayed as calm as it was and Charlie could help keep them moored underneath with her wind skills until they were tied off.


    Looking into the water between the ship and the ladder, Coop spotted some undesirable wildlife. There were sharks, and scanning the water around the oil rig, he realized there were hundreds of them.

 Chapter 28: The Breathless

    The sun leisurely dipped below the horizon causing the shadows to stretch until they were replaced by the night itself. Coop found himself watching the sharks as they circled the oil platform. He had been inspecting as many as he could in the dimming light, but none of them had any levels. He had spotted several different species. Blue sharks, makos, and hammerheads were all present, swimming in and out of vision. Thankfully, none of them had gained any magical abilities. The last thing he wanted to deal with was an aggressive shark that could shoot spells at him. Satisfied that if he hadn¡¯t seen any with levels yet, he wouldn¡¯t find one at all, he turned his attention back to the ship.


    Coop returned to his companions to find them engaged in yet another argument with the other Chosen. He gathered that Camila and Charlie had intended to join him on the oil platform, but the rest planned on all of them staying on the ship. Instead of allowing them to split up, the Puppeteer from Kevin¡¯s party had forbidden Charlie and Camila from leaving the ship at all. He claimed it was for their safety, as they were valuable to the Empire, but it was obvious that even he didn¡¯t believe his own words.


    The pair of girls would have gone anyway, finding his permission irrelevant, except that he had threatened to take the boat and leave them stranded if they entered the oil platform. When Camila pointed out that they couldn¡¯t sail the ship without Charlie, he dismissed her argument and claimed that they would find a way. Humans had been sailing for a lot longer than they had mana and even if they couldn¡¯t, the end result would still have them stranded on the oil rig while they drifted away.


    When Coop approached, the Puppeteer addressed him directly. ¡°Better run along, island boy.¡± He sneered. ¡°We won¡¯t leave for at least three days, so¡­¡± He dismissively shooed Coop toward the platform.


    ¡°At least three days¡­?¡± Coop wondered at the man¡¯s word choice as much as the reasoning for the timeframe. He wasn¡¯t declaring a deadline, but rather the opposite.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got our own schedule to keep.¡±


    Coop looked at the girls, who didn¡¯t seem to have caught the peculiar choice of words. ¡°Don¡¯t leave without me, alright?¡± Camila nodded unhappily, annoyed that they would be staying on the ship, but Coop was fine with it. He¡¯d be able to use all of his abilities to their fullest without worrying about giving away any information to the rest of the Empire. He wouldn¡¯t have minded just the girls accompanying him, but going alone suited him just as well. Once he snagged the spectral relic, he really just needed a getaway driver, and with both of them on the ship, he was confident he wouldn¡¯t be left stranded if they could help it, even if that was the Puppeteer¡¯s plan.


    Coop turned to the nearest ladder and waited for the next ocean swell to lift the ship. He took a running start and, timing it with the rise of the boat, leapt from the top of the railing across the gap and over the shark-filled waters. He grabbed at the rungs of the ladder and caught himself without stumbling. He tried to make it look natural. Unfortunately, he still landed in the water all the way up to his belly button.


    He scrambled up and out of the water as fast as he could, scared that a predator was on his heels. His aura even detected an entity right on his tail. Once he was sufficiently out of the water he turned to see what was beneath him, but there were no sharks. He watched as a drop of blood dripped from his scraped foot into the waves of the ocean. He had only taken 4 damage. He hoped the sharks wouldn¡¯t be excited by the little bit of blood. He knew some of them had incredible senses.


    He squinted to take a better look in the remaining twilight and managed to identify something that was directly beneath him.


    [Caribbean Barnacle (Level 6)]


    [Abyssal Bulwark (Body)]


    [Chosen of the Crustacea Cooperative]


    Alright, Coop thought that was enough. Even barnacles were Chosen over him. He didn¡¯t understand the universe at all. He quickly secured the ropes that hung from the rungs of the ladder onto the cleats at the sides and climbed the rest of the ladder with a tenacity that masked his frustration.


    By the time he reached the top of the ladder, night had fully blanketed the platform. He exited into a safety cage with a squeaky gate that really needed some maintenance. The salt in the air had done a number on it. When he opened it and stepped past its threshold it announced to the entire platform that he had arrived. Coop suddenly received a notification and paused to read it.


    [You have a new quest!]


    Coop thought that was a surprise. He checked the quest. The description read, ¡®Settle the Infestation (0/200).¡¯ Before Coop could contemplate the meaning of the words ¡®Settle¡¯ and ¡®Infestation¡¯ something growled at him from the top of the metal stairs that led to the gate where he stood. He immediately cast Salvation and Retribution, equipping himself with armor and his spear and shield combination, while inspecting the source of the growl.


    [Elite Human Zombie (Level 21)]


    [(Strength)]


    [Minion of the Breathless]


    Coop didn¡¯t waste any time analyzing the information. He just recognized that it would be the highest level monster he had ever fought, and it was also an elite. It didn¡¯t seem very fast. Coop was able to throw his spear up the stairs before it had even begun moving down. The zombie didn¡¯t even flinch as the spear impaled it through the chest. Instead it wrapped both hands around the shaft of the spear and started pulling it back out. Coop didn¡¯t let it finish, using his Ethereal set bonus to resummon his weapon back to his outstretched hand.


    The zombie wasn¡¯t quick and it wasn¡¯t particularly coordinated, but it was still able to shamble down the first few steps toward Coop. He had no room to make space as the area at the top of the ladder was a simple area that had one way in, and it was up the stairs. It was like the staircases of a parking garage, but all industrial stainless steel with grated tread.


    Coop met the zombie halfway up, desperately thrusting his spear in the narrow space that they were confined to. He didn¡¯t have enough room to do more than stab at the zombie and keep it at bay. The zombie, for its part, didn¡¯t seem bothered when being impaled repeatedly. It ignored most of the blows, occasionally reaching to grasp the spear that kept pushing it back up the steps.


    Coop changed tactics slightly by stepping back and readjusting his grip to raise the spear over his shoulder. He tried a powerful overhead swing to stab the zombie¡¯s brain, but the monster lowered its head and instead of taking the blow through the face, headbutted the tip of the spear. To Coop¡¯s surprise the zombie¡¯s hard skull denied the spear any purchase.


    The zombie was able to gain some ground thanks to Coop¡¯s failed attempt to defeat it. It raised both arms like it was celebrating before it swung them down at Coop. He raised his shield and blocked the attack. The Strength of the zombie¡¯s attack nearly overwhelmed Coop, who was flung backwards down the rest of the stairs and into the squeaky gate. The impact broke the hinges of the gate and it noisily clattered over the top of the ladder that Coop had entered from and could have used as a last resort to flee.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Coop hadn¡¯t taken any damage from the blocked attack, but he still lost 57 health and 57 mana from his collision with the metal gate. Presence of Mind hadn¡¯t lied about the zombie prioritizing Strength. Coop shook off the blow and reset himself into a combat stance with his shield and spear ready. He was changing tactics again. He stabbed at the zombie¡¯s legs. He wanted to disable the monster just like how he and Jones had defeated their very first Ancient Defenders. Once he immobilized the zombie he would find a way to kill it.


    It was easier said than done. It was like the zombie¡¯s bones were hardened to the point that they were unbreakable. Coop barely managed to keep himself from getting cornered in the tight space. His spear attacks were constantly impaired by the metal walls. If it wasn¡¯t for his shield he would have been severely wounded. Instead he was only battered against the walls whenever he needed to block one of the zombie¡¯s slow telegraphed attacks. He was steadily taking damage anyway, the zombie was so strong he ended up losing health from the incidental collisions.


    Coop was losing the cage match between himself and the elite zombie. He had a broken and bloody nose from having his shield smashed into his own face. He was bleeding from his exposed elbows and the back of his head from slamming into the steel tread on the floor. He felt bruised all over. His health had dropped by 700 points.


    He hadn¡¯t tried escaping further into the platform by evading the zombie and rushing up the stairs to continue his quest for the relic, but he didn¡¯t think it was a good idea. He had already learned the hard way about getting the attention of multiple monsters when he first met the Primal Kites. They¡¯d only get more dangerous the more he attracted. He needed to figure out how to defeat them before he ventured further.


    A stroke of luck was his savior in the end. He had whiffed a spear thrust and managed to stab the zombie through the ankle right at the top of its foot. Removing the spear took the foot with it and the zombie stumbled on the suddenly shortened leg before tipping over. There was no hesitation when Coop spotted an opening, he had too much practice battling monsters to miss an opportunity when he was given one.


    The zombie lost both of its arms at the elbow before Coop started going for the head. He had to give up on impaling the brain and instead stabbed the monster through the neck multiple times before successfully beheading it.


    The small landing was lit with the pale white light of Coop leveling. He viewed his notifications as he sank against the opposite wall of the zombie and the stairs, battered and bleeding.


    [You defeated Elite Human Zombie (Level 21)]


    [+255 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Soul Shard (Rare)]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Settle the Infestation (1/200)]


    Coop noticed the quest progression and realized that he was in for quite a few more of these fights. He returned to viewing the description of the quest and found the rewards. The final reward of the Infestation quest was the spectral relic, but it implied that there would be multiple ways to complete the quest. Either way, he¡¯d need to kill 200 of the zombies to begin with. That¡¯s just how it was going to be.


    The first one had been a real struggle, but he would continue to adapt. He had already learned a few things and didn¡¯t expect to have such a hard time every fight. Considering the very first kill had caused him to level he expected to make a lot of progress during this new hunt.


    He didn¡¯t understand what it meant for a monster to be elite. Coop¡¯s attributes reflected a power level significantly higher than his actual level, and yet this zombie was able to mostly stand toe-to-toe with him. When it attacked it did so with a strength that Coop could barely resist with his shield, but when Coop attacked he was able to inflict wounds with ease. Other than that, the monster was slow and Coop didn¡¯t feel overwhelmed by its strength outside of its main attack.


    The problem was the zombie¡¯s bones were overwhelmingly strong and its two-handed attacks were also dangerous. Coop suspected that both features could be explained by the creature using skills rather than just the zombie¡¯s stats. An active attack skill and a passive defense skill.


    Coop also noticed that his health, which had been significantly depleted during the fight, had been partially restored. His Bloodthirsty title regenerated 1% of the zombie¡¯s life as his own and the zombie¡¯s health pool must have been absolutely massive. If Coop hadn¡¯t removed its head, the zombie would probably have been able to continue fighting until the sun came up.


    The zombie¡¯s head and body were still there, lying on the floor. Coop jumped back up and poked at the corpse, but only confirmed that it was definitely dead. Every monster Coop had ever fought had evaporated into mana smoke immediately after being defeated. Why didn¡¯t the zombie evaporate? The zombie wasn¡¯t a Primal Construct, maybe that was the difference.


    Coop shook himself out of his own thoughts and dismissed his spear. He summoned the short sword that he had tested occasionally against the weak Ancient Defenders. Coop observed the environment. From what he could see in the dark it was all tight spaces, narrow metal walkways barely wide enough for two people to pass, steel staircases with small landings, and compact prefabricated buildings that promised to be claustrophobic on the inside.


    The length of the spear and the glaive would have some pros and some major cons. He would be able to keep enemies from getting near him as they wouldn¡¯t be able to flank him easily, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to make any wide swings or easily protect his back. The sword would give him much needed maneuverability against the slow zombies, and even more importantly, allow him to go for the neck even in confined spaces.


    Coop cracked his own neck and rotated his shoulders before heading up the stairs. He would regenerate his health using his Bloodthirsty title. He just had to take less damage than he gained after defeating each zombie.


    The next landing took him to the first level of the platform. He had to decide whether to continue going up or traveling along the narrow walkways of this level. It didn¡¯t take much to decide to stay on the first level. There was a zombie at the first intersection of walkways, leaning against the steel railings and staring absently at nothing.


    Coop didn¡¯t waste any time jogging down the walkway with his shield up and sword pointed at his target. Inspecting the monster he prepared for another fight.


    [Elite Human Zombie (Level 23)]


    [(Strength)]


    [Minion of the Breathless]


    It was a few levels higher, but otherwise the same. The monster stirred as soon as Coop got closer as if he had triggered something when he reached a certain radius. It didn¡¯t seem to use its eyes to see him. Coop rushed the rest of the way and swung the short sword in a flashing arc toward the monster¡¯s neck.


    The zombie turned its head and caught the sword with the side of its head, once again surprising Coop with how hard their skulls were. Coop quickly brought his sword down a second time and landed a staggering blow into the zombie¡¯s shoulder.


    The monster stumbled forward from the blow and Coop raised his shield. The zombie ran head first into his shield and Coop tried taking its head once again. His curving slice was suspended by the zombie¡¯s raised forearm.


    Before the zombie could bring itself upright, Coop pressed the attack, this time aiming for the arm that was raised in defense. He would take the arm at the elbow if the zombie insisted on offering it.


    Coop had a significant speed advantage with his Agility clearly much higher than the zombie¡¯s. The sword allowed him to press that advantage and really emphasize how much faster he was. Coop was able to apply a flurry of attacks with his sword while the zombie struggled to use its hardened bones to defend its more vulnerable joints.


    As soon as he captured any advantage, Coop desperately pushed to capitalize. He had squashed any hesitation out of his combat technique 10,000 fights ago. The second zombie that Coop encountered learned his tactic the hard way as Coop had rushed an opening at the very start of the fight, and now he wasn¡¯t letting go of the momentum.


    The zombie¡¯s arm fell to the ground and Coop slashed it in the ribs before winding up a much stronger strike toward the neck. The zombie tried lowering its head again, but Coop had anticipated the move this time, and he connected with his target. The zombie¡¯s body and head both hit the ground at the same time on opposite sides of Coop.


    Coop spun his sword with a flourish and observed how much health he had regenerated. Satisfied, he looked for his next target. He was just getting started.

 Chapter 29: Elite Zombies

    Coop spun, his sword cut through the air and, propelled by his momentum, sliced through the neck of another zombie. He didn¡¯t even wait for the head to hit the ground before he was moving to the next room.


    He kicked a flimsy door with the bottom of his foot, putting his weight into it, and the entire thing separated from its frame and slammed onto the floor. Coop stepped over it and swung his sword in a low angle at the next zombie¡¯s leading knee. The blade pierced the monster¡¯s leg, collapsing it to the ground before it had a chance to mount any offensive. Coop used the backswing to bring his sword into a rising swing that removed an arm before he executed the zombie with a powerful overhand strike to the neck.


    He continued his rapid progress through the next door and into the corresponding room. He smashed a zombie that was waiting in the dark with his shield, launching it backwards. Before the zombie had reached the zenith of its backward path he was already leaping after it, with his sword chasing the monster¡¯s neck.


    Coop was leaning into his rapid assault strategy. Using his significantly higher Agility when compared to the zombies, he gained the upper hand of each fight in the opening seconds, and followed with an onslaught that never allowed the monsters to regain their footing.


    He had already killed every zombie on the first level of the offshore oil platform and had continued to the second. The second level was full of prefabricated units that reminded Coop of the temporary classrooms that every school used for decades longer than they were meant to. They were all flimsy with thin walls and weak doors. He had lost his balance several times when he planted a foot too heavily and it smashed a hole in the floor.


    Another zombie¡¯s head was removed and Coop paused for a moment as he received another level. He exited the series of rooms to get outside. The sun was trickling through the steel canopy in between the buildings. Coop had been hunting zombies all night and judging by the location of the sun he was already halfway through the day.


    Coop was covered in blood. A lot of it was his own, and he wasn¡¯t even close to done yet. He checked his notifications.


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Elite Human Zombie (Level 26)]


    [+305 Basic Credits]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Settle the Infestation (54/200)]


    The zombies on the second level had been an average of five levels higher than the ones on the first floor. He hoped he hadn¡¯t uncovered a pattern. There were six levels on the oil platform. The difference of five zombie levels hadn¡¯t changed their strengths and weaknesses, but he was a little worried about what the difference between a level 25 elite zombie and a level 50 elite zombie might be in terms of raw stats.


    Coop was hoping to finish the whole quest after a total of 48 hours. In the back of his mind. he was worried about the Empire¡¯s goons finding a way to strand him on the oil platform, even without the cooperation of Camila and Charlie. He got the impression they were hoping something would happen to him, but the Puppeteer had explicitly given him three days. Coop didn¡¯t think he had any specific reason to lie about that particular timeline, but he still held some suspicion based on the man¡¯s overall attitude. Some people were just rude, entitled, or arrogant, even before mana had created new stratifications between people.


    Either way, he was rushing to finish the quest just in case they had something planned after three days. The urgent battling had played well into his tactic against the zombies, but it had also resulted in a few painful mistakes.


    Coop learned the hard way that the zombies were biters. It should have been obvious, they were clearly labeled zombies afterall, but none of them had really prioritized the stereotypical zombie attacks of clawing and biting. He had pushed into a room and engaged the first target he saw, but he missed a second zombie. The second zombie managed to sink its teeth into his exposed tricep, tearing a bloody chunk out of him even after he noticed it with his aura.


    He had to remove the biter with several hilt bashes before he could engage it properly. The bite had dealt a significant amount of damage, far more than Coop expected, but it also came with a nasty surprise. He had received a Zombie Infection buff. Not a debuff according to the system, a buff. The stated effect was that he would join the Breathless upon death. The buff was removed when he returned to full life, which only took three more zombie kills to accomplish.


    Coop supposed he wouldn¡¯t really care if he turned into a zombie after he died, he just didn¡¯t intend to die at all, so he continued his hunt and other than a few minor surprises similar to the double zombie break room, he was feeling optimistic.


    Hunting all the elite zombies had shown him why the factions were so interested in having their Chosen level up in special areas. He could level much faster if he was always able to fight elites that were concentrated in a single area. Unfortunately, the oil rig wasn¡¯t a good place for continuous fighting. For whatever reason, none of the zombies had respawned yet. In fact, they were all lying, dismembered, right where he left them. It was a peculiarity he hadn¡¯t run into before arriving at the oil rig.


    He continued to the next series of rooms. He had no idea how many zombies he would find, but so far they had all been relatively spread out and he never had to fight a large number of them at once. His aura skill only allowed him to detect monsters within an area that was too small to be helpful in scanning the interiors from outside. It really only allowed him to have a split second of advanced warning when he was being ambushed, at most, but Coop didn¡¯t doubt that could be a valuable split second.


    Kicking in the door, Coop immediately realized he had made a grave error. He was making his way around the perimeter of the level, and was still on what he considered the residential side. The other three sides and the central area were more industrial. He had been working his way through what were basically a series of dorms, and that was what he expected to find here. Instead he was staring at a large dining area and more than 70 zombies. He had jinxed himself.


    The zombies had all noticed his dramatic entrance and were standing up from their various seated and prone positions. Coop had to make a decision, fast. He identified a few of the zombies.


    [Elite Human Zombie (Level 25)]


    [(Strength)]


    [Minion of the Breathless]


    [Human Zombie (Level 21)]


    [(Body)]


    [Human Zombie (Level 20)]


    [(Body)]


    Coop found a silver lining in finding many of the zombies weren¡¯t elites. That wouldn¡¯t matter much if he let himself be swarmed. He didn¡¯t want to fall back to the metal walkways because it would limit his own movement just as much as theirs. If he had to fight this many zombies one at a time he would run out of space to keep backing down the paths. He had to thin them out a bit before he led them down the walkways.


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    Once Coop decided to start the fight, he committed. Without exposing the doorway to the zombies, he engaged the closest regular monster. It was probably meant to be a meat shield with its investment into the Body stat, but it was a complete weakling compared to the elites. Coop had dismantled it in two swings and shifted to the other side to do the same to another.


    His abilities with the sword had already improved significantly. At this point he was convinced that the Haunted title was providing him with guidance. Every time he swung his sword in an effective way he received some positive mental feedback. It was like he was constantly being conditioned to improve his form. As long as he actively practiced, he was able to advance his technique at a rapid pace. He wouldn¡¯t be mistaken for an expert with any weapons just yet, but he definitely didn¡¯t seem like an amateur either.


    Coop bashed a zombie with his shield and cut the arm off of another. Spinning with his follow through, he beheaded a third zombie before leaping backwards. He was making sure to avoid any zombies from getting behind him.


    He blocked an attacking zombie that chased his backwards leap and cut off one of its legs at the knee. He sidestepped another attack and stabbed his sword into the upper back of a third lunging zombie.


    He let go of his sword and swung his shield at two more zombies that approached his side, knocking them both backwards into the crowd. He mistjumped to his sword that was still impaled below the neck of a previous zombie and yanked it upwards, beheading the surprised zombie from behind before bringing it down into the neck of yet another.


    Coop hacked and slashed his way through weaker zombies before blocking an elite¡¯s special attack. As he slid backwards from the force of the blocked blow, he sliced his sword through the leg of another zombie and beheaded the downed monster in one smooth motion.


    He flipped his sword above the elite zombie that was in pursuit before he shield bashed it in the chin, then mistjumped to the airborne sword and swung it through the stunned zombie¡¯s neck and landed behind where it had stood.


    A downed zombie bit him on the shin and Coop brought his shield down on its neck, finishing it off. While he was leaning over, he took the legs off of another zombie before righting himself and backing further toward the door.


    He quickly spun toward an approaching zombie and plunged his sword into its neck with a forward thrust, like a fencer. He pulled the sword into a horizontal swing beheading the first zombie and a second that had stepped forward in one arcing swing.


    Another elite zombie landed an attack into Coop¡¯s side, forcing him closer to several more on his other flank. Coop swiped with his shield and followed with his sword, detaching the arm of one at his flank before the second blocked his attack.


    He slid between the two zombies knocking the one-armed first away with the hilt of his sword and following with a quick swing to his other side that caught the second in the upper arm. He quickly swung again and beheaded the second injured monster before he hacked the first zombie in the neck, defeating it as well.


    Coop backed away even closer to the door and quickly looked at his health, he had taken several hits and was worried that he was being whittled down by the swarm. His health was at its maximum. His mana was down 400, but his Bloodthirsty title was keeping his health topped off. Coop kept fighting.


    He had barely made a noticeable dent in the horde of zombies. He wasn¡¯t ready to start a slow retreat outside, afraid of getting cornered or forced into another group of zombies and being attacked from both sides. He preferred to fight it out where he could still move.


    He blocked an attack with his shield and retaliated with a hammer-like strike with his sword. The zombie lost its arm at the shoulder, but Coop didn¡¯t have an opportunity to finish it off, instead he thrust his sword into a second attacking zombie. The monster jerked away and Coop let go of his sword rather than be pulled with it. Abandoning his sword avoided letting his back be exposed to other zombies.


    He resummoned his sword and used it to end the one armed zombie while blocking a different attack. Feeling inspired, he dismissed his sword and shield and summoned the glaive, immediately swinging it in wide horizontal arcs that dismembered and beheaded multiple zombies at a time. While the zombies were at the glaive¡¯s effective range and he had enough space to thrust the blade, spin the shaft, and swing, the glaive was an extremely potent anti-zombie weapon.


    He kept the horde at bay momentarily, with the glaive¡¯s sweeping attacks, but the press was too much to be held back and he was forced to resummon his sword and shield when too many crowded his space. The mid battle tactical change had cost him 150 mana, but he had destroyed almost as many zombies as he had during the entire engagement prior. It had been a worthy trade.


    Coop made quick slashing attacks with his short sword, dismembering as much as he beheaded. He blocked almost every attack with his round shield, but the elite¡¯s heavy attacks caused him to yield ground.


    He resorted to some riskier tactics, slicing with his sword and releasing his grip on it to mistjump adjacent to his position. The sudden movements allowed him to defeat more zombies by separating them in pairs and trios from the rest of the pack, but if he wasn¡¯t careful he might lose his escape route. He changed his tempo, incorporating even more sidesteps. A small quick dodge was plenty to get around the zombie¡¯s slow guards and allow him to eliminate them before repositioning.


    Coop found himself moving at the waist like a professional boxer, weaving between zombies and stabbing at exposed necks with jabs, all while keeping his guard up with his shield. The zombies were being defeated one or two at a time as he peeled them away from the crowd. As long as he kept making new space he was able to prevent himself from being overwhelmed.


    Half of the zombies were defeated when Coop finally ran out of room and yielded the doorway. He just couldn¡¯t maneuver between the zombies anymore with all of their fallen comrades piling up on the floor. He backed his way into the daylight and onto the walkways.


    The fight completely changed once again. It had started as a messy melee with Coop dancing around the nearest zombies, then the numbers started pressuring him into a more tightly controlled stance. He had shifted to making space for himself with the defeats of pairs of zombies, using more deliberate attacks to finish off his targets. Once the fight moved outside it became a gauntlet of duels. The zombies could barely stand shoulder to shoulder on the path so Coop would dismantle the guard of his opponent, behead it, then hop backwards and let his next victim climb over the dead zombie to enter combat.


    When the final zombie stepped up to Coop¡¯s waiting blade he immediately sliced at its neck. It blocked with its forearm, but Coop was counting on the block. He used the recoil to pull his sword back and chopped off the zombie¡¯s hand instead, then immediately reversed his swing taking its other arm off at the elbow. He bashed the zombie with his shield, throwing the handless arm out of the way before he chopped the monster¡¯s head off.


    Coop had been pressed all the way to the stairs that led back to the first level. He had purposely led them there in case the fight continued even further. He knew there were no more zombies down there, so he wasn¡¯t going to risk being challenged from both sides at the same time with an extended retreat.


    Before he did anything else, he made his way through the beheaded zombie corpses and made sure they were all dead. Inside the dining area it was way messier. Some zombies were still alive but unable to pursue due to missing legs. Coop made sure every single one was defeated before he checked his notifications.


    [You defeated Human Zombie (Level 20)]


    [+26 Basic Credits]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [You defeated Elite Human Zombie (Level 26)]


    [+264 Basic Credits]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Settle the Infestation (74/200)]


    In total, Coop defeated over 70 zombies, but only 20 of them had been elites, and apparently only the elites contributed to his quest. He received a ton of class and profession experience from fighting both types of zombies. His progress was exploding while he completed this quest.


    He had to restrain himself from checking the leaderboards. He knew his position was climbing like a rocket, but he needed to stay on task. He was running out of time. If he wanted to be on schedule for completing the quest in 48 hours, he needed another 26 elite kills before it got dark..


    Coop continued his hunt.

 Chapter 30: Ethereal Swordsmanship

    It was already morning again and Coop was still on the zombie infested oil rig. Time just flew by while hunting zombies. Coop had spent the second night clearing the third floor of the platform and was getting ready to start on the fourth. He was mentally regrouping before venturing further.


    The first floor had held 40 elite zombies that were between levels 20 and 25. The second floor also held 40 elite zombies, but they were between levels 25 and 30 and they also had around 50 normal zombies accompanying them. Coop¡¯s quest progress had started to slow a bit with the addition of the normal zombies.


    The third floor interrupted the pattern of escalating levels. There were 40 elite zombies that were between levels 25 and 30 and every one of them was joined by two normal zombies. The extra monsters were nothing but an annoyance, but they usually bought the elite zombies enough time to cancel out Coop¡¯s rapid assault strategy giving them a better chance to fight back. Every engagement was taking him longer to complete. A small benefit was that he was getting a lot more sword practice thanks to the extended fights.


    It seemed like he would finish his quest to defeat 200 of the elites after the fifth floor, assuming he kept finding the same number of them each time. His goal of finishing in two days now seemed slightly too ambitious. He couldn''t complain very much, as long as he didn¡¯t get left behind. He trusted the girls to make sure that didn¡¯t happen.


    He had also wasted some time after entering the third floor. He cleared a portion of the buildings before descending back down to the second floor hoping to take a break in the middle of the night. He kept his break brief because he realized his quest progress was lagging behind his goal, he didn¡¯t want to dally. When he returned to the third floor he found the areas that he had cleared had new zombies in them. It was an unwelcome surprise.


    The zombies could respawn after all, but only if he went down instead of up. He wouldn¡¯t be able to return to the ship without resetting the entire oil platform. The worst part about his discovery was that the new zombies didn¡¯t contribute to his quest, even if they were elites. Coop couldn¡¯t go down any floors without risking respawns that would just waste his limited time.


    Coop was taking another break at the edge of the platform on the freshly emptied third floor, letting the ocean breeze wash over him. He leaned over the railing and confirmed that the ship was still there. They hadn''t left him stranded just yet. He was too high above the ship to yell for their attention. Even if he knew how to do those ridiculously loud whistles, he wouldn¡¯t be able to communicate anything to them. If he whistled and started waving he had no idea how they would interpret it. They might decide he was telling them to escape and actually leave him behind, so he just watched for a little while.


    He could see that they had split into three groups. The Honorguard and Outrider couple leaned against the railing on the bow, the Puppeteer and three members of Charlie¡¯s party were seated around a barrel on the main deck, and Charlie and Camila were sparring together at the rear of the ship. Coop would have been itching to get something done after two nights and one day of waiting around on a boat, but it seemed like everyone was patiently biding their time.


    Charlie was practicing with her wind abilities while Camila dodged around her. All of Charlie¡¯s spells had delays, but she was able to precast certain things and let them fizzle harmlessly if they became unneeded. She could start a gust of wind and just have it circle until direct action was necessary. Sailing the ship had given her a lot of insight on controlling winds for an extended period of time.


    Meanwhile, Camila was dodging invisible attacks without using her skills. He had no idea how she was detecting the gusts of wind. He supposed it was possible she was just dodging unpredictably to give Charlie a challenge.


    The Puppeteer and the three stooges were just hanging around on the main deck, huddled near each other in what must have been a private conversation. They weren¡¯t even playing cards or anything. Coop at least appreciated they hadn¡¯t tried to leave.


    Coop reviewed the night¡¯s notifications, knowing his personal progress had continued to explode even if his quest progress was falling slightly below his expectations. He was getting plenty of experience from the regular zombies that had joined the elites. They were higher level than even the Prowlers back home.


    [You defeated Elite Human Zombie (Level 29)]


    [+506 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Essence of Undeath (Uncommon)]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Elite Human Zombie (Level 26)]


    [+314 Basic Credits]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    ¡­


    [Settle the Infestation (120/200)]


    Another level and more profession levels added to his ever growing Mind stat. He reset his sword grip, admiring his improved stats. Coop hoped that he would never grow numb to the physical increases that he felt each time he added to his attributes. It felt good to level.


    Coop left his nook and followed the narrow metal walkways to the set of stairs that would take him to his next challenge. He didn¡¯t linger, climbing the stairs and entering the fourth floor, but he did pause as he stood on the landing.


    The first monster he spotted was clearly different, it wasn¡¯t idly sitting like so many of the previous ones. Instead, it stood alert, twitching, as it stared directly at Coop with completely white eyes. It was hunched forward in a way that reminded Coop of how long distance runners awaited the start of a race, not all the way to the ground, but leaning forward, ready to go. He used his Presence of Mind to identify it.


    [Elite Human Zombie (Level 32)]


    [(Agility)]


    [Minion of the Breathless]


    It was higher level and had a different primary stat than the previous elites. Coop prepared to engage. He would just have to learn about this new Agility variant on the fly.


    The zombie moved first, raising its head and howling at the metal grates blocking the sky. Dozens of screeches and yells filled the air in response. The zombie didn¡¯t bother with rounding the corner that connected their walkways to get to Coop. It leapt onto the railing and using hands and feet it jumped toward Coop¡¯s position.


    After only three leaps, the zombie was flying through the air, both arms outstretched and mouth wide open, as if it was aiming to tackle and chew on Coop. He raised his shield to block the monster, but instead of just a collision, the monster grasped onto the shield with one hand and pressed both feet against the shield. The zombie reached over the shield and scratched at Coop¡¯s face, then switched its arms to tear at his shield arm.


    Coop squinted with blood in his eyes and tried to shake the monster off. Coop¡¯s Strength allowed him to easily hold the human-sized monster with his one arm.


    Coop used the full extent of his Strength to slam the shield into the post and handrail of the walkway. The zombie was annihilated by the force of the attack. Coop was already bloodied and had taken multiple scratches. They only reduced his health by a total of 45, but he had regenerated less than half of that from defeating the monster. Coop had to be worried about a death from a thousand cuts when facing these things.


    He looked up and witnessed the horrifying sight of three dozen of the monsters vaulting along the handrails of the walkways in a rush to attack Coop. It was like facing down a pack of rabid zombie chimpanzees.


    Coop didn¡¯t have the time to retreat, the monsters would be upon him before he escaped, so he readied himself for another messy melee. In a small reversal, he would have to use his superior strength, compared to his reliance on his speed against the previous zombie variant.


    As they reached him, they viciously attacked any part they could reach. They used their hands and feet to scratch and their teeth to bite his arms and his legs. The monsters were weak, but they were nimble. If Coop hit them with either his sword or his shield his target wouldn¡¯t be able to recover, but they were quick, and aggressively counter-attacked whenever they had the chance.


    They weren¡¯t limited to fighting individually either because of the narrow walkways. They were flying in from above and came at his flanks, completely unconstrained by the narrow corridors of the oil rig. They climbed and leapt off the metal pipes and rails that formed the bulk of the platform, lining the walls of the buildings. They were still human-sized, but they were hunched over, using their arms to move as much as their legs. They were coming at him from below as well as above. He had already been worried about his flanks, but never even considered above and below.


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    Coop cleaved one that leapt from above. It couldn¡¯t alter its trajectory before meeting his sword. He bashed another with his shield, defeating it completely with a blow that normally just stunned other monsters.


    He elbowed one that jumped onto his back and tried biting his neck, folding it in two and launching it into two other zombies. They all collapsed like bowling pins. He jumped into the three fallen monsters and finished one with a stomp and used his shield to defeat the other two.


    Another landed on his back and he fell backwards in an ill-advised wrestling move that killed the zombie, but exposed him to even more of its fellow monsters. He kicked one out of the air as it dove toward him and rolled away before they could pile on. They were relentless and sacrificing his footing had been a major error.


    Out of desperation he threw his sword into the air and mistjumped while more zombies joined the scrum. He exited the fog high in the air, nearly to the next floor, adrenaline pumping from the barely avoided dog pile. Gravity dragged him back down in what felt like slow motion and zombies dove through the air to attack him before he had made it halfway to the ground.


    He swung his sword at two in the air, beheading one and removing both arms of the other. As he landed he trampled another, stomping down on it for good measure, then used his shield to charge down the walkway.


    He smashed through zombies like a rampaging elephant, but they were like a pride of lions desperately scraping and biting in an effort to take him down.


    Gritting his teeth he swung his sword in a barrage of swift attacks. He didn¡¯t need all of his Strength to destroy these zombies. His most powerful blows were overkill. Their bones weren¡¯t as reinforced as their cousins on the lower floors. He accepted as many attacks as he landed, even with his shield blocking most. But when his attacks landed a zombie was defeated, when they scratched him he lost a tiny fraction of his health.


    He was slowly losing health overall, but he pushed himself to make sure the pack of zombies would reach its limit before he did. He maintained his focus in an effort to minimize the damage he took. His footwork had improved since he first stumbled around in the sand of Ghost Reef while fighting Ancient Defenders. Now, he was able to efficiently step away from attacks and shift his weight into counterattacks.


    The zombies weren¡¯t that much faster than he was, there were just a lot of them and they attacked with such reckless abandon it was difficult to keep up. They gave no thought to self-preservation.


    Coop really turned the tide when he started incorporating more mistjumps into his fighting style. The monsters were so aggressive that his sudden movements completely stymied them. They ran into each other before receiving a sword to the back, or they just kept going and crashed into metal walls and railings.


    The real trick was in the sword toss. Instead of flicking it into the air he just dumped it a few inches above where he wanted to hold it and teleported a few feet at a time. To the monsters it was like an instantaneous sidestep, they could do nothing about it and utterly failed to predict it. Most of the time they took his blade to the back as punishment for their enthusiastic charges.


    Coop returned their ferocity with clinical precision, mistjumping in and out of position with smooth attacks that were uninterrupted by the teleports. He wasn¡¯t rampaging any longer. All it took was a sidestep to dodge a lunging zombie, followed by a mistjump that saw the monster beheaded the moment Coop completed the teleport. Instead of wild swings, a quick shove with his shield, followed by a sword thrust to defeat one monster was enough, and a lunging strike into the next zombie before the first had fallen would top everything off. Coop was thinning the horde with decisive strikes.


    By the time there were only a handful of the agile zombies left, Coop had developed his rapid mistjumps to the point that he didn¡¯t take damage from the monsters anymore. When the last one¡¯s head was lopped off he checked his notifications. He wanted to confirm that these elites counted for the quest.


    [You defeated Elite Human Zombie (Level 33)]


    [+514 Basic Credits]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    ¡­


    [Settle the Infestation (160/200)]


    Coop was gratified to find that they did count toward his quest. The fight had been intense, but it ended quickly. He made up a lot of time, but when he checked his health and mana he realized he would have to take another break to recover. Whatever time he made up with the quick fight would be lost waiting to recuperate.


    Coop¡¯s health was still a comfortable 1,650, but his mana had dipped all the way down to below 1,000. His mistjumps combined with his Mind Over Matter to drain over 3,000 mana during the short battle.


    The Bloodthirsty title was really paying off in the health regeneration department. Coop never expected his mana to become the problem, considering his hyper investment into the Mind attribute. On the bright side, mana did recover a lot faster than health so he wouldn¡¯t need to wait as long if the pools were reversed.


    He wandered around the fourth floor, confirming that there were no more zombies hiding in the dark, isolated corners, while he waited for his mana to recover. He didn¡¯t find any monsters, but he did find a relatively untouched breakroom. There were some undisturbed sodas, and Coop thought it was the perfect opportunity for some product placement. What could be better than a drink after a zombie fight? He grabbed one and sat down.


    It was gross. He wasn¡¯t even a fan of sodas in the first place, and a warm one after not consuming anything so sugary for so long was a bad choice. He gave it up after a few sips.


    He shrugged it off and gave up holding himself back from checking the leaderboards. It was Day 20 and the factions should be returning the vast majority of their Chosen today. Only the very special would be kept until Day 30, as every day they were with their factions added to the cost of their sponsorships. Camila and Charlie had shared the Empire¡¯s opinion that the diminished returns from training beyond Day 20 were just not worth it. The Empire was all about leveraging the early training into territory gains, so they would all be returned by Day 20.


    Checking the leaderboard he found his position was 12,998,435. He was definitely closing in on the top 10 and he still expected to get at least one more level before he was done, hopefully tonight. He checked the top 10 list to see how far ahead they were.


    Day 20


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">The Lich (Level 45)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Banshee (Level 45)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Zombie Lord (Level 40)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Hai Yun (Level 30)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Tzultacaj (Level 30)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Platinum (Level 30)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Karl Ekberg (Level 30)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Aram Sangha (Level 30)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Safiri (Level 30)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Alonzo Rios (Level 30)</li>


    </ol>


    Coop did a double take when he realized level 30 was still worth the top 10. He had just hit level 30! He was tied with fourth place! And apparently 13 million other people were also tied, but he was still surprised. His mana needed to hurry up and regenerate, he knew he had at least one more level coming from these zombies.


    Banshee had leveled twice since he last checked, two days ago. More surprisingly Zombie Lord gained his first levels since the leaderboards began. He gained a massive four levels in the last two days. Coop had gained five in the same time period so he was still gaining on every entry of the top 10.


    Tzultacaj rejoined the leaderboard as well, it was the first time Coop had seen someone fall off and then return. They were last on the leaderboard on Day 12. Platinum had also first appeared at the number 10 spot when he checked on Day 18, gaining a level was enough to push them up. Hai Yun hadn¡¯t leveled again since he last checked, but they were still holding strong.


    Coop assumed most of the rest were fresh from their factions. It seemed like level 30 was the Day 20 training limit. They held no advantage over Coop anymore, at least when it came to levels. He admired his status while he waited for his mana.


    [Status]


    HP - 1655/2100


    MP - 1542/3900


    Class - Revenant (Level 30)


    Profession - Basic Scavenging (Level 25)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 15 (+390)


    Agility - 15 (+195)


    Body - 15 (+195)


    Mind - 390


    Intelligence - 15


    Acumen - 15


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion II, Haunted, Ethereal, Bloodthirsty, Slayer I


    Skills (Active) - Retribution, Salvation, Presence of Mind


    Skills (Passive) - Common Language, Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application


    Quests - Settle the Infestation (160/200), Defeat Ancient Prowlers V (605/11111), Defeat Primal Kites II (11/25), Upgrade Outpost to Village


    Basic Credits - 173,903


    Coop knew that being on the leaderboard didn¡¯t really mean anything, but comparing his progress gave him validation when it came to his build and his efforts. The confirmation that he wasn¡¯t inferior to the Chosen lifted the weight from his shoulders once again. And he was just getting started.


    He rested in the break room and watched his mana tick up. It would probably be dark by the time he was ready, so he made the best of his leisure time.


    He tried removing the blood and grime that had caked onto him during the last couple of days, but it was no use. He needed soap. Plus, he¡¯d just get more gunk on him before he was finished, so it was futile. His armor seemed to resist getting dirty. The ghostly wisps appeared to keep the surface nice and clean. His sword and shield were similarly cleansed. His gear looked brand new, but damn did he need a shower.

 Chapter 31: Guerilla Tactics

    The oil rig was lit by nothing but the waning moon when Coop moved to the fifth floor. It had taken until late in the evening for Coop to feel comfortable continuing further into the zombie infestation. He had to wait for his health and mana to recover after the previous fights.


    When he first stepped foot on the fifth floor he was regretting his caution. The darkness gave the entire platform a spooky ambience that made him nervous. Deep shadows filled the corners of the platform, raising concerns about what could be lurking where Coop couldn¡¯t see.


    He carefully made his way along the narrow metal walkways that led to the first series of buildings. Ideally, he would spot whatever enemy awaited him long before they spotted him. He moved a lot more cautiously after his experience with the quick zombies.


    When Coop rounded the next corner, he spied the occupants of the fifth floor. It was basically an army. He quickly estimated more than 200 zombies were present. They were lined up with as much discipline as one could expect from zombies, which wasn¡¯t much. Coop inspected the rows of monsters and found that they were all the same regular zombies that acted as meat shields on the previous floors. He stayed still and continued to search for any elites within the crowd.


    The zombies were lined up along the perimeter of the buildings, down the walkways and against the stark walls and rigid pipes. It seemed like they were waiting for directions. Coop thought it was lucky that they had all been confined to this offshore oil platform and hadn¡¯t been able to roam where more people were. He could imagine the zombies quickly getting out of control. Their ability to spread through applying zombification buffs with bites could become a huge problem.


    He continued observing nothing but aimless wandering from most of the zombies, until he spotted one moving with more purpose than the others. He tracked the zombie until it entered a darkened doorway that led further into one of the larger buildings. He suspected he would need to go inside to find the elites that were his quarry.


    As he carefully picked his way through the platform, Coop felt like he was looking at a haunted house and hesitated, but he had already come this far, and he was still in a hurry to finish his quest, so he forged on. The front entrance needed to be avoided if he wanted to remain undetected, so he¡¯d avoid kicking down the front door and going in guns blazing if he could.


    Coop stuck to the shadows on the perimeter of the floor. He took a circuitous path toward the suspicious building, away from the mustering army of listless zombies. He would try to get in without alerting anything of his presence, and depending on what he found, he would have to decide on where and how to fight.


    As he did his best to sneak around he lamented the fact that he didn¡¯t have a stealth ability. This particular floor in the dead of night was giving him assassination mission vibes.


    He reached the back of his target building stealthily enough to avoid detection. After climbing a series of pipes, he entered through a broken transom window. He paused in the darkness of the interior to let his eyes adjust before he moved forward.


    Peeking around corners and delicately stepping through empty rooms, he was doing his best to check all of his corners and remember his escape route. After just a few rooms, he found his first group of zombies. He quickly inspected them to see what he was dealing with.


    [Elite Human Zombie (Level 35)]


    [(Intelligence)]


    [Minion of the Breathless]


    [Elite Human Zombie (Level 31)]


    [(Agility)]


    [Minion of the Breathless]


    [Elite Human Zombie (Level 25)]


    [(Strength)]


    [Minion of the Breathless]


    [Human Zombie (Level 21)]


    [(Body)]


    [Human Zombie (Level 20)]


    [(Body)]


    Holding his breath, he backed away from the doorway to consider his options. He had discovered a full party of zombies sitting in a dark room together with a much larger group of regular zombies waiting around outside. The party of monsters consisted of a Strength zombie with a pair of meat shields like he found all over the third floor, an Agility zombie like the ones that aggressively attacked him on the fourth floor, and a new Intelligence variant that he hadn¡¯t seen before.


    Coop peered through the darkness and confirmed that the group hadn¡¯t moved. The Strength zombie was sitting in a chair, face down on the table, while its two regular zombies stood behind the seat on either side like bodyguards protecting a passed out executive. The Agility zombie stood on the opposite side of the table, twitching and fidgeting like it was itching to move, and the Intelligence zombie stood straight with its arms crossed, adjacent to the Agility zombie, presiding over the conference.


    Coop decided to leave this group, for now, and see if he could find another one. He carefully navigated the hallways of the building in the dark. He created a mental map after finding five more of the exact same zombie groups at various points within the building, waiting for something just like the normal zombies outside.


    A plan started forming, but before Coop acted, he exited the building to explore some of the neighboring structures. If the patterns of the previous floors continued, there should be 40 elites on this floor, so he should be able to find at least 13 groups of elite zombies.


    A quick reconnaissance of the other buildings confirmed his theory. He was still missing one elite, but 39 were accounted for. Knowing his targets were there, waiting, Coop resolved himself to get his mission done. It was time for some guerilla warfare.


    Coop returned to the main building. If he needed to retreat, it had the clearest path back down to the previous floors. He was going to try to fight each group as an isolated party and avoid creating another horde of zombies. The groups at the perimeter would be his first victims as they were the most isolated and closest to his escape paths.


    He recalled the behavior of each type of zombie while he decided how to handle his target prioritization. The Strength zombies growled and shambled, but didn¡¯t otherwise alert each other. The Agility zombies, on the other hand, were loud and screamed constantly. The first time he saw one it attracted every single one of its comrades right away. He had no idea how the Intelligence zombie would behave as they were a complete unknown up to this point. He could only assume they would have magical attacks. Magical attacks could be loud or flashy enough to alarm other zombies.


    The plan would require him to prevent other groups from joining in the fights, so he would need to quickly dispatch the Agility zombies. Getting rid of the fastest zombies would also benefit him if he needed to abandon the fight and run. He wouldn¡¯t be able to create distance if all the Agility zombies converged on him. Luckily, the Agility zombies were frail compared to the others, so his first target in each group would be a fragile one.


    The unknown variable that was the Intelligence variant would be his second target. He could assume they had ranged abilities and they were the highest level by a wide margin, so he considered them dangerous. Even if his magic defense was superior to his physical defense, thanks to his investment into his Mind stat, he didn¡¯t want to give them a chance to retaliate and test his durability.


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    Once he culled the party down to the Strength zombies, he would be able to easily clean them up. The first three floors had already proven that he could handle them.


    Coop crouched in the darkness and considered how the zombies had been completely ignorant of his presence. How did zombies detect him anyway? Smell? It didn¡¯t look like their eyes were very useful anymore, pupiless and deteriorated as they were. His camouflage might just be the caked on blood and gore that he was still covered in. Coop accepted his good fortune when he failed to clean up previously.


    He inched over to the middle of his current room, giving himself line of sight on the Agility zombie in the next. The commercial carpet muted his already careful steps and the dim light made him nearly invisible to a human eye. He peered through the murky reflections to spot his target. The Agility zombie stood in the center of the group, squirming with energy. Coop swapped his sword for his spear. He would open the fight by killing his first target with a spear throw.


    The zombie party he targeted first was standing around a conference room desk. The room was lined with metal filing cabinets and one side had a white erase board with some remnants of pre apocalypse data still on it. Their zombie meeting was interrupted when the Agility zombie¡¯s head exploded.


    Coop deftly stepped out of the gathering mist that formed behind the dying zombie and swapped the spear for a sword that cut the Intelligence zombie¡¯s neck before it had even unfolded its arms.


    He spun on the waking Strength zombie and executed it with an overhand chop, like he was splitting a log, before it even rose to its feet. In three seconds Coop was left with two weak normal zombies that were as much of a challenge as the Ancient Defenders back home.


    Coop didn¡¯t celebrate, instead retreating back toward his escape route, tip-toeing, crouched, and controlling his breathing so that he could listen for additional zombies. He waited to see if the commotion, as limited as it was, had notified any others. He heard nothing, but he still waited. Five minutes and he gave himself the all clear. The strategy was a resounding success. His only regret was that he still had no idea what the Intelligence zombies could do. He thought it would be fine if he never had to find out. He moved to the second group.


    Coop remained cautious as he navigated the dark and narrow hallways. His next target was inside of a small gym. He felt bad for the workers that had to make due with the pitiful equipment when they lived and worked on the rig. He imagined the five zombies crowding the room were already pushing it toward its maximum capacity. They stood between a smith machine and a wall full of gray exercise balls suspended behind a bungee cord.


    He threw his spear through the skull of the Agility zombie and immediately activated his mistjump to carry him into attack range of the Intelligence zombie. As he reappeared he swapped the spear for his sword and brought it down into the top of the monster¡¯s head. It split like a watermelon and he leapt toward the Strength zombie. One of the regular zombies got in his way, but only managed to delay him the length of time it took Coop to swing his sword once. Two more swings and the last elite of the group was defeated. He cleaned up the last regular zombie and retreated again.


    He waited in the dark along his escape route, confirming that he remained undetected. His prudence was costing him time, but he preferred being slow and methodical when the alternative was fighting hundreds of zombies at once with an uncertain outcome.


    When he was satisfied that he was still hidden he continued stalking zombies one group at a time. His weapon swaps were costing him some mana, but his slower pace was giving him time to partially recover in between every fight. He wasn¡¯t in danger of running out of mana any time soon. Including his recovery, he was only dropping a little more than 100 mana after each engagement.


    Coop cleared the first building¡¯s six zombie groups without any surprises. He snuck around and assassinated each group with the same method. Then he climbed into the second building that he had already explored, knowing there were four groups to be hunted.


    The first group he engaged in the second building was the first time something went wrong. The Agility zombie died immediately, but the Intelligence zombie didn¡¯t follow it in defeat. One of the regular zombies interfered while Coop was still mistjumping by wandering into his sword¡¯s trajectory. The normal zombie intercepted Coop¡¯s blade with its skull, giving the Intelligence zombie a chance to recognize the threat to its existence.


    The tiny interruption was enough for the Intelligence zombie to lift one of its arms and blast Coop with an explosion of fire. The outstretched palm of the zombie was pressed against Coop¡¯s solar plexus and had exploded like a shotgun blast, temporarily blinding Coop with the flash of light and leaving his ears ringing.


    For a moment everyone stood still. Coop¡¯s vision returned and he looked down at his chest, expecting to find a basketball sized hole. The Intelligence zombie stared at Coop, seeming confused. The Strength zombie was still rousing itself to its feet.


    Coop was completely intact. He cut the Intelligence zombie¡¯s head off and noted that he had only lost 25 health from its dramatic flameblast. He quickly dismantled the two remaining zombies and retreated to his escape route.


    Before he made it out of the long corridor that led through the building he heard the distinct footsteps of another group of zombies. He cut his retreat short and stepped in between some industrial pipes and waited, doing his best to meld into the shadows. The fireblast had been loud enough to alert the nearby groups. He prayed the zombies outside remained ignorant.


    While he stayed completely still, he pondered the zombie¡¯s magical attack. They had both been surprised by the result, or lack thereof. Coop¡¯s investment into Mind had really proven its value when a point blank magical attack hardly even scratched him.


    Unfortunately, it seemed like the sound of the blast had been enough to attract all of the other zombies inside the building. He hadn¡¯t heard any screams or howls, nor was there a stampede of hundreds. Only the nearby groups that were already within the building had been alerted. Thanks to his scouting, he knew that meant three groups.


    When an Agility zombie sprinted past him toward where he had defeated the first group, Coop didn¡¯t react. When a second Agility zombie ran by, he continued to bide his time. When the third entered the room Coop clotheslined it with his sword, beheading it, and followed the previous two.


    He tracked the two Agility zombies to the scene of his group ambush. He moved quickly but stayed as quiet as he could. Both zombies were in the room among the defeated zombies, wheeling around, hunched over with their arms spread out, searching for the culprit. Coop swapped his sword for the glaive. He hesitated until both zombies turned away, then lunged into the room, aiming for a double kill with the lengthy blade. It flashed through the air, reflecting the limited light, and cut through the first neck cleanly. The second zombie caught the blade in the face, it wasn¡¯t a clean kill but it still died before calling an alert.


    Swapping the glaive back to a sword, Coop retreated further down the corridor, away from the path he expected the rest of the zombies to follow and waited in the darkness.


    He watched, shrouded by shadows, as 12 zombies entered the room where their comrades had been defeated. Once they were all in, he left his cover and summoned his shield. He stepped through the room¡¯s threshold and caught one of the Intelligence zombies by surprise, killing it from behind.


    Without knowing the full kit of the casters, he continued to prioritize their defeats. He wasn¡¯t as worried about them doing damage to him, but he wanted to make sure they didn¡¯t do anything that would alert the zombies that were outside or in other buildings.


    Coop mistjumped between angry Strength zombies and assaulted the second caster. When it reached out to fireblast, Coop cut its arm, then immediately cut its neck. He blocked a Strength zombie¡¯s powerful attack with his shield before engaging the last caster. It was desperately forming a fireball between its hands, but the melee zombies failed to delay Coop long enough to complete its spell. He smashed into the monster, sword first, preventing the spell from detonating, causing it to fizzle into loose mana instead.


    With the primary threats defeated, Coop¡¯s full attention was brought onto the melee zombies. They didn¡¯t stand much of a chance now that Coop had so much experience fighting them with his sword inside of enclosed spaces. He slashed through the normal zombies and isolated the elites, defeating them one after the other. As long as he didn¡¯t let them get around him he wasn¡¯t in too much danger.


    Once he was finished, he dismissed his shield and went back to moving as stealthily as he could. He entered the last building to take down the last three groups.


    The final three groups didn¡¯t cause Coop any problems, being eliminated before rousing the attention of any of the others. He confirmed that his quest was almost complete, at 199/200. He still needed to find the final elite zombie.


    Coop rounded the entire floor¡¯s perimeter and explored the interior of all the buildings, but didn¡¯t find his target. He observed the hundreds of normal zombies in the central area but they were unsupervised. There was only one way to go.


    Coop went back to the main staircase and climbed to the top floor.

 Chapter 32: Calamity Bringer

    Coop had a perfect view of the sunrise. He stood on the final landing and allowed himself a moment to enjoy it. Dawn broke on the 21st day since the apocalypse. He took a deep breath and gathered his resolve. He¡¯d get this quest done and upgrade Ghost Reef. The settlement events were marching closer and he wanted to be ready for whatever new challenges they brought.


    He finally had the sky above him, all of the previous floors had their outdoor areas covered in metal grates, pipes, and the walkways of upper floors. The outdoors were like a metal jungle, with light barely filtering down, and the interiors were a mix of unadorned living areas and industrial buildings. The limited space of the platform made everything feel confined, with narrow corridors and low ceilings. He was glad to be in the open air again.


    The skyline wasn¡¯t completely clear, as the abandoned cranes were taller still. They leaned over the edges above the open ocean like the framework of unfinished towers. There was an elevated platform that Coop predicted was a large helipad blocking one side of the top level as well. He approached the only structure on the floor, which was at the base of the helipad. A prefabricated office that would have been at home at any construction site he had ever seen. If anything was waiting on the top floor, it would be in the building or on the helipad.


    As Coop slowly inched the door of the office open, unsure of what he would find inside, he was smashed in the chin by a heavy blow. He staggered backwards into the wide open area of the top floor before tripping onto the metal rooftops that created the ground of the final level.


    Once he got his bearings he spat a mouthful of blood and inspected the zombie that used Coop¡¯s chin like a golf ball. It was taking its time exiting the office.


    [Elite Human Zombie (Level 40)]


    [Calamity Bringer (Intelligence)]


    [Zombie Captain of the Breathless]


    [Abomination]


    The monster had to crouch to fit through the doorway as it was over seven feet tall once it stood at its full height. It carried a solid black staff that had been used against Coop¡¯s face when he was trying to peek inside. The zombie was wearing a dark red and black robe and stood with posture that made Coop conscious of his own.


    The Zombie Captain surprised Coop by smiling at him. Then the creepy laughter began and Coop was wondering about just how intelligent this being was.


    Coop dismissed his sword and summoned his spear while adding his shield for good measure. The spear and shield combination was the weapon set he was most comfortable with and provided him with the most mobility. The zombie circled Coop and positioned itself in the widest area of the floor.


    The zombie didn¡¯t leave any room to doubt whether or not they would be fighting, raising his staff to the sky and shouting words that Coop couldn¡¯t understand. The tone of the guttural speech that came out of the undead¡¯s throat made Coop glad for their unintelligibility.


    Coop prepared his shield, but still hesitated before closing the distance.


    The zombie slammed the butt of his staff into the ground and three clones of the staff rose out of large runes that appeared on the ground, forming a triangular perimeter around the zombie. The triangle occupied the bulk of the open area with Coop on the outside of one edge.


    Each of the summoned staves at the points of the triangle glowed red with heat causing the air to warp around them. The brightest one alighted with flames for a brief second, like it was spontaneously combusting. The flames were driven into the ground after running down the shaft of the black weapon and the entire staff pulsed as a ring of flames expanded outwards like ripples in a pond. The staff returned to its solid black color before the head¡¯s glow slowly increased in intensity, recharging for another pulse.


    Coop hurdled the wave as it approached him. He watched as the zombie allowed the flames to wash over himself, still grinning. The zombie, once again, raised his staff up in the air and chanted a spell. He slammed the butt of his staff into the ground a second time and two flaming crystal pylons grew directly behind him, flanking his left and right.


    Coop was forced to jump over another wall of flames before he started to close the distance. He threw his spear at the zombie¡¯s chest. The zombie gave a wide, broken grin and lifted his staff to block the spear¡¯s trajectory.


    Before the spear collided with the zombie¡¯s staff, Coop appeared out of a mistjump and pulled the spear into an angled thrust toward the zombie¡¯s head. The zombie didn¡¯t have enough time to readjust his guard and the spear slammed into his partially faded smile with enough energy to conclusively end the fight before it had truly begun.


    When the spear struck, an egg shaped flame shield appeared encasing the zombie. It exploded outwards with enough power to launch Coop across the platform. Coop bounced and skidded along the ground before he slid to a stop, passing through two flame waves that burned him fiercely. He checked his health and found that each wave had done almost 100 damage each and the flame shield explosion had done 250 damage.


    The Zombie Captain¡¯s magic was far more potent than any Coop had encountered previously, putting a dent into his health despite his magical defenses. Coop turned his attention back to the zombie in time to see him finish casting a fireball at the end of his staff. The end of his staff was leveled at Coop and the fireball rapidly spun before it flew straight at him, leaving a twisting trail of flames and smoke like a burning bullet.


    Coop barely had time to raise his shield from his kneeling position. The fireball slammed into him and exploded like a missile, erupting upon the collision. The flames overwhelmed his shield and created a blast cone that dealt more damage wherever Coop was exposed.


    Singed, he stood back up and resummoned his spear, having lost it in the flame shield explosion after his first attack. He was forced to jump over another flame wave before he turned his full attention to the zombie. The zombie only had one flaming crystal pylon behind him and he was aiming his staff at Coop like it was a rifle. Another fireball was forming at the tip, rotating at an ever faster rate.


    Coop had been blasted away, too far to throw his spear, so he started running toward the zombie. When he got closer, he threw his spear at an angle and sprinted toward the monster, hurdling another flame wall before the fireball was ready.


    Coop anticipated the release of the fireball and mistjumped to his spear the moment the zombie fired it. The fireball¡¯s extreme velocity carried it off the platform and over the ocean. It kept flying until it was well beyond the horizon, like a low altitude shooting star.


    While the flame staff triangle continued producing waves of flames, Coop hustled back into his attack distance. He wasn¡¯t interested in taking more damage from the high velocity fireballs and wanted to end the fight before the zombie used any more tricks.


    When he got close enough, he threw his spear at the zombie¡¯s chest again. The zombie didn¡¯t grin this time but it repeated its motion to block the spear with its staff. Coop chased the spear as fast as he could, but didn¡¯t mistjump. The zombie seemed smart enough to anticipate it after the first time, and Coop already knew about the exploding flame shield.


    The spear collided with the staff and forced the zombie onto his back foot. He had underestimated Coop¡¯s Strength, but it wasn¡¯t enough to break his guard. Coop sped toward the zombie and resummoned his spear back to his hand.


    Five steps away from the zombie, it recovered enough to use both hands to slam the staff into the ground. The staff and all three of the clones that formed the triangle simultaneously produced flame waves. Coop was forced into an awkward jump over the center wave, but the other three would begin intersecting in the center of the triangle, where he and the zombie were, creating a chaotic mess of flames.


    Coop threw his spear straight up and mistjumped into the sky to avoid the converging flame waves. The zombie aimed his staff at Coop while he was in the air. Coop, realizing he was a sitting duck for the fireballs, threw his spear down at the zombie before the projectile was released at him. The zombie completed the fireball and fired it before the spear arrived.


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    The fireball and the spear collided just above the zombie, sending a gout of exploding flames toward Coop. He mistjumped back to his spear which had flown through the fireball and appeared just above the zombie. From the zombie¡¯s perspective Coop himself had traveled through the flames with a vengeance. Coop¡¯s aura was fully concentrated on the zombie. The zombie raised his guard in an effort to block the incoming blow, but Coop¡¯s plunging attack still landed true, having gone around the zombie¡¯s block completely.


    Coop had stabbed the flaming crystal pylon while his aura washed over the zombie, shattering the pylon, before he twirled on the guarding zombie with the spear tip angled for its neck. He thrust three times with all his Strength, breaking the zombie¡¯s block, before he flipped his grip and with an overhead stab impaled the seven foot tall zombie through the throat.


    The Zombie Captain collapsed to his knees. He looked up at Coop with flames coming from his eyes and gave another open mouthed grin despite the spear impaling him. Flames sparked and grew between the gaps where he was missing teeth. Coop was only able to take two steps back and raise his shield before the zombie self-destructed.


    The explosion lifted Coop off his feet and launched him backwards. He flew through the air until he smashed into the prefabricated office. The outer wall wasn¡¯t enough to stop his momentum and he crashed through it before he came to a rest against the inside wall.


    Coop didn¡¯t move, sore and singed as he was. It had been a short fight, but the Zombie Captain had presented a level of firepower Coop hadn¡¯t experienced before, dealing damage despite Coop¡¯s durability. If the fight had gone longer, Coop wasn¡¯t sure if he would have been able to survive. He really needed some skills to increase his own capacity for damage. His ¡®auto attack¡¯ build was perfect for extended fights or monster hunts, but in a duel he needed more firepower himself or every fight would be a battle of attrition.


    He had leveled as soon as the Zombie Captain detonated, so he checked his notifications while he tried to catch his breath.


    [You defeated Elite Human Zombie (Level 40)]


    [+5043 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Splinter of Ashen Legacy (Unique)]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Quest Complete! Settle the Infestation]


    [You have a new quest!]


    Coop couldn¡¯t stop himself from groaning when he saw a new quest as his reward for completing the previous quest. He just wanted the spectral relic so that he could go home and upgrade the settlement with all the bonuses.


    Instead of checking the next quest, he observed the rest of the notifications. He had defeated an elite that was 10 levels higher than he was. It seemed like quite an accomplishment.


    His scavenging had yielded him a nice chunk of credits and the first unique item he had ever seen. Coop had just been hoarding whatever dropped inside of his spatial storage. He had no idea what to do with any of it, but it was mostly just uncommon material items and elite tokens. He occasionally received a rare item, but this was the first to have a new rarity. Scavenging had specifically unlocked the other three rarities through its initial profession quest chain, but it had never mentioned unique items. Coop figured it must be good, but he¡¯d just leave it in there with all the rest until he recruited someone to the settlement that had a use for his growing collection of stuff.


    Coop¡¯s health and mana were in relatively good shape, considering the Zombie Captain¡¯s power, he had been lucky to avoid most of the damage and had recovered quite a bit through his titles.


    He gave up on procrastinating further and checked his new quest. It appeared to be his first branching quest. He could either settle the infestation through elimination or through cultivation. Either way there was something waiting for him on the helipad.


    He exited the demolished office and regarded the aftermath of the Zombie Captain battle. The final self-destruction had blasted a hole into the ground that led to the fifth floor. There were also scorch marks from the three cloned staves also exploding. It was an impressive amount of destruction. The others who were waiting on the ship probably heard the explosions during that fight. He hoped they wouldn¡¯t panic and leave him with how close he was to finishing.


    Coop made his way up the staircase to the helipad to see what his final challenge would be. He hoped it involved less fire or really just less zombies.


    Coop thought he needed to be careful what he wished for. A human sat on a metal throne on one end of the helipad. He had an obelisk behind him that glowed with a familiar green ghostly aura from the top. He found his spectral relic, but first he inspected the person.


    [Human (Level 40)]


    [Commander of Catastrophe (Body)]


    [Zombie Lord of the Breathless]


    [(Abomination)]


    A human. This was different.


    The man stood up, ¡°So you¡¯re the one that''s been fighting my troops.¡± He leaned forward, not shy about getting a better look at Coop from across the helipad. ¡°I expected a small army, or at least a high level group.¡± He broke into a grin, ¡°You must be pretty strong!¡±


    Coop didn¡¯t know how to respond, this final encounter had begun significantly friendlier than he anticipated. He managed a shrug, as his mind slowly caught up with all the clues that he had picked up on the leaderboards and in his zombie fights.


    The man seemed to be coming up with his own theories about Coop. ¡°You¡¯re sponsored by an Undead faction, aren¡¯t you?¡± He asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°That was quite an audition, if you¡¯re here to join forces.¡±


    Coop slowly shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m not sponsored.¡±


    He squinted at Coop and frowned. He stood up from his throne and continued inspecting Coop, making up his own mind about who had challenged his minions.


    ¡°You¡¯re the Zombie Lord.¡± Coop verified.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. My new identity, gifted by my faction. Fitting right?¡± He spread his arms flaunting his identity. ¡°And you¡¯re the one that has been killing all those poor, poor people.¡± The Zombie Lord responded, shaking his head sadly.


    ¡°The Zombies?¡± Coop questioned.


    ¡°They were still people. I had to turn them to save them.¡± The Zombie Lord nodded seriously. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry too much about killing them, I can bring them back. Their souls are bound to mine.¡± He comforted Coop, misunderstanding Coop¡¯s confused expression. ¡°In fact their combat got me some levels, so I should thank you. I hadn¡¯t leveled since I finished converting the last of them.¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t seem like people¡­ except maybe that Zombie Captain.¡± Coop pondered uncomfortably.


    ¡°He¡¯s a good one right?¡± Zombie Lord smiled proudly. ¡°I had to use something special to keep his class, even if it was slightly corrupted.¡± The Zombie Lord continued. ¡°He was one of the few who had also been Chosen.¡±


    When Coop didn¡¯t respond, he explained further. ¡°I¡¯m sure you see what¡¯s going on. Desperate times are upon us. Humans are joining the rest of the universe, but we are late. We need to stand together and join under a powerful banner to ensure our continued existence.¡± The Zombie Lord rationalized. ¡°The Undead are the most powerful.¡±


    ¡°Being a Zombie doesn¡¯t seem like much of an existence.¡± Coop pointed out.


    ¡°Ignorance is bliss.¡± The Zombie Lord responded earnestly, not clarifying who was blissfully ignorant; Coop, or the zombies. ¡°You may not be connected to the Undead yet, but you should be¡­ We can make a deal. You join us and help me expand.¡± The Zombie Lord gave Coop a friendly grin. ¡°We can save humanity.¡±


    Coop¡¯s notification revealed an elaboration to the branches of his current quest.


    [Eliminate the Zombie Lord 0/1 or Establish an Alliance 0/1]


    The rewards for each option were shown. Eliminating the Zombie Lord would reward the title Reaper, and add one level. Establishing an Alliance would reward the title Zombie Captain. An alliance would also bolster the strength of Ghost Reef with the Breathless, all residents current and future would join the Breathless faction of the Undead and contribute levels to their masters.


    Coop controlled his expression as he considered the options, before he responded. ¡°I think you¡¯re right about humanity needing to stand together¡­ but against the Primal Constructs. I don¡¯t think joining a faction and conquering Earth for them is the right thing to do.¡± Coop argued. The Zombie Lord¡¯s friendly demeanor quickly darkened, but Coop wasn¡¯t done. ¡°Why should we deliver our planet to anyone?¡±


    Strengthening his settlement was exactly why Coop had come to the oil rig in the first place, but he wasn¡¯t interested in joining the Undead and converting his settlement to one of theirs.


    On the other hand, Coop didn¡¯t think he was ready to kill a human, so he still sought an alternative. ¡°I¡¯m only here for that.¡± He pointed at the spectral relic in the top of the obelisk behind the Zombie Lord¡¯s makeshift throne. ¡°If you give it to me, I can just go.¡± Coop offered.


    Zombie Lord spat on the ground. ¡°Not a chance. I only offered an alliance for your sake. I¡¯ll turn you into another Zombie Captain and take your ship myself.¡± He gave Coop a sinister grin. ¡°I¡¯m not delivering the planet to anyone. It was already delivered to me!¡±


    The Zombie Lord stomped one leg on the ground, then the other. His metal throne shook from the force. He stood up straighter, then lurched forward before his back arched and he faced the sky. His muscles bulged, his skin tore, and one arm elongated until it dragged on the floor. Both legs expanded into tree trunks and he roared, baring sharp inhuman teeth. He locked eyes with Coop, still showing his teeth.


    Then he charged.

 Chapter 33: Reaper

    Coop was immediately put into a defensive position. He was barely able to block the Zombie Lord¡¯s powerful flailing attacks as he recklessly charged into Coop like a frenzied wild animal. The Zombie Lord was fighting like a much larger version of the Agility zombie. Instead of being the size of a regular person, like the zombie variants, he had grown significantly larger. The Zombie Lord had become a mutated gorilla sized monster and he pressured Coop with a surge of attacks. Coop barely hung on to his footing as he struggled to avoid the blows.


    One of the Zombie Lord¡¯s arms was longer than the other and was tipped with a bone spike the size of a piledriver instead of a hand. The inconsistent blows combined with his reckless thrashing had Coop struggling to dodge and block. Coop couldn¡¯t grasp even a moment to counterattack.


    Coop was backpedaling around the helipad, sweating with effort and cursing his inability to turn the momentum around. The Zombie Lord was constantly driving forward, making Coop feel like he wasn¡¯t being attacked as much as he was just in the way of an out of control monster. Every blow seemed like it was aimed through him and every swing pulled the Zombie Lord into another step forward. If Coop wasn¡¯t quick enough after defending an attack he risked being trampled. The Zombie Lord¡¯s massive size advantage muscled Coop constantly backwards.


    Sidestepping didn¡¯t bring any relief, as the bull charge of an attack followed him wherever he went. The Agility zombies had been completely out of control when they attacked, but the Zombie Lord was slightly more restrained than they had been, proving the difference between a human and a minion. It made the onslaught that much more difficult to deal with.


    Coop prepared to swap his spear for his sword to try his ethereal swordsmanship technique against the reckless charge, desperate as he was to change the pace of the fight. The close quarter mistjumps might be able to bring the relief that he needed, but before he found a moment to change tactics the onslaught suddenly stopped. The Zombie Lord was winding up a spiked punch with his long arm.


    It was slow. Coop easily readied his shield and even snuck a glancing blow with his spear into the mutant¡¯s gut.


    The spiked punch collided with Coop¡¯s shield and a shockwave exploded from the point of contact. Both combatants were pushed away from each other, sliding on their planted feet. The Zombie Lord even gouged lines where his feet ripped the helipad. Both had been prepared for the blow and had braced themselves. The Strength in the blow was frightening. It was far more than Coop could display himself. That much speed and power would be impossible to match. Coop did a double take as he reinspected the Zombie Lord.


    [Human (Level 40)]


    [Commander of Catastrophe (Strength)]


    [Zombie Lord of the Breathless]


    [(Abomination)]


    The Zombie Lord¡¯s stats had changed and his aura revealed that his primary attribute was now Strength. It had been Body when Coop first took notice. He suspected it had switched to Agility at the start of the fight, which had made him so oppressive. The change had been obvious. The Lord had impatiently abandoned his onslaught to try a different approach to breaking Coop¡¯s defenses through pure Strength.


    The Zombie Lord seemed like he would directly challenge the Revenant¡¯s flexibility.


    Coop realized the situation a little better and restarted the fight. He threw his spear and chased after it. The Zombie Lord had become too slow to completely avoid the missile, turning to the side and allowing it to pierce deep into his shoulder. He reached for the spear, but it dissipated into mist as Coop appeared, with his sword in hand.


    Coop slashed and dodged the Zombie Lord. He was capitalizing on the sudden speed advantage that the Lord had ceded to him. The elongated arm had become a disadvantage that made it more difficult to dodge and counter Coop¡¯s quick attacks. The Zombie Lord used arms and legs like a beast to move his large body. With less Agility, Coop was able to keep up, reversing their roles.


    The Zombie Lord had to decide which stat to try and overwhelm Coop with.


    Coop pressed his advantage, dealing as much damage as he could. The Zombie Lord¡¯s physical defense was extremely high and Coop wasn¡¯t able to pick him apart the same way he had with the Strength zombies. Of course it was going to be a battle of attrition. Coop hacked at the blocking forearms of the Lord, always seeking to slip past the guard and damage vital areas.


    The Zombie Lord tried a few counterattacks, but Coop had created an onslaught of his own attacks. All of Coop¡¯s effort went into dealing as much damage as possible before the fight shifted again. Coop¡¯s stats didn¡¯t fluctuate, so he needed to claim every opening while they were available.


    When the Zombie Lord¡¯s speed suddenly ramped up, Coop felt his agility advantage slip away. He inspected the Lord to confirm his theory.


    [Human (Level 40)]


    [Commander of Catastrophe (Agility)]


    [Zombie Lord of the Breathless]


    [(Abomination)]


    Coop had been waiting for the Zombie Lord to switch back to Agility. Coop didn¡¯t allow himself to be put on the back foot again, even as the Lord ramped up his assault.


    Instead of falling back into a defensive posture, Coop ramped up the attacks using mistjumps to further enhance his own speed. Coop handed off the sword to himself, rounding the mutated man, and dealing surprise attacks. The Zombie Lord couldn¡¯t build the same momentum as he had at the start of the fight thanks to Coop¡¯s ethereal swordsmanship.


    When the Zombie Lord started to catch on to Coop¡¯s movements, Coop was once again anticipating the change. Coop tossed his sword up and over the Lord and as the Lord spun to follow the sword, planning to capitalize on Coop¡¯s sudden appearance, Coop resummoned the sword back to his hand and stabbed the Lord through the back.


    The Zombie Lord roared in pain and frustration and spun to face Coop, who had tricked him by withholding his mistjump and using his tossed weapon as bait.


    When the Zombie Lord swung at his unarmed opponent, Coop mistjumped to the sword that remained stuck in the Lord¡¯s back.


    Coop removed the sword and swung at the Zombie Lord¡¯s neck. The sword cleaved halfway through before the Lord shifted his body to avoid death. Blood poured onto the helipad, shooting like a fountain from the Zombie Lord¡¯s neck. He fell forward, away from Coop, holding one muscled arm against his throat. Coop continued his pursuit with a predatory grin on his face, still being rewarded for proper technique by his Haunted title even at a time like this.


    The Zombie Lord raised his head and roared again. This time something strange happened that Coop wasn¡¯t anticipating. Dark smoke started billowing out from all around the Zombie Lord, covering the helipad in a thick blanket that grew and grew.


    At first Coop tried to step away from the enveloping cloud, putting distance between himself and the Lord, but it expanded across the entire helipad and rose enough to block out the sky. Coop didn¡¯t have time to ponder whether to retreat before he lost track of which direction was which. The black smoke swirled and churned, confusing his sense of direction.


    At first it was silent. Coop whirled whenever he heard something, ready to strike out with his sword or block with his shield, but the sounds were inconsistent. They came from every direction at once and Coop never caught sight of anything but black smoke. The smoke was making sizzling sounds that came from every direction, making it even more difficult to find his opponent.


    Coop lamented the fact that this smoke ability was so similar to one he had been interested in taking when he last chose skills. Confusing his senses was enough to be a powerful game changer in a pitched battle. He tried to keep his breath steady and concentrate on finding his enemy, ignoring the sound of his pounding heart filling his ears.


    The Zombie Lord found him first, appearing out of the smoke from behind. Coop was stabbed by the bone spike on the elongated arm and stumbled forward, narrowly avoiding being impaled with his desperate movement. Coop¡¯s many layered defenses prevented a more grievous wound from the surprise attack, his ethereal armor provided enough resistance for him to react at least. Coop was fully concentrated on detecting movement and sounds with his eyes and ears but was still ambushed.


    The Zombie Lord wasn¡¯t finished, suddenly appearing directly in front of Coop baring his teeth in a gorilla¡¯s snarl. Coop raised his sword, but wasn¡¯t quick enough after nearly being stabbed in the back just a second earlier. The Zombie Lord sank his teeth into Coop¡¯s spear arm. Coop retaliated with a headbutt, using his helmet for maximum damage. He was surprised when his head met no resistance, passing through billowing smoke instead of colliding with the Zombie Lord. The Lord had vanished back into the smoke.


    Creepy, inhuman laughter traveled across the smoke covered helipad.


    ¡°What do you think of my trump card?¡± The Zombie Lord asked in an inhuman, gravelly voice, gloating as if he had already won. Coop still couldn¡¯t figure out where the sound came from.


    Coop didn¡¯t dignify the question with a response, instead closing his eyes and concentrating on his aura, abandoning his vision. He sensed the Zombie Lord and dismissed his sword, swapping back to the spear. He noted that his opponent¡¯s aura had changed once again.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    [Human (Level 40)]


    [Commander of Catastrophe (Intelligence)]


    [Zombie Lord of the Breathless]


    [(Abomination)]


    Coop threw his spear through the smoke, with his eyes still closed. He heard it sink into the Zombie Lord¡¯s flesh and mistjumped to it. He kicked the Zombie Lord and pulled the spear out from where it had impaled his chest.


    ¡°I¡¯m not that impressed,¡± Coop answered through gritted teeth, raising his voice over the increased sizzling sound, while thrusting the spear downwards, seeking to kill the collapsing Zombie Lord.


    Black lightning struck Coop¡¯s raised spear blasting him away from the Zombie Lord. More lightning exploded all over the helipad, striking the platform repeatedly. Coop was helpless to dodge. The smoke that covered the helipad was a thundercloud, producing a constant series of lightning strikes that arced across the arena, vertically and horizontally, forking wildly in all directions.


    Coop heard the inhuman laughter. The Zombie Lord believed he was victorious, he didn¡¯t bother hiding his presence any longer. Coop was being struck by lightning over and over while the Lord was spared completely.


    He slowly walked over to Coop¡¯s kneeling position. Coop was scorched from head to toe and had smoke rising from his body, mixing with the ethereal wisps that escaped from his armor. The Zombie Lord wanted Coop to know that he had defeated him, that the zombification buff he had applied by biting him would turn him into a zombie, and that Coop would serve him as a loyal subordinate, forever. His story would take on a new direction, one where he fought loyally for the Undead.


    He knelt next to Coop.


    Coop kept his head down, one knee against the ground, bracing for more lightning as he was struck repeatedly. With a closer look, the Zombie Lord was momentarily impressed with how long Coop withstood the bombardment. The darkness of the thundercloud was briefly interrupted by each blinding flash of black lightning and the Zombie Lord squinted to avoid being blinded while Coop was struck.


    Another flash of light and Coop was on his feet, sword in hand, swinging at the Zombie Lord¡¯s neck, with a crazed look in his eyes.


    If there was one thing Coop was strong against, it was magical damage. His Mind attribute added magic defense and his Mind Over Matter skill protected him from half of all damage by shielding his health pool with his mana pool, further reducing the impact of magical attacks like the black lightning.


    As Coop¡¯s sword sliced the rest of the way through the Zombie Lord¡¯s neck, the Zombie Lord had time to watch Coop be struck by black lightning once without flinching, then again, and again.


    His Abomination title had gifted him with an additional 100,000 health, but it had been whittled away by a lower level challenger to the point that he had to desperately use his ultimate ability. He wanted to ask how he was impervious to his magical onslaught but the sounds wouldn¡¯t come before his head hit the ground. The last thing he saw was Coop slowly walking through his Calamitous Storm, absorbing the lightning strikes like they were nothing but a trivial distraction.


    Coop appeared to be the true monster between the two.


    Actually, Coop was desperately trying to get off the helipad. He would have sprinted out of the storm if he wasn¡¯t afraid of falling off the edge of the oil rig. The storm had confused his senses so much he didn¡¯t know which way to go. He was so weakened, the fall from the platform would be enough to kill him.


    He found the edge of the helipad and followed it until he found the way down and out of the lightning storm. He stood near the Zombie Captain¡¯s flame wave triangle, in front of the office, and watched the storm. He hoped it would dissipate quickly. He still needed to retrieve the spectral relic. Coop watched the smoke rise from his own hands, amazed that he could withstand such an assault, he breathed a sigh of relief.


    He had barely survived the fight and wouldn¡¯t have been able to withstand the storm for much longer. He had dipped to below 200 health out of 2150 and only had 1,144 out of 4,000 mana remaining before the Zombie Lord¡¯s death. The Zombie Lord¡¯s death had recovered over 1,000 health and the levels he gained had also brought him back up from the brink of death, but even that had been diminished while he fled the platform. Each of the black lightning bolts was dealing 100 damage to Coop¡¯s health and mana. He had been struck over 20 times before he made it out.


    Coop was lucky that the Zombie Lord had such a large health pool to recover from. If the fight had left him with less than 200 health, he would have been killed by the lightning before he escaped the cloud.


    Coop kept waiting so that he could collect the spectral relic. In the meantime he checked his notifications.


    [You defeated Human (Level 40)]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Quest Complete! Eliminate the Zombie Lord]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [You have acquired a new title!]


    [Title options available]


    Coop had some powerful mixed emotions when he realized what he had done. Aside from almost dying, he had been in a fight to the death, and won.


    But he had killed a person. The Zombie Lord wasn¡¯t just another monster. He was a human being.


    Sure, he had a big time Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde thing going on, and he had been trying to kill him as well, but he still felt intensely guilty at the thought of taking another person¡¯s life.


    Even worse was the implication that all of the zombies were also still people. He didn¡¯t know all the rules of the universe, maybe they really were people. Back home, some of his friends were demons and Balor was literally a stone. Had he been gleefully murdering people this entire time? What about the Primal Constructs?


    He didn¡¯t let his trepidations overwhelm him. There was no way the Primal Construct¡¯s monsters were people, same for the zombies. This was the new system he had found himself in. They had all behaved like monsters and tried to kill him. He tried to shake it off, but the horror of killing people remained in the back of his mind.


    Even worse was how rewarding killing people appeared to be. The Zombie Lord had been level 40, but his death had given Coop two full levels. He hoped it wasn¡¯t widely known how much experience killing a single person would yield. It was something he wouldn¡¯t share at least.


    He checked his new title and was presented with two options. His new title was Reaper, and it apparently overlapped with his Bloodthirsty title. The two titles would combine and he had to choose the result. He considered the two options.


    Evolve the Bloodthirsty title to ¡®Recover 5% of defeated enemy health on kill.¡¯


    or


    Evolve the Reaper title to ¡®Recover 2% of defeated enemy health and mana on kill.¡¯


    It was a tough choice that allowed Coop to distract himself from his fears. His mana recovered so much faster than his health that he hadn¡¯t believed mana recovery was necessary, but fighting in some of the brutal melees against the Agility zombies had revealed an imbalance where he had sustained his health through recovery while his mana dipped from shielding his health and mistjumping during the fight.


    On the other hand, his passive skill, Practical Application, would eventually make all of his abilities so cheap that he might not even need to use mana any more. At that point his mana and health would just be equal parts of his total health pool, and his Mind stat would be double what his Body stat received. His mana would always eclipse his health. He didn¡¯t want to overinvest into mana only to have it become partially obsolete in the future.


    Still, he decided to take the Reaper title evolution. His health recovery per kill would still double, from 1% to 2%, and he would also get his first mana recovery ability. It would be the more useful title for the near future even if its very long term prospects became limited. Hopefully, he would accumulate more tools by the time his Practical Application made mana less necessary.


    A few more minutes and he didn¡¯t need to wait any longer, as the Zombie Lord¡¯s storm cloud had finally disappeared. Coop went back up onto the helipad to grab the spectral relic from the Zombie Lord¡¯s obelisk so that he could return home.


    When Coop swiped the relic he realized he didn¡¯t know what to do with it. He didn¡¯t have any pockets. He looked at it in his hand and wondered if he could put it in his spatial storage. As soon as the thought crossed his mind the relic disappeared. He confirmed that it was in his storage, but didn¡¯t understand why it was able to join all of his scavenged items. He was pretty sure the spatial storage was only meant for items acquired through his profession, but maybe he misunderstood what his profession actually was. Was scavenging limited to what was autolooted? If he ever received a profession level while physically picking something up he could confirm that it wasn¡¯t so limited.


    As he left the helipad he couldn¡¯t prevent a glance at the beheaded body of the Zombie Lord. There was a lot of blood. He paused and considered whether he should just leave him there.


    He held his nose and went to the body. Their fight had concluded near the edge of the helipad toward the center of the top floor. Coop was actually right above the destroyed office, if he had traveled the correct direction through the smoky thunderstorm he would have escaped easily with just a few steps.


    Coop had the grim thought of looting the body. He didn¡¯t want to. He decided to trust his scavenging profession to reward him with autoloot when necessary. He wouldn¡¯t be rifling through dead bodies any time soon. He¡¯d do his own scavenging when it didn¡¯t make him uncomfortable.


    Before Coop could decide whether to turn around and walk away or maybe dump the body into the ocean a notification appeared in his face without his prompting, something that had never happened before.


    [Warning!]


    [Champion status has been challenged!]


    [Civilization Shard ownership is under dispute!]


    [75 Hours before ownership is forfeited.]


    ¡°What the¡­¡± Coop was surprised as he reread the notifications, only vaguely recalling settlement mechanics from Day 2 of the apocalypse. It wasn¡¯t like he had an opportunity to see messages like this before. ¡°That¡¯s how it is, huh.¡± Coop mumbled to himself.


    Charlie and Camila had warned him that the Empire would have designs on his settlement, but they had all been naive in believing that the rescue squad wouldn¡¯t just go for it. Even if they took it, they¡¯d be stranded on Ghost Reef unless they had Charlie on board, and Coop trusted her as much as anyone.


    At worst, they expected Kevin the Hammer to report the settlement¡¯s existence to their leadership, then return with reinforcements to try strong-arming Coop into handing it over. That was a problem Coop had intended to prepare for. Challenging the shard outright was an aggressive move to take without a solid plan.


    While Coop came to terms with exactly what was happening he was struck in the back by a devastating blow. A burst of magical dark energy shot through Coop''s torso and out of his chest in a plume that extended a dozen feet forward. His chest remained intact, but his back had been pierced. All of the health he had recovered from the Zombie Lord was gone in an instant. He lost 1,100 health and mana and was even worse off than he had been while fighting the third highest ranked human on the planet.


    Coop was down to 125 health and 100 mana.

 Chapter 34: Backstabbed

    Coop had been backstabbed.


    The Empire¡¯s Chosen were trying to steal his settlement, but that wasn¡¯t what he meant. There was a literal knife in his back. He had been stabbed right below his shoulder blade in a surprise attack while he contemplated how to leave the Zombie Lord and what the Empire¡¯s plan actually was.


    Coop spun, not willing to let the rest of his meager 125 health and 100 mana be drained by the opportunistic ambusher. He turned with his sword drawn and swept it ahead while he spun to face his attacker. His shield quickly followed. Coop wouldn¡¯t go down without a fight.


    The wild sword swing lopped off the offending arm, still extended from the backstab. The bone wasn¡¯t reinforced like the Strength zombies¡¯ had been. Coop cut through it with barely any resistance. There was a lot of blood.


    Coop identified the culprit.


    [Human (Level 26)]


    [Infiltrator (Agility)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Darkness]


    It was Parker, from Camila and Charlie¡¯s party. Hostile looks were one thing, but what the hell was this?


    Parker stared pale-faced at the stump of his arm that ended just beneath the elbow. Then he looked at the rest of the limb that lay uselessly on the floor still gripping the jeweled dagger.


    ¡°How? You should be dead¡­ that was the perfect Assassin¡¯s Execution¡­¡± Parker wondered as the shock of losing a limb clearly set in.


    Parker took one step backwards before Coop¡¯s sword cut his throat. There was even more blood. Coop recovered a pathetic 4 health and 1 mana from killing the Infiltrator.


    Coop grimaced at what he had just done, and for what he knew he would have to keep doing.


    He collapsed to his hands and knees, not because of anguish, but because he was so close to death. He coughed up blood and spat it out. He thought it was strange how his total health pool had been lower than his current health just a few weeks earlier. Now, he felt like he was dying with what would have been his maximum health back then. He might have to start thinking about his health in terms of percentages instead of raw numbers.


    He didn¡¯t get any more time to work through his pain-distracting thoughts, as he realized he wasn¡¯t alone on the helipad. Two more figures had climbed the stairs at the corner of the platform. He didn¡¯t need to inspect them to recognize that it was Richard the Battlerager and Eric the Shattershot, the rest of Camila and Charlie¡¯s party. They were still beyond his aura range anyway. Their presence answered a few unasked questions.


    Coop looked away from the pooling blood of the dead and up at the two new arrivals. They looked shocked, but took up combat stances. Eric drew his bow and an ice arrow began to form. On a whim, Coop grabbed the discarded dagger, hoping it would join his scavenged loot in the spatial storage. It disappeared instantly.


    Coop forced himself back up and readied his shield. The helipad was the worst place to have to fight an archer with a bodyguard. It was a wide open space and Coop had no cover at all. The distance between them was the entire length of the platform, and even if Coop closed the gap, he would have to contend with the melee warrior while the archer repositioned.


    He raised his shield as the ice arrow hurtled toward him. He blocked the missile and ice shards exploded all around him. He wasn¡¯t able to avoid all of the damage, as the shards shattered and dealt incidental magic damage to Coop. Shattershot was a fitting name for his class.


    He wasn¡¯t going to let these weaklings chip away at his little remaining health, but closing the distance on the archer would be an insurmountable challenge in this location. He wanted a change of scenery and a moment to concentrate.


    Instead of charging the pair, Coop leapt off the side of the helipad with a plan to change the dynamic of the fight. Coop rolled as he landed inside the destroyed office and rushed toward where the Zombie Captain¡¯s self-destruction had taken place. Coop recalled that the explosion had torn a hole in the ground that led back down to the fifth floor.


    Eric and Richard rushed to the edge of the helipad, but they weren¡¯t quick enough to launch any more attacks. Coop sprinted to the hole, slid along the metal, and let himself fall down into the metal jungle.


    The fifth floor still had hundreds of regular zombies, and plenty of buildings to use as cover. Coop would reuse his guerilla tactics if the Empire¡¯s fledgling assassins continued in their pursuit.


    In the meantime he skulked into one of the buildings and regrouped. He moved stealthily until he got his bearings by finding the idle zombies and remembering his escape routes. The bodies of the elite groups he defeated previously had disappeared, but the dark hallways were familiar enough even without them.


    Coop wasn¡¯t going to engage the regular zombies just to get himself ambushed again, and he couldn¡¯t just kill a few to recover health and mana without alerting the rest of the idle army. Instead, he waited in the dark, keeping an eye on the entrances to the level. They could drop down the way he came, or they could take the stairs and appear on the landing. He was able to keep both in his line of sight. The zombie horde waited further into the interior of the platform, still unaware of the game of cat and mouse playing out around them.


    It didn¡¯t take long for Eric and Richard to appear from the stairway. Coop watched as they paused at the landing. He was surprised when Eric started shouting.


    ¡°C¡¯mon out ya bastard!¡± Eric demanded as the pair strolled in the open.


    Coop wondered what their angle was. Were they trying to use the zombies to smoke him out? Yelling was sure to draw their attention, but getting them involved would be to his advantage. Coop remained in the darkness of his hiding spot and shifted to see what the zombies were doing.


    As expected, the zombies were stirring themselves awake. This seemed like it would work out nicely for Coop; he could recover some health from the zombies that lagged behind without drawing the attention from the entire horde at once. Richard and Eric didn¡¯t seem to know about the horde at all.


    He returned to watching the pair of assassins and frowned. He was going to have to kill them as well. The thought made him uneasy. This was becoming way too premeditated for his conscience. Comparatively, his previous two fights had been far more spontaneous.


    They were also so weak. It didn¡¯t feel right to fight them when the difference was so great.


    Eric continued making demands and threats. Coop was surprised they were sure he was still on this floor. They didn¡¯t seem worried that he could have kept going and made his way back to the ship. He wasn¡¯t sure what that meant for the rest of the group or what they thought of his own capabilities.


    The shambling normal zombies finally started approaching the two Chosen. The pair¡¯s reaction surprised Coop. Instead of a controlled retreat, they panicked and got themselves cornered in between buildings right away. After Coop had carefully worked his way floor by floor against more difficult elite monsters, the incompetence of these two was astounding.


    He kept watching as, with their backs against the wall, they were forced into a disadvantageous fight. The Battlerager powered up, burning some cooldowns, and started wildly swinging his longsword. The effect was unimpressive. The first level 20 zombies were hardly damaged and there would be hundreds more joining them soon.


    Coop had to fight the urge to go save the Chosen, as helpless as they were. The zombies were hardly a threat, but the pair had specifically come here to finish him off. It was a weird dilemma where his internal morality hadn¡¯t caught up with the reality of the situation.


    Luckily, Coop didn¡¯t have to wrestle with it for long because Eric discovered a way for them to climb through a window to get away from the zombies. They managed to get themselves inside of a different building from Coop and escape the incoming wave of slow and dumb monsters. Both Richard and Eric had been bloodied by the first few zombies that had engaged them.


    Coop took the opportunity to defeat a handful of zombies and recuperate some health. The zombies had high health pools since their primary attribute was Body. Unfortunately, they barely had any mana at all so Coop¡¯s mana didn¡¯t budge from nearly empty.


    He snuck past the rest of the ambling zombies and entered their building from an alternate entrance. He stayed quiet with his sword and shield ready, and snuck through the now familiar corridors. The industrial pipes and low ceilings would be his advantage, offering obstacles and close quarters that would stifle the archer.


    Coop heard them before he saw them. They were cursing at each other while they argued about what to do. They seemed naively confident that the zombies wouldn¡¯t follow them inside despite their panicked initial reaction to the monsters. They would have been surprised to find the elite groups waiting for them if Coop hadn¡¯t already cleared them out. Coop listened in on their conversation.


    ¡°We can just say we couldn¡¯t find him and leave. Stranding him with these monsters is just as good.¡± Richard hastily suggested to the disagreement of his partner.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°Taking his head will have the best effect.¡± Eric countered. ¡°They should have made their move already, this¡¯ll be the icing on the cake.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t stay here! Those monsters are way too strong and there¡¯s so many¡­¡± Richard exclaimed. He was far more anxious as he was the one that took the most damage from the normal, non-elite zombies.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just wait for a bit, the monsters will lose interest soon enough.¡± Eric tried to calm Richard. ¡°Then we¡¯ll hunt him down and kill him. You saw Parker land his ambush, he¡¯s probably bleeding out somewhere just waiting for us to finish him off. We can take his head back as the perfect trophy.¡± An ugly chuckle followed. ¡°Just imagine the look on their faces¡­¡±


    Coop had heard enough. He made a decision and accepted that this was just how it was going to be. He¡¯d have to continue to fight if he wanted to survive, and that meant killing enemies. In this case it was easy to figure out that these two were his enemies. He sadly decided to get it over with.


    Coop turned the corner and entered the room with his shield up and sword ready, catching the two unprepared. Richard the Battlerager was still powered up from fighting the zombies and he met Coop¡¯s blade with his own. Coop¡¯s one handed swing smashed the long sword out of the way and forced Richard to stumble backwards.


    ¡°What¡¯s your problem?¡± Coop wondered as he marched forward.


    ¡°It¡¯s just business.¡± Eric responded as he backed further away, still not taking Coop seriously. ¡°With you out of the way, it¡¯ll be easy to convince the Champion to hand over the settlement. That is, if he hasn¡¯t already lost it.¡± He explained with a nasty grin. ¡°It¡¯s a little personal because I don¡¯t like the way Camila looks at you.¡± Eric admitted while he took aim with his bow.


    Coop blew air out of his nose at the absurdity. These guys were enthusiastic about killing him and all they could offer were flawed or trivial reasons. Meanwhile, Coop was still trying to get his head around killing monsters that could potentially be people. He needed to toughen up.


    Richard used an ability that ignited his sword with a red and black aura and swung it at Coop¡¯s head. Coop countered with a quick swing of his own sword, sending Richard stumbling backwards again. The difference in their Strength was absurd. Coop may still be in the process of toughening up, but he had already powered up quite a bit.


    Eric was charging his bow while retreating down the opposite corridor. Coop swapped his sword for his spear, using 49 of his limited mana and threw the spear at Richard¡¯s head.


    Richard barely dodged out of the way thanks to his temporarily boosted stats, stumbling into the side wall and falling to the ground, but Coop had aimed for Eric. The Shattershot was forced to avoid the incoming missile, canceling his charging bow attack. As he turned his back to move out of the way, Coop mistjumped to the spear, burning another 36 mana to teleport right behind Eric.


    Coop reached out and grabbed Eric¡¯s cape, yanking him backwards. Eric fell with the clatter of his bow, flat on his back, staring upside down at Coop.


    ¡°Wai¡­¡± Eric started to plead from the ground, but Coop interrupted him, definitively, with the tip of his spear, and turned back to the Battlerager.


    Coop looked at Richard, disappointed to find that the oblivious Battlerager was charging toward him, intent on continuing to fight with his glowing sword scraping the ceiling, held high in preparation of a strong downward strike. His eyes matched the sword¡¯s aura, leaving a red and black magical trail as he moved forward.


    Coop leveled his spear and thrust forward, treating the Battlerager like nothing more than an Ancient Defender. Richard could barely sidestep in the narrow corridor, but he still barely avoided a killing blow. His speed and strength were both enhanced by abilities and his sword was reinforced with an aura, but it didn¡¯t bring him close to Coop¡¯s level.


    Richard made an effort to counter attack, bringing his sword down, but the second spear thrust was already coming in a practiced motion that was nearly automatic for Coop. Richard was forced to retreat from the blow, hopping backwards and bending away as quickly as he could. It wasn¡¯t fast enough. Coop finished him off with the third strike of his triple thrusted spear. The Battlerager had nothing to block with and not enough reach or speed to get around the spear. Coop didn¡¯t even need his shield.


    Coop collected their weapons while shaking his head sadly at the notification he got for defeating them.


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    They shouldn¡¯t have been worth any experience at all, in his opinion.


    Before he left, Richard¡¯s body twitched and he growled, then abruptly sat up. Coop beheaded the man¡¯s body before anything else happened, though he learned something about the zombificaiton buff. It was pretty quick.


    Coop didn¡¯t rush back to the ship. Instead he exited the building the way he came, and returned to the horde of zombies. He didn¡¯t want to leave a horde of zombies alone on the oil rig. Someone might stumble upon them and get hurt, or, even worse, spread them to the rest of the world. Besides, grinding was so routine for Coop, it had become a form of meditation, and he had some thoughts to work through.


    Coop hoped it would be a mercy to kill the zombies, he offered their souls a wish for peace before he released them.


    He spent his unallocated attribute points in Mind, and used the extra mana to swap back to his sword. He had 12 mana left, but he didn¡¯t expect to use it. The normal zombies were only around level 20 after all.


    The horde of zombies only lasted slightly longer than an hour. Coop used the time to try and face his feelings. The last thing he wanted to do was sink back into his old habits where he was ignoring and suppressing his emotions to avoid dealing with his own guilt. Even if it was hard to confront himself, it was probably healthier.


    Despite the justifications, killing someone was a traumatic experience for Coop, but he had already come to the firm realization that it had been necessary, and would be required in the future as well. It was a function of the new system they were all in, and the reality of human nature itself. He doubted that he would have ever been in a situation where he had to kill before the system arrived. Now, he was fighting for the future of Earth just like everyone else. He couldn¡¯t be wishy-washy about his principles.


    Ultimately, he wanted to be a good person, someone that could help others. It was the most fundamental message his parents had left him with, and he had already wasted too much time caught up in his guilty feelings.


    Developing the settlement and welcoming others to it was his way of working toward that goal of helping. The responsibility of a settlement was a headache he would have avoided if not for the unique circumstances of Ghost Reef, and now he would also need to gather strength to prevent others from taking what he built for their own ends.


    His careful initial planning put him in a position where he actually could accumulate the power necessary to aid others, but he would also need the determination to follow through. Coop understood that if he was pushed far enough he would need to respond in kind. He¡¯d still feel bad about their deaths, the wasted potential and loss of life was heavy, especially when he didn¡¯t even think they should be fighting each other at all. There was another threat to the planet in the Primal Constructs after all.


    With the last zombies taken care of he was ready to bid the oil rig goodbye. It certainly could be useful in the future, so it was good to know it was there and it was clear of monsters. For now at least.


    He checked his status to see how his health and mana recovery had gone.


    [Status]


    HP - 2300/2300


    MP - 1244/4300


    Class - Revenant (Level 35)


    Profession - Basic Scavenging (Level 28)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 15 (+430)


    Agility - 15 (+215)


    Body - 15 (+215)


    Mind - 430


    Intelligence - 15


    Acumen - 15


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion II, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper, Slayer I


    Skills (Active) - Retribution, Salvation, Presence of Mind


    Skills (Passive) - Common Language, Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application


    Quests - Defeat Ancient Prowlers V (605/11111), Defeat Primal Kites II (11/25), Upgrade Outpost to Village


    Basic Credits - 203,113


    The zombies had nice health pools to recover from, but their mana was terribly limited. At least Coop wasn¡¯t on the verge of death any more. He didn¡¯t like the taste of blood and he had been coughing it up ever since getting stabbed in the back.


    He had to admire his stats. The Empire¡¯s goons had fallen so far behind they could barely stand up to him face to face, and he couldn¡¯t even give all the credit to his passive skills. His enemies didn¡¯t even have professions. Even without his skills providing significant bonuses he would be doubling their stats just by leveling scavenging.


    He was surprised the Infiltrator¡¯s assassination attempt had been so dangerous, given the wide disparity in attributes. In total, he had dealt around 2,200 points worth of damage through Coop¡¯s mixed defenses and his ethereal armor. No wonder he was so shocked it hadn¡¯t worked. Such a powerful attack would have been able to instantly kill almost anyone else multiple times over.


    Coop had to remember that his overwhelming stats didn¡¯t make him immortal, even when he faced a lower level. Overconfidence would be insidious. Just ask the Zombie Lord.


    Coop checked the top 10, anticipating his own name.


    Day 21


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">The Lich (Level 45)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Banshee (Level 45)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Coop (Level 35)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Platinum (Level 33)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Reina Kitawa (Level 32)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Akari Kitawa (Level 32)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Safiri (Level 31)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Hai Yun (Level 30)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Tzultacaj (Level 30)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Karl Ekberg (Level 30)</li>


    </ol>


    Coop had jumped onto the list, stealing the Zombie Lord¡¯s position, but he still had some catching up to do. Platinum had also gained three levels in a single day, which was an impressive feat that almost equaled Coop¡¯s. Safiri had gained one level and jumped up a few spots, but a pair of newcomers had appeared at level 32 first. Coop didn¡¯t think they had come from a faction, as all the factions seemed to release their Chosen all around the same level, not just two at a time. He theorized that was the reason the leaderboard often had million-way ties.


    It seemed like the faction dominance of the leaderboards was already coming to an end. Maybe there would finally be some separation between the top positions. Coop hoped he would be able to keep up.


    Bracing himself for more killing, he went to the edges of the floor to find the boat. He still needed to get back home.

 Chapter 35: Charlies Angels

    The interior of the offshore oil platform was nearly shrouded in shadow as the fading sunlight struggled to illuminate through overlapping pipes and metal grates. The day¡¯s light fled the emptied structure and Coop was prepared to do the same. It was the end of a long day in a series of long days, but Coop had successfully completed his quest. He was ready to return to Ghost Reef and upgrade the settlement.


    The Endless Empire¡¯s challenge to his ownership of the civilization shard remained, so he needed to get back and defend his position as Champion. Coop eyed the timer as it ticked down; there were still over 70 hours left. The idea of letting the timer expire so that he could just focus entirely on his own progression didn¡¯t even cross his mind. He¡¯d already internalized his responsibilities to the settlement and its residents.


    Coop approached the edge of the fifth level of the platform to confirm that the ship was still there waiting for him. The sun was setting in the distance, streaks of red and orange covered the western sky like the withering flames of a dying bonfire. Coop leaned over the railing and found the ship rolling gently with the ocean swells in the dimming light. He knew Charlie and Camila wouldn¡¯t leave without him, they¡¯d already come this far to help him when they believed he needed to be rescued from the island, so he saw no reason to doubt either of them.


    However, it didn¡¯t seem like he would have the luxury of enjoying the sunset with his reliable friends this evening. The crew of the ship were all gathered on the upper deck where they appeared to be reaching the conclusion of a conflict.


    The Outrider was crouched low on the balls of her feet, dual wielding daggers, and positioned defensively in front of the prone Honorguard and his discarded shield. She was facing the sneering Puppeteer who stood confidently upright with both of his arms spread. Both of his hands were extended toward the Outrider with all five fingers splayed out like he was controlling a marionette, though the threads were invisible.


    Further behind the Outrider and her Honorguard partner was Camila. She was also knocked down, with her back leaning heavily against the wall of the elevated rear deck. Her legs extended forward, flat against the aged planks, with her ankles locked together by the invisible threads of the Puppeteer. She had a swollen knot on her otherwise unblemished forehead where she had clearly received a heavy blow.


    Coop identified Charlie by process of elimination as there was one more figure that had been completely wrapped up in so much thread it formed a white cocoon. She was suspended against the wall next to Camila, and even though she kicked and struggled to free herself, she was completely bound from head to toe.


    On the oil platform, Coop was hundreds of feet above the ship, but he was more or less directly above. It wouldn''t take a very long spear throw to target the deck, bypassing the stairs and ladders down to the platform and saving plenty of time. He dismissed his sword and summoned his ethereal spear, keeping his shield.


    Leaning precariously over the side he tested the wind, gauging how he would join the party. Coop would keep everyone in front of him until he was sure of the situation, so he would aim to land directly behind the Puppeteer. It was clear that Camila and Charlie hadn¡¯t been a part of any plot to kill him or steal the settlement, but he couldn¡¯t be certain of the rest.


    Since Coop was fashionably late and would be making a dramatic entrance, he took a moment to change his armor¡¯s color scheme while he lined up a shot. The armor went from his standard dull gray metal and earthy brown leather to shiny gold and bronze. His shield and spear matched, interwoven with swirls of gold in the shield¡¯s round surface and bands of gold and bronze along the spear. He let his spear fly and the gold tips caught the remnants of the smoldering sunset.


    The spear whistled through the air until it smashed into the wooden deck. It landed closer to the Puppeteer than Coop had meant to, but it wasn¡¯t like he was making a stealthy approach anyway. The spear impacted the deck like a meteor. The wooden planks of the carrack buckled, throwing shards of wood into the air, pausing the fight, and drawing everyone¡¯s attention.


    The Puppeteer spun around, eyes wide, startled by the sudden explosion in his blind spot. He turned fast enough to see Coop materialize out of the mist like he was an avenging golden angel, descended from the heavens, just casually stepping through a doorway. His expression warped into one of bewilderment as Coop leveled his spear. The Puppeteer opened his mouth to speak, but Coop didn¡¯t show him any mercy and stabbed him through the neck, killing him instantly. He was the only one Coop was sure he needed to kill, so he didn¡¯t hesitate.


    As the Puppeteer¡¯s body fell lifelessly backwards, Coop raised his shield and pointed his spear at the Outrider. She gaped at the ornate gold, bronze, and metallic speartip, dripping with blood, as it was revealed behind the Puppeteer¡¯s falling body, aimed at her. The Honorguard remained on the ground behind her while Camila and Charlie were both even further behind. Camila watched Coop while Charlie continued to struggle against her restraints with renewed effort after hearing his crashing entrance.


    The Outrider dropped her twin daggers and lifted her hands, palms out, and yelled, ¡°Wait!¡± Her daggers clattered against the deck.


    Coop waited, but didn¡¯t lower his weapon. Hunched as he was behind his shield he only kept his eyes above the edge, watching her carefully. Even though she looked like she was surrendering, people could cast spells nowadays. For all he knew she was lining up an attack while attempting to lower his guard by appearing to surrender.


    ¡°We¡¯re not with them! We didn¡¯t know about their plan!¡± The Outrider tried to make her position clear. Coop could at least recognize that she really didn¡¯t intend to fight him, so he finally relaxed, standing back up and aiming his spear at the darkening sky.


    Coop stepped forward to release Camila and Charlie from their bindings. As he moved he was immediately accosted by stringy, sticky threads, like he was walking through a series of spiderwebs. The lines were everywhere, hanging from the sails to the railings and all along the deck of the ship. He waved his hand in front of him and shook it to get the annoying webs off.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± The Outrider exclaimed, shocked by his lack of caution. ¡°The ship is full of traps, the threads are like¡­ razors¡­¡± Her warning grew fainter as she watched Coop walk through the traps, oblivious to their danger, but also unharmed. Coop¡¯s magic defense was way too high to be affected by the Puppeteer¡¯s feeble strings. Of the many advantages Coop was developing, the one he was most confident in was his magic defense.


    For her part she was covered with scratches, it looked like she had run through a forest of thistles, but she was the only one that still stood against the Puppeteer. The Honorguard was also bloodied from scrapes. Camila was less harmed, but she had obviously been battered and she was firmly bound by the threads.


    Coop continued past the Outrider and stepped around the rousing Honorguard to reach Charlie¡¯s suspended position. He carefully cut her loose with the edge of his spear and caught her when she fell. Once she was freed she sat down, gasping. While she caught her breath and watched Coop with wide eyes, he moved on to cut the lines that wrapped up Camila¡¯s legs.


    ¡°Coop.. what happened to you?¡± Charlie asked timidly once she had recovered.


    Coop followed her gaze and realized he was still completely covered in dried blood and grime from the days of fighting. It had ruined the dramatic entrance he was going for with his shiny armor, instead he looked a lot more like his class, a Revenant back from the dead and on a mission for vengeance.


    ¡°Ah, well, there were zombies.. A bunch of them.¡± Coop started. ¡°Actually, why don¡¯t you tell me what happened here first.¡± Coop gestured around the boat, toward the Outrider and Camila. ¡°You all seem to be in worse shape.¡±


    Charlie gathered the Outrider and Honorguard and conjured her gentle healing rain for the group. Camila leaned on Charlie while they recuperated, and gave Coop a sheepish smile. He got the impression she didn¡¯t like needing to be saved and it was already the second time she needed Coop to do so on this trip.


    Coop turned to the two strangers who had gathered with the girls, noting that they kept a healthy distance from him. "So, who are you?"


    "I''m Amanda," The Outrider started, "and this is Mikey B." She placed her hand on the Honorguard''s shoulder and gently massaged.


    "Ugh, I feel like I''m comin'' down from the worst bender of my life." Mikey announced, groggily, as he pressed his fingers into his temples. Amanda slid a little closer to affectionately wrap her arms around the Honorguard. He stopped rubbing his temples and smiled at her sweetly.


    Coop shook his head at the public display and turned back to Camila and Charlie. "What happened?"


    Camila answered first. "While we were waiting for you, we all separated into our own groups." Coop nodded, remembering when he observed the separation himself while climbing the floors of the oil platform. Camila pointed at the Puppeteer''s body. "He''d been setting up elaborate traps with his web magic while he and Eric, Richard, and Parker were waiting to enact the Empire''s plan."


    ¡°When we heard the explosions we wanted to make sure you were alright, but they convinced us to make a plan first and had us gather inside the captain¡¯s cabin.¡± Coop followed along, remembering how he had worried that the Zombie Captain¡¯s flame spells would have been heard on the ship.


    ¡°We figured we¡¯d need to rehash the whole ¡®who can sail the boat¡¯ thing again and decide who was staying and who was going, but they just locked us inside, promising that they¡¯d bring you back one way or another. When I kicked through the door, I stepped right into the snare traps and got flung around. Charlie tried to help, but once he got her hands tied she couldn¡¯t cut through the strings anymore.¡± Coop was scowling as he imagined the Puppeteer¡¯s ambush. It seemed like he had a formidable class if he had time to set his traps up.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Mikey spoke up, observing Coop¡¯s expression. ¡°Hey man, I know it looks bad, but we had no idea all that was gonna go down. Kevin just sent us to the boat ¡®cause we were the only other people awake when you were ready to head out. We were just supposed to make sure you didn¡¯t try to steal the ship.¡± Amanda nodded along, confirming Mikey¡¯s story.


    ¡°We tried to help once we realized what was going on. When he started talkin¡¯ about putting the girls in their place, how they didn¡¯t deserve special treatment, and he was going to be the one to rightfully bring them down a few pegs, we tried to stop him, but those traps were nasty.¡± He looked at Amanda and smiled before he nodded appreciatively at Coop. ¡°Lucky you got here in time to take care of business.¡±


    Coop thought it sounded like the entire operation had been a last minute idea from Kevin¡¯s party. They were originally against taking Coop anywhere on the ship, but after they had some time to think about it they decided to try and create an opportunity to steal the settlement for the Empire. They tried to keep Coop and Jones separate to have an easier time taking the civilization shard by force. They still believed Jones was the Champion, so he¡¯d be vulnerable while he lacked Coop as backup and bodyguard.


    Coop believed Amanda and Mikey had been roped into the trip without the details of the plot. He didn¡¯t get the impression that they wanted to do anything other than spend time with each other.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Coop checked on Charlie, ¡°When you¡¯re ready, we need to head back. I got a message that Kevin was trying to take ownership of the settlement.¡± Charlie bobbed her head causing her bangs to bounce, then she eased herself onto her feet.


    Amanda¡¯s eyebrows went up as she realized Coop was the Champion if he was getting challenge messages like that and Coop smiled at her.


    ¡°What about those other dudes?¡± Mikey wondered about Eric, Richard, and Parker.


    ¡°They tried to assassinate me, but they¡¯re dead now.¡± Coop explained to mixed reactions from the group. Coop may have been the most disgusted with his actions out of all of them, but even he¡¯d moved towards acceptance.


    Mikey took the declaration in stride, ¡°Ah, I guess that¡¯s why you came in so hot, huh?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much.¡± Coop confirmed with a shrug.


    Mikey nodded distractedly, like he was putting a puzzle together. ¡°You¡¯re really strong aren¡¯t ya?¡±


    ¡°I guess I¡¯m getting there. Can¡¯t you see my level?¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s just question marks. Whatever aura skill you took is a nice one. We¡¯ve just been assuming you were 25.¡±


    Coop thought he¡¯d need to play around with the nuances of his aura. ¡°What about the leaderboards?¡± He asked as he glanced around the others¡¯ faces. Charlie¡¯s eyes were like saucers and Camila gasped in surprise as they obviously checked for the first time since he appeared.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name again?¡± Mikey asked innocently.


    Coop laughed. After he told Amanda and Mikey, it took them a minute for the knowledge that he wasn¡¯t just a factionless person abandoned on an isolated island to settle in. He got to watch them go through various stages of emotion, starting with believing he was playing a trick on them, denial, then shock until they finally accepted it.


    Coop had his fun, so he left them to disconnect the ship from the cleats that anchored it to the platform and enable Charlie to get the ship moving. He also dumped the Puppeteer¡¯s body into the ocean for the waiting sharks to take care of, not wanting to haul it back with them.


    It would take them longer to get back because Charlie needed to take it slow to keep her regeneration skill running simultaneously, and they were traveling on a curved path to try and get around the mutated seaweed that they were trapped by on the way. Coop would still have plenty of time to take care of the rest.


    Mikey B and Amanda took the opportunity to approach Coop. ¡°Yo, is it cool if we stay in your settlement? We didn¡¯t even realize you were the Champion and we were gonna ask the old man when we got back.¡±


    ¡°You okay with quitting the Endless Empire?¡± Coop prompted.


    ¡°Hell yes, especially for views like this.¡± Mikey B gestured toward the horizon, impressive even in the dark. Only a tiny sliver of orange light hinted at the previous sunset. Coop gazed out and couldn¡¯t blame them. ¡°We were gonna split anyway. Mandy wanted to wait for the right opportunity. Me, I was ready to bounce from the jump. Those aliens rubbed me the wrong way.¡± Mikey made a face like he was grossed out. ¡°Bossy.¡±


    The couple met each other during the faction¡¯s training and it was a love at first sight situation. Coop was happy for them, it seemed like quite the serendipitous meeting as before the apocalypse they lived in completely different worlds.


    Mikey B was a dropout that worked as a gas station clerk. He was exactly the type of character you would expect to find behind the counter. He was able to roll with the punches, take charge if necessary, and was mostly just understanding of people¡¯s vibes. He had the kind of social intelligence that wasn¡¯t taught. Amanda on the other hand was a literal astronaut candidate. She had a doctorate in some advanced mathematics, a master¡¯s in physics, and a general desire to explore, hence her class choice. Apparently, Outrider was a class that encouraged pioneering.


    Coop thought they would both be interesting additions to the settlement and suggested giving them responsibilities once everything was stable again. He could have them explore the nearby areas and generally update and reconstruct their maps since Earth had changed. They were both onboard with the idea. Coop left the couple to discuss their futures together. They were like newlyweds on their honeymoon despite an apocalypse being the catalyst for their relationship.


    Coop rejoined Charlie and Camila on the upper deck to let them know he was going to rinse off. He dismissed his shiny golden armor and found a bucket on the main deck. He took a seat with his legs through the gaps in the railing and hauled seawater up and started scrubbing. The ocean twinkled with stars reflected from the night sky. Coop let himself enjoy the calm moments, content with completing a major task even with others on the horizon.


    He was surprised when he felt gentle hands on his back. Camila had knelt down behind him to help, pulling one of his buckets to her side.


    ¡°Thanks for the save¡­ again¡­¡± Camila muttered in appreciation, sounding disappointed in herself.


    Coop chuckled, ¡°No worries.¡± He didn¡¯t need to be told she didn¡¯t like needing a rescue, strong as she was.


    He washed his face before refilling another bucket. Camila wiped his back with a clean cloth and squeezed it out. Coop felt like he really lucked out with Charlie and Camila coming to the island. They had already put themselves in the middle of a conflict between their faction and another settlement on his behalf. He felt guilty about having them stuck on this boat while he was completing his quest.


    Coop apologized, ¡°Sorry, I wasn¡¯t back sooner. I had some stuff to deal with¡­¡± He explained, vaguely, not really wanting to bring up all the people he killed.


    ¡°They had it coming.¡± Camila firmly stated, quickly understanding. ¡°I woulda done it myself.¡± She confidently declared, not letting him interrupt.


    Coop looked back at her with his eyebrows up at the homicidal proclamation.


    Camila rolled her eyes and lightly shoved his back. ¡°You saw them. Figured I¡¯d need to get it done after we quit the Empire. I woulda wrung that stringy bastard¡¯s neck too if I got my hands on him.¡± She affirmed, referring to the Puppeteer that Coop had also killed.


    ¡°It was a bad matchup for you.¡± Coop sympathized.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to console me, just shut up and give me more water. You¡¯re filthy.¡± Camila responded. ¡°There¡¯s only so much you can do without soap.¡± He refilled the bucket while she kept talking. ¡°We all have lines that can¡¯t be crossed. Yours seems pretty generous since you¡¯re thoughtful and kind. Me? All it takes is them looking at Charlie funny.¡±


    Coop thought about what she said and kept scrubbing and refilling buckets while Camila graciously assisted. The grime slowly came off, but he wouldn¡¯t be fully cleansed without a more thorough cleaning. Camila even rinsed the blood from his hair. Coop let his guard down and enjoyed the attention.


    ¡°Hah! It was true!¡± Camila suddenly teased.


    ¡°What?¡± Coop yelped in surprise as he was pulled out of his thoughts, realizing how familiar they were being and feeling self-conscious.


    ¡°Maeve told us you hummed when she ran her fingers on your scalp! And it was totally true!¡± Camila couldn¡¯t hold back her laughter. ¡°I woulda called it a purr!¡± She declared between chuckles.


    ¡°What? There¡¯s no way I made any sounds. Why would she even tell you that?¡± Coop tried to defend himself.


    He felt Camila pat him on the shoulder, ¡°Girls talk.¡±


    ¡°How would that even be a topic?¡± Coop pouted.


    Camila giggled, ¡°Turns out you¡¯re not the only one. Charlie and I¡­ Well, Maeve thought it was her magic touch, but I have my own ideas.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Coop couldn¡¯t suppress his curiosity for what ¡®Maeve¡¯s magic touch¡¯ was.


    Camila dumped the rest of the bucket over his head. ¡°C¡¯mon, Champion, let¡¯s get back to Charlie.¡± Camila left him sputtering.


    When they returned to the upper deck, Charlie was still diligently steering the ship through the darkness. It was a calm, cloudless night where the ocean was as smooth as glass. The stars were bright and there was no wind outside of Charlie¡¯s controlled breeze filling the sails. The only sound was the ship¡¯s bow cutting through the water at a slow but steady pace. It was peaceful enough to forget about any troubles.


    Camila bounced up and embraced Charlie from behind. Charlie squeaked in surprise at the sudden attention. Camila wasn¡¯t done. She reached out and grabbed Coop and yanked him into a group hug where she squeezed them all together. Coop succumbed to Camila¡¯s effort and wrapped his arms around both of the girls.


    ¡°This is nice.¡± Charlie conceded with a sigh.


    Camila hummed in agreement, ¡°We¡¯ll stick together, watch each other¡¯s backs, won¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°We still need to get my parents.¡± Charlie reminded her.


    ¡°Of course. We¡¯re a team, we can trust each other.¡± Camila established, with her forehead against Charlie¡¯s.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure Ghost Reef is ready for you.¡± Coop promised. ¡°But if we¡¯re gonna be a team, we need a team name.¡± Coop stated with complete seriousness, derailing their shared moment. Both girls looked at him like he was nuts, but Coop was undeterred.


    ¡°I nominate Charlie¡¯s Angels.¡± He declared with exaggerated pageantry. Both girls groaned at his idea like it somehow personally offended both of them.


    Camila was the first to refuse, ¡°No way. That is totally trademarked. You¡¯ll get in trouble for that idea.¡±


    It was Coop¡¯s turn to look like he heard something crazy. ¡°Trademarks? After the apocalypse? It¡¯s gotta be fair game now.¡± He argued.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t risk it, you don¡¯t know about intellectual property laws. You should go back to the drawing board and come up with something original.¡± Camila advised while sounding a lot like a legal representative.


    Charlie just laughed at the two before making it clear she was siding with Camila. The majority was against Coop. They continued to playfully argue and shoot each other¡¯s progressively worse ideas down while the ship carried them back to Ghost Reef.


    Between the girls and the residents back home, Coop wouldn¡¯t be facing challenges alone. He would have people to rely on no matter what came in the future. He wanted to be someone they could rely on as well. Coop was determined to work hard and be ready for whatever came next.

 Chapter 36: The Last Tour

    Coop had grown to love being the junior caretaker of Ghost Reef, but dream job or not, that wasn¡¯t his role anymore. Instead, he was now Champion of Ghost Reef and the responsibilities had evolved along with the title. In a way, becoming Champion resembled a significant promotion even without an appropriate pay raise. He was working hard to set the settlement up for success in the long term future, just like he had planned for his class.


    Coop thought it was amazing how much had changed in the last three weeks. Of course, it had all started with meteors unleashing mana on Earth, so maybe it wasn¡¯t all that amazing. It was actually pretty reasonable to expect a cataclysmic event to cause some significant changes.


    The changes hadn¡¯t only been external to Coop, he had personally changed quite a bit as well. Ignoring actual magic, he had finally let go of his avoidance behaviors when it came to the guilt he felt over his parents¡¯ deaths. He wasn¡¯t the hollow, unattached person he had been when he was afraid to exist without distraction. His parents had been kind and helpful and Coop was ready to carry that legacy into the harsh new system as much as he could.


    He wasn¡¯t afraid to credit Ghost Reef itself for giving him the opportunity to sort himself out. The drastic change in scenery, to that of a tropical island paradise, had given him a chance to appreciate plenty of little things again. His mana affinity pushed him beyond the threshold to finally be willing to reflect on himself without fear.


    He had not only become personally invested in the well-being of other people, like Jones, Charlie, and Camila, but he also cared for the settlement as a whole. Ghost Reef had other residents that he wanted to provide a haven for. Some of them were contracted through the system, like Balor, Desmond, and Maeve, and others had arrived as refugees. Olani and her grandkids had washed up on a flimsy raft and he was glad to welcome them. He hoped others would make it to the sanctuary that they were building together.


    Then there were others who may not even count as residents even though they had been on the island before he was. Coop wanted to offer them the same protection anyway. The burrowing owls, sea turtles, and unaccounted for swimming pigs all deserved protection from the invaders. The reef itself was worth defending. They were all going through the same assimilation together and none of them had asked for it.


    Of course, mana itself had wrought the most obvious personal changes. Coop had strength, speed, and durability like he never imagined, and he had set himself up to snowball even further. He had actual magical powers that allowed him to summon ethereal weapons and armor, and he could detect and read mana auras. He needed to develop his powers to the best of his ability so that he could build and keep Ghost Reef a safe haven.


    He cast Retribution and summoned his ethereal spear, watching as misty vapors appeared, thickened, and became a tangible weapon. Then he dismissed it, returning it to mist that dissipated in the night air. He was repeatedly summoning his weapon to advance one of his passive skills. Practical Application reduced the mana cost of abilities as he used them, so he periodically conjured a weapon to improve his efficiency. Eventually, he hoped to have his abilities be completely free of cost.


    Coop watched the dark water of the ocean, extending to the horizon in all directions, as the ship cruised back to the island chain. He reflected on how he had carefully selected his class and skills, and how they had exceeded his wildest dreams. It was an early gamble to withhold his attribute points until he had a class, but it had paid off delightfully. He had effectively tripled the value of those first five levels by delaying his allocation. He couldn¡¯t credit his wisdom, though, he had to admit it was pure luck that it had worked out.


    His Revenant class was the real standout. The description had promised to provide necessary flexibility in order to achieve singular goals. The class had absolutely delivered so far. Coop couldn¡¯t wait to get more skills and expand his class¡¯s options. He had no regrets about choosing to become a Revenant. He certainly wouldn¡¯t trade it for any of the other classes he had come across so far.


    Ghost Reef had supplied him with opportunities to grow beyond what the factions seemed capable of. He had a variety of monsters to fight in a relatively dense area, and he hadn¡¯t even explored the rest of the chain of islands. Exploring should certainly be near the top of his to do list. He would be able to better plan his leveling if he had a proper assessment of the nearby monsters.


    Camila and Charlie had told him about the monsters they found on the mainland, and Coop found the news disappointing. There had only been one monster type anywhere inside and around the city. Coop had already found almost half a dozen variations around the main island alone, and that wasn¡¯t counting what was waiting inside the nearby Coral Forest Mana Well. He¡¯d still make the trip to the mainland to try and complete another invader quest chain, but for now he wasn¡¯t done with his starting area.


    The factions didn¡¯t advise their Chosen to bother hunting regular monsters to complete the invasion quest chains, but Coop was planning on completing as many as possible. He believed the factions were underestimating the value of the system provided quests, and he thought Ghost Reef was uniquely situated to best take advantage of those quests. If there had only been one quest chain to complete, he would have also prioritized an alternative way of getting experience, but he was spoiled for choice on the island.


    He wasn¡¯t sure exactly how factions were formed, but he theorized that all the prominent factions had existed for a long enough time to have forgotten their own assimilation periods. Their doctrines had evolved well beyond the times of invasion quests, so now they minimized the merit of completing them. They were biased towards the systems of leveling that they currently employed.


    If Coop completed the quest chains, he might even be able to seize an advantage that went beyond just the Chosen of Earth. Time might be the only advantage the rest of the galaxy held over him. Of course, that was a big advantage, one that might be impossible to overcome. From Coop¡¯s perspective it was still a distant worry. 111 years was already an inconceivable length of time. He didn¡¯t need to think about time on scales of thousands or millions of years.


    The other major disappointment to come out of the news from the mainland, other than the limited monsters, was the state of the nearest settlement. It had been claimed by people actively representing their faction, the Endless Empire. It seemed like the Empire had convinced a significant group of people to zealously fight in their name. It seemed crazy, but the various factions seemed to be persuasive enough to recruit people to fight on their behalf right from the get go. Coop didn¡¯t get any offers, so he really couldn¡¯t relate to those who accepted them so ferociously.


    If an alien abducted him and offered to make him a galactic king he still wouldn¡¯t put his full faith in them, but Jones had explained it with a sort of proverb. ¡°Only a madman would ignore instructions from a god.¡± Coop might think that believing the aliens was crazy, but it seemed like many others looked at it from an opposite perspective. Ignoring their instructions might be crazy.


    Not all of their Chosen were true believers, he already had four wishing to leave them to join his own settlement, but they still had numbers. Even now, they had enough people to try and steal his settlement out from under him. It was an unpleasant response to his attempted hospitality and that was before they tried to assassinate him. Despite his reservations he would be returning their disrespect with the sharp edge of his weapons. He just hoped it wouldn¡¯t escalate any further. The Empire was occupying a major city that had millions of residents before the apocalypse. Their current numbers would be impossible for Coop''s tiny settlement to resist.


    The Empire¡¯s settlement was structured in the inverse of how Coop imagined a sanctuary should be. Instead of protecting its residents, the residents were being used to protect the settlement. It sounded like a bad deal if someone was looking for a place to be safe. Evidently, the only worse deal would be found in the wilds. Outside of the territory of settlements, the power of monsters was constantly escalating.


    Coop worried about the state of humanity. He hoped the people at other settlements had been able to form cooperative efforts to survive without the outside influence of factions creating conflict. He knew people would find other reasons for conflict, but it didn¡¯t hurt to hope.


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    He looked back in the direction that they had come from and watched the wake of the ship leave a temporary trail on the surface of the ocean. He felt a small frown form. His only experience with a larger faction other than the Endless Empire hadn¡¯t given him any more reason to be optimistic about the fate of settlements or humanity as a whole.


    The last task he had completed involved wiping out the Breathless faction of the Undead. A single person had been sponsored by the Breathless on an oil rig and he had used his faction¡¯s gifts to convert everyone else into zombies. They were killed and had their souls bound to the Zombie Lord¡¯s until Coop came and defeated them.


    Coop had belatedly learned that they weren¡¯t monsters manifested by mana like the Primal Construct¡¯s invaders, but had actually been humans previously. Even worse was that the Zombie Lord himself was a regular human that Coop had a conversation with. They had fought to the death, leading to Coop confronting the fact that he had already started killing people.


    While the Zombie Lord was monstrous, Coop was further led down a path that had him killing. When the Endless Empire tried and failed to assassinate him, he didn¡¯t show them any mercy. Coop needed to remain resolute. They were all in a deadly conflict over the fate of the planet. He wouldn¡¯t hate anyone for trying to kill him. Most of the time, they would probably feel that they were righteous, but he would still fight back with the same goal. The alternative was to be killed.


    He summoned an ethereal glaive, twisted it in his hands a few times and admired the ghostly blade in the starlight. He dismissed it into wisps of vapor that were left behind by the moving ship as they disappeared. His Retribution skill had been reduced to 48 mana per summon, down from 50. It wasn¡¯t much compared to his mistjump, which was down to 33 mana per teleport from the same starting point. Lowering their costs was another personal priority, and he would pursue it diligently while hunting monsters to complete quest chains and during his downtime.


    Coop left the edge of the ship and his musings behind to rejoin Camila and Charlie on the upper deck. Charlie was gripping the steering wheel with both hands while Camila leaned her head on Charlie¡¯s shoulder. Coop leaned against the railing in front of the wheel and smiled back at them. It felt good to add people to his circle of trust.


    They chatted like they had on the way to the rig, like old friends despite not actually knowing each other for that long. Coop thought the downtime was nice, something to make sure to appreciate, like a nice sunset or a pristine beach. He¡¯d do his best to remember to take a second to recognize the valuable moments whenever he could afford it.


    They expected to make it back to Ghost Reef by the dawn of a new day.


    ¡ª


    Debra couldn¡¯t believe their luck.


    She was Kevin the Hammer¡¯s second in command, and out of the squad of Chosen of the Empire, she was the most surprised by Ghost Reef. She had been against joining the expedition to scout islands away from the main settlement. She believed it would be a waste of time and she had mostly been correct. That is, until they reached their destination and they found an isolated civilization shard.


    What the heck was it doing out here all by itself? They weren¡¯t expecting to find any shards, just some potential new residents trapped on islands. This was an extraordinary find.


    Discovering its location would be enough to get their entire party promoted within the Empire. She couldn¡¯t wait to get back to report the find to leadership. She didn¡¯t care if the commanders decided to take the shard or ignore it as long as they recognized who found it.


    Then the insubordinate Camila decided she wanted to go on a sunset cruise with her new boyfriend, preventing them all from returning to the Empire¡¯s settlement and receiving their deserved accolades.


    Debra hated Camila. She didn¡¯t like how she effortlessly commanded the attention of the entire room whenever she entered, and she especially disliked how little loyalty she showed toward the Empire. Debra thought she was dangerous to keep around. A potential bad influence for the impressionable young men and women that were a part of the Empire, but they had been instructed about certain individuals to keep around. Potential elites that would be tactically important as allies and much worse as enemies.


    They had all received incredible magic powers, but the Empire still favored certain affinities based on millions of years of experience. Both Camila and Charlie were two of the favored. She still thought they should get rid of them, and she wasn¡¯t the only one.


    She had to give Camila credit for leading them to this golden opportunity. By taking her boyfriend out of the picture, the Champion of this settlement was left exposed and defenseless. He was a low level old man that was totally naive to let them inside his defenses when they were clearly the superior force. They didn¡¯t even need tactics, they were just invited inside by the muscle brained, factionless island boy.


    They had waited until after the factionless bodyguard was taken on his boat trip. Now Debra was leading a mixed squad to take the old man out. He was so easy to trick. All they had to do was request a tour and he stupidly brought them through the fort¡¯s walls into more and more isolated corridors. He was far too dedicated to being a good host, thinking it would build a positive relationship between them.


    She let him drone on and on about historical facts that no one ever cared about until they entered the perfect open room. There were three cannons positioned at small windows facing the open ocean, but there was plenty of space for them to defeat the Champion.


    Debra gave the signal and her squad spread out to surround the fool. These three weren¡¯t members of her party, but they had to make due with the ones who were cooperative. Loyalty was always hard to come by.


    Once they were in position she took out a valuable artifact that the Empire had specifically given them for assaulting powerful individuals. They were meant to be used in order to claim civilization shards. Only certain groups were qualified to carry them, and Kevin¡¯s group was one that had earned the Empire¡¯s trust.


    She crushed the artifact while holding it toward the Champion and dark energy gathered around her fist before it launched itself into the old man. He was caught completely unaware as he was engrossed in his descriptions of a ship battle. Apparently, a pirate queen¡¯s reign had ended when her fleet unsuccessfully attempted to capture the ocean fortress thanks to these very cannons. Too bad, Debra thought.


    He was silenced mid sentence. The energy entered his back. He never even registered what was happening. The old caretaker was filled with dark energy that pulsed through his veins and he collapsed to the ground, limp, without making any more sound.


    They used the artifact as a precaution, just in case he was more powerful than he appeared. Debra wasn¡¯t convinced it was necessary at all, but orders were orders. With the Champion disabled they could eliminate him at their leisure. Using the artifact was worth it since the reward would be a civilization shard, and this way they could keep all of the residents. Who knew what destruction an all out fight might have wrought. One artifact for one intact settlement was a nice trade. The Empire had supplied them with hundreds.


    She had no idea how the pair of island caretakers had managed to construct so many buildings in their settlement, but she knew that the Empire would reap the benefits now that they would become the owners.


    She turned to her nearest squadmate for acknowledgement of a job well done.


    Her squadmate didn¡¯t move. Her lifeless eyes stared blankly toward where the caretaker had been standing. It was like she had frozen. Debra called out to her.


    ¡°Earth to Nina! Nina? Why are you spacing out?¡±


    Instead of any response, her squadmate¡¯s head slid off of her shoulders and toppled to the floor with a disgusting squelch that immediately threatened to bring Debra¡¯s lunch back up. Her eyes shot toward the collapsed figure of the old man. What had he done? Was the Champion masking his power level this whole time? Did he lead them into a trap, predicting their plans?


    She heard two quick sounds that reminded her of a knife being rapidly unsheathed and sheathed again. She turned to her other two squadmates who were positioned across the room on the other side of the Champion. Neither had reacted to Nina¡¯s horrifying decapitation. Debra watched as they each fell over in the exact same manner as the first victim.


    They had all been assassinated! She stared back at the old man to figure out how he was doing this, but he appeared completely unconscious. The curse should have already worked. They had been assured there would be no way to counter it until settlements reached their final stages.


    Debra spun around, searching for any clues, until she caught movement in one of the dark corners of the room. It was two predatory glowing yellow eyes that were only ankle high.


    The eyes locked onto hers and slowly moved toward her. Debra could only stagger backwards in terror as the monster exited the shadows.


    Once Debra laid eyes on the hidden enemy, she only had one more involuntary thought before her existence was snuffed out.


    ¡°What a cute kitty.¡±

 Chapter 37: Kevin The Hammer

    Coop waited, balancing on top of the ship¡¯s side railings while watching the fort slowly draw closer. Charlie was carefully steering the ship within the narrow channel that guided them through the treacherous reefs that earned Ghost Reef its name. They had passed more than one wreck. The ribs of old ships still reached toward the surface where they were sunk centuries previously.


    Charlie had a significant advantage over the captains of past eras. With mana she was able to control the wind itself. Their speed was always predictable and their sail never emptied. Charlie had become an expert with manipulating and sustaining her wind abilities. She brought them close to the dock with ease.


    Coop leaped from the boat¡¯s railing with ropes in hand. He landed onto Ghost Reef¡¯s sturdy dock. He was happy to be back, even if the circumstances weren¡¯t great just yet.


    He secured the ship and headed directly to the fort. His ethereal set had been returned to its more subtle coloration and no longer flickered with golden reflected light, though small ghostly wisps still drifted off of its surface. The dim light of the morning was all that illuminated the island, but it was more than enough. Coop quickly traveled the familiar trails, across the wooden bridge above the moat, and toward the main iron gate.


    The group had agreed to let Coop do what he needed to do by himself. Camila and Charlie joined Mikey B and Amanda in staying on the ship until the job was done. They wanted to help, but Coop was sure that he would be fine and would feel better knowing they were as well. He wasn¡¯t ready to trust Amanda and Mikey B completely either, so his two trusted companions would also be keeping an eye on them to make sure they didn¡¯t try anything funny.


    Coop expected to fight the rest of Kevin¡¯s party at the minimum. The Puppeteer was one of the main members of the five man party, so that left four more to deal with.


    Then there was the rest of Mikey B and Amanda¡¯s party who they predicted would be loyal to Kevin and the Empire. They were completely onboard during training and had never hinted at any inclination for rebellion. Therefore, Coop added three more threats.


    Finally, there was the full party of five that had guarded the ship and had only made it onshore after Coop had taken the vessel to the oil rig. None of them had interacted with them very much, as the group of five tended to stick together like a small clique.


    All in all Coop would be confronting at least four, but maybe as many as twelve of the Empire¡¯s lackeys. He hoped it wouldn¡¯t end up with twelve people hurling spells around the fort.


    He wasn¡¯t worried about himself, he just wanted to minimize the collateral damage done to his settlement.


    Coop entered straight through the main gate. He didn¡¯t feel any need for a stealthy approach. He was at full health and full mana, and his experience with the Empire¡¯s Chosen hadn¡¯t made them seem very threatening. He really just wanted to get this whole thing over with. They had pushed and now they would be pushed back. He would provide the consequences of their actions, today.


    As Coop moved through the tunnel to the courtyard, taking the direct route to the civilization shard, he was surprised by movement. He jumped backwards and aimed his spear toward the ambusher. Instead of a fight he was greeted politely by the upper half of a humanoid figure.


    ¡°Greetings, Champion. This one would like to give you a gift.¡± A robotic voice hailed Coop. It was the brewer that Coop had begun calling Brewbot. Coop hadn¡¯t interacted with it much as it seemed happy to be left alone inside the Brewery. It had formed a torso, head, and arms out of the top of a barrel that hadn¡¯t been in the entrance of the fort previously, as far as Coop could remember, it was a new addition. Coop¡¯s aura had completely failed to detect the brewbot¡¯s presence, and he flicked it in its direction to test his own control, but still felt nothing. The contracted aliens were still beyond his abilities.


    ¡°A gift?¡± Coop asked the robot, confused. Coop was distracted while he wondered if the brewbot was the barrel or if it was just inside the barrel.


    ¡°A gift. Please consume it immediately.¡± The robot presented a vial of a swirling silver liquid. It was interesting to look at, but Coop wasn¡¯t sure about drinking it. It seemed like silver nail polish that moved up and down with a life of its own, or like it was inside of a lava lamp.


    The robot ignored Coop¡¯s hesitance and insistently reached out with the vial until Coop took it.


    ¡°Thank you for accepting this one as a resident. This one will be glad for you to remain Champion.¡± Brewbot finished and started folding back into the barrel, reconstructing the lid with parts of itself like the world¡¯s worst Transformer. Coop looked at the barrel and wondered if he should pretend that he didn¡¯t know the robot was either inside the barrel or actually was the barrel. He didn¡¯t want to ruin the robot¡¯s exit, but he wondered how it would get back to its brewery.


    Coop turned his attention back to the vial. It seemed like the brewbot had good intentions, but how much could he really tell? It was a robot, so he had trouble reading it and his aura was useless. He didn¡¯t think the contracted residents were capable of doing him any harm, but he was still confused at what this was all about. It was an odd time for a gift with him heading into a fight.


    The contracted residents weren¡¯t even allowed to give certain information on the system. Maybe Brewbot was trying to provide direct aid by calling it a gift. Coop couldn¡¯t imagine such an obvious loophole would be left by the system, but he decided to drink the concoction anyway. It actually seemed like the safer choice to consume the mysterious beverage from the cryptic entity rather than ignore its not so subtle attempt to help.


    He unstopped the vial and downed the silvery drink. It tasted like a tropical fruit punch instead of the metallic alcohol that he was anticipating, based on its appearance. Coop felt the same as before, but he noticed he had a temporary buff. Blood of the Machine God (Divine). He was immune to blood afflictions up to the divine level until the buff expired.


    ¡°Alright, then. Thanks, Brewbot.¡± Coop directed at the dormant barrel, before he continued down the main street. He didn¡¯t know why the robot had insisted on giving him the gift, but he could make the reasonable inference that it would help in the upcoming fight.


    He walked past the stonemason. He spotted Balor in the upstairs window. Balor nodded and Coop nodded back. He approached The Clumsy Shark and found it magically boarded up like it was prepared for a real proper siege. The upstairs windows had been covered by what looked to Coop like blast shields and the walls shone with power. They pulsed and flickered with waves and sparks of mana reinforcement. Desmond and Maeve had been in enough settlements to have added modifications to withstand damage. A fight at this level wasn¡¯t much of a threat to their enterprise. It wouldn¡¯t do them any good to lose their contract every time a settlement changed hands.


    He continued past the tavern to the future town circle where only three figures waited.


    ¡°Stop right there!¡± Kevin the Hammer commanded before Coop had entered the circle. He and two others had settled in, around the civilization shard. ¡°Kid, some fancy armor and an aura skill that hides your level isn¡¯t enough to take us on!¡± Kevin warned, but Coop internally disagreed. It was probably more than enough.


    ¡°Where is your Champion anyway?¡± Kevin demanded. ¡°We can get this all settled a lot faster if he would show himself.¡±


    Coop just gave a noncommittal gesture with his hands. He didn¡¯t feel the need to clarify who was the Champion at this point.


    ¡°I guess we gave him quite a scare if he sent you to negotiate in his place. He won¡¯t even face us when his settlement is at risk.¡± Kevin concluded.


    ¡°What did you do with Jones?¡± Coop asked, feeling his eyebrows furrow.


    ¡°I sent some people to collect him, but they never returned. He must have defeated them somehow¡­ Unless you came back early and caught them by surprise.¡± Kevin admitted. Coop was relieved to hear that Jones had managed to escape them.


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    ¡°Either way, he seems content to let us claim the shard¡­ I can¡¯t believe he managed to upgrade the settlement and get all these services!¡± Kevin exclaimed. ¡°A challenge only lasts a few hours for a Camp, but this is already an Outpost, so we¡¯ve got a few more days of waiting.¡± Kevin went on.


    Kevin grunted as if he just got an idea, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go enjoy the tavern until it¡¯s all over, kid. There¡¯s no point in you getting killed at this point, you¡¯re welcome to stay a resident after we take ownership.¡± Kevin so generously offered.


    Coop took a deep breath and sighed while he inspected Kevin and his two party members.


    [Human (Level 27)]


    [Crusader (Strength)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Tectonic]


    [Human (Level 26)]


    [Crystalsworn (Intelligence)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Glittering]


    [Human (Level 26)]


    [Immolator (Intelligence)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Heat]


    He stepped forward, ignoring Kevin¡¯s suggestion to take refuge inside the tavern.


    ¡°Wrong choice.¡± Kevin declared. ¡°Light ¡®em up!¡± He ordered. One of his companions, the Immolator, stirred and made gestures with his hands.


    As Coop entered the town circle tall pillars of flame suddenly erupted around the perimeter. They formed a wall of fire, blocking the main street, wrapping all the way to the canal in both directions. Coop noted that a mana shield had formed around the tavern, preventing any of the flames from reaching its walls. The flames themselves appeared impressive, but they didn¡¯t match up to the Zombie Captain¡¯s flame waves that had singed Coop previously.


    Coop casually walked through the ring of flames. He didn¡¯t need to take any extra precautions, they were just that much weaker at this point. Even if the Immolator had taken every single point he had earned from leveling and put them into Intelligence, neglecting his defenses completely in favor of offense, he would still only have 130 points. Five unallocated attribute points per level with no profession wouldn¡¯t be enough to surpass Coop¡¯s stats.


    Coop had 440 points in Mind, and every point added to his base magic defense. Then Salvation¡¯s ethereal armor added defenses on top of that. He doubted the Immolator had assigned every single point to Intelligence anyway as it would be borderline suicidal to completely ignore defenses, so he was working with even less attributes.


    When Coop appeared on the inside of the ring of flames, completely unconcerned by the inferno, Kevin¡¯s expression changed from disappointment to seriousness. Kevin looked at the Immolator questioning his preparations, but the Immolator¡¯s openmouthed expression was all the answer he needed.


    Kevin the Hammer pulled out his weapon, which was a huge two-handed mallet decorated with jewels that glowed in various shades of red, gray, and black.


    ¡°Last chance, kid.¡± He proclaimed, but Coop didn¡¯t pause his stride.


    Kevin raised his hammer and slammed it into the ground with a roar. The ground actually shook and a fissure expanded from the impact, snaking toward Coop. Coop sidestepped the destruction and turned to watch it continue down the main street with tiny cracks extending from both sides. The fissure created rock spikes along its edges that cascaded out and magma sputtered out for a moment from within the rift before solidifying. They were going to make a mess for Balor and the laborers to clean up, but it hadn¡¯t reached any buildings.


    Coop returned his attention to the trio and jogged closer to throw his spear. Beautiful multicolored crystals formed on the ground around his feet as he moved. Starting the size of a baseball, the crystals swiftly expanded, adding jagged edges until they were large enough to match Brewbot¡¯s barrel. Then they started exploding, sending shards flying in all directions away from tiny mushroom clouds of purple and pink dust. The flying shards then shattered and detonated in the air like unicorn themed cluster bombs. They were really pretty, but not much more dangerous than the flame ring had been to Coop.


    Glowing orange runes joined the tiny crystals appearing around Coop, trying to intercept his path. These runes traced themselves with flames before blooming into blazing flashes of heat that burned the air. Coop just stepped around the runes, the proximity to the conflagrations wasn¡¯t enough to dissuade his forward movement.


    Once he was in range, he let his spear loose without interrupting his pace. Kevin stepped up to receive the spear with the head of his hammer. When the spear and hammer collided Kevin was thrown backwards like he had been hit by a train. He had been completely unprepared for the Strength that Coop had put into the throw, though he managed to hang onto his hammer. Kevin thought he would knock the spear out of the air like it was a mere stick, but instead he was tumbling backwards. Maybe he was finally done underestimating the factionless island boy.


    ¡°Quickly! Fortifications!¡± Kevin yelled from the ground after he rolled to a stop next to the civilization shard. Massive crystal walls sprouted from the ground around the shard. They formed a spiked transparent palisade that was difficult to see through. Light was bounced around the crystal creating a funhouse mirror effect that was filtered through blues, purples, and pinks. Coop admired it for a moment while gouts of flame exploded ineffectively around him.


    Coop mistjumped to his spear, bypassing the crystal fortification completely. He suddenly stood next to the crystal mage and the fire mage. Before either of them reacted to his teleportation he made them an offer.


    ¡°How about you guys quit the Empire and join this settlement instead?¡± Coop proposed. Coop was really only giving them another chance for his own consciousness, but he still meant it.


    ¡°Die!¡± ¡°For the God Empress!¡± The two mages spat back, summoning their mana to continue attacking him.


    That¡¯s just how it was, Coop thought sadly. He stabbed the crystal mage on his left, interrupting his spell, then thrust the spear into the fire mage on his right, killing him. Coop launched a third swing that finished the crystal mage off before the man recovered from the first blow.


    He had already accepted that some people would zealously fight for their faction, deluding themselves that it was for the greater good, after his meeting with the Zombie Lord. In a way Coop was already doing the same thing, killing in the name of his own ideals, or at least in opposition of theirs. The principle of the factionless, Coop thought.


    Kevin returned to his feet as Coop continued his march. Kevin brought out an artifact and held it toward Coop. Then he crushed it and a dark energy erupted from the crumbled remains, surrounding his closed fist before it shot out at Coop. Coop raised his shield to block the mysterious attack, but the energy simply passed through the ethereal shield as if it really was just mist. It absorbed into his body and he could see it moving through his veins. Coop felt dread.


    Nothing else happened.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Kevin angrily demanded as Coop opened and closed his fist, watching the veins in his forearm return to normal. The rage on Kevin¡¯s face was unambiguous, he wanted to kill Coop.


    Coop for his part had finally realized what the Brewbot was up to and now he had a theory for why it was allowed by the system. The Empire had provided aid to its Chosen from the outside. So the system allowed Coop to receive a counter. Coop thought it seemed a bit contrived, but there was still a lot for him to learn about the system. What was the system¡¯s purpose anyway? Surely it wasn¡¯t just to spread mana and play referee for all of the alien factions.


    Coop had an inkling that the system was in conflict with itself.


    Kevin interrupted Coop¡¯s musings with an aggravated roar. Kevin rushed forward and swung a heaving two-handed overhead blow with his massive hammer. Coop raised his shield and brushed the attack to the outside.


    Kevin whirled to face Coop and made another attempt to smash him with his faction-gifted weapon. A second desperate swing brought the hammer down directly on Coop¡¯s raised shield. It didn¡¯t budge. Even with gear potentially boosting his stats, Kevin¡¯s Strength wasn¡¯t a match for Coop¡¯s.


    When Kevin tried the same wild attack a third time, Coop sidestepped, allowing the hammer to complete the swing¡¯s follow through. The momentum of the heavy weapon brought Kevin forward, chasing the hammer¡¯s weight, where he found the tip of Coop¡¯s spear waiting. Kevin died with a furious expression on his face. The challenge officially ended.


    Coop stayed alert, anticipating Kevin¡¯s reinforcements. He swept his gaze across the courtyard and spotted nothing out of the ordinary. He hoped there wouldn¡¯t be anyone left willing to fight, but he had a twinge of worry that they would make him hunt them down before the business was done.


    He watched as the flames died down without more fuel and the crystal fortification crumbled like a forgotten sand castle. The main street and the town circle were both scorched and cracked. Thankfully, none of the buildings had been harmed.


    Coop dragged the three bodies to the side and deposited the hammer into his spatial storage. He also found that the two mages also had artifacts and they were still intact, so he collected them as well.


    He approached the civilization shard. Coop double checked to see if any reinforcements were coming. He remained uncontested so he put his hand on the shard and accessed the settlement menu. He confirmed that his presence alone was enough to end a challenge to his ownership.


    After a brief but flashy battle, Coop had successfully defended Ghost Reef.

 Chapter 38: Blood Curses

    Coop wasn¡¯t sure if the Empire¡¯s attempt to take his settlement was already over. It seemed like Kevin was only able to muster himself and two others to defend the civilization shard. Somehow, it was even less than the minimum that Coop had expected.


    He went ahead and upgraded the settlement from an Outpost to a Village, there was no reason to wait now that the optional objective to collect the relic was complete. With all of the other requirements met, he just needed to pay the 25,000 basic credits. He would have to purchase new buildings later, even if the rest of his pile of credits was burning a hole in his pocket. He still had nine potential enemies lurking around.


    He did check one thing before moving on, he found the transfer tab and noted that it would take three weeks for a challenge to his status to complete now that the settlement was upgraded to a Village. An Outpost only had a three day countdown. He imagined it would take a full siege to hold out long enough to conquer civilization shards as the settlements upgraded further and further. It was a relief to know that he wouldn¡¯t be completely tied down within a close proximity of the civilization shard. If there was a challenge he would have time to return. He quickly checked his notifications.


    [Quest Complete! Upgrade Outpost to Village]


    [Champion title upgraded!]


    [You have a new quest!]


    His Champion title also evolved, growing from giving +10 to all stats to +25 to all. With six different attributes it was now giving him a total of 150 base stats. Even if he wasn¡¯t using the 50 that went to Intelligence and Acumen, it was still as many raw stats as his Slayer title. He was happy with that.


    One of Olani¡¯s grandkids appeared while Coop was finishing up. He told Coop that they had been hiding out in the barracks until he got back. The Empire hadn¡¯t left the courtyard at all. Apparently, they were afraid of whatever was inside the fort. Olani was there taking care of Jones. So Coop¡¯s next destination was set. Olani¡¯s grandkid ran back to the fort to let her know he was on his way.


    Before he left the courtyard, he went to check on Maeve and Desmond. The blast shields had withdrawn and the mana shield disappeared. The walls had all returned to normal, hiding the mana that pulsed within them behind mundane materials. It seemed like they already knew the ownership dispute was over.


    When he entered, the familiar comfortable atmosphere and the roaring fire were still present. Coop smiled to himself, it felt like coming home from a long trip. Desmond waved him inside but when Coop spotted five of the missing Empire people he leveled his spear at them. They were all seated at a booth in the back playing cards. Everyone in the room froze.


    Maeve was the first to react, ¡°Whoa, don¡¯t worry, Coop, these ones have remained neutral.¡± Maeve put herself in between the party of five and Coop and assured him that they weren¡¯t a threat. Coop returned his spear but kept his eyes on the potential threats.


    She stepped forward and put her hands on his shoulders. ¡°Look at you, Coop¡­ you¡¯ve been through a lot huh?¡± Maeve asked with obvious concern while her eyes moved up and down.


    ¡°I guess so...¡± Coop trailed off while he squinted at the party of five. The party had noticed him enter and were watching him with plenty of concern. They didn¡¯t seem hostile, but he could still tell that they wanted something from him. ¡°I just wanted to make sure you were okay, before I continued.¡± Coop told Maeve and Desmond. He still needed to find four more unaccounted for visitors.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us, Champion.¡± Desmond responded ¡°No one on this planet will be a threat to us for centuries to come.¡± Desmond confidently declared and Maeve gave him a soothing smile.


    Coop nodded, but before he did anything one of the party of five slid out from the booth at the encouragement of the others and approached him. Coop watched him carefully, not ready to trust them even with the tavern keepers¡¯ assurances. A nearly successful assassination attempt on his life from their faction had the effect of leaving him distrustful as a default.


    The Chosen that approached him was a tall, skinny man, with straight light brown hair that was pushed behind his ears to reveal dark brown eyes and a worried gaze. The Empire¡¯s equipment made him look like he was in a wetsuit ready to go scuba diving. Coop inspected his aura.


    [Human (Level 26)]


    [Vitality Channeler (Acumen)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Dynamism]


    The Channeler walked up to Coop and offered a handshake and an introduction. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m Shane Peters. As I understand it, you''re the one to talk to about staying.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Coop.¡± Coop shook his hand and nodded toward Shane¡¯s booth where four other people were intently observing the exchange. ¡°You representing them too?¡±


    Shane nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right, we¡¯d all like to stay, if possible...¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t have any problems with me killing your friends?¡± Coop asked with obvious skepticism.


    He scratched the back of his head. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call them friends¡­ We don¡¯t want anything to do with their aggression.¡± Shane attempted to convince Coop, ¡°If you need to kill them, that¡¯s just the way the world is now, right? They¡¯ll probably try to kill you anyway.¡±


    Coop just shrugged, ¡°They already tried. I was going to hunt you five down next.¡± Shane¡¯s eyes widened and he looked back at the rest of his party who all returned his concerned stare with trepidation.


    ¡°Look, we didn¡¯t have any part of that. We¡¯ve been here the whole time, ever since you guys relieved us from guarding the ship. We declined to participate when Kevin tried to order us around preparing for a fight.¡± Shane asserted while most of his party nodded vigorously to confirm the story.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, just keep staying here for now. I still have four more of you unaccounted for.¡± Coop stated to the group.


    ¡°Ah, we heard about them already. They went into the fort and never came out. Kevin tried to get into the tavern to ask around, but once he had become hostile to the settlement all of the buildings locked him out.¡± Shane explained.


    ¡°Alright¡­ well stay here anyway, I¡¯m going to confirm things.¡± Coop told Shane. He waved to the tavern keepers, ¡°I¡¯ll come back once I¡¯m done straightening everything out.¡± He turned to leave, but he couldn¡¯t avoid Maeve¡¯s impish smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have a bath ready.¡± She declared with a wave.


    Coop smiled to himself as he went back outside and made his way to the barracks. He had been looking forward to a bath.


    Coop thought it would be fine to let people voluntarily stay in the settlement, but he had already been too naive once. He¡¯d confer with Jones and Olani before he committed to letting Shane¡¯s party of five stay. He was already letting Amanda and Mikey B remain anyway. He was a bit concerned about accidentally allowing spies or assassins to move into a position to cause problems in the future.


    Before he made it to the main entrance of the fort, he found Balor shaking his head on the stoop of his shop.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna have to start on the roads next to fix this mess.¡± The dwarf stated while gazing down the main street toward the damaged town circle. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have finished them quicker?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to give them a chance to surrender.¡± Coop responded. ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill people.¡±


    Balor just chuckled, ¡°You¡¯re one adorable Champion, lad. And now you¡¯ve got quite the settlement territory. That last expansion was a doozy.¡±


    ¡°You can tell? I haven¡¯t even checked the map yet.¡± Coop was surprised.


    ¡°Aye, I can read the earth like the stone of my hands. We should get that bridge done as soon as possible. Access to that gateway would be a boon.¡± Balor explained.


    ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± Coop agreed, still thinking about the potential new residents and threats that they posed.


    Coop left Balor to his surveying and went into the main entrance of the fort. He noticed Brewbot¡¯s barrel was already gone. Coop shook his head at the memory of the robot and entered the mess hall. When he was inside, Olani¡¯s grandkids stopped him and one of them ran to Jones¡¯s room with a rune glowing on his forehead.


    Olani stepped out and a wall of tiny invisible runes shimmered and disappeared from the entrance of the corridor at the edge of the mess hall. She had set some significant looking traps.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°It¡¯s good you¡¯re back.¡± Olani declared with a nod. ¡°Is everything settled then?¡±


    ¡°The challenge on the settlement ended, but there are still four possible enemies unaccounted for.¡± Coop told her. ¡°And there¡¯s a party of five that wants to stay¡­ I already told two others they could.¡± Coop looked past Olani. ¡°Where¡¯s Jones?¡±


    She waved him over, ¡°Come, you should see.¡± She led him to Jones¡¯s room.


    Jones was lying flat on his back in his bed with his eyes closed. His veins were visibly black even through his dark skin. Jett was laying on his chest, protectively eyeing the entrance.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Coop asked with concern.


    ¡°It¡¯s a blood curse.¡± Olani confidently diagnosed thanks to her Witch Doctor abilities. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything about it. He was cursed by the four enemies you¡¯re looking for, but they¡¯re all dead now.¡± She glanced at the cat. ¡°When the kids found him he was unconscious, surrounded by the four beheaded enemies, with the cat on his chest just like that.¡±


    Coop glanced at his fading buff, provided by Brewbot. He narrowly avoided the same fate thanks to the brewer¡¯s intervention. He was lucky he hadn¡¯t ended up in the same state. He looked at Jones and imagined their positions reversed.


    Coop felt despair growing in his chest, ¡°This is my fault. I screwed up.¡± He raised a hand and pressed his fingers into his forehead. ¡°I knew that they thought he was the Champion. I let them believe it. They wouldn¡¯t have done this to him if it wasn¡¯t for that.¡± Coop was ready to berate himself, feeling a new source of guilt that he wasn¡¯t prepared for.


    The elder interrupted him. ¡°Don¡¯t speak nonsense. Did they not try to kill you too? An elder cannot take every responsibility. He volunteered to take them on a tour of the fort. He could have avoided them, but he still believed in old social values.¡± Olani¡¯s eyes took a distant look as she remembered her village.


    ¡°Those invaders never even knew me and the kids even existed. We kept our heads down.¡± She looked at the supine form of Jones. ¡°Anyway, he¡¯s not dead. The cat saved him from anything worse happening. You just have to find someone to remove the curse.¡±


    Coop pet Jett, then he thanked Olani for keeping an eye on things while he was gone and made absolutely sure that the other four were dead. The look in her eyes told him that she was positive. He knew Jett was a high level, but she must be strong too, it wasn¡¯t just for show. He left the group and went back to the courtyard.


    He needed to go see the brewer. The robot could block the curse, maybe it could remove it as well.


    He rushed to the barn-like brewery, jogging down the side street and arriving with some haste. As soon as he entered the building he was assaulted with the smells of chemicals and wood. The robot appeared out of some mechanical contraptions that were extended along the walls. Coop had no idea what they were for and he didn¡¯t feel like he had time to wonder.


    ¡°Greetings, Champion. Congratulations on a successful defense.¡± The robot offered.


    ¡°Can you cure the blood curse?¡± Coop jumped straight to the point and asked the burning question.


    ¡°This one cannot. Curses are complicated to remove and require knowledge of specialized rituals. This one has inadequate understanding.¡± Brewbot explained. ¡°There are many factions that share such information. It is possible to recruit someone with the appropriate expertise once the settlement progresses further.¡±


    Coop nodded, thinking about what step to take next. He could prioritize developing the settlement, and he could expand his network to try to find someone with a class that could help.


    ¡°Well, thanks again Brewbot. I believe you saved me from a much worse outcome. Let me know if you need anything.¡± Coop proposed, he was going to gather everyone else to see if he could shake out any hints.


    ¡°This one does not deserve such praise. Be well, Champion.¡± Brewbot humbly replied before it turned back into machine parts.


    Coop left the brewery and went through the fort¡¯s main gate to return to the dock. Camila and Charlie were still waiting on the ship with Amanda and Mikey B. Coop invited them to disembark and they joined him on the dock.


    Charlie stretched and gave a huge sigh of relief. It had been hard work to maintain the sails and navigate the ship. She gave a friendly smile to Coop when she noticed him watching her.


    He caught them up on what had happened. The shard had been defended, Shane¡¯s party of five wanted to stay, and Jones had been cursed. Charlie was upset to find out about Jones so she and Camila went to see him. Charlie had known Jones longer than Coop had after all.


    Mikey B and Amanda joined Coop as he headed back to the tavern. Coop decided he was going to have them and Shane¡¯s party use the shard to quit the Endless Empire and allow all of them to become residents of Ghost Reef. He didn¡¯t think he was doing an adequate job protecting the settlement, so he¡¯d try to enlist some help even if he risked a future betrayal.


    Coop entered the tavern and beckoned for Shane to bring his party and join him outside. Shane quickly gathered everyone and they all joined Mikey B and Amanda. Coop inspected the aura of each of the other four as he led them near the civilization shard. All seven of them edged away from the shard so that Coop was the closest to it.


    [Human (Level 26)]


    [Dragon Knight (Body)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Ancient]


    [Human (Level 26)]


    [Tomb Blade (Strength)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Human (Level 26)]


    [Illusionist (Mind)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Human (Level 26)]


    [Bloodseeker (Agility)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    It seemed like Shane¡¯s party was relatively balanced compared to the others he had seen. That was good.


    The Dragon Knight was a tall statuesque blonde lady that had a massive shield strapped to her back and a jagged sword at her hip. She was clearly the tank, though other than the shield her gear was as thin as Camila¡¯s with exposed arms and legs. The shield was at least as tall as she was and wide enough for three of them to stand behind.


    The Tomb Blade was a short middle-aged bald guy with thicker armor than the rest. He had a black longsword and a smaller rectangular shield attached to his forearm. Coop figured he was an off-tank with higher damage than the Knight. Tomb Blade might even fill a similar role to Coop¡¯s Revenant.


    The Illusionist was a pleasant looking middle-aged woman that even in her robes looked like she belonged in an office. He bet that she would provide plenty of crowd control with a class like that.


    The Bloodseeker was a willowy older gentleman with multiple bows of different sizes strapped to his back and a quiver at his hip. He wore his leather armor like it was a suit even though it wasn¡¯t that fancy, and his white hair was neatly combed. His eyes pierced into Coop, revealing a level of attention that was unusual.


    Coop nodded to himself, committing to his idea.


    ¡°Alright Shane, here¡¯s the deal.¡± Coop watched Shane gulp and wondered why this party of five still seemed afraid of him even after things had been settled. ¡°I want you to tell me what you can offer the settlement going forward. I¡¯m inclined to let you stay and play cards in the tavern, but it would be better for all of us if you contributed something.¡± Shane exchanged glances with his party while Coop continued. ¡°I¡¯m gonna have Amanda here be the settlement scout and Mikey B will be her escort. So what about you guys? You have any special talents? Professional experience?¡±


    ¡°Well, I was selected by the Empire to receive leadership training, but other than that I was just a plumber. Not so useful anymore.¡± Shane shrugged before he looked at the Bloodseeker who subtly nodded once. ¡°Arthur here was a retired¡­ analyst. The rest of us were just regular people. Real estate agent,¡± The Dragon Knight tilted her head letting some loose locks of blonde hair fall forward, ¡°Secretary,¡± The Illusionist gave a friendly smile, ''''and a Bus Driver.¡± The Tomb Blade raised an arm to wave.


    Coop raised an eyebrow, catching the obvious implication that Arthur wasn¡¯t regular like the rest of them. That was all fine.


    ¡°Arthur, do you know anything about blood curses?¡± Coop took a shot and asked for Jones¡¯s sake.


    Arthur¡¯s eye twitched, surprised that Coop could apparently see his class, and had associated Bloodseeker with blood curses, but he didn¡¯t let any emotion slip into his speech. ¡°No, sir. I have no information on any curses.¡±


    ¡°Alright, and Coop is fine.¡± Coop offered.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Arthur accepted unquestioningly. Coop decided that he was some kind of retired spook. That could be useful if he was really onboard with joining the settlement, maybe dangerous if he wasn¡¯t so committed.


    ¡°So here¡¯s my proposal,¡± Coop began, ¡°I¡¯m sure you all noticed that we¡¯re pretty lax on security. If you¡¯d like to stay I¡¯ll have the five of you take over that responsibility.¡± Coop watched as a couple of them nodded while the rest just looked relieved they would be allowed to stay even with conditions. ¡°I¡¯d like to continue to be welcoming to anyone who arrives, but not so welcoming that I keep inviting people who would try to steal the settlement. Does that sound alright?¡±


    ¡°That sounds great.¡± Shane responded with relief.


    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s have you all properly defect from the Empire.¡± Coop led them over to the shard. ¡°You can all take professions while you¡¯re at it.¡± The surprised looks he got just made him further disappointed with the factions. They were missing a lot of stats by not having professions.


    ¡°Keep in mind when you pick your professions that we are on an isolated island. Some professions might be overly limited with what resources we have available.¡± Coop reminded them. ¡°And you¡¯re really going to want to level your profession in addition to leveling your class.¡±


    Coop watched as they abandoned their faction. He inspected their auras to confirm they were no longer designated as a part of the Endless Empire. He noted that the auras no longer displayed their Chosen title either, though he wasn¡¯t sure if they lost it completely or if it was merely hidden from him now. Satisfied that all seven of them had left the Empire he let them choose their professions on their own. They milled around the shard and discussed their options.


    After a few minutes, he walked through the group and interrupted their conversations, ¡°If any of you want a specific building constructed for your profession, or any other reason, let me know.¡± He accessed the shard menu himself.


    It was time to explore the upgraded options of the settlement and spend some of his accumulated credits.

 Chapter 39: Alchemy and Herbalism

    Every time Coop made purchases for the settlement, Jones was there. It was Coop¡¯s fault he wasn¡¯t with him this time. Coop shook his head in an effort to ward off the wayward thought. Instead, he recalled all of the things he wanted to purchase but couldn¡¯t until he saved enough credits.


    He had almost 200,000 credits to spend now.


    The quest to upgrade the settlement from an Outpost to a Village required one defensive building and three other buildings, a population greater than 10, and 25,000 credits. It also had an optional objective to retrieve a relic, which he had completed on the offshore oil platform.


    After upgrading the settlement, the quest was completed. He hadn¡¯t even checked the quest rewards yet. The previous upgrade gave them the ability to recruit five workers. This upgrade had added an advisor slot and a subordinate shard slot.


    Coop could claim a second civilization shard and have it become a vassal city as long as it was lower in development than his primary settlement. The subordinate city would retain its own standing, but the primary city would receive a small bonus. The Empire had just been greedily trying to gobble up his settlement before they had advanced their own to the point that they could have vassals. Coop wondered if Ghost Reef¡¯s superior development would have reversed the roles of primary and subordinate cities.


    He shook his head at the empty advisor slot. Obviously, it would have gone to Jones. He would have been granted more access to the shard¡¯s menus and been given more freedom to act on behalf of the settlement without being the Champion. Coop would leave it open for him, but he¡¯d talk to Olani about it. He didn¡¯t think she was interested in taking over development of the settlement, but she might be interested in managing the residents. It seemed like that was more or less her role in her village.


    His new quest, to upgrade the settlement from a Village to a Town, was another step up in difficulty. He needed one public building and ten total buildings, stability for 22 days, and 150,000 basic credits. How the system determined stability was unclear, but his quest had a countdown that was currently ticking down so he guessed the settlement was stable at the moment.


    There was also a new optional objective. He knew that Jones would advocate for prioritizing the optional portion and Coop was inclined to agree with his reasoning. As long as it was feasibly done, Coop would chase the optional objectives. The new optional objective was to collect a ¡®siege boss¡¯ trophy. Coop had at least 22 days to figure out what a siege boss was before he would need to weigh the pros and cons of delaying the settlement¡¯s upgrade in favor of the optional objective. Unlike the previous quest, this one didn¡¯t declare any particular reward, which would make the calculus slightly more difficult.


    For now, Coop scanned the list of buildings and noted that, while many had become available for purchase, many still demanded further settlement upgrades. A Village wasn¡¯t enough to impress most of the alien contractors. Coop reckoned it was their loss. He was willing to bet that Ghost Reef would be a paradise even on a galactic scale.


    His first choice was easy enough. He purchased a second apartment building to match the first. He placed the second building next to the previous one and watched the construction process take place. All of the new residents swung their heads and watched in astonishment as the walls manifested themselves on top of the foundations.


    ¡°All of you can have an apartment in one of those two buildings,¡± Coop told them while pointing toward the apartment buildings. ¡°Each one has 12 units, and the first one only had four occupied, so there¡¯s enough room for everybody.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re ready to move in together right?¡± Mikey B asked Amanda, nudging her with an elbow. ¡°Not too soon?¡±


    Amanda just rolled her eyes in mock exasperation, her smile told the real story. So that would be six more apartments occupied at the most. There was still plenty of room for new residents.


    ¡°Do we need to pay you for them?¡± Shane questioned Coop.


    Coop shook his head, ¡°The system takes care of it. If you weren¡¯t working you would get charged automatically, but since you all have positions in the settlement you¡¯ll receive compensation instead. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll cover it.¡±


    ¡°Oh thank God¡± The bus driver turned Tomb Blade suddenly expressed relief. ¡°I was afraid of running out of credits and not being able to afford more drinks. We¡¯ll actually be getting paid.¡± His shoulders eased after ridding himself of the previously unspoken anxieties.


    The Dragon Knight laughed out loud at her party member. ¡°Maybe if you were better at cards it wouldn¡¯t be such a worry.¡± She teased. The Tomb Blade just glared back at her.


    Coop went back to shopping for more buildings while the party got more comfortable with the settlement. They were still coordinating professions amongst each other, but they paused when the building was constructed. They had never seen one be built before. The Empire¡¯s settlement wasn¡¯t as developed as Ghost Reef and hadn¡¯t built any buildings when they were there. None of them had been allowed to see the civilization shard either. So it was all new to them, despite having faction knowledge ahead of time.


    The next building Coop chose was an expensive one. It was to empower Olani¡¯s chosen profession. He selected it and scrolled through the variants until he found one without a faction. He built an Alchemist¡¯s Workshop across the street from the Brewery.


    Once again everyone stopped to watch as the building¡¯s foundations appeared and it was magically constructed from the ground up. It didn¡¯t take up much space, but it was tall enough to be three stories and had multiple chimneys on top of the shingled roof as well as other exhaust pipes at various levels along the solid walls. Coop had spent 50,000 basic credits for it, but it didn¡¯t look like much. He went to invite Olani and investigate the new resident.


    Olani joined him as he knocked on the alchemist¡¯s door. Neither of them were ready for the alien that appeared in the threshold. Olani physically recoiled from the creature.


    It was like ooze that had been shaped into a human mold. It was light blue with purple swirls shifting inside its body. It was partially transparent allowing Coop to see the interior of the workshop like he was looking through an aquarium. The body itself was just a uniform light blue with none of the expected organs. It was less than five feet tall and even though it had imitated a face and a wavy bob haircut it was decidedly inhuman.


    ¡°Ooh, a young alchemist!¡± Friendly, excited words came from a mouth that instead of opening and closing to speak, seemed to melt back into the face and reform with each sound, ¡°I am Sojjah! Come inside?¡±


    Coop recovered enough to be polite and introduce himself, ¡°Nice to meet you, Sojjah,¡± He tried to pronounce the name the same way he heard it. ¡°I¡¯m Coop, the Champion of this settlement. We just wanted to welcome you and introduce ourselves.¡± He looked at Olani who was still not used to aliens. She wasn¡¯t ready to interact at all. ¡°Ah, this is Elder Olani, she is indeed an aspiring alchemist.¡±


    Sojjah made a sound like chimes echoing underwater that Coop surmised was a happy expression. ¡°One so young is called Elder!¡± Sojjah giggled.


    ¡°Not so young.¡± Olani muttered, finally getting a grip on herself.


    Coop continued after the chimes had faded away, ¡°Anyway, do you happen to know any cures for blood curses?¡±


    ¡°Need a ritual, but I don¡¯t know. I make tinctures, potions, elixirs¡­¡± Sojjah responded while making hand gestures where the hands disappeared into the arm and then reappeared in a new shape while listing off the wares.


    ¡°Do you need anything else to do your alchemy?¡± Coop asked.


    One arm disappeared and reappeared pointing at the brewery across the street before disappearing and returning to Sojjah¡¯s side. ¡°Brewery, Herbalist, and this Young Elder will be everything for a very long time.¡± Sojjah answered with a gesture for each.


    ¡°Alright, if you need anything, have Olani let me know.¡± Coop said, abandoning Olani to get used to the alien. He watched as Sojjah suddenly lost its form and turned into a blob that fell next to Olani and then grew back into its humanoid form with one arm around the elder.


    ¡°Come, I will show you the cauldrons.¡± Sojjah announced to Olani. Olani just looked at Coop like she couldn¡¯t believe his betrayal. She¡¯d be fine, he thought, and went back to the shard.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Shane¡¯s party were all still there, working out their professions. Coop chuckled to himself, remembering how much thought went into every decision he made at the start. His profession was the only thing he just grabbed. They were actually taking longer to make a decision than he had. Jones had chided him for being overly cautious.


    Coop sighed as he was inadvertently reminded that it was his fault Jones wasn¡¯t there.


    He accessed the shard and found a factionless herbalist. He placed it next to the alchemist, closer to the middle of the block. It was significantly cheaper than most of the other constructions since it was one of the starter services. Closer to the cost of the stonemason than the tavern or the alchemist.


    The herbalist was a modest construction that left room for small garden plots on both sides and behind the building. The building itself was more like a hut under a thatched roof with a wooden door and a single window.


    Coop remembered seeing some other options and switched tabs in the construction menu to the Food Production section. There was an Herb Garden option. He fiddled with it to see how large it was, since it was in the same section as the various types of farms, plantations, and ranches. He was surprised to find that the Herb Garden wasn¡¯t very large at all. It would even fit in the interior of the block, though Coop and Jones had planned for the interiors to be green spaces with walkways to allow for more scenic walks that avoided the main roads.


    He wished Jones was there to talk it over. Coop figured the garden could be arranged in a way to allow walking paths and benches to run through it. He would just have to discuss it with the alien that showed up. He purchased the Herb Garden after selecting an independent variant and placed it on the interior of the block that only had the alchemist and herbalist so far.


    The herb garden only had a single building despite having the largest footprint of any construction so far. Coop would describe the building that was nestled into a corner as a cottage. It was a tiny wooden home with a tall chimney and round windows. The roof was also thatch, but it was green with life. He headed over to the new herbalist and herb garden to welcome the contracted residents.


    The herbalist was in her garden scrutinizing her flowers and making sure everything was accounted for. Coop called out to her. As she turned he realized she was naked.


    Well, she wasn¡¯t exactly naked, she was a plant. She was shaped like a woman, but everything was wrapped in delicate leaves that he had assumed was a strapless dress. Her skin was pale green, her eyes were pale pink, and more leaves sprouted from her head, imitating flowing locks of hair. What Coop had assumed was a strapless dress was actually a series of large leaves that wrapped around her body and were growing from her back. He didn¡¯t understand why a plant would need cleavage but the universe remained a mystery.


    Coop needed to stop being surprised by every alien he met.


    ¡°Helloo, there!¡± The herbalist called to him in a light voice as she strolled through her flowers to meet him. ¡°You must be the Champion, my name is Caisalya.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, you can call me Coop.¡± Coop greeted the new resident.


    She responded with a smile, ¡°The pleasure is all mine, Champion Coop. Thank you for accepting my service.¡± She said with gratitude and a subtle curtsy.


    ¡°Do you have any herbs that could remove a blood curse?¡± Coop ventured.


    She scrunched her face, remembering her stock before responding. ¡°I don¡¯t have any prepared, but I do know some that can be of use in the appropriate rituals.¡± Caisalya finally gave Coop some good news.


    ¡°Could you prepare some and put them aside for me?¡± Coop asked. ¡°I don¡¯t have a timeframe but I will be needing to remove a blood curse in the future.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I will have everything prepared when you are ready.¡± Caisalya promised with a tilt of her head. ¡°Do you have any foragers for me?¡±


    Coop scratched his head worried about letting the flower lady down. ¡°Not yet, sorry. We¡¯re actually on a small island chain so there isn¡¯t very much to forage.¡± He winced.


    ¡°Oh, but there is so much in your territory. It would be a shame to ignore it.¡± Caisalya surprised him. She noticed his expression and continued, ¡°There are innumerable resources beneath the waves of your ocean.¡± Coop hadn¡¯t even thought about applying herbalism underwater. He hadn¡¯t thought of any of the professions other than fishing in the ocean. Caisalya covered her mouth and giggled as she watched Coop¡¯s expression change while he realized his ignorance.


    Coop nodded, ¡°I can get you two foragers.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that would be so wonderful! I¡¯ll make sure they are put to good use.¡± She promised. ¡°I¡¯ll be able to keep the alchemist and brewer well supplied, and the tavern will unlock more of  their menu.¡± Caisalya beamed before she asked, ¡°Can I manage the Herb Garden as well or did you have something else planned?¡±


    Coop shook his head, ¡°No, it¡¯s all yours. I was going to meet them next and see if they needed anything.¡± Coop answered.


    ¡°You¡¯re spoiling me,¡± Caisalya professed. ¡°Shall we meet them together?¡±


    Coop followed Caisalya as she led him through her garden. They followed a winding path to avoid disturbing any of her plants. Coop briefly wondered about the ethical implications of a plant growing other plants for consumption, but he quickly shoved the thoughts away.


    They walked past a series of carefully organized dirt filled troughs that went up to Coop¡¯s knees. They had trellises set up among the troughs while leaving space to move between. In Coop¡¯s eyes, the herb garden was already more ornate than any agricultural operation he had ever seen. Nothing was planted yet, but the foundations of an impressive garden were already obvious.


    They neared the cottage and found another humanoid insect. One of the laborers that was working with Balor had been an insectoid, but this one was very clearly a different species. The other one was really just a huge insect that stood upright and moved more like a human. This one was a lot more human-like in appearance, wearing clothes, and having hands and feet and smooth skin that could have passed for a human¡¯s if it wasn¡¯t a shade too purple. It even had a straw hat and looked the part of a farmer. The overly large and completely black eyes, the fuzzy antenna that poked through the hat, and even fuzzier wings extending out from its overalls were the biggest giveaways of its nonhuman nature.


    The insectoid waited so Coop offered his greetings and welcomed it to the settlement.


    ¡°Greetings, Champion. I am Ixia. What would you like me to grow?¡± The insect responded.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to leave that to Caisalya here if that¡¯s alright.¡± Coop answered.


    Ixia¡¯s wings made a shrugging motion that paired with a casual sway of its antenna, ¡°I don¡¯t mind as long as I get to tend to my garden.¡±


    ¡°Would it be okay to have a public path through your garden? I don¡¯t want to disturb you if it¡¯s too much.¡± Coop queried.


    Ixia smiled wide at the idea, ¡°It would be an honor for others to enjoy my garden. As long as they don¡¯t touch the plants.¡±


    Coop nodded at that, ¡°We¡¯ll put some signs up if not a physical barrier.¡± He promised.


    Ixia matched his nodding, ¡°Then it will be arranged. You have a magnificent star, so the garden will thrive. Does the star have a name?¡±


    Coop glanced up at the sky. ¡°We just call it the sun.¡±


    ¡°The sun¡­ I will nurture gardens worthy of its tribute.¡± Ixia proclaimed.


    ¡°Alright, well let me know if you need anything, Ixia.¡± Coop started to return to the shard, he still had plenty of credits to spend. ¡°I¡¯ll see you later too, Caisalya.¡±


    ¡°See you, Champion!¡± She called after him with a light sing-song voice.


    Shane¡¯s party had finally dispersed when he got back to the civilization shard. He guessed they went to explore the new apartments. Hopefully they had managed to select their professions and weren¡¯t still trapped with indecision.


    Coop accessed the shard and quickly recruited two foragers using the last two recruitment options from the previous quest reward. Two more aliens appeared next to the shard. One was like an aquatic ape, about half the size of Coop, and the other was a symmetrical gem-like object. Coop stopped himself from viewing his own reflection in the surface of the forager and welcomed the two to the settlement. He pointed out the apartments and the way to the herbalist while warning them about the dangers outside the fort. The gem alien lit up in amusement like a visual laugh and the ape waved off Coop¡¯s concerns and assured him that they would be fine before they left.


    Next, Coop moved to the construction options. He was going to make the rest of his purchases all at once. First, Coop was going to purchase a Bakery. The synergy that Caisalya¡¯s service offered the tavern had given him the idea. He had almost selected the bakery before the tavern, but now he was thinking the bakery would feed into the tavern. Desmond¡¯s stew with some nice bread would be amazing.


    He thought putting it on the main street would be okay, he just wished he could confirm with Jones first. It wouldn¡¯t be on the town circle like the tavern, but up the street more toward the entrance of the fort to leave room for future construction on the corner. Of course, he made sure to select a factionless variant and let it build while he kept shopping.


    He had barely made a dent in his savings at this point. The Alchemist had been a huge 50,000 credit purchase but the rest were 1,000 and 5,000 credits. He had one really big purchase in mind and with some quick math he figured that it wouldn¡¯t be a problem. It would also be a public building which would meet the requirements for the settlement upgrade quest.


    He made another long awaited purchase before the big public building, selecting a Clothier and putting it on the next street on the other side of the block behind the bakery. Olani and the grandkids really needed clothes, and he had already joked with Camila about building it so that she could go shopping. If she was so jealous of his skirt she could get one herself.


    Finally, with the remaining funds, he burned 125,000 basic credits purchasing an independent Library. He placed the largest building in the fort across the street from the water, giving it a nice view on one of the undeveloped blocks. It was a monster of a building that he couldn¡¯t wait to explore. Charlie would love it too. He thought she might need a pick-me-up after finding out about Jones.


    Coop would go greet the rest of the new residents next.

 Chapter 40: Vronk Bread

    The bakery door announced Coop¡¯s presence with a friendly chime. Coop stepped inside and was greeted by the heavenly smell of fresh bread. A wide display counter separated the front of the bakery from double doors that led into the back section. The lovely aromas wafted from unseen ovens behind the doors.


    Coop took his time checking all of the displays. It was a bit different than what he expected. He thought there would be all sorts of baked goods, pastries, cookies, and cakes. Instead, he only found bread. A huge variety of bread that was all carefully displayed behind the glass. It seemed like this particular baker was especially fond of baking bread and really nothing else.


    Coop wasn¡¯t any kind of expert on all of the different types, but judging by the shapes and colors of the different loafs, this baker produced an extravagant assortment of bread. He didn¡¯t think there were analogs for most of it on Earth. Unless there was a blue baguette he didn¡¯t know about, the alien baker baked lots of alien bread.


    The double doors exploded outward and a huge monster stepped forward. It was so large it had to hunch to fit beneath the ceiling and could only fit through the doorway because it was twice as wide as a regular door. Even then, it was a close call. Coop only vaguely registered the white chef¡¯s uniform and the red apron that matched the red chef hat before his spear was in his hand.


    It was an odd outfit for an ogre. Coop didn¡¯t get a chance to react to the monster¡¯s dramatic entrance. The ogre prepared to roar.


    ¡°You want Vronk bread?¡± The roar came out as a cordial question instead.


    Coop quickly dismissed his spear, embarrassed at his inability to expect the unpredictable aliens every time.


    ¡°What¡¯s Vronk bread?¡± Coop managed to respond, nearly with politeness despite his quavering voice.


    ¡°Me¡­¡± The ogre began before pausing, ¡°I Vronk.¡± He corrected himself. ¡°Vronk bake bread.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re Vronk?¡± Coop asked, and the ogre ducked his head further to nod. ¡°You¡¯re the baker?¡± Coop continued, and the ogre ducked his head a second time.


    Coop accepted the situation, ¡°Okay, I¡¯m Coop, the Champion. Welcome to the settlement, Vronk.¡±


    ¡°You want Vronk bread?¡± The ogre asked again as a response.


    ¡°Yes, I would like some.¡± Coop agreed. It smelled fantastic, so he¡¯d give it a shot.


    The ogre huffed in happiness and used his fingertips to collect a small bag from behind the counter and gently placed a loaf of bread inside. He gingerly handed it over the counter between his two enormous fingers for Coop to take.


    Coop accepted it and paid before asking, ¡°Do you bake other things too?¡±


    ¡°Vronk take request but bread is Vronk favorite.¡± The ogre-like alien explained.


    Coop nodded, he could have guessed that Vronk liked baking bread. ¡°That¡¯s fine, I was hoping for bread in the tavern.¡±


    ¡°Vronk make.¡± The ogre promised with a vigorous nod that could have been dangerous headbutts if it was a bit closer.


    Coop thanked the new baker and made sure he would ask if he needed anything. The ogre-like alien just seemed happy to bake bread, so Coop left him to check on the next new arrival.


    He ate the bread on the way and it really was amazing. Coop concluded that Vronk¡¯s bread was magnificent, it was the best bread he had ever tasted. The soft crust yielded to a light and springy interior that Coop absolutely devoured. Was it the mana or the ogre that made it so good?


    He was stuffed with bread when he made it to the Clothier on the other side of the block. It was a fancier building than any of the others, with a glass facade and various cloths and patterns on display. There weren¡¯t any mannequins, which Coop thought made sense since aliens had a variety of body types.


    He walked into the boutique, but before he could look around the proprietor charged forward. Coop tried to be ready for anything, but he was still put on edge when he was presented with eight feet of teeth, fur, horns, and claws. At least he managed to avoid summoning a weapon this time.


    The clothier was some kind of carnivorous looking minotaur or maybe a canine with horns.


    He was hunched over like a werewolf and Coop could see red and black tattoos beneath the thick gray fur coat of his arms. He had a sleeveless vest and a matching kilt that Coop had to admit were quite stylish if a bit alien.


    His feet were uncovered, displaying wicked claws that mirrored the ones on his hands, and all of his sharp teeth were exposed in an elongated grin. His four horns twisted around each other before curling forward like a bull¡¯s. Two of the shorter horns were pierced with hoops while the longer ones had metal bands wrapped halfway down.


    Coop was worried about the clothes being torn with all the sharp claws and horns and teeth. He had lived with Jett long enough to think all the fur would be difficult to manage as well. This person was in an interesting line of work given his assets.


    ¡°Welcome! Welcome! I am Erasimus Doomthread at your service.¡± The clothier announced. ¡°Are you looking for anything in particular? I will have custom orders ready by the end of the standard day.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Erasimus, but I¡¯m not shopping, I just wanted to welcome you to the settlement and introduce myself. I¡¯m Coop, the Champion. If you need anything you can let me know and I¡¯ll see what we can do.¡± Coop responded, feeling like he was getting better at introducing himself to aliens after all.


    ¡°Good to meet you Champion!¡± The clothier looked him up and down and his smile faded. His pupils dilated and nostrils flared as he opened his mouth again, showing fangs that didn¡¯t belong. ¡°You can¡¯t expect me to let you leave when you came into my clothing shop dressed in nothing. You don¡¯t even have a nice coat of fur.¡±


    Coop was momentarily confused before he looked down at his island uniform. Maybe he could get more shorts. He decided to use Salvation and summon his armor to show the clothier. The mist was conjured and quickly formed to his skin and solidified into the familiar gladiator style.


    The clothier opened his eyes a little wider in understanding. ¡°I see, and this is your particular fighting style? Incorporeal armor? It¡¯s very interesting.¡± He clicked his claws together before deciding on something, ¡°In that case I will need a Weaver and a Mana Mill constructed in the settlement. I can work with your skill, but I will need the appropriate materials.¡±


    ¡°It might be a little bit before we get more services.¡± Coop tried deterring Erasimus.


    ¡°I understand. It¡¯s a fledgling planet after all. I¡¯ll simply design something for now.¡± He clicked his claws against a fang. ¡°I presume the exposed skin is for attracting mates of your species? Don¡¯t worry we can work with it, and you can trust me. A slight covering will be much more alluring. Something that won¡¯t interfere with perfectly fitted armor. It will need the Mana Mill to work properly, but it can be done. Tell me, what is the nature of your ability? Everything will be kept in confidence of course.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Ethereal Armor,¡± Coop admitted, swept up in the enthusiasm of the tailor. ¡°I dunno if I need clothes though.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense! I will not make you just clothes, it will be underarmor! Underarmor!¡± He raved before continuing his plans. ¡°Ethereal¡­ fascinating. Very rare in the living, unheard of even, but we can work with it. Thank you for your order, Champion. I will have designs ready for your approval the next time you visit.¡±


    As Coop left the clothier he realized Erasimus was dangerous. It wasn¡¯t because of the natural weapons the alien possessed. It was his salesmanship that Coop would need to worry about. Shaking his head, he went to his final stop.


    He walked through the slightly scorched town circle and passed the civilization shard. Walking along the canal toward the largest construction in the fort he admired how far the settlement had come. Jones had planned for a massive city and Coop was starting to see how it would form.


    The Library was large enough to contain every other building inside the courtyard by itself. The facade faced the canal to the north and the entire structure was three times as wide as it was deep.


    It had a series of white stone steps that led up to a set of tall, tinted glass doors. The doorway was hemmed by massive square columns of the same stone white stone as the steps. The columns went all the way up beyond the fourth floor and connected to a stone overhang that covered the wide landing that formed the entrance to the doors.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    The first floor was encased in floor to ceiling windows that wrapped the front and sides of the building. The only interruption to the glass were more white stone columns that were periodically embedded into the structure. Each corner had a larger stone column that stretched from the ground floor all the way to the roof.


    The interior of the first floor was lit by magic lamps and the light flooded out of the windows. It would have been an inviting effect, but the lights were tinged very slightly with blues and purples lending the building a certain spooky mystique instead. They were like stage lights rather than the warm white or yellow lights that his human sensibilities would have expected in a library.


    The second, third, and fourth floors also had floor to ceiling windows, but they were interrupted by dark stone in alternating sections. The dark stone contrasted with the white stone columns in not just color, but also texture. The dark stone shone as if polished while the white stone was rougher with a coarse appearance that would have been at home in the Mediterranean. Each floor was also punctuated by the same dark stone separating each floor from the next. There were also undecipherable runes placed in relief on the dark stone that gave the whole building an enigmatic appearance.


    Both types of stone gave no indication of being made of multiple pieces. It seemed like the building was carved out of two gigantic interlocking stones, one white and one black. Coop imagined it was like magical poured concrete.


    Coop could see comfortable looking seating areas in front of each of the upper floor windows with tables and small lamps. There would be plenty of nice views from this library.


    The first floor had a spacious lobby with a long reception desk in the back. A single individual was seated behind the center of the wide stone desk. They were shrouded in darkness underneath hooded robes. Coop approached the desk to introduce himself. The floor was a sound absorbing carpet-like material that had gray and black designs throughout. He looked around and spotted plenty of cozy seating areas on each wing that utilized the interior columns to provide some privacy.


    The ceiling of the lobby was completely open, rising all the way to the top of the fourth floor where a series of designs were cut into the surface. Each floor had a balcony that encompassed the entire opening. Staircases were on the left and the right of the lobby and Coop could see two more on the ends of each wing.


    All in all it was very impressive. Coop thought it was like an expensive university¡¯s library where they take prospective students on tours, not the stacks where they keep most of the books.


    When Coop arrived at the reception desk, the figure looked up with an eyeless face. Its face exposed the bleached bones of an almost familiar skeleton. Not quite human, but close enough to confuse an anthropologist. Coop was proud of the fact that he didn¡¯t immediately retreat in the face of an Undead.


    Instead the alien was the one to back away, sliding the chair backwards and fearfully cowering away from Coop.


    ¡°Uhh, hello? I¡¯m Coop, the Champion of this settlement¡­ welcome?¡± Coop flubbed his introduction thanks to the weird reaction from the skeleton.


    ¡°Are you¡­ a cousin?¡± The skeleton asked with confusion. ¡°You are living?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ I am a living human.¡± Coop clarified, equally unsure about the interaction.


    ¡°Forgive me. I was caught by surprise and sensed something strange. I am Abithik, the director of this humble archive.¡± Abithik leaned forward and pressed a dial at the edge of the desk. ¡°Wait one moment and I will introduce you to the staff.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Coop agreed. ¡°I hope it isn¡¯t rude to ask, but are you a part of the Breathless? I know you''re independent, but¡­.¡± Coop avoided pointing out his appearance, realizing it was definitely rude.


    Abithik looked at Coop with his expressionless face. ¡°I am not familiar with the Breathless, but I presume they are a branch of the Undead. Though I am a Lich, I am no longer a part of the Undead. None of the staff remain affiliated with any Undead branches.¡±


    Coop nodded, ¡°Sorry for asking. The individuals at the top of the leaderboard appear to be part of the Undead. The first place person is even called The Lich.¡± Coop tried to justify his curiosity.


    Abithik nodded, ¡°I understand, how unfortunate. I do wish you the best of luck in dealing with them. The Chosen of the Undead tend to be formidable.¡±


    As Abithik finished speaking they were joined by another person. It was a zombie. He was in much better shape than the minions he had battled on the oil rig, but he was unmistakably dead. Coop observed the fleshy undead and compared him with the boney undead. He thought they might even be the same species.


    Abithik privately explained to the new arrival why he had called the other undead and while he pointed to Coop and said ¡®Champion.¡¯ Three more zombies joined the conversation before it concluded. Other than the demons, Desmond and Maeve, these were the closest any of the aliens had been to looking like humans. With some different clothes, he probably would have assumed they were a group of goths. He wouldn¡¯t be able to explain the skeleton though.


    They lined up and turned to face Coop from the other side of the reception desk. They were all wearing faded plum colored robes like some type of monks. Abithik cleared his throat which was strange considering he was just bones.


    ¡°Allow me to introduce the staff of the archive. First is Lakan, he is responsible for the special collections located on the ground floor.¡±


    Lakan gave Coop a polite bow, keeping his arms tucked into his robe. His skin was an ashy gray and his long black hair had a dark blue shine that was reflected in his deep blue eyes. His lips were also dark blue, almost black, that made it look like he had died of hypothermia and turned into some kind of ice prince. Coop nodded back as Abithik continued with his introductions.


    ¡°Responsible for the second floor is Ryseth.¡±


    Ryseth ducked his head and gave a perfunctory bow. He was an older looking version of Lakan, but instead of dark blue his short spiked hair shone with dark red and his eyes were all black, completely lacking the white sclera, reminding Coop of contact lenses, and they were surrounded by a deep reddish brown that caused them to appear sunken.


    He seemed uninterested in meeting the Champion, as if he was interrupted from completing some important tasks. Rather than waiting for Coop to acknowledge him in any way, he found something more interesting to adjust on the outside of his plum colored robe and applied his attention to that instead.


    ¡°Next is Asha-Kali, who takes care of the third floor.¡±


    Asha-Kali stared at Coop with a tilt of her head until he smiled at her. She returned his smile with a smirk that only went to one side of her face. Coop had to admit that she was very pretty even though she was undead.


    Her hair was long and pushed straight back where it fell down and disappeared into her robe. It was mostly black in color but it also had lavender streaks and the loose hair that fell on her shoulders had lavender tips. She had pale skin, black lips, and purple and black around her eyes that he didn¡¯t think was makeup, but still seemed like eyeliner and eye shadow. Her eyes were dark gray and she never broke eye contact from underneath her arched, black eyebrows. She had a large dark red brooch attached to a black choker on her neck that glinted with light whenever she shifted.


    ¡°And finally Shalatha, who organizes the fourth floor collection.¡±


    Shalatha looked down at the floor and curtsied like she was meeting royalty. Coop nodded back at her, embarrassed by the reverence she showed him. She was the shortest of the group and had dark green hair that was in two tight buns with straight bangs that stopped at her eyebrows. Her eyes were dark green and both had faded red trails beneath that looked like she had been crying although it was obviously a permanent feature. When she smiled she revealed regular white teeth with canines that were only slightly too long.


    ¡°If you''d like to find something specific, you can ask me and I will refer you to the appropriate floor where the attendant can lead you directly.¡± Abithik continued.


    Coop, not wanting to miss an opportunity, asked, ¡°Do you have information on how to cure blood curses?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± The lich responded confidently, ¡°Shalatha, please take him. Poresco Stuiate Aracheom.¡±


    ¡°Right! This way, Champion!¡± Shalatha enthusiastically beckoned to get Coop¡¯s attention. He had been distracted trying to figure out if Abithik had just cast his own curse.


    ¡°Coop is fine, Shalatha.¡± Coop responded and followed her to the nearby staircase.


    ¡°Oh¡­ umm, ok¡­ Coop? Coop.¡± Shalatha shyly tested.


    ¡°What was that Abithik said there at the end?¡± He asked as they went up beyond the second floor.


    ¡°Poresco Stuiate Aracheom.¡± She repeated. ¡°It¡¯s our catalog system, I¡¯ll be able to take you straight to the correct shelf with those runes.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Coop accepted, it made sense that aliens had to have their own dewey decimal system.


    He followed Shalatha all the way to the fourth floor. There were a lot of steps to climb as each floor was almost twice as tall as a regular one. Coop thought he might have overdone it by constructing such a huge library for his tiny settlement, but it was too late now. At least he might be able to get some valuable information out of it.


    Coop belatedly noticed that for a huge library there were very few books on shelves. In fact, by the third floor he hadn¡¯t seen a single book. When they reached the top floor he was beginning to suspect there were no books at all.


    Shalatha led him to a bookshelf that lacked books just as much as the rest he had seen. Then she stopped next to it and smiled at him like she had completed her task. Coop was confused until he realized that each shelf had a collection of thin tablets carefully arranged in lieu of the expected paper books.


    He reached a hand out and looked at Shalatha for permission. She nodded encouragingly and smiled showing her pointed canines. When he pulled one of the tablets it was blank. He tapped the face of it and a system menu appeared in his vision just like when he observed his status. Apparently these tablets displayed information the same way the system did. Did that mean the system regulated information recording as well?


    ¡°Is it alright for me to browse? You don¡¯t have to worry about restricted information?¡± Coop asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine! The generally restricted stuff is in the special collections, and you¡¯ve unlocked access to everything else just by purchasing the archive, so the system won¡¯t mind.¡± Shalatha happily explained before pressing her straight bangs down to smooth them out.


    Coop looked around and realized what a treasure trove this would be. He just needed to make the time to explore the shelves. He wouldn¡¯t need to try and tease information out of the contracted residents anymore.


    Coop was reading through the table of contents of an encyclopedia of curses. He asked Shalatha if it was alright for him to sit down and she hurriedly gave him permission to do anything he wanted as long as he left the tablet at the return desk near the stairs so that she could replace it on its shelf.


    He spent the next few hours learning about all sorts of curses. Reading in front of a huge glass window in a comfortable sofa-like chair, he researched while the sun sank between the gap in the fort walls and lit up the canal. Shalatha lingered nearby, trying to be inconspicuous while also being available if he needed help. Eventually he invited her to sit down with him and make herself comfortable which she hesitatingly accepted. She shot glances at him, making sure he didn¡¯t need help, in between observing the outdoors of the new planet she found herself on.


    Coop just wanted to help Jones. The guilt was starting to eat at him.

 Chapter 41: The Downbeat

    Coop researched curses in the new library until after the sun had gone down.


    Unfortunately, it seemed like he wouldn¡¯t be able to cure Jones anytime soon. The rituals were specialized knowledge that required someone with specific affinities to perform successfully. Coop¡¯s spectral affinity wasn¡¯t one that could lead any rituals that removed curses, and blood curses were even more restrictive.


    He stood up from the comfortable library seat and stretched his back. The tension in his neck didn¡¯t go away.


    He returned the tablet and thanked Shalatha for her help. She barely kept herself from curtsying before he left, she did invite him to come back any time. He thought it would be a good idea to explore the library¡¯s collection thoroughly. There were plenty of questions he would like answered to satisfy his own curiosity around the system and the factions.


    For now, he walked through the dark, along the canal, and back to the tavern. He had a date with a warm bath that he had put off for way too long.


    Maeve was more than happy to accommodate him, as usual. She led him up the stairs to where she had prepared for him. Once he was in a warm cleansing bath he really, truly understood how badly he needed it. He did his best to relax and reset, but his uneasiness wasn¡¯t so easy to be rid of. He had lingering doubts about his actions, and a growing guilt that threatened to overwhelm him.


    Of course, once he was in the bath, he was powerless to stop Maeve from hanging out. She lounged around and asked about his adventure, congratulating him and consoling him when it was appropriate. She validated his choices, especially when he had to fight and kill the Zombie Lord and then the Empire¡¯s Chosen. Killing was nothing special within the galactic community. It wasn¡¯t like most beings died of old age when mana was there to provide agelessness.


    Maeve explained that it was miraculous he had become a Champion at all without killing anyone. Normally, fighting to the death for the shard was the first step for a Champion, but he had skipped ahead thanks to their isolation and the cooperation between him and Jones. Coop wouldn¡¯t have fought Jones over the shard at all, no matter the circumstances.


    Maeve also calmed his worries about all of the Primal Constructs as well as the Zombies of the offshore oil platform. The thousands that he had killed were minions and minions were fundamentally different from people. They were really system provided entities that had some conditions placed on their presence. The Zombies were minions that could respawn through the Zombie Lord¡¯s skills, and the Primal Constructs he had been fighting were minions that would grow based on mana saturation and respawn based on their spawn rules. Neither of those types of minions retained memories of their lives nor could they form ideas or have a sense of self. Coop just internally classified minions as monsters for his own understanding.


    Coop made a note to return to the library and ask about becoming undead. He¡¯d probably take the question straight to Shalatha to avoid being rude to the director once again. He wanted to understand more about their independence, and what prevented them from being minions like the oil rig zombies.


    Maeve also reminded Coop that, other than the humans on Earth, no one else could technically be killed at all. The contracted residents were merely manifestations of their true bodies and would simply be returned, so he shouldn¡¯t worry about them. The monsters were manifestations of mana and mana couldn¡¯t be destroyed, so they would return based on conditions set by the system. Even the plants and animals might be saved, though how the system cataloged planets wasn¡¯t Maeve¡¯s particular area of understanding.


    Coop felt like the conversation with Maeve finally put his misgivings to bed. He wouldn¡¯t hesitate to continue upon his path when it was challenged by others.


    When it came to Jones, he wasn¡¯t ready to escape his guilt. Maeve tried to convince him that, in the end, it was up to Jones. He could have taken refuge in the tavern until Coop returned, but he made his own decisions based on his personal principles, the same way Coop had. He tried not to beat himself up over Jones¡¯s condition, he needed to push forward for all of their sakes, but it still ate at him.


    Maeve had moved to sit next to Coop and lean her elbows on the edge of the bath. Coop was tired of talking about his own misgivings, so he flicked water at Maeve to distract her. When she splashed him back he grabbed her hands to stop her. Then her hands started heating up dangerously. The water matched the rising temperature so he let go before she cooked him.


    ¡°Alright! I surrender!¡± Coop exclaimed as the water bubbled as it threatened to boil over. The temperature returned to a soothing temperature.


    Maeve harrumphed, and pushed her blonde hair behind an ear. ¡°I was hoping you¡¯d jump out of the water.¡±


    Coop laughed, relieved to avoid being boiled. ¡°Was that your clever plan?¡±


    Maeve gave him her usual mischievous smile. ¡°The flames of passion burn intensely.¡± She stated theatrically, exaggerating her teasing while placing the back of her hand against her forehead and leaning away.


    They shared a few moments and returned to their normal conversations, where Maeve teased Coop and he only occasionally turned it around on her, and only when she set it up for him to do so. Coop was completely outmatched when it came to the demonic waitress. Eventually, they called it a night.


    He couldn¡¯t sleep. Even in the absurdly comfortable beds he found himself staring into the darkness trapped in his own thoughts. He wound up leaving the tavern to hunt the Ancient Prowlers in the middle of the night. He felt the need to keep moving forward and grinding monsters was the obvious step to take.


    Kill monsters, get experience, level up, repeat.


    His hunt turned into a meditation. It was a familiar pattern of distraction that he was relapsing into. The ethereal glaive bisected the monsters and Coop absently sidestepped their ambushes. He had grown far beyond these enemies. Their speed no longer impressed him and their attack patterns had become predictable.


    He kept hunting for hours, losing track of the time. Thinking about his past disappointments and lingering on the recent ones, he just absentmindedly defeated the monsters. Eventually, he just stopped his hunt. It was still dark. He wanted to try sleeping again. He shambled toward the lighthouse and checked his notifications.


    [You defeated Ancient Prowler (Level 12)]


    [+6 Basic Credits]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Ancient Prowler (Level 10)]


    [+5 Basic Credits]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Defeat Ancient Prowlers V (4015/11111)]


    As he entered the lighthouse, he put his unallocated attribute points into Mind, but neglected to appreciate the physical improvement. He rinsed off in the dark of his old shower and flopped onto his still made bed. Even though it was less comfortable than Maeve¡¯s, he fell asleep while laying face first on top of the covers.


    In the back of his mind he knew that he needed to grasp his routine again. Sleeping, eating, and exercising were such fundamental tasks, but it was still hard to break out of a slump even before mana had made them completely unnecessary.


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    He dreamed. It was the first time in a long time that he could remember dreaming. He was in the middle of the fort, but it was empty. There were no residents and there was no civilization shard. He was alone.


    Then he saw his parents, they were worried but they didn¡¯t have anything to say. He could tell by the way they looked at him. Then the Zombie Lord showed up and he was disappointed. Coop got the impression that he believed Coop should have been the one to die if he was going to fall apart anyway. Eric joined him, but he was pointing and laughing instead of merely shaking his head. Coop didn¡¯t think he should gloat so openly considering how he ended up, with an ethereal spear through his skull.


    Vines grew out of the ground and lifted Coop into the air, wrapping around his limbs and suspending him helplessly. Caisalya, the herbalist, was directing the plants to carry Coop higher and higher until he was high above the fort¡¯s walls with an unimpeded view of the rest of the island chain, and the open ocean.


    A giant was wading through the deep. The water only rose to his thighs even though he was walking beyond the continental shelf. His entire head was covered in a coral-like helmet that sluggishly scraped through the clouds, leaving streaks of white against the blue sky. Massive barnacles covered his body as if he had been lying at the bottom of the sea for ages. Every exhale released steam that formed another cloud. Four arms reached forward, toward Coop, grasping in the air with tentacles for fingers.


    A fleet of ships followed the giant, remaining in his wake like ducklings following their mother. They had sails in a huge assortment of colors and patterns and the crews were armed and aggressive, waving blades and aiming cannons as they approached. Coop could barely hear the shouts and chants from the crews. Every step of the giant produced a tidal wave of water, rushing forward despite his plodding speed.


    Coop watched helplessly as he was trapped in the tangled vines until the giant reached the walls of the fort. First, the waves smashed the walls, threatening to climb all the way to the ramparts. Then the giant stepped forward. Even though he was large enough to step over the walls, like they were the curb of a sidewalk, he aimed to collide with the wall instead. He kicked his massive barnacled foot through the stone, shaking the entire island with power. Then he kicked again, demolishing more of the wall. Bricks were sent flying in every direction, but the giant persisted until Jones¡¯s fort was nothing but rubble. Coop couldn¡¯t even see the giant¡¯s face, it was completely engulfed in the clouds.


    Coop fell down, the vines disappeared, and he landed with a thud in the middle of the empty fort. He was alone again with nothing but the debris and the sound of the waves washing onto the island.


    Coop woke up before dawn, as usual. Despite not sleeping for so long while he was on the oil rig, he still couldn¡¯t sleep in. He knew he should go for a jog and get breakfast but he didn¡¯t budge.


    He wasn¡¯t alone, despite his dreams. Jett had joined him in the lighthouse. He had no idea how she knew where he was all the time or even how she had gotten in, but there she was. She was purring in her sleep right above his pillow. He had thought she had taken Jones¡¯s curse hard, but she still went to Coop.


    Coop didn¡¯t feel like getting out of bed, so he didn¡¯t. He laid around, rolling back and forth until he forced himself to fall asleep again. He didn¡¯t have any more dreams.


    When he woke up again, it was already afternoon. Jett was still with him, though she normally slept most of the days away. What was surprising this time was that he had even more company. Charlie¡¯s fluffy head was resting on one side of his chest nestled into one arm and Camila had her chin on his opposite shoulder with her arms locked with his.


    Coop shut his eyes to go back to sleep, but it was no use, he¡¯d already slept too much. Still, he wondered who would have appeared the next time he woke up. He thought it was fifty fifty between Balor and Maeve. It would end up a gamble that risked being crushed to death by the stone elemental anyway and he sighed at sleep evading him.


    Charlie noticed his breathing changed, ¡°Coop, you¡¯re awake?¡±


    Coop waited a second before he admitted it with another sigh. ¡°I¡¯m awake.¡±


    ¡°You must have been tired.¡± Charlie observed with some concern.


    Coop winced, ¡°I guess so.¡± He lied. He knew he shouldn¡¯t be moping.


    Camila sat up onto her elbows and looked at Coop, ¡°Maeve told us you skipped out on her last night. That¡¯s not very nice.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t skip out, I just went to hunt some Ancient Prowlers. They only appear at night.¡± Coop explained.


    ¡°Mhmm¡­¡± Camila poked him. ¡°Next time you¡¯re gonna get pampered, make sure to invite us.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up with all the new buildings?¡± Charlie asked without moving from her spot.


    ¡°Oh, I got some upgrades that you¡¯ll love. The big one is a sort of alien library.¡± Coop started, glad to be distracted from his previous late night musings.


    Charlie jumped up, ¡°Really!?¡±


    ¡°Yep, I didn¡¯t get to explore it much yet, but you should check it out. I¡¯m not sure what they have in their collection yet, but it''s huge.¡± Coop encouraged  her. ¡°The other surprise is a clothing store.¡±


    It was Camila¡¯s turn to jump up in excitement, ¡°What kind of clothes?¡± She asked with unsettling seriousness.


    ¡°I dunno, but it''s like a boutique that takes custom orders.¡± Coop explained.


    ¡°Ooh, What are we waiting for? Let¡¯s go shopping Charlie!¡± Camila commanded, satisfied with his answer.


    Coop just laughed at the dilemma that Charlie faced, she wanted to go to the library but she couldn¡¯t say no to Camila. He couldn¡¯t blame her, Camila rarely showed this specific brand of enthusiasm. It was enough to make Coop want to go with them, even if he had a healthy fear of Erasimus Doomthread.


    Camila was the one to stop them. ¡°Before we go, we wanted to let you know that we planned to head back to the Empire¡¯s settlement tomorrow and get it over with. We thought you might want to come. You know, to scout out the opposition.¡±


    Coop thought it was a pretty good idea. The Empire had already made it clear they would be his enemy, he should see what he was dealing with so that he could prepare properly.


    ¡°How long will the trip take?¡± Coop asked.


    Camila looked at Charlie to let her respond. Charlie hesitated before answering, ¡°The ship ride will take around 10 hours, but we will have to find my parents and we don¡¯t have a timeframe for that. My mom was still with her faction when we left.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re planning on being back by Day 30 even if it means we have to do it again to get Charlie¡¯s parents.¡± Camila continued.


    Coop nodded. He would be away for anywhere between a day or a week. Without Jones, he wasn¡¯t sure if it was a good idea. No one would have enough time to steal ownership of the civilization shard, but he¡¯d have to trust Shane¡¯s party so soon.


    ¡°Let me think about it, I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m ready to leave the fort again so soon. Especially without Jones.¡± He concluded.


    The girls understood and Charlie was the first to express it. ¡°Okay, if you don¡¯t come we¡¯ll look for someone who can help Jones and bring them with us.¡± Charlie offered while Camila nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯ll do a little recruiting, subtly.¡± Camila promised. ¡°Look at how many people defected from our squad. 9 people out of 20. We¡¯ll be able to bring more.¡±


    Coop thought that was a good idea. The settlement still needed every advantage it could get, and more residents would be good for business, which would feed back into the settlement.


    ¡°Good idea. I¡¯ll talk to Shane and see how comfortable we are with each other and decide if I¡¯m coming after that.¡± Coop decided. ¡°In the meantime, I just got an idea.¡±


    Coop pulled out the spectral relic that he had taken from the oil rig. Charlie and Camila both stared at it wide eyed, surprised by its sudden glowing appearance.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Charlie asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s the thing I had to get from the oil rig.¡± Coop explained. ¡°I¡¯m gonna put it in the light room. It¡¯s supposed to empower the settlement with mana that matches mine.¡±


    He led them up to the top of the lighthouse.


    Coop placed the glowing relic inside the lantern behind the massive lens that had previously shone across the ocean as a beacon for Ghost Reef. The Zombie Lord had kept the relic on top of an obelisk, so Coop thought the lighthouse would be an appropriate upgrade.


    After he set the relic down and pulled his arm away, the relic hovered into the center of the lantern and began to glow more intensely.


    Charlie gasped when a massive pulse of ghostly green energy exploded out from the lighthouse across the settlement¡¯s territory. It looked like a shockwave had erupted from the light room, but it harmlessly passed through palm trees without disturbing them and left the calm waters tranquil. The fort was penetrated by the energy and the shockwave continued out into the ocean.


    The shockwave matched the color and density of the gentle wisps that dissipated off of his ethereal armor and the mist that he used to teleport. After the wave of energy had passed a shadowy green vapor lingered in the air. It extended to what Coop imagined as the limits of Ghost Reef¡¯s territory.


    They stood together at the top of the lighthouse and watched as the mist slowly dissipated.

 Chapter 42: Reinforcements

    Coop was worried that he had just unleashed some evil sorcery upon Ghost Reef. The spectral relic had exploded with energy when he placed it at the top of the lighthouse. There was no visible damage to the island and the ghostly mist had slowly disappeared. The island looked the same as it did before, except the lighthouse had a new gemstone lightbulb that gently glowed with a shadowy teal color.


    ¡°Well, that was way more dramatic than I expected.¡± Coop told the girls.


    ¡°No kidding!¡± Camila looked over the island, ¡°What the heck was that?¡± She asked with some concern.


    ¡°I guess it was mana shifting to my affinity?¡± Coop presumed. ¡°I can¡¯t tell if anything is different though.¡±


    ¡°You have a spooky mana affinity, Coop¡± Charlie observed, glancing at him from the side.


    ¡°Pretty much.¡± He admitted. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the fort, I want to talk to Shane and you two have some new places to explore.¡±


    They passed by the slumbering Jett. It seemed like the mana pulse hadn¡¯t disturbed her in the slightest. Coop thought that was good, hopefully it didn¡¯t disrupt any of the new residents. He didn¡¯t want to make a bad impression so early on.


    They strolled along the trail, underneath the palm trees and between the dunes of the sandy beach, collectively admiring the island¡¯s beauty.


    ¡°When we get back we¡¯re gonna have to have regular beach days.¡± Camila stated. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be allowed to live next to sand like this and not enjoy it.¡±


    Coop wholeheartedly agreed. He needed the reminder before he relapsed to his old habits. It felt like he had already taken a major step forward, where in the past he would have been stuck in a cycle of guilt and avoidance, now, after just one good night¡¯s sleep and the company of friends who had his back, he was already moving forward to tackle the challenges as they came. He couldn¡¯t help Jones if he didn¡¯t, afterall.


    When his parents died, he didn¡¯t have anyone that would have even noticed his internal turmoil. That obviously wasn¡¯t the case anymore. The handful of friends and residents that had been in Ghost Reef for more than a few hours noticed right away, and gave him their support without pressuring him to just flip a switch and get over it. He definitely appreciated them for respecting that he might need a little time and encouragement after learning about Jones¡¯s state that day. But he was the Champion of the settlement, so he needed to keep it moving.


    At the entrance of the fort, Shane and his whole party were waiting for them. Coop wondered if they had been anticipating his return and was momentarily impressed by their diligence before he remembered the mana pulse. Apparently, it hadn¡¯t gone unnoticed after all.


    As they got close they could see that all of them except Arthur were clearly alarmed. Shane stepped forward as Coop waved to them.


    ¡°W-welcome back. There¡¯s something you need to see¡­¡± Shane tried to encourage Coop inside.


    ¡°Ah, sorry about that, I just upgraded the settlement and it was a little more spectacular than I thought it would be.¡± Coop explained.


    ¡°Oh? The mana wave? Yes, that was impressive, but it¡¯s something else, you should just come and see. They¡¯re all around the shard.¡± Shane continued encouraging Coop inside.


    Coop nonchalantly went inside, not grasping what had them so spooked. Maybe there were monsters attracted by the mana that they wanted him to take care of. He couldn¡¯t imagine the five of them being incapable of handling anything that Coop could by himself at this point of the assimilation. Plus, it was sort of their job to handle things like that now.


    As they went forward and Coop noticed the wide space that the Dragon Knight and Tomb Blade gave him, he decided to get something off of his chest, ¡°Hey Shane, why is it that you guys seem so deferential to me? I¡¯m just some guy that happens to be Champion.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡­ I tried to get them to relax, but it¡¯s hard to convince them when I¡¯m also a bit nervous.¡± Shane sighed. ¡°It¡¯s because we didn¡¯t know who you were until we were in the tavern. Maeve told us your name and then we found it shooting up the leaderboards. It freaked a few of us out and made us worried about offending you.¡± Shane explained.


    Coop nodded at that, finally understanding. Knowing that one quick way to get lots of experience was killing other people, he could see how someone who also knew would be concerned about someone suddenly leveling quickly.


    ¡°Well, you don¡¯t need to worry as long as we are on the same side. I want everyone to be comfortable in the settlement.¡± Coop assured him. Shane nodded in understanding. He¡¯d still have to convince the others.


    Once they were inside the courtyard, Coop realized what had Shane¡¯s party so concerned. Even Balor was on his stoop with his hands on his hips looking toward the shard. Desmond and Maeve were also in front of the tavern. Vronk had kept on baking at least.


    Coop followed their gazes and saw an army had formed around the civilization shard. It extended in orderly rows along the canal. It was difficult to estimate how large the group was, but it was clearly in the thousands. Calling it an army was no exaggeration, but the soldiers had a variety of different uniforms equipped. They looked more like a militia, but they were arranged in a systematic fashion with individuals quickly taking charge.


    Coop went on alone. Shane¡¯s party didn¡¯t enter the town circle at all. As he passed the tavern Maeve gave him a thumbs up with a look of approval. Coop wondered if Jones had taught her such a human gesture.


    He approached the center of the army, near the civilization shard, to figure out what was going on. Once he was close enough, he inspected the nearest soldier, one who looked like he had taken the lead of the entire group.  He gave directions and pointed at others who ran his messages to the leaders of the forming squads.


    [Spectral Human (Level 1)]


    [(Mind)]


    [Phantom of Ghost Reef]


    Coop hesitated. Were these ghosts? They looked material at first glance. When he looked closer he realized they gave off bits of the ghostly vapors that his ethereal armor and the spectral relic released. Coop forced himself forward. It was always something, ever since mana had entered his life, the strangeness was constantly escalating. Coop hoped he wouldn¡¯t need to fight an army of level one ghosts. He didn¡¯t have the area of effect skills for that.


    ¡°Yo!¡± Coop yelled toward the center. He was interrupted before he could demand answers about who they were and what they were doing in his settlement.


    ¡°Attention!¡± One of the phantoms shouted and the entire crowd stopped what they were doing to face forward. More shouts extended through the army and even the furthest wings stopped what they were doing. Some saluted in various ways while others changed their stances. It was simultaneously a very disciplined reaction while still being chaotic. They didn¡¯t seem to belong to any specific army, but were rather individuals from all sorts.


    ¡°Sir!¡± The phantom that Coop had assumed was in charge stepped forward and saluted.


    ¡°Uhh, at ease?¡± Coop guessed at an appropriate response. The phantom placed both hands behind his back and relaxed his stance, though Coop could tell there was nothing relaxed about the ghost man.


    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± The phantom responded. Coop had practiced greeting strange aliens enough to roll with whatever this was.


    ¡°Explain to me who you are and what all of this is.¡± Coop ordered. ¡°Actually, come over here and speak to me.¡± He beckoned the phantom away from the crowd so that they wouldn¡¯t be as easily overheard. Coop didn¡¯t want to pretend to be an army general in front of so many.


    ¡°Yes sir!¡± The phantom followed Coop back toward the main street.


    ¡°Alright, please tell me what¡¯s going on, and do it like you¡¯re speaking to a civilian at a bar or something.¡± Coop directed once they were isolated enough.


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    The phantom hesitated and stared at Coop to make sure he was understanding the assignment. Coop shrugged at the ghost. He could already guess that they were meant to be his army with the way they treated him, but he didn¡¯t exactly know how, why, or who they were.


    ¡°I¡¯ll start with myself.¡± The phantom began, ¡°I was Rear Admiral Gideon Hamilton of the U.S. Navy. Born December 1, 1802 in Hartford, Connecticut. My last assignment was sinking blockade runners. Apparently, I was dead. I didn¡¯t know it until I accepted an offer to return in your service. I am bound to you and Ghost Reef. I have knowledge of my own situation and the arrival of a new system on Earth, but I only remember my past life from an outside perspective, like it was a different version of myself.¡±


    Coop raised his hand to stop him from continuing. He rubbed his temples with his fingers.


    ¡°Are you a real person?¡± Coop had to ask.


    The rear admiral took a moment to think about it before responding, ¡°I believe I am more like a vessel controlled by the copy of a real person.¡±


    Coop kept rubbing his temples, unsure how to interpret this situation. He poked the ghost man¡¯s shoulder and found it to be just as solid as his own.


    ¡°Are you alive?¡±


    The ghost nodded confidently. ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any aspirations?¡± Coop was curious.


    ¡°Only to serve to the best of my ability.¡± The rear admiral responded seriously.


    Coop winced as the idea of enslaved souls came to mind. ¡°Do you have free-will?¡± Coop couldn¡¯t help but go down the rabbit hole.


    ¡°Do any of us?¡± The rear admiral asked back. ¡°I believe I do, insomuch as I was given the choice to return and have the choice to continue.¡±


    Coop accepted that but was still worried, ¡°Alright, a quick test. I order you to hop on one foot.¡± The rear admiral hesitated, momentarily lifted one foot off the ground, and then stopped and put it back down. Coop wasn¡¯t sure if that proved anything at all.


    ¡°Can I free you?¡± Coop kept wondering.


    ¡°I suppose you could fire me.¡± The rear admiral responded. ¡°I believe I could resign. I won¡¯t age, but retirement is also an option.¡±


    ¡°What about the rest of them?¡± Coop gestured to the waiting army.


    ¡°They all took the same deal. They are from a variety of backgrounds, nations, and time periods but, now, they are all loyal to Ghost Reef and you.¡± The rear admiral explained. ¡°There are 5,000 fighting phantoms and 2,500 support staff who are a mix of phantoms and wraiths.¡±


    Coop took a deep breath. ¡°That many? We¡¯re not prepared for such an influx of people.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to rest or eat. We would be happy to take up stations and remain prepared.¡± Gideon offered.


    ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t want anyone working 24 hours a day, even if they can.¡± Coop didn¡¯t like the idea of overworking. ¡°People need free time and a place of their own.¡±


    The rear admiral looked a little confused, ¡°Uh, sir? There are 25 hours in a day now.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Coop asked skeptically.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you hadn¡¯t noticed yet, unless you were testing my updated knowledge.¡± Gideon stated.


    Sometimes the littlest things blew Coop¡¯s mind. Was that why he was always waking up before dawn, even without an alarm? It was like Jett being incredibly high level all over again. No, Coop was going to pretend he knew all along since he was sure everyone else did.


    ¡°Right, I knew that.¡± Coop pretended.


    Gideon nodded, and brought them back on topic. ¡°We can assign beds in the barracks of the fort. There¡¯s enough room. Then we can work in shifts.¡±


    Coop thought about it, he could contract with an alien that made beds and give them the project. That would have to be a good enough solution. They wouldn¡¯t be able to afford regular housing for that many people for ages.


    ¡°That should work for now.¡± Coop agreed.


    ¡°What about our orders?¡± Gideon asked.


    Coop wondered the same thing. What was he going to do with 7,500 level one ghosts? He turned and yelled for Shane to join them.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Shane quickly asked.


    ¡°Reinforcements.¡± Coop gave a simple explanation. ¡°I was thinking about having them work in shifts. Think you can coordinate their duties?¡± He asked Shane.


    ¡°Well, I could try, but I was meant to be more of a field leader, do you mind if Arthur handles it. He¡¯s better at managing everything else.¡± Shane responded.


    Coop just nodded and yelled for Arthur to join them. He quickly caught Arthur up to speed and the old man took it in stride.


    ¡°I will have schedules drawn up, administrative work delineated, patrols assigned, and an advisory council of ranking members formed to develop protocols based on your doctrine.¡± Arthur planned. ¡°Shall I manage their off hours as well?¡±


    ¡°No, just let them have free time.¡± Coop responded. He considered whether or not he was giving a fox the authority to organize the hen house, but he hadn¡¯t been given any reason to be suspicious of Arthur yet.


    ¡°As you wish, Champion Coop.¡± Arthur accepted.


    ¡°They need to level though, should we have everyone grind monsters?¡± Coop asked openly.


    Gideon responded, ¡°Actually, we have a completely different system for leveling. We don¡¯t get experience from defeating monsters the same way that you do. We need to complete our duties or have training instead. There are system facilities that provide those services and there is a hard cap determined by the development of the settlement.¡± He explained.


    ¡°Of course there are system services.¡± Coop realized he¡¯d need more basic credits after his spending spree the day before. ¡°For now, just have work and training schedules prepared. I¡¯ll see about getting the facilities.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Gideon saluted and Arthur bowed his head slightly as Coop left them to figure it out. He¡¯d check their work afterwards, just to be safe.


    In the meantime, he went to the civilization shard to check how many basic credits he needed. The army parted to make way. He inspected a few more just to see if they had different specializations already.


    [Spectral Human (Level 1)]


    [(Body)]


    [Phantom of Ghost Reef]


    [Spectral Human (Level 1)]


    [(Intelligence)]


    [Phantom of Ghost Reef]


    [Spectral Human (Level 1)]


    [(Agility)]


    [Wraith of Ghost Reef]


    They were different indeed. He wondered if they would all get classes at level five. Coop also noted the wraith was noticeably more incorporeal than the phantoms, looking like a legit ghost from stories while the phantoms were more like humans with ghost fumes. He shook his head at the strange development of receiving an army of ghosts. It seemed like that optional quest would end up being worth it. Jones was right. Coop wasn¡¯t sure if the settlement would continue to thrive without the old caretaker¡¯s wise input.


    The prices for the various martial yards and training facilities varied just as much as any other service. Coop didn¡¯t want to skimp on his defensive army though, so he was going to wait until after his next hunt to purchase something.


    He checked the settlement status screens. The population had exploded to 7,532. The territory now extended beyond the reefs into the ocean and encompassed more of the islands in the chain. There was a new tab for his army and he was surprised to find more than just the personnel. There were naval vessels waiting to be claimed.


    The vessels were behind the same prompt he had gotten when he had the laborers available for recruitment. However, instead of giving him a list of options, the vessels were predetermined. Only one was allowed at the moment, as he needed even more facilities to accommodate a navy.


    He selected the lone highlighted option, a Galleon, and expected to see details about the ship, but instead it was immediately accepted into the settlement.


    Coop watched as an enormous ship erupted from a rotted ship skeleton east of Ghost Reef. A huge ship splashed to the surface leaving waterfalls of ocean water cascading from the upper deck and through the port holes. The three masts rose into the sky while the ship quickly stabilized in the shallow waters of the reef.


    Instead of raising the sails, like Coop expected, 60 oars were pushed out of the sides of the ship. They slowly rotated the ship to face the fort before pushing it directly across the shallow coral reefs straight for the canal. There was no way a ship that large should be able to avoid running aground anywhere around Ghost Reef, and yet Coop watched as it picked up speed at a steady pace thanks to the efforts of the oars. Ghost ships were just built different, he guessed.


    The menus revealed that the ship had a crew of 300 and was 150 feet long, 50 feet wide, with 125 foot masts. Coop counted 80 cannons using the perspective of the civilization shard to observe both sides. It made the ship that Camila and Charlie brought look like a rowboat, and Coop had thought that was a huge ship. This galleon was on another level.


    Coop noted that the ship also had the ghostly green swirls he had been associating with his ethereal summons. It seemed like Ghost Reef would have a ghost army and navy. The settlement was still tiny even with the sudden surge of residents compared to the scale of cities, but it was a massive increase compared to the island¡¯s previous population of two caretakers.


    The name of the galleon was, according to the civilization shard¡¯s menu, The Eye of the Storm.

 Chapter 43: The Siren

    Coop exited the menus of the civilization shard to watch the galleon, christened The Eye of the Storm, approach the fort. The massive ship entered the canal, rowing past the impressive library and advancing toward the center.


    The settlement needed a proper marina. It was another construction to add to his shopping list. The galleon was able to fit into the canal, but there was no way a bridge would be tall enough to clear the masts of the huge sailing ship. The ship was so long it would barely be able to turn around inside the canal, and that was only if the canal remained completely empty.


    Coop imagined docks and smaller boats moored along both sides that would make it impossible for ships the size of The Eye of the Storm to properly navigate. He would have to turn the current dock, outside of the fort, into a proper port if their navy grew any more. Non-ghost ships wouldn¡¯t be able to enter the canal without running aground on the reefs anyway.


    He left the shard to return to the huddle between Shane, Gideon, and Arthur. They turned to face him and noticed the huge ship looming over his shoulder as it made its way down the canal, passed the library. They each had a different reaction to the colossal ship. Shane looked on edge, Gideon became steely, and Arthur was unconcerned.


    ¡°Looks like we¡¯re starting a navy as well.¡± Coop commented, pointing his thumb over his shoulder. ¡°Do you mind including them in the plans, Arthur?¡±


    ¡°Not a problem.¡± Arthur, always the accommodating one, agreed.


    Coop turned to Shane, ¡°Is it alright to leave the details to these two? I¡¯d like you to join me on a quick trip to survey the next island.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Shane accepted, ¡°I¡¯ll gather the rest of my party.¡±


    Coop let Shane return to the rest of his group and joined Camila and Charlie. They were still watching the ship¡¯s approach.


    ¡°Looks like the settlement will be well-defended.¡± Coop stated. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll come along to see the Empire after all.¡±


    ¡°You summoned an army of ghosts¡­¡± Charlie observed.


    ¡°Seems like it.¡± Coop agreed. ¡°You were there, I didn¡¯t do anything special.¡±


    Charlie nodded slowly, distracted by the ghost ship. The trio stood together, observing the new arrivals until they were interrupted.


    ¡°Hey, Coop!¡± Olani called as she threw him a small pouch. He caught it and looked at her questioningly.


    ¡°My first healing tinctures.¡± She explained. Coop looked inside the pouch. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the vials won¡¯t break. Just tell me how well they worked when you get the chance to try them.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Coop responded while holding up one of the vials. It was filled with a clear syrupy liquid that seemed to be carbonated with pink bubbles. He¡¯d keep them close and test them as soon as possible. Healing potions would be a valuable commodity.


    ¡°Can you mass produce these?¡± He asked the elder.


    She shook her head, ¡°No, there are restrictions that require settlement upgrades. As my profession levels up the quality will improve, according to Miss Sojjah.¡±


    ¡°What about other types, like Mana potions?¡± Coop asked.


    ¡°That will be my next lesson. Miss Sojjah says health potions are the introduction to the world of alchemy.¡± Olani explained.


    ¡°Sounds good, I¡¯m glad it¡¯s working out.¡± Coop congratulated her on her progress. ¡°Oh, you should go with Camila to one of the other new shops, I thought the kids could use some new clothes and we got a Clothier built.¡± Coop told Olani.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna go to the library after, if they¡¯d like to come.¡± Charlie shyly invited, fidgeting with her hands. Coop knew from experience that if there was one thing that got Charlie to open up, it was books. When he had returned the book she let him borrow before the apocalypse, she had hugged it tight and teared up. He thought she¡¯d enjoy the library.


    Coop went back to observing the ghost ship now that it had come to a stop right in the middle of the canal. The army had also turned to watch the ship¡¯s arrival, but they backed away from the shore as the crew started teleporting from the upper deck to the ground.


    Coop was shocked at the display. It was like they had his mistjump ability, but without the restriction of teleporting to his weapon. Each time one appeared it made a distinct sound that Coop assumed was a result of the air being displaced by the sudden presence. It wasn¡¯t exactly the same as his set bonus, since he didn¡¯t notice any mist. It seemed like they had true teleportation. He was actually a bit jealous. Coop inspected a few of the crewmembers.


    [Spectral Human (Level 1)]


    [(Strength)]


    [Phantom of Ghost Reef]


    [Spectral Human (Level 1)]


    [(Intelligence)]


    [Phantom of Ghost Reef]


    [Spectral Human (Level 1)]


    [(Strength)]


    [Phantom of Ghost Reef]


    They seemed to be the same as the ones in the army. None of them had classes yet, so they shouldn¡¯t have skills. That meant all of the spectral humans should have a teleport ability by default. The only thing Coop could think of was that they had started with the Ethereal title. Coop didn¡¯t get it until he had taken Retribution and Salvation together, but it was also what allowed him to mistjump.


    If he could get them the appropriate training so that they could level up, they would become a formidable fighting force. An army that could use short range teleports could have all sorts of tactical advantages, though he wasn¡¯t sure if he was the one that should be thinking of them.


    A handful of the crew stayed on the ship, hanging on the rigging and balancing on the booms or perched on the railings. Coop thought it was interesting that the ship¡¯s sailors were a mix of men and women. It was different from his expectations for the era they appeared to have come from.


    Coop looked closer at the crew and realized what should have been obvious. These were pirates. They were covered in tattoos and scars, wearing a mishmash of equipment that often seemed to favor style over utility. There were eye patches, tricorns, and bandanas aplenty. He supposed he would have noticed sooner if they had raised their suspiciously black sails instead of using oars to enter the fort.


    Once the sounds of the teleports ceased, the crew deliberately made room. One more phantom teleported to the shore, into the cordoned off area, surrounded by the pirate crew. She started laughing. It reminded Coop of the time that Balor had first arrived. Balor had been heartily laughing when he realized they wouldn¡¯t need him to build a wall despite all of his anticipation to do so.


    The laughing woman calmed down and placed a tattooed hand on the hilt of the curved sword at her hip. Gold bangles clinked together with the motion and four different metal rings from each finger tapped against the handle.


    She looked solemnly at the rest of the crew, deliberate about making eye contact, before addressing them, ¡°Oh, how our fates must have been twisted!¡± She lamented. ¡°To think we would end up pledging ourselves to the very fortress whose cannons ended our dominance! Even gods wouldn¡¯t have been so cruel.¡±


    The audience was silent, mourning their previous fate, even Coop felt the anticipation, waiting for what she would say next. She looked around at the enraptured crowd before raising her voice, ¡°But this is a second chance!¡± In one smooth motion, she unsheathed her sword and pointed it to the sky. ¡°The world, and now the galaxy, will know the strength of the storm!¡±


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    The 300 crew members erupted in shouted cheers and threats. ¡°The Siren calls!¡± ¡°Ghost Reef!¡± The army couldn¡¯t help but join the cheers despite merely being bystanders. Even Coop found himself caught up in the enthusiasm. The ship¡¯s captain had a natural charisma that was absolutely infectious.


    As Coop was considering the natural leader¡¯s ability and watching the army get caught up in her energy, the crew made way for a bulky shirtless man who was stepping across the town circle on a collision course with Coop. The man had tattoos covering his tanned body. His braided beard rested on a protruding gut that displayed a tattoo of a shark jaw crushing a human skull. The large tattoo was crisscrossed with scars that corresponded with scars everywhere else. The worst jagged looking scar went down the side of his face from the outside of his eye, but his belly was where they were the most frequent.


    Coop wouldn¡¯t dare call the man fat. Despite his massive stature he seemed solid. He probably weighed close to 400 pounds, but took smooth steps that hinted at a nimbleness that contradicted his size. Thick muscles were still visible in his arms, shoulders, and chest that left no room for doubting his strength. His long loose pants were tucked into leather boots that hid his legs, but Coop wouldn¡¯t bet on being able to outsprint the big man. Where the captain had a magnetic charisma, this man had an intimidating presence that had Coop thinking about escaping by running in a zigzag pattern.


    The man walked right up to Coop then stepped aside, revealing the charismatic captain in his wake.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re the Champion I¡¯ve sworn myself to?¡± The captain grinned, showing surprisingly white teeth for what Coop expected of a pirate. ¡°Never thought I¡¯d swear myself to anyone, but death has a way of changing things, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Coop couldn¡¯t help but be drawn in by her charisma, almost forgetting about the giant bodyguard, and only realized he should be responding when Camila elbowed him.


    ¡°Oh! Right, I¡¯m Coop, the Champion, this is Camila, Elder Olani, and Charlie¡­¡± He paused and looked around to introduce Charlie as well, but she had slipped away as the massive man advanced toward them. He couldn¡¯t blame her. Coop returned his attention back to the fixed gaze of the captain, ¡°Just Camila and Elder Olani, I guess. Welcome to Ghost Reef.¡±


    ¡°Glad to be back!¡± The captain announced. ¡°I was called The Siren, Captain of the Eye of the Storm and Commander of the Tempest Fleet. This is Sharkbait, my first mate.¡± She reached up and patted the giant on the shoulder. ¡°As far as anyone knows, that¡¯s his actual name, but mine was Kayla. I don¡¯t mind being called that in private, but Captain is preferable in front of the crew.¡±


    ¡°No problem, Captain.¡± Coop agreed with a nod.


    ¡°Now, you¡¯ve got my flagship, but where¡¯s the rest of my fleet?¡± Kayla questioned. ¡°The Eye of the Storm is a proper battleship, but it isn¡¯t good for a satisfying chase.¡±


    ¡°We need a suitable harbor with port facilities before we can recruit more.¡± Coop was quick to explain and was ready to apologize for disappointing the captain despite his position as Champion.


    ¡°If you give us a ride, you can have our ship.¡± Camila jumped in with an offer.


    Coop noted the gleam in Kayla¡¯s eye, ¡°I¡¯ll take whatever I can get my hands on. Call it a personal motto. When do we set off?¡± Coop watched as the two women went back and forth and realized they were quite a match for each other. As if they were distant relatives from completely different eras.


    They both wore golden hoop earrings, and they both had brown hair, but the captain¡¯s hair was so dark it was almost black and was kept much shorter and loose. She pushed through the strands with her fingers, keeping it parted to one side and behind her ear on the other. They were both tanned, but Camila¡¯s olive skin was naturally darker and completely unblemished. The captain was lighter, but had tattoos on both hands and one arm. She also had some small scars including a prominent one above her right eye that split her eyebrow near the outside.


    Without the occasional ghostly green wisp it was impossible to notice that these phantoms weren¡¯t just regular people. Coop thought it would be best to treat them like he would any other residents. He didn¡¯t want to try and take advantage of the circumstances that they found themselves in, even if they were the ones who chose it.


    Coop let Camila and Kayla hash out the details of their deal after letting Kayla know about Arthur and Gideon. Olani finally had the chance to question Coop about all the ghosts and she just shook her head at his explanations. She went to retrieve her grandkids before waiting with Charlie while Camila organized their trip to the Empire¡¯s settlement.


    Shane and his party, minus Arthur, were ready, so Coop joined them. Out of curiosity he checked the settlement leaderboards for the first time since upgrading Ghost Reef to an Outpost. Since then, they had upgraded the settlement once again and completed the optional objective which resulted in an additional 7800 residents so far. He¡¯d also added six more facilities since the upgrade. He hoped the additions would make up for delaying the upgrade.


    Ghost Reef was ranked 23.


    Coop was surprised they had moved up despite delaying their upgrade for the optional quest. He had assumed that population would play a bigger factor in determining the rankings, but it seemed like the settlement level was the primary determination while some other intangible factors were at play.


    Day 23


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Silvervalley</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Gangcheon</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Yucatan</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Shinjuku Gardens</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Nadoba</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">New Elega</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Eynelon</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Fortunis</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Neon Park</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Lekawa</li>


    </ol>


    There hadn¡¯t been much change in the top 10, though other than the top two, the others had shuffled around. The third, fourth, and ninth spots were settlements that weren¡¯t in the top 10 before. It seemed like every continent was represented, but Coop could only guess where each shard was located. As far as his geographic knowledge went, only Yucatan and Shinjuku were places he recognized, but only generally. The Yucatan was at least in the same region of the world as Ghost Reef.


    It had been long enough that he now felt comfortable looking at the entire list. Surely all the settlements had become Outposts by now. They had to be an Outpost to appear on the list. Coop scrolled through the entire list and found the last place ranking. Ingra River Crossing ranked 722. Coop thought that still seemed like far too few cities for the entire world. It seemed like civilization shards really were limited. That was bad news as they approached the initiation of the settlement events on Day 30.


    As he led Shane¡¯s party down the main street, Coop stopped to get Balor¡¯s attention. ¡°Balor, we¡¯re gonna need that bridge as soon as possible.¡± Coop wanted to place the combat facilities on the other side of the courtyard, since Jones had planned to put the government-related buildings across the canal.


    The stonemason roused himself from his stoop, looking even more depressed than Coop had been about Jones. The two had bonded over their mutual love for the fortress. Coop thought that if there was one thing that would cheer the dwarf-like alien up, it was working on some projects that would contribute to the structure. And alcohol, probably.


    ¡°Aye, lad. I¡¯ll get started right away.¡± He looked toward the canal before he decided. ¡°I can have something basic ready in a matter of days, but if you get a Quarry I¡¯ll have access to more stone, even if there aren¡¯t any active mines.¡±


    Coop didn¡¯t commit to making one, with all of the other priorities already in place, but he kept it in mind.


    Coop led Shane¡¯s party down the west beach trail, toward the lighthouse, before veering to the eastern beach. He tried chatting with them on the way, just trying to get a feel for their personalities and avoiding an uncomfortable silence.


    ¡°So, what do you think of Ghost Reef so far?¡± He prompted.


    The Tomb Blade and Illusionist couldn¡¯t completely hide their uneasiness, but the Dragon Knight responded like he¡¯d asked the perfect question. ¡°It¡¯s lovely! Definitely prime real estate.¡±


    Coop remembered she was something like a realtor and listened to her sing the praises of the tropical island. Her enthusiasm reached the more uncomfortable members and they joined in discussing what they¡¯d enjoyed so far. It seemed like that was enough to break the ice a little.


    While they moved across the island, passing Defenders and the Prowler hunting ground, he explained to Shane that he wanted them to grind some of the monsters on Ghost Reef to get levels, or even the titles, and to keep an open mind when it came to making personal choices.


    Coop viewed the primary advantage of Ghost Reef as the variety of monsters, and he didn¡¯t want to be the only one that benefited from their presence.


    Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t seem prepared for that kind of commitment to hunting. Most of their classes wouldn¡¯t synergize well with the grindy nature of Coop¡¯s leveling strategy. Instead, they were enthusiastic about the nearby Mana Well. They would explore it as a group in the future, but Coop warned them that the level of the monsters he had seen inside were well beyond what they would find on the island. They would have to make some progress before they entered the Mana Well.


    Shane¡¯s party weren¡¯t concerned by Coop¡¯s warning because they expected opportunities to come to the settlement. Apparently, the Empire anticipated ways to get experience, other than grinding monsters, during defense events around the civilization shards. They even went so far as to call the events free experience for everyone, but Coop struggled to imagine experience being gifted without danger.


    By the time they arrived at the western beach the group had relaxed a bit. Coop gave them the rundown on the Primal Kites and warned them not to underestimate the strength of even the lower level monsters. He could tell that it would take seeing for them to believe as they didn¡¯t take him completely seriously once he mentioned the Kite¡¯s levels. It gave Coop deja vu. Yes, the monsters were only between levels 10 and 15, but Coop had learned the hard way that they were difficult to deal with. The Primal Kites had forced him into learning about his ability to teleport when he first encountered them.


    Coop was nearing the time to start grinding the Primal Kites himself. His mana pool had exploded in size thanks to his levels and quest chain completion. Funneling all of his attribute points into Mind was key for his build and a side effect was a huge pool of mana. His teleport cost was down to 33 mana from its original 50 mana cost. Once he started hunting the Primal Kites in earnest he was sure to see the cost drop even more. His Practical Application passive skill would provide the discount through repeated use, and Coop would only be able to kill the monsters if he teleported at least once. They would be able to kite him forever without the mistjumps.


    The group waded into the warm waters, diligently waiting for the first Primal Kite ambush. Coop planned for them to explore the first island before returning to the fort.

 Chapter 44: Pig Island

    The first Primal Kite initiated its ambush, bursting out of its hiding place, launching water and sand into the air. The group wasn¡¯t even halfway across the shallow waterway before they found their first enemy. Coop had previously readied his ethereal armor and spear to the surprise of Shane¡¯s party, but he wasn¡¯t the one who would be fighting this monster.


    Coop wanted to observe their combat abilities and they wanted to prove all of Coop¡¯s warnings unnecessary. Shane¡¯s party would fight the Primal Kites during their short expedition. They had been traveling in formation with the Dragon Knight and Tomb Blade side by side in the front, and the Illusionist, holding up her robes to keep them dry, with Shane behind the frontliners. Coop followed the group from behind.


    The water was merely knee height at this point and Coop thought it would be possible to high step his way to any monsters even if he couldn¡¯t teleport. It wouldn¡¯t be a viable strategy for repeated engagements, but for one or two combat periods he felt confident it was possible without becoming too exhausted to continue.


    When the Primal Kite began casting its ranged lightning spell, the Tomb Blade slammed the flat of his black long sword into his small rectangle shield. A series of runes had appeared on the length of the blade and one of them floated in the air with the collision. The action triggered a spell that sent grasping skeletal hands forward in a trail from the shield to his target. The cascade of boney fingers was meant to immobilize the group¡¯s target.


    The grasping hands didn¡¯t appear to disturb the ground even though they were clawing their way up and reaching through the water. They would be able to grab Coop all the way up to his knees if they were targeting him. The Primal Kite¡¯s hanging tentacle-like arms would only barely be in reach of the hands if it remained stationary.


    Before the Primal Kite was grasped by the hands, the Dragon Knight began her initiation skill, crouching down and gathering flames that swirled around her lower body, causing steam to rise from the water around her legs. She lifted her oversized shield and once the flames reached a threshold, she thrust her jagged sword up at an angle, facing forward, and leapt.


    Coop was shocked by her jump, as she flew into the air in an arc toward the Primal Kite, she covered quite a bit of distance. Unfortunately for her, the monster completed its cast before it was grasped by the skeletal hands and it lunged backwards, out of the way of both initial attacks.


    The Dragon Knight landed with her shield slamming into the ground and one knee bent, almost kneeling. Water splashed in all directions and flames and steam swirled upwards where she landed. The Primal Kite was well clear of the slamming attack and merely dodged a second time, returning to its maximum range to begin casting a second spell.


    The first electric bolt had slammed into the Tomb Blade, and even though he blocked it with his small shield, he was still struck with the after effects of being shocked and stunned. Shane channeled his first spell, creating a dome of swirling gold energy around the remaining party members who hadn¡¯t left their formation. Coop felt himself bolstered by the buffing fields and noticed the Tomb Blade immediately began to recover.


    The Illusionist also joined the fight, abandoning the effort of keeping her robe dry and casting a series of quick spells that each summoned an identical copy of herself, wielding a wand, surrounding the Primal Kite. They were each within melee range and held the wand forward, casting a purple beam of energy that wrapped itself around the target and connected with the others. The monster wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge in any particular direction with the simultaneous flanking attacks surrounding it. They didn¡¯t do damage, but instead snared the Primal Kite, allowing the Dragon Knight to complete her rush forward, through the water, while the rest of the group followed, remaining inside of Shane¡¯s dome.


    The Primal Kite didn¡¯t remain stunned by the Illusionist¡¯s summons and instead used its melee ability, spinning with its tentacles extended like blades. The twirling attack landed right as the Dragon Knight high stepped her way back into the fight. All of the summons were destroyed as the tentacles passed through them, they shattered like pink glass, but the Dragon Knight held onto her massive shield, planting it into the ground, and blocked the monster¡¯s ability with a series of loud cracks from the contact of each tentacle.


    The monster simply dodged away at an angle once again. The party regrouped inside of Shane¡¯s dome and behind the Dragon Knight¡¯s shield. Coop could tell they were already stymied by the simple monster. He was really starting to believe that the factions had handicapped their Chosen by withholding professions to the point that their stats were only the equivalent of monsters half their level. It seemed like the invaders were balanced around the defenders having leveled their professions... Or maybe they weren¡¯t balanced at all. He inspected the monster and prepared to finish the fight.


    [Primal Kite (Level 12)]


    [(Intelligence)]


    [Minion of the Primal Constructs]


    Coop put a stop to the party¡¯s efforts and stepped forward. He blocked the following electric attack with his own shield and shrugged off any after effects thanks to his layered magical defense. He stepped forward in the water. Utilizing all of his improved Strength and Agility, planting his foot, and throwing his spear in a flat trajectory directly at the Primal Kite.


    Anticipating the dodge, he prepared his mistjump. But the monster didn¡¯t get the chance to avoid the tip of his spear. His throw actually connected with the evasive monster, smashing the mechanical body and destroying it in a single blow. Coop paused as the monster dissipated into mana smoke.


    Coop¡¯s spear had flown fast enough to catch the Primal Kite before it could dodge out of the way. He didn¡¯t even consider that hitting it with his ranged attack was a possibility, but his stats had improved such that his power had grown to yet another level, and all of the practice while fighting had developed his aim.


    He was definitely ready to start grinding the Primal Kites. Once he finished with the Ancient Prowlers, they were next.


    Shane¡¯s party looked at him, stunned at the Strength he had put into his spear throw and the speed that it had traveled. Coop was honestly just as surprised at his attack¡¯s effectiveness, but he didn¡¯t show it. He resummoned his spear and watched as all of their eyes were drawn to the mist as it solidified in his hand.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving¡­¡± Coop offered to the four staring people. ¡°I¡¯m sure there will be plenty more to fight.¡±


    He led the way and considered their tactics. He thought they were pretty good actually. Shane¡¯s party was much more coordinated than he expected, with each member building off the others. Individually, they might not be all that impressive, but together they filled gaps and created opportunities for the rest of the party. He imagined that, with the addition of the ranged damage and support of Arthur, they were a formidable group.


    They only ran into a handful of Primal Kites before they made it across the sandy channel. The one time they ended up engaged with two monsters at the same time, Coop made sure it didn¡¯t get out of hand by defeating the additional monster right away.


    The Tomb Blade took a direct hit from an electrical attack that nearly took him out of the fights. With his much lower Mind attribute, the attack took more than half of the Tomb Blade¡¯s total health in one hit. Coop gave him one of Olani¡¯s healing tinctures before they moved on. The potion healed him for 50 health.


    Coop couldn¡¯t help but be a bit disappointed with the small amount, but it was Olani¡¯s very first batch, so they would probably improve with practice. The party was excited by the potion¡¯s potency, given they had much smaller health totals. The Tomb Blade reported that it went down smooth and tasted a bit like strawberries, but he had a debuff that prevented more drinks from being effective. It seemed that the healing potions had a cooldown.


    Coop also got to see even more of the party¡¯s abilities. The Dragon Knight¡¯s were by far the flashiest, with flames accompanying charged abilities. She also had the only movement skill of the group. Coop had seen it in the very first engagement. It had a long lead up time and was much slower than his own mistjumps, but it was also a source of damage as she slammed down with her shield.


    Watching the Dragon Knight gave Coop some ideas about incorporating his shield more offensively in attacks rather than solely relying on it for defense and the occasional desperate bash.


    The Tomb Blade surprised Coop the most with how different the class was from Coop¡¯s expectations. Instead of being a melee brawler like Coop expected with his heavier armor, black longsword, and shield, he was actually a close range Strength-based caster. He summoned skeletal spells that had various utilities, like the grasping skeletal hands, but also had some interesting finishers. Coop¡¯s favorite was a 10 foot semi-transparent gray skull with a giant black rune on its forehead that appeared out of thin air above his target, facing the ground, chomped once, and disappeared.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    The Illusionist had various types of summons that applied a few kinds of crowd control or mirrored the actions of the other party members. She was able to successfully fool the monsters a few times by copying the Dragon Knight and having the clone attack from different angles, wasting the monster''s lunging dodges. Coop thought she had a ton of potential with the way she could manipulate appearances. He imagined situations where she could trick enemy groups into fighting each other, crippling them before the real fight even began.


    Shane had simultaneously the easiest and most complex role in the party. He had four different channels that Coop had seen. Each one summoned a large bubble that the entire party would be able to use. One of them buffed the party¡¯s attacks, another their defenses, and the two others debuffed the enemies by weakening their attacks or their defenses. Shane had to channel the appropriate bubble depending on the state of the battle. A difficult task considering how quickly battles tended to change. Shane¡¯s anticipation of the flow of battle was key for utilizing his skills properly. It made sense that he would make a good field commander.


    The whole party revolved around Shane¡¯s position and which of his spells he channeled. They might go on an assault if he channeled an attack buff to capitalize on the offensive synergy, or his defensive buff could enable them to be even more reckless in their offensive. It all depended on how he directed their tactics.


    The only problem was that they had very little actual experience outside of the Empire¡¯s simulations, which made them slow to adapt under shifting circumstances. They were coordinated, but they weren¡¯t smooth. Coop really wanted them to hunt monsters around the territory and they reluctantly agreed after they compared their combat experience with his own.


    When they finally climbed the sandy beach of the second island in the chain that made up Ghost Reef, Coop was excited to have a look around. Before the apocalypse he had visited frequently. Taking surveys of the wildlife was one of his responsibilities so he was able to explore the entire island chain.


    This island was mostly covered in scattered palm trees with very little undergrowth. Historically, it had developed this way because the past inhabitants of the fort kept pigs on the island, and the pigs ate whatever they could reach. The inner portion of the island was full of tall coconut palms and the outer ring, just above the tide line, had short stubby trees. They never grew taller as they were more exposed to the elements compared to the inland palms.


    Coop led the way straight down the middle of the island, intending to see if any monsters had made their home on the interior of the island within the palm groves. They walked up the golden sand beach and crunched over dry palm fronds and piles of old coconuts before finding decent footing on the packed ground of the inner section of the island. The coconut palm grove opened up as the old palms had long ago staked out their own little sections of the dry land. The first time Coop visited this island, Jones had warned him to watch out for falling coconuts, and he passed the same warning along to Shane¡¯s party.


    They didn¡¯t get deep into the interior before Coop stopped the party. Up ahead he could see yet another metal monster. While most of the Primal Constructs had similarities to animalistic counterparts of the island like rats, jellyfish, or crabs, Coop couldn¡¯t compare the one he spotted to anything he was familiar with on the islands. The monster leaned forward on all four limbs and had a head full of sharp metal spikes.


    Coop counted seven straight horns of varying lengths on its head, all facing forward at progressively tighter angles. The longest horn was in the center and aimed directly to the front. The first pair of horns on the outside could have been mistaken for a single spike that went through the monster¡¯s head where its ears should have been. The second pair was more than twice as long and were the thickest of the bunch. They formed a 45 degree angle between the center spike and the outermost spikes. The third pair were shorter once again and extended directly in between the longest pair and the center spike. The center spike was the only one that gleamed silver while the rest were a gray-black.


    Beneath the crown of horns was a featureless metal face with four red light eyes that were lined up horizontally. There was no nose or mouth, but three more small spikes jutted out from the bottom of the head, all facing forward. The body was almost entirely covered in small dull metal plates that looked like a snake¡¯s scales, but they were interrupted by belts of metal that seemed to aid articulation at the shoulders, elbows, and waist. The scales formed gray patterns that were alien to Coop. Its posture resembled that of a gorilla, though the head of horns and the long spiked tail definitely didn¡¯t help the comparison.


    Its front limbs were like fingerless arms that ended in fists. They were twice as long and thick as the back legs. It balanced its forward lean with a tail that ended in another series of seven spikes. In contrast to the crown, this time the first set of spikes were the longest and also gleamed in the same silver as the center spike on the head while the rest of the spikes were progressively smaller with the final center spike the shortest.


    Coop observed it for a moment and estimated that it was eight feet tall even while it leaned forward. The longest spikes on its head were three or four feet long and the crown of metal seemed heavy even for the thick beast. Without the tail it might even pitch forward. It remained motionless just like the Ancient Defenders on his own beach, idly waiting. He inspected the monster without alerting it of their presence.


    [Ancient Piercer (Level 41)]


    [(Strength)]


    [Minion of the Primal Constructs]


    Coop sucked air through his teeth and quickly ushered Shane¡¯s party back to the shore. The Ancient Piercer was well beyond what he expected to find. He thought the monsters were more or less following a pattern of growing one level per day until a settlement¡¯s territory froze them. But it was Day 23 and the Piercer was level 41. He obviously didn¡¯t understand the level curve for the monsters, if there even was one.


    Shane¡¯s party had been humbled by level 12 Primal Kites so they had no business engaging a level 41 monster with unknown abilities and wicked looking weapons. They needed to take quite a few more steps by fighting weaker monsters first.


    Instead Coop led them around the edge of the island. The real reason he had come at all was hopefully in the water on the other side.


    To be safe, they stayed in ankle deep water and made sure to have Coop in the lead. The last thing they wanted to find out on their survey mission was whether or not the Ancient Piercers practiced ambush tactics.


    They were all pleased to remain undisturbed until they found the swimming pigs. It was a nice surprise for Shane¡¯s party that Coop had kept from them. A few of the pigs were splashing around in the slightly deeper water but most of them were lounging in the shade of one of the other pigs without a care in the world.


    One of the pigs had grown to absolutely massive proportions. It was so large that it could only wade in the water where the rest of them swam. This pig was the size of a van. It was laying on its side while others slept on top like it was an artificial island. Coop inspected it, already guessing it would be special.


    [Gluttonous Wild Pig (Level 47)]


    [Eater of Worlds (Body)]


    [Chosen of the Shepherds of the Lost]


    Coop nodded to himself. It was time to accept that he would just keep getting owned by random animals. At least he could be sure that the pigs would be alright with the enormous one protecting them. The wild pig must have been able to defeat the Ancient Piercers to level as much as it had.


    Coop went a little closer to the pigs, leaving Shane¡¯s party to watch. He counted the same number as before the apocalypse and was glad to find that they had all survived so far. When he got a little too close the van-sized pig lifted his head to look at Coop. Coop stopped and the pig huffed before putting his head back down, half in the water.


    He decided to offer the pigs sanctuary in the fort if they ever needed it. It seemed a little crazy, but Jett displayed a level of understanding that was well beyond what was expected of a cat. So, he let the pigs know that they would be welcome. The large pig at least snorted in a way that Coop could pretend was understanding. He left the pigs to go back to their swimming and relaxing.


    It was mission accomplished as far as Coop was concerned. He let the party know that he believed they had found enough and would head back. They couldn¡¯t hide their relief at returning to the relative safety of the settlement after seeing the pig and the Piercers. He reminded them that it had become their job to keep the settlement safe, so they¡¯d need to get stronger. They were already making plans to train together against the weak monsters outside of the fort.


    They managed to avoid even more of the Primal Kites on the way back, only being ambushed three times before reaching the eastern beach of Rock Key. Coop separated from the group at the lighthouse and let them make their way back to the fort. He was going to wait until nightfall and hunt the Ancient Prowlers.


    He decided he would be heading to the Endless Empire¡¯s territory the next day, satisfied with Shane babysitting the island along with the phantoms. He wanted to finish the Ancient Prowler quest chain that night and get it done before he left. It would take an all nighter as he needed 7,000 more kills, so he relaxed for the evening on the stoop of his lighthouse.


    He thought about all of the new faces that had joined the settlement. People would definitely be counting on him now, but he hoped he would also be able to count on them.


    His days had become a lot more complicated in such a short time. He didn¡¯t miss the confusion of the early days, but he did miss the simplicity of being able to focus almost entirely on his own progression. Coop just hoped he would be able to reestablish his routine. If he could break his days up into manageable pieces, it would help him manage all of the new responsibilities that kept piling up.


    Tonight would be different, though. His routine wouldn¡¯t recover yet. Instead, he had a late night date all planned out with his ethereal glaive.

 Chapter 45: Slayer II

    Coop sat on the dunes, watching the golden sunset reflect on the calm waters around Ghost Reef. A great white heron was walking along the beach, and Coop admired its silhouette as the last of the light faded away. Earlier, one of the new foragers, an ape-like alien, waded out of the water and headed back inside the fort, but there had been no one else. The new residents were still making themselves comfortable inside their new home. Coop was alone, outside the safety of the walls.


    Once night fell, the Ancient Prowlers finally joined him, so he started his hunt.


    With his ethereal armor and his summoned glaive he casually dodged and defeated the aggressive monsters one after another. He didn¡¯t take damage from their ambushes anymore. Coop¡¯s Agility had risen beyond the Prowlers¡¯ to the point that he didn¡¯t need to dodge by guessing at what direction they would come from. Instead, he was able to wait for their attack to begin before he slid out of the way. It made the entire process of fighting pack after pack of Ancient Prowlers significantly smoother. He didn¡¯t need breaks to allow the Vulnerable debuffs to expire and he was much slower to fatigue. He didn¡¯t need to waste any movement getting out of the way or repositioning anymore.


    Camila and Charlie joined him a few hours into his hunt. They killed a few of their own packs but mostly watched Coop as he drove his glaive through the air. He let them know he was going to pull an all-nighter in order to complete his quest before they left the next day. Camila said he was nuts and Charlie wished him luck before they hunted a few more packs and both retired for the night.


    As Coop killed the Ancient Prowlers he wondered if there was anything the settlement could do to manipulate which monsters appeared within its territory. There was probably another expensive service he would need to invest in that would give him some influence over them. They hadn¡¯t seen any elites inside the settlement¡¯s territory since they had the small raid of Ancient Defenders. He thought it must be due to the expansion of the territory. The elites were pushed further away each time they upgraded the settlement.


    Coop personally wanted to have access to more elites to fight. His experience with the zombies was that they were significantly more rewarding, but he didn¡¯t want the settlement¡¯s residents to be in even more danger than they already were.


    It would be nice if they could set up designated areas for monsters to spawn. Coop could create various zones based on his own experience with each monster to guide others on a smoother path for progression. He didn¡¯t want people wandering into the Primal Kites unprepared for their movement, or engaging with the Ancient Prowlers thinking they were weak just because they were right outside of the fort when they were actually fast, tricky, and aggressive.


    As the city grew, he might need to set up a system with his army to warn residents of the dangers of each area. It was only a matter of time before new residents took professions that had them exploring the rest of the island chain. He¡¯d have to discuss it with Arthur and Gideon when he got the chance. For now, he¡¯d probably need to focus on conquering the entire territory himself. He hadn¡¯t even finished with the main island yet. He knew at least two more monster types were waiting inside of the mangrove forest and the Primal Kites were just offshore.


    Coop kept grinding, letting his thoughts wander to both the immediate and the long term tasks he wanted to work on. Halfway through the night he realized an audience had gathered on the ramparts. It seemed like the army of phantoms were already on a schedule with guards posted even in the middle of the night. Dozens of them were watching his grind session from the top of the walls.


    He ignored them for the time being, preferring to make sure he would finish his quest before dawn came. He was making good time, steadily cleaving the monsters with his glaive, he had already defeated more than 4,000 of the Ancient Prowlers.


    Eventually, he received a notification that his profession had leveled up to 32. He put his unallocated points into Mind and replaced his glaive with his sword and shield. He¡¯d spend the last few hours of his grind using his close quarters mistjumps to fight the monsters, practicing his ethereal swordsmanship. It was the tactic he developed while fighting the agility based elite zombies to counter their speed and the Prowlers were a natural analog for the quick monsters. He could make some progress reducing the cost of his mistjumps by practicing with the ability and he wasn¡¯t as worried about running out of mana thanks to his upgraded Reaper title. He would gain a bit of mana from every kill.


    Coop had to admit, he was starting to have fun again. Grinding monsters was his own personal therapy. The giddiness he felt when successfully outmaneuvering the monsters was hard to deny. It was like a shot of happiness injected straight into his brain whenever he landed a combo or perfectly executed a strike. He strongly suspected that the reaction to proper technique was the result of his Haunted title, but he had no idea how to confirm it. Perhaps he would find the answers as he leveled up and received more skills.


    He sliced through one monster and let go of his sword while it was still extended, then mistjumped, allowing the next monster to sail straight through his position. He cut the ambusher in half and readied himself for the next. Every movement felt good, even after hours and hours of grinding. He finished the pack and after one last monster he lit up with the radiance of another level.


    He walked to the edge of the Ancient Prowler¡¯s zone and sat down on a small dune to check his notifications. As he left the battlefield some of the phantoms on the wall clapped. Coop shook his head in embarrassment, realizing he had been the early morning¡¯s entertainment for another shift of the new ghostly guards.


    [You defeated Ancient Prowler (Level 11)]


    [+7 Basic Credits]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Ancient Prowlers V]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Slayer title upgraded!]


    Coop smiled to himself in satisfaction. It felt good to be done with another major quest chain. The surge in his stats was impossible to ignore and he had to consciously stop himself from getting back up, hopping around, and flexing to test his Agility and Strength. The upgraded Slayer title added another 100 Mind to his total which trickled into the rest of his stats thanks to his passive skills. He checked his status.


    [Status]


    HP - 3150/3150


    MP - 3115/5700


    Class - Revenant (Level 36)


    Profession - Basic Scavenging (Level 32)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 30 (+570)


    Agility - 30 (+285)


    Body - 30 (+285)


    Mind - 570


    Intelligence - 30


    Acumen - 30


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion III, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper, Slayer II


    Skills (Active) - Retribution, Salvation, Presence of Mind


    Skills (Passive) - Common Language, Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application


    Quests - Defeat Primal Kites II (21/25), Upgrade Village to Town


    Basic Credits - 63,222


    Coop felt good. His stats were shooting up, his quests were getting knocked out, and he was already accumulating another pile of credits. From what he had learned thanks to the various Chosen of the Empire that had defected to his settlement, most of their stats were still in the double digits.


    Coop hadn¡¯t had a real chance to explore his attributes outside of combat, so he wasn¡¯t sure how to translate his stats to reality. He wanted a bench press and a squat rack so he could set some new PRs. Obviously, it wasn¡¯t a linear progression when it came to the physical traits, and he imagined the magical ones would be the same, but he was confident that he was multiple times stronger than he had been before the assimilation began.


    He headed back to the fort to take a quick shower and see if he could make some last minute purchases for the settlement. He should have gathered enough to get his army started on their training. He checked the leaderboards on his way even though it had only been a couple days since he made his debut in the top 10.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Day 24


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Banshee (Level 46)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">The Lich (Level 45)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Coop (Level 36)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Platinum (Level 33)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Reina Kitawa (Level 32)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Akari Kitawa (Level 32)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Safiri (Level 31)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Santiago Torres (Level 31)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Hai Yun (Level 31)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Tzultacaj (Level 31)</li>


    </ol>


    It hadn¡¯t been long enough for much to change. Banshee finally surpassed the static first place holder of The Lich who had leveled only a single time in two weeks. Coop wondered if The Lich was stuck on some other oil rig somewhere without any fresh victims to level off of. Other than that small change, only Hai Yun and Tzultacaj had leveled with the new addition of Santiago Torres beating them to level 31.


    The common sentiment among the faction¡¯s Chosen was that all of these people were leveling with groups inside of special regions. The ones in the lead had simply monopolized Mana Wells early.


    Coop wasn¡¯t so sure, since he was a living example of an alternative strategy that involved a lot of grinding to complete as many quest chains as possible. He had to concede that he only jumped out ahead because he reaped the rewards of hunting on the oil rig, which would be considered a special region full of elite monsters. But still, if that was the only thing he had done he wouldn¡¯t have been able to close the gap between himself and the top rankers, and he believed it was only a matter of time before he snowballed ahead.


    In fact it would have been impossible to do anything on the rig at all if he was as weak as the Empire¡¯s Chosen. Eric and Richard had struggled with the regular zombies; they would have been annihilated by the elites if Coop hadn¡¯t already cleared them out.


    Coop scrolled all the way down the list of the top 1,000 and found that they were all at least level 29. It seemed like the rate of leveling had slowed down quite a bit after level 25. When the factions started sending their Chosen back on Day 10 they were already 25, and now, on Day 24 the top tier was still only level 29.


    Four levels over two weeks was not much when considering someone could hunt a mere 25 Ancient Defenders and 25 Ancient Prowlers and gain four levels from the quest completions alone. Coop was averaging closer to two levels a day during that same 14 day period. At this point, the only reasonable explanation was that most settlements only had, at most, a single monster type nearby and Ghost Reef was truly special.


    The level 25 Chosen returned to Earth and had two easy levels from killing 5 and 25 of the local monsters and the truly dedicated would get at least one more level after killing 250 of the monsters. Coop guessed most would give up on the strategy of grinding at seeing the next requirement in the chain. Defeating 5,000 more monsters was a daunting task. Coop had to remember that he had also specifically selected his class and skills with the purpose of being capable of such a grind. The factions didn¡¯t prioritize sustainable combat the same way he did, so their Chosen wouldn¡¯t even be equipped to kill that many monsters without significant breaks.


    In the end Coop had to credit a combination of factors for his current successes. His initial mentality when it came to the system was the start, his selection of class and skills was the next major factor, and the final key element was in Ghost Reef¡¯s monster diversity. Without any one of those components he might already be hitting a ceiling.


    It was still only the beginning. Coop¡¯s primary responsibility to maintain his plan would be to continue grinding monsters. He wouldn¡¯t take his foot off the pedal just because the plan had already started paying off.


    After he had rinsed off with a cold shower, he moved to the civilization shard and accessed the menus. He considered all of the different construction options before he purchased three more services to start with. First was a Training Yard which he placed on the opposite side of the canal despite not having a bridge yet. Then he purchased a Carpenter and a Quarry. The Carpenter went next to Balor¡¯s Stonemason and the Quarry went directly behind, similar to the Herbalist¡¯s set up with the Herb Garden in the back.


    The Training Yard had a single barracks style building inside of a walled area that was probably large enough to fit half of his army at once. Coop could see training dummies and targets set up along the walls from the civilization shard¡¯s top down perspective. It had been the most expensive of the three purchases at 50,000 basic credits, but that wasn¡¯t too bad. It would at least get the phantoms started on their training, once the bridge was ready. There were plenty of other martial buildings that would be needed to unlock their combat potential. He would make those purchases later.


    The carpenter would be building all of the furnishings necessary for the fort, which Coop was sure would keep him busy for the foreseeable future. The building for the carpenter was the same size as Balor¡¯s workshop, with two stories and an angled roof. It was constructed entirely of wood.


    The quarry on the other hand had an even smaller building, not much more than a hut. The area around the hut had large square blocks of stone stacked along the edges. Coop had only gone through with the purchase when he saw it wouldn¡¯t actually become a mine in the middle of his settlement. There were other purchases that would create mines themselves. For now he didn¡¯t see the need for getting them.


    Coop visited the carpenter first, another insectoid that reminded him of a beetle. Coop let him know what he needed of him and the iridescent beetleman gratefully accepted his task. He would work hard to provide the bare necessities when it came to furnishing the fort. Without wasting any time, he returned to his workshop. Before Coop walked away the sounds of sawing were emanating from the interior.


    The quarry was next, and Coop found a rock golem staring at the fort walls nearest to the hut. Coop greeted it and let it know what the immediate masonry plans were, to build a bridge and roads followed by even more repairs for the fort. The golem was excited to be involved with the fort sharing an enthusiasm that contrasted with Coop¡¯s expectations. It was made of rocks but it seemed giddy anyway. It was apparently just as impressed as Balor had been by the old stone construction of the fort. It promised to have the best stone made available to the stonemasons. While more stone could be made available with the addition of mines, it wouldn¡¯t be necessary without recruiting even more masons.


    Coop crossed the canal, with a long spear throw and mistjump, as the sunrise began, and met with the trainer. His name was Ledwidge and he was a seven foot tall tree of a man that was armored similarly to a knight. He revealed that he was actually a treant, not a man at all. His plate armor shone with gold filigree and wasn¡¯t actually worn so much as embedded in strategic locations inside his bark. He wielded a smooth bo staff that was even taller than he was and was as thick as one Coop¡¯s legs.


    Ledwidge was extremely excited about training an army. Apparently, training for settlements was very rarely done by independent services. Usually settlements stuck to their faction¡¯s services when it came to martial agencies in particular. If, by happenstance, a settlement was owned by a non martial faction at the point of needing training, it was rarely for armies and more often for small groups of powerful elites. Ledwidge was motivated to help a factionless settlement stand tall with an entire army and encouraged Coop to explain his tactical philosophy.


    It wasn¡¯t like Coop had any experience with military tactics, but he did want Ledwidge to foster individual durability and personalized classes instead of forcing people into glass cannon positions and party roles the way the factions had been. He¡¯d rather they be flexible enough to both survive on their own and cooperate with each other on the fly. Coop couldn¡¯t imagine battles being so orderly as to not require some improvisation.


    Ledwidge was practically vibrating with excitement when Coop talked about his personal combat ideology. The gnarled branches at the top of his head seemed to even start sprouting leaves. Coop thought it was pretty funny for this real life battle expert to be so eager to hear his literal video game strategies. It wouldn¡¯t surprise him that the treant was simply placating the obviously amateur ideals Coop was presenting, since it was coming from the settlement¡¯s Champion. Either way, no one in Coop¡¯s settlement would be pigeonholed into a role they didn¡¯t have an appetite for.


    Coop left the armored treant with a promise to train with him in the future and crossed the canal back to the tavern. He was going to try some of the new food before he left, since all the settlement upgrades unlocked more of the demon¡¯s menu.


    The Clumsy Shark was more full than Coop had ever seen despite it being so early in the morning. The cozy atmosphere was still present, but there was the addition of a festive cheer brought by the two dozen off-duty phantoms who were excited about being back with the living.


    Coop took a seat at the bar and Desmond served Coop a plate of steaming biscuits and gravy. He tactfully explained to Coop that a Grove and a Butcher would extend the menu even further should the opportunity arise. Coop took one bite and immediately thought about what a good idea purchasing the additional services would be. Desmond promised the investment would pay for itself with all of the new residents spending their credits on the drinks and the meals.


    Desmond was particularly excited about how well-received his menu had been because most species never explored the culinary arts and had no appreciation for taste. They only cared about buffs, if they ate at all. But humans were something completely different, with a varied palate and an enthusiasm for eating that was unusual even on a galactic scale. Not even the demons had such an appetite for food.


    Maeve flitted around the room serving other guests before she came to a rest at Coop¡¯s side. She had already learned of his plan to take another trip so she wanted to give him her best wishes.


    Coop enjoyed his meal even more than the atmosphere of the tavern. With food that good it would be easy to remember to eat.


    Arthur and Shane joined him as he was finishing up. He briefly talked about his idea for zones within the territory based on monsters, idly wishing for that level of mana control in the future.


    Arthur updated Coop on bits of information that he had gathered from the phantoms and the library. Unfortunately, Arthur¡¯s research amounted to almost nothing. He could at least confirm that they wouldn¡¯t present a threat to the settlement, but the phantoms didn¡¯t know much beyond their own personal histories and their new loyalties. The library had too much information to the point that it was impossible to conclude what would be an analogous situation and what was inapplicable. His conclusion was that they were a completely unique creation, specific to humans and spectral mana, and therefore Ghost Reef.


    Coop had already decided to treat them as regular people, and given the unknowns, his mind wasn¡¯t changed, but it got him thinking about minions and himself. They definitely weren¡¯t minions, like the ones Coop had encountered on the oil rig or the Primal Construct¡¯s invaders, and Arthur didn¡¯t think they were undead like the librarians either. Coop thought the phantoms matched up nicely with himself, living, but with an undead flavor, though they were obviously at least one step beyond the edge, having actually died previously.


    Coop dropped his spoon into the empty bowl with a clatter as he felt a moment of existential dread. He considered how his whole adventure had started, getting knocked out on the beach when the meteors fell. Was it possible he had died at that point and didn¡¯t even know it?


    A quick look at his hands, then his status, confirming he was just a ¡®Human¡¯ put him at ease and he awkwardly laughed it off. The phantoms absolutely knew their situation at least. He shook his head at the weird thoughts and concluded that, if anything, he needed a nap.


    When he left the tavern, he was greeted by the bright morning sun and a bustling town with groups of phantoms walking up and down the street, stopping and leaving the bakery or idling around the town circle. The scorch marks and cracked ground were a small blemish that would soon be gone with the development of the city.


    Hopefully, they¡¯d all get to see how it progressed.

 Chapter 46: Proper Sailing

    Coop was inside the Eye of the Storm. It wasn¡¯t exactly comfortable, but he was in a spot of relative tranquility, isolated from the controlled chaos outside.


    Captain Kayla was accommodating enough to allow him to stay within her quarters while they sailed to the mainland. A proper sailing ship on a quick voyage was a busy place, and Coop had felt out of place without anything to do to help. The phantom pirates were constantly in motion, pulling ropes and hustling back and forth, but Coop was just a passenger. They wouldn¡¯t let him contribute even when he offered. He worried it was because they doubted his competence, but they claimed it was because he was their Champion. He didn¡¯t really believe them, but he still ended up taking up the captain¡¯s offer and leaving them to their roles.


    He had been alone inside of the captain¡¯s quarters and wound up taking a nap on an extravagant red sofa that occupied one side of the room. It was a fancy piece of furniture with dark wood highlights and elegant flourishes on the arms and legs.


    A wood framed oil painting was secured against the wall above the sofa that displayed a landscape where oversized waves crashed into a cliffside island. A matching mahogany coffee table with one red sofa chair on each end accompanied the sofa that Coop reclined on. The small table had a model ship inside of a large glass bottle in the center. On the floor, an elaborate reddish brown patterned carpet tied the area together.


    The sofa wasn¡¯t really that comfortable as much as it just looked nice. A small bunk was tucked against the wall on the opposite side of the wide room that looked much more comfortable, but Coop stuck with the sofa.


    The huge galleon was large enough that if he hadn¡¯t known he was inside of a ship he wouldn¡¯t have realized they were on the ocean. It would take much larger swells to rock the boat than the calm sea offered on the average day. There was no risk of sea sickness, even for those with a weak stomach. A large ship meant a large cabin for the captain. The single room could have been an entire apartment in Coop¡¯s experience. He found no signs of its ethereal nature from within, it was just a sturdy ship as far as he could tell.


    The walls were lined with sturdy wooden shelves that were shaped like trays and filled with books and scrolls. Shark jaws, glass bulbs, buoys, and rope nets hung from beams on the ceiling and a series of thick red curtains were bundled into the corners of the walls. The curtains could be extended to separate the room into different parts. A living room, bedroom, and an office were all on hand. Coop counted six different treasure chests scattered between the sections, but he refrained from looking inside any of them, not wanting to mess with a pirate¡¯s booty. If there was one thing he could do to turn the loyal phantoms against him, he suspected it would be being caught stealing their gold.


    All of the furniture was dwarfed by the massive square executive desk that was positioned in front of the huge bay windows at the back of the room. The windows looked out the rear of the ship, giving a clear perspective of the ship¡¯s wake as sea foam swirled in its turbulence. A chair that was more of a throne sat behind the desk and four smaller unadorned chairs were positioned for guests. Coop sat up from where he was lounging when he realized the captain¡¯s chair was occupied.


    Kayla had taken a seat at the desk while he was dozing. She was leaning back in the large chair with a scroll unfurled and held up in front of her. She had her feet crossed with both leather boots propped up on the expensive looking desk, apparently unworried about the state of the antique. Several other maps were spread across the surface and an old globe was on one end.


    When she heard Coop stir she casually tossed her scroll onto the pile of maps and, without sitting up, put both hands behind her head and rested against the back of her seat.


    ¡°You could have taken the bed.¡± She nodded toward the bunk, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have minded.¡±


    Coop shrugged, ¡°The sofa was fine.¡±


    Kayla gave a knowing smirk, ¡°That sofa is not fine. It¡¯s uncomfortable on purpose.¡±


    Coop didn¡¯t think it was that bad, but it definitely seemed more like a show piece. He turned his head to look at the back a little closer.


    ¡°I only ever used it for negotiations.¡± The pirate commander explained. ¡°Usually, the person sitting there had already surrendered and we were discussing terms.¡± She swung her legs around the desk to put her boots back on the ground and leaned forward onto her desk seizing Coop¡¯s attention with her gaze. ¡°What about you Mr. Champion? What is it that you¡¯re after?¡±


    Coop couldn¡¯t stop himself from feeling nervous, like the sofa really was an interrogation chair. ¡°What do you mean?¡± He hesitantly asked the captain.


    ¡°I mean what are you fighting for? It¡¯s no accident that you¡¯ve become a Champion. Is it for fame? Or wealth? Would you like to be rich beyond your imagination? Maybe you want women? You wouldn¡¯t be the first with that kind of greed.¡± She paused and pursed her lips, tapping one finger against the arm of her chair, thinking.


    Coop thought it kind of was an accident, one that was borne out of desperation thanks to the isolation of Ghost Reef, but he turned the question around on her instead of answering. ¡°What about you? How did you end up a pirate commander in your past life?¡± He asked.


    She smiled at Coop like she was glad to remember, ¡°I ran away from home as a teenager. I used part of my family¡¯s vast fortune for passage across the ocean where I bought a ship. I got started after I found a blacklisted crew that had fed their previous captain to sharks and won them over. It was always about freedom for me. Being free and staying free.¡± She pulled one leg onto the chair and rested her chin on her knee with a content look on her face, waiting for Coop¡¯s answer.


    ¡°It was just desperation that got me started, no lofty goals.¡± Coop thought he wouldn¡¯t have taken the entire scenario as seriously if it hadn¡¯t just been him and Jones facing the apocalypse. He would have let other people worry about settlements and factions, but now he was a Champion. ¡°I have a few more reasons now. I want Ghost Reef to be a sanctuary, and I want to beat the alien factions that think they''re entitled to control our planet.¡±


    Kayla gave him an approving smile. ¡°It¡¯s freedom for you too then. I¡¯m happy to sail under that flag.¡±


    Coop hadn¡¯t thought of it as a fight for freedom, but he thought the charismatic captain was right. His petty grudge against the factions for not making him Chosen had slowly evolved into a desire to avoid their influence altogether. The competition for control of Earth would be a free for all, and Coop was already fighting for the factionless. He really didn¡¯t see any reason for humans to deliver Earth to aliens that weren¡¯t even really here. At best, they were manifestations projected across the universe. But for humans it was home.


    Kayla interrupted his thoughts to let him know that they should be arriving soon. They had made record time traveling from Ghost Reef to the mainland. She was extremely impressed with Charlie.


    The combination of a crew of experienced sailors and a spell caster with wind affinity was something special. Kayla wanted to keep the timid Aeromancer on the ship permanently, but Coop expected other sailors to reveal their own useful affinities as they leveled up, so he wouldn¡¯t let the captain claim Charlie. Besides, he really doubted Camila would allow it.


    The captain needed to update her maps as they were essentially sailing blind with all the changes that had occurred with the assimilation of mana. Without Charlie they would have been exploring uncharted waters. Coop had underestimated the physical changes to Earth since the changes to the islands had merely been an increase in size with a few additional canals. The pirate crew were dealing with changes to water and air currents, depths, distances, and topographical features. Even the star charts were slightly off.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    He left Kayla to her charts and returned to the thick wooden planks of the deck. As he went back outside he found himself in Sharkbait¡¯s shadow. He was loyally waiting outside of the captain¡¯s door. When he saw Coop he imperceptibly nodded, it was more of a blink, in greeting and Coop returned the gesture with his own nod.


    The ship was as chaotic as Coop had left it. Members of the crew were running back and forth with urgent tasks that he didn¡¯t understand, shouting at one another in a shorthand that reminded Coop of playing in team sports.


    Charlie was next to the ship¡¯s wheel which was manned by a phantom who pointed at sails for Charlie to send gusts of wind into. Camila stood nearby, diligently making sure Charlie wasn¡¯t overwhelmed by the sailors. It seemed like the pirates were more disciplined and better behaved than the Endless Empire¡¯s Chosen, but she guarded all the same. He wasn¡¯t sure if the comparison was more of an indictment on the Empire or a commendation for the pirates.


    Coop stayed out of the way, climbing to the top deck above the captain¡¯s quarters to lean on the railing in the back of the ship. Even from there he could see land approaching if he looked across the length of the ship. They weren¡¯t headed toward the main port of the city, instead planning on staying a bit more incognito. They would be arriving at a private marina called Crane Point. It was closed to the public, catering primarily to the wealthy and their yachts. A mangrove lined canal separated the Crane Point private marina from the Crane Point public boat ramp.


    Mikey B. and Amanda had joined them on the trip and Amanda was using her profession to scout for Ghost Reef. They would be staying with the sailors while Coop was in the city.


    The pirate crew had left 50 people behind in order to retrofit the ship that Camila and Charlie had gifted Kayla in exchange for the ride. Kayla had already christened the ship Windchaser in honor of the two girls and their abilities, and a crew was being selected from among the pirates.


    The crewmembers they left back home were also updating the dock at Ghost Reef to better accommodate the Eye of the Storm¡¯s accompanying vessels. It would take a proper settlement upgrade to form a harbor, but they still had the expertise of their previous lives to make do, for the time being.


    The plan was to drop the trio of Coop, Charlie, and Camila off at Crane Point, then have the ship explore up the coast to the north before veering further offshore and looping back to rendezvousing at the marina in a few days. The ship would wait in relative safety offshore for the trio to return with the new recruits.


    Charlie and Camila would lead Coop to the suburbs where Charlie¡¯s parents lived. If they weren¡¯t there they would head to the settlement to continue their search. Whether or not Coop joined them would depend on how the settlement and the city looked. Both girls thought it would be better if he stayed away, just in case. It didn¡¯t seem like anyone would be able to detect anything from his aura, but that alone would be enough to raise suspicions. They didn¡¯t expect the settlement to have improved during their time away and wanted to avoid direct conflict.


    Hopefully, they would find Charlie¡¯s parents safe and sound, be able to quickly locate anyone else they wanted to bring back to Ghost Reef, and have Coop explore the city with enough distance from the settlement to avoid detection. Coop wanted to offer help to people who were still hiding outside of the settlement¡¯s territory while also hunting some of the local monsters.


    Camila and Charlie had told him about the one monster type they found in the region and Coop thought it was a solid candidate for him to complete the invader quest chain with. A roaming pack monster that appeared in groups of five or six meant that it wouldn¡¯t take Coop long to rack up the kills.


    He just needed to find a place where they were densely populated. Since the monster appeared night and day, he thought he could probably finish their entire quest chain in two days, three at the most, as long as he didn¡¯t sleep. He was assuming they wouldn¡¯t be any more difficult than the Ancient Prowlers around his own settlement. It would take just over 16,000 monster defeats to complete the chain and he was motivated to give completion a shot if he got the chance.


    The girls were encouraging him to grind monsters instead of trying to enter the settlement. They were worried about guards pressing Coop to reveal information about himself and being unhappy with his answers, no matter what they were. The Empire was trying to consolidate power in the region and that meant populating their settlement, but an effort to force Coop into joining them probably wouldn¡¯t go well.


    The ship approached the coast from the west and veered north in the direction they expected to find the marina. Coop watched the shore from the side of the boat. Thick vegetation formed a wall of leaves and branches that leaned over the shallow water. There was no beach here and the bottom was covered in thick mats of turtle grass and marine algae. The ghost ship was careful not to navigate into the shallower areas. Coop wasn¡¯t sure if they couldn¡¯t pull the same trick as they had when navigating over the coral reefs back at the settlement, or if they simply wanted to maintain some distance from the covered shore to avoid ambushes.


    Eventually they spotted the boat ramp and marina up ahead and Coop noted the disrepair that the moored vessels had already experienced. Half of the private yachts were listing and a few were fully sunk with only canopies breaching the surface of the water. The long docks had room for dozens of boats and most of the slips were occupied. Even the dock itself looked like it desperately needed maintenance. He thought the apocalypse must have brought some serious waves to this area.


    The Eye of the Storm slowed to a stop beyond the very end of the longest dock. It was quite a feat of precision to perfectly navigate the wind-powered ship, but they accomplished it without much more than a few shouted commands. The phantom sailors were kind enough to set up a gangplank for the three of them to walk onto the dock. Coop felt like they were exiting a limousine and walking down a red carpet. Kayla wished him luck and said she would await them offshore before the pirates pulled the bridge back onto the ship and started sailing away.


    Coop let Camila lead the way while he took in the sights. Other than the oil rig he hadn¡¯t been off of the island since the apocalypse. Ghost Reef hadn¡¯t experienced much in the way of devastation, but his first look at the mainland was surprising. If he didn¡¯t know any better, he would have believed a category five hurricane had made landfall right here at Crane Point.


    The parked boats had been swamped, the dock was damaged, and even the fueling stations on the edge of the shore looked like they had been blasted by hurricane winds. They moved past the private marina and headed toward the more public boat ramp and parking lot to follow the road out. There was only a single pair of cars in the parking lot and both had seen better days. Both had flat tires and one of them had its windows smashed with the driver side door left ajar.


    They kept moving inland as they had several miles to cover, wrapping around the city to the east side suburbs. Coop took in the sights like he was a tourist on vacation.


    After the marina they went along a winding residential road that had walled mansions on both sides. The structures were set deep on their lots to keep the houses away from the traffic on the street. These too were damaged to a surprising degree. The roofs of some had collapsed and all of them had at least some superficial damage, with shingles missing, gates collapsed, or windows smashed. There were cars randomly scattered along the road, veered off the edge and onto the sidewalk or left in the middle of the lanes. Coop noted that the hedges had grown with mana, tearing holes through and collapsing the thick security walls that had protected the mansions.


    Vegetation had done a lot of damage, but it couldn¡¯t explain everything. He wondered if the damaged buildings were caused by people using their skills. Viewed through that lens, he could imagine small battles taking place in and around each building as people attempted to claim loot or defend pointless territory.


    The first intersection saw traffic lights toppled over and when Coop looked to the north the street just ended with a perfectly smooth cut. The pavement was deteriorated with grass and weeds poking through gaps in the surface. Coop thought he and Jones were spot-on in recruiting a stonemason first. When they got back, Coop would make sure they were working on the fort.


    Coop was periodically summoning his spear, still working with his Practical Application skill, but also in preparation for an ambush. Just because the girls had only seen one type of monster didn¡¯t mean it was the only kind. There could be a suburban Primal Kite equivalent and waited for something to make an appearance.


    They continued to travel through residential homes and suburban sprawl. If Coop hadn¡¯t known when mana arrived he could have been fooled into believing the city had been abandoned decades previously thanks to the plant life. Camila and Charlie seemed to have expected the state of the structures and weren¡¯t as surprised as he was.


    It really felt apocalyptic, but they hadn¡¯t found any other signs of life, human or monster.

 Chapter 47: Neighborhood Watch

    Charlie joined Camila in leading the way as Coop observed every detail of the city. She figured he was just surprised by how much things had changed. The metropolitan areas had no way of disguising the damage that the assimilation of mana had caused. Compared to natural landscapes, it was a lot more obvious when smooth pavement was suddenly cut off, or a modern building was falling apart like it was left derelict for decades.


    Not every structure was deteriorated, like how not every tree had grown enormously, but most had been damaged in some way. They hadn¡¯t passed any that actually collapsed though, but there were definitely a few that she would rather not enter if she had a choice. Really, she would prefer to avoid entering any strange buildings, but that was just her own constant apprehension.


    They traveled down a main road that would lead to her old neighborhood while bypassing the city proper. It was strangely nostalgic for Charlie, since her grade school commute took her along the same route. The road was two-lanes with a wide median filled with old oak trees. The trees had almost uniformly grown large enough to provide a thick canopy that left a cool shade over both sides of pavement. It was almost picturesque except for the abandoned vehicles and toppled over signs at each intersection. Most of the main thoroughfare wasn¡¯t that different from how it had been before mana.


    She was excited about seeing her parents again, though she was a little nervous about what they would find. She really hoped her mom was back from her faction¡¯s training by now. The Empire had told them it was extremely rare for Chosen to remain with their factions for so long, so she had high expectations for her mother¡¯s faction and class. Her mother had been an especially gifted doctor and she hoped that a faction was helping her leverage her skills for the future. It was quite an investment to keep a Chosen for so long.


    Hopefully, her faction was a friendly one.


    Between the boat trip and the walk to her parents¡¯ house, the entire journey had been startlingly quick. They would be arriving in the evening despite the outmoded transportation. Even before, when she rode the ferry and there were working cars, a trip back from Ghost Reef meant an entire day¡¯s worth of travel before she made it home.


    She had no idea a sailing ship could travel as fast as they had on the Eye of the Storm, and the crew had assured her that the rest of the ships in the Tempest Fleet were even faster. Back on land, instead of dealing with traffic, they were strolling through what used to be a very busy section of the city limits. This was one of those roads that had horrible commuter traffic thanks to a general lack of public transportation to the suburbs from downtown.


    She glanced at Camila who was constantly vigilant despite her casual confidence. Charlie¡¯s respect for her steady companion had only grown the more she learned about her. Admittedly, Camila¡¯s appearance immediately demanded a superficial admiration, but she was also smart, perceptive, and driven. Charlie was still finding new ways to feel jealous of her friend.


    Camila noticed Charlie¡¯s attention and flashed a smile that had her involuntarily returning the expression.


    ¡°Almost there.¡± Camila observed out loud and Coop nodded absently as he scanned an abandoned fast food restaurant. The ¡®Now Hiring¡¯ sign seemed unlikely.


    Coop had been a kind person even before mana came, but despite the apocalyptic scenario he had shown an even more easy going personality than Charlie had expected. Still, despite his casual demeanor and uncomplaining attitude, she knew he was determined and persistent. It wasn¡¯t an accident he had risen so high on the leaderboards. He had figured out his own path without the guidance of a faction and was making it work to an extent that boggled her mind. Somehow Charlie had found herself surrounded by people she believed were exceptional. She could hardly compare herself to either of them.


    They hadn¡¯t seen any monsters, but she could tell Coop was itching to find some. Every few minutes he summoned one of his ghost weapons, cycling through a few different types. That finally changed when they approached Peacock Park, just a few blocks from her neighborhood. A pack of five monsters was patrolling along the outer sidewalk and more were visible inside the park.


    Coop didn¡¯t waste any time, stepping up to approach the monsters with his ghostly gladiator armor manifesting out of thin air and his short straight sword already gleaming in his clenched fist. Camila and Charlie let him take care of the pack. Charlie identified the monsters.


    [Primal Tracker (Level 21)]


    She gasped when she realized these monsters were significantly higher level than the ones she and Camila had fought when they first returned from the Empire¡¯s training. They were far enough away from the nearest civilization shard that the monsters were continuing to grow. Coop didn¡¯t hesitate though, despite the outdated information that the girls had given him. If anything, Charlie would have guessed he looked satisfied to find the monsters higher level than anticipated.


    Coop confidently approached the monsters and with a flash of his blade, lunged forward to attack them. The lead monster barely dodged, moving backwards and trying to give its packmates an opportunity to help, but Coop didn¡¯t let up. He pursued the retreating monster into the midst of the group before catching it and defeating it in one blow, leaving himself surrounded.


    Charlie almost yelled out as the pack of remaining monsters converged on Coop¡¯s position, but that¡¯s when he started using abilities they had never really seen before.


    Charlie often compared her new reality to the fictional universes that she was familiar with. A lot of their magical powers were reminiscent of some of her favorite comic book characters and even though Coop¡¯s were unique, she could still find similarities. The way he moved around, flashing in and out of existence, disappearing and reappearing where it was the most inconvenient for the monsters, reminded her of Nightcrawler. His aesthetic was completely different, but the end result of his movement was no less impressive. It seemed a bit unfair, frankly.


    She hadn¡¯t been totally sure before, but now she knew Coop had some kind of short range teleportation. The Endless Empire would have freaked out if they knew his abilities. Any kind of teleportation was exceedingly rare. Movement abilities were uncommon enough to warrant special attention no matter their form. That was actually the main reason that Camila had still been considered an elite despite not choosing the Empire¡¯s designated Legendary class that she had been offered. She had selected a class that had built in movement abilities instead.


    Coop made short work of the monsters and earned himself yet another level. As he was illuminated in the white glow Charlie just shook her head. It was no wonder he believed it was easy to get experience through grinding. It really was easy for him. Charlie and Camila wouldn¡¯t be able to sustain such intense combat over more than a few engagements before they would need to stop and recover their resources. Still, watching Coop fight made Charlie want to hurry up and gather her family and friends so she could return to Ghost Reef and start her own grind. Coop had already influenced their thinking so thoroughly. She looked at her own status knowing she had a lot of work to do.


    [Status]


    HP - 650/650


    MP - 650/650


    Class - Aeromancer (Level 28)


    Profession - None


    Affinity - Wind, Rain


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - The Endless Empire


    Strength - 30


    Agility - 30


    Body - 65


    Mind - 65


    Intelligence - 100 (+30)


    Acumen - 0


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Chosen, Legend, Dynamo


    Skills (Active) - Identify, Gust, Windweave, Soothing Rains, Edge of Water


    Skills (Passive) - Common Language, Gathering Winds, Aura of the Storm


    Quests - Defeat Ancient Prowlers III (0/250), Defeat Primal Trackers II (17/25)


    Basic Credits - 700


    According to all the conventional logic of the factions, she was a powerhouse, but Coop believed that they had been crippled by their lack of profession levels. Each level in a profession would provide five additional stat points, the same as a class level. If they kept both class and profession at roughly equivalent in levels they would have doubled their stats.


    Both she and Camila had a significant advantage over most other classes. Aeromancer and Interceptor could both ignore one of the fundamental stats for their combat archetypes thanks to passive skills. In Charlie¡¯s case, Acumen was useless for her spell casting despite it improving magical speed. All of her skills had instantaneous activations, so they couldn¡¯t get any faster. Instead, her class took the points out of Acumen and applied them as a bonus to Intelligence.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The combination of her class enabling her to safely ignore Acumen and her bonus stats from the Legend title gave her a significant boost over most others. From what Coop had told them, it wasn¡¯t even close to matching up with his stats. His were multiplied by his own passive skills and further enhanced by his completion of the quest chains. Camila and Charlie might not be able to match him, but they still felt like they should be able to eclipse just about anyone else.


    Coop spotted several more packs of monsters inside the park, including some that had evolved into elites. He warned the girls that the invaders might start getting even more aggressive if they weren¡¯t culled, remembering a time when his settlement was raided.


    Together, they decided to quickly send Coop back to the park after showing him where Charlie¡¯s house was located. He could grind to his heart¡¯s content while they organized their expedition back to Ghost Reef. They would wait until the last minute before they ventured toward the Empire¡¯s settlement to give Coop a look at his closest neighbor.


    Charlie led the group around the last few blocks before returning to her childhood home. When they rounded the corner it was obvious something was wrong. The street had marks and cracks that weren¡¯t just from the assimilation of mana. Someone had caused damage with magical spells. She felt despair when they moved closer and she could see the devastated facade of the house.


    ¡°...no!¡± She heard herself gasp involuntarily. It felt like a kick in the stomach to see the place she had grown up be reduced to a damaged husk.


    A battle had taken place in the front lawn. One tree had toppled over into the neighbor¡¯s yard and the entire front porch had been demolished. In place of a front door there was a gaping hole that reached all the way through the second floor and exposed everything from the living room, dining room, to her own childhood bedroom upstairs. Nothing less than a bulldozer would have been able to tear so much of the house away.


    She stumbled forward with her mind immediately racing to the worst possible scenarios, worried about the lives of her parents. Camila caught her and held her tight while she fought to catch her breath. Coop stepped ahead, up the remains of the front pathway and through the destroyed entrance. He had resummoned his ghost armor and held a round shield in addition to his previous sword. He checked the corners and moved into the house, making sure it was safe from lingering enemies.


    The girls heard him call out, asking if anyone was home, from inside the building. Charlie finally moved forward and with Camila at her side entered what was once a place filled with happy memories.


    The house hadn¡¯t been ransacked so much as it had been wrecked. Furniture had been collateral damage and the structure probably wasn¡¯t stable enough to remain for long. She went straight to the back of the first floor, into the kitchen, to see if her mother was there. They only found her father¡¯s makeshift stop sign weapon impaled through the refrigerator.


    Behind them, Coop abruptly landed in the living room from a gap in the ceiling that exposed the second floor hallway. He was facing outside with his sword and shield threatening.


    ¡°That¡¯s far enough.¡± He stated with a steady calm that felt reassuring to Charlie. Someone had almost followed them inside.


    Someone called out from where the front porch used to be, ¡°Ah! Charlotte is that you?¡± She looked around Coop¡¯s protective back and spotted one of the previous neighbors.


    ¡°Mr. Gibson?¡± Charlie called back. He had been a regular visitor when she was growing up, he lived nearby and frequently visited everyone in the neighborhood, even hosting annual block parties. He was standing where the porch had been previously, along with three more men that she assumed were other neighbors. She didn¡¯t know him that well, but her parents got along with him just fine and he was a fixture in the community after retiring really early.


    ¡°It is you! Your father told us you would be coming. We already gathered everyone we could, but it¡¯s gotten too dangerous to keep going door to door by ourselves.¡± Mr. Gibson approached the trio, careful not to make any sudden movements that would make Coop react.


    Charlie put her hand on Coop¡¯s shoulder, ¡°It¡¯s alright I think. He¡¯s a family friend.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Coop relaxed, but didn¡¯t dismiss his weapons. Instead, he leaned over and whispered in her ear. ¡°The one on the right is part of the Empire.¡± Coop warned her.


    Charlie didn¡¯t recognize the man that Coop had indicated, and he wasn¡¯t wearing armor that matched the Empire¡¯s, but he was the only one with a proper weapon at his hip. She turned her attention back to Mr. Gibson and asked him what had happened there. She did her best not to reveal her sudden suspicion.


    Mr. Gibson explained that her father, Emmanuel, had started gathering all of the neighbors, going door to door, to let them know what had happened and that he would be heading to safety soon. He was just waiting for Madison. If anyone wanted to join them he offered to lead the way. By that point the monsters had become enough of a problem that most people were staying put, so Charlie¡¯s father was giving them a chance to reach a safer place, fearless in challenging the monsters himself.


    Meanwhile, the nearby settlement started getting more and more aggressive about recruiting residents. They sent parties to conduct what they called a census. They wanted to search homes for anyone that was still being trained by their factions in an effort to curtail any potential challenges to the Empire¡¯s dominance of the region.


    The Empire had warned Charlie about being vulnerable to campers when she returned from her own training, and now the Chosen of the Empire were trying to use the same strategy against others.


    When they came to her parents¡¯ home, her father wouldn¡¯t let them conduct their search and while he was arguing in the front, some others rounded the back of the house and spotted her mother, still inside of the mana shield. They ended up attacking and capturing Emmanuel before they camped out and waited for her mother to return from her faction¡¯s training. A few days later she was also captured and taken back to the Empire¡¯s settlement.


    Mr. Gibson told them that he had heard the same thing had happened to a few other people. Luckily, they hadn¡¯t killed anyone, but they were imprisoning them somewhere in the settlement¡¯s territory.


    Coop asked why Mr. Gibson and the rest of them weren¡¯t taken, explicitly gauging where their loyalties lay. They claimed that they were expected to join the settlement soon, but didn¡¯t have anything to indicate they would be a threat to the Empire. Emmanuel had been labeled a rebel leader because he was organizing people and his wife was a part of an unknown faction that had invested considerable resources into her.


    The news was both a shock and a relief to Charlie. Her worst fears weren¡¯t realized, but she wasn¡¯t sure what to do. She needed to save her parents. Charlie looked back at Camila who was frowning with her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed, watching the strangers. Charlie looked at Coop who was waiting, following her lead. He recognized her indecision and nodded at her before stepping forward once, causing the four men to tense up as the armed and armored man suddenly moved closer.


    She could have kissed him for getting all of the attention off of her. She wasn¡¯t able to think straight when she was the center of attention. Pile on her own personal anxieties with the shock of her childhood home destroyed and learning her parents were taken and she felt like she was drowning. She wondered if Coop was conscious of how considerate he was sometimes.


    Coop pointed at the Empire¡¯s man, ¡°What about you, Mr. Chosen? Do you have anything to add?¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, not expecting his aura to be read so easily by the stranger, and looked toward Mr. Gibson instead, obviously caught.


    ¡°Chosen? You said you were factionless.¡± Mr. Gibson questioned, stepping away from the accused to stand among the other neighbors.


    The man gestured back at Coop, angry at being called out. ¡°You can¡¯t listen to this guy, who is he anyway? I can¡¯t even see his level.¡±


    Coop responded with a shrug that Charlie had begun to recognize as one of his typical mannerisms. ¡°I¡¯m just a factionless nobody.¡± He took another step toward the man before he continued. ¡°How about you tell us how the Empire is imprisoning people, and where they are being kept.¡± Before the man could muster his denial Coop chided him further. ¡°And don¡¯t skimp on the details when it comes to artifacts or talismans or anything like that.¡±


    The man seemed to realize he wasn¡¯t dealing with someone he could keep claiming ignorance with. ¡°I don¡¯t know details like that! I¡¯m just a foot soldier, embedded with the locals until they get pulled in.¡± He glanced at the angry Mr. Gibson and shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, it¡¯s getting too dangerous to stay out here anyway. It¡¯s for your own good.¡±


    ¡°What the hell man?¡± One of the other men muttered.


    Coop¡¯s posture changed slightly and Charlie noted his steady presence seemed to disappear. The Empire¡¯s Chosen ignored the other neighbors and twisted his head to stare at Coop with wide eyes, filled with fear. He told Coop what he knew without any more resistance. ¡°Leadership purchased a prison service that¡¯s supposed to be able to hold anyone as long as it''s built early enough. I don¡¯t know where it is or anything like that. They say it gets stronger every day. At least that¡¯s the rumor that was goin¡¯ around.¡± He looked at Coop with what Charlie believed was genuine concern. ¡°Look, you¡¯re not gonna kill me right? I don¡¯t know anything else.¡±


    Charlie waited for Coop¡¯s characteristic shrug, but he just responded to the man a bit more seriously. ¡°Not unless you lied to us.¡± Charlie could see the man shiver at the threat. Coop turned back to Charlie and Camila, ready to make a plan.


    The man called out to Coop¡¯s back, ¡°I didn¡¯t lie man, I swear!¡± Charlie was surprised by the turnaround in the man¡¯s cooperativeness. She thought Coop had used his scary aura to silently threaten the guy. It worked really well.


    The three regrouped further inside the ruined house out of earshot of Mr. Gibson and his friends. They didn¡¯t need to worry about being overheard because the other neighbors were scolding the Empire¡¯s Chosen for lying to them about his allegiances.


    Camila was the first to suggest a plan. She proposed that the two girls enter the settlement using their status as members of the Empire to find the prison before deciding how to tackle it. They could leave right away and be at the settlement in a matter of hours. If they needed Coop as backup they would regroup in Peacock Park at the end of the next day. Coop could hunt the monsters while they did their reconnaissance. Charlie thought it was a good start.


    She thought Coop¡¯s idea was much, much worse. He wanted to do the scouting himself by using the local spy to get thrown in the prison. Then he¡¯d break everyone out and be back in time to finish grinding the monsters before Captain Kayla returned to pick them up. ¡°Easy peasy,¡± he said.


    Of course, Charlie sided with Camila. They promised Coop that they would be back before dark on the next day. Coop reluctantly agreed but if they weren¡¯t back in time he was going to start making a fuss around the settlement to shake things up.


    Before they left, Charlie also brought Mr. Gibson to negotiate with Coop for joining Ghost Reef. He would know the status of just about everyone she had hoped to recruit anyway. Coop¡¯s groaning made her giggle despite the miserable situation.


    She and Camila left the guys to work out the details, and made their way toward the airport that was being used as the Endless Empire¡¯s headquarters.

 Chapter 48: Peacock Park

    Coop found himself in the ruined living room of Charlie¡¯s childhood home with some strangers. The girls had left him with this Mr. Gibson to arrange the transport of all the people Charlie¡¯s father had already organized. Charlie¡¯s goal had been to gather her family and friends, but honestly, Coop had expected maybe five people total. He wanted to recruit more, keeping an eye out for anyone that might have some expertise with curses, but Charlie and her father seemed keen on bringing everyone they knew.


    Coop thought it was a good thing they had brought the Eye of the Storm. They could probably squeeze a thousand people onto the huge ship if they needed to. He hoped it wouldn¡¯t be that many though. Ghost Reef may have just received an influx of phantoms, but the number of human residents was still really low.


    ¡°So what¡¯s your deal?¡± Coop asked the middle-aged man before he inspected him for the second time. Coop had been distracted by the Empire¡¯s Chosen when he initially checked the group¡¯s auras and Mr. Gibson was kind of a forgettable looking guy. Coop thought he seemed like the kind of guy you might find as the head of some kind of small administrative body, like the point person for a condo building or the head of a co-op. The kind of guy that kept track of lots of details.


    [Human (Level 20)]


    [Argent (Body)]


    [Chosen of the Allies of Genesis]


    ¡°You could say I¡¯m sort of the representative for the people Emmanuel had collected. That¡¯s Charlotte¡¯s father. Oh! You can just call me Gibson, Mr¡­¡± Gibson introduced himself and gave Coop an opportunity to introduce himself.


    ¡°Oh, sorry, I probably shouldn¡¯t say exactly who I am¡­¡± Coop realized he needed to come up with an alias. ¡°But I am representing another settlement. We came to pick up Charlie¡¯s friends and family.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect! We really didn¡¯t want to resort to joining the Empire¡¯s settlement. We were hoping to travel together and take our chances at a different one. Where¡¯s your place? I can start gathering everybody.¡± Gibson started.


    Coop stopped him. ¡°Hang on, there buddy. How many people are we talking about?¡±


    Gibson paused, doing a mental headcount. ¡°I¡¯ve been organizing them by household, so I don¡¯t know exactly how many are willing to go, but including the children and elderly I¡¯d guess there¡¯s close to 50 people.¡±


    Coop didn¡¯t think that was too bad. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve got two conditions for anyone that wants to come. First, they¡¯ll need to take professions and level up to contribute to the settlement itself. We don¡¯t have millions of residents, so we don¡¯t have the capacity to absorb freeloaders.¡± Gibson nodded firmly, accepting the condition. ¡°Second, anyone that has a faction looking to dominate the planet is going to need to defect. Especially if they joined the Endless Empire.¡± Gibson nodded again.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure everyone knows the expectations. A few might decide to take their chances here, hoping to just coast through the assimilation, but I don¡¯t think it will be a problem for most. Where should we meet, Mr¡­ uh Representative.¡± Gibson responded.


    ¡°Can you gather at Crane Point?¡± Coop wondered if he¡¯d need to escort them too.


    Gibson nodded confidently. ¡°We can get there. The monsters are weaker in that direction and if we move as a group we¡¯ll be able to handle any packs.¡± Gibson confirmed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll drop by in a couple days, but we won¡¯t be leaving without Charlie and Camila, so just hold tight once you get there.¡± Coop warned. These people were putting a lot of faith in him with very little assurance. The situation of the city continued to seem disagreeable and Emmanuel must have had a lot of credibility to get this whole group started.


    Gibson nodded again, ¡°It¡¯s now or never for us. We know it. We¡¯ll be waiting at Crane Point. I¡¯ll start getting the word out.¡±


    Coop watched as the well-dressed man went to the rest of his party, excluding the Empire¡¯s spy, and explained the situation. It seemed like the spy would be ostracized. Coop didn¡¯t care either way. Most of his residents were previously Chosen of the Endless Empire already.


    These were the people they were meant to pick up, just Charlie¡¯s parents were missing, so he wasn¡¯t that worried about a double cross. The Eye of the Storm would safely stay offshore until he arrived anyway. The worst case scenario would be to have the Empire mobilize their army to stop them, but he couldn¡¯t imagine a group of 50 people escaping the city would be worth that level of attention. He was certain larger numbers of people had come and gone already.


    Not getting involved any further, he left them to get organized and headed to Peacock Park.


    It was only three blocks back to the large park where he was planning on grinding for the next 25 hours. The park itself had open fields that were larger than all of Ghost Reef¡¯s islands combined. Baseball diamonds, soccer fields, and even some football fields with full sized field goals made up the bulk of the park, but there was also a number of bike paths and picnic tables underneath large trees.


    It was absolutely stuffed with the Primal Trackers that would be his hunting targets. Coop summoned his glaive, dismissing his ethereal shield and sword. He planned to cleave through large numbers of these monsters in an effort to speed through the quests.


    Before he started he reviewed his previous notifications from the very first pack he defeated.


    [You defeated Primal Tracker (Level 21)]


    [+17 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Blight Fang (Uncommon)]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Primal Trackers I]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Defeat Primal Trackers II (0/25)]


    Coop didn¡¯t bother engaging with the first pack of monsters at the edge of the park. He had a more aggressive plan. The highest level Primal Trackers seemed to be level 30, and they all ranged between 20 and 30. Some of the packs near the interior had a single elite leading them, but for the most part they were all just normal monsters. Coop was going to get the attention of a massive crowd and get himself into constant combat. He wouldn¡¯t need to worry about efficiently traveling from monster to monster if he attracted all of the monsters first.


    The wolf-like pack monsters were weaker than the zombies he had fought on the oil platform, with much fewer elites to bolster their numbers. Compared to the Ancient Prowlers, they were slower and not as tricky even though the Prowlers were lower level. The Vulnerable debuff had made the Prowlers significantly more dangerous. The closest equivalent he had fought would have to be the pairs of Ancient Defenders back on his beach. The Primal Trackers were only slightly more equipped than the most basic monsters he had fought.


    The Primal Trackers had their own debuff that he had discovered in his first fight. It was called Tracker¡¯s Blight. It lasted for an hour and the duration was refreshed if he took damage while the affliction remained on him. The consequence of the debuff was reducing natural health regeneration to zero and allowing the Trackers to follow the scent of the afflicted.


    Coop naturally countered the negative health regeneration with the effect of his Reaper title. Every kill would allow him to recover 2% of the defeated enemy¡¯s total health; he didn¡¯t rely on his natural regeneration anymore. Plus, he wanted the Trackers to come to him anyway, so if the debuff attracted more, that was just a bonus.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    He jogged straight through the perimeter of the park through the scattered trees and into the central fields. He got the attention of dozens of packs before he settled near a tall grove of oak trees. It would be his designated kill zone.


    The monsters filtered to him, not leaving their packs since they lacked the blind aggression of other monsters like the agility based zombies. Their caution didn¡¯t help them much, in fact it only helped Coop maximize the devastating length of his glaive. Coop set himself up for an elongated engagement against hundreds of the monsters.


    Coop felt like he entered a heightened state while he was in combat. It was like being in the zone. His movement was almost entirely instinctual, and every swing rewarded him with satisfaction that perfected his technique. He imagined watching himself from above, cleaving monsters one after the other as they lunged into his blade, or failed to retreat far enough to avoid his swings. An empty sphere with an eight foot radius centered on Coop was established. Any monster that entered didn¡¯t last more than a few seconds before it was defeated. If Coop shifted in any direction the sphere would reform only after he had defeated a dozen more of the Trackers who were too slow to escape.


    Coop spent an hour mowing through the monsters. At first it didn¡¯t appear like he was making any progress at all, the horde of Primal Trackers was so thick that one or two packs being defeated hardly made an impression. But Coop was relentless and the monsters were not limitless.


    If Coop didn¡¯t have any responsibilities he would be happy to just stay home in Ghost Reef and grind monsters. He had been traveling quite a bit for someone who was trapped on an isolated island during the apocalypse, but it had been worth it so far. It was good that he was here to help his friends, and it would be rewarding for him personally as well.


    As the monsters thinned out he got more aggressive, pressing the attack while the Trackers did their best to scatter around him like a school of fish retreating from a shark. It only took a few more cycles for his glaive to finish off the last few packs. He could hear his heart beat in his ears, but he wasn¡¯t tired yet.


    One hour of slaughtering the invaders had resulted in several notifications that Coop finally checked after defeating the final pack.


    [You defeated Primal Tracker (Level 28)]


    [+22 Basic Credits]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Primal Trackers II]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Primal Tracker (Level 23)]


    [+14 Basic Credits]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Primal Trackers III]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Primal Tracker (Level 25)]


    [+16 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Blight Fang (Uncommon)]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Defeat Primal Trackers IV (135/5000)]


    Coop had already defeated a bit more than 400 of the monsters. That was some solid progress, but there would be a period of downtime while he gathered another group. It wasn¡¯t like he could extrapolate the number to figure out how long it would take him to finish this quest chain. He also couldn¡¯t guarantee that each group would be the same size or that they would take the same amount of time to defeat. There were a lot more variables at play than during his previous grinds where his primary limitation had become travel time. Either way, he just needed to push forward.


    He noted that the Primal Trackers didn¡¯t respawn the same way as the monsters back home. It seemed like these monsters roamed much further from their spawn points, so the ones that he had defeated may have respawned somewhere else. A large chunk of Peacock park was now completely free from monsters. Coop wasn¡¯t sure if he would need to worry about running out of enemies to fight, but in the worst case he would need to start tracking the Trackers until he found their respawning grounds.


    Before Coop started another looping jog to get the attention of more monsters something fell out of the nearest oak tree. Coop spun, ready to fight, but pulled back when he realized it was a little girl. She was at least a few years younger than Olani¡¯s grandkids.


    She beamed at him, ¡°Wow mister! That was so cool! Thanks for saving me!¡±


    She didn¡¯t bother brushing the dirt off of her knees and by the look of her she had been in the tree for a while. Her white sundress was stained from the bark and her blonde hair was tangled and unwashed with a few sticks and leaves caught in the strands. Coop looked up into the tree with suspicion, making sure there was no one else up there. He didn¡¯t see any.


    Coop kneeled down, ¡°Where¡¯d you come from?¡± he asked.


    She pointed up into the tree¡¯s canopy like it was obvious. ¡°I¡¯m not s¡¯posed to talk to strangers.¡± She added firmly.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good policy.¡± Coop confirmed. ¡°Do you know where your parents are?¡±


    She nodded vigorously, throwing at least one twig from her hair.


    Coop continued with the one sided questioning. ¡°Can you get back to them?¡±


    She shook her head before breaking her rule about talking to strangers again. ¡°They¡¯re dead.¡± She stated matter-of-factly. Coop frowned, not really equipped to properly handle this situation before she continued. ¡°I know where my brothers are! They¡¯re prob¡¯ly mad that I went to practice my sneaking without asking. I should go back.¡±


    ¡°You sure? Should I go with you?¡± Coop asked the little girl as if she should be making decisions like that herself.


    She paused and put a finger on her cheek like a thinking caricature. ¡°Hmmm¡­ No, you should stay here. They might get mad if I bring a stranger to the hiding place.¡± Coop could practically see the lightbulb above her head when she raised her finger into the air. ¡°Oh! I know! I¡¯m Elizabeth, but my brothers call me Elly! Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Coop.¡± Coop gave away his identity, not willing to lie to the little girl.


    ¡°Now we¡¯re not strangers!¡± Elly concluded. ¡°But I still can¡¯t bring you to the hiding place without permission.¡±


    Coop nodded admiring the kid¡¯s logic. ¡°Nice to meet you Elly. How old are your brothers?¡±


    ¡°Iunno. Old... Like you!¡±


    Coop pretended not to be hurt by the little girl calling him old. ¡°Can you tell them that Coop invited you and your brothers to Crane Point?¡± Coop asked, hoping his name on the leaderboards would be enough of an advertisement to bring the family to safety.


    ¡°Yup, but you can¡¯t look. Close your eyes and count to 100 so I can sneak away.¡± Elly commanded.


    Coop played along, sitting down with a crunch of leaves and counting with his eyes closed, but then she demanded he count out loud so that she could hear him, so he started over. Once she started running he opened an eye to make sure she was safe.


    He watched her run through the section that he cleared out before she crossed the street and made a beeline into one of the three story buildings that lined the main road. He was going to follow her, but she seemed to know exactly where she was going. He felt guilty, but decided to trust her to make it back to her brothers safely.


    Still, the next group of monsters that he fought was in the direction she had gone. He was going to clear out the park to make the area safer for anyone else that was still out there, starting with the side nearest to Elly¡¯s route.


    Coop kept up his hunt, fighting hundreds of the Primal Trackers at a time with his glaive. His health was steadily capped out thanks to his defensive layers reducing any damage he took to a minimum, and every kill recovering far more than he lost. His mana was also constantly full, taking tiny amounts of chip damage every once in a while, but regenerated naturally even without the help of his ¡®on kill¡¯ recovery.


    The sun had gone down and the open fields looked like isolated islands of moonlight in between the shadowed bike paths. Peacock Park was nearly cleared of monsters when Coop received another level up notification. Surprisingly, it wasn¡¯t from completing the next stage of the quest. The monsters were still high enough to also level him up as he defeated them.


    His strategy of mass pulling the monsters wouldn¡¯t work any more, as he had thinned their numbers too much. He had to hunt individual packs that were still roaming into the fields, but hadn¡¯t found their spawn points. His progress was slowing down, but admittedly it had been extremely fast when he could gather them by the hundreds.


    He checked his notifications one more time as he moved to the opposite end of the park.


    [You defeated Elite Primal Tracker (Level 30)]


    [+244 Basic Credits]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Primal Tracker (Level 28)]


    [+19 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Blight Fang (Uncommon)]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Defeat Primal Trackers IV (2890/5000)]


    Coop¡¯s progress had been amazing so far, but he still had a long way to go. He was a little worried that he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up his grind in Peacock Park, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to leave until he met back up with Camila and Charlie. He would be able to keep a steady pace for the rest of the night at least.

 Chapter 49: Block Patrol

    Peacock Park was as safe as it could get after the apocalypse. Coop was sitting on a wooden bench taking a well earned break while watching ducks swim along the shore of a small lake inside the park. The sun was shining and birds were cheerfully singing from the branches of nearby trees. There weren¡¯t any Primal Trackers to be seen.


    Coop hadn¡¯t found where the monsters were spawning from, but he had culled the invaders through the night and into the day. Every once in a while another pack would roam into the edges of the park, but at the rate that they were returning, it would take them weeks before they returned to their previous numbers.


    He considered hunting the packs and tracing their paths to try and find where they were coming from, but he already knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to finish the quest chain before the girls were due to return. He didn¡¯t want to leave the park and make it more difficult to meet up with Camila and Charlie. He ended up having a relaxing morning watching birds and squirrels. He massaged his calves and recalled his stretching routine from back at the fort before he walked around the perimeter of the park. His quick patrol found two more packs of five monsters to defeat.


    While exploring the park he found evidence that someone had camped inside the dugout of one of the baseball fields, but they had been gone for quite a while. Otherwise, it seemed like the park had been claimed by the Primal Trackers relatively early in the assimilation. It would have made a good place to grind monsters even in the early days. The park was a lot easier to move around in compared to the sandy dunes of Ghost Reef where he had hunted the Ancient Defenders.


    Upon returning to the main entrance of the park, where he would meet the girls, he decided he would add a block to his little patrol. He could cycle back to the entrance of the park frequently enough to not worry about missing Camila and Charlie¡¯s return. This way, he would also find more monsters to hunt and hopefully ease the burden on any survivors that were still in the buildings.


    While many of the buildings had obviously deteriorated after the assimilation began, he noted that most of them were still structurally sound. Having a civilization shard in a city would probably be a huge boon for developing a proper sanctuary. As long as someone like Balor was around, to strengthen the foundations, the city would basically come prebuilt. Coop wouldn¡¯t have abandoned all the free real estate if he had the choice. Back home they only had the lighthouse and the fort to begin with, and they had both been extremely helpful. Ghost Reef was still defined by both of the original structures.


    He walked along a tree covered street that led away from the park. It was lined by a series of storefronts on both sides. There was a barbershop with its red, white, and blue pole still standing, a clothing boutique with wedding dresses displayed in the front window, a used bookstore still full of books, a specialty coffee shop with a smashed front window on one corner, and a fancy looking steakhouse on the opposite corner.


    On a whim, Coop went into the bookstore to test his scavenging ability. He had to force his way into the locked front door, but his improved Strength allowed him to force the door open with minimal damage to the rest of the front. The door probably wouldn¡¯t lock anymore, but he doubted that would be a problem in the future. If someone wanted to get in they would just smash the windows anyway. At least it still looked intact without a closer inspection.


    He tried scavenging a book from a table that displayed new bestsellers for anyone that entered the store. It immediately joined the rest of his profession¡¯s collection. Coop was surprised that it worked. He thought there would be more restrictions on what was eligible to be scavenged. He couldn¡¯t just loot anything he came across, he had tried other random items before and found himself unable to get them into his storage.


    Coop thought it was possible that this was the true purpose of the scavenging profession, and the auto looting of defeated enemies was actually just a secondary feature. Of course, Coop was pushing that secondary feature to the extreme, getting all sorts of benefits from the profession due to his grinding sessions. He had barely explored other possibilities due to the isolation of Ghost Reef.


    In any case, his profession allowed him to hoover up all of the books from the small bookstore. It had piles and piles of books stuffed into bookshelves and even stacked on the floor. They were mostly in pretty good shape even if some of them were worn from previous readers. He didn¡¯t discriminate with which books he claimed. All types of fiction, non-fiction, and everything from encyclopedias to journals went into his spatial storage. He¡¯d take them all back to Ghost Reef and see if the undead archive would take care of them. It seemed like a shame to leave them behind and he knew some factions would value their contents. He remembered that pre-mana knowledge was the reason Jones had been Chosen, for instance. Coop cleared out the entire store and exited back to the street.


    Coop made it to the first intersection and took a left, planning on wrapping around the block back to the park. Halfway down the block he was confronted by a pack of Primal Trackers led by a level 30 elite that had been waiting among the overgrown bushes on the sides of the road. Of course he wasn¡¯t deterred, attacking them directly with his ethereal glaive already equipped. He moved to the group of monsters who had positioned themselves into a familiar half circle designed to give each member an equal opportunity to attack. Coop stepped directly toward the leader, in the center of the five monsters, and thrust his honed glaive forward.


    The wolf-like monster leapt backwards out of range of the blade. Coop transitioned the thrust into a horizontal strike toward an adjacent monster. The quick adjustment caught a regular Primal Tracker before it could decide whether to attack or retreat. The blade crunched through the snout of the monster and defeated it just as another monster decided to lunge from the opposite side.


    Coop ignored the lunging monster to press the elite leader, hopping forward with enough swiftness to cause the attacker to whiff its diving attack. Coop thrust his glaive forward once again and made the elite choose to either isolate itself from the rest of its pack by dodging backwards again, or dodging to one of the sides while remaining in range of Coop¡¯s glaive.


    The monster made the fatal mistake of dodging to Coop¡¯s right, placing itself into the same line that the already defeated monster had been holding. Coop repeated the horizontal strike, catching the elite monster at the shoulder and slicing all the way through. The elite was defeated as easily as the normal monsters despite being superior in stats and abilities by a significant degree. Coop did enough damage when he landed critical blows to devastate even the strong elites. They would need to have a disproportionate amount of defensive stats or otherwise be protected by skills to survive a headshot from Coop¡¯s blade.


    The last three monsters didn¡¯t give up, simultaneously attacking while doing their best to avoid Coop¡¯s glaive, but he was faster and stronger than they were and they weren¡¯t very durable. They had no chance without any particular abilities to elevate them above a simple comparison of stats.


    Coop managed to avoid any damage with some simple side steps combined with his unrelenting aggression. Just like when he fought the elite Strength zombies, Coop took the advantage right away and then pressed forward, preventing the monsters from rallying any defense properly. He was sure there would be some philosophical way of looking at his strategy, but he was simply trying to get the first strike every time.


    After the last monster evaporated into mana smoke, Coop planted the butt of his glaive into the ground and looked around. The small shops had given way to apartment buildings on the side street. They were in pretty good shape. Before mana they were probably in high demand. Even though they weren¡¯t high-rises they were still luxury apartments with a central courtyard in each building. The landscaping had become unkempt, but it was obvious they were well maintained in the past. The nearby park and walkable shops made it a nice area for a lively setting outside of downtown.


    He noticed some movement in his peripheral vision while he was admiring the block and quickly turned to a second story window, catching a man bumping heads with a lady before he could get out of the way. They had been peeking over a windowsill that was filled with colorful succulents that failed to give them real camouflage. Coop stood in the middle of the street and looked around at the rest of the windows that surrounded him. He didn¡¯t see anyone else, but odds were there were more people who were sheltering in place not realizing the danger of remaining outside of the settlements.


    With a sigh he thought he should at least warn them that the monsters would just keep getting more dangerous, then let them decide how to handle the information. He walked toward the couple¡¯s building, making a note of where their window had been. As he leisurely went up the stairs in the interior courtyard he briefly considered his appearance. He just had his glaive and gladiator sandals summoned since he was lounging at the park earlier. He looked like an armed beach bum. Maybe the rest of the armor would improve the look, but he kind of was an armed beach bum. Why should he hide it?


    He stood on a welcome mat and gently knocked on the couple¡¯s door, #223. He was ninety percent sure this was the correct one, but no one answered. He tried one more time before he would give up.


    They still didn¡¯t answer so he moved to leave, but as soon as he started he heard whispering and froze.


    ¡°Just open it and see what he wants!¡± The lady hissed, failing to keep her voice to a complete whisper.


    ¡°No way, Laurie, you saw what he did to those monsters.¡± A man¡¯s deeper whisper responded. Coop decided he would just leave them alone and started to leave.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Exactly! He could break the door down if he wanted! Just open it!¡± The lady continued with exasperation, barely maintaining a whisper that Coop could clearly hear through their front door.


    Coop was only a step away when the lock on the door clicked and the door swung inside. A nervous looking man leaned out from behind the door, keeping most of his body behind it. ¡°Can we help you, sir?¡± He asked. Coop inspected their auras.


    [Human (Level 15)]


    [Pyroclastic Smith (Intelligence)]


    [Chosen of the Black Star]


    [Steam]


    [Human (Level 9)]


    [Enchanter (Intelligence)]


    [Arcane]


    ¡°I just wanted to apologize for disturbing you two.¡± Coop began. ¡°And to warn you that it¡¯s only going to get more dangerous outside of the settlements.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no problem¡­¡± The man started. The pair looked at each other before the lady continued.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that we have a baby and didn¡¯t want to get involved with¡­ everything.¡±


    Coop offered his congratulations for the baby and the parents introduced themselves as Laurie and Greg, owners of a coffee shop around the corner. Or former owners, as they had given up on it at this point. Their coffee shop gave Coop an idea though.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you two come back to my settlement and start another coffee shop?¡± Coop offered. ¡°It¡¯ll be safer than staying put.¡±


    Laurie looked confused, ¡°You have a settlement?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yep.¡± Coop stated with a friendly smile.


    ¡°What are you doing wandering around out here?¡± Greg asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m just visiting to pick up the family of friends.¡± Coop explained. ¡°I¡¯m happy to take anyone that needs a safe place as long as they¡¯re willing to help with the settlement. It¡¯s small and isolated, on an island, and we¡¯re remaining factionless.¡±


    Greg looked hesitant, confused that such an offer would appear on their doorstep, but Laurie spoke up right away. ¡°We accept. Should we leave now or¡­?¡±


    Coop couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at Greg¡¯s face when his wife revealed her eagerness to get out of Dodge. ¡°I won¡¯t be leaving for another two days at the earliest, but people are gathering at Crane Point for the trip. Do you know where that is?¡±


    ¡°We can get there. Is your invitation just for us, or can we tell our friends?¡± Laurie asked while Greg was still visibly trying to figure out what was going on as he gaped at his wife.


    ¡°Bring whoever, but no freeloaders, and if they have a faction that wants to control Earth they¡¯ll need to defect.¡± Coop extended the offer.


    ¡°What about babies? Most of our mommy group is still hiding out.¡± Laurie seriously asked.


    Coop tried not to be offended by the suggestion that he would exclude babies from the safety of his settlement. ¡°I¡¯m not a monster, of course babies are fine.¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait¡­¡± Greg interrupted. ¡°You want a coffee shop? We need supplies, equipment¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh hush,¡± Laurie stopped him. ¡°We can figure it out, there¡¯s magic now, Greg.¡± She looked at Coop, ¡°Thanks for the offer, we¡¯ll gather our things and head to Crane Point right away.¡±


    Coop took the hint and made his way to leave, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll be around the main entrance of Peacock Park if you need help. Good luck.¡±


    Coop left the couple to work things out. Before he was out of earshot he could hear Laurie putting her foot down about exactly what they were going to do next. Good for her, he thought.


    He went back to the coffee shop that he had walked past earlier and climbed through the broken front window, avoiding the shards of glass even if they probably wouldn¡¯t hurt him. He went ahead and used his profession to scavenge all of the equipment and materials from behind the counter and in the storeroom.


    Coop didn¡¯t actually drink coffee, he had been so wrapped up in his own survivor¡¯s guilt he didn¡¯t do anything except for the simple tasks that were laid out for him. He didn¡¯t drink, he ate based on his team¡¯s meal plan, he only went to parties if someone dragged him there, and barely anyone would go through the effort more than once. Still, he thought a coffee shop would be a good addition to the settlement.


    Coop circled several more blocks, always returning to Peacock Park. He scavenged a few more places and also returned to Charlie¡¯s house. He found packs of monsters, but never enough to push his quest forward in a significant way. The park itself hadn¡¯t gathered any new monsters either. He was apparently cutting off the reinforcements by defeating them in the surrounding blocks.


    When he returned to the park after yet another circuit around abandoned blocks he spotted three large figures waiting for him. Coop was a pretty tall guy, but even from a distance he could tell that these three were taller and way bigger. Once he got close enough, he used his aura to reveal theirs.


    [Human (Level 23)]


    [Warbuster (Body)]


    [Chosen of the Alliance of Metal]


    [Metallic]


    [Human (Level 23)]


    [Warbuster (Body)]


    [Chosen of the Alliance of Metal]


    [Metallic]


    [Human (Level 23)]


    [Warbuster (Body)]


    [Chosen of the Alliance of Metal]


    [Metallic]


    [Human (Level 0)]


    Three identical classes, how strange. That¡¯s when he also realized there was a fourth tiny human on the shoulders of the center of the three. He recognized the blonde hair despite it being washed and combed; it was Elly. These giants must have been her brothers. He kept approaching to offer his greetings and see what they needed.


    ¡°It¡¯s him!¡± Elly shouted when he got closer, leaning forward to point at him and let her brother see.


    Coop had never seen any classes repeated, but these three brothers all had identical auras. He thought they might also be triplets. They all had faded blue jeans with white t-shirts and cowboy boots. All three had short buzz cuts. Coop had known some guys that had the same look in college and they always had nicknames like Cornbread or Bubba.


    ¡°How¡¯s it goin¡¯ boys?¡± Coop greeted


    ¡°You the one that saved Elly?¡± The middle one asked, looking down at Coop.


    ¡°I guess so, she seemed alright when I spotted her. Did she tell you about Crane Point?¡± Coop answered.


    The left brother responded, ¡°She told us, but we ain¡¯t from here, so we dunno where that is.¡±


    The right brother continued, ¡°We came to meet you first anyway. You really the guy on the leaderboards?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Coop nodded sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯m not really advertising it. If you could keep that a secret, I¡¯d appreciate it.¡± Coop confirmed.


    The middle brother nodded first and the other two exchanged a glance and followed with their own nods.


    ¡°We¡¯re the Cleary brothers.¡± The center one stated. ¡°I¡¯m Buck and these are my little brothers. Junior and Tiny. You already met Elly.¡± Coop would struggle to remember which was which. Buck continued, ¡°Our faction told us to find a settlement so we traveled to the city, but this Endless Empire is no good.¡±


    ¡°They ain¡¯t right.¡± Tiny commented, shaking his head.


    ¡°Mama wouldn¡¯t have liked them.¡± Junior added. ¡°Singlin¡¯ people out so they can feel all superior.¡±


    ¡°It ain¡¯t right.¡± Tiny repeated.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been hangin¡¯ around, beating up those mean metal dogs.¡± Buck explained, Tiny knocked his fists together with a metallic clink. ¡°This park had too many of them for us. You did that?¡± He asked with a gesture to the empty park.


    ¡°Yep, ran out of monsters to fight though.¡± Coop confirmed.


    Buck nodded, ¡°What¡¯s at Crane Point?¡±


    ¡°Crane Point has a marina. I¡¯m taking people from there back to my own settlement, away from the Empire.¡± Coop explained. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to join as long as you find something to do to help out.¡±


    ¡°I wanna go!¡± Elly shouted from her perch above Buck¡¯s head.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll go.¡± Buck agreed without hesitating while Elly cheered. Both ¡®little¡¯ brothers nodded. ¡°We can show you where there¡¯s more monsters while you give us directions.¡±


    ¡°Lead the way.¡± Coop told him and started telling him how to get to the marina.


    Coop didn¡¯t get far in his explanation before Laurie shouted at them from down the block. She hustled over to the group with her baby strapped to her chest and Greg bringing up the rear with six different bags strapped to him. He was struggling under the weight. Apparently, they had already roused the rest of their friends and were all meeting at Peacock Park to head to Crane Point as a group.


    Coop¡¯s invitation had been extended like a game of telephone with neighbors contacting friends and so on. It seemed like a significant portion of the city wasn¡¯t interested in joining the Empire or any faction for that matter. Most had ended up heading to the Empire¡¯s settlement anyway, but some were still staying put, holding out hope for a different option. Despite the city seeming to be abandoned, people managed to keep in touch. The mommy group was just one example of acquaintances keeping up with each other.


    Laurie would have the Cleary brothers escort them since they expected to have several infants along for their trip. Elly was super happy about meeting the baby and couldn¡¯t wait to see the rest.


    Buck led Coop to the Primal Trackers while they waited for their group to gather.

 Chapter 50: The Blight Howler

    Buck took Coop away from the city, further into the suburban sprawl that extended outward from the metropolitan hub. Despite Coop¡¯s assumptions based on his appearance, the big man was talkative. Coop learned that the three brothers were each a year apart and the youngest was 10 years older than Elly. Buck took his position as elder of the family quite seriously, but the brothers knew they were hard to distinguish from each other and didn¡¯t mind when they were confused for each other. They shared a pleasant conversation about their past lives while they traveled. Coop learned more about farm machinery than he really needed, but Buck was interesting enough to pass the time.


    They trekked along a state road that continued for hundreds of miles. Pleasant company or not, Coop didn¡¯t want to spend all of his time walking, so after half an hour he was already getting worried about the distance. Thankfully, they didn¡¯t need to travel that much longer. Their destination was still within the city limits and wasn¡¯t all the way beyond the agricultural lands that spread even further inland. Buck directed him into the entrance of an 18 hole golf course and country club. They stopped next to the driving range.


    ¡°They come out from over there.¡± Buck stated, pointing past a group of putting greens to what Coop assumed was the first hole of the golf course. Sure enough, a pack wandered out just as they were arriving. The Primal Trackers walked along the golf cart path and headed toward the edge of the country club.


    ¡°Thanks, Buck. I¡¯ll check it out.¡± Coop said.


    ¡°Good luck, boss man.¡± Buck grunted and headed back the way they came with a wave to Coop.


    Coop went after the pack that they had already spotted, following a path that took him around the main building. The country club had been designed to look aged, like an old chateau, so he wasn¡¯t sure what had been caused by the assimilation and what was intentional, but either way it remained fancy. It was the kind of place where industry leaders had expensive dinners rubbing elbows with politicians. He followed the pack of Primal Trackers along the rear of the structure, past a stone landing with a dry white fountain in the center and toward a series of overgrown flower gardens.


    He used Salvation to summon his ethereal armor and jogged to catch the monsters. He didn¡¯t let them get any further, managing to attack them by surprise and eliminate one before they could form their characteristic half circle. He pressed the advantage he had taken by striking first and quickly defeated the other four. Coop was still amused by the idea of tracking the Trackers.


    He traced the monster¡¯s path back toward the first hole¡¯s teeing ground and came face to face with another pack of monsters. This second pack was exactly like the first, lacking an elite leader and merely a group of five regular level 20ish monsters. The result was also exactly the same, with Coop quickly clearing the pack and moving forward.


    Coop continued tracing the monster¡¯s path and eliminating them group by group. The frequency of the packs slowly increased until he was well into the fairway of the third hole. The golf course had formed an interesting environment where the fairways were still short, but the rough had overgrown into wild grasses and thick groves of trees created grassy corridors in between. Coop felt like he was moving through a classic dungeon, except it was open to the sky and very green and pleasant. The monsters appeared to prefer the border between the ankle high fairway grass and the head high rough grass.


    By the fourth hole the density of the monsters had become even higher than Peacock Park¡¯s had been. Coop didn¡¯t need to gather huge groups to continuously fight. They were so densely grouped the monsters came to him as it was impossible to ignore when he eliminated their neighbors. His movement through the course may have slowed down, but his quest progress in defeating the Trackers had picked right back up.


    Coop¡¯s glaive mowed through the monsters as he gradually cleared each fairway and moved to the next. The golf course had only taken him in one direction so far, but he anticipated the trail wrapping back on itself after only a few more holes.


    Coming to this golf course had been a good idea. At the rate he was currently defeating the monsters, if he had another day and a half of grinding he would be able to complete the quest chain. He only had maybe eight hours before he would head back to the park to see how Camila and Charlie¡¯s scouting trip had fared, so he wouldn¡¯t be finishing during this hunt. He¡¯d just have to make the best of his time for now, and come back to finish the quest when he had the chance. If everything went well he would come back that night and finish during the next day.


    The monsters were also spawning behind him, but he was pushing forward faster than they respawned. He didn¡¯t feel the need to stop since the density just kept going up. He thought he¡¯d go for a full round of 18 holes, then turn around and cleave his way out. He predicted that he would be more than halfway done with the chain by the time he needed to leave.


    After a few hours of progress Coop lit up with the glow of yet another level. He¡¯d managed to defeat 2,000 Primal Trackers in the day despite spending most of it patrolling the streets around the empty Peacock Park and he still had plenty more daylight. He checked his notifications.


    [You defeated Primal Tracker (Level 25)]


    [+20 Basic Credits]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Primal Trackers IV]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Defeat Primal Trackers V (0/11111)]


    The final stretch was a long one. He still needed to defeat almost 3,000 monsters just to be halfway done with the entire chain, but he was happy to at least be able to see the finish line.


    At the tee of the ninth hole Coop stopped. He was on an elevated start that looked over the entire distance to the green. The marker for the cup was still standing with a triangular red flag flapping in the breeze. The way the course snaked back on itself meant that the fairway of this hole was the exact center. Aside from the few packs of monsters on the tee ground and a few more at the green more than 500 yards away the corridor of short grass was almost completely empty. At the elbow halfway down the fairway was a single much larger monster. It was another Primal Tracker, but much bigger than even the elites had been. Coop knew he¡¯d found a challenge. He wanted to keep going, so he got close enough to read the creature¡¯s aura.


    [Field Boss: Primal Tracker (Level 35)]


    [Andamarius the Blight Howler (Agility)]


    [Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]


    Coop knew a boss when he saw one and this one definitely qualified. It¡¯s appearance was almost the same as any of the other Primal Trackers, but it was oversized and it was a different color. It was laying in the middle of the fairway, occupying almost the entire width of the empty space. The boss was almost the size of a bus. All the grass was dead in a perfect circle around the monster, turned brown with decay. Its metallic scales were mostly brown, but streaks of chrome lined its spine and joints, not to mention its glinting spiked teeth and jagged claws.


    The reflections off the shiny metallic plates reminded Coop of the very first day when he was scared out of his mind. He had seen metal reflecting from the mangrove forest and near the entrance to what became the Coral Forest Mana Well. It made him wonder if there were field bosses from the very beginning, or if they evolved over time, and more importantly, if he would find any back home. He hoped not. He¡¯d prefer Ghost Reef to be as safe as possible.


    Coop wasn¡¯t sure if he should be fighting the huge wolf shaped mechanical monster. Coop acknowledged that he needed to defeat a Siege Boss for his settlement quest, but this was a Field Boss. Surely, the quest would have merely said Boss if any type would do. Plus, he was on a mission right now, to complete the quest chain to defeat the Primal Trackers. This beast wasn¡¯t a part of that. He could just turn around and start fighting the respawns on the previous fairways.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Then again, he wasn¡¯t going to finish the quest chain today whether he tested the boss or not. If he needed to defeat a Siege Boss this might be a good opportunity to get an idea for the difficulty the boss title would indicate. A normal monster and an elite monster were quite different in terms of both power and abilities. He could at least gauge what the next step up would be and retreat if it seemed like it would take too long or he needed reinforcements.


    Coop dismissed his glaive and summoned his spear and shield to improve his mobility and defenses, but before he engaged the boss he acknowledged that he was trying to lie to himself. Once he started fighting, he wouldn¡¯t be able to completely disengage. These monsters lived up to their name as Trackers, they had a debuff that made sure the fight wouldn¡¯t reset until they were done. No, he couldn¡¯t fool himself. He saw this challenge as an opportunity.


    Coop couldn¡¯t figure out if he was psyching himself up or psyching himself out. He admitted that he was worried that there were Field Bosses lurking back on Ghost Reef. He wanted to make sure he was keeping up with the Primal Constructs so that home would continue to feel safe and secure. Seeing those metallic reflections during the apocalypse had shaken him more than he expected. He stepped forward and made his decision, he¡¯d put that fear to bed.


    Once he was 100 yards from the monster it stood up. Three glowing red eyes lit up on its head, forming a triangle. When he was 50 yards away it raised its head like it was an actual wolf getting ready to howl at the moon. The sound that came out was horrible. It was unnatural, like a freight train¡¯s air horn but warped with mechanical distortions. Coop was stopped in his tracks and even his vision was affected. It was like all of the blues, reds, and greens in his sight were separating from each other ever so slightly. When the sound finally stopped he had notifications.


    [You resisted Blight of Mortals: Curse of Death]


    [You resisted Blight of the Weak: Petrification]


    [You resisted Blight of the Helpless: Fragility]


    It was too late for second thoughts, but Coop still had them. He didn¡¯t need to continue his charge because the field boss covered the last 50 yards in four leaping bounds. Every clawed foot formed another brown patch in the green fairway where it connected.


    Coop had to dive out of the way to dodge a double swiping slash from the monster¡¯s front claws. Side steps would be useless if he wanted to avoid taking direct hits. He rolled and regained his footing in time to throw his spear into the exposed flank of the boss. It landed with a solid thump as it penetrated the metallic scales that armored the monster. The spear was sticking out where the ribs would have been, but it was like a toothpick compared to the mass of its body. Coop wasn¡¯t sure if the damage would even register to the monster.


    The Field Boss slid to a stop, leaving long gouges in the ground where its claws tore the surface and exposed the dirt. It whirled to face Coop, now further toward the tee, and was completely unbothered by the tiny spear lodged in its side. Coop recalled his spear and prepared himself. He¡¯d go for the eyes next.


    The monster took one leap to land directly in front of Coop. Without stopping it twisted its head and opened its mouth ready to chomp with gleaming chrome teeth. Coop tossed his spear up in the air, but still had to jump sideways to dodge the gaping maw before he could mistjump out of the way. He raised his shield and collided with the chin of the metallic monster, avoiding the teeth, but still felt like he collided with a train.


    Before he bounced off the ground he mistjumped to his flying spear and plunged onto the back shoulders of the still moving monster. His spear stabbed through the metal scales, finding purchase and preventing him from falling as the monster¡¯s momentum carried it forward.


    The monster finally slid to another stop, kicking chunks of green fairway into the air, and turned back to where Coop had been standing. Coop took the opportunity to heft the spear above his head and leap forward, stabbing the Field Boss in the center eye with a crunch. The monster reacted violently, ripping its head away and throwing Coop off. Coop crashed onto the ground and rolled back to his feet with his shield up, leaving the spear lodged in the monster¡¯s head.


    The boss located Coop and raised its head to howl again. Coop had to resist covering his ears as the sound seemed to physically vibrate the air around the golf course. The grass around the monster withered and died while the howl continued. When it finally ended, the monster faced Coop. It seemed disappointed to find the tiny human hadn¡¯t also withered and died.


    It didn¡¯t linger in its disappointment and it once again charged at Coop with a leaping bound. Coop avoided the double swiping attack with another dive, but the monster hadn¡¯t let its momentum carry itself out of range this time. It whipped around and he only had time to raise his shield as the monster¡¯s tail collided with him.


    The tail swipe smashed into Coop and launched him off the fairway, through the tall grass until he collided with an oak tree deep in the rough. Coop heard a sickening pop when his torso met the trunk of the sturdy tree. His shield had exploded before it dissipated into mist. He didn¡¯t even know his summoned equipment could be destroyed, but the tail swipe had made it evaporate after one direct hit.


    Coop¡¯s health was at 2551 / 3375 and his mana was still 5304 / 6150. The blocked tail swipe had still taken over 600 health and colliding with the tree added even more damage. All of his damage mitigation had certainly saved him from a more devastating result, but he also had multiple afflictions. Tracker¡¯s Blight with no countdown at all and a single Broken Rib debuff that required a full day of recovery while at full health to heal. Coop assumed that a broken rib would also be his diagnosis if he found a doctor and only one day of healing would really be a miracle. He pulled out one of Olani¡¯s healing tinctures and drank it. It tasted really nice but only healed him for 50 health. Every little bit could count though.


    He stood back up noting that the Field Boss had remained on the fairway, knowing that its challenger wasn¡¯t done, but waiting anyway. It seemed like the monster¡¯s inclination was to track a weakened foe and take its time before defeating its enemies. Coop wasn¡¯t that weakened yet, though, so he made his way back through the grass without summoning his shield. When he made it back to the edge of the fairway, the Field Boss raised its head to howl once again.


    ¡°Oh, shutup.¡± Coop grumbled as he felt his eardrums vibrating in his head. The leaves of the trees behind him started to change colors and fall off like it was autumn. These trees were in the tropics where there were only two seasons, wet and dry, and had never experienced an autumn. He tried to take a deep breath, but only managed half of one as the combination of his injury and the howl made even breathing difficult.


    When the howl finally ceased, he had resisted several more Blights thanks to his extremely high Mind stat. The wolf-like creature looked at him curiously before preparing another attack. Coop remained unarmed and unshielded, but as soon as the boss¡¯s head was in a stable looking position he mistjumped to his still embedded spear.


    Standing on the base of the monster¡¯s snout as it started to charge he yanked the spear out and stabbed a second red light ¡®eye¡¯. The jab resulted in another crashing pop. The boss halted its charge, abandoning it to shake its target off. The sudden teleport had caught it off guard, but it was still strong enough to throw Coop away. He rolled through brown grass wincing in pain, but only taking negligible damage.


    The boss wasn¡¯t done and even as Coop resummoned his shield, it was already bearing down on him with both front claws. Coop smashed into the first claw, shield first, and allowed it to throw him out of the way of the second slash. His shield shattered once again, and Coop¡¯s armor hadn¡¯t protected him from receiving one large gash from the longest center claw. His armor prevented it from tearing through his chest, but he still came away bleeding from around his left shoulder and down his right hip. His health was down below 1400 and he added a bleeding affliction to his growing collection. He only rolled once before he was back on his feet.


    The monster bared its teeth and snapped at Coop before he resummoned his shield. Coop was forced into another desperate leap out of the way, leaving him rolling on his back, exposing himself to another bite. He mistjumped to his spear, but immediately fell off the monster¡¯s rapidly moving head, dragging his spear out of the second destroyed eye. The wolf monster whirled to face Coop, charging with its claws. Coop jumped out of the way then had to hurdle a tail whip as the boss slid past him.


    When Coop turned, the monster was also turning. They faced each other down, from 25 yards apart. The green fairway of the golf course had turned into a brown, blighted, area. The grass was washed out and dead and the light breeze blew bits of dirt and leaves around in the air between the two combatants.


    The Field Boss leaned its head back and prepared another howl. Coop planted his left foot firmly in the dirt and threw his spear with all the strength he could muster just hoping to shut the monster up. The monster¡¯s howl started for only a split second before the spear lodged itself in its exposed throat. The sound changed from a distorted mechanical horn to an even worse grinding sound as if the freight train it was imitating had jumped its tracks. The monster spasmed, violently shaking so that Coop felt compelled to step backward. It seemed like the boss couldn¡¯t stop the howl once it began and it was building pressure.


    The monster fell backwards and the metal on the creature¡¯s throat swelled until it exploded. A piece of shrapnel smashed into Coop¡¯s armored chest knocking his breath out of his lungs and throwing him onto his back. Coop involuntarily squeezed his eyes shut and scrambled to catch his breath. He noted several new notifications and expected more debilitating afflictions.


    When he sat up he anticipated an injured and enraged Field Boss ready to finish him off. However, the explosion had been larger than he predicted, leaving a crater as if artillery had struck the beast instead of just his spear. Its body was evaporating on one edge of the ditch and its decapitated head was disappearing from the other.


    Coop laid back down on his back in relief, taking shallow breaths to avoid aggravating the pain he still had in his chest.

 Chapter 51: Dauntless

    Coop rested for a while, slowly catching his breath despite his injuries. He idly considered if he had learned anything.


    When he and Jones had first battled an elite they had come to the hard realization that there was a significant difference between normal and elite monsters, even when they were the same type and same level. When he was on the oil platform, Coop had spent several days fighting elites that were as high as level 40 in order to retrieve the spectral relic. At this point, he felt like he had a good idea for how strong elites were. He felt his stats matched up favorably against elites of an equal level to himself and maybe even a bit higher.


    If elites were ten times stronger than normal monsters, then he would say that the Field Boss had been at least ten times stronger than equivalent elites. Most likely even more. Coop was thinking that monster stats might escalate the same way the number of kills grew during each stage of a quest chain.


    Coop remained on his back and checked his notifications after defeating the Primal Tracker Field Boss.


    [You defeated Field Boss: Primal Tracker (Level 35)]


    [+40147 Basic Credits]


    [+3 Blighted Destruction Gem (Legendary)]


    [+2 Blighted Guardian Crystal (Legendary)]


    [+6 Perfect Blight Fang (Rare)]


    [+4 Perfect Blight Claw (Rare)]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [You have acquired a new title!]


    Coop firmly decided that he had learned nothing, the risk he had taken was totally worth it. Defeating a field boss had yielded a ridiculous amount of rewards. It had been lower level than he was, but it still boosted him two levels.


    Scavenging had given him more materials than any single monster had in the past and the number of credits from a single fight was absurd. Not to mention some of the items had a new rank that he hadn¡¯t seen before. The gems and crystals were the first legendary items he had scavenged so far. Coop felt like he was becoming a dragon with the hoard of materials he was accumulating inside his spatial storage.


    He placed his free points into Mind and felt like he was ready to go again, despite his afflictions. He checked out his new title first.


    Dauntless - First Raid to Defeat a Field Boss.


    +100% damage dealt to bosses.


    Coop was more excited about being the first to defeat a field boss than the actual bonus the title provided him, even if the bonus seemed completely amazing. It also clearly stated that it was meant for more than a single individual. Coop didn¡¯t think it would have been a good idea for anyone else to engage the boss at this stage of the assimilation. He didn¡¯t think they would have been able to survive the initial howl¡¯s blights. It was good that he defeated it on his own, he probably saved some lives.


    The Dauntless bonus would benefit him when he fought bosses in the future, but really it didn¡¯t seem like damage was the way he defeated this one in the first place. Maybe with the huge damage boost from the title, he would be more effective, but Coop was thinking that he should be focused on seeking out critical areas when he fought such imposing enemies. If he just tried to stab it to death it would have been a ridiculous slug fest, one that he would be guaranteed to lose.


    Coop still had a few more questions about Field Bosses. He wanted to know if they would respawn, what conditions brought them in the first place, and what other types there were. He¡¯d keep an eye out, but his best bet would be to once again seek information back in the library at home when he had free time after things calmed down.


    He put his questions aside and checked his status.


    [Status]


    HP - 3500/3500


    MP - 6400/6400


    Class - Revenant (Level 43)


    Profession - Basic Scavenging (Level 39)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 30 (+640)


    Agility - 30 (+320)


    Body - 30 (+320)


    Mind - 640


    Intelligence - 30


    Acumen - 30


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion III, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper, Slayer II, Dauntless


    Skills (Active) - Retribution, Salvation, Presence of Mind


    Skills (Passive) - Common Language, Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application


    Quests - Defeat Primal Trackers V (868/11111), Defeat Primal Kites II (21/25), Upgrade Village to Town


    Basic Credits - 158,381


    His Reaper title had fully recovered his health and mana after defeating the Field Boss, but he still had at least one broken rib and the Tracker¡¯s Blight that prevented his health regeneration would last 50 hours now that it wasn¡¯t being reapplied by the monster¡¯s aura. That meant his ribs wouldn¡¯t even start healing for two more days. Just a few parting gifts from the defeated boss that he¡¯d rather not have.


    He¡¯d gained three levels in one day so far. Anyone watching the leaderboard would be amazed, but he didn¡¯t bother checking. It wouldn¡¯t be enough to catch either of the undead faction members in the top two spots and the rest of the leaderboard wouldn¡¯t have changed much in the short time since he last checked. He was chasing at least one more level in the near future anyway, when he completed the chain.


    Coop really wanted to level his profession and have it surpass his class level. It would be a massive pool of hidden stats that were even further amplified by his passive skills. He also wondered if he could reach level 50 before Day 30. There was a decent chance he could push it if they returned to Ghost Reef and he blasted through a few of the early quest chains that he hadn¡¯t started yet, but that depended on how soon he was back.


    He wanted to be as prepared as possible when the settlement events began. In the back of his mind he was worried that they didn¡¯t stand a chance. If the events were balanced around settlements in cities with millions of residents, like the Empire¡¯s, they would be in deep trouble. He¡¯d need to do his best to gather his own strength to give them a fighting chance.


    Coop painfully got up, despite his full health, and went around the crater toward the putting green. He resummoned his glaive. There was no sense in wasting daylight. He could hunt Primal Trackers for several more hours and still be back at Peacock Park to meet with the girls. He was still shooting for another 10,000 Primal Trackers defeats before he returned to Ghost Reef and to meet that goal, he¡¯d need to be relentless.


    He hunted more monsters and noted that the density had peaked on the 8th and 10th holes. When he finished with the 18th hole he didn¡¯t turn around, instead walking across the rear courtyard of the country club to return to the first hole. He didn¡¯t have enough time for another round of 18, and he didn¡¯t want to risk a Field Boss respawn preventing him from leaving on time. He¡¯d reclear the front nine of Primal Trackers before turning around and heading back to Peacock Park.


    He snagged another profession level on the green of the 6th hole, but other than dropping the points into Mind, he didn¡¯t pause to slow down his hunt. As the tall trees on either side of each hole started to cast long shadows across the fairways he wrapped it up. He headed back to Peacock Park, walking along the state road and checking his notifications.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    [You defeated Primal Tracker (Level 25)]


    [+16 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Blight Fang (Uncommon)]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Primal Tracker (Level 25)]


    [+16 Basic Credits]


    [Defeat Primal Trackers V (2995/11111)]


    The progress was good, but he would still need a solid 25 hours before he finished the chain. If the girls already brought Charlie¡¯s parents back he¡¯d come back and start getting it done right away. Hopefully, they¡¯d have good news.


    The light of day was fading when Coop took a seat at the entrance of Peacock Park. He hadn¡¯t seen any Primal Trackers on the way back and the park was also completely empty. No people either. He took the opportunity to take a break, laying on a bench and admiring the sky as dusk transformed it from a swirling sunset to a starry night. His eyelids grew heavy and he started dozing off.


    The girls returned before he fell asleep, finding him laying on his back on a park bench looking like a real bum without the beach to justify his appearance. He sat up a little too quickly and winced at the reminder that his ribs weren¡¯t quite right.


    ¡°What the heck happened to you?¡± Camila worriedly asked.


    ¡°Got a little beat up fighting the boss dog.¡± Coop admitted, waving off her concern, ¡°What about you guys? How¡¯d it go?¡±


    Charlie¡¯s frown said it all, but she still told him, ¡°We couldn¡¯t even find the prison. We narrowed down the possibilities but everyone we spoke to either didn¡¯t know or wouldn''t say.¡± She looked at her feet, radiating disappointment.


    ¡°The airport is huge with some private areas we couldn¡¯t check.¡± Camila explained while Charlie trudged over and sat on the bench next to Coop. ¡°We also had to sneak in since the security has gotten better. They might have some questions if we arrive without the rest of the people we left with.¡±


    Charlie looked up at Coop, ¡°We were hoping you had some ideas.¡± Her brows furrowed, ¡°Better than getting yourself captured on purpose.¡±


    Coop considered the situation. How could he get a hostile faction to reveal information to a potential rival? It was a tricky situation, but he had another idea.


    ¡°I could just go through the front door and ask.¡± Coop suggested. Before the girls could shoot him down he elaborated. ¡°I can introduce myself as an ambassador of another settlement looking to establish relations with them, I¡¯ll ask for a tour.¡±


    Camila sighed with relief. ¡°When you said go through the front door I thought you meant you were going to fight their whole army¡­¡±


    Coop thought about it for half a second. ¡°That can be plan B. If they don¡¯t let me in the front door, I¡¯ll kick it in.¡± Both girls groaned, but Coop continued. ¡°I won¡¯t try to fight an entire army, but I bet I can make a big enough distraction for you two to have a closer look around the private areas.¡±


    The girls looked at each other, not hiding their surprise. ¡°That¡¯s actually a decent idea?¡± Charlie wondered.


    Camila agreed, ¡°A distraction could definitely help¡­ seems like it¡¯s worth a shot.¡± She smirked and added, ¡°I guess you¡¯re not just a pretty face after all.¡±


    ¡°Is that all you thought of me?¡± Coop complained with mock offense.


    Camila put her hands on her hips and shrugged while looking away, earning a giggle from Charlie.


    They hashed out the details of their plan. The girls had been downtrodden from their initial failure, but had renewed hope with Coop¡¯s added involvement. They decided they would need to wait a bit longer to enact the strategy. It would be best if Coop approached the settlement during the daytime, and that they had a getaway prepared in the nearby city port. That meant they would have to wait until Captain Kayla returned to set it up.


    Coop explained what he had been up to while they were away. Charlie was glad that her neighbors and family¡¯s friends were prepared to go and both girls were surprised that he had managed to find others hiding around the city. Apparently, the settlement had exploded in population with people building their own shelters in a wide ring around the airport. The settlement had been upgraded since they left and the territory expanded to include more of the surrounding downtown. While people were squatting inside some of the still standing structures, most of the expansion blocks had been repurposed as a perimeter defense and checkpoints for the settlement.


    Camila didn¡¯t like that it was set up to keep people inside as much as keeping people out. They had an easier time sneaking in, compared to sneaking out, which said something about the city¡¯s priorities. The settlement had finally been named while they were away and it was now called Empress City. Coop found it on the leaderboards at 346. It seemed surprisingly low given it had a huge population so he figured it was still an Outpost, needing an upgrade. When it was upgraded to a Village he expected it to leap above Ghost Reef based on its population alone unless other factors were that much more important.


    The girls decided to go to the golf course and hunt monsters to progress their quest chain and let Coop try to finish his. Coop led the way, feeling like he had done almost as much walking as he had hunting so far.


    They checked out the inside of the country club. It had a comfortable lounge area that tempted them away from getting to work, but decided to leave the break area for after they had earned it.


    Just in case, Coop told them about the Field Boss at the ninth hole, so that they wouldn¡¯t run into it by accident if it had respawned. He planned on avoiding a rematch, but also didn¡¯t think it would be back. It was just a precaution.


    The girls were nearly done with the second stage of their quest chain so it didn¡¯t take long to complete. It also helped that they had experience fighting the Primal Trackers. Even though the monsters they had defeated in the past were lower level, the higher level monsters didn¡¯t introduce any new tactics for them to deal with. The Trackers were just a lot more straightforward compared to the Ancient Prowler¡¯s on Ghost Reef.


    Camila and Charlie stayed on the first hole and would return to the club house when they needed to recover. Coop left them to it and pressed forward, wanting to finish the quest once and for all, even if he needed to rush to be done in time. He had estimated needing 25 hours to finish, but he wanted to finish with enough daylight to return to Crane Point and also head to Empress City, so he¡¯d aim for even faster.


    Coop hustled through the densely packed monsters, taking his usual aggressive fighting style and turning it up a notch, pushing himself physically. Unlike his previous grind sessions in the sand on Rock Key, the limiting factor wasn¡¯t his travel times. The groups of Trackers were near enough each other that even if he sprinted between packs he wouldn¡¯t make up more than a few seconds. He spent most of the time actually fighting when it came to these monsters.


    The improvements came as he focused on minimizing his time to kill. The wide sweeping attacks with his glaive weren¡¯t maximizing his efficiency, and he tightened his control, restraining himself from overextending and eliminating extraneous movements. When he fought the Prowlers he was constantly repositioning to react to their ambushes, but the Trackers presented and maintained their positions from the start of each engagement in an effort to maintain the group¡¯s teamwork. He didn¡¯t need to react as much when fighting these monsters compared to the Prowlers, instead he was able to focus on enhancing the precision of his strikes.


    A swing with his maximum power wasn¡¯t just unnecessary, it was also made more difficult by his injured ribs. A monster would be killed by the sharp blade of his glaive whether he hit it hard enough to send it through a wall or if he merely sliced it like he was a chef preparing lunch. Compensating for his injury resulted in strikes that were far more deliberate. Coop was developing discipline within his fighting style.


    Time flew by as Coop entered a flow state between the 7th and 8th holes of the golf course. The monsters were by far the most numerous between the holes around the 9th so he cycled back and forth rather than pressing any further. He didn¡¯t stop even when the sun rose above the corridor of trees. He was completely immersed with his glaive. The precise cuts were even deadlier than the sweeping and crushing swings he relied on previously. There was a time and a place for both, and being able to do either would only improve his combat versatility.


    Morning came and went, but Coop remained absorbed in his hunt. Afternoon was waning when he flashed in white light that finally pulled him out of the zone.


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Primal Trackers V]


    [Slayer title upgraded!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    Checking his notifications he also found his profession leveled up again, but his only class level came from completing the quest. He was hoping for at least one more from defeating the monsters, but he still completed an entire quest chain in less than three days. That was roughly 16,400 monsters defeated in total and he hadn¡¯t even been hunting every minute.


    Admittedly, he had been grinding through the nights without sleeping and the Primal Trackers were another favorable enemy for his unceasing hunts. Not every monster would have an unlimited window of activity, he only needed to remember the nocturnal Ancient Prowlers for an example. He also wouldn¡¯t always find monsters in such a perfect battlefield. He was sure the Primal Kites would present a much longer challenge thanks to their location in the shallow waters between islands.


    Another 115 attributes were allocated to his Mind stat as he headed back to the clubhouse. He walked along the golf cart path, avoiding more monsters and winding between massive oak trees and thick grasses.


    Camila and Charlie were lounging in the clubhouse with drinks when Coop returned. They raised their glasses to him.


    ¡°There¡¯s the man of the hour!¡± Camila shouted as he walked inside.


    ¡°What¡¯s got you two all excited?¡± Coop asked


    Charlie perked up, ¡°We gained four levels!¡±


    ¡°No kidding?¡± Coop asked while inspecting their auras.


    [Human (Level 32)]


    [Aeromancer (Intelligence)]


    [Legend of the Endless Empire]


    [Human (Level 32)]


    [Interceptor (Agility)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    ¡°Mhmm! But the next stage wants us to defeat 5,000 more monsters. There¡¯s no way we can do that without a lot more time, so we decided to celebrate defeating 250!¡± Camila explained while pouring Coop a drink. She handed it to him with a sly smile, ¡°You better pick it up, mister. Just one level? We¡¯re gonna catch right back up when we get back to Ghost Reef, we¡¯ve got all those free levels waiting for us.¡±


    ¡°Bring it on.¡± Coop responded, happy to rise to her challenge. He¡¯d welcome some friendly competition. He thought they might actually be able to catch up in levels, but the real sauce was in the attribute bonus for completing the chains.


    The three toasted each other, before they said goodbye to the golf course of the Primal Trackers and headed onward. It was time to set everything up and begin their plan to infiltrate Empress City.

 Chapter 52: Rendezvous

    Coop, Camila, and Charlie left the country club behind and headed back toward the coast. Coop used his hand to shade his eyes as he glanced up at the shining sun while they strolled along the state road. It was still high in the sky, relentlessly beating down on them, and warming the pavement so that Coop felt the heat coming from above and below. He missed the steady ocean breeze of Ghost Reef.


    They still had most of the evening to make it to Crane Point. Hopefully, the Eye of the Storm had already returned from its scouting mission up the coast. They wanted to get their infiltration plan started and they needed to coordinate with the pirates ahead of time to arrange their escape. Charlie was doing a good job keeping it together, but she was clearly worried about her parents.


    When they passed Peacock Park they noted that there was someone lingering at the main entrance, where Coop had waited for the girls. Since Coop had inadvertently turned the park into a rallying point, they paused their trip to see who it was.


    They found a man carrying an infant while holding the hand of a toddler, packed like he was going camping with a huge pack on his back. When he noticed the trio approaching, his relief was palpable.


    ¡°Oh thank god. I was worried I was too late. Are you heading to Crane Point?¡± He asked while gently goading the toddler forward as she tried to hide behind his legs.


    ¡°We sure are.¡± Coop confirmed with a friendly smile to the toddler. He wasn¡¯t sure if she was scared or shy.


    ¡°What a relief, I thought I¡¯d have to go alone.¡± The man looked at the two kids, ¡°It¡¯s not easy wrangling them.¡±


    ¡°I bet!¡± Camila agreed before asking the man some questions about why he was there. Coop was distracted by the toddler beckoning him with a waving hand.


    He kneeled down to her level. ¡°Hi there,¡± He greeted her.


    ¡°Hello¡­ My name is Hana! What¡¯s yours?¡± She squeaked before grasping a doll in front of her face.


    ¡°My name is Coop.¡± He answered the shy kid. ¡°And who¡¯s that?¡± Coop asked, pointing to her stuffed doll.


    ¡°This is Hana!¡± She raised the doll to her ear, ¡°She says hello.¡±


    ¡°Hana? Well, that¡¯s a cute name. But where have I heard it before?¡± Coop teased, tapping his head like he was wracking his brain to recall.


    ¡°¡®Cause that¡¯s my name!¡± Hana announced, beaming a smile at Coop calling her name cute.


    Coop smiled at her reaction and realized the others had stopped talking to watch him interact with Hana. Charlie was smiling like she had momentarily forgotten her worries and Camila was mockingly fanning herself. Coop just rolled his eyes at Camila.


    ¡°So, do you know anything about this guy that¡¯s supposed to have a settlement for us?¡± Hana¡¯s father asked the three. ¡°I only heard a little bit and it sounded fair, but I still have worries.¡±


    Before Coop could admit that he was that guy, Camila interrupted him. ¡°Sure, we know some stuff, but what did you hear?¡±


    ¡°Well, I heard his pitch was that he had a factionless settlement that was open to anyone that would work in it. I also heard that he was really strong, people claimed he was defeating a hundred of those monsters at once, but, c¡¯mon, I don¡¯t really believe that.¡± He frowned. ¡°It¡¯s pretty thin to stake my family¡¯s life on,¡± He glanced at his children, not wanting to unsettle them. ¡°But their mother¡­ you know¡­ so I think we should go before the same thing happens to me.¡± Hana looked up at her father, clearly suspicious. Coop guessed she was around four years old, but kids understood more than adults gave them credit for.


    Coop wouldn¡¯t be leaving them behind. ¡°Let¡¯s walk and talk.¡± Coop wanted to make sure they made it back to Crane Point early enough. Hana lifted her arms up for Coop to carry her. He glanced at her father who nodded to give him permission, so he lifted her up and they walked. Camila chatted away with Hana¡¯s father while Charlie walked behind Coop making faces at Hana. Coop was glad to note that Charlie was making herself laugh just as much as the little girl.


    Hana¡¯s father was a high school teacher that was hoping there would be room at a school for him, otherwise he would volunteer to help build things. He had done some carpentry while he was in college and he wasn¡¯t above some manual labor. He just needed someone to watch the kids. Coop made a mental note to look into building a school now that they were gaining some more residents, including more children to add to Olani¡¯s grandkids. The Clumsy Shark wouldn¡¯t cut it for every type of gathering, though he didn¡¯t think Maeve and Desmond would turn anyone away.


    Hana¡¯s father was quite the chatterbox, especially with Camila goading him, and he regaled them with his experiences in the city. Immediately after the apocalypse, people in the area banded together, treating it like the days after a hurricane, making sure people were alright and supplied while seeking out their own missing loved ones.


    Things were looking up as people cooperated to understand what they had collectively experienced. The first people to return from their sponsorship bids were those that declined to become Chosen or those that didn¡¯t have particularly invested factions, like Jones, and they joined the neighborhood in organizing and rebuilding.


    It wasn¡¯t until more Chosen started to return that the situation truly devolved into an apocalyptic scenario instead of just a natural disaster. Not everyone was above using their boosted levels to take advantage of other people.


    People started avoiding each other for fear of violence breaking out. The neighborhood had to form a militia that was meant to keep the peace. Things briefly stabilized as the militia outleveled the monsters and outnumbered the troublemakers.


    The civilization shard had been discovered elsewhere in the city and people were slowly moving into its territory, but things fell apart when skirmishes over the shard broke out. People couldn¡¯t agree on how to move forward. Eventually, the Endless Empire violently took the shard for themselves and used their significant numbers to stabilize their own control of the territory.


    After the Empire took over, there was no more organizing. Plenty of people were still outside of the settlement¡¯s influence, but they all knew it was only a matter of time before they were absorbed by the Empire. As the settlement grew, its territory expanded as well, so unless they ran for the wilderness, it was inevitable. The Empire was also militant about confronting other organized groups, so people limited their interactions to small communications to keep each other updated, in fear of being hassled by the Chosen soldiers.


    Most of them were holding out hope that something would change before they were added to the local settlement. They didn¡¯t want to trade the danger of monsters for the often more unpredictable danger of humans. That was why Coop¡¯s vague offer was appealing enough to get some takers. Hana¡¯s father confirmed that plenty of people were still hiding out, though most of them weren¡¯t interested in joining any settlements at all, the idea was thoroughly poisoned by exposure to the Empire.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Eventually, Camila finally cleared up that Coop was the guy recruiting for Ghost Reef and Hana¡¯s father had a brief moment of panic as he tried to remember if he said anything that might have been offensive. He obviously put some stock in the rumors of Coop fighting hundreds of monsters.


    The moment of fear faded and he ended up interrogating Coop about the state of his settlement, learning how much development had already taken place despite a general lack of residents for most of the time. Coop promised they would keep working on it, but also wanted everyone to take leveling seriously as there was no way they could keep everyone safe otherwise. He wanted the residents to be self-sufficient so he wouldn¡¯t need to micromanage everything. Hana¡¯s father seemed agreeable and promised to both help build a school and then help run it.


    When they arrived at Crane Point the Cleary brothers were waiting at the marina¡¯s guardhouse. They let him in with a nod, but remained at the entrance like makeshift sentries.


    ¡°Any trouble?¡± Coop checked in with Buck.


    ¡°Not even a peep from the mean dogs. I¡¯m guessing you did a number on them.¡± Buck gave a quick update.


    One of the other brothers leaned out the window of the security booth, ¡°We¡¯ve been watching the leaderboards. Crazy stuff.¡± He reported.


    ¡°Shut up Tiny, that¡¯s a secret.¡± Junior scolded his brother with a smack to the ear.


    Coop shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s fine. There was one really big one that I¡¯ll tell you about later. I¡¯m gonna go arrange the ride outta here first.¡± The brothers nodded, letting him continue inside.


    The brothers stayed at the security gate while Coop walked down the entrance way of the marina, toward the parking lot. He led the way across the pavement past the two wrecked cars before his arrival was noticed.


    ¡°He¡¯s finally here!¡± Elly shouted from the end of the parking lot, gathering the attention of the groups of people scattered around the marina.


    It looked like a bit more than 50 people had decided to take their chances and seek out his mystery settlement from the two main groups. Charlie went to say hello to Mr. Gibson and find out who was coming. Hana¡¯s family went to greet a group of parents with tiny children.


    Laurie waved at Coop from a wooden bench that faced the water with her infant in her arms as he went to the end of the dock. He stopped to ask if everyone she was expecting had arrived and she confirmed that no one else was missing that had expressed interest in going. Unfortunately, not everyone had agreed with her own reasoning, though, and they would be taking their chances in the city. Coop felt bad, but there was only so much he could do, and he had his own promises to keep.


    The Eye of the Storm had been anchored offshore, but as soon as Coop was spotted, the anchor pulled up and the oars came out. Coop watched the galleon approach and Captain Kayla greeted him from the bow with one foot planted on a crate looking exactly like a pirate captain should. The ship expertly coasted to the edge of the dock.


    ¡°All set?¡± Kayla wondered as her crew set up the gangplank.


    ¡°Not quite, we still have a few more to collect, but they were captured. We wanted to arrange a getaway before we went after them.¡± Coop explained.


    ¡°Now that sounds fun.¡± Kayla grinned. ¡°One of my corvettes would have been better, but we¡¯ve commandeered some worthy vessels.¡± She pointed to a variety of sailboats that were grouped offshore.


    Coop hadn¡¯t noticed the black flags they were flying until she pointed at them. When he raised his eyebrows, Kayla grinned even wider. ¡°I¡¯m meant to be the commander of the Tempest Fleet. Can¡¯t call it a fleet if it¡¯s just one or two boats.¡±


    ¡°You sure they¡¯ll all make it?¡± Coop asked skeptically. He noted that a few sailboats were leaning precariously, and at least one had a group of phantom pirates bailing water to keep it from sinking.


    ¡°They¡¯ll make it if the crews don¡¯t want to swim the rest of the way.¡± She gave a ruthless laugh. ¡°I¡¯ll have the fastest one ready for you, just tell me where you want it.¡±


    Coop explained where the main port of the city was and Kayla guaranteed to have a ready crew rendezvous there. They would wait for Coop¡¯s party before leaving. As for the rest, she would take the people who gathered back to Ghost Reef on the Eye of the Storm with the stolen sailboats as an escort. Coop explained who the passengers were and asked her to relay a message to Shane¡¯s party about how to handle them. Coop would need to return and use the shard to purchase more buildings before they were fully situated, but they would be made comfortable in the meantime.


    He left her to ready the ship and went back to the marina to let all of the gathered people know that their transportation was there. Many of them were still skeptical of him, but they had already taken the first step in trusting him by heading to Crane Point in the first place. It didn¡¯t take long for them to be convinced to keep going. Laurie¡¯s confidence in him was a big help.


    He watched as they all boarded the pirate galleon with varying levels of hesitation. The huge ship represented the first time many of them had ever been sailing, and the fact that it was an old vessel that had been sunk hundreds of years previously gave them a few reasonable concerns. Coop noted that roughly half of the group was either children or the elderly, but he didn¡¯t think that was a problem with the presence of mana. Laurie and Gibson were more than happy to help organize all of the people that had received his invitation.


    It wasn¡¯t too much longer before everyone was boarded and Coop was waving to Elly as the ship sailed into the growing night, followed by a dozen white sailboats that did their best to follow. It seemed like the pirates were quickly adapting to the modern ships. A single catamaran broke away to head toward the port and await Coop and the rescue crew. Even in the dark, Coop noted the distinct form of Sharkbait aboard the getaway vessel. He appreciated that Kayla wasn¡¯t messing around when she sent her right hand man.


    The girls led Coop toward Empress City. They would be approaching from the inland side, to confuse anyone that tried to guess where Coop came from. Since the plan involved him getting access to the settlement by admitting he came from a different settlement, they anticipated the Empire to attempt to triangulate its location based on his approach.


    A nighttime walk into the gently lit city, thanks to the waning moon, brought them near their destination in less than an hour. Without monsters, bandits, or traffic to slow them down, they made surprisingly good time. Coop found the most surprising thing about the post apocalyptic city was how much vegetation had taken over. It was like mana had given most of the plants a 50 year boost in growth. Creeping vines clung to the facades of the buildings, grasses had broken through the pavement of the roads, all while trees had claimed the curbs and sidewalks.


    As they got closer to the settlement they started taking side streets and alleys to avoid prying eyes. Camila confidently led the way, ponytail swaying back and forth. Coop joined Charlie in watching windows for enemies.


    Once they were within blocks of the edge of the settlement¡¯s territory, they settled on waiting the rest of the night inside a former hotel. They were close enough to look into the airport¡¯s property but far enough away to be beyond the detection of the borders. One of the city¡¯s checkpoints was just a block away and unless they had been spotted by a random patrol, they didn¡¯t think anyone knew they were there.


    The trio chatted in one of the top floor hotel rooms, but the mood had turned a bit anxious. It felt like the night before game day to Coop. The girls would be leaving first, in order to sneak into the settlement and move to the nearby checkpoint from the inside. Coop would approach the settlement openly when morning came. The girls should already be in position to follow along and take advantage of any distractions that he provided, if that¡¯s what it came down to.


    He settled down to sleep. He wasn¡¯t 100% because of his rib injury, but he wanted to at least be mentally fresh when playing the role of ambassador of an unknown settlement. He had been grinding monsters through the last several nights and he didn¡¯t want to keep neglecting sleep. The girls kept an eye on the settlement and discussed their plans.


    Coop affirmed his next goal, which was to leave Empress City with Charlie¡¯s parents. Best case scenario, they could openly walk out of the settlement. It would still be good enough if they could just sneak them out. He might be able to negotiate for their release somehow, and in the worst case scenario, he would fight his way out. One way or another, he¡¯d get everyone back to Ghost Reef


    He was hesitant to resort to tearing the settlement down because of the impending settlement events. He didn¡¯t want to be responsible for crippling their forces and leaving the innocent residents exposed in one way or another, and he really wasn¡¯t in any position to take responsibility for them himself.

 Chapter 53: Empress City

    Camila gently shook Coop awake after the sun had already risen. He was almost surprised Jett hadn¡¯t taken over his pillow but he guessed her power was limited to the territory of Ghost Reef. Judging by the girl¡¯s weary expressions, it didn¡¯t seem like they had slept at all, but they reassured him that they were fine and ready to go.


    Camila and Charlie left to find their way into the settlement from a different checkpoint. Coop wished them luck and got ready to go himself. They would be waiting for Coop to enter so they could shadow him inside. Coop lingered in the hotel for a bit, observing what he could from the upper floor windows and going through his stretching routine.


    In the daylight the state of the settlement was obviously bad. The airport had a huge footprint on the edge of the city, with wide fields all the way around the terminals and massive parking structures. The fields were one place where mana hadn¡¯t been enough to save the grass and all that remained of the visible ground was trampled dirt. The ocean was visible between buildings on the opposite side of the airport, but it was several city blocks away from the edge of the property.


    The dirt fields of the airport were completely dominated by what Coop would describe as hovels. People had ended up constructing whatever shelter they could manage with tarps and scraps of materials from other buildings and cars. Makeshift streets had formed but they twisted and abruptly ended without any general planning.


    Knowing the Empire¡¯s strategy to use the residents as meat shields in the event of a raid, he had to admit that the shelters would make an effective barrier if someone couldn¡¯t just smash straight through or go over the hastily built structures. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t take much to do either since the shelters were barely standing as they were. A good hurricane would probably clear the entire shantytown. Coop was confident he could barrel straight through if he wanted to.


    After he waited enough time for the girls to navigate their way inside, he left the hotel, skipping checkout and leaving the lobby without any subterfuge. He summoned his ethereal armor without the helmet and didn¡¯t summon a weapon. He tried a new style for the occasion. His armor was like dark polished iron and the leather bits were brown with red highlights. He was happy with how it all came out. It looked like he was a legitimate gladiator and it wasn¡¯t too ostentatious, like when he tried out a shiny gold color scheme. He thought they¡¯d take him seriously dressed as he was.


    He only needed to walk a single block before he would be approaching the Empire¡¯s outer checkpoint. Halfway down the block someone yelled for him to stop from the top of a barrier they had formed with cars stacked three high. An outer wall of tipped over cars protected the stack. The guard hopped down behind the outer wall and walked out from behind an angled car. Coop guessed that would be the entrance. Coop stopped and waited, spreading his aura to observe as much as he could while keeping his own masked.


    Coop was surprised to find at least 20 more auras inside the buildings on either side of him. He glanced along the vine covered walls and spotted a few guards in the shadows of the lower level windows. Coop also looked behind him where a party of five more guards lingered in the lobby of one of the corner office buildings. They might not have Ghost Reef¡¯s fortress, but they were certainly emphasizing security through manpower.


    He returned his attention to the approaching guard. He wore the dark colored armor that he associated with Camila and Charlie, made out of some special alien weave that reminded him of thin wetsuits. The guard didn¡¯t look nearly as comfortable as either of them, thanks to the rest of his gear. He also carried a tower shield that was as tall as Coop and had a thick short sword already in his hand. Coop was a bit jealous of the impressive shield. Retribution wouldn¡¯t let him create such a large item. He identified the guard to see what he was dealing with.


    [Human (Level 30)]


    [Secutor (Strength)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    This guard was actually pretty impressive. Level 30 was certainly ahead of the curve and he had respectable equipment where most people made do without. He must have fought some elites to continue progressing, though he likely did it with a full party. Coop sincerely doubted that the man had grinded regular Primal Trackers while patrolling to get five full levels.


    Coop was also disappointed that the guard looked even more like a gladiator than Coop did with a class to match. Coop felt like he had arrived at a party in the same dress as the host. Talk about a faux pas.


    ¡°Identify yourself!¡± The guard demanded from behind a dramatic metallic visor.


    ¡°I¡¯m the ambassador of a settlement and I¡¯ve come to negotiate with your city.¡± Coop declared, playing the part and projecting his voice for everyone to hear.


    The guard paused, apparently not ready for Coop¡¯s admission. He looked back at the entrance, then looked back at Coop, obviously unsure about what to do. Coop tried to encourage him a little.


    ¡°Is it alright if I come inside?¡± Coop ventured politely.


    ¡°No! Wait here, and don¡¯t move.¡± The guard finally made a decision and jogged back to the checkpoint. Apparently, he needed to confer with someone before letting Coop in.


    Coop sighed, hoping that he didn¡¯t end up stumbling at the starting gate. If it came down to it, and he needed to make a distraction because they wouldn¡¯t let him in, he decided he would make a frontal assault. If he blasted through this checkpoint, then ran parallel to their outer wall, he could escape through a different checkpoint. That way they wouldn¡¯t be ready on his flanks like they were here, with all the guards in the buildings and lobbies.


    After a few minutes of waiting, Coop sat down with his legs crossed in the middle of the street. Coop wondered how long he should give them before he switched to plan b. Even the guards trying to stay hidden in the windows of the buildings looked bored. Some of them just leaned out the windows, giving up on their subterfuge after a short time. The Endless Empire certainly didn¡¯t seem particularly disciplined, but he didn¡¯t think it was fair to expect much more from random people with minimum training and brand new magic powers.


    ¡°Yo!¡± Coop got the attention of a middle-aged guy that was resting his chin on the palm of his hand in the window sill of the second floor. ¡°Any idea how long this is gonna take?¡±


    The man shrugged. ¡°Never seen someone representing a different settlement try to get in before.¡± He responded apathetically.


    Coop thought that made sense. It was a pretty strange scenario that he cooked up. There didn¡¯t seem to be that many civilization shards, so there would probably be quite a distance between most settlements. He thought it would be enough to get his foot in the door, even if they didn¡¯t give him special treatment afterwards.


    Finally, the guard jogged back out from the checkpoint. Coop uncrossed his legs and stood back up to wait with his arms crossed.


    ¡°Uh, state your level, class, faction, and settlement.¡± The guard demanded with a lot less confidence than when he started. Maybe the mystery of his identity was getting their attention after all.


    ¡°No.¡± Coop responded with a disappointed smile. If he was actually here for negotiations he wouldn¡¯t want to cede his position so quickly. He¡¯d try pressing his authority instead. Focusing his aura on the guard he continued, ¡°You are being terrible hosts. You should be giving me a tour while your Champion makes himself available. I¡¯ll keep my treatment in mind during our negotiations.¡± Coop thought he might get somewhere if he played the part correctly and they had no idea what he was offering, so he would let their imaginations run with what they might cause the whole settlement to miss out on.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Um¡­ wait here!¡± The guard turned quickly and lugged his huge tower shield back to the checkpoint. Coop was feeling a little less jealous of the shield as he watched the man jog back and forth with his equipment. Coop¡¯s ethereal gear was weightless if he wanted it to be.


    It only took two minutes for the guard to return, this time with four others trailing him. Coop waited with his arms crossed resisting the urge to tap his foot and make his acting all dramatic. Maybe he could summon an ethereal watch to impatiently glance at.


    ¡°You can come inside, we will escort you to the General.¡± The guard announced with just a bit of pageantry.


    Coop shrugged and allowed the party to lead him inside. He didn¡¯t like that two of them positioned themselves behind him, so he inspected the four that joined the gladiator.


    [Human (Level 27)]


    [Honan Cavalier (Agility)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Human (Level 28)]


    [Flame Knight (Body)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Human (Level 27)]


    [Blade Tyrant (Strength)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Human (Level 30)]


    [Steel Inquisitor (Intelligence)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Sharp]


    None of them were too surprising, except that there was another level 30. Coop wasn¡¯t overly concerned as he followed them through the checkpoint, but he remained vigilant. Getting inside was just the first step. He was happy to get that far.


    He made it inside Empress City without any further complications with his escort of guards. The makeshift gate was simple enough to pass through, just a stack of cars with a gap in between. Arranging them was probably quite a job. Even with his high Strength he wouldn''t have wanted to have been the one to do it. Dragging and stacking cars seemed like a miserable assignment. He wondered if they would make another car wall when their territory expanded again.


    The guards were leading him straight through the shantytown and toward the airport. The flimsy structures that people were using as shelter were even less impressive up close than they had been when he viewed them from the upper floors of the hotel. He knew people didn¡¯t need to eat or sleep anymore, but it wasn¡¯t right to deny basic amenities. People should have their own space at least. Every surface seemed to be covered in a thin layer of kicked up dirt.


    The people that he spotted weren¡¯t in great shape either, looking like they were being kept in a prison more than being sheltered in a settlement. People were dirty and looked bored, listless. Coop thought there was a lot of untapped potential among the population, but he guessed the leaders were too paranoid to properly utilize the residents.


    For such a densely populated place, it was eerily quiet, completely lacking the bustle that he expected from a densely populated settlement. He didn¡¯t overhear any conversations and there were no children playing anywhere. He wondered exactly how many residents were within Empress City. Maybe he¡¯d have a chance to ask the Champion. His best guess would only be a tenth of the original population of the city, which would still be hundreds of thousands, but it was hard to judge based on the density of the shelters.


    Coop¡¯s escort was obviously familiar with the route that they took, moving through the area every time they had a guard shift, and they quickly led him toward the airport. None of the residents acknowledged them as they walked past the front openings of their homes, despite Coop trying to encourage a greeting out of whoever he saw.


    At the inner edge of the shantytown ring there was another manned checkpoint. The shelters left a wide gap before the barrier that allowed guards to patrol the outside of the wall. Coop spotted a dirty dog underneath some discarded corrugated metal that was leaning against the last shelter in the row. He inspected the dog, expecting at least a level 50 with the way the random animals progressed, even despite its grubby appearance.


    [Dog (Level 3)]


    [(Body)]


    [Adopted of the Pack]


    [(Good Boy)]


    Coop frowned, disappointed that his expectations weren¡¯t met. He veered off course to get a closer look, surprising his escort. The dog perked up when he noticed Coop approaching and slid out of his hiding spot. He was a small white lab or cream colored golden retriever that desperately needed a bath. His coat was muddied by the settlement¡¯s dirt.


    ¡°Hey, buddy, you doing okay?¡± Coop crouched to greet the dog, extending a hand for him to sniff. The dog inched closer, but hesitated as the guards also approached.


    ¡°Hey, Jim! That stray is back!¡± One of the guards, the Honan Cavalier, shouted toward the wall. ¡°I thought you took care of it!¡±


    A guard popped up from behind the inner wall, presumably Jim. ¡°I dragged it out of the city! What else did you think I was going to do? It¡¯s hardly my fault you outer wall guys can¡¯t maintain the perimeter! You deal with it.¡±


    The Cavalier spat to the side and stepped toward the dog, but Coop stood up and stepped in his way. ¡°Relax man, it¡¯s just a dog.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a dog with levels.¡± The Cavalier pointed out. ¡°That¡¯s not normal.¡± Coop remembered the limited information that the default Identify skill presented and assumed that was what most people continued to rely on. All they could see was the first line that his aura skill detected, Dog (Level 3).


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t bother me.¡± Coop stated as he stooped to let the dog sniff his hand. The dog inched backwards while simultaneously stretching his neck forward. He visibly relaxed once he sniffed Coop, so Coop scratched his head behind the ears. The dog was filthy, but Coop had recently been covered in zombie grime, so he wouldn¡¯t be bothered by some dirt.


    Coop crouched again to give the dog a good rubdown and whispered to it while he did, pointing out Camila and Charlie, who were still lingering within the shadows of the shelters, as friends. Coop wasn¡¯t sure how much the dog, or any of the animals understood, but he still tried to comfort the dog before he left. The dog whined as Coop returned to the guards.


    ¡°You afraid of a level 3?¡± Coop asked the guards, but he only received a scoff and some dirty looks in return.


    He let them guide him through the checkpoint. On the other side they walked along a former runway toward the terminals of the airport. There was a significant amount of unused space. They were only letting the residents of the settlement live on the outer perimeter while the Chosen kept the interior. With some planning they could still develop a decent city, but they¡¯d need to spend a lot on constructing better shelters. Coop thought utilizing the city¡¯s high rises would have been a better choice for such a large population, but they seemed to have given up on most of the original buildings.


    After a few minutes of walking in the sun, they took him through a service entrance that led up several floors where luggage had been sorted in the past. It was dark and utilitarian with a maze of motionless conveyor belts. Eventually, they came out of a pair of security doors and entered the concourse, lit by the massive windows that allowed viewing of the passenger planes that still stood parked against gates outside. A sign helpfully indicated how to reach gates J1 through J17. Coop figured the girls wouldn¡¯t have been able to keep following him across the tarmac, so he kept his eyes open for clues.


    They continued along the wide corridors, passing Chosen that had made themselves at home inside the airport. They were definitely more comfortable inside the airport, but they were still just laying on chairs or hanging out against walls and columns like they were stuck on an extended layover. He could see groups of them coming and going in the sun outside.


    The escort eventually led him up an offline escalator. They stopped in front of a private lounge that was situated at the top. Compared to the outer ring, the airport was like a palace, and Coop was standing in front of the throne room.


    ¡°Through there.¡± The original gladiator guard gestured for Coop to enter.

 Chapter 54: Soul Tether

    Coop stepped inside the plush lounge. It had an elegant carpet and plenty of open space with a central square bar area. A massive skylight above the bartender¡¯s area lit the spacious room. Only a few well-geared guards were present, relaxing on a black leather couch with a low glass table between them. Coop started to walk toward them, but one of them shook his head and pointed even further to an area with a sign that stated VIP¡¯s only. Coop snorted at the pretentiousness.


    When he walked in, the door slid shut behind him and a young guy stood from a stool in the center of the room next to yet another private bar. This room had blood red carpet and bright red bench style seating against the black walls. It was certainly fancy, but Coop found it garish.


    He hadn¡¯t ever been given first-class treatment at an airport, and hadn¡¯t really understood what amenities were provided. This place was like the private area of a clean, too well-lit nightclub.


    The man snapped his fingers and pointed at Coop with a finger gun, ¡°You¡¯re the guy?¡± Coop inspected him.


    [Human (Level 29)]


    [Mindflayer (Mind)]


    Coop was surprised at how little he was able to detect from the man¡¯s aura. Coop was a much higher level, and surely had a significant advantage in his Mind stat, but it seemed like the Mindflayer class provided him with enough bonuses to hide most of his information. Coop was impressed and wondered if this guy could see Coop¡¯s level.


    What was also surprising was the second aura lingering in the corner, behind the bar. Coop subtly checked it out.


    [Human (Level 30)]


    [Shadow Walker (Agility)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Darkness]


    Coop kept his face neutral and avoided looking in the direction of the Shadow Walker, doing his best to seem oblivious. It wasn¡¯t like he expected a private meeting, but he thought setting it up as though it was and having a potential assassin hidden meant they were probably up to no good. Obvious bodyguards would make better security just by having a discouraging presence.


    ¡°I guess I am. Who are you?¡± Coop asked casually.


    ¡°I¡¯m General Rod, right-hand of the Champion, future Viceroy of Empress City, and Legend of the Endless Empire. A meeting as absurd as this falls to me.¡± He paused when Coop seemed disappointed despite meeting a Legendary class Viceroy. ¡°Surely, you didn¡¯t think we would willingly expose our Champion to an outsider?¡± He started to laugh, but stopped and squinted. ¡°Why can¡¯t I see your level?¡±


    Coop blew air out of his nose, stifling a chuckle of his own at getting an answer for his unasked question. ¡°It¡¯s an official protection that Champions can apply, haven¡¯t you heard of it?¡± Coop lied, not liking the guy¡¯s attitude from the start. Coop felt like he was interacting with someone cosplaying as a character rather than an actual person. Of course, Coop had done the same thing to get to this point, more or less, but in Coop¡¯s case he was roleplaying his actual role, representing his settlement, instead of being a beach bum grinder.


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Rod responded with agitation. He turned to lean an elbow on the bar. ¡°My people tell me you¡¯re here for negotiations between our settlements. Are you even worth my time? As you can see, we¡¯re well established. I can¡¯t imagine you have anything we would find of value.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we could find something your residents could use, but I just wanted to establish a diplomatic connection to start with. You could show me how your settlement has been arranged, and I¡¯ll tell you about mine.¡± Coop offered, fishing for a tour that would reveal the location of the dungeon.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that will be necessary. Why don¡¯t you have a seat?¡± Rod smirked as he indicated for Coop to move further into the room, toward tables along the side wall. Coop shrugged and went along with the suggestion, but as Coop moved into the middle of the room, Rod raised a ringed hand and scowled in concentration. Coop frowned as he received notifications.


    [You resisted Mind Collapse]


    [You are afflicted by Mind Wrack]


    [You resisted Mind Parasite]


    ¡°Now! While he¡¯s stunned!¡± Rod hastily shouted, stumbling back onto his stool and leaning heavily on the bar while his nose started to bleed and a shadow nearby solidified into a man.


    But Coop wasn¡¯t stunned.


    His vision had blurred horribly, making him feel ill, he was confused, and felt like he had the worst migraine of his life, but he definitely wasn¡¯t stunned. He propped himself on a standing bar table and squeezed his eyes shut, fighting off the migraine and making a decision.


    Coop was a forgiving guy, someone that would tolerate rudeness and ignore arrogance. He still wanted to be that guy, even with the world changing, but there were lines he couldn¡¯t let people cross. An unprovoked attack was obviously crossing one such line.


    Coop snapped his eyes back open and locked them onto Rod. Rod¡¯s eyes widened at the fierce gaze and tried to shy away.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡± Coop told him, then he lunged three steps forward, ignoring the shadow man, and crossing the rest of the distance between himself and Rod as the door that Coop had entered burst open.


    Rod¡¯s feeble attempt to avoid Coop¡¯s unexpected movement was far too slow. Coop grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up while the well-geared guards rushed into the lounge. Coop spun around, still holding Rod in the air as the man struggled to release Coop¡¯s grip. He inspected the three new guards while keeping Rod between himself and the four enemies.


    [Human (Level 30)]


    [Shield Sage (Body)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Absorption]


    [Human (Level 29)]


    [War Disciple (Strength)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Challenger]


    [Human (Level 29)]


    [Wasteland Binder (Intelligence)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Stark]


    The Shadow Walker turned into an incorporeal shade that flew past Coop and clasped a collar around Coop¡¯s neck. Coop backhanded him with his free hand as soon as he solidified, still gripping Rod¡¯s neck with the other, sending the man flying over the bar, crashing through the glass shelves, and smashing bottles.


    Coop felt foreign energy run through his veins all the way to the tip of his fingers. Coop¡¯s armor dissipated into mist and the other guards looked at him with various forms of surprise.


    ¡°Strong.¡± The War Disciple observed as a psychotic grin crawled on her face. It seemed like Coop would be facing a full party of five, though he¡¯d already put them down one or two.


    She pulled out a pair of shortswords and rushed toward him with giddy laughter that was completely out of place, and the Wasteland Binder cracked his hands into rigid poses that looked painful for his fingers. Coop threw Rod at the Binder, interrupting whatever he was doing and used Retribution to summon his ethereal sword and shield to meet the Disciple¡¯s charge, and cast Salvation to return his protective ethereal gladiator armor.


    No mists formed.


    Coop strained his injured ribs to twist and narrowly dodged the swords that he meant to block with his unformed shield. Instead of countering with his own sword, as he intended, he landed a right-handed punch into one of the Disciple¡¯s elbows, causing her to drop her weapon and gape at the injured arm, before he followed up with a left to her kidney, doubling her over. She was slow compared to him.


    He went to finish her off, but the Shield Sage appeared as if he teleported to her side with his oval shield raised. Coop¡¯s fist smashed into the metal and the Sage grunted as he was pushed backwards and fell onto the still folded over and coughing War Disciple.


    Coop shook his fist after punching the shield and glanced at his notifications while moving to kick the Sage out of the way.


    [You are afflicted by Soul Tether]


    The collar had applied an affliction to Coop that disabled active skills. His armor dissipated when Salvation was cut off and he couldn¡¯t conjure his weapons. Coop felt confident that his passive skills worked, given that he clearly still had so much speed and strength despite never investing in either, but he couldn¡¯t pull up his status. Even without active skills he was dangerous, though his weapons normally multiplied his damage by giving his Mind stat a way to contribute.


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    Deactivating Presence of Mind had fully revealed his aura, but these elites weren¡¯t deterred. Although, judging by his expression, the Sage seemed to have some regrets. The Disciple seemed enthusiastic when his aura washed over her.


    Coop didn¡¯t want to start rampaging without a solid escape plan or before completing his task, but they¡¯d forced his hand. He knew they had access to dangerous artifacts and Brewbot wasn¡¯t around to bail him out. Those artifacts were practically designed for high priority targets like him. He needed to end this fight quickly and decisively, before reinforcements were alerted or these guys got any bright ideas.


    He looked at the cringing Shield Sage, who seemed to be nursing some injury instead of getting back up. Coop admired the indentation his fist had made into the shield.


    ¡°You guys started it.¡± Coop told him as he grabbed the War Disciple¡¯s discarded sword and testingly swung it a few times. ¡°What¡¯s it gonna be? I might accept surrender, but you need to tell me where your dungeon is.¡±


    The Sage spat in Coop¡¯s direction. ¡°We¡¯ll take you there, then we¡¯ll torture you until you beg for us to accept your settlement as our own.¡±


    Coop was blasted with a spell that felt like sandpaper was tearing at his legs. The Wasteland Binder had resumed his casting. Coop grit his teeth until it stopped, noting that he didn¡¯t have any visible injuries. Most of his magic defense came directly from his attributes. The Shield Sage had returned to his feet, dented shield raised and a needle-like rapier in his other hand.


    Coop ignored the caster for the moment and slashed his borrowed sword horizontally, telegraphing the blow in order to encourage the Sage¡¯s block. The Shield Sage bit, holding his shield forward to catch the blade. Coop used his free hand to grab the edge of the extended shield to yank it towards himself. The Sage, strapped as he was to the shield and relatively weak compared to Coop, stumbled forward, completely off-balance after expecting to receive a blow rather than be pulled. Coop ran him through and tore the shield off of his arm while he fell to the plush carpet with a thud.


    The War Disciple had finally stopped coughing and stood on her own feet. Coop tilted his head, wondering if she was done. She smiled unnervingly, way too excited to fight, with blood staining her chin. She charged again, with only one sword this time, and Coop blocked her attack as he intended the first go around, using the Shield Sage¡¯s dented shield. He counterattacked with her own sword. She kept smiling even after she lifelessly fell on top of the Sage.


    Coop turned to the Wasteland Binder who continued pelting him, casting with contorted fingers. The attacks stung, and he moved to end the annoyance when a shadow glided in front, solidifying as it thrust jeweled daggers at Coop¡¯s still collared neck.


    The bleeding Shadow Walker had tried to catch Coop by surprise using his speed, but Coop was still faster. Both daggers smashed into the dented shield, to the guard¡¯s surprise, then a blast of sand ripped into his back. The Binder didn¡¯t seem to care about his ally and intended to tear through his temporary savior to surprise Coop while targeting his eyes.


    Coop sidestepped, and reaching as far as he could with the Disciple¡¯s sword, cut the Wasteland Binder¡¯s hand, then with another step, stabbed him in the throat before any scream could come out. The Shadow Walker was also dead, killed by his own party member.


    Coop watched the door, anticipating reinforcements, but none had come. The lounges were sufficiently insulated to prevent sound from exiting, but that didn¡¯t mean they didn¡¯t have some other way to call for aid. Especially if Rod was so important to the Empire. Coop gave Rod a kick, realizing he was just feigning death, and Rod groaned in pain. Coop dragged him to his feet.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the dungeon?¡± Coop tried again.


    Rod responded by twisting his face in fury.


    [You resisted Mind Spike]


    [You resisted Mind Spike]


    [You resisted Mind Spike]


    [You resisted Mind Spike]


    Coop finished him off, then moved the bodies behind the bar. No reinforcements had come and the VIP lounge hid the damage from the battle well, with its garish colors and the blood red carpet, the actual blood was invisible beyond some wet spots. Coop righted the fallen tables and the only obvious sign that something had happened was the smashed back bar. His ribs ached, but none of them had been strong enough to aggravate his physical injuries.


    He took a deep breath, and checked the notification that popped up during the fight.


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    The system granted too much experience for killing other people. He shook his head, not wanting to think about it. He couldn¡¯t place his unallocated points into Mind while he had the Soul Tether affliction.


    Coop grabbed the collar that was disabling his active abilities and started to pull, but he stopped before he tore it off as an idea formed. He didn¡¯t want to fight his way through the entire settlement, he wasn¡¯t even sure if he could. He might have a shot if they came at him in smaller groups, but he could easily be overwhelmed by the Endless Empire, and he really didn¡¯t want to commit a slaughter like that.


    Maybe he could use the collar as his ticket to get that tour he was looking for instead. He decided to give it a shot. In the worst case he would just be back on square one. He left the War Disciple¡¯s sword and the Shield Sage¡¯s shield with their original owners and used some bar towels and alcohol to clean himself off. He found some signage and grabbed a whole stack.


    Satisfied with his cleanup, he quietly opened the door to the VIP area, scanning the private lounge for any new Chosen, but it remained empty. Coop placed a ¡®Do Not Disturb, Private Party,¡± sign on the VIP door, for whatever good it would do, and headed around the private lounge and the central bar to the entrance where the gate guards had escorted him.


    Carefully opening the door to the airport corridor revealed the gate guard¡¯s party waiting outside on benches adjacent to the escalator. He put another Private Party sign on the lounge door and discarded the rest, then stepped through and cleared his throat.


    ¡°General Rod says to escort me to the dungeon, then return to your posts.¡± Coop declared confidently, before the party noticed him.


    The group shared looks of fear and surprise before they calmed each other down, apparently impacted by Coop¡¯s aura. It seemed like they needed to be pretty close to notice it at all, but when they did, they had instinctive reactions to it.


    The Secutor with the heavy shield was the first to get ahold of himself. Once the fear faded, he looked confused for a moment, then looked at Coop¡¯s collar and lack of armor and a look of recognition slowly grew on his face. He looked like he wanted clarification, glancing at the door, but the Do Not Disturb sign seemed to be enough for him to accept the situation as it was.


    The Steel Inquisitor moved behind Coop with a laugh and pushed him toward the disabled escalators, but Coop didn¡¯t budge, just turning to look back at the man. ¡°Well, get moving, prisoner.¡± He barked, trying to enjoy the new authority over the outsider. The rest fell into formation around him. ¡°I told you guys we¡¯d take whatever settlement he represented. You owe me drinks.¡±


    The Cavalier frowned. ¡°I didn¡¯t even think he was really from a different one.¡±


    Coop had to decide whether or not to let them put him inside the dungeon, or jump them after they revealed the location. He wasn¡¯t as confident about escaping a system constructed service as he was his fellow humans, but he was feeling like he had a deadline now. If he waited too long, planning a way to get in and out, someone might discover Rod¡¯s party and put the settlement on alert.


    As they walked him down the concourse, past the duty free shopping areas and hundreds of other Chosen milling around the airport, just killing time, he weighed his options. In the end he decided to let them put him inside. Either way, he was going to have to get inside, find Charlie¡¯s parents, then get out. This way, they were knocking out the first part without any effort from himself. It was just too bad he couldn¡¯t get a message to Camila and Charlie beforehand.


    The guards walked him through baggage claim, through security gates, and past ticket counters until they reached the outdoors again, this time in a different direction than where he had arrived. They walked through a line of abandoned cars, waiting to pick people up, until they entered one of the massive parking garages. The parking garages had a central courtyard between them for pedestrians, but it was now dominated by a decently sized service building. It had the same footprint as the smaller shops, but it was much taller, peaking above the half dozen floors of the parking garages at each corner. Other than the top, it was concealed on all sides by garages.


    They marched him through the stone door and stopped in the middle of the singular first floor room. Coop thought calling it a dungeon was a mistake, it was more like a spire. The first floor revealed that the entire structure was perfectly square, constructed of a dark stone that looked solid with flecks of mana sparkling from within. The guards let go of Coop and a seven foot tall pastel purple lady stood up from her position in front of a security gate that blocked a central staircase and walked over to them.


    She took a good look at Coop then looked at the guards. ¡°We can¡¯t hold him.¡± She stated firmly. Coop got nervous, realizing that of course the aliens would be able to read his aura, given the level disparity they still enjoyed. He clenched his fists, ready to fight if he needed to. He¡¯d just have to avoid confronting the alien directly.


    ¡°Just put him in one of the cells.¡± The Inquisitor spat back with a bit too much venom in his voice. Coop was taken aback by the disrespect he showed her, but she seemed used to it. Wasn¡¯t she from their faction?


    ¡°Fine.¡± She said with exasperation, grabbing one of Coop¡¯s arms and dragging him through her security gate. The guards didn¡¯t wait around, leaving as soon as she took custody of Coop.


    She stopped him on the second floor. It was another square room, but it had what seemed like iron bar cells lining the outside. Coop quickly counted five per side. Each one held a handful of people. None of them reacted to their presence and Coop suspected that the staircase and security area were concealed from their view.


    ¡°Listen here, baby Champion.¡± The alien spun him around to face her, revealing that she knew what he was. He had to look up at her and was frankly a bit intimidated to face her down. ¡°I can see that you weren¡¯t really captured by those weaklings. What game are you playing?¡±


    Coop tried to look innocent, but wasn¡¯t sure if his human expressions translated to the human-like alien. ¡°I¡¯m just visiting a neighboring settlement, seeing how they run things.¡±


    ¡°You humans are truly a difficult species.¡± She complained. They passed the third and fourth floors before she continued, ¡°In the name of the God-Empress, I wish I was home.¡± Coop got the impression that the settlement wasn¡¯t playing nice with the contracted resident.


    They kept going up, and Coop kept checking each floor for Charlie¡¯s parents. He knew what they looked like based on the pictures in their home, but he didn¡¯t spot them. The cells held quite a few people. He could only guess at the alien¡¯s organization, but it seemed like there was some system at play. Men and women were in separate cells, but still on the same floors, and the fourth floor was mostly empty despite even more people stuffed into the fifth floor.


    The sixth floor only held a few dozen people and Coop noted that they were all sitting on the floor against the back wall, away from the bars of the front gates to their cells. There were no windows, but the walls emanated a steady gray and white light despite the black surfaces. He wondered if there was any due process involved in being held, but after meeting the settlement¡¯s Viceroy, the answer was obvious. Of course there wasn¡¯t.


    The alien shoved Coop through the seventh floor¡¯s security gate, then with a quick pull, opened one of the cells and tossed him inside. She smirked at him before she left, happy to flex how much stronger she was even when compared to Coop. As he fell, he thought she better enjoy the advantage while she could, it might not last forever.

 Chapter 55: Underestimated

    Coop stumbled into the dungeon¡¯s cell, sliding into the back wall shoulder first. He felt the impact in his injured ribs, but he didn¡¯t react, gritting his teeth instead while waiting for the guard to leave. He didn¡¯t think there was any reason to reveal more than necessary, even if she could read his aura, he had no idea what information she could actually glean from it. The alien guard didn¡¯t linger after tossing him inside, disappearing into the stairwell, before he finally moved.


    ¡°You alright, mate?¡± His lone cellmate asked once they were left alone.


    Coop sat up and dusted himself off, but the cell was immaculate, so he didn¡¯t accomplish much with his pat down. ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± He responded before trying and failing to inspect his companion. He grimaced when he realized Presence of Mind was still disabled by the collar. It had already become second nature to apply his skills. Without them, it felt like he lost one of his senses.


    ¡°She¡¯s pretty rough when she gets feisty. I wonder what you did to put her in a mood.¡± His cellmate wiggled his eyebrows at Coop causing Coop to involuntarily make a face at the man for the implication. ¡°Anyway, brother, what are ya in for?¡±


    Coop shrugged, ¡°I had a little fight with General Rod.¡± Coop glanced around the room, finding only three other prisoners. It looked like things were working out, because one of them was Charlie¡¯s father. He looked really beat up, with one arm cradled gingerly by the other and a bruised face under a short but scraggly beard. He hadn¡¯t even looked up when Coop was dragged into the cell.


    Coop¡¯s cellmate was nodding. ¡°That sure sounds like L¡¯il Rod. That one¡¯s got a chip on his shoulder, for sure.¡± He commiserated. ¡°I thought you¡¯d say you went on a bender. You reek of alcohol, mate.¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s with this place?¡± Coop asked, keeping his voice down, but keeping his eye on Emmanuel. ¡°Are we good to socialize or are we gonna get beaten?¡± He continued, indicating toward Charlie¡¯s father.


    Coop¡¯s cellmate glanced at Emmanuel before responding. ¡°Nah, we¡¯re good, mate. He¡¯s like that ¡®cause of the interrogations with Rod¡¯s people. He¡¯s supposed to be some kind of rebel leader and he won¡¯t tell them about his allies. The aliens are quite gentle, actually, and not so bad to look at if you ask me.¡± Coop definitely hadn¡¯t asked and shook his head in disappointment at his cellmate, already getting an idea for what kind of guy he was.


    Coop went over to the bars of his cell, ¡°Psst! Emmanuel!¡± Charlie¡¯s father perked up when he heard his name, looking over at Coop through one eye. The other was swollen shut. ¡°Charlie sent me to get you out.¡±


    ¡°Charlotte?¡± Emmanuel whispered with a dry voice. Coop nodded.


    ¡°Damn, that¡¯s the first time he¡¯s said a word.¡± Coop¡¯s cellmate observed. ¡°I¡¯m Derek by the way. You gonna get me out too?¡± He asked with a chuckle, obviously skeptical towards the idea of escaping.


    Coop turned back to his cellmate. ¡°That depends, what are you in for?¡±


    ¡°Oh hoho¡­¡± Derek¡¯s eyes had lit up. ¡°Now that¡¯s a story! It all started back when I was in college-¡±


    Coop interrupted him by raising a hand to stop him. ¡°Dude, just the abridged version, alright?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well, basically I got caught sleeping with Rod¡¯s older sister and their mother back in the day.¡± Derek concluded. ¡°Now, he says I¡¯m a political prisoner. I mean, what are the odds that his best buddy would become Champion?¡± Derek shook his head in disbelief. ¡°Unlucky.¡± When Coop just watched him with a withering gaze, he stopped and put his palms up, gesturing like ¡®what can you do?¡¯ Coop barely kept from rolling his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s true!¡± Derek assured him.


    Coop returned his attention to Emmanuel. ¡°Where¡¯s Mrs. Seraphin?¡±


    Emmanuel pointed to the wall behind him. ¡°Madison is restrained in the dark room. Those bastards keep her in there at all times to keep us separated.¡± The air practically vibrated with Emmanuel¡¯s rage.


    Coop nodded, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll get her.¡± He looked at Derek. ¡°Do you know anything about these collars? Like, will our heads explode if we tear them off?¡±


    Derek¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°Tear them off? They won¡¯t explode, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll work mate.¡± He knocked on the bars. ¡°They¡¯re just as strong as the prison, and they get stronger everyday. We got the guard lady to explain it once, something about absorbing mana at a set rate so that they¡¯ll work even as people level up. Superman wouldn¡¯t be able to break ¡¯em.¡±


    ¡°What about the guards? Do they check in on a schedule or something?¡± Coop questioned.


    ¡°Nah, we¡¯re pretty much just ignored until they drag someone in or out. I don¡¯t even know what day it is. Can¡¯t even check the leaderboards with the collars on.¡± Derek explained.


    ¡°What about everyone else that¡¯s locked up?¡± Coop wondered.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want anything to do with most of them. There¡¯s like murderers and stuff downstairs...¡± Derek pointed at the other two on their floor. ¡°They¡¯re alright. That guy tried to get a petition going to start Champion elections,¡± The man was watching them with a hopeless gaze from his seat on the floor in the back of his cell. ¡°And that guy tried to start a revolution in the outer rim.¡± The second guy nodded without remorse, gripping the bars of his cell, looking proud of himself and eager to get out.


    Coop rotated his shoulders and cracked his neck. ¡°Alright. Anything else that might be important before we break out?¡±


    Derek still looked skeptical, ¡°If you¡¯re not messing around¡­ they¡¯re holding our stuff in temporary holding cells, like a makeshift armory. I can¡¯t leave without my instrument. But it¡¯s on the first floor, where the guard station is.¡±


    The eager prisoner chimed in. ¡°If you get this collar off me, I can make a distraction upstairs.¡± He gave an enthusiastic smile. ¡°I¡¯ll blow the top right off.¡±


    Coop looked at Derek who tilted his head toward the eager prisoner. ¡°He¡¯s been dying to give it a shot, ever since they threw him in here.¡± The eager prisoner nodded vigorously.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Coop moved toward the bars.


    Derek sat up, finally accepting that Coop was serious. ¡°Hang on a sec. Where would we even go? We¡¯re in the middle of the only settlement around. We¡¯re just gonna flee into the wilderness and ask the monsters to take us in?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m taking Emmanuel and Madison back to my settlement.¡± Coop revealed.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Derek managed. ¡°You¡¯re a Champion?¡±


    Coop shrugged, ¡°Something like that.¡± He responded noncommittally.


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Derek made up his own mind. ¡°So, you got some Champion power to disable the collars? Even with skills, I don¡¯t think we can break out of the cells.¡±


    Emmanuel eased himself up, slowly drawing himself to his full height. The motion drew everyone else¡¯s attention as he gripped the bars with his good arm, letting his other hang limply at his side. ¡°I can. Just get this collar off.¡± He stated simply, with his gravelly voice practically dripping with confidence. Coop believed he could.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I¡¯ll take care of that.¡± Coop waved him off.


    Coop tested the bars himself while the other four prisoners watched. If their distraction was going to work, they¡¯d need to keep their cells mostly intact, so that they could wait inside them while the guard went past them to investigate.


    ¡°And there¡¯s just one guard?¡± Coop confirmed.


    Derek and the eager prisoner both nodded.


    Coop watched the point where the bars embedded into the ceiling and applied some pressure. He could feel the resistance, but felt confident he could break out. He yanked the bars inward with just his arms feeling them flex underneath his strength. He put some effort into it, using his legs, bracing his abs, and pushing to incorporate his back and maximize his leverage. The bars snapped out of their joints in the magical ceiling and floor with a metallic pop.


    The entire front wall of the cell separated in one large rectangular piece. Barely visible motes of red mana leaked into the air from the breakpoints and disappeared into the air. Coop gently turned the bars and leaned the piece against the side wall of his cell, quietly listening for any signs that he had alerted the guard. The other three prisoners had all frozen at the sight, confused at the feat of strength they just witnessed.


    ¡°What?¡± Coop asked, worried that he tripped an alarm they hadn¡¯t warned him about.


    ¡°Mate, when you mentioned your settlement I just assumed you had a way to disable the collars. You¡¯ve still got your collar on¡­¡± Derek looked bewildered.


    ¡°Well, if the distraction is gonna work we need to have our collars on right? I¡¯ll put the bars back after I let him out, but I don¡¯t think the collars will stay together.¡± Coop explained while gesturing to the eager prisoner. ¡°Can you make it look like you got yourself out once you¡¯ve got your collar off?¡± Coop asked.


    The prisoner nodded, still looking stunned. ¡°Ah, but I should let you know that I¡¯d like to stay once we¡¯re free. Everyone I¡¯ve ever known that¡¯s still alive is in the city¡­¡± He looked at Coop worriedly.


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    ¡°That¡¯s fine. As long as you make a good enough distraction for all of us to get out safely, I don¡¯t care what you do.¡± Coop dismissed his worries before he paused. ¡°I mean, don¡¯t make me an accomplice to anything heinous, or I¡¯ll feel responsible and come put a stop to it.¡± Coop warned, not wanting to endorse murder or something.


    ¡°Oh no, nothing like that, I just want to help my family.¡± The eager prisoner reassured Coop.


    ¡°That goes for you too.¡± Coop told the still seated prisoner in the adjacent cell.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡± He confirmed. ¡°Your settlement can¡¯t be worse than this one.¡±


    Coop didn¡¯t know how he should feel about the lukewarm vote of confidence so he continued to the eager guy¡¯s cell without comment. He pulled the front wall out with another snap and put it on the floor, then he stepped forward to figure out the collar.


    ¡°You know, the guard warned me just a couple days ago that I¡¯d need to be level 100 and have every point invested into Strength to break the bars. She also said add another two levels everyday because they would keep getting stronger.¡± The eager prisoner explained while Coop tried to find a weak point in the collar.


    Coop grunted. ¡°Seems like the aliens are underestimating us, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    He gripped the collar between his pointer finger and thumb on both hands and pulled them apart. The difficulty was in the lack of purchase, like trying to open a wet pickle jar. It took more effort to keep hold of the metal band, but the collar snapped in half, releasing a tiny bit of mana just like the jail cells had. It was designed to come in two pieces that connected with a round joint on each end. He¡¯d broken it completely.


    The eager prisoner exhaled in relief before he looked nervously at Coop. His unrestrained aura had arrested the prisoner¡¯s attention as soon as he was able to detect it. Coop reminded him of the plan and their deal, so the prisoner gulped, and concentrated on his task. Coop returned to his cell with Derek and propped the bars back into place. They looked as good as new, but he wasn¡¯t sure if the guards had better perception than he did.


    Red energy glowed from the fingertips of the freed prisoner as he singed his cell, his collar, and the broken bars, making it seem like he had used his own skills to free himself. Coop thought it would work if it was only given a cursory glance. Hopefully, the upstairs distraction would also be enough to keep the guard from investigating any further.


    ¡°I won¡¯t forget you for giving me this chance.¡± The prisoner promised Coop before he disappeared into the center stairs, magically concealed as he went up.


    ¡°So, now what?¡± Derek asked.


    ¡°We wait for the guard to go investigate his distraction, then we free Madison and head downstairs to their armory before we escape out the front door.¡± Coop patiently explained.


    ¡°You make it sound so simple.¡± Derek complained.


    ¡°It is simple.¡± Coop concurred, he didn¡¯t even need to say anything else before Derek sighed in resignation and waited patiently to see how everything played out.


    They didn¡¯t have to wait long. An explosion erupted from above. It was strong enough to shake the magically infused stones and if Coop wasn¡¯t holding the bars, the broken wall of their cell would have been exposed. He was impressed. It definitely sounded like the tower¡¯s top had been blown off.


    ¡ª


    Charlie had been doing her best to hold it together. She had surprised herself with how well she was doing. Normally, her mother was the solid foundation of her family. Whenever she faced a problem, she would run to her for help and advice.


    She glanced at Camila, who was leaning from her spot in the shadows of the small alley to watch Coop stop his guards as he became distracted by a resident. If it wasn¡¯t for Camila, Charlie probably would have been a panicked mess the entire time since she found out her parents were captured.


    They had successfully entered Empress City about half a mile away and weaved a path through the run-down shelters to wait for Coop. They watched as guards ran back and forth from the airport all the way to the outer gate before they let him in, escorted by a single party. It was hardly enough to threaten Coop, but the members of the Endless Empire were constantly overestimating themselves. It was no surprise that they thought a few of their elites would be enough.


    They watched as Coop casually greeted the random residents that he spotted, and even though they ignored him, he kept trying to be friendly. She didn¡¯t think Coop was even conscious of his natural benevolence which made it all the more sincere. Coop even stopped to pet a muddy dog, holding up the small procession for a few ear scratches.


    The residents seemed to have been conditioned to ignore the Empire¡¯s guards, just staying out of the way to avoid unwanted attention. It certainly made it easy for Camila and Charlie to move around without being noticed, but she still hoped the miserable people would snap out of it. She agreed with Coop that it hadn¡¯t been long enough for all of them to completely fall into despair.


    Camila interrupted her musing, shaking her head. ¡°He¡¯s good with kids, animals love him¡­ you watch, Charlie. Your parents are going to love him too.¡±


    Charlie sighed. ¡°Keep your eyes on the prize.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am.¡± Camila confirmed with a smirk. Charlie couldn¡¯t keep the exasperation out of her sigh.


    Camila stopped watching and faced Charlie. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s gonna work out. Coop might even be able to get them released when he meets the Champion.¡± Camila hugged her. ¡°It¡¯s gonna be fine. We¡¯ll be back to Ghost Reef in no time.¡±


    Charlie exhaled again, nervous and frustrated. Camila and Coop were the strongest people she knew and they were both helping her right now. ¡°Sorry.¡± She mumbled.


    Camila stroked her hair before letting her go and returning to the corner to peek out. ¡°He¡¯s already inside, let¡¯s wait a bit and see if we can get in again.¡±


    They waited a few minutes before Camila led Charlie into the open and approached the checkpoint. The inner ring was secured more thoroughly than the outer, and there was virtually no cover on the inside, so sneaking around wasn¡¯t a good option. The stray dog that Coop had roused approached them and Charlie let it sniff her before they got to the checkpoint.


    ¡°State your business.¡± An agitated guard uttered to them when they stopped in front of the sheet metal gate.


    Camila responded confidently, ¡°Scouting report for leadership.¡±


    ¡°Hmm? We weren¡¯t expecting any. Who are you?¡± He asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re already late. You don¡¯t want to be the one to explain the situation to the General, do you?¡± Camila questioned.


    ¡°You know what, I don¡¯t care. You can go in, but the dog stays out.¡± The guard relented before he took a good look at the pair of girls. He was obviously having a bad day.


    Camila, as usual, had no mercy. ¡°I think we¡¯ll take the dog too.¡± Charlie was surprised that Camila kept pushing, but she hadn¡¯t even realized the dog had followed them over to the gate.


    ¡°Alright, but you need to give me your name. I¡¯m Jim. And if anyone asks, the dog didn¡¯t come from here.¡± The guard capitulated, it had only taken one look and half a smile from Camila to get him to change his tune. Charlie looked at the dog and rolled her eyes. She imagined that the dog commiserated.


    ¡°Nice to meet you Jim, I¡¯m Jenny.¡± Camila answered sweetly, twirling her ponytail with one finger.


    Jim didn¡¯t dither before he opened the gate, and the girls promptly let themselves in with the stray dog at their heels. ¡°See you around, Jenny.¡± Jim called out as they left him behind.


    Camila turned to Charlie once they were on the tarmac and snorted. Charlie shook her head. Getting in was the easy part. Coop and his escort of guards had already entered the buildings. They wouldn¡¯t be able to follow him and entering the airport was a good way to run into more complications. Instead, they took a wide path, rounding the structure without going inside, keeping a hopeful eye out for Coop being given a tour. Small parties came and went, but they didn¡¯t see Coop. Maybe the dungeon was inside as well.


    They started to suspect that he wouldn¡¯t be coming out for a while when the stray dog started huffing at the ground and looking at them before whining. It walked away from them before turning to see if they were following and whining some more.


    ¡°It can¡¯t hurt to follow him.¡± Charlie suggested and Camila shrugged, not having any better ideas, and walked after the dog.


    The dog led them around to the public side of the airport where the pick up and drop off areas had been. They followed a pedestrian path away from the airport, toward the parking garages. The girls eventually spotted the tower. It was obviously not a part of the original airport. One look and they knew that they had found what they were looking for. They had to stop the dog from leading them any further as he wanted to go right up to the front door.


    As they prevented the dog from continuing forward, Coop¡¯s escort of guards exited from the front of the tower. Coop was missing.


    They quickly hid inside one of the adjacent parking garages finding a spot in the shadows, behind a white utility van. They crouched, holding the dog to keep him from giving them away. As they waited, the guards continued along the path, apparently not noticing the girls when they came out. They listened as the guards complained about General Rod not telling them things directly and the outsider¡¯s disturbing aura defense. They were going back to outer checkpoint duty, begrudgingly.


    Once the guards were long gone, the girls found the stairwell and climbed to the top of the parking garage. It was only a few stories shorter than the windowless tower. They inched their way to the edge closest to the structure, hiding behind abandoned vehicles, until they found a vantage point where they could see the entrance.


    ¡°So¡­ do you think he¡¯s just getting a tour?¡± Camila pondered doubtfully.


    ¡°Getting himself arrested was his original plan¡­¡± Charlie worriedly observed. ¡°What should we do?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just wait a bit, either he¡¯ll walk out of the front door like nothing happened, or he¡¯ll send us some kind of signal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get ready.¡± Charlie decided.


    She climbed into the bed of a pickup truck, raised her hands to the sky, and started weaving the wind. It was different than when she was making small gusts and throwing them into sails, but the experience had taught her some things. She slowly pushed huge amounts of air in a circular pattern, just like her tornados, but on a massive scale. She managed her mana to keep it going for as long as possible. If anyone was watching the sky, they would probably notice how the clouds were slowly converging over the airport.


    Camila kept a lookout while Charlie created a storm. It was something between a tornado and a hurricane, with howling winds flowing through the different levels of the parking garages. The process reminded her of some happy summers when her father would push the water in a round pool, slowly rotating around the perimeter until he formed a whirlpool that would sweep her and her mother in circles.


    She was pushing the air around and around, building its momentum. It barely needed her input once she got it moving. She kept adding to it anyway, building it to last a longer period. She wanted enough power to topple the tower if necessary. She knew her parents were inside. And Coop. She wanted all of them outside, with her.


    A fiery explosion erupted from the tower and Charlie saw flames and mana fly into the sky before they were whipped into the wall of her storm.


    ¡°What was that?¡± She shouted to Camila, over the howling winds.


    ¡°A signal.¡± Camila concluded, nodding at Charlie to give her the go ahead to release her ability.


    Charlie channeled the rest of her mana into the storm, directing her frustrations and concerns into her spell. She kept going, pushing her abilities to the limit. She yelled as the last of her mana was spent, but no one would hear her as the wind had become even louder. The clouds that had gathered around the airport were ripping apart as the wind formed a funnel that centered on the tower and parking garages.


    The airport was completely engulfed in the storm. The wind howled and threatened the buildings, despite being hurricane proof structures. The tower lit up with mana reinforcement, fighting the assault with alien magic. Charlie was spent.

 Chapter 56: The Eye of the Storm

    ¡°What did you do?¡± The guard stood in front of the scorched and empty cell, nudging the broken collar with her boot. She stopped and looked at Coop. It was obviously too much of a coincidence for him to have arrived immediately before a prisoner escaped, but Coop was counting on the limitations placed on the aliens by the system.


    ¡°Nothing too dramatic.¡± Derek answered, inadvertently giving a suspicious answer after the guard had previously suspected Coop. ¡°He just popped his collar off and started going wild with his skills. You know he¡¯s been trying to get out ever since you put him in there.¡±


    The guard raised an eyebrow at them before she huffed like she¡¯d rather be somewhere else, spun on her feet, and went back into the stairwell. Coop breathed a small sigh of relief that the guard seemed to be playing along even if she was onto him. He counted thirty seconds, feeling like it took forever, before he ripped his own collar off and activated Presence of Mind to mask his aura, then placed his five unallocated points from his previous level into Mind. He identified the other prisoners as he moved to remove Derek¡¯s collar.


    [Human (Level 12)]


    [Virtuoso (Acumen)]


    [(Requiem)]


    Coop would never have guessed that someone like Derek would have a class called Virtuoso. His first impression was more like some kind of scoundrel, but his class really made him sound fancy. Coop wondered what his skills were like. Derek rubbed his neck while Coop moved the bars to their cell and went to the hopeless prisoner.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Coop belatedly asked.


    ¡°Marcus.¡± He answered while finally standing up.


    [Human (Level 25)]


    [Hierophant (Intelligence)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    Coop broke the bars down and removed his collar before he confirmed that he wanted to leave his faction behind. Marcus had no love for the Empire, nor the people who were representing it on Earth and was ready to renounce his faction affiliation as soon as possible. That was good enough for Coop who moved to Emmanuel¡¯s cell.


    [Human (Level 24)]


    [Enforcer (Strength)]


    [Massive]


    Charlie¡¯s father had made good progress with his levels despite not being Chosen. Coop was impressed. It seemed like his mana affinity was also quite literal.


    ¡°She¡¯s behind this wall.¡± Emmanuel pointed, not wasting any time leading the way to Madison.


    Coop nodded and approached the illuminated stone. This was the part he was the least sure about. Would he be able to smash through the magically reinforced structure? He tested the wall with his knuckles and it seemed completely solid.


    ¡°Is there a door or something?¡± Coop asked while knocking on the surface.


    ¡°It just opens from right there.¡± Emmanuel answered.


    Coop couldn¡¯t find any obvious weak points, like hinges or a frame. He pushed on the wall like he had with the iron bars, to see if it would give a little, but there was no flex at all. He briefly considered if Emmanuel was mistaken, but if there was one thing he had already gleaned about the man, it was that he really cared about his family. He wouldn¡¯t make a mistake like that.


    With a sigh, Coop stepped away from the wall and tried kicking it like he was breaking down a door. Three tries was enough to know that kicking his way in wouldn¡¯t be feasible. He walked a little further from the wall and used Salvation to summon his full ethereal armor, helmet and all, then Retribution to summon his shield. He took a deep breath and charged at full speed across the cell into the wall, shoulder first, with his shield against his arm to take the brunt of the impact.


    The collision between the shield and the wall sounded like a high speed car accident. Coop¡¯s ribs protested, but the wall was left with a massive crater centered at Coop¡¯s shoulder height.


    ¡°Damn, man.¡± Derek gaped in awe. Marcus just grunted.


    Coop took another running start, aiming to collide with the same spot. A second collision rang out with Coop driving his legs forward. His shield cracked before snapping and falling into pieces that evaporated into mist. The wall resisted his efforts, slowing him down to nearly a stop before it suddenly gave, individual stones collapsing all around him. He nearly fell on his face when the wall finally broke, but he maintained his balance in the middle of the gaping hole that he had created.


    He found himself peering into a dark room, through the red mana mist leaking from the broken stones and dust swirling in the dim light. Coop just felt lucky that the wall never reinforced itself with mana the way he had seen the Tavern defend itself back on Ghost Reef. Breaking through the stone was difficult enough.


    ¡°My love! I knew you¡¯d come for me.¡± A weary woman¡¯s voice whispered from somewhere inside the room. Coop was silhouetted in the gaping hole that he had just created, squinting into the darkness before he spotted her, tied with both hands above her head on the opposite side of the room.


    Emmanuel rushed past Coop into the room, ¡°I¡¯m here! Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡± She responded, sounding like she was on the verge of passing out.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, honey, we¡¯re leaving now.¡± Emmanuel soothed her. He looked at Coop who joined him in unfastening her. She wasn¡¯t bound by magical implements, just regular ropes, but Emmanuel only had one hand to work the knots with. However, when Coop was done with the ropes, he realized that they had been slowly draining his mana while he held them.


    While they were untying her wrists and ankles, Derek gaped at the hole that Coop had made. The wall was nearly two feet thick and the stones had actually crumbled rather than just separate from each other. The building wasn¡¯t ready for Coop¡¯s Strength, he was currently so far ahead of the curve. Thanks to his passive skills, profession levels, and title bonuses, his stats alone were enough to dismantle even the system provided structures.


    Madison wrapped her arms around Coop¡¯s neck as he removed her collar. He had to catch her to keep her from collapsing to the floor.


    ¡°You can protect her right?¡± Emmanuel asked with concern.


    ¡°No problem.¡± Coop answered, scooping her up and heading back to the cells. They should probably move quickly. There was no telling how much of a window the guard was yielding them or if more of the Empire¡¯s Chosen would come to investigate.


    Before they reached the stairwell, Madison put a hand on his chest and whispered, ¡°You¡¯re hurt?¡± Before he could respond, her hand shimmered with swirling mana that flowed directly into Coop. The outline of faint wings sprouted from her back before she passed out.


    She had cured the Tracker¡¯s Blight affliction that he still had from his fight with the Field Boss, and also healed his broken ribs with barely any effort. Coop was as good as new. He was surprised, Madison appeared to be a real healer, the first one he¡¯d heard of. He identified her.


    [Human (Level 30)]


    [Angel of Dawn (Mind)]


    [Sage of the Merciful]


    [Graceful (Lifegiver)]


    Coop was even more surprised by her level. Her faction must have invested a lot into her, considering she hadn¡¯t had a chance to get any experience since she was captured when returning. She must have shown a lot of potential during the sponsorship bidding process. He had to imagine there was a good reason. Maybe she¡¯d even be able to help Jones.


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    He had Derek peek into the stairwell to make sure the coast was clear before Coop led the group down the central stairs. He went quickly, leaping down the stairs without jostling Madison. The others struggled to keep up, but Coop really didn¡¯t want to get caught before they were able to get out of the dungeon and they still needed to crack open the armory on the first floor.


    They made it to the bottom, with Coop kicking the last security gate open and scanning the room for their goal. He was tempted to just leave as his gaze fell on the exit, but he was at least a little greedy for loot. After Derek pointed out that the settlement kept a makeshift armory inside the dungeon, he had been hoping to scavenge the Empire¡¯s entire arsenal to distribute it to the phantoms.


    ¡°Where is it?¡± Coop asked as Derek finally caught up. The winded Virtuoso pointed to a door. Thankfully, Coop wouldn¡¯t need to break down any more walls.


    ¡°Marcus, can you keep an eye in the stairwell?¡± Coop wanted to be warned if they needed to make a break for it.


    ¡°No offense, but I don¡¯t trust you to not leave me behind.¡± Marcus stated, inching away from the stairs.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Emmanuel volunteered, saving them time convincing the skeptical man.


    Coop nodded and headed into the makeshift armory. Inside the room that was identical to the one where they found Madison imprisoned, they found piles of equipment. The Empire¡¯s equipment had been disorderly tossed into the room. Coop immediately started using his free arm to start scavenging while cradling the passed out woman.


    Nothing happened. He couldn¡¯t hoover up all the free loot with his profession. He had gotten his hopes up and now he was just disappointed. Why didn¡¯t his profession come with clear instructions? He figured he couldn¡¯t scavenge everything here because these items were technically owned, while everything that he had scavenged before had been from something he killed or something that had been abandoned. He had no idea how the system would determine ownership, but that was the only explanation he could come up with. It must have something to do with mana.


    ¡°Got it!¡± Derek exclaimed while Coop was disappointedly rifling through gear. Derek raised up an acoustic guitar in victory. Coop made a face, dissatisfied with the result of their haul, but didn¡¯t say anything. The guy¡¯s class gave him some benefit of the doubt.


    ¡°What are these?¡± Marcus asked while holding a wooden crate¡¯s lid open. Coop looked inside and spotted hundreds of the Empire¡¯s artifacts. The same ones they used to cause Jones¡¯s blood curse.


    ¡°We need to destroy those.¡± Coop declared. When the other two looked at him dubiously he continued, ¡°They crush them to give people an unblockable and incurable blood curse.¡±


    Marcus nodded. ¡°Alright. If you had wanted to steal them, I¡¯d be abandoning you as soon as possible.¡± He put the lid down and held his hands over the crate. Golden light poured down from his palms like a liquid, engulfing the crate before it ignited in a cold white fire. The crate and artifacts inside disintegrated harmlessly as Coop watched.


    They left the armory, mostly empty handed, though Derek wasn¡¯t shy about grabbing as much equipment as he could, stuffing it into a makeshift pouch that he looped over the opposite shoulder from his guitar. He managed to collect plenty of the armor that had been widespread among the Chosen of the Endless Empire. They gathered Emmanuel and headed to the front door. There had been no sign of the guard, or anyone else for that matter. It was almost too quiet inside the dungeon.


    Coop was suspicious why the distraction the eager prisoner had provided hadn¡¯t attracted any reinforcements. Surely some of the Empire¡¯s forces would have noticed an explosion in their singular construction and come to investigate. Even if the guards that had brought him there had returned to the gates, he had seen that there were plenty of other Chosen milling around the airport with nothing to do.


    He led the way to the door, bracing to face down waiting enemies. Instead he found the answer for why no reinforcements had come. Gusting wind nearly pushed him back inside. It was strong enough to cause the sturdy front door to squeak on its hinges while he pushed against the wind.


    ¡°Is this a hurricane?¡± Derek yelled over the howling tempest. ¡°Isn¡¯t it, like, December?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we can keep using the previous calendar.¡± Marcus responded.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you focus on? Not all that?¡± Derek yelled back, pointing outside while trying to make himself heard over the screaming wind.


    Coop remembered the orientation of the tower, and knowing the direction of the coast, turned to the freed prisoners. ¡°Follow me!¡± He shouted before bracing Madison and stepping into the gusts.


    It was tough moving through the storm, being buffeted by gusts of winds erratically. It genuinely felt like a hurricane had arrived in the short time that he had been locked up. Coop was pretty sure it should have been day time, but the sun was merely a fuzzy red ball visible only by squinting carefully in the wind.


    On the bright side, the wind was definitely the reason no reinforcements had arrived. It would provide welcome cover for their escape. The tower was still standing, but it looked like a candle that had been blown out. Smoke and mana leaked from the top before being caught in the encircling storm, thickening the already dark clouds that had been whipped by the wind as they combined with dirt and debris.


    The group moved slowly, inching their way through the murk and staying close together until Derek started strumming his guitar. He played a driving melody that gradually weakened the wind immediately around them. It was like he had created a windscreen that filtered the small debris while diminishing the impact of the gusts.


    Coop wanted to ask a lot of questions about Derek¡¯s class, but for now he was just satisfied that he was obviously useful. They picked up the pace, but before they made it outside of the shadow of the parking garages and into the wide open fields they heard shouts coming from behind them. The reactions were mixed. Marcus clearly wanted to bolt, but Derek froze and Emmanuel and Coop both turned.


    A bulky silhouette chased after them, looking like a huge hunchback. Coop wondered if it was another monster type at first, but when the hazy figure emerged from the wind, it was actually Camila trying to catch up with them. She was giving an unconscious and fully cloaked Charlie a piggyback ride. Charlie¡¯s father was the first to react, rushing into the wind to reach his daughter and make sure she was alright.


    Camila joined the waiting group and explained that Charlie had used up all of her mana forming this storm. Coop was surprised to hear that the twisting winds were summoned by a person. His assumption was that it was a reaction to the settlement being attacked when the top of the dungeon was blown off. He couldn¡¯t believe how much power Charlie wielded to be able to create a hurricane like that. Coop was strong, but he couldn¡¯t do anything at that scale. The scope of her power was incredible, even if it wasn¡¯t particularly deadly. The legendary classes didn¡¯t seem like a joke.


    Emmanuel ended up taking Charlie, holding her with his one good arm in the practiced way that a father carries his child. He must have been doing it the same way her entire life.


    ¡°I knew you¡¯d just come out the front door like nothing happened.¡± Camila told Coop as she put her hand on his shoulder, catching her breath. He knew she didn¡¯t have any points in Strength, so carrying Charlie through these conditions must have been tough. ¡°So everything worked out?¡±


    ¡°So far so good.¡± Coop answered, gesturing to Madison before he was startled by a bark. The stray dog was also there, walking low to the ground with his tail between his legs, afraid of all the wind. Coop gave him a good scratch behind the ears before leading the group forward with the added members.


    They traveled across the open ground that surrounded the airport still within the cover that the storm had built, staying close to Derek and his buffing songs.


    They couldn¡¯t see very far in any direction as the wind had brought thick clouds all the way to the ground while also gathering loose debris. The lack of rain was a bit strange for a storm in the tropics. Coop imagined that from a distance it would look like a giant slow motion tornado. Without any visible landmarks and the swirling winds surrounding them, it would be easy to get turned around. Luckily for Coop¡¯s navigational skills, the airstrips went straight.


    Madison groaned and stirred before she opened her eyes and looked up at Coop, confused. It was the first time Coop had gotten a good look at her, and he really noticed the family resemblance with Charlie. In contrast to Charlie, Madison had crystal blue eyes and straight, light blonde hair, with pale skin, but the freckles were exactly like her daughter¡¯s. At first it seemed like they looked completely different, but that wasn¡¯t the case at all. Charlie looked just like her mother even though she had dark brown, fluffier hair, grayer eyes, and a much darker complexion. Their faces were still the same shape, with dimples in their cheeks, and freckles across their noses.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stare so much¡­¡± Madison quipped, jarring Coop out of his thoughts.


    ¡°Oh! Sorry, I was just thinking how much Charlie looks like you.¡± Coop apologized, feeling a bit embarrassed about staring.


    ¡°Mhmm. And who are you to be holding me in your arms like we¡¯re newlyweds?¡± She asked unconcernedly. Coop knew she was a doctor, and he got the impression she was used to being in charge under all sorts of conditions. Even while being carried through the middle of a tornado.


    He tried to give her a friendly smile, ¡°I¡¯m Coop. It¡¯s a bit of a long story, but I worked on Ghost Reef and met Charlie there through her ranger job.¡±


    ¡°Where is my daughter?¡± The clarity had rushed back to her eyes and she pierced Coop with a stare. He twisted his hips so that she could see past his shoulder to where Emmanuel was carrying Charlie. ¡°I see.¡± Madison chuckled, pushing her hair out of the way. ¡°Like mother, like daughter, huh?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s pretty amazing. She made this storm while we were breaking out of that dungeon.¡± Coop explained.


    ¡°Damn right.¡± Madison declared before she softened her gaze. ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t mind carrying me a bit further? I¡¯m feeling quite weak. I barely have any mana, and I have a strong affinity with it.¡±


    ¡°No worries.¡± Coop smiled again, not entirely sure what affinity had to do with anything, but he guessed that was why she and Charlie reacted the way they did when they ran out of mana. Coop was just glad he didn¡¯t pass out when he ran out of mana, that would be annoying.


    He was about to take Madison over to Emmanuel when he spotted scattered lights up ahead. He realized that a group of people holding torches were waiting at the edge of the storm. They weren¡¯t in the clear just yet. The dog growled from behind Coop and he stopped, allowing the party to regroup.


    They could see a dozen of the torchlights, but the ones holding them wouldn¡¯t be able to see them just yet. The winds had picked up all sorts of debris to add to the thick cloud cover that had descended to the ground. They¡¯d still need to get closer to leave the airport. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t seem like they would be able to escape completely without notice.

 Chapter 57: Dust Devil

    The group stared at the torches as they hovered in the wind. The lights pierced the gloom despite the hurricane, which made Coop think they weren¡¯t just regular torches. The Empire was probably using someone¡¯s abilities to keep watch. They had covered some decent ground, thanks to Derek¡¯s support, so they expected to be near the inner ring. It seemed like the Empire was actively guarding their wall.


    ¡°Could we try going around?¡± Madison suggested as she peered through the wind.


    Marcus was the first to shake his head. ¡°They¡¯ll be using the entire inner ring. All hands on deck until the threat is cleared.¡± He glanced around them. ¡°In this case, the threat is the storm.¡±


    ¡°So this isn¡¯t a manhunt for whoever killed Rod?¡± Coop asked the apparently knowledgable Marcus.


    Derek missed a note and sounded like he popped a string. ¡°Hold up. Are you saying Rod is dead?¡±


    Coop just shrugged, jostling Madison, but it was enough for Derek to jump for joy and start strumming a new, out of tune song.


    He stopped when he hit the untuned string. ¡°You know he had a legendary class?¡±


    ¡°He mentioned it.¡± Coop stated. Between Rod, Charlie, and Camila¡¯s declined class, it seemed like there were a bunch of those going around.


    Marcus ignored Derek¡¯s antics and answered Coop¡¯s manhunt question. ¡°This is a hold pattern, if someone in leadership was assassinated it would look a lot different and more people would be mobilized.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll just let us through then.¡± Coop suggested. ¡°If they¡¯re not looking for us specifically, we can just say we¡¯re taking shelter from the wind.¡±


    ¡°Nah, mate, they¡¯ll hold us for sure.¡± Derek argued, still looking for someone to celebrate with him. He smirked at Camila while tuning his guitar.


    Camila ignored him completely while staring intently at Coop. ¡°Let me take care of it.¡± She requested. The look in her eye told him she felt like she had something to prove, but he didn¡¯t think something like that was necessary.


    ¡°You sure?¡± Coop started. ¡°I could go as well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure. The conditions couldn¡¯t be more perfect. A flat, open arena, and cover that doesn¡¯t impede my momentum.¡± Camila referred to the walls of wind before adding, ¡°And people who deserve it.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Coop wouldn¡¯t be the one to deny her persistence, even if he was concerned with her eagerness. ¡°We¡¯ll wait for you right here.¡±


    All eyes were on Camila when she stretched her back and walked away from the party while rotating one arm. Derek¡¯s reinforcement zone started to fade since he had popped a string. He finished his tuning and started playing some new chords. It reminded Coop of an old western theme. It would have seemed like a joke coming from Derek if he wasn¡¯t obviously talented and if the song didn¡¯t come with unmistakable buffs. They could barely hear each other over the sounds of the wind, so there was no concern for the Empire overhearing his songs.


    The wind hadn¡¯t weakened during the time that they had traveled, and Camila was quickly out of sight. Just a few seconds after she disappeared it became obvious where she had gone. She ripped through the storm, tearing a path through the wind that remained, even as she vanished, cutting through the clouds. A few moments went by while everyone watched the storm churn, then the torches started falling to the ground.


    Camila tore through the haze, leaving a visible wake in the walls of wind. She moved so quickly she left turbulence that reached up and expanded until it revealed the blue sky before the storm could refill the gaps. Her movement was too fast to follow directly and the trails that remained were just temporary evidence of her presence.


    The torch on the right was the first to fall, then the second from the left disappeared completely, followed by another on the right. It only took as many seconds as there were torches before Camila¡¯s silhouette began to take shape in front of them, walking nonchalantly until she reappeared through the wall of wind like she had just been on a casual stroll. If they hadn¡¯t been able to watch the wake that she cut through the wind as it reached the sky, Coop wouldn¡¯t have believed she had even started. Derek stopped his western theme to give Camila a round of applause, Coop probably would have joined in if his hands weren¡¯t full.


    ¡°Well, she¡¯s pretty damn amazing.¡± Madison observed from Coop¡¯s arms.


    Coop nodded in agreement. ¡°That¡¯s Camila. She and Charlie have been inseparable since all this craziness started.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Madison gave Camila another evaluating look, judging her daughter¡¯s company before giving her approval. ¡°I like her. Why don¡¯t you put me down and talk to her. I need to check on my husband anyway.¡± She decided and patted Coop¡¯s chest appreciatively.


    Coop let her feet down gently, but kept a hold of her. ¡°You sure?¡± He hesitated.


    ¡°Oh, stop fussing, you¡¯re like an old lady.¡± Madison warned him as she took an unsteady step toward Emmanuel.


    Coop watched as she reached out to him and began glowing like she had when she healed his own ribs. From the small distance, he could see the full length of the angel wings. They were huge, but insubstantial. The mana formed a blurry outline of the wings and didn¡¯t solidify the way his ethereal mist formed his weapons and armor, remaining vaporous instead. Madison herself also had a similarly vaporous halo shaped crown that grew increasingly bright as she healed Emmanuel.


    ¡°She¡¯s like an angel.¡± Camila commented from his side.


    Coop nodded in agreement as the glow diminished and Emmanuel used his freshly healed arm to brace the fatigued healer. ¡°I wonder how it works.¡±


    ¡°Charlie told me she was a really skilled emergency physician. That probably helps.¡± Camila shared.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Coop thought that made sense. At least it was probably enough to attract the right sponsor when it came to factions. He nudged Camila. ¡°You obviously didn¡¯t have any trouble dealing with those guards.¡±


    Camila stood up straight like she was basking in a spotlight. ¡°I¡¯ve always been a troublemaker, especially around my siblings and cousins.¡± She gave Coop¡¯s arm a light punch.


    ¡°The ones in our way won¡¯t bother us.¡± Camila told him. ¡°It seems like they were just waiting there as a precaution. The inner ring is just a bit further and the winds die down as they approach the wall. There¡¯s more of them waiting along the walls in both directions.¡± She explained. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to see the lights.¡±


    Coop thought it would be better to go before anyone noticed they came through there, so he got everyone moving. Charlie had woken up as well, and the family reunion continued as they walked. Emmanuel had a look of perfect contentment that told Coop the man would have been happy to stay in the wind, or anywhere else, as long as it was with his wife and daughter. Coop had a pang of regret that his parents weren¡¯t around, but he didn¡¯t let it stop him from being happy for them. He felt like they had already done a good deed, even if they hadn¡¯t escaped yet, just by reuniting Charlie¡¯s family.


    They made it to the checkpoint in the inner ring that the guards had been protecting. The winds had died down just before the protective wall, just like Camila said. He turned back to look at the massive stationary tornado that Charlie had summoned. It engulfed the entire inner area of the airport and reached into the sky so that it seemed to be continuously swallowing clouds, driving their remains into the ground.


    The storm was shaped a bit like an hourglass, wide on the ground, but even wider in the sky where it stretched well beyond the Empire¡¯s territory. It was staggering that a single person could cause something so dramatic.


    They went through the metal gate, closing it behind them, and made their way through more crooked roads between shelters. Coop expected the outer wall to be easier to escape and the inner wall hadn¡¯t even been that bad. He supposed they were in the cover of the storm and Camila took care of what should have been the hard part, making it seem easier than it was. She still looked satisfied with her contribution as she practically skipped along with him.


    He kept an eye out for anyone that looked like they wanted to leave the flimsy shelters that dominated the Empire¡¯s settlement. He thought there would be takers when faced with the massive storm and the reminder of how easily their huts could be destroyed, but no one even acknowledged him. It was kind of depressing, but he had to remember that they all had a different and more harrowing experience during the end of the world than he did back on Ghost Reef. He thought of the eager prisoner that provided the distraction for their escape. He certainly hadn¡¯t lost hope yet. He wondered what his plan was.


    Before they reached the outer checkpoint he veered the party away from the main thoroughfare and down smaller paths that wrapped around the shelters. Instead of leaving from the obvious gate, he wanted to exit the outer wall by entering one of the many buildings that the Empire was incorporating into its perimeter. He was sure they could find a way through one of the city blocks at the edge of the settlement. Empress City¡¯s outer wall was essentially a bunch of blockaded streets all the way around the airport, which meant most eyes would be on the roads.


    The airport was just outside of downtown, with one end mostly open toward the ocean. The airstrips were oriented so that the planes would fly over the sea during landings and takeoffs. Unfortunately, that meant that the city blocks Coop wanted to sneak through were zoned for shorter warehouse type industrial buildings rather than commercial and office buildings that would have provided more cover.


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    It still didn¡¯t take them too long to find a block dominated by storage units that they could sneak through, avoiding the Empire¡¯s checkpoints altogether. A few more blocks to the port and they would be long gone. He checked on Charlie and Madison who had both recovered quite a bit in each other''s presence. Emmanuel was just basking in delight. Marcus seemed anxious to go faster and Derek hadn¡¯t given up on getting Camila to notice him, though he had at least stopped playing his guitar once they reached the shelters of the settlement. His pack full of Empire equipment was still strapped across his back.


    They moved through the yellow self-storage units quietly, but ended up finding more people who were using the units as their own shelters. They had hung makeshift barriers across destroyed orange metal doors and used old furniture and boxes to create some privacy. All of the people just ignored the group as they walked by. He supposed they didn¡¯t look much different than a party of the Empire¡¯s Chosen.


    Coop had everyone move a bit more quickly once they made it through the storage area, crossing the street and sticking close to the facade of a mostly empty junkyard on the next block. Peering through the chain link fence topped with barbed wire he noted just a handful of junkpiles. It seemed like many of the broken down cars the Empire used to create their wall had come from this place. Coop imagined dragging broken cars all the way around the airport and confirmed that it must have sucked.


    Another block away and it really felt like they were home free. The port loomed in front of them, behind a high security barrier, with its massive cranes waiting for commercial shipping containers that wouldn¡¯t be arriving any time soon. The second artificial island still had multiple stationary cruise ships moored in the port that looked to be in pretty good shape, but one of them was covered in leaves as the plants growing on board had taken over. Even further, on the opposite side of the island with the cruise ships were the private yachts and, hopefully, the waiting catamaran that would be their escape.


    Coop looked back at the still flowing storm, centered over the airport, and noted that it was already fading. They could make out the buildings and the parking garages through the slowing winds even from multiple blocks away. When they were moving through it, they could barely see outside of their immediate vicinity.


    To his surprise, a group of the Empire¡¯s Chosen were also on their tail, hustling to catch up with them as they exited the storage facility. Coop realized it was the same group of guards that had escorted him to meet Rod.


    ¡°What are the odds?¡± He mumbled out loud getting the attention of the rest.


    One of the guards, Coop remembered as the Level 28 Flame Knight, had four very familiar lights orbiting him as he led the group. It seemed like it was his ability that provided the torches to the Chosen that Camila had disabled. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Derek¡¯s pack also glowing.


    Derek, realizing the attention also took note of the glow, reached into his pack and dropped a few of the torches onto the ground. He looked guiltily at the rest, ¡°C¡¯mon, homing beacons on torches? How was I supposed to know?¡± He complained. ¡°I just thought they were neat.¡±


    ¡°Just get moving, I¡¯ll catch up.¡± Coop stated to the party. It seemed like Camila and Charlie wanted to stay, but Marcus didn¡¯t need any encouragement and started moving even though he didn¡¯t know where they were going. Clearly, ¡®away¡¯ was enough for him. ¡°Make sure everybody¡¯s ready to go.¡± Coop directed at the girls, hurrying them off. They finally went.


    As they rounded the junkyard, Coop had a minute to inspect the auras once again before he would confront them.


    [Human (Level 28)]


    [Flame Knight (Body)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Human (Level 27)]


    [Blade Tyrant (Strength)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Human (Level 30)]


    [Secutor (Strength)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Human (Level 30)]


    [Steel Inquisitor (Intelligence)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Sharp]


    [Human (Level 27)]


    [Honan Cavalier (Agility)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    He summoned his glaive and resummoned his helmet to complete his ethereal armor set. He thought the glaive was the most intimidating weapon that he used, and he was hoping to deter the party from actual conflict. The door guards didn¡¯t know what they were getting themselves into and had inadvertently walked into it thanks to Derek snatching a torch. He waited like he was security for the port until the group got closer. It was amusing watching the Secutor lug his heavy looking shield around. The poor guy was already winded.


    ¡°That¡¯s far enough guys.¡± Coop called out as they rounded the corner and spotted him. ¡°You should just head back home. No one needs to get hurt.¡±


    The Cavalier laughed out loud as the party fanned out into a battle formation. The Inquisitor was the one who responded.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. As long as you and the blonde come back with us, we don¡¯t need to fight.¡± He replied. Coop noted the mean looking spikes that had formed in an arc around him, pointed at Coop. He was obviously looking for a fight, despite offering a deal.


    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s clear by now that we¡¯re leaving.¡± Coop announced. He tried directing his aura over the party, empowering its oppressive nature by revealing his kills only, hoping to scare them off. He watched as they had physical reactions, flinching and sweating from the impression of a bloodthirsty reaper, but they weren¡¯t dissuaded.


    ¡°Your tricks won¡¯t work on us anymore!¡± The Inquisitor shouted, apparently trying to convince himself just as much as anyone else.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Coop gave in. ¡°I can¡¯t promise any of you will survive.¡± He readied his glaive.


    When the party readied themselves, Coop almost laughed out loud. They had arranged themselves in exactly the same positions as all of the Primal Trackers that he had been slaying since he got to the mainland. They were even within the same level range as the monsters. Coop¡¯s delighted grin combined with his aura to make the party even more unsure, but it was too late, they were committed.


    This was the first time he was facing a faction¡¯s organized party with time to settle into a formation. If anything, they seemed even less threatening once their tactics were revealed.


    Coop treated them exactly like the weak monsters they appeared to imitate, engaging them just like the other 16,400 Trackers that he had already defeated. He rushed into their formation, slamming his glaive into the fancy tower shield he had already admired multiple times. The Secutor hadn¡¯t had time to react to the lunging attack, but Coop had aimed for the shield anyway, testing their relative Strength.


    It was no contest. The Secutor reacted like Coop¡¯s glaive had commanded his soul to retreat. The armored man bounced once and skidded across the street until he stopped at the curb on the opposite side.


    It was exactly the opening engagement that the party had hoped for, with the main tank receiving the initiation, but it was absolutely not the outcome that they expected. The tanky centerpiece was meant to keep their opponent''s attention, but he was also meant to hold his position.


    Still, they were drilled to attack from the flanks as soon as their opponent was drawn toward the center. Coop had played along and the Cavalier and Flame Knight both swung their swords where Coop should have been stopped by the tank. They hadn¡¯t anticipated Coop continuing right through their strongest member¡¯s position, making their attacks useless unless they cut down their partners.


    Coop spun from behind the position that the Secutor should have held, swinging low and taking the legs out from under the Blade Tyrant with the shaft of his glaive. He had consciously avoided dismembering the man even when given the opportunity, but he wasn¡¯t above slamming the butt of his glaive into his helmet while he was down. The Blade Tyrant had revealed sharp edges gleaming from the outside of his forearms and his shins, but never had a chance to use them.


    Coop stepped back, now in the middle of the street, with an unconscious enemy in the gutter of each sidewalk. He allowed his aura to reveal his titles as well, thinking that maybe that the increased aura pressure with the display of strength would be enough to discourage any more fighting.


    ¡°Two down.¡± He noted.


    The Flame Knight looked at the Inquisitor nervously, obviously ready to call it quits, but Coop recognized the look in the Inquisitor¡¯s eyes. It reminded him of Kevin the Hammer, a true believer in his faction and himself. The look of someone who believed the world had been reforged specifically for his own ascension.


    The Inquisitor¡¯s spikes shot through the air toward Coop and the Cavalier conjured what looked like a thick rope net, launching it at his legs. Coop missed having his shield for a brief moment, sidestepping the spikes to avoid the more dangerous seeming attack. The net wrapped around his right leg and the Cavalier grinned in triumph. The rope dug into Coop¡¯s leg, constricting like it had a life of its own.


    Coop turned and kicked his leg, pulling the rope taut, and yanking the Cavalier stumbling forward. The rope was tied around the man¡¯s forearm, trapping him as much as his target, and his target was significantly stronger. Coop used the butt of his glaive once again, barely needing to thrust as the Cavalier fell headfirst into it. The Cavalier splayed out flat on his back in the middle of the road, with his curved sword clattering beside him.


    Coop sliced the net off his leg with the blade of his glaive as he ducked three more metal spikes from the Inquisitor.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pluck your eyes and feed them to you!¡± The Inquisitor shouted as he summoned more spikes. Coop grimaced at the disgusting threat. What a thing to say in the heat of battle.


    Coop hesitated, preventing himself from swapping weapons to spear and shield, in order to avoid revealing to the Empire more of his abilities. He really wanted to block the shiny metal spikes and he obviously needed to kill this fanatic. A well-placed spear throw would finish the job, but he stuck with the glaive.


    Instead, he advanced toward the Inquisitor. He moved quickly, but wasn¡¯t overly fast incase he needed to dodge more spikes. The Inquisitor tried to walk backwards while maintaining the pressure with his conjured spikes. Coop easily sidestepped the half aimed projectiles while closing the gap. The Flame Knight had abandoned the fight and was kneeling next to the Secutor, making sure he was alright.


    Coop thought the Primal Kites were much better at the strategy this guy was implementing. At this rate, he wouldn¡¯t need a mistjump to catch him. The Inquisitor continued his retreat until he tripped over a manhole cover and toppled backwards. He scrambled a bit to crawl on his butt away from Coop, but Coop caught up and aimed his glaive at the Inquisitor¡¯s head.


    The Inquisitor¡¯s face twisted from a look of concern into a menacing sneer and Coop dodged backwards, like he was avoiding an Ancient Prowler¡¯s ambush. Three spikes surged past him from above. The Inquisitor¡¯s sneer was momentarily wiped off his face before it morphed into horror. One spike drove into his stomach, pinning him to the ground. The next followed a split second after and stabbed in the center of his chest, knocking him flat and cutting off his panicked yelp before it left his throat. The final spike went through his forehead.


    Coop grimaced at the Inquisitor for the second time before he left his body and approached the Flame Knight. The man had put the Secutor in the recovery position and was checking on the Cavalier next.


    ¡°So, should I knock you out or are we done here?¡± Coop asked as he closed in on the Empire¡¯s Chosen.


    The Flame Knight looked up and raised his hands in surrender. ¡°We¡¯re done.¡± He glanced over at the Inquisitor¡¯s body and nodded, repeating himself. ¡°We¡¯re done...¡±


    Coop left him to help the surviving members of his party recover. He hurried to catch up with his friends and head home before anyone else tried to stop them from escaping.

 Chapter 58: Broadside

    Coop had led his friends through an industrial section of the city that linked the airport with the seaport. They avoided the main thoroughfares, utilizing side streets lined with warehouses, so that the Empire¡¯s Chosen wouldn¡¯t easily spot them during their escape. Obviously, the plan hadn¡¯t been flawless, but they were still entering the final stage: the getaway.


    The group entered the port from the northern side via a private access road designated for commercial trucks, but they needed to cross to the south side to rendezvous with Sharkbait and their escape vehicle. The plan was to have Kayla¡¯s first mate wait for them at Port Front Park.


    Before the assimilation, Port Front Park was known for the pedestrian paths that ran along its iconically long breakwater. The park had been a popular place among locals, with benches to watch the comings and goings of expensive yachts on one side and the disembarking of cruise ships on the other. Joggers and fishermen would utilize the breakwater while families picnicked and boat watched.


    The port was separated into three main artificial islands that each connected to the mainland separately, all angled to better accommodate supermax ships to better enter the lanes leading north. The closest island to Coop was the shipping section, where the oversized container ships docked to unload their cargo from all over the world. The middle and primary island was for tourists and cruise ships, and it was the one connected to the rest of the city with a major highway. The furthest island held several public marinas for locals, with Port Front Park at the forefront.


    The furthest section was their destination.


    Coop followed the access road until it converged with an offramp that connected to the main elevated causeway leading to the cruise ships. The causeway provided a direct highway to the port for everything from commercial trucks and other heavier vehicles, to public transportation, bypassing the city¡¯s downtown, and supposedly easing traffic. The causeway represented the main path connecting the port to the mainland and a barrier between the north and south that Coop would need to cross.


    As Coop moved toward the marinas he kept an eye out for more of the Empire¡¯s Chosen. It had been long enough for the guards back inside the settlement to have found the guards that Camila had defeated, especially with the storm dying down, so he expected a proper manhunt to have begun, even considering the incompetence that the Empire constantly revealed.


    Empress City was a huge settlement, and had an immense number of Chosen capable of mobilizing in the event of an attack. Even if their ability to govern was obviously questionable, Coop at least trusted the Empire to be competent when it came to the one thing their faction cared about, which was conquest. He had no doubt that they would treat the storm that Charlie created as a reason to rouse their army.


    Unfortunately, his fears were realized when he spotted a crowd of hundreds of people moving toward the port. They were marching down the abandoned highway more like a gang than any sort of proper organization. A few would break away, leaping over barriers to chase down some unfortunate soul whenever anyone was spotted. There was nothing orderly about them.


    Coop hoped that the rest of his companions were ready to go. He didn¡¯t think they would be able to stand up to the small army that had already been rolled out by the Empire if they were forced into a direct confrontation at the pier. Coop didn¡¯t want to find out if he was ready to fight hundreds of people at once.


    Coop tried to sneak across the causeway, but there was little to no cover. He was left with a clear line of sight between himself and the army of Chosen, but he dodged between broken down vehicles and cleared the median before he heard shouts as he was inevitably spotted.


    He didn¡¯t squander his small headstart, breaking into a run, crossing the causeway, and heading toward the park. It was time for them to get out of there. The Empire could have sent battalions in every direction away from the airport and into the city, and each one would be a crowd as large as the one moving toward the port.


    Their complete lack of presence at the port indicated neglect of their naval capabilities, but the worst case scenario would be to linger long enough for the different groups to lock down the city or converge at the port, cutting them off from escaping at sea. They would need to be outside of any perimeter that the Empire established.


    Some of the Chosen gave chase, excited by prey that attempted to flee. They weren¡¯t so disciplined that they would maintain a formation, rather, their modus operandi was to grab anyone they saw in a twisted form of finders keepers. Coop wasn¡¯t about to let a handful of individuals stop him, but he would need to avoid being slowed down enough for the rest of the Chosen to bolster their numbers.


    Coop wouldn¡¯t make it before the fastest of the groups caught up with him, even if he could easily outrun the bulk of his pursuers. They hooted and hollered behind him like they were on a foxhunt, generating even more attention from the rest of the crowd. He ran down the offramp and leapt over the traffic barrier to skip the abandoned security checkpoints for the port, hustling toward the park.


    As the first of the chasers closed in on him, he spotted the breakwater that separated the public marinas from the gargantuan cruise ships. The catamaran was waiting at the point, just as expected.


    Coop rounded the corner into the park and started sprinting down the paved jogging path that connected to the wide concrete breakwater. He was much faster than he had been before mana bolstered his Agility, but he couldn¡¯t claim speed as his primary attribute, not like magic defense and physical power. The Empire¡¯s Chosen with skills that boosted their speed would catch up to him before he made it to the boat even if they had less base Agility than he did.


    Coop blasted the closest Chosen with his aura, halting her in her tracks as she choked off her manic laughter, replacing it with a concerned whimper as his oppressive presence caused an instinctual response. Even his clumsy efforts with Presence of Mind were effective thanks to the sheer weight of his aura, at least the first time someone was exposed to it.


    He kept running down the path, passing the massive concrete riprap on his left that protected from the wakes of the cruise ships and their tugboats. The customary casual fishermen from the pre-mana days were missing. On his right, across a channel, yacht after yacht sat waiting, uselessly, in expensive boat slips. The rich paid extra to show off to the park¡¯s visitors and have their boats closest to the inside of the breakwater, but now they were left abandoned with no crews and no spectators.


    The next two Chosen blew past the stunned frontrunner, unaffected and unconcerned by her sudden stop. Each just wanted to be the one that captured their quarry. As they chased him down the breakwater, the first one got near enough to use a skill that hooked Coop¡¯s shoulder with a glowing red claw that cut into his flesh. It gripped Coop and twisted him off balance, making him stumble. Coop landed on the strip of windblown grass that bordered both sides of the path all the way down the breakwater, with his momentum carrying him forward in an awkward somersault.


    Coop was back on his feet before the red claw Chosen could grab him, swinging his glaive like a baseball bat. He caught the Chosen with the shaft, hitting him hard in the ribs with a crack, knocking the air out of his lungs, and throwing him into the water toward the yachts. The Chosen landed with a splash while his red claw trailed after him, through the air, like a novelty sticky hand out of a gumball machine.


    The second Chosen followed up with a flying kick, whole body glowing with a greenish yellow haze, never slowing down and aiming for Coop¡¯s neck. Coop dropped his glaive, still in his backswing, and grabbed him by the ankle, spun with his momentum one full rotation, and turned the kicking leg into the grip of a hammer throw. Coop threw him into the water even further than the first Chosen. The palms of Coop¡¯s hands burned like he had gripped something caustic.


    Looking back at the rest of his pursuers, he realized they were in real trouble. Dozens more of the Empire¡¯s Chosen were now charging down the path. He suspected even more were following not far behind. They needed to start moving the catamaran right away. He dismissed his glaive and just ran.


    The anxiety that was building in his chest distracted him from the shouts and laughter behind him as well as the burning in his lungs. He was maybe a hundred yards away from the end of the breakwater where the catamaran was waiting to make their escape. Camila was standing on the front of the catamaran waving and jumping, and Charlie gripped the starboard rails with both hands. They were so close to getting away.


    Thunder abruptly exploded from Coop¡¯s left, where the cruise ships were moored, like multiple lightning bolts coordinated a strike at the same time. Coop felt the sound in his molars, it was so sudden and piercing, the vibration made his heart skip a beat. He nearly stopped in surprise.


    A split second later the path erupted behind him, the oversized breakwater stones were pulverized, and giant splashes surged in the water on both sides of the path. The shockwave knocked the breath out of his lungs and he lost his balance and tripped, falling face first onto the paved trail with his ears ringing.


    He turned to look behind him, elbows propping him up. The breakwater had been demolished like someone had detonated TNT in an effort to split it in half. Before he had a chance to understand what happened, another round of thunder claps rattled his bones, and more explosions followed. Coop looked over toward the end of the cruise ships where he finally spotted the broadside of the Eye of the Storm, smoke billowing from the rows of cannons. The top row fired, and the detonations along the breakwater followed.


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    The massive galleon was utterly dwarfed by the cruise ships, and had been hidden as it tucked away behind the idle vessels. He spotted Captain Kayla standing with one leg propped up on the thick wooden side railing, a wide smile on her face, her sword drawn and aimed at the sky. She thrust the blade forward and the second row of cannons fired, rocking the huge ship with the force of the synchronized cannonballs launching toward the breakwater. He was sure they had destroyed the path, but between the smoke and the debris, there was nothing to see.


    He got back to his feet and ran the rest of the way to the catamaran with just the sounds of his heartbeat and his breathing in his ears, deaf to everything else. Sharkbait was waiting for Coop to board with his arms crossed on top of his scarred and tattooed belly. The big man still said nothing as Coop climbed his way onto the deck, hoping they wouldn¡¯t waste any time before leaving. The catamaran started moving immediately, as if Sharkbait had sent a mental command that they were ready.


    Coop stumbled to the lounge area on the bow of the 45 foot sailboat and collapsed, catching his breath, relieved that he hadn¡¯t been the cause of all of them failing in their escape. Camila sat next to him and laughed. Then, he felt a hand gently placed on his head and looked up. He found Madison glowing like an angel as she healed him yet again. He only had minor scrapes from falling, the seared cuts on his shoulder, and the blisters on his hands. They barely dealt any damage to him, but she applied her skills anyway.


    ¡°Well that was dramatic!¡± Derek announced as he withdrew from the cabin to join the group, then he strummed a few melodramatic notes. He seemed excited to be free. ¡°An exciting getaway! But didn¡¯t anyone tell you that cool guys don¡¯t stop to watch the explosions?¡±


    ¡°Man, that was scary as hell.¡± Coop countered, not embarrassed at all by his reaction to a 40 cannon barrage aimed not far behind him. Both Charlie and Madison laughed at his lack of shame and he couldn¡¯t help but join them, chuckling in relief.


    As the port was left in their wake and nothing left shore to pursue them, Coop finally breathed easy. ¡°Looks like we can go home.¡± He observed to the visible satisfaction of everyone present.


    Coop laid flat on his back and shut his eyes, waiting for the adrenaline to fade. He listened to Derek argue with the crew of ghost pirates about the lyrics of a sea shanty as they made their way further from the shore. They finally settled the debate and started singing together, pulling ropes to manipulate the sails in unison.


    Coop felt good. He was finally able to return his thoughts to Ghost Reef. There was a lot to do, but it felt more manageable when he could concentrate on the islands and try not to worry about what was going on elsewhere.


    ¡ª


    Jerry slammed his open palm against the glass top bar and immediately regretted it. His hand stung, but he still got the desired reaction from most of his top advisors. They all flinched at the slapping sound while he struggled to maintain his composure, he felt his ears burn but his face stayed neutral.


    He had his image to protect.


    The Supreme Champion of the Endless Empire wouldn¡¯t wince. Rod was the only one missing from his council, but he would have approved of Jerry¡¯s poise if he were there.


    He and Rod had developed their roles long before any of this was real. Rod liked to play as the manipulator and Jerry the overlord. Now that a system that was essentially a roleplaying game was real, they knew all the tricks to get them to the top of the endgame.


    ¡°Sorry, Supreme Champion.¡± His commander of the troops apologized, showing Jerry respect by keeping his head down. ¡°We mobilized all five ready battalions and sent batteries in all directions as soon as we learned of the attack and breakout.¡±


    Jerry shook his head in frustration. How could some vagabond evade 25,000 of his soldiers, let alone escape from their faction provided dungeon? He hadn¡¯t even been informed they had captured someone of interest until after he had already fled. He would need to punish someone.


    Even worse, they lost their prize catch, an Angel of Mercy that had literally fallen into their laps as soon as her faction completed her training. Losing her before she pledged fealty was a massive blunder and to top it all off, that bastard, Derek, had also disappeared. He regretted not executing him right away, but Rod wanted to make him suffer first. That turned out to be a mistake.


    The unbeatable pair of Rod and Jerry always made the most logical decisions, whether it was for their classes, allegiances, or anything else. It was the key to success. Keeping Derek alive had been an emotional choice and it had clearly backfired. Jerry would be sure to remind Rod, whenever his right hand reappeared.


    His advisor had continued his report even as Jerry tuned him out. He returned his attention to the fat commander as he made more excuses for his incompetence.


    ¡°...headstart due to your defensive measures. I must commend you on such an impressive display of your abilities. It was a magnificent storm, but it delayed our response greatly.¡± The advisor praised Jerry even while he justified their failure.


    Jerry had taken credit for the ridiculous storm that formed over his base, calling it a defensive Champion action that triggered when the dungeon was attacked. The truth was that he had nothing to do with it. He was horrified when he noticed the clouds twisting outside of his private lounge in the captain¡¯s bar and hid until it faded.


    Blaming it on Champion abilities had worked well. It was much better than admitting he couldn¡¯t explain it. Only he and Rod had any experience with any other Champion, and that was during the first week, before any of his other advisors had returned from training. As far as he knew, no one else had ever seen another Champion other than himself.


    The lady that had originally claimed the civilization shard hadn¡¯t been anything special. She was just some kind of social activist that tried to create a community settlement all about cooperation. A naive waste of power as far as he was concerned, it was completely illogical to be dragged down by helping those who couldn¡¯t help themselves.


    She died without ever recovering from Rod¡¯s mindflay, making it an easy kill for Jerry. Rod¡¯s abilities had never failed to fully incapacitate any of their targets. It was a testament to the wisdom in selecting magical ranged based classes. Range was always superior in the end. It played to humanity¡¯s natural aptitudes and what ultimately separated them from mere animals.


    Jerry was glad that the Empire had recognized his and Rod¡¯s potential from the start, giving them a priority in training and trusting them enough to send them back early in order to establish the faction¡¯s settlement.


    A second advisor was now walking him through what the investigation at the dungeon had figured out. Jerry spared him some attention.


    ¡°As you know, the Empire¡¯s guards aren¡¯t allowed to physically restrain Earthlings due to system limitations. They¡¯ve assured us that no one would have escaped otherwise. The current theory is that one of the other prisoners, a Jackson Hobbs, had a faulty collar placed on his neck by human guards after a previous enhanced interrogation. He was able to remove it and use his abilities to escape, incidentally freeing the other prisoners in his own attempt to get out. Mr. Hobbs was arrested 10 days ago as an agitator against the current command structure¡­¡±


    Jerry didn¡¯t care. He just wanted to know about the vagabond and the Angel. He cut his second advisor off. ¡°And what about the pursuit?¡± He demanded.


    ¡°We¡¯ve rounded up another 200 citizens, but none were any of the prisoners. Battalion 7 reported casualties in a confrontation with Primal Trackers to the east, Battalion 3 spotted another caravan to the north before they retreated and a battery from Battalion 12 had an elite casualty due to self-inflicted wounds¡­¡± The advisor hesitated as Jerry narrowed his eyes, growing impatient. ¡°They also claimed to have been attacked by pirates.¡± He finally added. Jerry scoffed at the idea of pirates, and the advisor took the hint. ¡°Don¡¯t worry sir, the Captain has already been removed.¡±


    ¡°Where did this¡­pirate¡­ attack occur, exactly?¡± He questioned his advisor who looked appropriately nervous to remain on the topic under Jerry¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°Section 12b, sir. What used to be called Port Front Park.¡± The advisor stated before gulping. Jerry had worked hard to create a dangerous reputation, ruthlessly applying his own abilities and making public examples of people. He loved when it paid off in the reactions around him. This is what it was to properly wield power. He flicked some sparks between his fingers to increase the impact.


    ¡°Maybe there are pirates, or even privateers.¡± He muttered to the surprise of his advisors, suggesting that their rival was expanding their methods of harassment. ¡°Whatever happened to our nautical expeditions?¡± Jerry continued his line of questioning.


    ¡°All but three returned, Supreme Champion. Nothing of interest was found.¡± The other advisor answered. ¡°One of the three at large was confirmed run aground and sunk, the survivors were devoured by possible sea monsters. Another was defeated by members of the settlement to the north upon making contact. The last is still missing, but presumed to be lost at sea.¡±


    He could have done without the constant reminder of the closest neighboring settlement and the headaches that they had already caused on their northern flank. It was just his luck that the nearest civilization shard was multiple days travel and extremely hostile. Empress City was cut off from the rest of the continent as long as their neighbor remained, and now they might be exposed from the sea. Something needed to be done, but they would have to wait for the first settlement event before such a long range expedition was launched.


    There should have been around 200 shards on the continent, but at the ranges they had already searched, it appeared there would be only one tenth of that amount. They had been given bad intel from the start, and they hadn¡¯t been able to utilize the advantage an early army gave them when the entire head start was spent searching and traveling.


    ¡°And where did the vagabond come from?¡±


    ¡°From inland, sir. Checkpoint 27.¡±


    Could this vagabond have been an accomplice of this Jackson Hobbs? It seemed unlikely as Hobbs was a local. He thought there was a better chance that it was a plot from their enemies up north. Everything led back to them. They were sinking their ships, capturing their scouts, and pestering them with their own caravans. Someone may have leaked that they had an Angel in custody, leading to an operation on their dungeon.


    He¡¯d have to conduct a molehunt with Rod. They¡¯d be able to have some fun while they solved the problem.

 Chapter 59: Tropical Lights

    Coop was relaxing on a catamaran. He let the ocean breeze wash over him as he savored the feeling. It definitely beat the inside of a prison cell. Even if he hadn¡¯t spent much time inside one, he felt confident in his assertion. He took a deep breath of the evening air and gazed at the cloudless sky in front of them. It seemed like Charlie had managed to consume all of the clouds with her storm for miles and miles.


    The horizon was golden with the last vestiges of the day. They were literally sailing off into the sunset. He plopped back into the deck lounge chair and shut his eyes.


    ¡°Now, this is the life.¡± He acknowledged, appreciating the luxury of being sailed on a yacht on calm seas with a tropical island destination. The dog at his feet perked up, but when Coop didn¡¯t say anything else he put his head back down, seeming a little less enthusiastic than Coop felt about being in the open ocean. They¡¯d be at sea for a while longer, still needing to veer way south to head back to Ghost Reef.


    A few minutes of listening to the parallel hulls splitting the ocean and they were both already dozing off. For Coop, it was partially the relief of completing an important task and partially just being tired from packing so much activity into the last several days. Even if humans had become sleepless beings of mana, there was no way he would shun the little things that anchored them to reality. As long as he could help it, eating and sleeping would stay high on his list of priorities.


    As he ruminated on the delights of slumber, he felt gentle arms wrap around him. When he opened his eyes he got a good look at Charlie¡¯s contented smile. She was hugging him from the side, looking up at him. He couldn¡¯t help but match her smiley expression with his own.


    ¡°Thanks so much, Coop.¡± She whispered, barely even disturbing the breeze.


    Coop freed an arm and put it around her shoulders. ¡°No worries. We¡¯re looking out for each other right?¡± He patted her encouragingly. As far as he was concerned, she had been the first to go above and beyond by coming to Ghost Reef to try to rescue him and Jones.


    Charlie looked away, hiding a frown. ¡°You and Camila did so much for me. I can¡¯t live up to the standards you two set.¡±


    Coop looked at her like she was speaking another language. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one that summoned an entire hurricane out of thin air? I¡¯m pretty sure that was the highlight of this whole adventure. We¡¯ve got clear skies ahead of us because of you.¡± Coop paused for a second as he thought about it and Charlie looked embarrassed. ¡°That or the cannons would be my pick for showstopper anyway. We might need to have a vote.¡±


    She shook her head, letting her windblown bangs cover her eyes while Coop went ahead and tried ranking the events of the last few days. He held up his fingers and pushed them down one at a time with his other hand, listing what he deemed were the pinnacle events. Camila¡¯s dismantling of the Empire¡¯s guards had to be up there as well. Coop was realizing that it really had been a lot when he added the first Field Boss defeat in the world to his list. It made him even more eager to get home, where the factions and pending global conflict felt so far away.


    Charlie waited and eventually interrupted his sorting. ¡°Listen, Coop.¡± She finally got his attention again. ¡°My mom says she knows how to cure blood curses¡­¡±


    Coop sat up in the lounge chair, waking up the dog that was still relaxing near his feet. ¡°How?¡± He desperately wanted to know. There was no point in hiding it. He hadn¡¯t been able to shake the guilt he felt when he left Jones in the line of fire with the Empire and really hoped he could make it right. If they could get Jones back to his old self, it would be even more weight off his shoulders.


    Charlie¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. ¡°She said it would be ¡®supremely¡¯ expensive and that you were probably years away from being able to do it, at best.¡± She looked at him hopefully. ¡°But I think you¡¯ll be way ahead of anyone¡¯s predictions. I mean you¡¯ve been blowing away the Empire¡¯s¡­ You¡¯ll have to ask her to explain everything she needs.¡±


    Coop didn¡¯t wait, bringing Charlie to find Madison. The dog trailed them around the boat. Madison was with Emmanuel and Marcus, getting the rundown on Ghost Reef from Camila. He interrupted them to have the healer tell him everything she needed to remove a blood curse. She hesitated briefly, not wanting to get their hopes up anymore than they already had. The facility alone would be a significant barrier that she didn¡¯t believe they could overcome. She also warned him that they weren¡¯t all the same so she would need to check Jones before being completely sure. Coop barely listened, trying to rush her into giving him a list of things to hunt down.


    She relented and started with the biggest one. The settlement would need to construct a Medical Center associated with Madison¡¯s faction, The Merciful, for her to be able to perform the ritual. They were prestigious facilities that rarely appeared on newly assimilated planets at all. Their cost compared to other similar options was discouraging enough for most Champions to not bother with the esteemed faction, even if their value lived up to their reputation.


    They¡¯d also need to source some rather specific and rare materials, but Coop remembered Caisalya¡¯s promise to have things prepared when he first recruited the herbalist. He trusted the confident plant lady to deliver what they needed when they were ready. She hadn¡¯t given him any reason to think they wouldn¡¯t have access to whatever they needed.


    The last barrier was the ritual itself. It was lengthy and Madison would need to conduct it in a specialized facility with the help of someone overwhelmingly strong. Coop knew just the person for the job. Himself, of course. He¡¯d just smashed his way out of a system dungeon with his Strength, if that wasn¡¯t enough for whatever Madison was cooking up then nothing would be.


    He assured her that he¡¯d have it all set up as soon as possible, encouraging her to be ready as well. The withering look she gave him made it clear that when it came to medicine, she was always ready, and it would be dangerous to suggest otherwise.


    Coop considered the barriers and internally agreed that the biggest hurdle would be the construction of the Medical Center itself. The construction options were typically limited by requirements that Ghost Reef had yet to meet. He hoped the level of the settlement wouldn¡¯t hold them back. It seemed like leveling the settlement would take the most time to fix, but if he really tried, he could come up with even worse scenarios. Population requirements would be another difficult challenge. He¡¯d have to recruit pretty heavily if they needed a certain threshold of residents before they could get the building, maybe even think about conquest.


    He shook himself out of his thoughts. There was no point in worrying about such specific details until he could check the requirements at the civilization shard. He checked his status to see how many credits he had accumulated during their adventure on the mainland.


    [Status]


    HP - 4075/4075


    MP - 7550/7550


    Class - Revenant (Level 45)


    Profession - Basic Scavenging (Level 40)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 30 (+755)


    Agility - 30 (+377)


    Body - 30 (+377)


    Mind - 755


    Intelligence - 30


    Acumen - 30


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion III, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper, Slayer III, Dauntless


    Skills (Active) - Retribution, Salvation, Presence of Mind


    Skills (Passive) - Common Language, Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application


    Quests - Defeat Primal Kites II (21/25), Upgrade Village to Town


    Basic Credits - 361,448


    The Library had been the most expensive building that he had purchased so far, and it was 125,000 basic credits. He hoped having over 350,000 would already be enough for the Medical Center. If it wasn¡¯t, he would just add ¡®basic credits¡¯ higher on the list of reasons for him to grind monsters, as if he needed more reasons.


    The new hope for Jones allowed him to appreciate his stats as well. He grinned at his Slayer III title. The additional 100 to his Mind stat had come at the perfect time, boosting his Strength beyond what was necessary to break out of the dungeon. It sure would have been embarrassing if he wasn¡¯t strong enough after all that talk. He was pretty sure Charlie and Camila would have gotten them out either way, but he¡¯d have trouble showing his face after deliberately getting himself thrown in there.


    He put his status away and rubbed his eyes while he tried to remember all the things he¡¯d need to do when they got back home. Just off the top of his head, he knew he¡¯d need to get all the new residents settled, make sure the ghost army was getting proper training and equipment, and prepare for whatever events that would begin on Day 30. Jones would have helped him brainstorm some possible scenarios, but Coop was going to have to make his own assumptions.


    Coop left the group while they continued listening to Camila, who was sounding like a tour guide despite only spending a short time on Ghost Reef. She suited the attention better than the much more timid Charlie anyway, even if the mousy park ranger couldn¡¯t help but chime in with details about the islands that would even make Jones proud. He thought the two girls made a perfect complementary pair for presentations.


    He returned to his lounging, dog in tow, at the front of the yacht. When they got back to the island, he needed to make some kind of proper progress on his to-do list. He wanted to get all of the tasks that had to be done neatly laid out and organized. Some things needed to be put on hold, while others needed to be done as soon as possible, but when it was all a jumbled mess of jobs and promises floating around in his head, he was afraid he would miss something.


    With barely more than two days until Day 30, he didn¡¯t have enough time to add another rank to his Slayer title, so grinding was a slightly less urgent task than usual. Maybe it would be worth sneaking in a few more levels in the next couple of days, he could just complete the initial parts of a few quest chains to get it done, but beyond that would be too much of a time sink.


    Coop was figuring that a settlement event would test more than just his individual strength. He¡¯d see if there were any last minute ways to prepare his ghost army before he started on another grind. It might even be necessary to delay the Medical Center if he needed to purchase more fortifications. It wouldn¡¯t do Jones any good to wake up just to be there when they were overrun.


    Balor would also need to let him know if last minute fortifications were even necessary. The second half of the fortress hadn¡¯t had any time for reinforcement. Hopefully, the dwarf-like stonemason would have the walls ready in time for whatever came next.


    Then again, he was spiraling down his own assumptions. It was possible the event would require them to travel, in which case the navy would take priority, and that meant constructing a marina and recruiting the rest of Captain Kayla¡¯s Tempest Fleet.


    He couldn¡¯t possibly prepare for everything, so maybe the play was to put everything off until after they knew what was coming. It felt like his earliest choices, like delaying his attribute point distribution until he had a class. It had worked out that time, but so had jumping into picking Scavenging as his profession. How would he prioritize his last minute upgrades?


    The dog whined at Coop, shoving his muzzle against his legs, recognizing his growing fixation.


    ¡°I get it, you¡¯re right.¡± Coop leaned back and relaxed, exhaling dramatically. ¡°I¡¯ll just keep taking things one at a time. I can¡¯t make a decision with so little information, so I just need to be patient.¡± Coop sniffed a few times. ¡°But, we¡¯re gonna have to add a bath to the top of our priority list.¡±


    The dog¡¯s reaction was instantaneous. He laid flat on the ground and inched backwards, away from Coop while looking up at Coop¡¯s face and looking away over and over, like he was hoping Coop would change his mind.


    ¡°Oh? You know what baths are, do ya? Coulda¡¯ fooled me.¡± Coop laughed. ¡°I¡¯m gonna have to give you a name too.¡± Coop leaned back and thought about it. The dog watched him curiously, tilting his head slightly and waiting for the selection. He sat down and kept waiting while Coop furrowed his brow and rested his chin on his hand. Coop hadn¡¯t realized how difficult it was to come up with the perfect name while being scrutinized by the recipient. Names were kind of a big deal.


    While he was stunlocked with indecision, Charlie and Camila rejoined him and asked what was wrong. He was taking the job of naming the dog very seriously, but they had thought it was something far more dire based on Coop¡¯s expression. They were both relieved and disappointed when they realized his struggle was to think of the perfect name.


    Camila suggested Sunny and that was that. It was decided with one bark from the dog, that he would be called Sunny from then on. Coop was relieved that the first suggestion was met with approval.


    Nightfall had come quickly, and the trio chatted in the darkness of the moonless night. The sea sparkled with light from the stars and The Eye of the Storm loomed behind them like an enormous, protective shadow. The separation of the sky and the sea lost all definition, creating an illusion of traveling through space. Coop kept an eye on the wake of the ships to ground his perspective and avoid feeling dizzy while gazing into the distance.


    When they arrived at Ghost Reef, the girls planned to check the civilization shard first, renounce the Endless Empire, and check out their profession options along with the other new arrivals. It would be late at night, but they¡¯d visit Maeve and Desmond in the tavern for a meal to celebrate their escape and safe arrival to their new home.


    Coop wondered how the settlement was getting on. He¡¯d pulled an all-nighter on Day 23 to finish the Ancient Prowler quest and they left Ghost Reef early the next morning. Now they¡¯d be arriving on the early morning of Day 28, before dawn, so it hadn¡¯t been much time, despite so much happening. Still, he was curious to see if Balor had managed to complete the bridge to the other half of the fort. The training program for the phantoms should have been completed already, so he wondered what their initial lessons would look like. Would the phantoms get classes at level five? If they did, would they be unique to each individual?


    Then there were the new residents that had arrived before them. Would Shane and his party have been able to settle everyone in already? Were the new arrivals having second thoughts, or was there any unrest? When the girls asked him what he was worried about now, they dismissed his concerns right away, scoffing at his constant fretting.


    Charlie¡¯s neighbors had been prepared to leave ahead of time and anticipated significant hardship in their travels, so they wouldn¡¯t be a problem. The rest of the people were all networked through Laurie¡¯s mommy group. Was Coop really anxious about a group of new parents with infants starting a revolt? Did he forget about his nearly 8,000 ghost soldiers that had come back to life with the sole purpose of defending the settlement on his behalf? They assured him that everything would be fine.


    Coop knew they were right, but he was still worried about how Ghost Reef would be received by those who hadn¡¯t seen it before committing to living in it. Honestly, he knew it was a bit unreasonable to be so concerned with their perceptions, but he couldn¡¯t help it. The islands had become important to him even before all the craziness with mana, so he was a little defensive over how they would be received.


    Eventually, the definition of the horizon began to return, but it was still late in the night, much too early for dawn. Not to mention they were facing West. A pale green glow slowly expanded from directly in front of them until it reached either side of Coop¡¯s peripheral vision. It reminded him of pictures of the aurora borealis, but low on the skyline. Instead of the Northern Lights, it seemed like they were witnessing Tropical Lights. Teal and turquoise swirls expanded along the horizon and slowly reached the sky with fingers of aqua that disappeared against the black of night.


    As they got closer, Coop finally realized it was Ghost Reef. The light was emanating from the lighthouse. The normally invisible Spectral Relic was affecting the mana within the settlement¡¯s territory, making it slightly visible even from a distance.


    It was beautiful.


    Coop hadn¡¯t noticed it from within the territory, but as they got closer he watched as colorful mana ascended from the surface of the ocean. Peering into the water, he realized the mana was drifting underwater as well, like dim blue and green pool lights were meandering with the ocean¡¯s currents.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± Charlie mumbled in awe.


    Camila was slowly nodding in agreement. ¡°You should make a rule that anyone coming to your settlement has to arrive at night¡­¡±


    Coop thought it would make an incredible first impression. Once they were well inside the territory it was harder to spot the coiling mana forms, but the night wasn¡¯t as dark. Now that he knew it was there, he could tell that the night was ever so slightly illuminated in a bluegreen that matched the wisps of his own ethereal armor. Looking up at the stars revealed an uninhibited view of the astral bodies. The mana didn¡¯t cause any light pollution as far as he could see.


    When the glow became more pronounced, the rest of the party and the crew had paused their actions to watch as they approached the island. Coop thought that even Sharkbait looked impressed, though the only change in his expression was a slight upturn of the corner of his eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s your place?¡± Derek asked, sounding the most respectful Coop had heard so far.


    ¡°Yep.¡± Coop affirmed. ¡°Welcome to Ghost Reef.¡±

 Chapter 60: Home Sweet Home

    The catamaran parted ways with the Eye of the Storm as they approached the island. Sharkbait was sailing them around the northern edge of Ghost Reef and through the channel to the dock, but Captain Kayla¡¯s ghost ship was able to sail across the shallow reefs and head directly into the canal that separated the two halves of the fortress. The Tempest Fleet would have a formidable home field advantage if a battle ever reached the island.


    While they coasted toward the dock, Coop counted 15 other sailboats. Most were anchored offshore at various spots deep enough to accommodate their keels, but three were beached next to the dock. He wondered how the pirates would make repairs to fiberglass, he was pretty sure the material hadn¡¯t existed when they were still sailing the seas.


    The dock had been retrofitted to be more than just the single seawall where the ferry used to park itself. There were now multiple wooden extensions built along pilings that extended perpendicular to the sea wall. They were making parking spaces for multiple ships. Only a few were completed, with several others still in progress. The construction materials were probably holding them back. He was just glad the pirates weren¡¯t chopping down the palm trees to finish the job quickly. Even in the middle of the night, sailors were hanging around the dock, sitting on barrels and at wooden tables, playing cards and custom dice games.


    Sharkbait led the wide catamaran toward the outside of the first piling where a group of phantoms were waiting at the end of one of the new docks. The crew threw ropes to the waiting dockhands who caught them and heaved while bracing each other, helping the boat to make the sharp turn into the waiting dock space.


    Coop thanked the crew and was the first to leap off the side onto the wooden dock. Captain Kayla was making her way down the dock toward him, taking confident steps in her boots, and looking proud, like she was ready to receive a gold medal.


    ¡°Well, that turned out to be a fine excursion! What do you say, Champion?¡± Kayla slapped him on the arm. ¡°How was that for our first victory together?¡±


    Coop had a wide smile painted on his face before he even realized it thanks to her magnetic personality. ¡°I¡¯d say, make sure I¡¯m further away from whatever you¡¯re shooting at next time.¡±


    Kayla laughed boisterously as pirates gathered and greeted the new arrivals as they disembarked with the crew of the catamaran. ¡°You can put your faith in me, Champion! Any salvo I send will be right on target!¡± She boasted, poking Coop in the chest for his doubts.


    ¡°How did you get the cannons to fire anyway?¡± Coop wondered.


    Kayla laughed at him. ¡°With black powder and a spark, of course! We really need to get you to spend more time at sea don¡¯t we?¡±


    Coop was surprised, expecting her crew to have some active ability or something else that allowed them to use the ship¡¯s weaponry. ¡°Mana didn¡¯t prevent a reaction?¡± He asked, recalling the gas generator¡¯s failure to start, not to mention all of the dead vehicles back on the mainland. His understanding of combustion engines was really limited, but he thought they would behave differently if the failure was mechanical.


    ¡°Why should it?¡± Kayla dismissed his curiosity as her first mate was the last to exit the catamaran. She slapped Coop on the shoulder and went to greet Sharkbait who looked positively ecstatic with a slight upturn of both corners of his mouth when he spotted his captain approaching.


    Derek, Marcus, and Charlie¡¯s parents joined him and the girls on the dock, looking like tourists rubbernecking at the sights. He led them along the path, past the palm trees, to the front gate. Charlie and Camila provided some interesting facts as they went and also warned them about the monster zones that had formed around the island.


    The front gate was guarded by one of the Cleary brothers. Coop squinted and guessed, ¡°Tiny?¡± But the big man shook his head.


    ¡°Junior. Welcome back, Champ.¡± He casually corrected Coop.


    ¡°Ah, my bad.¡± Coop apologized for the mixup.


    ¡°Not a problem.¡± Junior shrugged him off. ¡°I was supposed to let Mr. Shane know when you arrived, I hope that¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Let him know I¡¯ll be in the Tavern for a while tonight if he needs me.¡± Coop told him and the big man nodded and started to leave. ¡°Oh, could you let Buck know I¡¯d like to talk to him tomorrow?¡± Coop remembered the breakdown of farming equipment that Buck had given him on their way to the Tracker¡¯s golf course. He¡¯d put the question of ignition to him and see what he thought.


    Before they went to the civilization shard, he brought the group to the fort¡¯s mess hall and went to check on Jones. He found one of Olani¡¯s grandchildren sleeping in a handmade hammock, blocking the doorway. Coop cleared his throat and the kid jumped to alertness. Coop apologized for waking him up and asked about Jones. There hadn¡¯t been any change, but Olani was keeping an eye on him. Coop invited Madison to check him out.


    The kid had stars in his eyes while he watched Madison transform into an angel right before him. Coop thought it would be a fun story for him to tell his brother. Madison confirmed Olani¡¯s diagnosis and reiterated that there wasn¡¯t anything she could do without moving him to the Merciful Medical Center. In the meantime, whatever the Witch Doctor was doing, was just as good or better than what she could do.


    He told the kid to keep up the good work before Coop led the way to the civilization shard. His party continued to admire the sights, but Coop had joined them in their gawking once they entered the fort. He was surprised by how many people were out and about. It was almost entirely phantoms from his army and navy, but they were still behaving like regular citizens that were enjoying the night. There were couples strolling along the incomplete roads and groups of friends laughing while sitting in the grass together. Every once in a while, they passed guards that were clearly on duty, patrolling the future streets, and Coop could see the watchers on the ramparts keeping an eye out. It was quite a change from the sparse interior that he was used to.


    Coop let the party access the shard while he investigated the bridge. It wasn¡¯t much to look at yet, as it was clearly a work in progress. He would generously describe it as functional. It lacked any railing or ornamentation, but it at least had a solid uninterrupted path to the opposite side. Coop was actually impressed when he observed the stone pilings on either end. Balor had definitely made sure the bridge would be solid. There was enough room underneath for boats to travel back and forth, but nothing with a mast would fit. The stonemason had used interlocking stones to make a dramatic arch on the bottom, while the surface on top was covered in evenly spaced blocks that could be mistaken for a rough stone tile. Coop would need to praise Balor the next time he saw him.


    He returned to the group and joined them in accessing the civilization shard. He was greeted with a surprise right off the bat. A little more than 22,000 basic credits were waiting for him to collect. Checking the menus revealed that it was the settlement¡¯s profits from the last few days. He thought that was a nice surprise until he found that there was a balance sheet for the settlement where he could see expenses. He audibly gasped when he found that they were actually paying over 100,000 basic credits everyday in standing salaries. It was evidently a policy he had inadvertently opted into long before anyone was there to collect. The system determined a payment structure and distributed it from the shard¡¯s treasury. He was paying the soldiers, the sailors, Shane¡¯s party, and even Olani¡¯s grandkids. Almost everyone in the settlement was receiving a salary! He panicked a bit before he realized they were still netting basic credits.


    Apparently, the residents were also earning credits through their professions, quests, and from the aliens paying them out of their own coffers. He wasn¡¯t paying the salaries of the laborers, but Balor was, then those laborers spent their salaries and the settlement took a cut. The residents were also paying for other services including housing, infrastructure, security, and public buildings. That all meant that they weren¡¯t losing money despite paying salaries to so many of the residents. Things were barely working out, even after the sudden influx of expenses.


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    Coop decided he needed to fill his advisor spot sooner rather than later, he didn¡¯t want to be responsible for micromanaging economic policy for Ghost Reef, and he didn¡¯t know what else would come up while he was busy grinding monsters.


    He really didn¡¯t like the idea of being a landlord when the settlement was meant to be a sanctuary. Settlements had a monopoly on safety. He couldn¡¯t think of anything scummier than taking advantage of that fact to extract wealth from the vulnerable who¡¯s only other option would be to face the monsters on their own. Looking closer though, he didn¡¯t really own anything either, it was just a part of the civilization shard.


    The alert on the army tab had reactivated, but he skipped over it. He already knew about the additional vessels waiting to be claimed. He¡¯d check to see if the sailboats were included in his navy some other time. He didn¡¯t think it really mattered, as long as the pirates could sail them, they would be useful.


    He moved on to checking the requirements for the Medical Center. He found the option and frowned at the requirements of the first variant, representing the Burning Pyres faction. It only cost 150,000 credits, but it required the settlement to be at least a Town with over one hundred thousand residents. A double whammy that Ghost Reef hadn¡¯t met yet. Worse yet, it required the settlement to convert to its faction. Coop didn¡¯t think he¡¯d even do that for Madison¡¯s faction. He scrolled through the other variants, finding they were all similar, though the first one was the cheapest and most of the others didn¡¯t mandate a faction change for the settlement.


    He found the Merciful faction¡¯s option near the bottom. It was the most expensive of all, at one million basic credits, but it had no population or settlement level requirements. It was far more costly than he had hoped, but everything else was even better than expected. It looked like grinding was back on the menu. Coop needed basic credits.


    He had to admit that he needed to review the financial structure of the settlement as well. The passive income would contribute quite a bit toward the total. For now, he would think about adding more services just to increase their income, but he really needed an advisor that knew what they were doing.


    Coop had met quite a significant number of people recently, but most of them had been brief introductions. He tried to remember anyone that he could interview for the job. They¡¯d need to be trustworthy enough to comply with his vision, but competent enough for the responsibilities. The only person he could think of was Camila, but he already knew she wouldn¡¯t be interested.


    The other factor that needed to be considered was whether or not he would need to make any last minute purchases to shore up their defenses or improve the army. In any case, he left the menus alone and watched as people struggled to decide on a profession. Even Sunny was sitting still, staring into space. Coop wondered if the dog was even capable of choosing a profession. It was clear he was giving it a shot.


    It seemed like it was going to take a while for most of them to come to a decision. He supposed it made sense, it seemed a bit daunting to have to choose something so permanent. He¡¯d never investigated if there was a way to change professions after choosing one, since he was happy with his first choice.


    He let everyone know he would wait for them inside the tavern and headed inside. When he stepped through the threshold into the familiar, comfortable place he was greeted by a stranger.


    ¡°Welcome to the Clumsy Shark! Please, have a seat anywhere.¡± An unfamiliar voice called out from behind the bar. Coop felt like he walked into a bizarro world. That wasn¡¯t Desmond. Looking around the room, he spotted three more unfamiliar workers. Two waitresses and a waiter were checking on the patrons, stealing Maeve¡¯s job.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Coop asked the closest waiter as he walked by.


    The surprised waiter looked at him with a puzzled look. ¡°I¡¯m Jonah?¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Maeve?¡± Coop asked, feeling a bit confused.


    The waiter gave an exasperated sigh and dramatically rolled his eyes. ¡°She¡¯s off shift.¡± The waiter leaned in a little closer, ¡°and she¡¯s not interested in you anyway.¡± Coop watched as the waiter smugly headed for the kitchen, shaking his head with disapproval at Coop¡¯s fascination with Maeve.


    Coop laughed it off. He felt a bit like his personal haven had been violated, but he was glad Desmond and Maeve were able to take time off. He wasn¡¯t sure if they had slept a single time since they arrived. He headed toward a table near the fireplace with enough room for the rest to join him after they were done at the civilization shard.


    ¡°Coop!¡± A voice called from the balcony. ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± Maeve excitedly leaned over the dark wood handrail as she peered past the candle lit chandelier that hung from the ceiling. She bounded down the stairs and skipped over to Coop in the center of the room. When she went to give Coop a hug, he uncharacteristically reciprocated, lifting her off the ground and spinning around once with enthusiasm. When he put her back on the ground, he looked over her shoulder at Jonah. The waiter was standing near the bar with a baffled expression on his face. Coop had a good laugh at his expense.


    ¡°Wow!¡± Maeve gasped. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be that excited to see me. What was that for?¡±


    Coop gave his familiar shrug. ¡°I¡¯m happy to see you, but I was also messing with the waiter who just tried to warn me off.¡± He smiled at her, feeling a little guilty.


    She smacked his shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t make fun of my employees, just cause they don¡¯t know who you are. It¡¯s not their fault you¡¯re basically an absentee Champion with all your trips away.¡± She crossed her arms and smiled, done with scolding him. ¡°So, was visiting us the first thing you did when you got back?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much. I checked the civilization shard first, though.¡± He admitted.


    ¡°Ugh. I take it back, you¡¯re too responsible for a Champion.¡± Maeve clicked her tongue in disappointment. ¡°Checking on the settlement before yours truly.¡± She looked away, pretending to pout.


    ¡°At least tell me Desmond hasn¡¯t abandoned his cooking duties even if his daughter has embraced a life of laziness.¡± Coop challenged the demon.


    Maeve continued her sulking. ¡°Does the Master Champion wish for this humble waitress to serve without breaks?¡± She mocked. Coop nodded eagerly, not feeling any shame at all. ¡°As long as the Master Champion remembers who is the best, I guess it¡¯s fine.¡± She spun and headed for the kitchen, looking over her shoulder to catch Coop¡¯s expression.


    Coop took a seat and relaxed, admiring the comfortable atmosphere of the tavern. Even though it was late, the tavern had more guests than even the times they had the Endless Empire¡¯s Chosen staying there. It was still cozy. Other than one table that had one of the two foragers he had recruited for the herbalist, he didn¡¯t recognize any of the faces. They all seemed happy, which made him glad. There wasn¡¯t anyone scowling into a mug regretting whatever situation had brought them to Ghost Reef. That was good.


    Camila, Charlie, and her parents filed in with Sunny in tow. Coop waved them over to the round table. Before they reached their seats, the door opened again and the bartender welcomed Marcus and Derek to the Clumsy Shark.


    Maeve came out with a bowl of stew and a pile of Vronk bread. She handed it to Coop and leaned on his chair.


    ¡°Maeve, this is Madison and Emmanuel, Charlie¡¯s parents.¡± Coop introduced the family and noted how Maeve¡¯s eyebrows shot up when she greeted the couple. ¡°That¡¯s Sunny.¡± He pointed out the dog that was squeezed under his chair and Maeve¡¯s eyebrows stayed up. ¡°And that¡¯s Derek and Marcus.¡± Maeve¡¯s eyes finally returned to their normal composed and slightly devious state.


    Derek got up from his chair and reached for Maeve¡¯s hand in an attempt to charm her. She put her hand, palm out, in front of his face. ¡°Know your limits, human.¡± She calmly stated, sounding a lot more demonic than Coop ever remembered. Derek sat back down, looking at Coop like it was his fault somehow.


    ¡°You¡¯re collecting some incredible people aren¡¯t you, Coop?¡± She asked, glancing at Madison, ¡°And some powerful factions¡­¡± She muttered looking at Sunny. Coop didn¡¯t know anything about that.


    ¡°Actually, Maeve, I was thinking you might want to hire Derek.¡± Both she and Derek looked at him with surprise. ¡°He plays music and he¡¯s gonna need a job.¡±


    ¡°A job? C¡¯mon mate, I thought we bonded and stuff during that escape.¡± Derek whined. Marcus chuckled at him and Derek glowered back.


    Coop countered, ¡°You can hang out in a tavern and play some music, dude. It¡¯s not that big of a deal.¡± He looked at Maeve, ¡°he¡¯s actually really good, if you can forgive his personality.


    ¡°Wha-¡± Derek sputtered.


    ¡°For you, I¡¯ll give him a chance.¡± She assented while still seeking a way to get back at Coop. When he just smiled at her, she gave up this round of teasing.


    ¡°Jonah! Take care of this table, I¡¯m going back upstairs.¡± She leaned closer to Coop so that she could whisper, but she was still loud enough for the rest of the table to hear, ¡°Let me know if you need anything, Master Champion.¡± He should have known she wouldn¡¯t have given up teasing him.


    ¡°Bastard.¡± Derek muttered at the implication, while Charlie and Madison matched each other¡¯s laughter at Coop¡¯s expense, recognizing the demon¡¯s intention. Camila smirked, silently admiring Maeve¡¯s mischief. Coop just shook his head, hoping she wasn¡¯t taking notes.


    Coop sighed. It was good to be back.

 Chapter 61: Housekeeping

    Jonah the waiter approached the table looking sheepish.


    ¡°...Sorry, I¡¯m new here. I¡¯d only ever seen her respond the way she did to him.¡± He gestured toward Derek. ¡°Y¡¯know, like trash.¡± Derek cleared his throat, like he was hoping to reclaim some of his long lost dignity.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Jonah, we¡¯re all friends here.¡± Coop tried to make the guy comfortable and didn¡¯t bother shielding Derek from catching stray shots. ¡°Where¡¯d you come from anyway?¡±


    ¡°I was visiting my grandparents when everything started. They were invited to join a settlement by that man,¡± He pointed out Emmanuel, ¡°and I came with them. I hope that¡¯s okay.¡±


    Coop was surprised to hear that he was from the group of neighbors. ¡°And you¡¯re already working? That was fast.¡±


    ¡°I believe that was the deal, we could come if we would work, and my folks are too old to work.¡± Coop accepted Jonah¡¯s explanation, but found a new thing to add to his to-do list. Some kind of program to make sure that all of the residents were able to get started on levels. The elderly would probably benefit the most from adding some attribute points. He remembered how Jones seemed to shave off a few decades with his initial progress.


    ¡°Well no worries, Jonah. You can let me know if you need anything. I¡¯ll see what we can do.¡± Coop let Jonah get back to taking orders from the rest of the table.


    He enjoyed his meal while the rest chatted and received theirs. They talked about their professions. He was curious about what they had been offered almost as much as what they had taken.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help but feel a bit insulted at only being offered ¡®Basic¡¯ options.¡± Madison explained when he asked. The one thing all of their offers had in common was that they were Basic level, no matter what kind of pre-mana experience everyone had. Even Madison, who had a wealth of experience in the medical profession, had ended up with a profession called Basic Mender. Coop thought it was a smart choice, despite a few at the table disagreeing. She would probably have synergy between her profession and her class. If it didn¡¯t help directly, she would definitely benefit from the attribute point gains.


    Matching his profession to his class was an optimization Coop hadn¡¯t been able to do when he picked his, but he was happy with how everything had worked out. Scavenging benefited a lot from grinding, and his class had been selected for its potential to grind. He had linked the two with his primary focus.


    ¡°It works for me. It should be easy to level up given our previous experience. We can still benefit from the attribute bonus from the free beginner levels.¡± Camila pointed out, revealing herself to be on the same wavelength as Coop.


    ¡°You guys didn¡¯t even pick yours right.¡± Derek argued. ¡°The world changed, but you still chose based on how it was before.¡±


    Coop didn¡¯t really agree with Derek, but he thought Camila had the most confusing profession of all of them. She had become a Basic Advocate. Coop was worried it was far too specific to be useful to her, like she would end up being a lawyer without a legal system to work within. He had trouble imagining how to level such a profession. At least Basic Scavenging had been crystal clear about what he needed to do, even if it hadn¡¯t come with instructions. ¡®Loot X number of monsters¡¯ was as straightforward as it got.


    Camila dismissed Derek with a flick of the wrist. ¡°You¡¯re just jealous you didn¡¯t get offered anything based on your lived experience, Mr. Basic Forager.¡±


    ¡°Psh! You¡¯ll regret not having something that makes sense when I¡¯m climbing up the profession leaderboards.¡± Derek persisted. For a second, Coop was worried he had missed some leaderboards to be on, but he realized Derek was just talking nonsense. None of them had professions previously, so they were even more in the dark than Coop was. It was a flip when compared to the knowledge Chosen were gifted while Coop tried to figure things out on his own.


    Camila smirked, ¡°We can make a bet.¡± She pulled Charlie closer to her. ¡°I bet Charlie will reach level 10 in her profession before you.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlie looked around. ¡°How¡¯d I get involved in this?¡±


    ¡°Just doing my job, sweetie. I¡¯m your number one advocate.¡± Camila joked with a wink.


    Charlie had selected the Basic Scribe profession. It made sense knowing that it aligned with interests and also her experience, though it didn¡¯t have anything to do with her class. She described her job from before as a sort of internet scribe for the parks.


    While they went back and forth, Shane and Arthur entered the tavern. Coop had to wave the pair over as Shane didn¡¯t seem sure if he should approach the group. The tall, skinny guy looked sort of stressed, but Arthur was the picture of dignity. Coop suspected that he would never see the older man appear disheveled.


    ¡°How¡¯s it going Shane?¡± Coop asked, while pulling over a few more chairs. The rest of the table continued talking about their professions, though Emmanuel was definitely the quiet doting type and Marcus didn¡¯t seem ready to open up just yet.


    Shane began with a report. ¡°We¡¯ve done our best to fulfill your requests with the new residents. None resisted leaving the Endless Empire, but we don¡¯t have the ability to detect any fakers.¡± Shane began.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye out.¡± Coop promised. ¡°How¡¯s the housing situation? Do we need more?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, there''s plenty of room. The new residents were almost entirely grouped into families that wished to stay with each other and when they saw the size of the units, several groups opted to share. Also three couples opted to stay in the tavern and treat it as a bed and breakfast.¡± Shane glanced at Arthur to make sure he wasn¡¯t mistaken. Arthur tilted his head in confirmation.


    ¡°What about the phantoms?¡± Coop asked.


    ¡°Only about 100 have moved into barracks within the fort, the rest are still enjoying not having to sleep, and spend their free time socializing or visiting services in the fort. The library has been particularly popular. Gideon suggested this should be allowed, for now, to ease the pressure on the Carpenter.¡± Shane looked nervous to continue.


    Coop tried prompting him, ¡°How¡¯s the training going?¡±


    Arthur took over answering. ¡°The first group training sessions are to begin in the morning. It was necessary to establish a program based on human needs first. It seems alien training regimes are quite gentle.¡±


    Arthur continued, ¡°We¡¯ve already discovered some limitations, including their inability to leave the settlement¡¯s territory at this time. They are bound to Ghost Reef and to you, but Gideon has some ideas about pushing those boundaries.¡± Coop remembered having to escort Balor to repair the lighthouse before the territory had expanded across the island and wondered if it was a similar situation.


    ¡°The pirates didn¡¯t seem to have any problem.¡± Coop pointed out.


    ¡°Perhaps it has something to do with the ships, or just the nature of their return as members of a navy.¡± Arthur offered some theories.


    Coop nodded. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll need to test things out.¡±


    Arthur bowed his head slightly in atonement before he continued. ¡°However, there have also been a few problems.¡±


    Coop shrugged, still trying to get the pair to relax. ¡°A few isn¡¯t so bad.¡±


    ¡°First, the stonemason has urgent news for you. He was a bit panicked, and didn¡¯t want to share what was bothering him with anyone else to avoid spreading rumors.¡± Coop nodded, not overly concerned, remembering how excitable Balor was when he first examined human construction. ¡°The second is that we have had 7 casualties.¡±


    That last bit caught Coop by surprise. ¡°How? Who?¡±


    ¡°A group of four phantom soldiers were seen challenging the Ancient Prowlers and losing. A group of three entered the mangrove forest, but only one returned after encountering what he called an alien anaconda. A single soldier was exploring the reef when witnesses from the wall say he stepped on a sea urchin and began convulsing. He was dead before help arrived.¡± Arthur listed them without wavering.


    ¡°A sea urchin? Really?¡± Coop was at a loss.


    ¡°Some species are quite venomous.¡± Arthur explained a bit too matter-of-factly. ¡°We¡¯ve already implemented policies that you had briefly mentioned before you left. Level restricted zones, even during the day, with patrols enforcing the rules to prevent anyone else from overestimating themselves. Information about the natural dangers has also spread among the residents; they¡¯ll be more careful in the future.¡±


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    Coop hadn¡¯t really thought through his idea of leveling zones beyond the simple idea of having them and expanding them to optimize their hunting experience. He had assumed he would eventually find a system service that would provide that feature. Having the soldiers mark the areas as a temporary stop gap was a good idea to guide the new residents for now.


    Coop sighed. ¡°That¡¯s a shame. How are the other soldiers taking it? Should we have a memorial?¡±


    Shane and Arthur exchanged a complicated look before Arthur continued. ¡°It seems as though the phantoms have a different relationship with death than the rest of us. They¡¯ve mostly been treating the situation as an amusing joke.¡±


    ¡°Why, though?¡± Coop wondered, confused.


    ¡°They already died once, but the essence of their ¡®self¡¯ seemed to have been saved somehow, so they question what death even is.¡±


    Coop frowned. ¡°I guess that works out then, but I¡¯m kinda worried about what that means for how they¡¯ll perform in combat.¡± Arthur nodded while Shane looked on.


    They all sat for a moment, considering various existential ideas. Coop wondered about what made him the person that he was. He wasn¡¯t spiritual in any way, but he considered if the system had a way of saving some equivalent of their souls.


    Coop broke the silence and continued. ¡°I have something I need your help with.¡± He already had Arthur¡¯s undivided attention, but Shane perked up. ¡°The settlement has an open advisor position that I was saving for Jones, but with the influx of soldiers and new residents I need someone that can handle some of the micromanagement on my behalf. Are either of you interested, or do you have any other suggestions?¡±


    Arthur briefly looked puzzled before he spoke up. ¡°Isn¡¯t that why you brought him?¡± He signaled to Marcus. Coop realized the man was paying attention to their conversation instead of talking with the rest about their professions.


    ¡°Uh, no? He just kind of tagged along. Should I know who he is?¡± Coop felt like he was supposed to know based on all of their reactions.


    Marcus looked nonplussed. ¡°I¡¯m Marcus Rollins.¡± He waited for Coop to react.


    Coop wasn¡¯t sure if he should be surprised, in awe, or something else. He looked at Arthur. ¡°Who is he?¡± He heard Marcus sigh.


    ¡°Like he said, he¡¯s Marcus Rollins, former representative of district 26.¡± Arthur explained. Something finally clicked in Coop¡¯s head.


    ¡°Oh! The socialist, right?¡± He proudly remembered.


    Marcus seemed exasperated. ¡°I¡¯m not a socialist, those were unfair smears. I can¡¯t believe you remembered that, but not the ads that had my face¡­ What a waste of money.¡±


    Coop shrugged. ¡°Sorry, dude. But to be fair, I was living in a lighthouse on a remote tropical island during the last campaign season.¡±


    Marcus didn¡¯t seem to feel any better. ¡°Still in my district.¡± He muttered.


    Coop ignored him and returned his focus on Arthur. ¡°I was thinking more like a mayor instead of a rep.¡±


    ¡°I believe he is worth a look. His platform was based on many of the same principles that you outlined when you recruited us.¡± Arthur explained his evaluation.


    ¡°I¡¯m right here. You can ask me.¡± Marcus spoke up.


    ¡°So you¡¯re interested?¡± Coop asked.


    ¡°I won¡¯t prop up a tyrant.¡± Marcus stated firmly, suggesting he¡¯d prevent Coop from doing what he wanted. Coop didn¡¯t think he could.


    ¡°Well, I already killed one Puppeteer. I¡¯ll do it again if I need to. You might want to reconsider if you think I¡¯ll let someone pull my strings.¡± Coop suggested.


    Arthur cleared his throat. ¡°Why don¡¯t you let us do the interview. I believe Mr. Rollins will be amenable to your vision for Ghost Reef once he has heard it.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Coop nodded his assent.


    He scanned the table and found everyone was done eating. He tapped his finger on the table and paid for the meals before he stood up. Sunny copied his movement from underneath his chair. Coop was surprised to find an empty bowl on the floor. It seemed like the dog was another VIP in the making, just like Jett.


    ¡°Do you mind getting them set up with apartments as well?¡± Coop asked Shane.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure everyone is comfortable.¡± Shane agreed.


    Coop got the table¡¯s attention to let them know he was heading back for the night and that Shane would show them to the apartments. It was well after midnight by that point, but he was going to stop by the stonemason to see what was bothering Balor before he headed to the lighthouse.


    He left the tavern with only Sunny following him, and headed down the repaired main street toward Balor¡¯s stoop. The cloudless night was dark and the air was crisp, hinting at a winter that never reached the islands. He was glad they wouldn¡¯t need to test how much mana insulated them against the cold thanks to the climate.


    When he reached the stonemason, he knocked twice and waited while he listened to the heavy footsteps move across the building.


    ¡°What?¡± A gruff voice began. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you, lad.¡± Balor noted by way of greeting. He was wearing a long, striped night cap. Coop wondered if he had woken him up. Did the aliens even sleep?


    ¡°Huh. Were you asleep?¡± Coop asked.


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Balor responded without offering an explanation for his pajama getup. Balor dropped to one knee and bowed his head, ¡°Greetings to you, Young Prince.¡±


    At first Coop thought Balor was bowing to him, but he remembered his introduction to Jett, and he realized the stonemason was speaking to Sunny. ¡°What are you doing?¡± He thought such reverence would be limited to overleveled cats.


    Balor rose to his feet before he addressed Coop again. ¡°Listen, lad, you¡¯d do well to stay in the good graces of accepted brothers of the Pack. Some factions are just more influential than others thanks to their connections and popularity. It¡¯s best to pay tribute to their members when you come across them.¡±


    Coop glanced at Sunny, who looked up at him with his tongue hanging out of his open mouth, tail wagging, looking carefree like only a dog could. ¡°You¡¯re still getting a bath.¡± Coop warned him. Sunny closed his mouth and sat down.


    ¡°I assume you¡¯re here because of what I found, right?¡± Balor got them back on track. Coop just nodded, assuming if it was urgent, Balor would have jumped right to telling him what he needed to know.


    Balor ¡°I¡¯m afraid the fortress has an infestation.¡± Coop immediately thought of termites, but that couldn¡¯t be the problem. Coop¡¯s eyes widened when he remembered the zombie infestation. Could he have inadvertently brought something back?


    A thin layer of mist emerged from the air around Coop, solidifying into his ethereal armor. ¡°Where?¡± He asked while his spear was still forming.


    ¡°Whoa! Relax, little Champion. You don¡¯t need to head into battle right now. I just mean, we will not be able to access the underlayer any time soon and the reinforcement of the fort will be delayed until the infestation has been defeated.¡± Balor glanced at Sunny who was just happy to be there. Then he leaned towards Coop as if he didn¡¯t want the dog to overhear him. ¡°The Lady Feline has been culling the invaders on this half of the fort, but the other half was able to establish a proper hive before she had access. It is competing with the settlement for influence.¡±


    Coop just looked at Balor, confused. ¡°First of all, what¡¯s the underlayer?¡±


    ¡°Oh, in the name of the Great Golem, gift me with patience!¡± Balor yelled to the sky. ¡°Isn¡¯t that why you wanted to get to the other side? To establish the first gateway?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what you¡¯re saying. I wanted to get to the other side because the population was growing and I wanted you to start reinforcing the walls. I¡¯m worried about the settlement events.¡± Coop explained feeling a bit like a chicken looking across a road.


    Balor started tugging on his beard. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll explain this like I¡¯m speaking to a pebble. You know your planet got bigger right?¡± Coop nodded, not feeling insulted in the slightest. ¡°That was only the outer layer. The interior stayed the same, for reasons that would need a comprehension of impossibly advanced concepts like gravity to understand.¡±


    ¡°I know what gravity is.¡± Coop interrupted him, trying to help Balor in his lesson. He could skip Newton and the apple falling from the tree to get to the point.


    His comment had the opposite impact. Balor pulled his beard tight. ¡°How would you know what gravity is? That¡¯s a sophisticated field of study that only the most scholarly Karak ever learns.¡±


    ¡°I dunno, they introduce it in elementary school science classes. Just tell me what the underlayer is already.¡± Coop urged the stonemason.


    ¡°Damned humans make no sense.¡± Balor mumbled before he got to it. ¡°The underlayer is the hollow that formed between the expanded surface and the interior of the planet. A gateway is an access point from the surface to the underlayer. It¡¯s valuable for a variety of reasons. It can be used for shortening travel distances and it¡¯s where the leylines flow, so there¡¯s lots of pure mana preventing direct invader spawns.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re saying we have an access point inside the fort?¡± Coop was getting the picture.


    ¡°Yes! How did you not notice? Did you not discover the territory map in the shard?¡±


    Coop used the top down view a lot, especially when constructing the buildings. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ve seen it, and how the territory expanded outwards after every upgrade.¡± Coop answered.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a ring you windbrain, it¡¯s a sphere! The territory expands in a sphere! It¡¯s been expanding underground as well. There¡¯s a perfect gateway on the other side of the bridge that mirrors your civilization shard¡¯s location, right in the center of the opposite circle. You must have planned that!¡± Balor was having a rough time again. He tugged on his beard and mumbled, ¡°It must have been Jones that planned it.¡±


    Coop shrugged. ¡°I didn¡¯t even notice. But what¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t start the gateway until the hive is defeated, they are underground and inside the basement of the fort.¡± Balor slumped, exhausted from his explanations.


    ¡°Alright, I get the picture. I need to do some hunting in our backyard.¡± Coop confirmed and Balor nodded. ¡°I want to prioritize reinforcement of the fort¡¯s walls and construction in the settlement. I don¡¯t think we need to expand down just yet, but it¡¯s good to know we have that option and we can plan for it.¡± Balor nodded again. ¡°Just focus on the walls while I work on this hive.¡± Coop smiled encouragingly at the stonemason. ¡°There should be some other construction projects starting soon that you might like.¡±


    Now that they had more people available, Coop was going to try to save some credits by constructing things the old fashioned way instead of buying from the system. He thought Balor would enjoy helping humans build stuff, given how enthusiastic he was about the finished products.


    Coop patted the stonemason on the shoulder. ¡°Thanks for letting me know. The bridge already looks great.¡± Balor brightened up at the mention of his bridge. ¡°I¡¯ll get started tomorrow.¡±


    He headed out of the fort toward the lighthouse. He added a few tasks to his mental to-do list, but he had also crossed a few things off. Tomorrow, he¡¯d do a little more.

 Chapter 62: The Young Prince

    Master was dead. The old pack had abandoned their posts. The mission seemed to be over, but he hadn¡¯t been relieved of his duties yet. He hadn¡¯t been given any new ones either.


    He was a good boy. His new pack told him so. They welcomed him and told him to be patient. So he was. He waited for a new assignment. It was tough, he was driven away several times, but he returned anticipating a new schedule each time. Ages passed, but he waited. He was still a good boy, even if no one said so anymore.


    He stayed in the shadows, near where the kennels had been. It was where the missions were assigned, but the area had been transformed. The kennels no longer contained dogs. Instead, they were filled with humans who, like him, seemed to be waiting in the dirt for their own assignments.


    Eventually, an outsider appeared. He smelled like the beach. The man even knew he was a good boy! He offered a new job, and maybe, a new purpose. He was meant to be a working dog, so he decided to go with the outsider¡¯s pack.


    He wasn¡¯t fully prepared for what came next. Winds that stung his eyes were conjured by one of the outsider¡¯s packmates. He wished she hadn¡¯t, but they were rescuing more of their pack, so he understood and stayed patient.


    Another of the packmates revealed speed that made him wish he could chase, but he was a good boy, and he waited with the others. They were much more generous with the ear scratches than he was used to, so he wasn¡¯t ever feeling disappointed.


    They left the airport behind. He couldn¡¯t remember if he had ever left before because he had been trained at the airport as a pup and then worked on site everyday. He had the most important job. He chased the birds away from the airplanes. Without him, the whole system would grind to a halt. Only the best dogs were qualified to do what he did.


    As they left his whole world behind, he was given a proper name. It felt like he was being reborn. A new master, a new pack, a new home, a new purpose, a new name. Sunny. He loved it. He wanted to shine bright like only a good boy could.


    Sunny¡¯s new home was so very different from what he was used to, but everyone he saw was friendly. He didn¡¯t feel like a working dog. He was treated like the special guests that entered through the private entrances of the airport. He even picked his own job. It was a lot of pressure for the one year old to decide his future, but one option called to him. He became a Basic Tracker. He thought it played to his strengths.


    They celebrated the master¡¯s return with a feast like he had never tasted before. It was even better than the treats he occasionally received for a job well-done. It was a huge contrast compared to the last few weeks of dirty looks and being ignored or chased away. He was already feeling like he made the right choice in following the outsider to his territory.


    Afterwards, the master brought him to what Sunny recognized as the control tower. He wasn¡¯t allowed up the stairs until after the dreaded bath. Sunny was still happy, despite the looming threat. Sleeping there was way better than the stacked kennels with all of the other dogs or the dirt that his previous home had become. He went to sleep at the foot of the stairs, making it impossible for anyone to sneak by. He fell asleep knowing he was a good boy.


    He hadn¡¯t slept for long before a shadow smacked him in the snout. Sunny jumped up, but couldn¡¯t spot his assailant. He bared his teeth, but it was in vain. The shadows themselves drove him away from the stairs and left him underneath the coffee table. Sunny stayed put, watching for a long time, smelling, and listening, but there was nothing for him to detect. He went back to sleep without leaving his new spot. He still needed to learn more about this territory. It seemed like the shadows themselves were to be respected. He had received their stern warning loud and clear.


    In the morning, the master brought him on a run. It was the best! In the glow of dawn, he really had a chance to see how different his new home was. The endless sea around the islands tempted him to swim, and there were so many birds to chase! He was so excited until he found out what was coming next.


    It was bathtime, but it wasn¡¯t the same as the ones at the airport. Instead of being hosed down by the cold water trucked to the kennels, he was rubbed down in the shallow water at the beach. Sunny didn¡¯t believe that this was the bath, this was playtime, so he waited for the trick. But when they finished, he smelled fresh and no bad surprises waited for him.


    He got more details of his assignment afterwards. Apparently, he wasn¡¯t supposed to chase the birds anymore. It was very confusing. The master was very clear that he shouldn¡¯t leave the safe areas of the island. He understood that there were restricted areas that he wasn¡¯t allowed to visit, that much was the same at the airport, but now he was protecting the birds in the territory instead of chasing them away. There were some other pests for him to attack, but he wouldn¡¯t graduate to bigger challenges until he had proven himself. He¡¯d already graduated puppy training school, so this would be a piece of cake. They better have his treats ready.


    Outside of his assignment, he was free to do whatever he wanted. So much freedom! He could come and go as he pleased, and as long as he didn¡¯t interrupt other people, he could visit whoever he wanted. Sunny had a good feeling that scratches and treats waited for him around every corner. The future was bright.


    ¡ª


    Coop watched as Sunny zoomed back and forth along the dunes. The dog was obviously feeling good after the bath. He supervised as the retriever tested an Ancient Defender. The dog circled like a wolf stalking its prey and the monster did its best to keep facing its challenger. Sunny sped up and discovered that he was far quicker. He chose an opportune moment to attack the Defender¡¯s flank as soon as he rounded the creature.


    The Defender lifted a rear leg in defense, but Sunny chomped onto the raised shield as if it had been presented to him for that purpose. Sunny shook the Defender¡¯s leg like it was a chew toy, wrenching it back and forth until it came off. The dog stayed on the hunt, circling the monster and attacking until the monster was defeated.


    Coop was a bit jealous of the natural capability of the canine. Sunny had a much easier time with the Defenders than what he and Jones first experienced. The dog didn¡¯t even need to go for the red eye to defeat its first Defender. He had been able to deal enough damage to overwhelm the Defender¡¯s health pool. Coop hadn¡¯t expected the fight to go so well for the dog, and had been prepared to step in, but he was happy with the result. Sunny would get some levels by hunting the Defenders on his own.


    It felt kind of irresponsible to let a dog run wild in the nature preserve, but Coop believed that Chosen animals were intelligent enough to just treat as if they were other people. It seemed like that was the conclusion that the aliens had come to, with the way they served and greeted Jett and Sunny. When he thought about it, he trusted the animals to follow directions even more than people.


    Coop¡¯s morning had started productive, and he was going to ride that momentum. He walked over to the east beach and waded into the water. He was going to have a short hunting session himself before heading to the fort. His nearly completed Primal Kite quest had been itching at the back of his mind for a while.


    He walked parallel with the beach, in thigh high water, doing his best to get ambushed by a Primal Kite. When he reached the end of the beach, he went ten yards further offshore and walked back the way he came. It took him walking the entire length of the beach before the first Primal Kite took a shot at him.


    Coop sidestepped the opening salvo, despite the water restricting his movement, and threw his spear at the monster. His off-balance throw had been accurate, but not strong enough to catch the monster unprepared. It dodged backwards and at an angle, but Coop used 32 mana to mistjump to his flying spear, and redirected its sharpened point into the body of the jellyfish shaped creature. It wasn¡¯t defeated right away, he had to pin it to the ground and stab it in the water once again before it dissolved into mana smoke.


    The second monster was quicker to find, but it still took minutes before it attempted to ambush him. It dramatically splashed out of its hiding place and was rewarded with Coop¡¯s ethereal spear catching it before it recovered from its opening attack, defeating it in one hit. Coop mistjumped to his spear even though the fight was over, hoping to improve its mana efficiency with more frequent use.


    The Practical Application bonus on his mistjump had barely progressed at all in the last week. His last two grinding targets had been mostly faced with his glaive, which rarely gave him the opportunity to teleport. First the Prowlers and then the Trackers had led him to focus on efficiently controlling space instead of quick travel times. He wondered what type of monster Balor had found inside the fortress and whether his current weapons and tactics would be effective.


    The third monster also took too long to find, and the fourth wasn¡¯t any better. Fighting the Primal Kites was an exercise in frustration. Even if he was strong enough to easily defeat them now, the nature of their ambush fighting style made them an absolute pain to grind. After finding the first, it took Coop nearly 20 minutes to kill the rest of the four monsters he needed to complete the stage of the quest chain. He checked his notifications as he waded back to the beach.


    [You defeated Primal Kite (Level 13)]


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    [+5 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Charged Metallic Scale (Uncommon)]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Primal Kites II]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Defeat Primal Kites III (0/250)]


    He needed to come up with a better way to grind the Primal Kites if he wanted to earn a title from defeating them. Even if his teleport was free, it just wouldn¡¯t help unless he could figure out a way to acquire his targets faster. He just couldn¡¯t think of anything that would work with his current kit. It felt like it had been a while since he desperately needed something from additional skills, but he was now looking forward to his next opportunity to select an ability. Maybe one of the options would help him smoke out ambushers, so he could really hunt the Kites.


    Coop put his unallocated attribute points into Mind and checked his status while he walked back to the dunes.


    [Status]


    HP - 4100/4100


    MP - 7600/7600


    Class - Revenant (Level 46)


    Profession - Basic Scavenging (Level 40)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 30 (+760)


    Agility - 30 (+380)


    Body - 30 (+380)


    Mind - 760


    Intelligence - 30


    Acumen - 30


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion III, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper, Slayer III, Dauntless


    Skills (Active) - Retribution, Salvation, Presence of Mind


    Skills (Passive) - Common Language, Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application


    Quests - Defeat Primal Kites III (0/250), Upgrade Village to Town


    Basic Credits - 361,942


    At least the four Primal Kites more or less covered the meals he bought everyone last night. The 500 basic credits from completing the quest stage was a bonus that further increased his total currency.


    The only thing he could say was that his status had become a clean starting point for whatever he undertook next. Even though the hive that Balor warned him about was within the walls of the fort, he was hoping it would be as rewarding as the oil rig had been with quests and experience to fuel his progress.


    Next, he checked the leaderboards. He¡¯d waited until he grabbed another level before he checked, hoping it would be enough to climb to the top.


    Day 28


    1. Banshee (Level 46)


    2. Ix-Hau (Level 46)


    3. Coop (Level 46)


    4. The Lich (Level 45)


    5. Un-Hau (Level 41)


    6. Xul-Hau (Level 40)


    7. Vul-Hau (Level 38)


    8. Akari Kitawa (Level 38)


    9. Reina Kitawa (Level 38)


    10. Ak-Hau (Level 37)


    He stopped underneath his favorite palm tree, near where Sunny was hunting. He had expected changes on the leaderboard, but he hadn¡¯t expected it to look like this. He scrolled down a bit.


    11. Chel-Hau (Level 37)


    12. Platinum (Level 37)


    13. Itz-Hau (Level 36)


    14. Alex Nova (Level 36)


    15. Xba-Hau (Level 35)


    16. Ah-Hau (Level 34)


    17. Puch-Hau (Level 34)


    18. Safiri (Level 34)


    19. Kitwana (Level 33)


    20. Santiago Torres (Level 33)


    Coop was perplexed. It was like a new group meta was found, but he couldn¡¯t gather enough information just based on their identities to figure out what it was. Was Hau a surname and were they a huge party? He didn¡¯t think so, the spread of levels was too much. Akari and Reina Kitawa were clearly a duo, but he didn¡¯t think these others were rolling 10 deep.


    There were even a few more if he scrolled further, but he couldn¡¯t imagine a raid meta had begun. There just weren¡¯t enough raid targets. Maybe they could fight monsters way above their level, but that would just result in massive casualties every engagement. He didn¡¯t get it.


    He couldn¡¯t even enjoy being tied for first and finally getting ahead of The Lich, because one of the newcomers had caught up and passed him. The bottom of the top 10 when he checked on Day 24 was level 31. That meant Ix-Hau had gained over 15 levels in the time Coop gained 10, and Coop had defeated the world first field boss and a full quest chain during that same period. There was no reasonable way for him to have leveled any faster than he did, and he was absolutely demolished by Ix-Hau.


    He had to admit that he didn¡¯t know every way of gaining experience, but he did know one possibility, and it was horrifying. Killing humans yielded a lot of experience, but to get that much experience for that many different people would require an atrocity.


    Coop shook off the idea, recognizing that they could be representing some alien faction that had taught them ways to level that he just hadn¡¯t encountered yet, just like how the undead appeared to siphon experience from their minions.


    This was also the first time the top 10 didn¡¯t include Hai Yun. He was worried they had been killed, but he found them, still barely in the top 100, at level 32. It seemed like they had stagnated a bit, with just one level in four days. They¡¯d never slowed that much any previous time, but at least they were still kicking. Honestly, with the way Coop was leveling, it probably seemed like he stagnated when he finished off a quest chain, and then jumped several levels all at once when he started a new one, since the early parts went quickly. Maybe Hai Yun was doing something similar by pursuing a Slayer title.


    He found more familiar names a few dozen places below Hai Yun. Camila Alvarez was placed at 112 and Charlie Seraphin at 118. He thought that once they started hunting the monsters around Ghost Reef, they could easily get near the top of the leaderboard. They were only five levels behind and hadn¡¯t even started on the Ancient Defenders yet. Maybe things had changed with whatever the newcomers to the list were doing to level, but Charlie and Camila had room to grow.


    Coop was interrupted from his thoughts when a patrol of phantoms saluted him from the path. Coop waved them off.


    ¡°Save that stuff for your commanders.¡± He told them.


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± They responded in unison.


    It was pretty weird being treated so deferentially while relaxing underneath his palm tree, he wasn¡¯t exactly projecting an image that required subservience, but it was something he wouldn¡¯t bother worrying about. He wanted to grind monsters and push the leaderboard, but they only had two days before the settlement events initialized. He needed to support Ghost Reef first.


    Priorities.


    Sunny caught his eye, flashing in the light of a new level. Coop was extremely jealous of the dog being able to grind as Coop headed to the fort.


    He found all three Cleary brothers waiting for him, looking like most of the offensive line of a football team.


    ¡°Hey, Boss! Congrats on first place.¡± Either Junior or Tiny greeted him, Coop wasn¡¯t sure which.


    ¡°Damn, you guys are watching pretty close, huh?¡± It had only been maybe 15 minutes since he leveled and tied for first.


    ¡°We ain¡¯t got any other sports. And we tried to compete ourselves, but couldn¡¯t keep up while also keeping Elly safe.¡± The other of either Junior or Tiny admitted. ¡°Oh! But, don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ve been on Team Coop ever since.¡±


    Coop shook his head, amused. ¡°You guys should get back to trying, there¡¯s opportunities on the island. Just don¡¯t bite off more than you can chew.¡± The younger brothers nodded, taking his advice to heart. ¡°What¡¯s up with these Hau people? The last time I looked I didn¡¯t see any of them, and now they¡¯ve taken over.¡±


    ¡°No idea, boss. They first started leapfrogging their way up top when you were hunting the wolves.¡± One of the younger brothers started before the other younger brother continued. ¡°It¡¯s weird, boss. One of them will jump up like five levels at a time, but none of the others will get any. We were theorizing that they¡¯re doing something to group up a bunch of monsters and let one person finish them all off for a big boost. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Like luring all the monsters into a trap, and letting one person pull the trigger?¡± Coop hadn¡¯t thought of something like that. ¡°Seems plausible, but they don¡¯t seem to be sharing evenly.¡± They all seemed to be thinking about it until Coop changed the subject and brought them all on task. ¡°Do you guys have jobs yet?¡±


    Buck responded for the brothers. ¡°We were thinking we¡¯d make good doormen.¡±


    Coop had to admit they would, but it was a remote island, doorman was pretty low on their list of needs. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got something that might be more interesting if you want it.¡± They all seemed interested, maybe already bored of waiting at the gate after just a couple days. ¡°You guys can be our R&D department.¡±


    They all looked confused. They even thought he meant he wanted to use them as test subjects for something, so Coop explained what he meant. He was inspired by the pirate¡¯s cannons. Why did they work when so many other simple chemical reactions didn¡¯t? He wanted the brothers to try to figure out what mana was physically doing, if anything, and seek out what the limitations were.


    Coop wasn¡¯t any kind of engineer, but he thought it was weird that they were allowed to start fires to do something like cook, but he couldn¡¯t get the gas generator to start at all.


    When he put it that way, the brothers were on board. They¡¯d need a workshop before they really got started, but they all had plenty of experience taking things apart and putting them back together, troubleshooting farm equipment and other tools. Coop left them to discuss how they would get started, but he suggested they find a way to test all the cannons around the fort first.


    He was worried that they might need them in a couple days.

 Chapter 63: Unretirement

    Coop made a quick visit to the apartments to see Charlie and her parents. He climbed a few sets of wide stairs and considered the lack of elevators in the system constructions. These apartment buildings were brushing up on the height that elevators would make sense, but Coop hadn¡¯t explored any of the upgrade options for the structures, so some magical alternative might just be available for a price.


    Even the hallways were overly wide, with cathedral ceilings that made Coop feel small. He found the Seraphin¡¯s apartment and knocked on the door. Emmanuel answered and invited him inside.


    ¡°Ah, come on in. What brings you here so soon?¡± Emmanuel asked as Coop looked around the spacious living room. The big man¡¯s deep voice echoed against the stark walls.


    ¡°Just thought I¡¯d see how you were settling in.¡± Coop explained vaguely.


    ¡°We¡¯re just happy to be together again.¡± Emmanuel stated with a content expression. Madison, Charlie, and Camila were chatting while watching the courtyard from a window in an empty room directly opposite of the front door.


    It was actually the first time Coop had checked out the inside of the apartments, despite being some of his first purchases. He still had the lighthouse himself, and had previously left the residents to themselves.


    His initial reaction was surprise at the size of the unit. As he had a look around, it really clicked that the apartments were abnormally spacious, especially with the tall ceilings. He wondered if it was to accommodate differently sized aliens. Even the massive ogre-like baker, Vronk, would have been comfortable inside one of the apartments, not to mention the cavernous hallways and wide stairwell.


    The floor plan was odd, lacking a kitchen and bathrooms, but having a large number of rooms. Coop understood a little better why some of the families that had come from the mainland had opted to share with others. An average family wouldn¡¯t be able to utilize all of the extra rooms and they were already so large that normal accommodations would feel inadequate. The whole unit was basically a central, communal living room with six large rooms attached to the perimeter.


    The solid dark wood floors and the stone walls with matching wood trim gave it a real medieval mansion vibe. The corners of the rooms were illuminated by streams of mana that provided gentle white light in strips wherever the walls met. Large windows let the sunlight into the perimeter rooms.


    Charlie¡¯s family just needed some extravagant oil paintings and plush carpets to complete the look of a noble¡¯s tropical getaway home. Since they had only arrived in the middle of the previous night, they had no belongings or furniture set up at all.


    But that was why Coop had stopped by. He accessed his spatial storage and started placing their belongings in the middle of the central room. They¡¯d have to arrange the furniture to their liking. For now, he was just getting it all out of his personal storage.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Madison questioned after she entered the living room and began examining a bedside table that Coop had seemingly pulled out of thin air. She obviously found it familiar, but didn¡¯t expect to find it there.


    ¡°Ah, sorry, I kinda looted your house before we left.¡± Coop admitted while revealing more and more items.


    Madison gave a bemused laugh that bounced off the empty walls. ¡°Don¡¯t turn my daughter into a bandit, now.¡± She warned, halfheartedly. Coop couldn¡¯t imagine Charlie engaging in any type of banditry.


    Coop just shrugged. ¡°Which one is Charlie¡¯s room?¡± He asked and Madison dragged Camila and Charlie over to show him which room they were planning on claiming. The only difference between the rooms was which direction the huge windows faced, so they were just deciding on what their view would be. The settlement wasn¡¯t developed enough to make any solid predictions on what the skyline would be like anyway.


    Charlie seemed to have selected one that faced north east, toward the center of the settlement, where the civilization shard was situated. If the settlement was filled with buildings, they would still have a central courtyard in the middle of the block to observe unobstructed. Coop got to work unloading all of Charlie¡¯s belongings as carefully as he could.


    As he meticulously filled bookshelves with books and stuffed animals, Camila nudged him and pointed out Charlie. She was wiping away tears while standing in the doorway, clearly upset.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He wondered, confused. Had he made a mistake bringing all of their stuff? Was it a painful reminder of what they¡¯d lost? He hesitated to continue and considered putting it all back into his storage.


    ¡°I just feel guilty.¡± Charlie wiped her eyes from beneath her thick bangs, making her already disheveled hair a bit more messy. ¡°Everyone else is suffering through an actual apocalypse, but I¡¯m getting special treatment from you guys. So far, the hardest part was having to be around the other Chosen, and even that wasn¡¯t so bad with Camila around.¡±


    Coop chuckled a bit, earning a glare from Camila, but he went on. ¡°I mean, I think I¡¯ve had it pretty easy compared to what a miserable experience this whole thing could have been. I¡¯ve basically been hanging out on a beach while getting levels. Most of my difficulties have been self-imposed, more or less. Nothing like what it could have been.¡±


    Coop gave a classic shrug as Charlie looked up at him. ¡°I think we''re uniquely privileged thanks to being here on Ghost Reef. The variety of monsters, the security of the fortress, the presence of the civilization shard, the isolation from other settlements, they all combine to give us an opportunity to thrive. The way I¡¯ve been looking at it is that, if anything, we have a responsibility to leverage any advantages we get, that way we can help other people as well.¡± Camila was nodding along in agreement and Charlie seemed to be open to his perspective.


    Charlie seemed to compose herself. ¡°We should get serious about leveling.¡± She declared after taking a deep breath.


    Camila enthusiastically agreed as she cracked her knuckles. ¡°We can¡¯t let this guy take all of the advantages for himself.¡± She stated as she pointed her thumb at Coop to Charlie¡¯s amusement.


    Coop finished emptying everything he had looted, which was most of the Seraphin¡¯s belongings, but not everything. Plenty had been destroyed, damaged, or hadn¡¯t been able to be scavenged, but it was enough for them to redecorate and make the apartment feel more like their home. Charlie was rearranging her room with Camila¡¯s help. Apparently, the stuffed animals lived in a pile on the bed and Coop hadn¡¯t organized them properly, so he left them to fix it.


    On his way out, he stopped to ask Charlie¡¯s parents a few questions. They had taken a seat on their old couch, surrounded by disorderly belongings, with Madison¡¯s feet across Emmanuel¡¯s legs. They smiled happily at Coop when he got their attention.


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    ¡°Do you know about the pre-mana professions of all your neighbors?¡± Coop queried. ¡°We could use architects and anyone that knows about construction, and engineers that might be able to help the Cleary brothers experiment with mana.¡±


    The pair looked at each other and communicated silently before Emmanuel responded. ¡°Mr. Gibson will know. He¡¯s a bit nosy like that, but he¡¯ll even know what the retired people¡¯s careers had been. I¡¯ll make sure he knows you want to find out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect.¡± Coop approved. ¡°I¡¯ve also got some ideas about setting up a power leveling exercise for the elderly. We can get them some quick levels under the supervision of others.¡± He remembered Jones power leveling Olani when she first arrived and wanted to combine the idea with the basic leveling zones they were establishing.


    ¡°We¡¯ve really aligned ourselves with a taskmaster, haven¡¯t we honey?¡± Madison worried facetiously. ¡°How ruthless to drag the poor elderly out of retirement and force them into life or death combat. It¡¯s one thing to make them work, but this¡­ this is something else.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already having second thoughts about this tropical island paradise.¡± Emmanuel added. ¡°Who knows what lies beneath the surface? Was this place really empty before this Champion took over or did he work everyone to death?¡±


    Coop leaned into the gag and played along. ¡°That¡¯s right, the Champion is ruthless, and don¡¯t let anyone forget it. Once I¡¯ve force fed them enough levels to become immortal, I¡¯ll never allow them to retire again. They¡¯ll wish they only needed to work until they dropped when I have them laboring for all of eternity.¡±


    Camila and Charlie joined them just in time. Camila immediately rolled her eyes at Coop. ¡°Oh great, now what is he up to?¡±


    Madison explained, ¡°He¡¯s drafting the elderly into his army and sending them to the front lines to level them up forcefully.¡±


    Both girls nodded like that was exactly something Coop would do. ¡°Hey! Why would you accept such an unflattering portrayal of my power leveling idea so easily?¡± He protested.


    Camila sighed, ignoring his protest. ¡°I guess we should help. The Emperor¡¯s word is law. C¡¯mon Charlie, let¡¯s go power level some geriatrics and spread the word of our dear leader¡¯s proclamation before we start grinding.¡±


    Madison stood up as well. ¡°Well, we have a new apartment to decorate, before we¡¯re conscripted.¡± She stated as she dragged Emmanuel to his feet. Coop got the picture and made to leave before he got recruited into moving furniture with Emmanuel. Madison immediately started directing Charlie¡¯s father into shifting things around while Coop said his goodbyes. He had a few more quick stops anyway, and first was to visit the herbalist.


    A brief stroll across the southern courtyard saw phantoms and residents excitedly exploring the empty space and service buildings as well as the fort itself. They didn¡¯t seem to be leaving the protective walls just yet, though a few phantoms left as a group. He thought they must be one of the new patrols.


    After a few minutes, his walk brought him to the herbalist¡¯s shack where the contracted resident was happily tending to her flowers. Coop couldn¡¯t help but be impressed by the prosperous garden.


    ¡°The Champion returns to my humble shop? To what do I owe the pleasure?¡± Caisalya greeted him with her sing-song voice as she emerged from her garden, wiping dirt from her hands on the soft leaves at her hips.


    ¡°I just wanted to let you know we¡¯ve brought someone who knows the rituals for blood curses, we¡¯re just waiting for the facility to be constructed. She warned me that the materials were also difficult to acquire, so I wanted to see how you were doing.¡± Coop explained.


    ¡°Have no fear, young Champion, I already have the materials ready, but once they are harvested they must be used right away.¡± Caisalya reassured him.


    ¡°Alright, that sounds good, sorry to nag you.¡± Coop was satisfied and made to leave, but she stepped forward with a delicate pointer finger raised.


    ¡°Actually, I have yet another request.¡± The herbalist looked embarrassed, the leaves that wrapped her body actually drooped like they needed watering. ¡°I hesitate to ask because you¡¯ve been so generous already, but would it be alright if I took over landscaping the settlement as well? I had to turn away some of your new residents who were looking for a job and it inspired me to expand my projects.¡±


    Coop didn¡¯t need to look at her garden, overflowing with flowers, to know she was prepared for a larger undertaking. The Herb Garden on the interior of the block, behind her shop, looked like botanical gardens instead of a simple operation tended by a single gardener.


    ¡°Sure, you can do that, but I have a few stipulations.¡± Caisalya perked up, waiting for Coop¡¯s requirements. He pointed out his second favorite palm tree, still standing near the entrance in the center of the main street. ¡°I¡¯d like you to focus on native plants and trees, and I think you should stick to the areas that have already been developed. I wouldn¡¯t want to have to tear up your gardens while we build.¡±


    The tips of her leaves actually began to glow with her delight. ¡°Oh, how wonderful! Of course, if you keep spoiling me, I¡¯ll follow whatever directions you give me.¡± Caisalya enthused. Coop watched as the plants around her formed buds and bloomed to match her joy. He wondered if she was manipulating the plants consciously, or if they simply reacted to her presence.


    As he left the eager herbalist¡¯s shop, he spotted Olani, who was heading next door, to the alchemist. ¡°Olani!¡± He called to her as he jogged to the alchemist¡¯s doorway.


    She turned and smiled at him as she leaned on her gnarled driftwood staff as if it was a cane, ¡°Welcome back. I trust you had a chance to try my tinctures. There¡¯s no doubt you got into trouble at some point.¡±


    Coop nodded, admitting to finding trouble. ¡°They were lovely, added some health while tasting like strawberries. You should definitely produce more.¡± He reported, hoping to encourage her into developing more potency.


    ¡°And they healed properly? No strange growths or mutations?¡± Olani inquired quite seriously.


    ¡°Ah, they worked fine¡­ were growths a possibility?¡± Coop asked nervously, scratching the back of his head as he realized he may have been more of a test subject than he realized. Maybe he should ask the Tomb Blade if he had any weird reactions, since the member of Shane¡¯s party was the first to try a tincture.


    Olani didn¡¯t answer and instead dug around in her bag until she retrieved another pouch of tinctures. ¡°These are for mana. Please try them next.¡±


    ¡°And the growths?¡± Coop asked again, but received no answer. Sojjah grew an arm as if in answer to his question and waved from further inside the shop, where she awaited her apprentice, surrounded by cauldrons and glowing lime green flames. Coop waved back, matching the alchemist¡¯s enthusiasm.


    ¡°Before you get to work, have you met any of the new residents?¡± Coop was worried that the little old lady would be overwhelmed by the constant influx of new people after a lifetime in an isolated village.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve already begun my evaluations.¡± Olani stated with a gleam in her eye that surprised Coop. ¡°I¡¯ll unearth the value of them all, especially the older ones.¡± She stated her intentions so firmly, Coop changed his mind about the previously isolated elder. He thought she was accustomed to seclusion, but she was actually starved for gossip.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s a few more that just arrived with me, including a healer named Madison that you should probably meet. She¡¯s going to work on healing Jones.¡°


    ¡°I look forward to it.¡± The village elder in her really came out with the presence of new residents, despite her previous declarations of giving the leadership role up due to her own inadequacies in protecting her village.


    Coop decided to ask again. ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want an advisor position? I¡¯d be happy to have you in an official position.¡±


    She started waving him off before he even finished, dismissing the idea. ¡°You¡¯ll listen to me anyway and this arrangement is more fun.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Coop accepted with a shrug. He figured she would carve her own position among the residents, whether it was official or not. ¡°There¡¯s a guy named Marcus that is angling for the position anyway.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll look into him as well.¡± She confirmed with a single firm nod.


    Coop chuckled at her enthusiasm. ¡°I¡¯ll see you later then.¡± He waved at Sojjah again to say goodbye before he headed back toward the town circle.


    He wouldn¡¯t miss the first of the army¡¯s official training sessions if he could help it.

 Chapter 64: Basic Training

    Coop headed across the bridge to see Ledwidge in the training facility. He still had more errands to run, but he really didn¡¯t want to miss the first of the army¡¯s official training sessions. He was honestly nervous, depending on how it went, he would gain or lose confidence in their chances during whatever challenges the settlement events brought.


    The training yard was filled nearly to the limit with phantoms. They were buzzing with energy, mingling with each other, vaguely grouped up into larger companies. Coop found a spot on one of the sides, relatively out of the way, and joined them in waiting for the training to begin. He figured a full division of soldiers were in attendance along with their support phantoms and wraiths. He should probably know how his army was structured, but he¡¯d leave that alone for now. If the settlement would be successful, most of the responsibilities would need to be delegated anyway, and structuring the army was just the first of many things he would let others take care of. Coop was more interested in their individual skills for the immediate future. Teamwork and tactics would come with time and experience.


    Ledwidge appeared on a wooden platform that seemed to be built of living wood in front of the crowd. He was joined by several other people. Some were expected, like Gideon and Shane, as they were the leaders of his army and security. He spotted Arthur waiting in the shadows behind the platform. He was also expected, though he wasn¡¯t really the leader of anything. Coop shrugged and thought for a second before he decided Arthur was the head of Intelligence. Coop briefly entertained the idea of spies, but that was something else he would almost certainly delegate.


    Captain Kayla was a surprise addition to the stage, as she had her navy separate from the army. They were also joined by Marcus, who was helping a very old man stand on the platform. The old man was in a white cap with a black dress coat, fully buttoned, with a white dress shirt and black tie underneath, black pants, and black dress shoes. The wrists of his jacket had yellow stripes and stars and the breast was completely covered in medals, ribbons, and a prominent gold insignia. Coop didn¡¯t know much about the military, but he could still guess that the old guy was an extremely decorated, highly ranked veteran. He looked frail, hunched over, as he relied on Marcus to remain standing, but Coop thought seeing one of the newest residents already involved was a good thing.


    Once the group was situated in the center of the platform, one of Ledwidge¡¯s arms started growing conspicuously. He gripped the thickening arm¡¯s wrist with his other trunk sized hand, and with a crack that silenced the crowd, broke it off like dry tinder. He slammed the butt of the broken piece against the platform, revealing both of his hands fully intact, each clenching the bo staff that he had just sprouted. It was as thick as a telephone pole, but in the hands of the 7 foot treant it seemed like the right size.


    ¡°Phantoms of Ghost Reef! I welcome you! My name is Ledwidge, and I will be in charge of your basic training.¡± The alien¡¯s voice was deep and clear, projected across the training yard effortlessly so that no one could ignore his words. ¡°I have consulted with experts on human training to develop a program that will have you rise to your Champion¡¯s expectations.¡± He swept his gaze across the training yard, ¡°It will not be easy. I¡¯ve trained with countless armies over the millenia, but I¡¯ve never heard of such a rigorous program.¡± He paused and glanced at the old man before returning his attention to the crowd. ¡°For your sakes, I hope you will surprise me.¡± The treant stepped back and the old man stepped forward, pulling away from Marcus and suddenly looking reinvigorated.


    ¡°You heard that overgrown houseplant! This isn¡¯t a vacation! It¡¯s not meant to be easy! They told me you maggots were already dead. So, let me be the first to welcome you to Hell!¡± Coop raised his eyebrows at the old man¡¯s aggression. He had come to see what kind of alien training techniques the phantoms were getting, but this was a far more familiar boot camp than he had anticipated. Coop could see that human-style training had infiltrated the treant¡¯s plans. He thought that made sense, human training for humans, but he still hoped to see something new that would provide some strong influence.


    Before they started, they were to be assessed. The first evaluation was a classic. Push ups. It only took a few minutes before Coop was already thinking about sneaking out. With his current strength and stamina he could do the simple exercise indefinitely, but the soldiers around him were periodically flashing in light as they gained a level here and there from the basic test. He figured it would be best to wait until they switched exercises before he exited the training. He didn¡¯t want to make a scene by quitting during the very first assignment, but it didn¡¯t seem like he would see any alien training methods today. He knew better than most that persistence paid off with all his grinding. He suspected that philosophy would remain true.


    As the flashing of levels slowed down and the push ups continued, Ledwidge moved to the center of the yard and raised his massive bo staff over his head before he slammed the ground like he was chopping wood. Coop felt the training yard shake and watched as a shockwave kicked up the sand and expanded from the point of impact.


    When the shockwave blasted past Coop he immediately felt pressure in his triceps, shoulders, chest, and abs. It was like the gravity had been turned up to 11. Coop pushed through, feeling like he had finally been challenged. He refused to back down after he already decided to participate until a better opportunity to leave, and at least this was something new.


    He kept doing push ups despite the extra weight, feeling like the big treant himself had perched on his back and was increasing the weight with each repetition. He watched as his hands sank, embedding themselves into the packed ground. Sweat dripped off his nose and his muscles burned. It reminded him of the times when he first started running in the sand during his grind sessions. He clenched his teeth, shut his eyes, and pushed on, refusing to stop. The soldiers around him slowed down and some ended up flat on their stomachs, but most kept going. He felt the additional weight constantly increasing, with every repetition, pushing him more and more. He thought with his level of stats he would be able to do a simple exercise like push ups forever, literally, but he was being pushed closer and closer to his limit as they continued.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Ledwidge¡¯s deep voice shouted, announcing the end. Coop had lost track of time and struggled to catch his breath as he stood up. He rested his arms on his hips, feeling like they were jelly, and looked at his feet as his lungs heaved in their struggle for more oxygen. He wasn¡¯t sure if they even needed oxygen, but he sucked in the air regardless. Sweat dripped from his hair in front of his face as Ledwidge congratulated the soldiers on a job well-done. Coop inched further to the side, planning to leave before the next activity. It was a fun challenge, but he didn¡¯t have time for fun right now.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you noticed that this wasn¡¯t just a simple exercise.¡± The treant began. ¡°Mana manipulates our bodies such that training is as much a mental exercise as a physical one.¡± The treant¡¯s branch crown shifted with his excitement and he grinned as a snowy plover landed on the twigs above his head. ¡°This was a test! Every time you resisted the pressure applied by the training yard, it increased. When you gave in, the pressure stopped increasing, recording a combined score that includes your mental fortitude just as much as your strength!¡± The treant beamed. ¡°You must train both in order to keep up with your physical abilities!¡±


    The treant stood in the center of the yard and raised his staff. ¡°A score in the triple digits is beyond excellent, if you accomplished such a feat, please step forward for special training. Regardless of your personal development, you will become elite. Now, let¡¯s check your power rankings!¡± Ledwidge announced, and a giant scoreboard appeared like a hologram in the middle of the training yard.


    Ledwidge coughed in surprise, ¡°Well, look at that!¡± Coop winced at his name. So much for avoiding a scene.


    #1. Coop - 70,624


    #2. Hozanek - 411


    #3. Chauncey McCaskey - 409


    #4. Josiah Clay - 407


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    #5. Duncan Crawford - 407


    ¡­


    #1501. Reese Maddock - 202


    Coop didn¡¯t know how to interpret the numbers, but considering he was competing with level 1 phantoms, he could make an educated guess that it was a reflection of the difference in their levels. The mental aspect was just whether or not they were capable of actually utilizing all of their Strength, and it seemed like humans in general were able to push themselves to their limits when they had sufficient motivation.


    As the phantoms searched for their own names on the list, the courtyard was quiet. Ledwidge¡¯s muttering carried through the crowd as he mumbled to himself. ¡°That can¡¯t be right¡­ hundreds of levels already¡­ Impossible.¡± He shook his head, causing the bird in his branches to flap its wings to keep balance. Then he scanned the crowd and realized everyone was waiting for him.


    Ledwidge recovered quickly. ¡°It looks like the Champion joined our first activity! What a surprise!¡± The treant banged the end of his staff on the ground and the plover flew off, toward the fort wall. The treant paused viewing the scoreboard. It took a long time for him to continue. ¡°Well! I¡¯m happy to be here on your Earth¡­ You humans are special indeed. I admit I underestimated you.¡±


    ¡°Told you so!¡± The old man in the military dress uniform shouted from the platform where he had remained with Gideon while the soldiers started their training. ¡°Weak-ass aliens.¡± He muttered loud enough to echo across the yard inciting some stifled laughter in the soldiers.


    Ledwidge regained himself, ¡°Looks like every single one of you will become an elite.¡± There were scattered cheers while the treant scanned the crowd. ¡°Champion Coop, why don¡¯t you say a few words to your first elite division!¡±


    Coop cleared his throat and the people around him twisted to make room and look at him as they realized where he was. He didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Uh, I¡¯m looking forward to great things from you. Keep up the good work.¡±


    Someone shouted ¡°Ghost Reef!¡± and others joined in with their own shouts or cheered with real enthusiasm. Coop took the opportunity to make his way to the exit, feeling awkward about getting caught joining the training. Soldiers patted him on the back and he smiled and waved while doing his best to look the part of a confident leader.


    Shane, Arthur, Marcus, and Captain Kayla were waiting for him at the exit of the training facility and walked outside with him. They could still hear Ledwidge getting the soldiers ready for a squat challenge, encouraging them to exceed themselves.


    ¡°Keep up the good work!¡± Kayla laughed heartily, holding her stomach with one arm and slapping her leg with the other. ¡°That was hilarious!¡±


    ¡°What? It wasn¡¯t that bad.¡± Coop defended himself. ¡°Was it?¡± He asked, quickly losing confidence as he watched the charismatic captain struggle to get ahold of herself.


    ¡°No, no, it was actually great. You¡¯re definitely a ¡®lead by example¡¯ type.¡± Kayla stated, wiping away tears. ¡°I was just expecting something more sensational after you posted that score. Like summoning your big glaive and raising it to the sky to challenge the gods and whatever factions sent them.¡± She gave a charismatic smile. ¡°But that¡¯s more my style, I think.¡± She claimed while Coop frowned, thinking that maybe he missed an opportunity to build morale.


    ¡°Actually, I think that was perfect.¡± Marcus interjected. ¡°You really gave the impression that you were just one of the soldiers. Really good political instincts to actually join the training rather than observing from the front.¡±


    ¡°I agree, but it¡¯s the sincerity of his actions that makes it work.¡± Arthur pointed out.


    ¡°But how did you rig the scores?¡± Shane interjected. ¡°That was way beyond the expected top end. But, I guess even the regular soldiers demolished his predictions.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way he did, didn¡¯t you see Master Ledwidge¡¯s face?¡± Kayla pointed out. She slapped Coop¡¯s sweaty arm. ¡°Raw power, am I right?¡± She wiggled her eyebrows and when Coop just frowned, she laughed again.


    ¡°You heard him before. 1% elites was what he said.¡± Shane argued.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Coop asked.


    Arthur explained. ¡°The first tests are for deciding who will get elite training. Ledwidge claimed no more than 10 or 15 would qualify by scoring above 100 in any of the tests.¡± Arthur put his hands out. ¡°You saw the results, every single soldier easily cleared the bar, and we definitely weren¡¯t expecting any scores above three digits.¡±


    ¡°The lowest score was over 200, and the support staff were included in the test. They were naturally expected to be lower and even they beat the threshold.¡± Shane observed.


    ¡°Maybe the test wasn¡¯t calibrated right. I mean it was supposed to be for level ones and I¡¯m obviously a bit beyond that.¡± Coop offered. ¡°What are you two doing here anyway?¡± He wondered referring to Captain Kayla and Marcus.


    Kayla smiled at him again. ¡°I just wanted to learn more about our leveling process. You see, my crew got plenty of levels on our little expedition, even the ones who did nothing but swab the decks or hijack other boats. I wanted to know why, so I spoke to the tree man and he invited me to observe.¡± Coop hadn¡¯t even realized the pirates were leveling, so he inspected Kayla.


    [Spectral Human (Level 7)]


    [Sea Witch (Intelligence)]


    [Phantom of Ghost Reef]


    [Enchanting (Siren)]


    Coop was excited, ¡°Did you all get different classes? What did he tell you about leveling?¡±


    Kayla giggled at his recovered enthusiasm, but didn¡¯t let him rush her to respond. After checking her nails for a moment, she finally told him.¡°I¡¯d say 90% of my crew that reached level five selected from the same five classes, and the rest mostly had just one that differed. They almost universally selected the ones that differed as it was the most personalized to their natural talents.¡± Coop was really happy that they received classes at all, the fact that they were receiving a variety was even better.


    ¡°As for leveling, you regular, boring humans supposedly accumulate experience through a different process than we do and none of it is exactly understood. We¡¯re just going by what the collective comprehension of factions have guessed at. Something about mana transference, absorption, and integration for you. We are different in that we are already at maximum saturation as manifestations of mana, which is artificially limited by the settlement¡¯s level, so our levels come entirely from practical application. He called it mana refinement, mumbo jumbo, but I got the gist. We¡¯ll sail for our levels.¡± Kayla finished explaining.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop got the impression she didn¡¯t actually believe in the underlying explanations and only trusted the conclusion. ¡°I wonder if we can do mana refinement as well.¡± Coop wondered as he wrapped his head around his own doubts. Constantly absorbing mana made him feel like a balloon that would eventually pop, and he didn¡¯t think that¡¯s how it would work at all.


    Kayla grinned at him, ¡°You could try doing more push ups until you level up and see how long it takes.¡±


    Coop didn¡¯t like the sound of that either, ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll just go sailing with you instead.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, even better, you can do push ups on the deck while we sail.¡± Kayla laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll get Sharkbait to sit on your back. I can¡¯t imagine a better way to motivate the crew!¡±


    Coop let her have her fun and turned to Marcus. ¡°What about you?¡±


    Marcus wrung his hands. ¡°Ah, well, first I¡¯d like to apologize. I really didn¡¯t think much of anyone that had become Champion. My experience at Empress City and in pre-mana politics painted a dire picture of anyone who would take up such a position. But seeing your efforts around the settlement and hearing your goals and some plans, I think I unfairly judged you. I¡¯d like to accept the offer to become a settlement advisor, if it¡¯s still available.¡±


    Coop shrugged and looked at Shane and Arthur to see if they approved. When they nodded he figured that was good enough. He could remove Marcus from his post if it didn¡¯t work out. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head to the civilization shard and I¡¯ll set you up.¡± Coop led the way toward the bridge. ¡°Just so we¡¯re clear, you¡¯re gonna need to be more of a city planner that carefully manages a tight budget than a legislator.¡±


    Marcus nodded. ¡°I understand. I saw some of the preliminary plans while meeting with Mr. Balor and have a good idea for how to develop the settlement while anticipating unpredictable periods of growth.¡± Marcus lit up, barely containing his enthusiasm. ¡°I think it¡¯s an incredible opportunity to build a utopian city.¡±


    ¡°Utopian? Let¡¯s just focus on survival for now.¡± Coop suggested, already feeling the need to reign in his new advisor.

 Chapter 65: The Fearless

    Coop accessed the civilization shard and assigned Marcus Rollins to the first advisor position. There was no fanfare, but Marcus stared into space as he was clearly checking his notifications. Coop let him catch up, and instead cycled through some of the shard¡¯s other menus. He wanted to see if he could summon more of Kayla¡¯s fleet. Her crew had worked on modifications to the dock that should be sufficient to add a few more vessel slots, at least. The sooner he recruited them, the sooner they could start getting levels.


    The army had its own menu that called for his attention, blinking with a new option. Coop checked it first. A button he didn¡¯t recall seeing before was flashing ¡®Reinforcements,¡¯ with a slow rhythm. He mentally pressed it and the shard itself flashed bright red, causing the group to squint and look away. When Coop looked back there was a new group of people standing around the shard, inspecting their own limbs as if they were surprised to be there. The wisps of ghostly vapors that emanated from their forms told him they were more phantoms. Had they already been able to recruit more? The settlement hadn¡¯t had any upgrades yet. He inspected the closest one.


    [Spectral Human (Level 1)]


    [(Strength)]


    [Phantom of Ghost Reef]


    Arthur spoke up before Coop figured out what he was looking at. ¡°The seven fallen soldiers.¡± The analyst promptly recognized. Coop looked again. Seven phantoms stood in front of him, looking relieved. They could respawn? When he considered whether they were minions or not, it had seemed like a possibility, but it wasn¡¯t the sort of thing you banked on. He wouldn¡¯t sacrifice them anyway, especially without knowing the mechanisms at play. What if they only came back once?


    One of them, dressed in unfamiliar attire that reminded Coop of Native American clothing, spoke up. ¡°Thank you for the second chance. I won¡¯t let you down.¡± He promised.


    Coop was still unsure. ¡°Uh, are you the same person as before?¡±


    The soldier hesitated and looked at his hands before he looked back up. ¡°I think so?¡±


    Coop just shook his head. ¡°Alright¡­ could you report to someone and make sure nothing is missing, like experience or memories?


    ¡°Right away, sir!¡± The phantoms¡¯ concern seemed to grow to match Coop¡¯s.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t die again, I dunno how many times you get to do that. Make sure to train properly this time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The soldiers responded, giving him various salutes before they marched up the main street toward the fort walls. The group stood silently for a moment, watching them go.


    ¡°Well! That¡¯s a relief!¡± Kayla¡¯s laugh broke the surprised silence as the phantoms got out of earshot. ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you if The Eye of the Storm returns to the abyss.¡± She slapped Coop on the back. He gave her a look that said, don¡¯t get sunk, but she just laughed at him.


    Coop returned to the shard and made it to the vessel tab before he made any new discoveries. He had the option to select two out of four corvettes.


    ¡°So, Captain, do you have a preference for any other ships in your fleet?¡± He asked Kayla.


    ¡°The Tempest Fleet is the best down to the very last swabbie.¡± She stated with pride. Coop wouldn¡¯t dare to disagree.


    Coop selected two corvettes and watched each of them rebuild themselves out of the ruined remains of their shipwrecks. Driftwood dislodged itself from the sand and recombined until it started to form a ship. The gaps where the parts had been completely eroded away were filled in by ghostly mana that solidified until it was barely distinguishable from the rest of the wooden ship. If it wasn¡¯t for the subtle wisps of mana that leaked into the air, it would have made a perfect replica. Most of the ship had to be reconstructed by the spectral mana, as tides and time had barely left any materials to restore.


    One corvette was shockingly close to the moat of the fort, as if it had gone on a suicide run across the reef to assault the walls before it couldn¡¯t go any further. The other was bobbing out of the water, piece by piece, as its parts floated from the depths, well beyond the shallows all the way at the edge of the settlement¡¯s marine territory.


    Kayla ran to the middle of the unadorned bridge and laughed like she had when she first arrived, gazing out the canal in the direction of the rebuilding ships. The menus now had information on each ship so Coop read the details.


    The first ship was named The Fearless. Coop figured they had to be fearless to sail so close to the fort where they met their demise. The other was also appropriately named, called Sea Burial.


    Each had a crew of 50 pirates and The Fearless was 70 feet long while Sea Burial was the larger vessel at 80 feet. Both were still only about half the length of Kayla¡¯s galleon. One look was enough to see they were a much smaller class of ship in every way. Both corvettes had three masts, just like The Eye of the Storm, but they only had one deck compared to the flag ship¡¯s three. They also had a quarter of the flagship¡¯s cannons, at 20 each, but The Fearless had what appeared to be a flamethrower on its bow and battering rams strapped against the sides of its hull, carved to resemble sea monsters reaching forward. Sea Burial had its own surprise as well. A massive ballista platform swiveled on the bow as the ship steadied itself and hoisted its black sails.


    Coop had no idea what these pirates had been up to under the pirate queen¡¯s leadership, but they certainly looked intimidating. The corvettes, despite being half the size of the galleon and crewed by one sixth of the sailors, were still quite a bit larger than the ship that Camila and Charlie brought to Ghost Reef.


    Coop interrupted the giddy captain¡¯s laughter. ¡°I¡¯ll let you get your crew situated.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Kayla responded while smiling, without taking her eyes off the ships. ¡°I never gave them permission to die! They¡¯ll need to answer for that!¡± She looked excited, with both hands balled into fists and pressed against her hips, dead center on the edge of the unfinished bridge. She stared down the flamethrower and ornamented battering rams as The Fearless slowly approached. Sea Burial had to sail across the reefs before it would arrive.


    Marcus hadn¡¯t budged from the civilization shard, completely engrossed in the menus he now had access to. Coop interrupted him to find out what he was looking at. Marcus had received almost a dozen new quests that all related to the settlement. He had all sorts of quests to increase the population, construct different buildings, or acquire specific resources. Coop wanted those quests as well, but they were specifically for advisors. Marcus hadn¡¯t received the quests to level the settlement that Coop had, as those were specific to the Champion.


    Marcus got the rundown of their building priorities, with the Medical Center from the Merciful faction firmly at the top with most smaller projects delayed until then. The one caveat being buildings necessary for their survival, obviously.


    He had already reviewed the general plans that Jones had created with Balor from the start, so he knew where buildings would go and how they planned to expand, though he had some of his own ideas to improve on the plans. Apparently, Jones had relied on his knowledge of ancient cities, and Marcus thought it was a good place to start, but there were modern adjustments that he thought would enhance the settlement. Coop just wanted Marcus to warn him if he wanted to make any sweeping changes.


    Coop also told his new advisor about his idea for manually building. Was there any rule that said they couldn¡¯t? Coop was under the impression that any deterioration of pre-mana structures was because it was constructed of pre-mana materials, like how Jones couldn¡¯t get a food buff until they ate in the tavern where the food was made with mana infused ingredients. They could use mana infused materials from the start when they built new buildings and fill gaps in the system¡¯s services. Marcus also thought it was worth a shot, assuming they had residents with the appropriate expertise. Labor obviously wouldn¡¯t be a problem with their superhuman strength and stamina thanks to their levels.


    Shane spoke up while Coop and Marcus were discussing where buildings would be placed and which services to prioritize, leaning toward the coffee shop that Coop had promised Laurie and Greg as a first trial run. ¡°Ledwidge actually gave us a list of services he believed would be necessary for equipping the army as well.¡±


    ¡°Add them to the list.¡± Coop was glad to know what they needed, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel exasperated at having even more purchases piling up. The security of the settlement was the real top priority with the looming events on the horizon, so he wouldn¡¯t be able to delay the army¡¯s upgrades.


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m also going to need a Town Hall to have all the information and tools necessary for the responsibilities you¡¯re giving me.¡± Marcus added to Coop¡¯s dissatisfaction. ¡°After that, I believe the settlement will be able to smoothly develop through its own revenue¡­ You¡¯ve been purchasing services out of pocket right? I have no idea how you managed to accumulate so many funds. The library alone¡­¡±


    Coop sighed. ¡°Alright, how much is the Town Hall?¡±


    ¡°50,000 Basic Credits, for a factionless variant. I have a specific suggestion; it has a clerk from a species that dedicates themselves to the preservation of civilization shards. I believe they¡¯ll have useful recommendations.¡± Marcus explained. Coop just transferred the 50,000 credits directly to Marcus to let him take care of it.


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    ¡°And how much for what Ledwidge wants?¡± Coop asked.


    ¡°Um, which?¡± Shane quickly looked at Arthur for help. ¡°There¡¯s a whole list and we can¡¯t see the prices.¡±


    Arthur cleared his throat and pulled out a piece of paper, holding it up and leaning his head slightly back to read it like he was giving a King¡¯s declaration. ¡°Tanner, Clothier, Furnace, Smelter, Blacksmith, Armourer, Bladesmith, Weaponsmith, Whitesmith, Gemcutter, Druid Circle, Bowyer, Fletcher, Range, Coliseum, and all of the associated upgrades. He has even more recommendations for training beyond a basic level.¡±


    ¡°Oh, c¡¯mon.¡± Coop took a deep breath. ¡°At least, we have a Clothier already.¡± Coop rubbed his temples. ¡°The Clothier wanted a Weaver and a Mana Mill constructed. Desmond suggested a Grove and Butcher. We also need some kind of School for the kids and a Workshop for the Cleary brothers and some kind of gathering place for organizing powerleveling.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure how they could afford everything, and he really wanted to save his credits. Then again, when it came to equipping an army, he didn¡¯t want to skimp. He was sure this wouldn¡¯t be the end of what they needed. Plus, they had a navy.


    ¡°Hey Captain!¡± Coop yelled over to Kayla, who was dressing down both corvette crews from her position on the bridge. She turned her steady gaze toward him. ¡°What services do you need?¡±


    She barely hesitated, as if she had been waiting for him to ask. ¡°Port, Shipwright, Drydock, Siegeworks,¡± She paused and tapped a finger on her chin before she grinned, ¡° and an Admiralty. But we can manage on our own, for now, as long as we have a Tavern and a Brewery.¡± The crews chimed in with their support for alcohol.


    Coop turned back to Marcus. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I see why you wanted to delegate.¡± Marcus acknowledged, looking paralyzed.


    ¡°Build the Town Hall.¡± Coop told him. ¡°Then see how much of Ledwidge¡¯s list can be covered by the settlement¡¯s funds. Most of those buildings should be really cheap as basic services, but make sure we stick to factionless variations. Let me know how much more you need before tonight. Equipping the army needs to start as soon as possible. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s coming after Day 30, but I want to be as ready as we can be. We can save for the Medical Center and build for ourselves when we¡¯re properly secure.¡±


    ¡°The Empire suggested that Day 50 was when the settlements really needed to be prepared.¡± Shane shared while Arthur nodded in confirmation. ¡°Is something happening early?¡±


    Coop shrugged. ¡°When I became Champion I received a message that said settlement events initialize on Day 30, but either way, it won¡¯t hurt to get started. We don¡¯t have the equipment that the Empire provided its Chosen to begin with¡­ or the numbers¡± Coop pointed out. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go investigate what got Balor all panicked. I¡¯ll come visit the Town Hall afterwards.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Shane looked worried. ¡°We should get some levels.¡± He suggested to Arthur, who nodded.


    Coop went back across the bridge, heading for the fort walls on the side that had been separated by the channel. Apparently, invading monsters had established themselves inside, thanks to their isolation across the water. A hive formed that was preventing the settlement¡¯s territory from denying the monsters further advancement. Balor wouldn¡¯t be able to reinforce the walls until the hive was taken care of.


    He hadn¡¯t even heard of a monster hive before Balor brought it up, but the terminology reminded him of the quests that he received on the offshore oil platform. The system had called the zombies an infestation, so he had some expectations for what he would find beneath the fort. He selfishly hoped for another elite hunting ground, as long as it could be safely contained.


    When he entered the walls from one of the many open thresholds he had to pause to wait for his eyes to adjust. There was something about the stone interiors of the fortress that just made it seem dark, especially compared to the tropical sunlight that lit the inner courtyard and reflected off the ocean on the exterior. The coarse surfaces seemed to absorb whatever light made it to the interiors.


    The first floor fort halls were broken up by small round windows that barely let the light inside at all. Coop walked over to the nearest opening and realized that the windows weren¡¯t meant to be round. Smaller rectangular holes that would fit the muzzle of a firearm while providing cover had been eroded into round headsized windows.


    The setup of the first floor resembled that of a pillbox bunker, but he had trouble imagining what good small firearms would do when besieged by a galleon. Then again, judging by where the wreck of The Fearless had laid, it was possible raids were also a threat.


    Coop used his arms to brace against the wall and hoist himself through the largest window so that he could peek his head outside. The walls had to be thick to absorb cannon balls and brace against the storm surges of hurricanes. Gentle waves splashed against the wall six feet below the window. Tropical fish darted in and out of tiny crevices in the coral that clung to the exterior and the calm sea stretched all the way to the horizon. The floor of the fort was barely above sea level, and the walls were almost as thick as he was tall.


    The whole thing was designed to just absorb water and let it drain in the courtyard and through the coral rock foundations. Coop thought it was amazing it worked at all, but the proof was in the longevity of the fort, still, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to have Balor double check the foundations to repair the inevitable erosion caused by the sea water.


    He pulled himself back into the fort and summoned his armor, sword, and shield, and continued through the wide corridors. His footsteps echoed, only broken up by the lazy waves that feebly swept against the outer wall. The tall ceilings were only interrupted by the occasional stone arches until he reached another hall, similar to the mess hall where Jones hosted visitors, though this one lacked tables and decorations.


    He climbed the stairs up to a mezzanine that looked over the hall and continued through the second floor corridors. The windows on the second level were wide open, from floor to ceiling, like balconies with cannons waiting to be manned. Otherwise, the second level was architecturally similar to the first. Tall ceilings, stone arches, and wide corridors that were periodically interrupted with thick walls and rusted iron gates that segmented the fort in the event of a siege reaching the interior. The entire fort was a purely utilitarian construction, which made the aliens¡¯ reverence toward it that much sillier. As far as he could tell, the lack of mana in its formation was the main aspect that made it special.


    Coop had been walking through the walls for almost half an hour, wandering between levels whenever he found another set of stairs, and he hadn¡¯t found anything to indicate an infestation of monsters. It seemed like a more thorough search would be necessary, so he decided to take it one step at time. He¡¯d explore each floor in its entirety, instead of bouncing up and down levels, starting from the very top. If it was anything like the oil rig, he wanted to start with the easiest levels as he worked his way to the core of the infestation.


    Coop climbed to the ramparts and was welcomed by the sun. He could confidently clear the battlements quickly, jogging from one end to the other, mirroring the jog on the southern half from his rarely followed morning routine.


    It didn¡¯t take long to go from one end to the other, and he still didn¡¯t find any signs of monsters, invaders, hives, or zombies. The fort itself was in slightly worse shape compared to the reinforced southern half, with more sand on the roof and taller grasses clinging to the surface, bent from the constant ocean breezes. There were even a few coconuts scattered on the roof, sprouting tiny trees from their giant seeds. Coop had no idea how a coconut would end up on the roof of the fort, but there they were.


    He moved back down to the fourth floor and started another sweep. He stopped halfway around, on the exact northern point, furthest away from the main entrance and the lighthouse beyond. He¡¯d walked into a particularly large corridor and glanced up between the stone arches to look at the ceiling and it was completely covered in roosting bats. It seemed like the bat colony was doing better than ever. Coop had only ever seen a few scattered bats hunting bugs at dusk and he had no idea such a large colony existed on Ghost Reef.


    Bats were cool, but seeing them all clinging to the ceiling, huddled together with their ears twitching and random individuals shifting around made him nervous. Some ancient human instinctual fear of vampires made him decide to abandon his thoroughness and bypass the central corridor of the fourth floor. He retraced his steps to get back to the roof and started a pass from the other end of the fourth floor until he got closer to the bat colony from the opposite side.


    Aside from the bats, the fourth floor was empty, so he moved down to the third floor. He doubted that Balor would have mistaken the bats for monsters and sent Coop to clear them out. He knew the stonemason was an experienced adventurer himself, so he kept his sword ready, anticipating an encounter with invaders at some point. However, the third floor also appeared empty, though he did find some walls that had fresh scratches and ceilings pockmarked with three-pronged gouges.


    He was walking along the second floor, feeling disappointed in his fruitless search thus far, when something clattered onto the floor just ahead of him. He raised his shield and stepped backwards on steady feet, assessing the threat with his sword at the ready.


    [Ruin Excavator (Level 25)]


    [(Body)]


    [Minion of the Primal Constructs]


    ¡°Finally,¡± Coop whispered, relieved that he had found something after all. The monster was the smallest he had seen, and for the second time, Coop felt creeped out by something inside the fort. It was about the size of a housecat, but had four pairs of jointed, spider-like legs, each attached to a segment of its slightly elongated body. Each segment had a pair of armored metal scutes protecting it from the top. Six small red lights faced forward on the top of its first segment, between two additional shovel-like appendages that extended in place of another pair of legs. A scorpion¡¯s tail slowly raised itself, threatening Coop with three pointed spikes on its tip. It was like an amalgamation of a spider, scorpion, and lobster, with too many legs, too many joints, and too many weapons.


    Coop stepped forward and took a swing with his short sword, realizing right away that these things would be annoying to fight just from their size alone. He had to hunch down in order to reach low enough to strike the monster with his sword, and it was heavily armored on its back.


    It made no effort to avoid or deflect Coop¡¯s swing, it simply let its body absorb the blade. The legs didn¡¯t resist the force, splaying out to allow the monster¡¯s body to lie flat against the ground. His sword failed to penetrate the armored carapace, despite the sharpness of his ethereal weapon.


    He quickly raised his sword, not discouraged in the slightest, readying for another swing aiming for the legs. He was still leaning forward, keeping his ankles out of reach of the monster, fearing retaliation from the nasty looking tail spikes, when something struck him from above, tearing into his back and forcing him toward the center of the room.


    Coop nearly fell forward, but nimbly transitioned his stumble into a stomp on top of the initial monster. The sole of his foot slammed into it before it could dodge out of the way, but its tail still struck his armored greaves. His foot embedded its front half into the stone ground before it shattered and dissipated into mana smoke. Coop spun around, ready to engage the new threat.


    A second monster faced him, with its tail raised and blood dripping from both of its shovel-like claws. Coop¡¯s eyes were drawn up to the ceiling, where dozens more of the creepy scorpions were hanging by their tails, legs tucked in, and claws aimed straight down like alien harpoons.

 Chapter 66: Blood and Thunder

    It seemed like Coop walked into a trap. Despite his attempt at carefully inspecting the fort for monsters, his attention had slipped after not finding anything for so long. Then, he¡¯d overextended himself when he finally found something. He had received multiple afflictions from the surprise attack of a second monster and the death throes of the first.


    He dismissed his sword and his shield, finding them less than ideal for fighting the smaller armored monsters. He summoned his spear, just for the improved reach, but he didn¡¯t think it was the best weapon for the situation either. Stomping the monster had been wildly effective, even against the robust carapace that shrugged off the edge of his sword. He wanted to experiment with a blunt weapon against these foes, but for the time being he would make do with his spear. The spear was battle tested, and he was hesitant to try a new weapon under the circumstances.


    Coop stayed still, keeping one eye on the ceiling, hoping to avoid having more of the unnerving invaders dive onto him. He leveled his spear at his attacker, as it waved its front appendages at him, still dripping with his blood from its surprise attack. Coop imagined it was mocking him, trying to goad him into a frantic attack that would just invite more of its brethren to swarm him. He felt his blood slowly dripping down his back and clenched his teeth.


    Instead of rushing, he noted the afflictions that he had acquired. He had two stacks of Soul Degradation, which increased the cost and cooldown of his abilities by 17%. The effect was reduced by his magic defense, but he also wasn¡¯t entirely reliant on his abilities in the first place.


    Summoning his spear had cost him more mana, but it was hardly something he would need to worry about with his massive mana pool hardly budging. Soul Degradation had been applied by the claws of the ambushing monster that continued to taunt him, but Coop¡¯s build meant he could mostly ignore the debuff and continue to rely on his regular attacks to defeat his enemies.


    He also had three stacks of Soul Rot, from the dead monster¡¯s tail barbs nicking his leg. Soul Rot drained a negligible amount of health and mana, but it would also apply another affliction when it expired, with the secondary affliction being dependent on the number of stacks of Soul Rot. It would always expire 60 seconds after the first stack was applied. Coop would have to keep track of the affliction¡¯s timer.


    It didn¡¯t seem like a long time, but in the middle of combat 60 seconds was an eternity. Even in a staredown with the monster that had ambushed him, it took forever to countdown. The debuff would only drain 20 health and 30 mana over its duration, so he didn¡¯t feel pressured to rush, preferring to wait for its expiration.


    Coop couldn¡¯t simply back away to wait out the debuff either, as the monsters lined the ceiling in every direction, waiting for the opportunity to ambush him. He¡¯d need to mistjump if it came down to a retreat.


    Coop continued to bide his time. It seemed like a better idea to be patient and deal with whatever came from three stacks of Soul Rot than to collect more stacks of the affliction while moving around and inviting more monsters to join the fight by ambushing him.


    The waiting was the hardest part, and he braced as the debuff got closer to expiring. The monster scurried a bit, back and forth, and Coop followed it with the tip of his spear, ready for it to get into his range, but the monster seemed reluctant to leave the shadow of its brethren on the ceiling. Coop was equally reluctant to move into their range.


    More clattering echoed in the shadowy corridor behind him. A quick glance told him that the monsters didn¡¯t seem content to wait for his Soul Rot to expire after all. They had given him a chance to walk into their strike zones, but his refusal to move meant they were becoming aggressive. Monsters released themselves from the ceiling one after the other, all around the room, until Coop lost count of how many challengers he now faced. At least he had avoided their initial attacks. They were a lot less imposing when they were on the floor.


    He lunged forward, with waiting no longer an option, and stabbed at the nearest monster. His initial attempt to impale it with his spear was just as ineffective as trying to cut them with his sword. His target allowed itself to be flattened, giving its metallic scutes the opportunity to protect its body, and all the rest of the monsters scurried toward Coop. The clacking of their arachnid-like legs against the stone floor was a horrible sound. Coop allowed himself to be drawn back toward the exit as the monsters converged on his position.


    Moving backwards was a mistake. Not all of the monsters had been impatient enough to drop from their ambush spots, and Coop was sliced again by a falling monster. Its claws avoided his armor and drove into his shoulder before Coop angled his body out of the way. As the monster landed, he swung his spear like a hockey stick, launching the monster across the room where it smashed into the stone brick wall. The crunch of metal against stone reverberated through the corridor and the monster was defeated.


    The rest of the swarm charged at him from all directions, and he was forced to repeatedly slap shot the monsters with his spear. As long as he could get underneath the monsters he could easily defeat them, launching them across the room through their companions and into the walls, but they stayed low to the ground and didn¡¯t hesitate to flatten themselves when he struck them. Further attempts to pierce their armor felt like stabbing a marble. The tip of his spear punctured the surface of the stone floor as it slid off the sides of the Excavators. He was forced to stick with teeing off on the monsters while stomping on the ones that rushed closer.


    There were just so many of them attacking together, and since he was hesitant to make distance for fear of moving underneath more ambushers, that he ended up taking scrapes and incidental damage before he could stomp or swipe them away. His health pool was at its maximum, but his debuffs were stacking up. When his Soul Rot affliction was about to expire, it had risen to 22 stacks.


    Coop threw his spear back out of the room and initiated his mistjump to try to mitigate the consequences of whatever affliction he was about to receive from Soul Rot.


    The single mistjump cost him dearly, almost 5,000 mana disappeared as he retreated. He had really underestimated the consequences of the stacking Soul Degradation affliction, and all of the incidental attacks from the monsters had piled on the debuffs. It even put his mistjump on a cooldown, an ability that normally had none. Relying on regular attacks to deal damage and ignoring his mana was fine when a fight was going well, but he depended on mana to increase his mobility.


    He traveled through the mist and reappeared inside the previous, empty room just as Soul Rot¡¯s timer ended. The resulting affliction caused him to stumble, losing his balance completely and falling to the ground, putting him at the mercy of the swarming Ruin Excavators that followed him from their nest. More ambushers clattered to the ground from the ceiling, seeing an opportunity to finish him off with their brethren. They filed through the doorway desperate to reach him.


    22 stacks of Soul Rot was enough to give him Soul Paralysis for 6 seconds, which lived up to expectations, putting him in the horrible position of laying on the ground, unable to move, while he watched dozens of the arachnid-like monsters scamper toward him on their creepy little legs.


    His magical defense from his Mind stat had reduced the effect of the affliction, but it hadn¡¯t been enough to avoid the consequences of letting it stack. He couldn¡¯t even yell, all he could do was rely on his armor and defenses to keep him alive while the monsters had an unhindered opportunity to tear at him with their claws. He was dreading the additional afflictions almost as much as the pain and he wondered if the mistjump had been a mistake, all of that mana could have buffered his health pool through Mind over Matter. As long as he survived and could retaliate, he could count on his Reaper title to heal him back to full.


    The first Ruin Excavator led the swarm in charging at Coop¡¯s paralyzed body. He stared at it, refusing to look away even if he was unable to do so, and already anticipating the rampage he would go on in revenge. The monster raised its pointed claws at Coop, threatening to spear him with both tips, and as it charged, it stumbled and fell into pieces. It was cleanly bisected. The front three segments slid along the ground into Coop, harmlessly. Disgustingly, but harmlessly. Then they dissipated. These things were basically robots, but they were still full of oily fluids that he had no interest in touching.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Coop watched as other monsters in the swarm were picked apart by invisible blades. Legs were cleanly detached, claws split off, and tails sliced through. Monsters were split in half at their segmentations even though Coop couldn¡¯t pierce them with his spear, nor cut them with his sword. Whatever was able to cut the tough little monsters had unbelievable sharpness that even exceeded his weapons, despite his weapons being enhanced by his ridiculous Mind stat.


    The swarm was still mostly intact when he finally recovered, but he got back to his feet with a vengeance, completely unharmed. He couldn¡¯t remember ever manually retrieving his weapons, but this time, he picked up his spear from the ground where it had clattered next to him. He leveled the butt of his spear at the monsters and started smashing them. Forget about cutting them, he would crush them with his Strength.


    Since the monsters had to funnel through the doorway and he wasn¡¯t afraid of stepping backwards, they weren¡¯t able to surround him again. He avoided every attack while taking his frustrations out on the Excavators. They didn¡¯t stand a chance now that he was outside of their domain. He refused to take any more debuffs from them. He pulverized the monsters relentlessly, using enough of his Strength to put divots in the stone floor. He didn¡¯t hold back. Balor could repair the fort later, once he eradicated the invaders and their hive.


    They weren¡¯t so tough when they weren¡¯t able to swarm him or attack him from above and below at the same time. Of course, he had just been brought down a few pegs by monsters nearly half his level, and he had to admit they had really freaked him out.


    When the last of the monsters was defeated he reentered the room, staring up at the ceiling, eyes peeled for more. He found several of the monsters, still waiting in their arrow-like positions for him to walk underneath them. He took leaping swings with his spear like he was cracking open a pi?ata that was being held too high, bludgeoning the monsters and defeating them in one blow. He wasn¡¯t satisfied until the room was completely clear of them, with the only sign of their presence the triple pockmarks scattered across the ceiling. He checked his notifications.


    [You defeated Ruin Excavator (Level 26)]


    [+12 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Soul Dredger (Uncommon)]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [Defeat Ruin Excavators I (1/5)]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Ruin Excavator (Level 28)]


    [+13 Basic Credits]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Ruin Excavators I]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Defeat Ruin Excavators II (0/25)]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Ruin Excavator (Level 25)]


    [+11 Basic Credits]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Ruin Excavators II]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Defeat Ruin Excavators III (0/250)]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Ruin Excavator (Level 26)]


    [+14 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Soul Dredger (Uncommon)]


    [Defeat Ruin Excavators III (42/250)]


    A profession level and two class levels after defeating 72 Ruin Excavators. He¡¯d definitely do what he could to fight them in smaller chunks in the future. His health was back to its maximum, but his Reaper title hadn¡¯t returned much mana for every kill, so he¡¯d need to wait for his mana to passively recover.


    He remembered Olani¡¯s new creations, so he pulled out a mana tincture. It was a vial with an almost completely transparent, thick liquid with tiny purple and blue bubbles. The blue tinge gave it a mana vibe, and Coop downed it in one gulp. It had a really light taste that was somewhere between blueberries and blackberries. Coop liked it, but it only gave him 60 mana. He had to commend Olani on a good start and hope that she would develop more potent versions that could keep up with his mana pool in the future.


    As he savored the taste, he remembered the invisible blades that had saved him from the swarming Excavators. He spun around to investigate.


    Jett was sitting in the doorway using a paw to wipe her face. She stopped when he spun and just stared at him, paw still by her ear. When she slowly blinked her yellow eyes, Coop got the impression that she thought he was reckless.


    Cats always seemed so judgmental.


    ¡ª


    Tzultacaj hefted his heavy greataxe over one shoulder, gripping it with one hand, and marched away from the sacrificial altars. Red lightning danced on the surface of the axeblade, bouncing between blood soaked spikes and down the shaft. The weapon dripped blood on him, but he was already covered from head to toe. The battle had been fierce, yet despite being bathed in blood, he had been victorious.


    The defeated priest alone had awarded him three full levels, but that was because he had been slow. The troughs of blood beneath the sacrificial altars already overflowed, forming rivers that splashed down the corners of the pyramid. He followed the thickest stream, feeling disgusted, and when he found the pile of bodies, furious. He stomped back toward the entrance, clenching his teeth with enough force to crack them if not for mana¡¯s enhancement.


    It was a dark night, but a thousand torches greeted him when he exited the temple and looked down the precipitous steps of the pyramid. The anticipation was thick in the humid jungle air. Tzultacaj didn¡¯t keep them waiting.


    He took a deep breath and shouted down the steps, ¡°Death to the Death Gods!¡± He raised his arm, still gripping the matted hair of the false priest, displaying the severed head for all to see in the flickering torchlight. ¡°Our time is now!¡± He dropped the bloody head, letting it bounce down the stairs, leaving a trail of thick blood as it went. He raised his axe and red lightning arced into the air. His war host responded with a roar that shook the jungle.


    Tzultacaj saw this so-called Cult of Chakyum for what it was; opportunists who believed they could twist 5,000 years of Maya culture for easy experience and positions of power. They claimed to represent the primary death gods and took the civilization shard by divine right, executing those who had held it before them. It didn¡¯t take them more than a week to demand willing sacrifices to please their sponsors and prevent the Earth from being swallowed up by darkness.


    It wasn¡¯t 2,000 BC. Who would volunteer to be a willing sacrifice? No one. Yet, these priests had spread to many villages and were leveling up at a ridiculous rate.


    Tzultacaj was from a tiny village himself. He was a hunter in a very, very long line of hunters. He used his wilderness experience after the apocalypse and found himself leveling up, using the axe of his ancestors to defeat the monsters roaming the jungle. He ventured deeper and deeper into the wilds to battle the invading monsters and accumulate his strength while keeping his ancestral cousins safe while they remained in their homes.


    The villages he was fighting for ended up empty, despite his efforts, but it wasn¡¯t the monsters that had cleared them out. It was the Cult. They leveraged the confusing situation brought by the apocalyptic introduction of mana and moved quickly to consolidate their power. The lack of any central authority in the entire region opened a window for the Cult¡¯s success. As far as anyone knew, there was only one civilization shard in all of Central America. A region that once had 200 million people but just one settlement almost demanded conflict.


    The Cult of Chakyum recognized the situation sooner than any other group, and immediately moved to position themselves with an advantage. They were neutralizing rivals under thinly veiled pretenses that were difficult to disprove when the rules of reality were still confused, and they were gathering power on the backs of the innocent.


    They had miscalculated, moved too aggressively, and now the resistance was forming. Tzultacaj would fight the evil that had risen around his home and he obviously wasn¡¯t alone. He jogged down the steep steps of the pyramid to join his growing army. They would move from village to village and root the priests out until there were none left.


    This Cult of Chakyum would be consumed by the rising Jaguar Sun.

 Chapter 67: Soul Snatcher

    Coop shook his head as he led Jett through the first corridors in the basement of the fort. He turned around and used Presence of Mind to inspect her again, just to confirm what he had seen.


    [Awakened Cat (Level 54)]


    [Sentinel of Shadows (Agility)]


    [Venerated of the Blessed Mau Collective]


    [Sharp, Dark, Silent (Slayer)]


    How was it possible for her to be leveling so efficiently? He wanted to know her secrets. Maybe he could copy her strategy, if only she would show it to him. She had barely lifted a finger, or claw, ever since she casually rescued him from the monsters that swarmed him while he was stunned. She just observed while he cleared the rest of the second floor, then the first, and now the basement. It felt like escorting a supervisor that was constantly and silently judging his performance.


    Still, he was making good progress fighting the Ruin Excavators in the hours that they had been exploring the fort¡¯s corridors. It reminded him of stemming the tide of Primal Trackers, with the density and level of monsters slowly increasing as he pushed forward in their open air golf course dungeon.


    In absolute contrast, the basement was dark and damp, the complete opposite of the open fairways of the golf course. The sounds of dripping water constantly tricked him into thinking it was the footsteps of a Ruin Excavator. They hid in the shadows, and not just on the ceiling, waiting to ambush him with their awful debuffs. To make matters worse, they increased in strength every time they went down. They were already level 40 with elites sprinkled among them in the basement level and he was slightly worried they would keep getting stronger.


    The monsters really didn¡¯t stand a chance in a straight fight with Coop. He wouldn¡¯t be overwhelmed again, unless they could find a way to trick him into springing one of their traps. Coop was being more careful, checking the corners and ceiling while moving at an even slower, deliberate pace. The monsters were almost always in large groups, but Coop could handle them as long as he didn¡¯t wander into their midst. Really, he thought he would be fine, even if he did end up in the center of another full swarm, but it wasn¡¯t a pleasant experience the first time around. It was also faster to systematically eliminate the monsters instead of rushing between them, so he and Jett didn¡¯t travel through the fort with any substantial speed.


    Jett seemed to prefer a slow pace, as it gave her opportunities to resume cleaning herself, or otherwise lounge at the edge of rooms while Coop stomped and crushed his way through monsters.


    As they moved through the basement level, the amount of water steadily increased. Even though the first floor was damp, with small puddles in some corners, and a really humid atmosphere, the basement was just plain wet. Most rooms had barely enough dry spots for Jett to carefully pick her way through. The constant dripping and occasional rushing sounds of ocean water made Coop nervous for threats other than ambushing monsters.


    There was a reason basements generally didn¡¯t exist in this region of the world. The bedrock was porous limestone, and the ocean was an enduring presence. The fort¡¯s foundation was reinforced with packed sand, but being in the basement really brought his confidence in the sturdiness of the walls way down.


    The number of Ruin Excavators was also increasing. Coop glanced at the tip-toeing cat, daintily choosing her steps to avoid getting excess dampness on her paws. He suspected that she had already been clearing the monsters before he had begun. The second floor only had the one room infested with monsters, but the first floor had a dozen, evenly spaced around the northern half of the fortress, and the basement had monsters in every room so far. Coop had seen evidence of her attacks scraped into the stones even on the upper floors.


    Jett sat down in a solitary dry spot and waited for Coop to pass through a rusted iron gate and engage with the next group. Knowing her level, it might seem a bit annoying to be doing all the work, but Coop thought it was fine. He could reap the benefits of defeating the monsters and progressing his quest while developing some technique with his new weapon.


    Coop had summoned his first blunt weapon to fight the Ruin Excavators. He thought it would be fine to experiment a little with Jett keeping an eye on him. The precision necessary to actually pierce the compact creatures with his bladed weapons was too extreme given the dark environment and the difficulty led him to really want to try something new. When Coop first got his Retribution ability, he and Jones had experimented with dozens of weapons: swords, polearms, and bludgeons, so he had options. He just hadn¡¯t developed any technique with most of them.


    Coop first tried a flail, which had a shaft with a chain on the end that attached to a heavy spiked ball, but he abandoned the weapon before even trying it. Just holding the thing made him worried about smacking himself in the face with the striking head. It was definitely not the tool for the job he was doing, and was something he would need to practice with before he risked using at all. Not to mention the silently critical glares that Jett shot toward him as he barely dodged his own weapon when trying to figure out how to properly hold it.


    Instead, Coop was using what Jones had introduced as a morning star. It had a long shaft, similar in length to his spear and glaive but twice as thick, and the end had a solid ball attached instead of any kind of blade. Coop had opted to leave the spikes off the watermelon-sized ball and instead had a perfectly round sphere on the dangerous end.


    Swinging it around experimentally had led him to wielding it almost like an elongated sledgehammer, with the added benefit of not worrying about the orientation of the head. He kept one hand almost directly under the head while the other hand held near the base of the shaft in a much wider stance than when he held his polearms. It took him a few summons to adjust the weight to give it the appropriate mass, just like when he first tried to throw his spear and found it far too light to work properly until he gave the ethereal weapon some heft. Ethereal mists didn¡¯t really default with the solid density that made such a blunt weapon dangerous. It was edged weapons that revealed his summoned weapons¡¯ natural strength, but that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t make adjustments himself, as long as he had a clear idea for what he wanted. In this case, he wanted weight in the mace.


    Using both hands, he hoisted the morning star, holding it firmly across his chest and entered the next room. Even in the dark, he immediately noticed the shovel-like claws of hanging monsters, waiting for an opportunity to ambush him. His eyes automatically scanned for the ambushers after the hours spent in the fort. He triggered the traps with his morning star, teasing the monsters into attacking the mace instead of himself.


    They shot down, propelled by their triple-pronged tail until they met the stone ground, clattering with their mechanical spider legs in the shallow layer of water until they faced him. Coop smashed them with the morning star, keeping his distance and letting the length of the weapon keep him safe. It wasn¡¯t quite as long as his glaive or his spear, but it was close enough that he could demolish any of the Excavators within five feet of him. He repeatedly hammered the creatures like he was securing railroad ties. Every swing came down with the force of Coop¡¯s Strength, splashing the shallow water and sending legs and segments of the monsters flying in all directions to dissipate into mana vapors before coming to a rest.


    He didn¡¯t need a lot of technique to smash the heavy end into the monsters, but he still felt like he was given hints by his Haunted title. His hands needed to be constantly shifting to properly leverage the length of the morning star, almost throwing the ball end, then hanging onto the shaft and pulling down to accelerate the strike. His forward foot needed to be planted while his back foot leaned on his toes and it was necessary to engage his entire body to properly swing the weapon instead of isolating his arms. Small adjustments on every swing both gave him more power and allowed him to repeat the actions with more speed, instead of being caught with the weighty mace planted on the ground.


    Before he moved forward, he knocked the most patient remnants from their ready positions with his morning star. Not every monster ambushed immediately, some waited for a second target, and others needed to be goaded down. These were the ones that ended up meeting the mace head while still clinging to the ceiling, being launched across the room or into the stone arches that divided the ceiling.


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    He cleared the room in sections that roughly matched the reach of his weapon. Jett remained near the doorway, on the one dry spot, barely paying attention. In the middle of the room, one of the Ruin Excavators landed with a solid thump when it attempted to ambush his mace. Coop picked it out and immediately charged it, abandoning his careful sweep, because he recognized the heavier landing as an elite.


    [Elite Ruin Excavator (Level 35)]


    [(Body)]


    [Minion of the Primal Constructs]


    The first time an elite had joined the regular monsters, it had been split into 10 different sections before Coop even recognized it was something different. He knew Jett had done something, but he¡¯d missed the cat¡¯s attack. She seemed content to leave them to him at this point in their adventure.


    The monster revealed its own fleetness by recoiling its tail before Coop closed the gap. Coop sidestepped as soon as the tail raised, anticipating what came next. It sounded like a pneumatic gun when a spine shot from the tail, aimed where Coop¡¯s head had been just a moment before, flying until it struck the stone wall with a muffled thump. Coop slid through the inch deep water with the morning star leveled at the elite.


    A second rush of air preceded the clink of a second spine banging with the head of Coop¡¯s weapon. The weapon jabbed forward, following through the projectile, and collided with the monster¡¯s raised claws, forcing them backwards and the creature stumbling off balance despite all of its legs. Coop tightened his core and raised the morning star in front of him just half way to his chest, then slammed it down with enough pressure to demolish the elite, leaving its metal tail to rattle against the ground before disappearing with its last dart unfired.


    Coop caught a glimpse of Jett yawning as he prepared to engage with the surrounding Ruin Excavators. His rush to defeat the elite put him right where they wanted him, near the center of the room, but Coop was more experienced with their simple traps, and he began swinging his morning star even as they rotated toward him with the full knowledge that unmitigated mobility would trigger the rest of the traps.


    He smashed a few further in the room, and moved through the space created by their absence, then turned and swept the end of his mace through the group that crowded after him from behind, establishing space to maneuver. The morning star was like a bowling ball shattering brittle metal bowling pins that dared to enter its path. Coop then lunged back the way he had come, keeping the swarming monsters on one side of him and moving to the sections of the room that had no more waiting to ambush him from above. From there it was just another simple game of whack-a-mole until the room was clear. When it was done, Coop checked his notifications from the previous fights.


    [You defeated Ruin Excavator (Level 32)]


    [+12 Basic Credits]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Ruin Excavators III]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Elite Ruin Excavator (Level 31)]


    [+72 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Soul Dredger (Uncommon)]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Ruin Excavator (Level 38)]


    [+22 Basic Credits]


    [Defeat Ruin Excavators IV (371/5000)]


    One more level until he had another opportunity to claim a new skill. He wanted it, but he only had one more day before the settlement event began. The next stage of the Ruin Excavators quest would take too long, and the same was true for defeating 250 Primal Kites. He¡¯d have to try fighting some of the monsters in the mangrove forest to sneak another level. There might be better ways to prepare the settlement for an unknown challenge outside of expanding his personal arsenal, but having another skill wouldn¡¯t hurt. Now that it was within striking distance, he made getting the next level his top priority.


    The room was clear, but they had a new problem. There were no more dry spots for Jett to use as a path. Coop waited for a moment, standing at the threshold of the next room, to see what she would do. The cat daintily tested the water with one paw and seemed to immediately regret it, shaking the water off with vigor.


    ¡°You wanna wait there, or do you want me to carry you?¡± Coop asked the cat. She sat down, which Coop interpreted as her decision to wait there. He wasn¡¯t going to go for much longer as it was already night and he needed to check in with Marcus, so she wouldn¡¯t have to wait for long. Maybe two more rooms.


    The next room was more of the same, with the Ruin Excavators using their tails to launch themselves from the ceiling and a pair of elites complicating the encounter with their ranged attacks. When Coop was done, he realized Jett had braved the water, carefully choosing her steps as she stuck close to the walls where she thought it was shallowest. He was happy for her company.


    The next room was different. It had been a storage room in an era long past. Pieces of old barrels and crates lined the walls, and none of them remained whole. It almost seemed like a car had plowed through them with the way bits and pieces were scattered across the floor. The strangest thing was the complete lack of Ruin Excavators attached to the ceiling. Every room in the basement had them until this one.


    Coop stared at a massive hole that had been dug through the interior wall of the room. It could have been a train tunnel if there were tracks, and it seemed deep, angling down just a few degrees as it extended toward the center of the fort. The hole should have been dug through coral rock, but as he got closer, it seemed like the walls were made of something smooth. When he rubbed his hand on the edges, he realized that it actually had been coral rock, but the rock had been melted into a perfectly smooth, glassy surface. He could feel a slight breeze coming out of the darkness.


    ¡°Is this the entrance to a hive?¡± Coop mumbled to himself, getting Jett¡¯s attention as she inched along the far wall, shaking each paw as she lifted them out of the water only to put them back in on the next step. She froze and locked her eyes onto the hole.


    The familiar red light of a Primal Construct¡¯s minion lit up in the center of the hole, deep within the darkness. The single light seemed extraordinarily far away, and Coop was already thinking about how annoying it would be to fight in the tunnel¡¯s darkness. Maybe he¡¯d come back the next day with a torch, after he leveled.


    A pair of red lights synchronized  as they lit up on either side of the first light and Coop raised his eyebrows. The lights were about halfway up the hole. Coop¡¯s head wasn¡¯t quite halfway up. More lights appeared all around the first one, a dozen at least. Coop took one step, away from the hole, and heard what sounded like a pneumatic cannon. In the time that he took a single step backwards, all of the lights rushed toward him in unison. The wind hit him first, blasting him while he struggled to retreat further. The air launched the water away from the hole in a wave and propelled the broken bits of wood from the old crates into the air like confetti. The extra push was enough to get him out of the way, at least. The distance that the lights covered in an instant was completely absurd.


    Coop completely abandoned his morning star and spun away from the hole. Jett had arched her back and all of her fur stood straight up. Coop scooped her into his arms while being battered by splinters and ran for his life, giving one glance back to identify what had shot out of the hole while shielding the cat from flying debris.


    [Field Boss: Ruin Excavator (Level 40)]


    [Felrog the Soul Snatcher (Body)]


    [Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]


    Coop ran through the cleared rooms of the basement until he found steps up to the first floor, then he ran through the first floor rooms until he found an exit to the courtyard. He was not ready to fight a Field Boss again, especially not in such a dark, confined space, and especially not with barely any time before a major event began.


    Coop didn¡¯t stop running until he was in the center of the courtyard, equally distant from every opening. He still didn¡¯t feel comfortable knowing there could be a tunnel underneath him somewhere, but beyond abandoning the settlement, there was nowhere else to go. At least there hadn¡¯t been any signs of pursuit. When he thought about it, the Field Boss had been too large to fit through the regular doorways anyway. It didn¡¯t seem like it was smashing through the walls to chase after him.


    He shifted Jett to his shoulder and stroked her chin to soothe her while he looked around the courtyard. It was quiet on the north side of the canal. Even the training yard was peaceful with the last of the day¡¯s training already complete. The residents seemed to prefer the southern half during their free time, for good reason. There hadn¡¯t been anything built on the northside previously, so there hadn¡¯t been much to do aside from relax in the open fields underneath scattered trees.


    Marcus had constructed several buildings while Coop was in the basement. The Town Hall was obvious, so he headed toward it. The building was located at the very northern point of the courtyard, where the main street would lead once Balor completed the roads. One of the radial streets was also populated with smaller buildings that appeared to be some of the workshops and smiths that they needed. Coop skipped checking out the new services. He needed to arrange for the basement of the fort to be made off limits until he had a chance to deal with the Field Boss.

 Chapter 68: Kitty Cat Diplomat

    The entrance of the Town Hall was at the top of a handful of wide stone steps. The building was moderately sized, reaching only half the height of the fort wall. Six white columns dominated the facade, holding a triangular pediment that gave way to a gently curved rooftop. A steeple marked the peak, centered on the top of the roof where it jutted toward the sky.


    Coop didn¡¯t spend any time admiring the building that would become the seat of government for Ghost Reef. He jogged up the steps and through the tall double doors, with Jett uncomplaining as she draped both paws over his shoulder and kneaded at the air.


    The inside of the Town Hall immediately opened into an auditorium. Comfortable looking rows of seats formed a half-circle that faced a low platform with a podium in the center. A square shaped balcony level duplicated the seating of the first floor, looking over the platform between white columns above the entrance and both sides. The domed ceiling made the room seem spacious, and it contained an impressive skylight, shaped like a five-pointed star, that was situated underneath the steeple that he had noticed as he approached from the outside.


    He spotted Marcus facing down a winged humanoid in a cloak, near one of the doors that lined both sides of the auditorium. Large black feathers poked from the sleeves of the alien and out from the bottom of the dark cloak. Coop thought they were on the verge of fighting, or at least Marcus was about to find himself on the receiving end of a beating. The alien gesticulated wildly and kept moving closer to the advisor, jabbing black feathers at his chest like he was scolding a disobedient child.


    Marcus was slowly stepping backwards with his palms out, trying to keep the alien calm. Neither had noticed Coop¡¯s entrance from across the auditorium.


    Coop set Jett down on the nearest seat and rubbed her chin. He left her, purring, when she began to clean her paws. He quickly navigated through the rows of seats, approaching the aggressive alien from behind while it continued to berate Marcus on the state of the civilization shard.


    Marcus noticed Coop approaching and greeted him, pleasantly, even while the alien persisted. ¡°Welcome back, Coop. Did you find what you were looking for?¡±


    His greeting also alerted the alien of Coop¡¯s presence. The alien spun around to see who approached. The alien¡¯s hood extended all the way over its eyes like a blindfold and was looped onto a brass colored bar that pierced through a black, slightly curved beak.


    ¡°I did, and a bit more, but what¡¯s going on over here?¡± Coop asked, pointing between the pair while taking a better look at the alien clerk. There wasn¡¯t much to see, just black feathers, a black beak, and a black hooded cloak. ¡°I don¡¯t like the way you¡¯re speaking to my advisor.¡± Coop stated, furrowing his eyebrows while he stared at the alien¡¯s beak, not sure where else to look when he was addressing it.


    Marcus spoke up. ¡°Ah, Zakronaw doesn¡¯t mean anything by it, he¡¯s just passionate about the safety of the shard.¡± Coop glanced at Marcus to make sure he wasn¡¯t just saying that out of duress, but he seemed genuine. Still, every other alien had been appreciative when they arrived, thanking him for selecting their service and so on. This one was puffing up to continue his ranting, directed at Coop now that he had another target.


    The bird seemed to come to a realization and turned to confront Coop. ¡°Perfect! The Champion arrives! You are the reason the settlement is in such a precarious state! Are you here to begin correcting your ways?¡± Zakronaw shrieked like a raven imitating speech.


    ¡°Well, what¡¯s the problem?¡± Coop played along, curious to see where the alien¡¯s expectations would be, but with only so much patience left.


    ¡°The problem!? You have set the civilization shard up for failure. The vast majority of residents are linked to you. When you perish, the population of the settlement will drop to 97. 97! That is not enough at this stage of development!¡± The bird stepped closer to Coop, waving his wings like he was communicating with gestures even more than words. ¡°Even worse, more than half of the permanent residents are considered elderly or children! Invaders will easily claim this territory. Plus, the shard shouldn¡¯t be exposed to the elements! Don¡¯t you understand that it is extremely valuable, shelter it!¡±


    When the clerk got close enough to try jabbing Coop with his feathers, Coop swatted them away before they touched him, and turned back to Marcus, ignoring the bird. ¡°I don¡¯t like this guy. Let¡¯s replace this Town Hall with a different one. We¡¯ve got the funds.¡±


    The clerk watched his feathers float to the ground, seeming stunned that they had been batted away so easily. He slowly looked up and something else caught his attention. He stared beyond Marcus and Coop toward the lectern in the center of the auditorium¡¯s platform.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to do that, I think his heart is in the right place, and we really should save the credits when we can.¡± Marcus argued.


    Coop followed the clerk¡¯s gaze and watched Jett make herself comfortable on the podium. She seemed to think it was a good place for a quick nap. Coop looked back at Marcus and raised his eyebrows. ¡°This guy is the worst alien I¡¯ve met so far. Even the Empire¡¯s prison guard was friendlier.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just desperate to make sure the civilization shard is taken care of.¡± Marcus continued to plead his case for Zakronaw. ¡°Did you know that the civilization shards dissolve into mana when the settlement is defeated by invaders? Zak¡¯s species dedicates themselves to preserving as many as possible.¡±


    ¡°It seems like he¡¯d let us rot though. I want to make sure we survive with or without a shard. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll trust any guidance he tries to provide if he doesn¡¯t have our best interest as a priority.¡± Coop declared.


    ¡°I believe he is operating under an assumption that we are far more primitive than we actually are. Imagine if we hadn¡¯t developed any societies at all yet. It¡¯s only been a month since the assimilation began. He would need to emphasize the importance of the collective organization of a settlement, starting from scratch.¡± Marcus continued.


    Zakronaw cleared his throat. ¡°Forgiveness. I didn¡¯t realize this was a blessed settlement.¡± His tone had changed completely once he realized Jett was there. Coop noted that it sounded more than a little fearful rather than deferential.


    ¡°What? Cause we got a cat?¡± Coop scoffed. ¡°They¡¯re all over the place, man.¡±


    Zakronaw froze for a moment, ¡°A blessed planet.¡± He stated respectfully, correcting his statement more to himself than anyone else.


    Coop turned to Marcus. ¡°If he keeps scolding people like they¡¯re kids, we¡¯re getting rid of this town hall. He can wait until some other unfortunate settlement recruits him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll adjust quickly.¡± Marcus promised. Zakronaw seemed to agree, bobbing with a half-bow, half-nod instead of ranting and raving at his new employers.


    Coop moved on to the Field Boss situation, explaining to Marcus that they needed to isolate the northern basement until they could clear it properly. Marcus took it as an opportunity to sell some of the town hall¡¯s usefulness to Coop.


    While inside the town hall, they could access the civilization shard¡¯s menus remotely. Coop was able to view the settlement from the top down perspective and observe how Marcus had spent the settlement¡¯s basic credits. One of the side streets, opposite the training yard, now had a Blacksmith, Tanner, and Armourer which cost 10,000, 5,000, and 5,000 basic credits along with the Town Hall which cost 50,000 and Coop had already covered. The initial purchases, along with the Clothier, would provide the army¡¯s defensive gear.


    Marcus also had additional features when accessing the shard from the town hall as an advisor. He utilized one to request a messenger. A minute later, a wraith arrived and Marcus relayed a message to be delivered to Shane. The messenger ran off, leaving the auditorium and heading toward the entrance of the fort. It was a lot more efficient than how Coop just ran around the settlement to speak to everyone individually, but it was still a far cry from phones or radio. Shane would organize the quarantine of the basement for them.


    Apparently, the town hall had several upgrade paths that would unlock all sorts of new features. Marcus was really excited about their prospects to the point that Coop understood his tolerance for the pushy town clerk. The system would provide far more real-time information on resident demographics, building performance, and settlement finance than a pre-mana city manager could have dreamed of. Instead of taking surveys and polling the needs of citizens, the information would be automatically gathered by the shard. It sounded like Marcus would eventually have all the tools to develop the settlement as if he was playing a city-building game.


    Marcus had calculated the cost of the rest of the services that Ledwidge had requested. The Coliseum was a major investment, at 125,000 basic credits, but the others could all be purchased for a total of 174,000. He further grouped them into subcategories by categorizing them by function.


    The cheapest group of related buildings was the Bowyer, Fletcher, and Range, which cost a total of 7,000 basic credits. This would allow them to equip archer type classes, a useful role for defending the fort.


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    They could also get the Furnace, Smelter, Bladesmith, and Swordsmith for 52,000, which would provide for the vast majority of melee fighters and have the added utility of helping with their manual construction efforts through iron processing and steel production.


    The most expensive was the Whitesmith, Gemcutter, and Druid Circle at 115,000 basic credits. Magical instruments were by far the most expensive, but they weren¡¯t limited to weapons. Defensive magical items would be useful to everyone and their regular weapons could be enhanced as well.


    On the one hand, Coop wanted to save as many basic credits as possible, and focus on the cheapest archer services only, but he also wanted the army to be well-rounded. He could also justify the melee services, since they would also save them credits if they were able to start building on their own with the additional materials produced. He¡¯d seen Charlie casting spells without the aid of any magical tools enough times to be unsure about the value of the most expensive group of services, but he wasn¡¯t sure if that was because her class was special.


    Coop thought about it before making his suggestion. ¡°I think the Archer group is a no-brainer. It¡¯ll cost less than what I made today, fighting in the basement, and archers on the walls of a fort just makes sense.¡±


    Marcus nodded along. ¡°I think so too, but should we get Admiral Gideon to help us make our priorities before committing?¡±


    ¡°Nah, we don¡¯t need to make him choose. Just get everything except maybe the Gemcutter and Druid Circle. We can save those for later.¡± Coop decided, not wanting to waste anymore of their limited time. ¡°I think, of all the archetypes, the casters will be the least impacted by having less than ideal weapons to start with. They¡¯ll still have suitable armor, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and from what I gathered, the Whitesmith will be able to craft suitable caster weapons. They¡¯ll have options in any case.¡± Marcus validated Coop¡¯s prediction. ¡°Plus, the Gemcutter and Druid Circle are the two most expensive services at 50,000 basic credits each, so that saves more than half of the total cost.¡±


    Coop thought that would work. He could save 100,000 basic credits and get the army started with all of the basic archetypes. With a flick of his wrist, he transferred another 74,000 basic credits to Marcus to let him construct the buildings. Coop still had a bit over 250,000 saved, but he needed a million.


    Marcus confirmed he received the funds and brought up another topic. Mr. Gibson had brought a list with the work experience of all the new residents and delivered it to Marcus. They had several more highly qualified people that would be useful to developing and organizing the settlement, especially among Charlie¡¯s neighbors.


    It seemed like they had everything they needed to start building on their own. They had two different architects among the retired, multiple people with carpentry experience including Hana¡¯s father, a roofer was among the husbands of Laurie¡¯s group, and there were a few different kinds of engineers.


    Once Marcus had Coop¡¯s approval, he was ready to organize the Ghost Reef construction company. Coop was happy to let Marcus handle it, since Coop didn¡¯t actually know everything that went into construction. His experience was limited to simple projects and maintenance around the island. He just made sure that Marcus would rope in Balor and some of the other aliens. Coop thought they would be enthusiastic volunteers with valuable insight into the incorporation of mana to share.


    He left Marcus with Zakronaw and retrieved Jett from the podium, putting her on his shoulders like a scarf. He caught the alien town clerk watching him through his hood, clearly uncomfortable with the casual handling of a feline. Jett didn¡¯t mind, she was half dozing even while he carried her. Usually, her daily routine didn¡¯t begin as early as it did today, so he figured she was tired from keeping an eye out for him while they hunted Ruin Excavators and from the meeting of her first Field Boss. She seemed to value sleep even more than Coop did, which was really saying something.


    Coop stopped by the new buildings to see what the system provided smithing services were like. He found the Blacksmith and walked inside. The rhythmic striking of a hammer on metal was loud and clear, even from the outside, but on the inside it was accompanied by a wave of warm air. Jett seemed to approve.


    The Blacksmith noticed his door open when it rang a bell. The hammering stopped as the smith paused to check on his visitor. He surprised Coop by greeting him before Coop had noticed his presence. The Blacksmith was tiny, maybe three feet tall, with a wide head that was shaped like a football. He had huge, expressive golden eyes, and dog-like ears drooping almost to his shoulders. His skin was a gray color and his four-fingered hands had strong human-like digits, but with two thumbs on each hand. He wore a thick brown leather apron and had several tools tucked into the front pocket. His oversized welding goggles were pushed off his face and rested on the top of his head.


    ¡°¡®Ow can I help ya?¡± The alien greeted Coop.


    Coop gave him his more practiced spiel about being the Champion and welcoming him to the settlement. The alien grunted his way through the conversation until he noticed Jett.


    ¡°Oy! Are you wearing the pelt of a feline? That¡¯s a bold choice!¡± He laughed in astonishment, barely masking his anxiety.


    ¡°Oh, no, she¡¯s alive.¡± Coop corrected him. It seemed like Jett was the perfect ambassador for these aliens. He¡¯d need to bring her around more often, and if she wasn¡¯t up for it, Sunny would probably have a similar impact.


    ¡°Ah! Thank the Maker! You¡¯d have been invitin¡¯ all sorts of¡¯ wrath if that was a fur.¡± The alien seemed truly relieved. ¡°Name¡¯s Garod. Ya got any special orders for me?¡± He asked, looking hopeful, but when Coop denied, he frowned before he explained. ¡°It¡¯s all well and good that ya got an army that needs equippin¡¯ but it¡¯s right boring work. I can¡¯t wait ¡®til they¡¯re comin¡¯ in to upgrade, but you¡¯ll need more than basic materials for us to make anything interestin¡¯.¡±


    Coop raised an eyebrow at the diminutive alien¡¯s confidence. ¡°What else can you make?¡±


    ¡°All sorts! I¡¯m a genu-wine Master Blacksmith!¡± The alien harrumphed like Coop should have guessed.


    Coop accessed his spatial storage and pulled out the bejeweled dagger that Parker had attempted to assassinate him with. The black metal blade seemed to absorb the light, but the jewels glittered like crystals. ¡°Can you make stuff like this?¡±


    The alien grabbed it and held it up to his eyes, inspecting it like it was a precious gem. He handed it back to Coop after a moment and made a face that told Coop all he needed to know. ¡°It¡¯s trash! Basic garbage with some cheap jewel embellishment. I make better items just to junk them! And just about any type of Bladesmith could do the same!¡±


    Coop looked at the dagger himself. He had no eye for quality, but it seemed sharp and the jewels looked fancy. He supposed that was the point. The alien spoke up while he looked at the weapon.


    ¡°The red jewel adds 1% damage effectiveness based on the wielder''s Strength, the green jewel does the same for speed and Agility. The white jewels are just decoration. Real quality ones would multiply the effect, but it¡¯s not worth creating a true array with such low quality Strength and Agility gems.¡± The smith explained.


    ¡°Can you improve it?¡± Coop wondered.


    ¡°Need a gemcutter for somethin¡¯ like that, but the base dagger is the real problem. It¡¯s better to junk it, I¡¯m tellin¡¯ ya! I can make better even without better materials and before a jewelcrafter gets their hands on it! Your army will have better even if it''s boring.¡± The crafter declared.


    Coop looked at his spatial storage, absolutely stacked with random materials that he had been collecting ever since he first claimed the shard. He pulled out a Jagged Metal Tooth and showed it to the master smith. It was only an Uncommon item he scavenged from the Ancient Prowlers.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s good stuff!¡± The crafter declared, reaching his hands up like a child trying to grab candy. Coop handed it to him. ¡°By the Maker¡­ Really good, you don¡¯t get pure mana materials like this after the assimilation is complete and they are really rare to find. You should hire an Artificer to work with a treasure like that.¡±


    ¡°Please tell my advisor to put an Artificer on our list.¡± Coop delegated to the alien. Garod nodded absently while he turned the finger-sized tooth in his hand. It looked to Coop like a large shark¡¯s tooth that was hastily cut out of rusted iron by a dull tool. Coop looked around the room before he interrupted the master smith¡¯s inspection. ¡°Can you do something with it?¡±


    ¡°I could make the single best weapon ever made on this planet!¡± He declared. ¡°But really an Artificer could enhance an already excellent weapon to new heights with a material like this.¡±


    ¡°Do you need any other materials to craft better quality items or do you just need something like that?¡± Coop wondered.


    ¡°I supply all the basic materials, which is how your army is getting their stuff. Somethin¡¯ like this will add a flavor to the item based on what it is if used as a core for the recipe. It¡¯s a reagent for preparing the metal itself for mana reinforcement. Basically, the next step up from just shapin¡¯ the basic materials into weapons.¡± He squinted at the Tooth. ¡°This would give a weapon a minor debuff application as an example.¡±


    ¡°The quality will increase based on the quality of the core material. Normally, it¡¯d be one step down, but you got the pure stuff, and I¡¯ve got the skill, so it¡¯ll match up.¡± Garod flipped an ear back with his hand. ¡°Then you got the gem arrays that enhance the item, but that ain¡¯t my job.¡±


    ¡°Do you have more room in the back?¡± Coop asked the diminutive alien.


    ¡°Of course! I have my own material storage. Ya¡¯ wanna see?¡± Garod didn¡¯t take his eyes off the tooth as he led Coop around the counters.


    Coop followed to a larger back room that was half storage and half workshop. A partially completed spike rested on a table next to a blacksmith¡¯s hammer. He moseyed along the opposite wall until he found an empty container. ¡°You mind if I use this?¡± He asked.


    ¡°For what?¡± Garod asked, finally looking away from the material. Coop tossed him another Jagged Metal Tooth and his already huge eyes grew wider as he held one in each hand.


    Coop dumped 5,000 more of the Uncommon materials into the container, making a pile that threatened to overflow from the freezer sized crate. The boring basic gear for his army would be slightly better than basic if Coop had anything to say about it. He looked back at the stunned smith.


    ¡°You got any more containers?¡±

 Chapter 69: The Alpine Flower

    Coop offloaded thousands of materials to be distributed among the crafters by the Master Blacksmith, Garod. The diminutive smith had already taken on the role of foreman of the crafters, so he was getting some extra responsibilities. Coop dropped off more than half of his Blight Fangs and Jagged Metal Teeth, the Uncommon drops from Ancient Prowlers and Primal Trackers. Unfortunately, the Ancient Defenders never dropped any materials and he hadn¡¯t accumulated many from the Primal Kites and Ruin Excavators yet.


    Still, he left Garod in a daze after leaving nearly eight thousand of the two Uncommon materials he had the most of. It was more than enough for everyone in the settlement to be fully equipped with uncommon gear. Even after dumping as many as he had, Coop kept thousands of both Fangs and Teeth in his spatial storage in case he needed them later, and if he really needed them he could always grind more.


    Scavenging may have been a pretty simple profession, but combined with Coop¡¯s grinding, it was extremely rewarding. He imagined that someone else with the same profession would not be quite as satisfied after they defeated 25 monsters. If they wanted to maximize their income, they would probably focus on actually scavenging abandoned locations rather than hunting monsters. That¡¯s why the materials that Coop had accumulated were a rarity. He hadn¡¯t met any other scavengers either.


    He carried Jett down the main street, heading back to the lighthouse for the night. He noted that guards had already been posted at the entrances to the interior of the fort, preventing people from stumbling into the Ruin Excavators that could be respawning in the basement.


    Coop figured the Ruin Excavators would function the same way the Primal Trackers had when he cleared them out of Peacock Park. They would respawn and slowly reoccupy the areas nearest to their spawn point, waiting to expand until they reached a certain threshold of monsters that he and Jett wouldn¡¯t allow them to keep. The Ruin Excavators would be stuck inside the hive with Felrog the Field Boss, until he could take care of that as well.


    Outside the fort, Coop was surprised to find people scattered up and down the beach, as late at night as it was. It had seemed like most people kept inside the fort during their free time, with only a few patrols maintaining the trails, but he spotted soldiers and regular residents alike.


    The Cleary Brothers were the nearest, helping an elderly couple team up against lone Ancient Defenders on the dunes close to the moat. He inspected Buck and the elderly man that was joining him in beating up a Defender.


    [Human (Level 25)]


    [Warbuster (Body)]


    [Chosen of the Alliance of Metal]


    [Metallic]


    [Human (Level 6)]


    [(Body)]


    [Volcanic]


    It seemed like the big man had already gained two levels from the Ancient Defenders and the old man was ready to select a class, though he was still out there getting levels.


    On the beach side, Emmanuel had Madison standing on one of his shoulders, like some kind of circus act, while he battered his own pair Ancient Defenders with a tree-sized club. It actually was a driftwood tree that he was waving around like a baseball bat.


    Madison¡¯s eyes were glowing with angelic energy as she balanced above the fray, swaying as he swung his weapon, but maintaining her balance. Both the tree and Madison seemed weightless to Emmanuel, as he made quick work of the low level monsters. It seemed like they were developing their own tactics more than trying to get experience, though a quick inspection of their auras revealed that both had gained three levels, meaning they had already defeated over 250 monsters.


    [Human (Level 33)]


    [Angel of Dawn (Mind)]


    [Sage of the Merciful]


    [Graceful (Lifegiver)]


    [Human (Level 27)]


    [Enforcer (Strength)]


    [Massive]


    Coop continued down the path, but stopped for a second to admire Madison as she hopped from Emmanuel¡¯s shoulder. The glowing outline of her massive angel wings appeared for a split second, lighting up the beach right before she touched the ground, slowing her fall so that she could land softly on her feet as the glow faded.


    Charlie had an elderly man joining her to defeat Ancient Defenders. Charlie was expertly using wind to levitate the monster while the old man tee¡¯d off with a walking cane. The monster spun from the impacts, but it couldn¡¯t retaliate or defend without any footing.


    Camila was helping a whole group of women, including Laurie, team up against Ancient Defenders, one after the other. The Ancient Defenders couldn¡¯t block the barrage of attacks as the pain train arrived. Camila paved the way, striking the monsters first, before the monster could even react, then the rest descended on them as a pack. Coop checked Laurie¡¯s level, remembering that she was level nine when they first met.


    [Human (Level 15)]


    [Enchanter (Intelligence)]


    [Arcane]


    He was impressed. She was making quick progress despite fighting with a large group. It made Coop wonder about party experience. From what he had learned when talking with Captain Kayla, experience was just mana, and presumably the monsters had a limited amount to share among the group. They could certainly defeat monsters faster when they fought together, though. Maybe the increased volume of monsters made up for any sharing that they had to do. Plus, they could complete more of the quest chains that way. Coop shook his head, a little worried about unleashing a horde of people on the island chain.


    On the other side of the path, Shane and his party were challenging the Ancient Prowlers, carefully avoiding the overwhelming Vulnerable debuffs. They had come up with an interesting strategy to deal with the tricky monsters. They were relying on illusions of themselves to dilute the damage from ambushes, forcing the monsters to think twice before selecting a target. It was reasonably effective, but they were dependent on the Illusionist''s mana pool, and would need to take breaks to maintain her effectiveness.


    Surprisingly, Mr. Gibson was leading a second party that was also successfully fighting the Ancient Prowlers. Coop thought Charlie¡¯s neighbor was about the age to either have recently retired or be getting near it. Now, he was lit in radiant blue and white, shining armor with what looked like a light blue energy sword raised in the air. Gibson¡¯s class was evidence that not all of his residents would need to be equipped by the initial group of crafters.


    He slammed the tip of the weapon into the sand between his feet and several shining blades poked out of the sand directly in front of him. When the Ancient Prowler dodged one, a second managed to impale it before two more finished it off.


    When another Prowler attempted to ambush him, diving through the air from an angle behind him, one of his party members used an ability that conjured a yellow-green whip that shot from his arm and wrapped the monster¡¯s muzzle. Another party member followed up with a crushing blow that knocked the Ancient Prowler forward, away from the party, allowing them to face it together. Once the party defeated the monsters, they quickly retreated to wait for their cooldowns before they fought another pack. Coop inspected them all, curious about who they were.


    [Human (Level 24)]


    [Argent (Body)]


    [Chosen of the Allies of Genesis]


    [Human (Level 22)]


    [Crushing Palm (Strength)]


    [(Patient)]


    [Human (Level 25)]


    [Malkiian Peacemaker (Intelligence)]


    [(Bound)]


    [Human (Level 23)]


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    [Blackflare (Strength)]


    [Chosen of the Mourning Souls]


    [Chaotic (Eldritch)]


    [Human (Level 25)]


    [Force Propagator (Intelligence)]


    [Chosen of the Kiberius Spirits]


    Coop remembered that Mr. Gibson was an Argent, and noted that he had gained four levels already. The others were new to Coop, but he was happy to see more people enthusiastically leveling.


    The last fighter that Coop spotted was Sunny, lighting up the end of the beach with a glowing orb above his head. Whenever an Ancient Defender was within range, the orb would blast it with a beam of flaming energy. Coop inspected the retriever, excited to see how much progress he had made.


    [Dog (Level 9)]


    [Herald of Dawn (Strength)]


    [Adopted of the Pack]


    [Bright, Blazing (Good Boy)]


    Coop was surprised to see two affinities. More than one seemed exceedingly rare, with the only other example that he could remember being Charlie, and it was enough to make her a legend. Of course, Jett had three, so her position as the senior lighthouse keeper wouldn¡¯t be threatened, even if Sunny¡¯s class might be more appropriate.


    Sunny stopped hunting monsters and the bright orb above his head slowly faded as he trotted to greet Coop. When he noticed Jett he started hopping up and down, trying to get a better sniff of her. She only tolerated a few attempts before she swatted him in the nose to let him know enough was enough. He got the message and joined them as they headed to the lighthouse.


    Coop took a shower and got ready for bed. Jett made herself comfortable while Sunny claimed the first floor. Coop climbed under the covers and finally relaxed. He practiced his aura control after he tucked himself in.


    Manipulating his aura was still an odd sensation and he really lacked the finesse to utilize it to its fullest. Right now, it felt like he had two modes: stifling it completely or releasing it fully. He felt hints of more when he tried projecting it in a specific direction, or when he tried to tone it down, but it felt unwieldy and awkward, like he was missing something.


    He tried adjusting his aura slightly, a tiny bit at a time. He wasn¡¯t a container for the aura, it was something that was always around him. He was the snowman inside of a snowglobe and his aura consisted of the little bits of snow that settled on the bottom when he stifled his aura, and swirled around him when he released it. If he could control the individual snowflakes he felt like he would finally be using his Presence of Mind skill properly. His current skill level was so limited, all he could do was shake the snowglobe, but he couldn¡¯t find any way to fine tune his control.


    Coop spent some time nudging his aura around, he tried shaping it inside of its radius, and he tried dividing it into slices, all with limited success. Eventually, he felt two paws press against his head, clearly trying to get him to stop.


    ¡°Sorry¡­¡± He apologized for disturbing Jett with his aura. It was time for him to sleep anyway.


    He¡¯d need to keep practicing, later. It seemed like there was always something looming around the corner, waiting for him to hurry up and get to it. Even now, the Field Boss lurking underneath the fort was a problem, but it seemed relatively under control, as long as they didn¡¯t let the Ruin Excavators build up too much.


    Jett had done well on the southern half of the fort and she seemed prepared to also take care of the north. The army would be getting trained by Ledwidge and properly equipped by the crafters. The residents were already actively leveling and Captain Kayla was enthusiastically rebuilding her fleet. Hopefully, it would all be enough to succeed in the settlement events.


    With Marcus focused on development of the settlement, it seemed like Coop would be able to concentrate on his own progression. He knew that establishing a sanctuary would mostly just be a headache, even if it was the right thing to do, but he wasn¡¯t regretting his decisions. He just needed to get Jones healed up and himself leveled up.


    Coop had to appreciate the stability of Ghost Reef. He could only imagine the hardships that other people were facing, with or without civilization shards, around the world.


    ¡ª


    Hai Yun watched a glowing ember drift on the chilly mountain breeze, floating into the smoky night sky. She heard footsteps approach her position on the palatial balcony of her family¡¯s ancestral home. She didn¡¯t turn around.


    ¡°Transportation has been arranged, Mistress.¡± The attendant stated while facing the floor in a low bow. Hai Yun watched the flames leap into the air and said nothing. The attendant left her to her thoughts. She listened to his footsteps fade away, still watching the flames.


    Growing up, she had dreamed about leading her family while cursing her fate to simply be married off. When the universe twisted her fate and gave her the chance to lead, this was the result. Thousands of years of sustained rule going up in smoke. She was never destined to lead the family. It was meant to be one of her older brothers. Even now, she imagined whispers that the alpine flower should never have stepped forward when her grandfather died.


    She always wanted to join martial arts training with her brothers, but was instead forced indoors to preserve her beauty and avoid damaging her skin in the sun. Her lessons were bent toward ladylike skills that would make her a more desirable wife, ideally to a foreign CEO or politician, where she could make connections that would benefit the family. They had miscalculated. Proper martial training would have benefitted all of them when faced with the invasion, but being fluent in English didn¡¯t matter so much when everyone had a universal language skill.


    Hai Yun etched the image of her family¡¯s mountain top city burning to the ground into her mind. Despite being a chilly night, the flames had warmed the entire mountain, melting the snowflakes that coasted on the breeze and replacing them with embers.


    She gathered her resolve and left the balcony, footsteps echoing along the opulent tiles until she met the remaining loyal attendants. 150 souls along with their families putting their lives in her hands. The 50 fighters that had survived since the apocalypse, leveling alongside first her grandfather and then her, were among them. They had braved the Mana Well from the beginning and now they continued to place their trust in her. She didn¡¯t deserve it, but she already had plenty of practice hiding her thoughts. Etiquette demanded that a proper lady in her position would control her emotions.


    When mana came to Earth, nearly the entire city had been Chosen. However, almost 80% of the people declined the offer, displaying an ancient loyalty to the family that couldn¡¯t be stolen by a brief offer from alien interlopers. Even those that accepted sponsorships had remained loyal to her family, trusting them to lead as they always had, and cleverly used their positions to collect information to share upon their return.


    Unfortunately, they had no access to a civilization shard. A Mana Well had formed among the mountain peaks and her grandfather declared that they would utilize it to carve their own path to survival. He was killed by the elite monsters outside the well in the first three days.


    Hai Yun carried on his legacy as the only present family member when he died and accepted the challenge herself. She developed a system with her attendants that allowed her to remain in constant combat at the threshold of the well while her party members rotated in shifts. A mere girl, valued only for her beauty, was leading the world in individual power. Not even the alien factions could compare.


    She was overwhelmingly successful and her magic provided hope to the city, but her brothers each had their own plans. When they returned, they individually worked towards their new goals, ignoring their prior responsibilities to the city. Her eldest sibling had accepted a sponsorship from The Royal Temash while the second brother became Chosen of the Heaven¡¯s Breeze. Their parents were away during the apocalypse and the absence of their grandfather led each of the brothers to decide it was time to become head of the family and lead the city into a new era that embraced an alien faction.


    The dispute quickly escalated to violence. The city, internally weakened while the invaders were constantly on the assault, finally had its defenses breached. With all of the strength she had accumulated, she couldn¡¯t stem the tide. A fortified mountain city that had withstood thousands of years of human raids finally toppled due to internal strife. If she survived, she promised herself she would return. First, she would seek the safety of a settlement where she could guarantee protection for her loyal attendants while they collectively gathered strength.


    The path down the mountain was historically treacherous. The snow capped peaks were safe thanks to the difficulty in accessing them. A siege was virtually impossible, but coming and going was also made challenging. The danger was enhanced by the incessant assault of elite monsters. The Mana Well was within the mountain peak itself, but it spewed its monsters all over the slopes, with the lone island being their walled city. The area was dense with centipedal metal creatures that rushed through the pine tree underbrush and smothered their foes beneath their weight while stabbing with their countless needle-like legs.


    Hai Yun stood on top of her wagon, in the center of the parade. The wagons were being physically pulled by her attendants instead of beasts, completely exposing them to the elements and the demons of the mountain, but they didn¡¯t waver. She weaved her spells, defeating the monsters as they attempted to kill her defenseless followers. With only 10 wagons, most of them were on foot, leaving them vulnerable to the fast moving creatures. Her enormous dragon shaped flames swept along one side of the path and swallowed the grotesque creatures, melting them even while they struggled to push their attack. Wide gouges of singed rock marked the path of her dragon, cutting through the pristine blanket of white snow that covered the mountain.


    Warriors held the monsters on the other side back, with reinforced bodies or weakened ancient weapons that were only kept as artifacts of history rather than for continued defense. Desperation had brought them out of their display cases.


    Her second dragon rose into the night sky gleaming purple before blinding flashes exploded from its form. It shot bolts of lightning that caused the monsters to involuntarily fold up into rigid balls as their legs tightened in on themselves, giving her warriors a chance to destroy them with practiced strikes to the monsters'' vulnerable red eyes.


    It took hours for the procession to escape the mountain. Her dragons were constantly in motion, but no matter how much she did, there were always more monsters. They didn¡¯t even have time to collect the dead as they kept moving down the mountain toward safety. The elite monsters around the Mana Well had continued to get stronger without the influence of a settlement¡¯s territory, and, at this point, were outpacing all but her own progress.


    The assault continued until they made it to the valley, far enough away from the Mana Well for the monsters to lose interest. A modern highway extended through the valley giving them a smooth path that would have made her merchant ancestors fold over in jealousy. The survivors let out a collective sigh of relief. The first trial was over.


    Hai Yun allowed her circling dragons to fade and retired to the inside of her private wagon. Her attendants would assume she needed to recover her mana, but once she was safely inside, she wept.


    Two wagons had been destroyed and over four dozen people had died. This was only the first step of their journey. A journey she had decided on. It felt like she had killed them herself. If she was stronger, maybe she could have saved more. The levels she had earned from eradicating elites with her elemental dragons was an insult in comparison to the lives she had lost.


    She knew they had no choice. Staying in the doomed city was the same as dying, but it didn¡¯t take the weight off her shoulders. When she regained her composure she returned to her position within the veiled seating in the front of her wagon. They had to keep going and they would expect her to stand firm.

 Chapter 70: Ambidexterity

    Coop carefully picked his way across the root bridges inside the mangrove forest. The massive mangrove roots created excellent pathways, keeping him high and dry, but still below the lush canopy of leaves. He was moving slowly, with his spear and shield ready, constantly scanning for ambushers.


    The threat of another field boss hidden in the tea colored water below or lurking within the thick mass of leaves above made him travel cautiously. Coop hadn¡¯t culled the monsters in the mangrove forest at all and he was worried that would be something he came to regret. Even though the forest was near enough to the civilization shard to be within the settlement¡¯s territory, there was still the possibility that a boss was present. Felrog, the Ruin Excavator Field Boss, developed a hive despite being inside the fort, after all.


    The sunlight trickled through the thick mass of leaves and tangled branches, forming narrow slivers of light that penetrated the dark water. Coop paid close attention to the tiny spotlights because he knew the Primal Serpents were in there, somewhere.


    During his first visit to the mangrove forest, a Primal Serpent had been the monster that tried to ambush him, diving out of the water as Coop tried to leave. Ancient Devourers were the other monsters he had scouted, and they were the ones he wanted to find on this trip. The large armored monsters seemed like the better target for Coop to find and defeat five for a quick level. Coop¡¯s experience trying to defeat Primal Kites had soured his impression of hunting pure ambush monsters like the Serpents simply because of how difficult it was to find them at a consistent pace.


    The breeze was non-existent inside the humid marsh, but he could hear it teasing him when it rustled the leaves in the canopy. Bird calls echoed through the woods and a steady cacophony of cicadas and crickets drowned the silence in between. The difference between the inside of the mangrove forest and outside was like two different planets. There were some openings in the canopy, where small clearings had formed shallow sunlit lakes, or where a handful of trees grew beyond the rest and crowded out their competition.


    A splash in the water beneath Coop caused him to reflexively dodge and take a combat stance, but further inspection revealed a fully grown horseshoe crab scuttling along the submerged portion of a mangrove root, heading further into the murk. Coop was feeling jumpy. His most recent fight with a new monster hadn¡¯t started too well, and he wanted to avoid a similar experience. He was trying not to underestimate his next foes.


    In the distance, he spotted the metallic reflection of what could only be a Primal Construct, so he diverted his course, jumping onto a different root to follow it deeper into the forest. When he was close enough, he inspected the monster, worried that they had continued to get stronger since the last time he checked.


    [Ancient Devourer (Level 32)]


    [(Strength)]


    [Minion of the Primal Constructs]


    The first Ancient Devourer he had spotted had been level 25, but it had been nearly two weeks. He wasn¡¯t sure if they had grown or if this was still within the normal range of levels for a monster. The minor difference in levels didn¡¯t matter too much to someone like Coop, whose stats were only marginally tied to his level, but he was still piecing together the actual impact of a settlement¡¯s territory on monsters. The Ancient Defenders, Ancient Prowlers, and Primal Kites all seemed to be completely frozen in their levels, but the Primal Trackers and Ruin Excavators both continued to increase in levels over time. Coop thought it was possible there was a correlation with Field Bosses developing and the monsters leveling.


    He¡¯d try to be careful and avoid venturing deeper while he was inside the mangrove forest in order to avoid a larger encounter. He just wanted to defeat five monsters and head back out to select his skill.


    The Ancient Devourer that would be his first target was moseying along the same root that Coop was traveling on, looking something like a metallic tank. It moved like it was on treads, with no legs to be seen. The ¡®shell¡¯ was really a metallic cylinder, almost like a gray metal keg that was laying on its side while protecting the monster¡¯s back.


    Coop was behind the monster, and from a distance, took his time to aim his spear and line up a full force throw. He planted his foot and threw the spear using all of his Strength, directly challenging the shell of the monster and its durability.


    The spear struck dead center with the shell.  Birds took flight from the canopy, calling warnings as they fled the sudden bang that echoed through the forest. The spear was flung past the Devourer, flipping end over end through the air after it left a deep indentation in the shell. It failed to penetrate, but it almost made the cylinder collapse and fold in on itself, leaving it warped.


    The monster, however, didn¡¯t budge. It quickly spun around, more like a vehicle than an animal, facing the source of the attack. Its movements were smooth until it jerked forward, beginning a charge along the oversized mangrove root, directly toward Coop. Coop was disappointed his spear throw didn¡¯t simply overpower the monster¡¯s defenses, it would have made his goal a lot easier to accomplish. He resummoned his deflected spear and helped close the distance, prepared to joust with his spear aimed low, at the uniformly gray, scaled body of the monster.


    Before they collided, the monster reared its front up, revealing hundreds of tiny grasping claws on the end of pencil-sized, jointed legs covering the bottom of its body. Countless tiny red lights appeared between the base of the legs that seemed to flicker as the claws undulated in front of them.


    Coop felt himself recoil at the sight of the tiny feet, their rippling movement was enough to put him on edge. It seemed like the Devourer wanted to slam down on Coop, so he halted his own charge and changed directions, hopping backwards and preparing a lunging counter attack with his spear. However, the monster remained with its front half upright as it continued sliding forward with its back half of legs, albeit slightly slower now that half of its legs were in the air.


    The exposed feet formed a growing square ring in the center, caving into the interior of the shell on the other side of the body. It felt like looking down the barrel of a gun, so Coop did his best to sidestep on the mangrove root. For the first time, he was feeling like the root paths weren¡¯t wide enough after all.


    The Devourer¡¯s shell started to change colors, like metal overheating, then it launched a solid metal bar forward, like a battering ram, extending six feet forward, out from the square barrel. Coop swayed even further over the edge of the mangrove root to avoid the punching attack and ended up slipping down, falling into the murky water, back first.


    When Coop splashed into the water, he strained to get on his feet as quickly as possible. The water was only about two feet deep, but the ground was a soft muck that absorbed another two feet of Coop¡¯s lower legs. He looked up and watched as the monster seemed to swallow the metal bar, reloading it into its shell, then put its front half back down. It rounded the edge of the branch, defying gravity as it clung to the side of the mangrove¡¯s giant roots and jerkily moved down with the help of its many tiny claws.


    The gap between the bottom of the root and the water was too far for either of them to reach each other, but Coop didn¡¯t want the monster dropping down on top of him. He tried to maneuver away, but the muck clung to his feet like quicksand. If his gladiator sandals weren¡¯t conjured, they would have been ripped off when he forced his first step. Once he freed his legs, he had to awkwardly float away in the shallow water to get out from underneath the Devourer.


    Coop put his feet back down after floating a small distance and the monster seemed to realize he was out of range, but stayed as close as possible, clearly intending to try another attack if Coop moved any closer. Coop threw his spear back to the top of the branch, ready for another round, and mistjumped just as he realized multiple wakes were closing in on his position in the water. Multiple Primal Serpents had been attracted by all the splashing.


    The Ancient Devourer was climbing back up to the top of the root, but it was Coop¡¯s turn to wait for it to get in range. He finally had the chance to land an attack, stabbing his spear almost straight down, over the edge of the path. The Devourer had elevated itself into its attack position again, even while it climbed, but Coop¡¯s spear plunged into its exposed underside before its shell began to glow. The tip of his weapon cracked through the scale plated surface of the exposed underbelly after destroying all of the tiny legs that were in the way.


    Coop had the high ground and he wouldn¡¯t yield it to the Devourer. The monster struggled to go forward, giving up on its own attacks, but Coop kept up his assault, jabbing so that it was forced to brace itself against the root lest it be shoved off. He had significantly more lateral speed than the monster, and now that he had the space to sidestep along the length of the path, the monster couldn¡¯t face him long enough to launch its attack again. The Devourer would turn to face Coop and he would strafe to the now exposed flank and land another series of attacks, driving it down.


    The monster was surprisingly durable, but Coop eventually defeated it. It dislodged from the side of the root and fell into the water with a heavy splash, sinking rapidly into the water and muck as it dissipated into mana.


    Coop frowned, unhappy with how the fight had gone. He was hoping to quickly defeat them, but he was disappointed that he couldn¡¯t simply overpower their defenses. The shell seemed too robust to target, and even though he was much faster than the monster, he didn¡¯t have enough room to rotate around it when they fought on the linear paths that the roots formed. It was vulnerable to flanking attacks since it seemed to only have the one, front-facing attack, but it wasn¡¯t obvious how he would leverage its weakness without more space to maneuver.


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    On the bright side, his mistjump cost had dropped by one mana when he escaped the water. It now had a total cost of 30 mana. Progress was progress, even if it was one mana at a time.


    Before he moved on, he noticed more Primal Serpents closing in on where the Ancient Devourer had splashed into the water. One of them even lunged out of the water like a harpoon to attack the air where the Devourer had landed, further churning the water. Coop spotted multiple blades extending as the monster breached the water. One long, slender blade came out of its upper back, another straight down out of its stomach, and one from each side of its tail. With all of the blades extended it looked more like a fish than a snake.


    The monsters didn¡¯t notice him watching. They had tunnel visioned onto finding their target in the water. Coop experimented by throwing his spear into the water. He was happy to see multiple wakes charging toward the splash. It seemed like these ambush monsters wouldn¡¯t be so hard to find. If he could find some way to bait them while keeping his spear ready, he could try some classic spear fishing.


    He resummoned his spear and leaned on it while he tapped his shield,  thinking about what he could use as bait. Ideally, he could continue to use the Ancient Devourers and get credit on two different quest chains at once. He could also try to use his spear to attract them, resummoning it after it splashed, and quickly throwing it again to attack, but he thought something else would be better.


    Coop stopped tapping his shield and lifted it up. He shook his head in disappointment at himself. He¡¯d realized something that he should have back when he first experimented with throwing the spear around the courtyard with Jones.


    Not only could he throw his shield to use as bait, but he could resummon it with Retribution just like his spear. It was another weapon as far as his skills were concerned. The fact that his shield was a weapon actually opened up so many possibilities. He relied on his spear so much because it gave him ranged attacks and a long distance teleport; tools that he was missing when he used weapons like his sword. But here he was with a giant frisbee strapped to his arm.


    The hoplon was too big to throw exactly like a frisbee, but the part that went over his forearm had a rigid handle in the center of the shield. He could easily hold on to it and fling it with a sidearm throw, letting it fly like the flat disc that it was. He¡¯d need to experiment with the weight of the shield, but he could imagine it working. He¡¯d be able to cover a lot of distance if it would glide properly. He could also hold on to the edge and throw it overhand like a tomahawk if he needed a more direct toss.


    The one major problem was that he¡¯d need to throw it with his left hand. Coop was relatively coordinated, but he wasn¡¯t ambidextrous. It would take some practice to be usable.


    Coop thought there was no time like the present. He aimed for a particular mangrove knee that was jutting through the surface of the water and sidearmed his shield toward it. The motion felt unbelievably awkward, and the throw fell way short, not even getting close to where he was aiming when it splashed into the water. He readied his spear and tried to make up for his left handed throw by pitching a line drive that would defeat a Primal Serpent.


    His aim was perfect with his spear, but his timing was off and the monster escaped unharmed, back into the murky water. The extra splashes attracted more Serpents, so Coop resummoned both of his weapons and readied himself for some training.


    Hours went by inside the humid forest before Coop finally managed to defeat five Primal Serpents. His spearfishing tactic had only yielded one kill. The rest had come from the monsters noticing him perched on the roots and attacking him directly. The Primal Serpents were easier to react to than an ambushing Ancient Prowler, so when they came after him he was even more effective in defeating them. They had a longer way to travel to reach him, made a lot more noise when they leapt from the water, and most of all weren¡¯t able to change trajectory once they were in the air, making them sitting ducks for someone as quick as Coop was.


    Coop wasn¡¯t discouraged that what should have been a quick trip ended up taking so long, he was practicing shield throws the entire time. Muscles that he had neglected due to his right hand dominance were now sore. His neck and left arm were tired, and his back and hips were sore from twisting in the opposite direction than he was accustomed to when throwing something. His aim with his shield had barely improved, but he was still focused on the mechanics of the action. He was relying on his Haunted title to improve his fundamental technique and hopefully precision would come later.


    Coop didn¡¯t leave the forest right away. He figured he was already there, and had already taken so much time, he might as well defeat four more Ancient Devourers as well. He went on the hunt. He was already drenched in sweat and caked in mud, anyway.


    The Devourers were all over the place once he ventured deeper into the forest. They were clinging up and down the trunks and roots of the mangroves. Coop got the attention of the first one by throwing his shield at it. The hoplon harmlessly clattered off the shell and the monster rotated to face Coop. Before it could start charging, Coop¡¯s spear smashed into its body, nearly dislodging it from the branch that its tiny legs were clinging to.


    The monster rushed toward Coop more urgently, but Coop retrieved his shield and tried another shield throw before it reached him. The shield ended up off target, again, sliding along the branch, but when it clashed with the Devourer it managed to get underneath the monster''s body and tip it over the edge. The tiny legs were exposed as a weakness he could target.


    Coop already had his spear ready again when a Primal Serpent leapt toward the splash of the rapidly sinking Devourer. His timing with the spear was good enough to clip the Serpent, drawing its attention but not defeating it.


    Coop resummoned his shield and his spear to wait for the monster¡¯s retaliation. When it came, launching itself out of the water from the opposite side of the bridge, he deftly sidestepped like a matador avoiding a bull before he thrust the spear into its side. The Serpent¡¯s momentum was completely stopped by the spear thrust. It began to dissolve into mana smoke while Coop held it up on the end of his weapon like a prize catch.


    The Devourer never resurfaced, and Coop confirmed that it had been defeated in the water. Coop had to ask himself whether the robots could drown, or if the Serpents were blindly aggressive enough to defeat even the Devourers that landed in the water. The underbelly was covered in the red eyes that Coop had identified as a weakness in the Primal Constructs, so his shield may have smashed enough to defeat the monster as well.


    Coop continued until he was done with the first stage of the Ancient Devourer¡¯s quest chain. Destroying their tiny legs with his shield turned out to be a solid strategy when it came to fighting them on the narrow branches. One way or another, they ended up defeated once they were in the water. Using them as bait for more Primal Serpents was just a sweet bonus.


    He mistjumped his way out of the forest, utilizing both his shield and his spear. It would have been faster if he just used his spear, but he was determined to catch his shield arm up through repetition. He checked his notifications as he headed to the fort where he would find a quiet spot to select his new skill.


    [You defeated Ancient Devourer (Level 32)]


    [+17 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Ancient Steel (Uncommon)]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [You have a new quest!]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Primal Serpent (Level 31)]


    [+15 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Primal Blade Edge (Uncommon)]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [You have a new quest!]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Primal Serpent (Level 34)]


    [+19 Basic Credits]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Primal Serpent I]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Skill options available.]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Ancient Devourer (Level 31)]


    [+15 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Ancient Steel (Uncommon)]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Ancient Devourer I]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    A few new materials to hoard, a few new profession levels, a couple of class levels, and he couldn¡¯t forget his Practical Application progress. All in all, sneaking in another level had taken more of the day than he wanted, but he couldn''t help smiling to himself in satisfaction.


    He checked the leaderboards, believing he would be number one after completing three stages of the Ruin Excavator quest and one of each of the Ancient Devourer and Primal Serpent quests. Five levels in a day and a half was an unsustainable pace that surely put him in front.


    Day 29


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Ix-Hau (Level 52)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Coop (Level 51)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Banshee (Level 46)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Ak-Hau (Level 46)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">The Lich (Level 45)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Chel-Hau (Level 42)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Un-Hau (Level 41)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Xul-Hau (Level 40)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Vul-Hau (Level 38)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Puch-Hau (Level 38)</li>


    </ol>


    ¡°C¡¯mon, man.¡± Coop muttered to himself. Ix-Hau had leveled six times already? He was actually pulling even further ahead, and Coop wouldn¡¯t be able to recreate such quick leveling again, with the untouched quest chains around Ghost Reef being finite.


    The newcomers to the leaderboard really were strange. Ak-Hau gained nine full levels! Chel-Hau got five, and Puch-Hau got three, but all of the rest got none. Whatever they were doing gave them massive amounts of experience in short bursts.


    Coop wasn¡¯t ready to waver from his strategy, whatever they were doing might be even less sustainable than his quest grinding strategy, especially when the settlement events were right around the corner. The factions had told their Chosen that the events would be opportunities to level, so maybe Coop should be looking forward to them, rather than being worried about Ghost Reef¡¯s prospects.


    In any case, he had a new skill to select.

 Chapter 71: Fog of War

    Coop ended up analyzing his skill options while laying on a bench in the herb garden. A new stone path traversed between the herbs, making a scenic cut through for anyone skipping between blocks. The garden¡¯s leafy green plants had already grown all along the trellises, making tunnels that shaded the length of the path. The temperature was notably cooler, in sharp contrast to the muggy humidity of the mangrove forest.


    He had his arm over his eyes as he lamented the difficulty in deciding which skills to take. Living up to any image of a confident leader certainly fell apart when it came time to make a permanent decision that influenced his build. He turned into an indecisive child struggling to decide on a single toy because he wanted them all. Planning ahead was a challenging task when all he had to work with were his own conceptual ideas. If only he had a comprehensive and dynamic skill tree planner that would lay out the consequences of his choices.


    He was on his own to make a coherent build that generated synergies with whatever he was offered. Admittedly, he already had a perfectly solid foundation and he was now far more flexible in his ability to select niche skills that had the potential to fill gaps in his kit. Just about anything would work at this point, but he still bemoaned the system¡¯s lack of support.


    The problem was in properly identifying the current and future gaps of his build. Was he even using his current skills to the fullest yet? He finally realized he had the ability to shield throw using Retribution, one of his original skills, after almost a month of using it daily. It was possible that he would learn more about any one of his skills and realize the solution to a problem was there the entire time.


    Not to mention how greedy Coop was when it came to his build. His kit may have come together for grinding, especially thanks to his titles filling in for his lack of regeneration skills, and the sky was the limit when it came to his brawling ability, as long as he developed his martial techniques, but he wanted so much more.


    He was missing strong burst damage outside of what he could muster with his own Strength for ending duels quickly, he was envious of Charlie¡¯s massive area skills, he wanted crowd control, and he still wished he had active stealth. He¡¯d also take a healing skill for fights where on kill regeneration was limited and more ranged attacks outside of throwing his weapons at things would be nice, though both were lower priorities at this point. He could manage with his current setup. The only aspect he was satisfied with was the mobility granted by synergising Salvation and Retribution, especially in close combat, so he wasn¡¯t particularly searching for movement skills anymore. That was one checkbox checked.


    The main concern that he was turning over in his head was due to only having six skills to select from this time. When he first received his class he remembered having a lot more choices, maybe 25 in total, then he hit level 25 and selected from around 12 skills. Now, with only 6 skills to select from, he was worried about slowly being pigeonholed by the system. Would it eventually give him a single skill and say, ¡°take it or leave it?¡±


    At least he recognized most of his current offerings as skills he was interested in during previous rounds. The area denial skill remained, the crowd control skill was there, and both of the passive skills that gave bonuses to Intelligence and Acumen based on his Mind stat were once again offered.


    The first of the other two new skills was called Stygian Spirit. It would transform his mana pool into a unique resource of the same name. It sounded to Coop like he would be able to mana burn his targets by expending the resource, and considering his massive mana pool that seemed like it would be a formidable tactic. Unfortunately, its efficiency was determined by his Intelligence attribute, so it would be stuck at its base value until he also took the corresponding passive skill.


    The second was called Void Drop which appeared to be a simple attack spell in the form of a very expensive air strike. It sounded like a proper burst skill, but its effectiveness was also based on his Intelligence, so he had the same hesitation about taking it immediately.


    Even though all the skills would be useful to him, with the potential of filling a role that he was specifically searching for, they were all scaled by his Intelligence attribute in one way or another. With his massive mana pool, something like Stygian Spirit might still be useful even without it being efficient. The same went for the area denial and the crowd control abilities. He wanted to make this choice count, with the settlement event looming, so he was looking for something that could be immediately useful.


    Coop figured that Void Drop would be the only active skill where he definitely needed Arcane Comprehension to give him Intelligence before he selected it, which sucked, because it was a ranged burst attack, fulfilling two of his desires in one. He mentally discarded it, and also ignored Clarity of Purpose, the bonus Acumen skill, even if it would benefit all of his damage by granting his attacks the ability to ignore a portion of his target¡¯s defenses.


    The question he was asking himself was which of the Intelligence based utility skills would be the most useful without Intelligence: area denial, crowd control, or mana conversion. If none of them would be worth it, then he¡¯d take the bonus Intelligence passive to set himself up for later.


    Each of the active skills at least partially benefitted from his Mind stat even though they were all Intelligence based. Stygian Spirit directly impacted his mana pool which was increased by Mind, the crowd control applied ¡®Terror¡¯ as a debilitating debuff and its efficacy was based on Mind, and the area denial skill¡¯s disorientation would be determined by his Mind stat.


    He was leaning toward ignoring the crowd control ability as well. At first glance, it seemed more limited in its usefulness compared to the other two. Terror would be dispelled as soon as the target took any sort of damage and only lasted a few seconds. Coop thought it might be more of an interrupt than crowd control in that regard.


    Coop¡¯s train of thought was interrupted by the clearing of someone¡¯s throat. He sat up and found Ixia, the caretaker of the herb garden, with a watering can waiting for him to notice her. ¡°Greetings, Champion. Does something ail you?¡± The moth-like insectoid wondered while her fuzzy antenna slowly shifted back and forth from where they poked through her straw hat.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m just having trouble choosing a skill.¡± Coop admitted


    The gardener put the watering can on the ground. ¡°Perhaps, I can give you some advice. I may not be near the same level as Caisalya or your tavernkeepers, but I am quite experienced in my own right.¡± Ixia offered willingly.


    ¡°Are their levels that high?¡± Coop was surprised that she acknowledged a difference between them, he figured they were all more or less equally leveled, maybe reaching a threshold that was difficult to go beyond.


    ¡°All of the factionless contractors are formidable by necessity, but the gulf between your level and mine is smaller than the difference between my level and theirs.¡±


    ¡°Thousands of levels?¡± Coop asked, raising his eyebrows.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Ixia confirmed. ¡°What is your dilemma?¡±


    Coop sighed in exasperation. ¡°I¡¯m worried about my options being limited in the future. I wish I could just take all the skills that I¡¯m being offered.¡± Coop complained to Ixia¡¯s amusement. ¡°I¡¯m trying to decide if utility skills based on an attribute I am not investing in are still worth taking.¡±


    ¡°You could allocate the attribute in the future.¡± Ixia suggested. ¡°There are plenty of levels to be gained.¡±


    Coop slowly shook his head. That wouldn¡¯t work for Coop, as he wanted to continue maximizing his Mind stat. He tried a different tack. ¡°One of my options would destroy mana, that seems really powerful to me. Another allows me to take control of an area, confusing targets and providing camouflage.¡±


    Ixia considered for a brief moment before giving her advice. ¡°You should remember that others may not rely on mana at all, and powerful enemies will have resources that dwarf your own. Denying an enemy mana could be very powerful, but it could also be useless.¡± She fluttered one of her wings and glittering specks of dust formed a trail before slowly sinking to the ground. ¡°My most powerful and reliable skill is a zone ability. I credit it for my eventual enfranchisement.¡±


    ¡°How many skills do you have?¡± Coop queried. He had seven skills, but Presence of Mind had consumed the default Identify skill and his Salvation and Retribution skills combined to give him the Ethereal title which behaved like an active skill. Then there was his Reaper title which was effectively a passive skill.


    Ixia seemed to consider for a moment before responding. ¡°15 unique skills.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Coop was confused. He was expecting an answer closer to 100 or more. Five skills to start with, then another every 25 levels for thousands of levels should have been a lot more than 15. ¡°That seems way too low.¡± Knowing that more skills were coming would have eased his mind over potentially losing some offerings, but just a handful made him even more nervous about his choices.


    ¡°You won¡¯t always select a new skill as your path develops.¡± Ixia explained. ¡°Upgrading or evolving a previously selected skill is often the more practical choice, if granted the opportunity.¡± Ixia¡¯s folded wings fluttered. ¡°There¡¯s also the possibility of skills combining to form something greater, racial evolutions consuming specific skills, or in extremely rare cases, a new affinity becoming available in lieu of a skill choice.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Coop took it all in, thankful for the library purchase releasing some of the system restrictions on information. ¡°I¡¯ve only been offered new skills so far.¡±


    ¡°The path will narrow, then it will fork.¡± Ixia stated sagely before she retrieved her watering can from where she had placed it on the ground. ¡°The pattern is consistent. I will leave you to deliberate.¡±


    Coop had only scratched the surface in developing his class, but he was glad that his foundation was solid. He may be missing specific utilities that he had hoped for, but he expected to be able to fill those more generic roles no matter where his choices took him. Surely something like crowd control as a general concept would reappear in several different iterations depending on archetype. If he had only partially collected his core skills, he would be right to be nervous right now, but as it stood, he was in good shape.


    He wondered how specific the future paths would be, was it as significant as selecting another class, or was it just another skill that would steer the next few choices? These initial selections had been extremely flexible and had been based on his original Revenant class choice, but another class would have been more likely to railroad him down a specific archetype. He needed to think about what he wanted his future paths to look like, more like the Revenant or more tied to a specific role.


    Coop tried to visualize the mechanics of these paths, imagining that there was a massive grid of streets with the forks represented by the intersections. His spectral mana affinity must have placed him in a neighborhood that bordered other undead related affinities which earned him reactions from those that detected his mana and recognized it.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    He thought choosing a path might be akin to selecting a subclass. It would be an opportunity to build a package of skills before yielding to the next one. The question would be how much variety would be offered between the paths, and how the path options were determined. Synergizing his paths would be valuable, but having a way to develop a completely different direction over time was also enticing.


    ¡°Ixia,¡± Coop got the gardener¡¯s attention before she left. ¡°How clear are these paths?¡±


    She turned back to answer. ¡°The system makes them unambiguous, in my experience.¡±


    ¡°Can you repeat a path? Would that be a waste? Are there dead ends that would stop progress?¡±


    Her antenna bobbed rhythmically before she answered. ¡°I have never heard of a dead end, but anything is possible.¡± She glanced at a vine and grazed one of its leaves with her fingers. ¡°As for repeating a path, I walk through this garden everyday and discover new things each time.¡±


    Coop watched the gardener disappear among the growing plants, gently tending to the various troughs and trellises. She had given him a lot to think about, even more than just what to pick for his next skill, and he would take all of her advice. If zone control was good enough to get Ixia to whatever level she was at, then Coop would grab his own area denial skill while he had the chance and leave any other archetypes, like spells, for a future subclass package. He was in the final doubling down period of his class choice and he believed the area denial skill would lend itself to his brawling style the most out of his current options, and it would continue to scale as his build evolved to use the other stats.


    ¡°A thick blanket sows the sleep of the dead.¡±


    Fog of War would conjure disorienting fog that would also provide some limited camouflage as long as he remained inside. Most of the various aspects of the skill would be determined by Intelligence, but the disorienting effect itself was based on his Mind skill, meaning it should be reliable off the bat.


    Coop had regretted not taking the skill in favor of Presence of Mind when he fought the Zombie Lord. The Zombie Lord¡¯s ultimate skill seemed to be a cousin of Fog of War which made him wonder how close their starting paths had been. Coop may not be getting the powerful black lightning with his skill, but he still vividly remembered the disorientation of being trapped inside the cloud of smoke and the challenge that tracking the Zombie Lord had been. The skill was channeled, spending more mana meant a larger area or a thicker cloud with the cost and cast time both being extremely high due to his low Intelligence.


    Before he experimented with his new skill, a cannon fired from the eastern fort wall. Coop jumped to his feet. Were they under attack? Maybe another elite monster raid had shown itself. Coop rushed over to see what happened, summoning his spear as he jogged across the still undeveloped fields adjacent to the herb garden. He tossed his spear all the way over the fort and mistjumped so that he landed on the roof.


    The horizon looked completely clear, he couldn¡¯t see anything that might have been a threat. He shifted his attention to which cannon had fired. There were three levels with cannons, so he was worried it would take him a while to find where the explosion had come from, but the smoke was a dead giveaway.


    He dropped his spear to the ground and swung from the roof, gripping the edge. He flew right into the open cannon port while his weapon reappeared, manifesting in his right hand.


    ¡°Whoa!¡± One of the Cleary Brothers shouted in surprise.


    ¡°By the Great Golem, lad! Can¡¯t you use the stairs like a normal person?¡± Balor exclaimed.


    Coop found all three Cleary Brothers looking startled while holding all sorts of flammable materials, a handful of phantom soldiers picked themselves up from the ground, and an elderly gentleman that he recognized as someone who had been getting power leveled on the beach had pressed himself against the wall.


    ¡°Well, what¡¯s going on? I thought we might be under attack, so I came running.¡± Coop dismissed his spear, letting it disperse from his hand.


    Buck spoke up. ¡°We¡¯ve been conducting experiments with mana, just like you said, and we figured something out.¡±


    Coop was surprised they had any results so soon. ¡°Really? Tell me what you found.¡± He was certainly interested.


    ¡°There¡¯s good news and bad news, I guess.¡± Buck started.


    ¡°There always is.¡± Coop shrugged noncommittally.


    ¡°We can¡¯t really use the cannons like normal.¡± Buck started with the bad news. ¡°But if the cannon is treated, a magical flame will work if it¡¯s loaded with a conjured cannonball.¡±


    Coop didn¡¯t think that sounded too bad, but he blinked as he considered each modifier Buck had added. ¡°What do you mean ¡®treated¡¯?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where I come in.¡± Balor spoke up. ¡°Mana reinforcement, just like the walls. You really want a metallurgist for something like this, but I can manage. These pre-mana relics just need to be converted.¡± He stated as he patted the cannon with a stone hand.


    Buck explained further. ¡°The Professor here had some theories already, based on the ignition process, so we were testing the cannons, but we couldn¡¯t get anything to work. Balor ran into us and gave us some suggestions while we were fiddling with things.¡±


    Buck put his palms up. ¡°It all comes down to mana interacting with mana and interfering with everything else.¡±


    He demonstrated by lighting a match, which successfully created a flame, then placed the match on the end of a wick that Coop assumed led to gunpowder. Coop anticipated a boom, but the flame wouldn¡¯t catch. Buck stepped away and Coop touched the wick, finding that it wasn¡¯t even warm despite being inside the small flame.


    Buck nodded to one of the phantoms who conjured a flame at his finger and touched the wick with a completely different result. The cannon jumped with recoil as a conjured metal ball was launched into the ocean.


    ¡°So the cannons can be used, but it¡¯ll take at least two different people to man each one. One to conjure the cannonballs and one to ignite it.¡± Buck concluded.


    ¡°Why did the pirate cannons work without Balor¡¯s mana reinforcement?¡± Coop wondered.


    Balor volunteered an answer. ¡°Probably because those ships were rebuilt by mana in the first place¡­ I admit, I don¡¯t know for sure, because what I¡¯m doing is turning these artifacts into magical tools, and they are dependent on your shard¡¯s resources to function at all. If you brought one of these weapons outside of your territory, it would lose its connection and go back to being a hunk of human metal.¡±


    Balor rubbed his beard as he worked through his thoughts. ¡°I guess it¡¯s possible that the ships are technically the settlement¡¯s territory instead of an instrument of the territory¡­¡± Balor grew more agitated as he tried to figure it out. ¡°Bah! It¡¯s best to just accept that ¡®mana is as mana is¡¯ and leave it at that. Damn human inquisitiveness is like an infection.¡±


    Fundamentally, none of them knew exactly what mana was, not even Balor. Yet it was the essential component when it came to producing any type of reaction. Mana was gatekeeping them from using basic technology and they were trying to discover the limits. Coop had really dropped a doozy of a task on the brothers, but they seemed game to continue their efforts.


    He left them to their discussion after giving the soldiers the task of updating Shane on the status of the cannons. Coop headed back to the courtyard, planning to spend the rest of the day in the library.


    As he passed through the town circle, splashing in the canal drew his attention to the water. Elly and Olani¡¯s grandkids were jumping from the elevated bridge, splashing and laughing as they took turns. Balor had apparently carved ladders directly into the stone pilings of the bridge, letting them climb out and jump again.


    ¡°Coop!¡± Elly shouted before she took her turn, running over to Coop. ¡°Come swim with us!¡±


    Coop let himself be pulled over, mostly out of concern of children drowning while swimming in his fort unsupervised, or even worse, being eaten by a shark monster.


    ¡°You guys don¡¯t have sentry duty anymore, huh?¡± He asked as the grandkids climbed back onto the bridge. Elly jumped into the water with a shriek and a splash.


    ¡°The soldiers took over, but we still get a shift in the mornings. We run and stretch every day!¡± They proudly announced. Coop was kind of jealous they were able to keep his own routine better than he was, and they were just kids.


    ¡°Does Olani know you¡¯re swimming in the canal?¡± Coop asked like a responsible adult. The kids pointed to the edge of the canal where Olani was sitting. They had a lifeguard after all. She waved as he went over to have a quick chat. Apparently, she had set up rune nets on both ends of the canal more than a week ago. There was no chance of any monsters being in the water as long as she recharged the runes periodically.


    Coop ended up jumping in a few times himself. He couldn¡¯t let Elly challenge his ability to make a bigger splash than her. It only took a few gainers for him to assert his dominance. Children stood no chance against the Champion of Ghost Reef.


    The kids wore themselves out climbing in and out of the canal and Coop accepted his victory with grace. Mostly because Elly threatened to get her brothers when he started gloating. Coop noticed that Olani had been joined by Charlie and Camila, spectating the divers, so he joined them. They all sat with their legs hanging over the edge.


    Charlie poked him when he sat down. ¡°Watching you scramble to get out of the water as fast as you could reminded me of when you would jump off the bridge in the times before.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s scary!¡± Coop defended himself. ¡°The moat is really deep, who knows what¡¯s lurking at the bottom. This thing might even be deeper.¡±


    They all leaned over to look into the depths. Olani grunted, amused at their naivete.


    ¡°It is kinda scary.¡± Camila admitted with a slight nod.


    ¡°See!¡± Coop felt recognized, at last.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to jump in, you know.¡± Charlie argued with unnecessary logic.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t let my honor be sullied.¡± Coop firmly declared.


    ¡°By a little girl?¡±


    ¡°Especially by a little girl!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not little!¡± Elly yelled from behind them.


    ¡°Yes you are!¡± Coop responded without missing a beat.


    Elly just harrumphed and kept arguing under her breath.


    Coop changed the subject to more serious matters. ¡°Are you ready for tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°As ready as we¡¯ll ever be.¡± Camila claimed with uncharacteristic pessimism in her voice. ¡°You got people all nervous, you know? The Empire had us believing the settlement events were when you get free levels, and everyone else¡¯s factions left them with the same message, more or less.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Coop didn¡¯t want to make the apocalyptic scenario any more stressful than it already was. ¡°Jones¡¯s faction told him to basically hide out inside a settlement and let other people deal with everything, but we were here by ourselves, so it was up to us to deal with anything that came. I¡¯m still thinking that way.¡±


    Camila dismissed his apology, ¡°No, you¡¯re right. There really aren¡¯t that many of us compared to Empress City. We¡¯ll all need to do that much more.¡± She acknowledged.


    Coop nodded. ¡°I¡¯m gonna head to the library and do some research on events, you wanna come?¡±


    Camila laughed. ¡°It¡¯s not a final exam, I don¡¯t think cramming will help.¡± She stood up and Charlie followed. ¡°We can¡¯t anyway, we¡¯ve got a date with Charlie¡¯s parents to grind some monsters as a party.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well, have fun.¡± Coop said his goodbyes.


    Olani went back to Sojjah''s alchemy shop now that her supervision duties were complete. She was producing as many health tinctures as she could, so they would have a decent supply to share among the fighters.


    Coop was going to do some last minute research on previous assimilations before he readied himself for the event.

 Chapter 72: Siege

    Coop was waiting at the civilization shard, along with what seemed like most of the residents of Ghost Reef. The town circle had people scattered around, new faces along with more familiar ones. Word had spread through the settlement that something was starting, and for the last few days everyone was preparing as much as they could, even when they weren¡¯t exactly sure what was coming.


    The residents had made an effort to gather as many levels as possible and the phantoms had immersed themselves in their training. The crafters had worked hard to equip as many as they could and the services had all been working overtime to stockpile supplies, though the contracted residents were more relaxed than Coop and the rest of the humans had been.


    The entire army of phantoms was on duty, occupying the walls all the way around the fort, manning the cannons on all three upper levels, and otherwise waiting in orderly rows near the entrance of the fortress under Gideon¡¯s supervision. Kayla¡¯s fleet was already sailing among the reefs, leaving no ships at the dock, not even the partially repaired, pirated sailboats.


    Coop¡¯s research in the library hadn¡¯t yielded anything useful about what to expect. The records of past assimilations were surprisingly limited, and what was available only revealed how different each scenario was. The planetary sponsor¡¯s disposition had a large influence on how events played out, and the system appeared to be extremely flexible, altering the script entirely, depending on the sponsor. Once again, Coop had the feeling that the system¡¯s role was quite strange. It rarely seemed like the driving force behind anything that happened despite mana¡¯s ubiquity.


    Coop did learn that, while the factions were blind to what was happening on the planet themselves, the system actually provided some simple information to those on the outside. It was to the point that a popular recreational activity was observing and betting on system provided leaderboards. Coop thought it was similar to following professional sports through live text updates. They could see more than just the leaderboards that he could access; the disposition of settlements, faction strengths and population, territory control, and all sorts of other stats were also presented. The factions might not know what people did individually, but they could see the assimilation¡¯s progress in other ways.


    In the end, his visit to the library hadn¡¯t offered him any last minute insights into what to expect. He was waiting along with everyone else. All they knew for sure was that the factions believed the settlement events would be abundant sources of experience. To Coop, experience meant monsters. Coop checked his own status, hoping to be able to compare it with his progress after the event.


    [Status]


    HP - 4350/4350


    MP - 8100/8100


    Class - Revenant (Level 51)


    Profession - Basic Scavenging (Level 45)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 30 (+810)


    Agility - 30 (+405)


    Body - 30 (+405)


    Mind - 810


    Intelligence - 30


    Acumen - 30


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion III, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper, Slayer III, Dauntless


    Skills (Active) - Retribution, Salvation, Presence of Mind, Fog of War


    Skills (Passive) - Common Language, Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application


    Quests - Defeat Ancient Devourers II (0/25), Defeat Primal Serpents II (4/25), Defeat Ruin Excavators IV (440/5000), Defeat Primal Kites III (0/250), Upgrade Village to Town


    Basic Credits - 250,982


    Coop didn¡¯t like having so many incomplete quests, it was like leaving a task half finished, but he would have to work on them later. He also worried about needing so many more credits to reach one million. Hopefully, Marcus wouldn¡¯t need him to spend more on the settlement any time soon. At least his stats were looking nice, he was looking forward to hitting four digits in Mind. It felt like that would be a huge milestone.


    He looked around the town circle and observed the residents that were waiting there with him. Laurie was looking determined as she spoke to a group of worried parents. The children were all inside the tavern with the non-combatants, including a handful of the elderly that hadn¡¯t leveled enough to be comfortable around a fight, and of course Jones was settled into his own room where Madison or Olani could check on him.


    The parents already had a schedule for who would remain inside the Tavern with the kids, to make sure they were comfortable, and Maeve and Desmond had already proven themselves to be excellent hosts to everyone on the island. Still, the parents fussed over the arrangements.


    It didn¡¯t help that some of the kids, led by Elly, wanted to help the adults fight. The youngest of the Cleary family had already snuck out once, but her non-magical stealth was no match for the watchful eyes of Maeve and Desmond once they knew to pay attention for the little mischief maker¡¯s tactics.


    Gibson was with his party, also discussing their readiness with a group of people, most of whom were Charlie¡¯s neighbors. He had the easier job between the two emerging community leaders, the elderly that had leveled were particularly enthusiastic about participating, feeling rejuvenated after adding a dozen levels worth of attributes to their Body stats. They were eager to pay it forward by helping out the settlement where they could.


    Jett was curled up in a ball, on top of a column on the exterior of the tavern, staying out of reach, but still a part of the crowd. Sunny, on the other hand, was on the patrol for ear scratches.


    ¡°It¡¯s about that time.¡± Camila muttered, standing up from her position next to Coop and Charlie. Sure enough, the civilization shard started buzzing with energy.


    The shard illuminated the circle in bright red light, overwhelming the late morning sun, until it shot a laser, like a spotlight, straight up, piercing the delicate clouds that innocently drifted by. The red light stopped abruptly at an invisible barrier that Coop assumed was the limit of the settlement¡¯s territory. Then the red color started to spread along an invisible dome, like syrup coating a candy apple, blanketing the outside of the settlement¡¯s territory in liquid energy produced by mana. When it reached the surface of the ocean, the glassy red mana continued down, undisturbed. It penetrated the ground underneath them, forming a perfect sphere around the territory. Balor had been the one to emphasize that the territory was three dimensional, and this was visual proof for anyone that hadn¡¯t figured it out on their own.


    A few more seconds went by while everyone waited for the sphere to complete, then they were bombarded by system notifications.


    [Settlement Event: Siege - Initiated]


    [Temporary Leaderboards Available]


    [000:59:56]


    [049:59:56]


    [099:59:56]


    [149:59:56]


    [199:59:56]


    [249:59:56]


    [299:59:56]


    [349:59:56]


    [399:59:56]


    [449:59:56]


    [499:59:56]


    Coop scrolled through a bunch of timers that were counting down together. There were so many of them it seemed like the system¡¯s user interface had bugged out. They practically overlapped with each other, and even when he closed his notifications with a mental nudge, the timers remained in the periphery of his vision. It was a jumbled mess.


    The people around him started murmuring in confusion. Coop looked at the girls, but they were both looking just as confused while they checked their notifications. Clearly, it wasn¡¯t just his interface that seemed bugged. He checked these new leaderboards, curious and excited about having more ways to compete. If Coop had a guilty pleasure it was seeing his name on lists.


    Siege Event Settlement Scores:


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Ghost Reef - 0 (x48828125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Shinjuku Gardens - 0 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Neon Park - 0 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Windy Coast - 0 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Aotearoa New Zealand - 0 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">New Elega - 0 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Al Khalubad - 0 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Odense - 0 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Bakilon - 0 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Toledo - 0 (x125)</li>


    </ol>


    Coop was surprised to see they were already number one, he thought that must be good and a proud smirk crept onto his face. Ghost Reef¡¯s numbers actually spilled over the edge of his vision. He wondered what the numbers represented, and a mental query told him that they were ¡®Challenge Assessments¡¯ based on the difficulty of each settlements¡¯ encounters. Scrolling through the list, other than Ghost Reef, every single settlement had been assessed x125, x25, or x5. Coop¡¯s smirk quickly disappeared as he started changing his mind about it being good to start at the top.


    Coop scrolled through the settlements and eventually found Empress City, ranked 504 with a x5 multiplier. It was actually near the bottom as only 649 settlements were listed. Quite a few civilization shards had been lost even before the first event had a chance to begin.


    There was another leaderboard titled ¡®Individual Scores¡¯ that tallied individual contributions among all the settlements, but the list hadn¡¯t been populated yet. Coop was feeling motivated to get the show on the road, planning on topping both lists if he could. There was nothing like the threat of a long grind and a bit of friendly competition to get a junkie like him going.


    He waved away all his notifications and looked around the town circle once again. The mood had taken a turn, it went from the anticipation of a final exam to feeling like he was attending a funeral. The other residents had gone from motivated or worried to panicked or forlorn. The Challenge Assessment was certainly troubling.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Coop was trying to think of some inspiring words to say to dispel the concern in the atmosphere, but before he came up with anything, Vronk burst onto the main street from his bakery. Even the alien ogre looked worried as he hefted a basket over his head.


    ¡°Eat Vronk bread! Big buff!¡± He bellowed toward the town circle from down the street. Sunny jogged over, oblivious to the tension, and some people followed, not wanting to miss out on the spontaneous giveaway.


    Coop was starting to follow as he exchanged looks with Charlie and Camila. At least they didn¡¯t seem to be completely shaken by all the rather arbitrary numbers. They¡¯d just have to see whatever came, no matter what the numbers said.


    He stopped walking when Maeve came out of the tavern and announced that the stew was on the house for everyone fighting. She propped the door open and her welcoming smile was more anxious than Coop had ever seen.


    ¡°Oy! We got another batch of last minute weapons!¡± Coop spun around as Garod and a few aliens he hadn¡¯t met, announced themselves while they pushed iron carts hastily filled with their most recent creations across the bridge.


    Erasimus Doomthread was jogging into the town circle from his boutique to the west, arms full of fabrics, and Sojjah and Olani were both coming from the east carrying packs and pouches, followed by Caisalya with a basket full of roots and flowers. In the distance behind them, Coop watched as curtains of stone unfurled along the walls of the library, covering every window and turning the massive structure into a solid black stone, glowing with deep blue, blood red, and purple runes. The alien residents were clearly spooked.


    ¡°Marcus!¡± Coop got his advisor¡¯s attention, he was standing in a daze just like everyone else. ¡°You should probably go comfort Zakronaw. Maybe ask him what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Ah, right. I¡¯ll come to the wall after I check in with him.¡± Marcus said as he turned on his heel and headed to the town hall.


    Balor burst out of the tavern, through the gap Maeve made on her way out, leaving before he could have finished off more than four or five mugs of ale for the day. Coop hustled over to grab him. ¡°Hey Balor!¡± He called out as he grabbed his stone shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s got everyone so excited?¡±


    ¡°Listen lad, there¡¯s no shame in retreating. I think you¡¯d have a good shot at making it to another settlement. You¡¯re strong enough.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°You know I haven¡¯t been on any baby planets, but I¡¯ve bet on assimilations from time to time, and I¡¯ve never seen such an absurd challenge assessment. Desmond has been through many assimilations himself, and even he was¡­ disturbed.¡± The dwarf grabbed a fist full of his beard nervously. ¡°It must be a mistake, but the Great Golem is infallible¡­¡± He shook his head as if he didn¡¯t want to contemplate it anymore. ¡°I can still reinforce the area around the shard before it starts. It¡¯ll give any last stand a better chance.¡±


    Coop glanced over at the shard in the center of the town circle, exposed as it was. ¡°Should we move it somewhere safer?¡±


    Balor shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s in a good spot, central to the defenses.¡±


    ¡°We could bury it.¡± Coop suggested.


    Balor squinted at the ground for a few moments before responding. ¡°I don¡¯t think that would be a good idea. It would be better if we constructed a citadel right where it is, but there¡¯s no time. I¡¯ll get some final barriers built before the wave starts.¡± He raised an arm to pat Coop on the back. ¡°Good luck, Champion.¡±


    Coop watched as Balor stomped away, faster than Coop had ever seen him move. This was very different from when the settlement ownership was challenged. Back then, it was clear that the system prevented the contracted residents from being directly involved in their conflict by putting them on lockdown. Only Brewbot managed to be an exception to the system¡¯s restrictions.


    However, when the threat came from the planetary sponsor, the contracted residents could help as long as they didn¡¯t physically fight. They were essentially a resource for the settlement to use against the Primal Constructs, that was the entire point of the system making them available. They still might not be able to get directly involved, but they could add their support to his side between events.


    Coop had done his best to prepare for anything by gathering as much power as possible, but it was looking like he hadn¡¯t done enough, if he went by the reactions of the residents. He grimly checked the first timer.


    [000:51:23]


    ¡ª


    Platinum scanned the horizon for any more enemies. The Ruin Gargoyles that dominated the skies were a constant annoyance, but they had them firmly under control thanks to daily patrols. She let her glowing bracers fade and admired the view. The skyline of what used to be New York City was still recognizable, even if it was slightly changed.


    She tied her silver, not platinum, hair back and gave a two finger salute to the Statue of Liberty in the distance. She was still standing strong and was greener than ever, covered in thick creeping vines of ivy that had also claimed many buildings downtown, turning the City into more of a strangely paved jungle with block shaped vegetation.


    They had worked hard to maintain as many of the buildings as they could. It had given even the weakest residents purpose in the face of the apocalypse and brought communities together when they could have easily descended into conflict in the initial confusion.


    She carefully aimed her finger at the center of an intersection 100 stories below before she used one of her solidlight abilities to momentarily create a sturdy beam of light. She jumped off the building, gripping the beam even as it faded, using it to direct her fall. Her solidlights weren¡¯t permanent, and one as long as this only remained for a second, maybe two, at most.


    Before she hit the street, she slowed her fall with a series of solidlight sheets that shattered like glass as she passed through them. For her, it was like passing through nothing more than air, but for anyone else they were as hard as steel. The sheets reduced her momentum enough that she wouldn¡¯t put any more potholes in the streets with her landings. She didn¡¯t want to be scolded by any block leaders again.


    It still sounded like a meteor had fallen when she hit the ground.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Someone yelled at her. ¡°I¡¯m walkin¡¯ here!¡±


    ¡°What are you, a tourist? You know the rules!¡± She yelled back without hesitation.


    The pedestrian dismissively waved at her, getting back on the sidewalk. He knew he wasn¡¯t supposed to be in the middle of the street. Most of the others didn¡¯t even stop when Platinum landed in the intersection. Ruin Gargoyles weren¡¯t afraid of swooping down to snatch someone not expecting it, so people were meant to stay near the buildings where the monsters had a harder time attacking. They were already getting lax thanks to the success they had in suppressing the invaders. Platinum shook her head.


    The Gargoyles grew in density with elevation. By the time anyone reached 100 floors, they had to be ready for fighting almost exclusively against elite variants. More hid within the passing clouds, beyond the buildings, but humans had reclaimed the ground levels. The respawns inside the buildings were constantly patrolled. The City was in a much better situation than the borders beyond Yonkers or Newark, but they had only become part of the settlement¡¯s territory after the last upgrade. They¡¯d get those other invaders under control soon enough.


    Platinum headed to the train station down the block. She was eager to find out more about this event. She glanced at the countdowns in her peripheral vision.


    [099:11:26]


    [299:11:26]


    [499:11:26]


    She didn¡¯t waste any energy wondering what they meant, counting on her partner in crime to have some explanation ready for her.


    The stations and their tunnels were all lit like nightclubs thanks to the abilities that had been used to chase away the darkness. She greeted the guards and started the long walk through the tunnels downtown to Brooklyn. Thousands and thousands of people had already been set up in the tunnels, but they still overflowed to the surface. It was safe enough up top, now that the settlement had expanded as much as it had, but no one went more than two or three floors up unless they were looking for a fight with respawned monsters.


    The shard had allowed them to build extensive residences underground, along the tunnels and basements, until they could reclaim the surface. It would have been an impossible effort if they had to construct everything themselves, but it had still taken all of their collective resources to establish that much.


    Residents greeted her as she went past. Ironically, she was more famous now than she had been when she was actually chasing fame. Eventually, she got tired of the attention, so she put a solidlight visor over her eyes and started shooting thin beams into the ceiling to pull herself forward like she had a pair of grappling hooks. Ten minutes later she was at their headquarters.


    ¡°Neon! I¡¯m back!¡± She announced. ¡°What¡¯s with these timers?¡±


    A crash of books indicated that he had heard her and was rushing out of his lodge. Neon was the bartender at the nightclub that she DJ¡¯d in their past lives. The eccentric guy was the one that claimed the civilization shard when they accidentally stumbled upon it. He actually owned the club, and was some kind of nepo baby, but she thought he was cool. He was a solid roommate at least, though he owned the entire building they lived in as well.


    The pair of them actually missed the apocalypse, still inside of his club while it happened, and were walking home after the power had gone out and all the trains stopped. The meteors that demolished portions of the city weren¡¯t immediately visible and they didn¡¯t discover the flooded channels until the next day.


    Instead, they found a shard all by itself in a tiny park. Neon was the kind of dumbass that immediately touched a strange glowing crystal, so now he was the Champion, even going as far as naming the settlement after his alter ego and his nightclub.


    The arbitrary name and location of the shard saved them early on, when Chosen of the Grand Authority faction coordinated with an army of former cops in riot gear for an assault on Central Park, where masses had gathered, intending to take control of the City ¡®for the greater good¡¯ and believing rumors that the shard was located there.


    Everyone knew where it was now, but no one dared to try and take it anymore, not after Platinum and Neon¡¯s classes and skills became more notorious.


    ¡°It¡¯s the settlement events!¡± Neon rushed out. ¡°I totally forgot! It said something about events when I claimed the thing. You remember I had a few too many that time¡­¡±


    ¡°But what is it counting down to?¡± Platinum asked and waited before she rolled her eyes, realizing Neon had no idea. ¡°Well, what have you been doing? I thought you¡¯d have figured it out by now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to figure out the challenge assessment thingy.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Is Ghost Reef totally screwed or what?¡± Platinum giggled, not particularly worried about Neon Park and not caring about some other suspicious sounding settlement.


    ¡°Totally, unbelievably, screwed.¡± Neon confirmed. ¡°It¡¯s like an error occurred somewhere, statistically there shouldn¡¯t be such an outlier.¡±


    ¡°Who cares though, right? Sounds like an Undead settlement anyway.¡± Platinum scrunched her face. ¡°Good riddance.¡±


    They had dealt with an individual Chosen of an undead faction who was simply called Ghoul, early on. He had been eating people on Coney Island, trying to power level himself. Apparently, he had shapeshifter powers that improved as he leveled, but they caught him before he got out of control. It made quite the spectacle when Platinum and Neon publicly teamed up and served as a powerful deterrent against other trouble makers.


    Neon pressed his glasses to his nose, even if he didn¡¯t need them anymore, and flipped through the pages of a nearby book. Platinum recognized the pages as maps. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure. This info is a few years old, but there were actually 11 places called Ghost Reef before the apocalypse. Eight of them were actual, underwater reefs, but one was a small town in Colorado, another was a coastal village in Australia, and the other was an uninhabited island chain off of Florida.¡±


    ¡°Colorado?¡± Platinum thought that Ghost Reef was a strange name for a place with no coast.


    Neon looked up from his book. ¡°I dunno, maybe it¡¯s named after some fossils or something.¡±


    ¡°Alright, so what about us? Do we need to get ready for something? Looks like we got a few days.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already sent messages to the borough commanders. The event says it¡¯s a siege, so we¡¯re preparing defensive plan theta: unknown, possibly alien enemies. We¡¯ll be able to coordinate with the Niagara-Toronto alliance, they only have a x5 multiplier each, so their timers are staggered from ours. We can help each other.¡± Neon paused. ¡°Actually, can you go? They¡¯d appreciate us sending our big guns.¡±


    Platinum sighed. ¡°I mean, I guess¡­¡± Traveling outside of the settlements was annoying at best. The monsters had extremely variable power levels in between territories already, and every day seemed worse. She was among the strongest on the planet and she dreaded meeting some of the wild elites that existed between settlements. They were lucky Neon Park¡¯s territory had expanded so much, thanks to the population, but there were still expansive no-go zones in between theirs and other settlement territories.


    ¡°Perfect, perfect. I¡¯ve also sent offers to exchange defensive resources to Cherry Hill, they¡¯ll pass it down the line. The refugees from the lost Granite State shard are still sweeping Long Island. Beantown¡¯s caravan is still here, and they¡¯re on board with coordinating defenses.¡±


    Platinum snorted at Boston¡¯s moniker. It seemed like Neon was in his element. She never would have guessed he had it in him before the apocalypse. He wasn¡¯t even that good of a bartender. ¡°Did you ever think you¡¯d end up playing politician?¡±


    Neon looked displeased. ¡°It¡¯s what father wanted me to do. I tried to escape that life, but maybe it was destiny.¡±


    ¡°Nah, there¡¯s no such thing. You just do whatever you want, and if you don¡¯t want to keep being Champion, we can just leave. I bet that Ghost Reef place is desperate for help right about now.¡±

 Chapter 73: The First Wave

    [000:00:11]


    Each of the last 10 seconds were accompanied by an unnatural beep that echoed across Ghost Reef. Every time the number counted down an alternate tone rang out. Coop watched as the timer hit zero and a loud buzzing announced the start of the event. The silence that followed was thick with everyone¡¯s anticipation.


    Coop was waiting on the southern wall of the fort, watching for a frontal assault along with the majority of the residents. People had spread out along the walls, but the greatest concentration was near the front gate, where Coop had gone. The phantoms were spread more evenly, as they were split into divisions with further subgroups that were manning the cannons all the way around the fort, depending on their compatibility.


    The southern wall was the only portion of the fortress that was connected to dry ground, though it still had the moat separating it from the rest of the island. The rest of the fortress was surrounded by the ocean. Historically, the fort had faced sieges by sea, but Coop was, perhaps overly optimistically, hoping they wouldn¡¯t need to withstand a naval blockade. He trusted Kayla and her pirate crews, but they weren¡¯t particularly numerous nor were they at full strength yet.


    After a few more seconds of silence, someone shouted a warning to look at the beach. The shallow waters along the west beach started to churn, frothing white until mechanical leg joints started breaching the surface. Coop watched the beach as Ancient Defenders charged out of the ocean and rushed onto the dunes on the other side of the island.


    At first he was relieved, Ancient Defenders weren¡¯t that scary, but his relief faded when the monsters just kept barreling out of the surf. This wasn¡¯t a simple raid. Countless monsters surged out of the ocean. The Defenders climbed over each other and moved with an aggression that exceeded even the elites that had attacked the fort before.


    Monsters were sprinting out of the water without any shouts or roars, just the stomping of their pointed legs piercing into the packed sand, the grinding of metal joints, and clanging of the collisions between individuals. The industrial metallic sounds didn¡¯t belong on the tropical island, but they drowned out the breeze and waves completely.


    A shrill screech followed by five clear chirps drew Coop¡¯s attention to the scrubland, where thousands more Ancient Defenders were swarming across the flat land, having arrived from the other more distant beach. The monsters were climbing out of the water from the beaches on both sides of the lighthouse. The mangrove forest¡¯s thick vegetation and deep muck was too much of a barrier for them to breach at least, and they ignored the rocky corner where the lighthouse was perched.


    The tidal waves of monsters would converge in front of the main entrance of the fortress, just like the residents hoped, but even the ideal situation was demoralizing. The speed that they trampled over each other and the island meant that they had maybe ten minutes before the walls would be under attack. Ancient Defenders weren¡¯t particularly fast as they were built for defense as the name implied.


    Messengers ran along the walls, spreading the news to those who weren¡¯t witnessing the wave of monsters wash over the island. Bells were ringing from both of the southern corners of the fort and the Tempest fleet responded with their own chiming signals. Coop wasn¡¯t privy to the codes that had already developed, but he was impressed by their ability to communicate in real time.


    The tide of monsters was temporarily halted on the edge of the dunes and the scrubland, in one narrow section, as multiple intersecting blades of wind cleaved through the mass, carving a gap in the frontline. Several more wind blades destroyed more monsters as they attempted to fill the space. A bubble formed where the monsters were absent. It was quickly surrounded, but remained empty with the help of repeated wind blades. From the distance, it looked like a sandy stone amid a flowing river of metal legs.


    The action was enough for Coop to get moving. He rolled his shoulders, laughing to release his own tension, and summoned his ethereal armor, spear, and shield.


    Coop didn¡¯t think any of his residents should still be afraid of Ancient Defenders; he certainly shouldn¡¯t be. It was just the build up of anticipation, and the monster numbers, that had frozen their nerves.


    Camila raised her eyebrows at him, wondering about his laughter, but Charlie still looked nervous. ¡°Hold this for a sec.¡± Coop handed his shield to Camila, who seemed more receptive in the moment.


    ¡°What?¡± Camila started, but instead of explaining, he just held her arms up the way he wanted her to hold it, then he smiled at the girls before he took a running start and threw his spear further than he ever had before.


    He turned around while his spear flew and looked at the anxious expressions of the rest of the residents. Arthur looked grim, Shane was anxious in a way that reminded Coop of when he first asked to stay in Ghost Reef, Camila was confusedly gripping his ethereal shield, and Charlie seemed to be getting more afraid by the second. They were watching him, not sure what he was doing, since they thought the monsters were still too far away for his spear to reach.


    His spear landed among the Ancient Defenders, exceeding expectations, with a burst of sand. It stuck out of the ground among the Defenders like a ghostly pylon. The distance would have easily crushed any javelin throw world records and his spear wasn¡¯t specifically designed to be thrown. Coop thought he would be able to cross the entire island with two good throws as he activated his skill.


    He mistjumped to his spear and landed with a roll in the small crater the missile had formed. Before he did anything, he inspected the monsters to see what crazy variant they were that caused them to behave so differently from the ones he was used to.


    [Enraged Defender (Level 30)]


    [(Strength)]


    [Minion of the Primal Constructs]


    ¡°Still Defenders.¡± he acknowledged, figuring that was fine, as he engaged.


    He quickly discovered that the Enraged Defenders were nearly the same as Ancient Defenders, except they were abnormally aggressive, and were slower to actually defend themselves, contrary to their identity: more Enraged than Defender. They rarely lifted a leg to try to block, preferring to attack, even if it meant death. They were larger than normal and their coloration was also tinged with a lot more red, but everything was, thanks to the territory bubble still covered in glowing red energy stretching across the sky from horizon to horizon.


    Coop had expected to draw the monsters'' attention when he jumped into the crowd, but he only had a fraction of them actually stop to fight him. They were more interested in reaching the civilization shard, so only the ones that he physically impeded actually stopped to attack. Among the thousands, he could only claim the attention of dozens at a time.


    It was their loss, as their inattentiveness yielded the initiative to his powerful attacks. He rarely needed more than one blow to defeat a monster he was so familiar with, and they died quickly, whether they attempted a guard or not.


    He took a low stance, putting himself closer to eye level with the monsters that were barely taller than his stomach. He kept his spear perfectly parallel with the ground as he thrust it forward, maximizing its reach while targeting the unblinking red eyes. The monsters were surging toward him at a constant pace, and he didn¡¯t want to end up underneath a stampede. He gripped his spear with two hands when he spun to protect his flanks, keeping the spearhead firmly extended, cutting legs and clipping the bodies of monsters in his way. He plowed against the surge, lunging strike after lunging strike.


    The monster¡¯s attacks were almost exclusively their most dangerous double pronged leaping skill that had nearly killed him once, back when he was level four. If they hit him now, he doubted he would take any physical damage at all, even if these monsters were higher level than the regular Defenders. He didn¡¯t let them hit him anyway, slightly worried about being put off balance and ending up trampled. Their overwhelming numbers were the primary threat Coop was taking seriously. He let his dodges take him forward even while most of their attacks were met with a counterattack of his own.


    He battled his way through the tide, losing count of how many monsters he defeated with precise thrusts, powerful lunging stabs, and sweeping cleaves. When they attacked him, they leapt through the air with surprising agility, but he was faster and they only turned themselves into wide open targets for his superior range as they flew.


    He stayed in control, refusing his desire to break his stance and go wild, thanks to his experience fighting massive groups of Zombies, Trackers, and Excavators. At any second, he had a dozen targets within range of a killing blow, but he prioritized the ones attempting to attack him, or the ones that were otherwise hampering his way forward.


    It was the most aggressive defensive posture he had ever found himself in, but he was effectively wading through the monsters as they climbed on top of each other to try and reach the front of the push. He wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they were inflicting casualties on themselves through friendly fire from their spiked legs.


    After a few minutes that felt like ages, he finally reached his destination, finding a cleared open space, just as he expected.


    The tiny brown creature that stood in the center heaved its white spotted chest, breathing heavily and bobbing its head in agitation as it remained on top of its burrow in total defiance of the Enraged Defenders. It flapped its wings once to leap a few feet into the air and swiped its talons, generating a rapid series of blades that cut down Defenders that violated the domain of the owl by rushing through the clearing. It directed a hiss that sounded like a rattlesnake at the Enraged Defenders, catching Coop off guard with the sound. Coop quickly inspected the little guy.


    [Burrowing Owl (Level 48)]


    [Windripper (Agility)]


    [Chosen of the Birds of Prey]


    [Athene (Raptor)]


    The owl landed and turned to stare at Coop with bright yellow eyes underneath a furrowed brow, realizing Coop had also entered his domain.


    ¡°Take cover in the fort, little bro.¡± Coop said, gesturing with his thumb over his shoulder. Coop stepped forward, beyond the burrow, and started fighting the Defenders in front of the owl, giving it a breather.


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    The monsters came from the front and both sides, but none of them turned around once they moved beyond the owl''s domain. Coop settled into a familiar stance, using his spear more like his glaive as he fought monsters in a wide arc in front of him, just like fighting the Primal Trackers, or countering the Endless Empire¡¯s party tactics. He held his ground rather than pressing forward, relying entirely on his Agility to avoid taking any hits while his ridiculous Strength let even his short jabs deal devastating blows.


    Ten tiny owls hopped out of the tunnel, one at a time, and flew into the air. They each glided well above the fray. A series of wind blades halted the fighting for another moment, and the Chosen owl chirped again, angling its head at Coop.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I can leave when you''re ready.¡± Coop glanced down at the owl. ¡°I can carry stuff if you need.¡± The owl looked up in response, spreading its wings, it hopped into the air. Coop took that as him being ready to go.


    The owl launched two more blades before it flapped further into the air, joining the others in circling the cleared area around the burrow. Coop wanted to test his Fog of War ability, but decided to wait for another chance, and mistjumped back to his shield.


    The world froze and the colors bled out until everything was black and white, Coop was dragged past thousands of Enraged Defenders that looked like they were running in ultra slow motion, until he reappeared on the fort wall. It was his longest mistjump ever, and he felt like he spent minutes gliding through the monochrome world even if it was only seconds. He actually had a bout of dizziness just like his first times experimenting with mistjumping, making him stumble slightly.


    His sudden appearance surprised Camila, who was still holding his shield with both hands. The shock combined with his minor stumble pulled her forward along with his shield, so that she fell into his chest with both hands and a gasp.


    The chuckles from the gathered residents continued when Captain Kayla slapped one hand on Coop¡¯s shoulders and another on Camila¡¯s. ¡°Wow! That was perfect! There¡¯s no way I could top that. Isn¡¯t that right, Sharkbait?¡± Sharkbait grunted from behind the pirate queen as she nudged him. Coop thought her first mate was disagreeing.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Coop asked Kayla once Camila regained her balance. When he mistjumped into the monsters, the pirate ships were still circling the fort.


    ¡°We took a defensive posture around the shard when the attack came over land.¡± She pointed to the Eye of the Storm where it loomed in the canal, to the west of the civilization shard along with Windchaser on the east. ¡°Nice timing too, I wouldn¡¯t want to miss you taking a page out of my book and doing something so spectacular to settle the atmosphere.¡±


    Arthur harrumphed from nearby. ¡°You know the Champion by now, that was completely unchoreographed.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I still hope he¡¯ll let me hold the shield next time!¡± Kayla laughed as she pressed her arms against her torso. Sharkbait grunted again, and Kayla responded like he was actually speaking. ¡°Oh, come off it, I¡¯m just helping lighten the mood. You felt the unease, it was thick enough to cut with a knife, until he dove in, headfirst.¡±


    ¡°Whatever he did, it was wildly effective.¡± Marcus agreed as he crested the last of the fort¡¯s stairs. He stopped and rested his hands on his knees, gasping for air, before he continued. ¡°The clerk finally calmed down when the residents started to relax.¡± Marcus announced between breaths, he had apparently run across the courtyard. ¡°What happened anyway?¡± He asked, looking up.


    Kayla put her arm around Marcus and pulled him away, ¡°Let me tell you all about it! Our Champion was sensational!¡± She started. Sharkbait left Coop with a nod to follow the captain as she started rumors about Coop¡¯s solitary offensive.


    Coop watched as the circling owls reached the fort, staying up high. They circled the fort until a larger owl headed to the western section of the northern half, where sand had accumulated on the top of the walls. One last owl raced over the closing tide of monsters and flew directly toward Coop and his companions.


    The burrowing owl landed directly in front of Coop and stood at its full height of 10 inches before it chirped.


    ¡°No worries, dude.¡± Coop responded. The owl chirped again, then turned away, hopped four times until it reached the edge of the wall, and leapt off the ramparts. The owl skimmed the ground back toward the Enraged Defenders until it pulled up and launched eight of the largest wind blades Coop had seen so far, carving massive tracks through scores of the monsters. The owl flashed with the light of a level, causing cheers to erupt from the fort walls, where phantoms and residents were still watching. The owl circled back to where the other owls had descended and joined them, away from the fray.


    Coop was impressed at the owl¡¯s showmanship, and was taking mental notes when he was gently interrupted. ¡°Um.¡± Charlie started, pushing her hood back and swiping her bangs out of her eyes, while getting Coop¡¯s attention. ¡°Can you talk to animals now?¡± She asked, looking at him with wide eyes, full of wonder.


    He hated to disappoint her, but he couldn¡¯t lie. ¡°Well, no, I was just guessing what he wanted.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Charlie looked away, toward the approaching monsters. ¡°Still¡­ that was really cool.¡± The invaders were well in range of the cannons by now, but none had been fired. Coop wondered why. ¡°I guess it¡¯s my turn.¡± Charlie announced like she had no choice. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nervousness, then stepped toward the edge of the ramparts.


    She started by pointing one of her fingers in the air and rotating it, then started waving her arms like she was conducting a very slow symphony.


    ¡°Where¡¯d Shane go?¡± Coop asked Arthur as wind gathered along the dunes and made whitecaps in the shallow waters. Shane was meant to be their field commander after all.


    Arthur pointed to the other side of the main gate in response. Shane was arranging the residents in small groups, lined up in threes, with each trio separated from the next. The small groups were evenly spaced along the entire length of the southern wall. They were all equipped with brand new equipment and either bows or small daggers. Even with the limited time, they were able to equip all of the residents with weapons. It was the phantoms that were more limited, but the forges were working overtime to catch up. Shane seemed to have already developed some kind of strategy that took into account the settlement¡¯s level of preparedness.


    ¡°What should I do?¡± Coop pondered out loud.


    ¡°I believe Shane will have you spearhead the defense of the wooden bridge.¡± Arthur responded as he placed both hands behind his back.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we just destroy it?¡± Coop thought it would be too difficult to defend and didn¡¯t want the Defenders to use it. Balor could make them another one afterwards.


    ¡°He wants to preserve its integrity in the event that we wish to counter attack. The moat will trap those of us that can¡¯t teleport, which is to say just about everyone that isn¡¯t you or a phantom.¡±


    That made sense to Coop. ¡°What about the cannons?¡±


    ¡°The cannon teams are applying their mana toward stockpiling ammunition. These Defenders are merely the beginning and we don¡¯t know their full numbers yet.¡±


    Coop was once again glad he had taken the opportunity to delegate responsibilities whenever he could. He remembered Maeve telling him about the type of person that normally ended up as the Champion of a settlement. Coop believed they¡¯d either have to be nuts to desire all of the responsibilities or be wicked enough to disregard them.


    Charlie seemed to be reaching a crescendo as a series of thin tornadoes formed in a row some distance from the fort, among the Enraged Defenders. They quickly expanded into five massive pillars of wind across the island, thickening every second as they lifted loose sand all the way into the sky. Interestingly, each one appeared to be spinning with the opposite rotation of its neighbors, as if they were feeding each other to make them last longer. Charlie finally let them go, and before she even stepped away from the wall, she leveled up. She turned around, looking tired, but not completely spent, and walked back toward Coop, Camila, and Arthur. Halfway back to them, she leveled up again. Others along the wall also started to receive levels, despite just waiting in ready positions.


    ¡°Do they count for the quests?¡± Coop wondered as the light of her second level faded, but Charlie shook her head in the negative. Coop watched Charlie¡¯s tornadoes lift dozens of the monsters into the air and either tore them apart or turned them into massive projectiles that landed among their comrades like spiked boulders. Coop checked his own notifications.


    [You defeated Enraged Defender (Level 30)]


    [+15 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Rage Core (Rare)]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    Coop didn¡¯t get any new quests either. It must just have been the difference in levels that prevented him from snagging any levels as quickly as Charlie and the others had. It was terrific news that it seemed like anyone participating would get some experience. He had to give the factions credit for claiming the settlement events would be good for levels. It seemed like they would be right about that at least. He checked the global individual leaderboards.


    Siege Event Individual Scores:


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Charlie Seraphin - 376</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Burrowing Owl - 280</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Coop - 171</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Derek Anderson - 125</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Elder Olani - 125</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">-</li>


    </ol>


    The list wasn¡¯t even fully populated yet, but Coop watched as Charlie, Derek, and Olani¡¯s scores climbed. It seemed like the scores were unrelated to the experience gained, and reflected participation instead, but how the heck was Derek and Olani gathering points?


    ¡°Where¡¯s Derek?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s playing his buff songs in the Tavern, he made sure to buff me and Charlie right before we left. Called it his battle ballad.¡± Camila responded, refraining from rolling her eyes, even if the tone of her voice made it clear she wanted to.


    Coop thought it was pretty cool that buffs counted for score contribution, but he also realized they might have a problem. These leaderboards were global. It was essentially broadcasting their settlement¡¯s roster to anyone that looked. How long would it be until other settlements started appearing on the list to give them some camouflage? Ghost Reef might just dominate the entire thing if the others didn¡¯t start soon.


    There wasn¡¯t anything they could do about that, and Coop wasn¡¯t about to let some backliners get ahead of him. He wanted to get back into the fight.


    He looked at Camila with a gleam in his eye. ¡°Should we get this show on the road?¡±


    ¡°After you.¡± Camila responded in kind.


    ¡°I¡¯ll race you.¡± He offered, throwing his spear even while he spoke. It flew toward the sand in front of the wooden bridge, near the copse of trees that marked the intersection of trails.


    Camila scoffed, and Coop activated his mistjump. The world grayed and he was pulled back outside of the fort. As the color returned he found Camila, hands on her hips, at the start of the familiar lighthouse trail where it connected to the wooden bridge. She was certainly fast, but being faster than his mist was a bit much.


    ¡°Sup, Boss.¡± Tiny greeted him. All three Cleary Brothers were lined up on the edge of the bridge. Behind them were a dozen more residents with hundreds of phantoms lined up through the gate, guarding the chokepoint. Most faces were unfamiliar, but he recognized a few. Mikey B stood with the Dragon Knight, comparing shields, and Marcus had joined the gate defenders with a short rod, dripping with liquid gold from its head that seemed to evaporate in the air before it touched the ground.


    Coop turned back to the monsters. ¡°We got a plan?¡± He wondered.


    Buck slammed his fists together with a metallic clang. Bands of metal manifested from his knuckles, spreading layer after layer with more clangs, up his hands, arms, and across his body, legs, and even his face, until he was fully armored in telescopic metal. ¡°Hold the bridge. Retreat through the gate if overwhelmed.¡± He stoically announced.


    The younger Cleary brothers repeated the fist clanging, knocking their knuckles and joining Buck in his armored state. Coop threw his spear into the nearing monsters, killing multiple with the simple action, then summoned his ethereal glaive.


    A thousand arrows momentarily blacked out the sky as the ranged defenders on the wall started their attacks. Then fireballs, waterbolts, and lightning cascaded above them, turning the shade into a kaleidoscope of colors.


    Coop raised his glaive above his head, then slammed it down into the lead monster of the first wave. The battle began in earnest.

 Chapter 74: Relentless Assault

    Coop fought Enraged Defenders all day, refusing to yield his position on the battlefield. He kept swinging his ethereal glaive even as the sky turned blood red. The sunset¡¯s brilliant display filtered through the red mana that encompassed the territory cast an ominous aura throughout Ghost Reef. Coop barely noticed.


    He fought in the dark, illuminated by flashes of magic, as the ranged combatants did their best to thin the horde of monsters carpeting the island. Despite his battle-trance, he began to recognize abilities. Unable to associate the magic with a face, he simply acknowledged the skills themselves.


    Tiny volcanoes, growing out of the sand like termite mounds would erupt, launching molten projectiles that scorched the Enraged Defenders and exploded into splashes of lava that destroyed or maimed any that were touched.


    Black totems, gleaming like obsidian, embedded themselves into the ground as if they fell out of the sky, vibrated with energy and struck monsters near them with electric bolts that chained into the crowd, stunning those that weren¡¯t fried completely.


    Tiny droplets of glass swept forward, like sheets of rain, penetrating the monster¡¯s armor and leaving them riddled with holes and collapsing on unsteady legs.


    Green flares arced through the air, embedding themselves inside of whatever they touched, monster and ground alike, before burning like roman candles and exploding into pillars of flame when they ran out of wick.


    Shimmering purple orbs that were difficult to look at directly, hovered across the scrubland in slow, straight lines, eroding the monsters and dissolving them into dust with barely a reaction, just by proximity, until the orbs disappeared themselves.


    Chunks of frost, launched as if they were fired from a catapult, splashed onto the sand and unfolded into perfectly formed, giant snowflakes, 25 feet in diameter. Any monsters standing on them were frozen solid, allowing them to be shattered by the slightest touch.


    Golden arrows raced through the air, puncturing metal limbs and bodies without losing any velocity, leaving a trail of shining light and defeated monsters until they simply disappeared, extinguished by a lack of mana.


    The pattern would continue until it culminated in the most reliable attack of them all. When Charlie¡¯s colossal tornadoes formed, swallowing multitudes of Enraged Defenders. All of the rest of the efforts to stem the tide of monsters paused when the Aeromancer took over the battlefield.


    Shane had organized the ranged defenders into groups of three. One would cast their spells, while the other two recovered their mana or waited for cooldowns. The one exception was Charlie, who took a turn all by herself, resetting the cadence of attacks for the entire army. The archers would only be active as her tornadoes faded, before the first group of casters resumed their spells. Arrows were already becoming limited.


    No matter how many spells they cast, monsters kept flowing forward, giving the melee fighters an unlimited supply of opponents.


    The melee fighters that joined Coop had fallen back one-by-one, and for the most part didn¡¯t return. Shane was forced to adjust their defensive strategy, as even though Coop and the others had successfully protected the bridge, it hadn¡¯t been a meaningful victory. Coop remained in order to prevent monsters from reaching the main gate directly, allowing the phantoms to keep it open.


    Unfortunately, the Enraged Defenders weren¡¯t discouraged by the presence of the wide moat. Instead of funneling toward the bridge, like they had expected, the monsters simply leapt into the deep water. Eventually, they reappeared on the opposite wall, climbing the vertical stones with their spiked legs, and moving to assault the walls. They chiseled the outer bricks, attempting to dig their way into the fort, chipping away at the ground level stones. The phantoms inside the first floor repelled the monsters that appeared in front of the pillbox gaps, but many of the monsters found blind spots in between windows and remained.


    The melee fighters that had joined Coop originally were now tasked with periodically sweeping the walls. Using Charlie¡¯s tornadoes as their cue, they carved their way through the sieging monsters before returning through the main gate.


    The walls held against the Enraged Defenders. As long as they were able to thin the masses before they accumulated against the surfaces, the reinforced walls would continue to stand. It was a credit to Jones¡¯s careful maintenance, Balor¡¯s diligent work, and the fort¡¯s original construction.


    The Cleary brothers had been a sight to behold. They fought aggressively, smashing through targets and charging together in formation, like a flying V. They were strong, especially against other armored targets, like the Defenders, but they were also the perfect standard for Coop to compare his stats to.


    Despite being completely covered in metal as they fought, they were only capable of taking a few hits before they needed to retreat. A lunging attack from one of the monsters was enough to rip away their armor. They were strong enough to defeat the monsters, but their defenses wouldn¡¯t allow them to withstand a series of attacks.


    Coop¡¯s overwhelming stats really made themselves apparent when he compared his survivability to theirs. Coop took hits here and there, but his health pool barely moved. He was protected with his ethereal armor, Mind over Matter, and Body attribute¡¯s physical defense. Even when his health pool was scratched, he fully recovered the minor damage with the monster¡¯s defeat.


    He was much stronger than his companions, but against weak normal monsters that didn¡¯t count for much. They were dead when their health pools hit zero, no matter how much overkill damage he applied. He was also significantly faster than his companions, allowing him to handle more targets, beyond just being way more durable.


    Surprisingly, the residents that maintained the front line with Coop the longest were Camila and an elderly woman whose class was Dreadnought. Camila wasn¡¯t able to maintain her speed for more than quick bursts, and the skills she used to assault her targets were limited by cooldowns, but her Perfect Counter ability let her stay in the fight for as long as she could prevent herself from taking damage. Her default Agility was enough to avoid the Enraged Defender¡¯s attacks until she found an opportunity to counter, defeating monsters with their own efforts.


    The Dreadnought was just an unassailable wall of conjured spiked armor. She was by far the lowest level of the fighters that Coop had seen, not even 20 at the start, but she made up for it by being nearly impervious to the monster¡¯s attacks. They would leap at her and be stalled by thick iron shoulder spikes, unable to get purchase with their own pointed edges. Then the old lady would smash them with a one handed mace or gauntleted fist. It would take multiple swings to defeat them, but she got the job done. She ended up retiring due to getting tired rather than any limitation of resources.


    The midrange fighters were able to shine while battling the monsters that climbed out of the moat. These were classes that were ranged, but couldn¡¯t launch volleys far enough to reach the masses of monsters as they flowed toward the fortress. Instead, they excelled in the shooting gallery that the moat became.


    Arthur¡¯s Bloodseeker class was the real standout. Coop¡¯s potential intelligence advisor was not just efficient, but he had style while fighting that made Coop jealous. He was convinced that the old man had an enormous amount of hand-to-hand combat experience. Coop thought Arthur was a ranged fighter, considering he had a series of bows for his weapons, but he actually practiced a melee skirmishing combat style that Coop dubbed Bow-Fu.


    His arrows were daggers as much as they were projectiles, and the man¡¯s whirling attacks were unpredictable enough that Coop couldn¡¯t guess if he was closing distance for a stab or swiveling into a bow shot. Every time he fired an arrow from one of his shortbows, he also slid across the ground, leaving afterimages of himself in various, always elegant poses, like a cinematic guide on how he had just transitioned from firing a bow into a new position. It seemed like he could make distance, close in, or slide sideways at any given moment; an absolute terror to duel against. The arrow strikes themselves didn¡¯t seem particularly devastating, but every wound seeped with red smoke that empowered his movements even further as they bled mana.


    Sunny was another spectacle, howling until he glowed like the sunrise, he trotted along the walls with a tiny sun above his head that disintegrated Enraged Defenders as they struggled over the edge of the moat. He generated flames which orbited his sun orb that could be launched at enemies that withstood the beams, but he rarely had the opportunity to use them. He could also rush forward at a speed that might even rival Camila¡¯s though he seemed to be limited to linear motions. In terms of morale, Sunny was a crowd favorite.


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    When the Dreadnought finally retired, Coop had the opportunity to use his new Fog of War ability. His first impression was that it would be extraordinarily useful. It seemed to behave in a similar way to how Charlie¡¯s abilities escalated with her deliberate input.


    When he activated the skill, it rapidly drained his mana as vapors of fog condensed from the ground around him. He could let it continue to consume mana to have the fog cover a larger area or for it to become denser. Unfortunately, the fog could barely resist the light breeze that flowed across the island, due to his low Intelligence, so he had to keep it condensed to a smaller area. It even seemed possible to direct it in some ways, forcing it to slowly flow in one direction or another, though it would take practice.


    When the cloud of fog formed, the monsters that entered it were clearly disoriented. They couldn¡¯t simply leave the cloud, and would instead meander through the fog in winding circles. If they pursued Coop, they were also confused. They ended up lost inside the fog, being turned around by the swirling haze and having their senses suppressed.


    On the other hand, Coop actually felt like he had sensory overload when he first used the skill. He was suddenly aware of every sound, movement, smell, taste, and shape within the domain of fog. It was like all of the information was shoved directly into his mind in a way that skipped his senses and with way more detail than he would have noticed on his own. It was because Presence of Mind had a surprising synergy with the fog that flooded him with information.


    He could hear individual grains of sand grinding against each other as they were depressed underneath his feet, and he could feel the differences in temperature between his skin and the air. It was overwhelming to the point that he had to dismiss the fog on his first attempt, allowing it to disperse in the breeze and putting the skill on a long cooldown.


    He had more success while forming his domain in a more constrained area while also keeping it diluted. A light, almost invisible fog barely consumed any mana to maintain after the initial investment. As long as he kept injecting small amounts of mana into the skill he could keep it indefinitely. The thin fog lost its disorienting effects on the monsters, but it allowed Coop to acclimate to the additional sensory information that it gave him, letting his mind filter it the same way it was possible to ignore background noise. As he got used to it, he expanded it, pushing himself to adapt to the skill. He wanted to be able to use it to its fullest when he really needed it.


    He spent most of the time fighting with hints of white smoke trailing off of his feet as he moved through an invisible fog bank that he let settle on the ground in front of the wooden bridge. Fog of War synergised nicely with Presence of Mind. It would be impossible to sneak up on him while he was within his domain of fog, no matter how thin it was, and others¡¯ auras would be like beacons to his subconscious. It was no wonder the Zombie Lord had been able to steal the momentum from Coop when they fought inside his storm cloud, an area skill like this was a massive advantage in multiple different ways.


    Coop kept fighting, experimenting with Fog of War, and refining his glaive techniques. Others came and went, displaying fantastic scenes, and rapidly gaining levels, but the monsters were constant.


    The siege event had started as a battle of attrition. Coop wouldn¡¯t be worn down, and Shane¡¯s capable management of their forces allowed them to rest in waves while constantly maintaining enough firepower to prevent the walls from being overrun. The strategy split the organized parties, but allowed their forces to be better distributed for the duration of an extended fight.


    Coop started fighting during the day, fought straight through the night, then fought through another day, and another night. It was day again and Coop could tell that less monsters were reaching his position in front of the wooden bridge. The monsters may be trying to wear them down, and they could potentially succeed given enough time, but for now they were also making everyone else stronger, more effective, and more experienced.


    Residents and phantoms alike had been leveling like crazy. The nights had been a constant series of flashes, whether it was from the glow of levels on the walls or spells exploding on the battlefield. Charlie wasn¡¯t the only one to have benefitted from the combat, though he doubted anyone would be able to match her ridiculous area of effect abilities. Even he had been able to dump more unallocated attribute points into his Mind stat, though he hadn¡¯t had a chance to review any notifications or leaderboards yet.


    Charlie¡¯s tornadoes were ripping through the monsters and Coop was getting as close to a breather as he had the entire event when a loud beeping interrupted the sounds of the battlefield. Coop let his attention be drawn to the countdowns in his peripheral vision.


    [000:00:00]


    [000:00:07]


    The second timer reached zero and the buzzer echoed across the islands. Some scattered cheering slowly built with relieved expressions of joy. Coop felt himself smiling as well. The Enraged Defenders had marginally slowed their push compared to the massive surge that they had arrived with. Coop even had a brief chance to check his notifications.


    [You defeated Enraged Defender (Level 30)]


    [+17 Basic Credits]


    [Congratulations! You leveled up!]


    ¡­


    [Congratulations! You leveled up!]


    Quickly scanning the messages between cleaving the remaining monsters, he was happy to find two level up notifications and three more profession level ups. He was a level 53 Revenant with level 49 Basic Scavenging. He snuck a look at the event leaderboards as well.


    Siege Event Individual Scores


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Charlie Seraphin - 25,120</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Coop - 21,264</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Elder Olani - 9,245</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Shane Peters - 8,123</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Derek Anderson - 8,072</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Reese Maddock - 7,501</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Sunny Paws - 3,423</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Arthur Anonymous - 3,238</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Edith Buford - 2,337</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Camila Alvarez - 2,323</li>


    </ol>


    Coop hadn¡¯t expected to be ahead of Charlie, but he had been fighting non-stop the entire time. The real surprise was that there weren¡¯t more casters on the leaderboard, but he guessed if they didn¡¯t have the absurd area of effect range that Charlie did, then the downtime between casts would kill their efficiency. Otherwise, the leaderboard was delineated in a predictable way with the support classes dominating, followed by the top performing midrange classes, and then the melee. The rest of the thousand rankers hovered around a score of 1,000. The list was entirely composed of members of Ghost Reef.


    Olani¡¯s identity was so tied up in being an Elder, even the system recognized her as one. He guessed Sunny had selected his own last name, and Arthur¡¯s was interesting. He thought it would be best not to ask the gentleman about it.


    Siege Event Settlement Scores


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Ghost Reef - 445,046 (x48828125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Shinjuku Garden - 0 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Neon Park - 0 (x125)</li>


    </ol>


    ¡­


    None of the other settlements had started fighting yet. He cut through a handful of Enraged Defenders, and tried to rest a bit and check the global leaderboards. He was curious to see if Charlie had finally made it, but before he checked, warning bells started ringing.


    Coop looked back at the fortress and spotted Shane frantically rearranging people that had wandered away from their posts, thinking the fight was over. Coop frowned, feeling like he was missing something as Camila rejoined him.


    ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± Coop asked, keeping the weariness out of his voice. He was tired, but not exhausted. He shifted over to defeat another Enraged Defender that seemed to have lagged behind. Glancing around he realized there were still quite a few Defenders lingering. Strange.


    Camila frowned as she pointed back across the dunes. ¡°Ancient Prowlers.¡± Coop squinted, spotting the giant rat-like monsters as they faded in and out of view, like mirages on the sand, between Enraged Defenders that continued to trot across the dunes. ¡°Shane wants to turtle up and close the gate. The Vulnerable debuff is too strong to keep sending people out and he doesn¡¯t think they can do much damage to the walls.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense.¡± Coop nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll let myself back in.¡±


    ¡°Careful.¡± Camila warned him with a tap on his shoulder before she headed back inside.


    Coop stretched his arms and legs, warming up for the next round. Compared to Ancient Defenders, Prowlers were a massive step up in terms of fighting ability, but Shane was right about them being less of a threat to the walls. They relied on their afflictions to be dangerous. He cleaved through two more Defenders and scanned the battlefield. There were still plenty of Enraged Defenders. Were they really done with the first wave?


    Coop swapped to his spear and shield, wanting to hunt down the Defenders with his mistjumps before the Prowlers arrived. He dashed between monsters, but his efforts didn¡¯t seem to be thinning their numbers. By the time the Prowlers started getting in range, there were actually more Defenders than there had been ten minutes earlier.


    He was abruptly made aware of dozens of Ancient Prowlers by the fog that still lingered around him, like a stray thought had suddenly entered his brain. He searched, but couldn¡¯t see them, but when he threw his spear to where Presence of Mind indicated one should be, he successfully impaled an unsuspecting and invisible monster.


    The Ancient Prowlers were already there!

 Chapter 75: Marauders

    Coop identified one of the red-tinged Prowlers as they snuck across the sandy battlefield.


    [Marauding Prowler (Level 40)]


    [(Agility)]


    [Minion of the Primal Constructs]


    These monsters were ten levels higher than the Enraged Defenders. The difference in levels was consistent with the regular variants found on the island, but Coop could immediately recognize a major contrast between the Ancient and the Marauding Prowler¡¯s behavior. Instead of being in consistent groups of five with one visible at a time, these Prowlers weren¡¯t grouped at all, or really, they were in one much larger group with no real distinction for smaller parties. There also didn¡¯t seem to be any pattern to determine which were cloaked and which were not. Some were even alternating between both states. It effectively masked their numbers and caused Coop and the others to be caught off guard when the first wave of invisible monsters reached the walls.


    Coop was dragged back into an all out fight, burning his mana on extending the range of his Fog of War so that he could detect cloaked Prowlers with Presence of Mind, and following their detection with spear throws and mistjumps. It was an impossible pace to maintain, but he was trying to give the defenders inside the walls a chance to regroup.


    The first Marauding Prowlers had made their presence known by scaling the walls and entering the arched windows on the second floor, catching cannon crews off guard, and causing the first real injuries for Ghost Reef. The shouts of danger and combat drew everyone else back into the fight. They only had a few brief moments of blissful decompression before they realized there wouldn¡¯t be any lull in the siege.


    The walls may have been routed before the defenders could respond if not for Jett. The Sentinel of Shadows rejected the presence of the invaders on the entire eastern half of the exposed wall. She seemed to be in every shadow, picking apart the monsters as soon as they climbed through the windows, even before they allowed their invisibility to fall off. There was no getting past her ability to detect pests within her domain. Jett completely relieved half of the pressure that the monsters had applied to the defenses.


    Shane was stifling any panic while rearranging the melee and midrange fighters to defend the second floor windows with Jett. The main gate had been slammed shut, and the casters on the roof had resumed their casting, trying to pick off the monsters that approached the fort even if not all of them could be seen by blasting the battlefield with area of effect spells.


    Rear Admiral Gideon was leading a full division of phantoms in retaking the second floor of the western wall. The mass soldiers made sneaking through nearly impossible. They had recovered enough to fully secure the third floor windows, but would need to go room by room, hunting down agile enemies with invisibility on the second floor. Coop was doing his best to prevent the monsters from being able to reinforce their position in the western half of the walls, defeating as many monsters as possible, not bothering to pace himself for an extended battle. There was no point in conserving resources if they were defeated before he could use them all.


    Coop quickly identified a major problem with their consolidation of forces and abandonment of the outer wall. The Enraged Defenders were still coming.


    Even though a new wave had begun, the previous wave wasn¡¯t complete, and now the Enraged Defenders were unimpeded in their efforts to chip through the walls. Dozens of the monsters had already climbed their way out of the moat and started assaulting the reinforced stone brick of the outer walls. Their numbers hadn¡¯t let up at all.


    Coop was the only person that remained in a position to clear them out, but he had to ignore them for the time being. The integrity of the walls wouldn¡¯t matter if they lost control of them, and the Prowlers were a major threat to their position. He continued mistjumping from Prowler to Prowler, impaling them with spear throws while they slunk across the battlefield and clobbering others with shield throws when they attempted to retaliate, thinking they could ambush him while he attacked their peers.


    The Prowlers were slow while stealthed, and with his gentle fog providing unparalleled detection, Coop was able to pick them off as they moved. The slight pressure they applied to the sand with each footstep was enough to tip him off to their locations.


    The more dangerous threats were the uncloaked Prowlers and the Enraged Defenders. They aggressively fought when Coop got in their range, keeping him wary of biting off more than he could chew. Coop couldn¡¯t afford to stack up Vulnerable debuffs, so he had to fight carefully, with the added complication of leaping Defenders masking the Prowlers'' more subtle movements. Whenever a Defender leapt at him, he could count on a Prowler following up. The Prowlers remained excellent at feigning teamwork when they were really just baiting their comrades.


    The battle finally started to stabilize when Charlie¡¯s tornadoes manifested once again, reducing the number of monsters that could even survive crossing the island. Her tornadoes weren¡¯t nearly as large as the storm she had summoned in Empress City, but the concentration of the twisting wind¡¯s energy made them more deadly. And she was summoning five of them at a time, letting them build up from a ropey column of wind and sand into a V-shaped wedge of tearing winds that only faded away after destroying hundreds of monsters each.


    The eastern wall was brought further under control as the casters moved to the windows and set traps for invisible intruders. Giant snowflakes waited at the openings, triggering when a cloaked enemy touched them, revealing frozen Prowlers that were easily dealt with. All the windows on the east were eventually defended by magical traps. Lightning arced across openings, flaming spikes jutted from the bordering stones, or golden barbed wire covered the edges.


    The western half remained a work in progress even after Charlie¡¯s tornadoes gradually faded. The windows nearest to the main gate were the first to be recovered and those openings were manned and protected by melee fighters that had joined Coop in defending the bridge previously. Coop recognized Mikey B¡¯s Honorguard shield wall abilities being utilized to block the first window with translucent clones of his real shield. Sharkbait appeared in the next, with his scarred and tattooed stomach leading the way and gleaming brass knuckles smashing monsters back without even the slightest concern for debuffs.


    Further resources were deployed from the ramparts. Sojjah provided alchemical ceramic grenades that phantoms tossed against the walls. They contained an oily liquid that coated the stone surfaces and wherever the liquid touched a monster, it would glow like they had been thrust into an infrared heat map. They didn¡¯t have enough supplies to use indefinitely, but they helped the defenders start taking back control.


    Coop continued to focus on the western side, still ignoring the Enraged Defenders that had made it to the base of the walls. Once the tornadoes were completely gone, the cannon portals that were defended by the casters started a barrage of cannon fire. The scrubland erupted as magical cannonballs landed among the invaders, throwing sand in giant plumes along with the remains of defeated monsters.


    One barrage of just half the cannons of the southern wall was enough to leave the battlefield pockmarked with craters. The remaining visible stragglers were easily picked off long before they reached the moat. The first floor pillbox windows periodically thrust polearms out, randomly catching the slower cloaked Prowlers in between deliberate attacks on visible enemies. The few monsters that managed to climb to the second floor windows were dealt with mercilessly by the waiting casters and their traps.


    When half of the western windows were retaken and protected by residents or phantoms, Coop eased up on his use of mana. He had burned through far more than he would have liked, not even leaving enough to protect himself through Mind over Matter. He opted to consume a bit more mana to switch to his glaive and fight the Prowlers the old fashioned way while his mana recuperated.


    He let more monsters through, losing a massive amount of his mobility, but he made sure to cut down the cloaked ones first, prioritizing the sneaky invaders over the visible threats. Even at a reduced speed he was a massive presence on the battlefield. His Fog of War had settled into a centimeter thick sheet all along the western half of the moat extending forward enough to have him responsive to the slower moving invisible Prowlers.


    They barely reached an equilibrium that felt manageable. Coop had thought they would be able to hold out against the Enraged Defenders for the entire duration of the event, but if it went any longer he thought attrition would definitely eat away at them. With the addition of the Prowlers, he was worried they would struggle to last even until the next wave.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Captain Kayla had suggested he was the lead by example type, and he took her observation to heart. He continued to fight, unceasingly defeating the monsters that he could put into range of his ethereal glaive. He wasn¡¯t exactly someone that shied away from an extended fight and it seemed like this settlement event was the time to prove his mettle. Once he got into the grinding mindset, his speed naturally escalated. No longer fighting desperately, he settled back into the efficient techniques that had already carried him through tens of thousands of individual battles.


    When Charlie¡¯s tornadoes finally returned after she rejuvenated her mana, Coop turned his attention to the Enraged Defenders that were successfully attacking the walls. He cleaved his way up and down both sides, calling out to the soldiers on the inside of the first floor so that they wouldn¡¯t accidentally attack him as he went by. In the hours that they lingered, the monsters had chipped large areas of the reinforced stone away, creating scars all the way across the southern wall, but the walls were thick and not in any danger just yet. It would take the monsters a week of digging through the stone before they made it into the interior, and Coop wouldn¡¯t let them have more than a few hours at a time.


    Another cannon barrage, this time from the entire wall, marked his return to the front of the moat and the fading of Charlie¡¯s spells. The residents of Ghost Reef settled into another pattern, with Charlie¡¯s tornadoes and the cannon fire establishing a clear cadence. Coop battled through it all.


    The night was darker, with less spells creating firework displays, but it was louder, with the boneshaking cannon barrages. The stability of the defense was precarious, with the occasional mistake resulting in frantic shuffling of their forces.


    The tricky Prowlers managed to get past or sometimes through the defenses, and they tried to do whatever damage they could once they had the opportunity. Coop spotted the angelic illumination of Madison more than once as she chased the problem areas with the determination of a truly dedicated first responder.


    Olani¡¯s runes were also being used defensively on the upper levels, sealing the entrances with large singular runes of orange arcane energy. Cloaked Prowlers that triggered the runes would be stabbed by five bone colored spikes and be pinned like they were flies in a spider¡¯s web, then they would curl up into desiccated husks as if they had been drained of their mana. Olani would eventually return to refresh her runes, keeping the upper floors secure, and gradually expanding her coverage.


    Coop alternated back to his spear and shield whenever his mana recovered, swapping to the glaive when his mana pool dipped below half. His mistjump cost was down to 28 mana by the time he noticed that the Enraged Defenders were completely absent from the battlefield.


    Morning had come and gone with a red sunrise that would have made superstitious sailors nervous. By midday the defenders of Ghost Reef were only fighting the Marauding Prowlers. The first wave lasted three full days.


    Not a lot changed for the defenders battling on the walls, but for Coop, having just a single enemy type, was a massive deescalation in tactical danger. He didn¡¯t need to interrupt his battle-state with clearing the walls and he only needed to concentrate on the single enemy moveset.


    Coop once again rose to another echelon in his grinding speed. The Marauding Prowlers were still the ambush fighters that baited their allies in order to get a decent attack off, but not being coordinated in packs meant Coop was able to isolate them from each other a lot more easily. He could also bait them into disadvantageous positions when they thought they were getting a proper sneak attack, but were really falling for his feints. It seemed like the lack of a specific formation, like they had when they were in groups of five, made them more desperate to lunge into Coop¡¯s blind spots. They didn¡¯t know they were inside of Coop¡¯s Fog of War. The combination of fog and Presence of Mind meant his blind spots were a lot more difficult to reach. It would take a more sophisticated camouflage than what these simple monsters employed.


    The rest of the residents also entrenched themselves against the Prowlers. During another night, the darkness was once again interrupted by the flashing of spells as the casters were more comfortable in their positions and could spare a spell or two in between managing their traps. With just the one enemy type, Shane was better able to manage their fatigue, allowing the residents and the phantoms time to take breaks, rotating on and off duty. Coop, Charlie, and Shane himself were the only ones that never stopped, though it was a safe bet that Camila didn¡¯t rest while Charlie couldn¡¯t.


    The loud beeping echoed across the island again, but barely anyone even reacted to the completion of another countdown. They were firmly entrenched in their positions, as ready as they could be for the next wave. Coop didn¡¯t bother to observe the timer, as singularly focused as he was on defeating as many Marauding Prowlers as he could. Whatever came next would arrive with or without his anticipation. If the pattern held, they would need to fight the Prowlers until the following day anyway.


    Coop dialed himself in for another hectic 25 hours after the buzzer sounded. A few minutes and no new monsters seemed suspicious, then an earthquake struck Ghost Reef. Coop stumbled in the sand, unsure what was happening. He looked back at the walls where nothing was obviously amiss, at least any more than they were before with the threat of monsters climbing into the windows.


    The cannon portals were still protected with traps that occasionally triggered when cloaked Prowlers managed to scale the walls. A few moments later and the casters returned to lobbing spells into the battlefield. The residents of Ghost Reef had already become disciplined enough to not let an earthquake break their concentration.


    The first indication that something was wrong was a round of cannons fired from within the fortress. Then the warning bells started ringing from all the way around the fort. Coop noticed a plume of smoke rising from the center of the settlement, like a bomb had gone off. He swapped to his spear set and threw it over the main gate. The Marauding Prowlers were under enough control by themselves for him to leave the battlefield for a moment at least.


    In the air, he could see a giant gaping hole had formed beyond the north end of the inner bridge. It was like a massive sinkhole had formed in the center of where the northern town circle would have been. The ground had been swallowed up and he couldn¡¯t see the bottom from the angle or distance.


    Coop landed above the main gate, among the many resting people. Almost two thirds of the defenders on the wall were resting while the rest fought in the windows and along the edge of the wall. They were rousing themselves, sensing that break time was over, when a second volley of cannons fired from The Eye of the Storm followed by Windchaser¡¯s significantly smaller volley. The ships blasted the crater with bells clanging an urgent warning. They were still in the canal, protecting the civilization shard. Pirates that had been on shore were rushing back to the ship, generously applying their ethereal teleports to cover ground.


    Shane was yelling a series of orders at the top of his lungs from near where Coop had landed. The field commander was sending the midrange fighters to the courtyard to set up a loose perimeter defense while the frontline melee fighters held the bridge to protect the civilization shard along with phantom divisions two and four. Everyone else was to maintain their positions on the southern wall, preventing the Prowlers from getting in. All of the off-duty fighters were needed to cope with attacks on multiple flanks.


    Charlie and Camila were among the many resting fighters on the ramparts. Coop waved at them and Camila hopped up to join him while Charlie gave a weary thumbs up. If there was one person that could manage their mana over long periods of time, it was definitely the timid Aeromancer with all of her sailing experience, but she was clearly pushing herself to her limits. She looked like she was fighting off the exhaustion with a cocktail of fear and anxiety even though she tried to put forward a brave face. She chugged a mana tincture and chewed on some kind of herbal root as she rested.


    Camila, on the other hand, retained her regular confidence and was as composed as ever. It would have been impossible to tell that she was going through the same ordeal as the rest of them if it wasn¡¯t for the loose strands of hair that had escaped her ever present ponytail.


    ¡°There¡¯s always something, isn¡¯t there.¡± Camila commiserated.


    ¡°A fact of life.¡± Arthur added as he joined the pair. He addressed Coop directly. ¡°Would you take a moment before joining us in the courtyard to explain all of the different invaders to Shane. He believes we will be seeing waves of each of them.¡±


    Coop only knew of five more variants and Shane had been with him to discover two of them, and had arranged for the quarantine of another. They had more waves than five left, which meant they had incomplete information if Shane¡¯s theory was correct. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to him.¡±


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Arthur turned to Camila and offered his arm. ¡°Shall we?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Camila concurred, appreciating the gentlemanly etiquette even in the middle of a harrowing battle. She angled her head back to Coop to waggle her eyebrows as they descended the stairs.


    Coop picked his way through resting casters and other fighters as they waited for their turn among the battlements or prepared themselves to join in the courtyard. He reached Shane, finding the lanky man looking absolutely terrible. His long hair was disheveled, he had dark bags under his eyes from the stress, and he slouched as he rushed between casters, getting updates and sharing timings for their next wave of attacks. Even before Coop reached the field commander, several messenger wraiths came and went, passing information with practiced agility.


    Coop didn¡¯t waste too much of Shane¡¯s time, sharing what he knew about the Ancient Devourers and the Primal Serpents after reminding him of the Primal Kites, Ancient Piercers, and the quarantined Ruin Excavators. Shane seemed to absorb the information and immediately started planning counter-measures. He was already anticipating that the disturbance in the courtyard was the start of the Excavator wave, but he wanted to try and predict the order of the rest of the waves as well.


    Before Coop left Shane, he made sure to praise the man¡¯s efforts so far. He really was doing a much better job than anyone could have expected from the former plumber. Shane waved off the compliments, insisting that even though he was nominally captain of the guard, his primary contribution would always have come in times like this.


    Besides, he reminded Coop, it wasn¡¯t over yet.

 Chapter 76: Frenzied Excavators

    Coop joined other residents and phantoms that were similarly rushing toward the civilization shard. The distance between the southern wall of the fort and the southern town circle was crowded with half-rested reinforcements that abandoned their breaks in order to protect the shard. It had only been two minutes since the buzzer alerted them of the start of the third wave, but those few minutes were enough for another battle line to be drawn.


    Rear Admiral Gideon, the leader of the phantom army, was personally leading the forces on their second front. He had posted himself directly between the glowing red civilization shard and the enemy forces across the bridge to the north. Gideon stood ramrod straight with a gleaming cavalry saber in his hand as he calmly directed the wraith messengers around him. Other soldiers and residents rushed around the town circle in a chaotic scramble to find suitable positions, but the Rear Admiral had established a zone of calm that was slowly spreading thanks to his steady presence alone. His formal leadership style was the polar opposite of Captain Kayla¡¯s charismatic approach, but his competence was as clear as day.


    Balor¡¯s dirt and rock barriers had already been manned on either side of the end of the bridge, facing north, with phantom archers lined up with buckets full of arrows behind them. The bridge was completely blocked by shielded fighters, side by side, in a phalanx that waited for the gathering midrange fighters to form at their flank. They were preparing to push forward, across the bridge, to reclaim the open ground on the other side.


    The monsters were streaming across the bridge and finding themselves stymied by the shields. The invaders couldn¡¯t reach a critical mass as long as the volleys of cannon shots kept thinning their numbers. The Eye of the Storm was moored on a diagonal, halfway down the eastern half of the canal. The Tempest Fleet flagship was firing a series of cannon barrages, one deck at a time, stifling the accumulation of monsters and giving Gideon¡¯s forces a chance to mount their defenses.


    The cannon barrels that poked beyond the portholes glowed orange with heat as they waited for their turn to fire. Windchaser mirrored the much larger ship on the western side, though it only boasted a handful of cannons. Pirate casters held themselves up on rigging as they added their spells to the suppressive fire.


    Coop walked into Gideon¡¯s command area, intending to share information on the Ruin Excavators, but the Rear Admiral was already prepared. He interrupted Coop with a polite greeting and his own explanation of their enemy: small enemies with strong carapaces, weak to blunt damage, debilitating afflictions from both the claws and the tails, elites with a capacity for launching projectiles, preference to ambush and swarm, and a possible concealed commander.


    Coop thought that covered it.


    Gideon gave Coop permission to fight autonomously, whenever he was ready, with the simple direction of ¡®go wild.¡¯ The rest would follow his start.


    Before Coop incited their offensive across the bridge, he pulled Mikey B away from the back of the phalanx to find out where Amanda was. Mikey pointed her out among the fighters, so Coop brought them together and gave them a special assignment, asking them to relay a message on his behalf and to recruit one of Kayla¡¯s corvettes to do it. They promised to get it done. Coop let them go and prepared for another fight.


    Balor¡¯s stone bridge connected the settlement¡¯s two town circles. Where the southern circle held the civilization shard in its center, the northern circle now had a brand new cavern as its centerpiece.


    Ruin Excavators were crawling out of the hole and scampering into the north half of the courtyard. The monsters were scattering as soon as they reached the surface, spreading like a wave of insects that were suddenly exposed to light. Some were launching attacks on the shielded buildings and others seemed to search for places to set up ambushes, all while more were constantly leaving the darkness of the cavern. Many of the monsters wanted to rush across the bridge to attack the people gathered on the south side, but the Eye of the Storm¡¯s cannons concentrated on the monsters that left their lair from the southern edge and reduced the monster¡¯s numbers to a manageable level while Windchaser took care of stragglers.


    Coop inspected one of the monsters from his position behind the phalanx.


    [Frenzied Excavator (Level 45)]


    [(Body)]


    [Minion of the Primal Constructs]


    The Ruin Excavators had topped out in the high thirties when he and Jett had cleared them out of the fort, so these represented another escalation in levels compared to their regular counterparts. Thankfully, it wasn¡¯t as much of an increase as the Defenders had demonstrated when their Enraged counterparts appeared, but it was still much higher than his allies. The phantoms and many of the residents only had a few days of training and leveling before the event was initiated. He was worried about how they would fare if the enemies continued to climb in levels with each wave. So far, each wave had increased relative to the previous.


    A quick inspection of a few of his allies surprised him. Despite most of them starting the event with levels in the teens or early twenties, he was hard pressed to find anyone below level 30. This event was making everyone grind experience whether they planned to or not.


    He checked the event leaderboards before he lost the opportunity.


    Siege Event Individual Scores


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Charlie Seraphin - 61,155 (+36,035)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Coop - 60,285 (+39,021)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Shane Peters - 18,251 (+10,128)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Elder Olani - 17,744 (+8,499)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Reese Maddock - 13,242 (+5,741)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Derek Anderson - 11,855 (+3,783)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Camila Alvarez - 7,621 (+5,298)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Hozanek - 7,358 (+5,221)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Emmanuel Seraphin - 7,348 (+5,276)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Arthur Anonymous - 7,322 (+4,084)</li>


    </ol>


    The combination of the Enraged Defenders with the Marauding Prowlers had forced the battlefield to shift. The reduced stability and shifting frontline seemed to have affected some of the support classes more than others, with Shane and Olani¡¯s skills continuing to prove their utility as Shane¡¯s was proximity based and Olani¡¯s were castable, lingering runes. Derek¡¯s more time limited skills meant it was harder for his song buffs to contribute with the more random flare ups of combat as the Prowlers unpredictably reached windows.


    The melee brawlers picked up their own paces since they were more involved in keeping the second floor secure. Essentially, during the last two days, the melee fighters took the role of the rotating casters who had more consistent opportunities to contribute during the initial portion of the siege.


    A quick peek at the event leaderboards showed that the settlements with x125 multipliers had at least begun their first waves, but the individual scores were still completely dominated by residents of Ghost Reef.


    Siege Event Settlement Scores


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Ghost Reef - 1,124,046 (x48828125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Kurradering - 4,873 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Neon Park - 2,994 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Wintermeer - 2,065 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Shinjuku Gardens - 1,184 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Valdava - 880 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Aotearoa New Zealand - 584 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Turnhal - 388 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">New Elega - 182 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Reyes - 86 (x125)</li>


    </ol>


    The other settlements were finally getting in on the action, but it seemed like, based on their scores, they had only been fighting for a few minutes. Coop tried to look at the bright side. Ghost Reef had a nice head start for the leaderboard.


    Gideon cleared his throat from behind Coop. ¡°If you¡¯d like to say something inspirational, now is the time. Otherwise, feel free to engage as you see fit. We will work on securing a beachhead on the opposite end of the bridge. When the Prowlers cease their assault, Captain Peters and his forces will join us before pushing to the source of the enemies.¡± Gideon gave a polite bow before he stepped to the side to observe their progress.


    Coop tried to think of something to say to the gathered forces, but decided on something better and more his style.


    He threw his spear in a high arc above the bridge, drawing everyone¡¯s attention to the shining missile as it flew through the sky over the phalanx and then the swarming monsters. He mistjumped while it was still soaring through the air. Coop swapped the spear for the ethereal morning star, spikes included, while he rocketed towards the ground. He¡¯d received permission to go wild, so that¡¯s what he was going to do.


    He smashed into the ground from over a hundred feet in the air, slamming the morning star into the unluckiest individual out of all of the monsters. The Frenzied Excavator was evaporated by the force of Coop¡¯s immense Strength, multiplied by his momentum and Mind based weapon. A wave that lifted dust, dirt and smoke emanated from the indentation that Coop created with the gleaming head of his weapon. It blasted outwards like a miniature sonic boom, an undeniable signal that the battlefield was changing. Coop cocked his morning star back and swung at his next target.


    The army responded to the sound of Coop¡¯s crushing entrance with shouts that triggered their charge across the bridge. The phalanx of shields shoved the much smaller monsters that sought gaps in their defenses out of the way, leaving the Excavators to be trampled and destroyed by the second line. Coop knew from experience that the monsters wouldn¡¯t be content to just die without trying to retaliate, but he had to trust that Gideon had prepared them with countermeasures.


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    Coop¡¯s weapon crashed into monsters far quicker than they could swarm him. This was one matchup where Coop benefitted from recklessly destroying his enemies. His superior reach meant that his best defense was preventing the Excavators from getting in range to swipe at him with their shovel-like claws or stinging him with their triple pronged tails. As long as he killed them before they applied any debuffs to him, he was golden, but that meant he had to be in a frenzy as much as the monsters were.


    The army¡¯s phalanx made much slower progress. They were constantly forced to rotate their frontline as they caught debuffs that would cripple them. Occasionally, they weren¡¯t able to swap fast enough and someone would collapse from the tail barb¡¯s Soul Rot affliction. Coop was happy to see they were prepared for that eventuality, relying on the second line to quickly drag the victims behind the rest of the shields and seal the gaps. The victims of the debilitating afflictions had a chance to recover without being swarmed by skittering Excavators where the archers had been set up.


    They had arrived with over 2,000 people, ready to fight, even after days of dealing with other monsters, so they had enough replacements to be considerate of the afflictions and hold the chokepoint. The experience of fighting the first waves had already given them a grim determination to survive and trust in their leaders to help them do so, though he hadn¡¯t met a phantom that didn¡¯t already seem wholly dedicated to Ghost Reef.


    The bridge was narrow enough that it would prevent the defenders from exerting their entire capacity to fight, so the first priority was getting across to establish a perimeter from which they could launch their counterattacks. If they couldn¡¯t stem the flow of enemies, they would be ceding half of the fort to the invaders.


    The entire northern half of the courtyard was infested by the Frenzied Excavators and more were pouring out of the sinkhole. Coop intended to drive a wedge directly to the border of the hole, giving the defenders a chance to establish themselves, then he would round the circle and start wiping out the monsters that had charged toward the Training Yard, Blacksmith, and Town Hall.


    None of the buildings seemed to be in any particular danger, with various types of significant looking defenses, energy shields, and plating protecting their surfaces. The other crafting services seemed a bit weaker, but he couldn¡¯t really judge the alien preparations. In any case, the Excavators would need a longer period of free reign before they could destroy any of the settlement¡¯s services. If they had been digging at the fort¡¯s walls like the Enraged Defenders had, Coop would have been a lot more worried as they were better equipped for such a task.


    The only other force in the northern half of the fort was the fifth division of phantoms. They had been manning the cannons and scouting from the battlements while the rest gathered at the south wall. The soldiers on the roof had to split their attention between the outside and the inside now, and the cannoneers would need to watch out for Frenzied Excavators flanking them. Coop would lead the way to making sure the interior of the northern walls was clear once again.


    As he smashed his way up to the sinkhole he made the mistake of glancing over the rim. Thousands of the red lights lined the edges so that the entire tunnel appeared to be squirming while the monsters climbed out of the darkness. Watching that many monsters swarming at once was a disconcerting experience that Coop could have done without.


    He didn¡¯t let himself be distracted after staring into the abyss. He continued his efforts to curb the monsters, smashing them as they came over the edge. Mana wouldn¡¯t be a limiting factor while he went berserk on the Excavators since he was just banging away with his morning star. There was just the simple equation of his Strength combined with his Agility competing with the Excavators¡¯ physical defense and health pools. It was a contest that regular monsters had no business in. Even elites should avoid such a straightforward matchup with Coop at this point.


    Outside of a few specific instances, Coop rarely had the opportunity to explore just how much his Strength attribute translated to real world strength. He was definitely multiple times stronger than he had been before mana, but most of the time, when he was fighting, maintaining some level of control and restraining his movements was a primary concern. Grinding demanded that he be quick, efficient, and often precise.


    He had to consciously force himself to really flex his power, and not just because he didn¡¯t really practice pushing himself to another level. It seemed like he had a mental block, as his subconscious prevented him from overexerting himself by going beyond a regular human¡¯s limits. He was reminded of Ledwidge¡¯s first lesson regarding the mental aspect of utilizing mana. Normally, subconsciously restricting himself wasn¡¯t an issue, since none of the regular opponents he faced could withstand even just a portion of his Strength anyway. Coop thought it was probably a natural aspect of the brain to act as a limiter to prevent individuals from hurting themselves outside of the most extreme of circumstances.


    Coop thought that fighting alien monsters as they invaded his home was the perfect time for his brain to let him go, and these particular monsters were tough nuts to crack. He smashed the metal carapaces of the scorpion-like creatures with unrelenting force, experimenting with his own Strength. The sound of his morning star slamming into the relatively soft ground gradually rose above the sounds of battle until Coop himself could hear the bassy thumps echoing back to him from across the courtyard. He embraced the rhythm and smashed away.


    He was starting to enjoy himself. It was different from when his Haunted title rewarded proper technique, though that was also contributing. This was a more primitive excitement that came from smashing things than being properly technical with his attacks. It was more like being in the middle of a workout and having an insane pump. Nevermind that this particular workout had already been four days long.


    His rampage continued until the end of the bridge had been fortified and dozens of midrange fighters started skirmishing in the field, attempting to surround the sinkhole completely. It seemed like their particular archetype would be feasting during this wave.


    Camila flashed across the courtyard, beating Coop to a defense of the service buildings. Her Interceptor class wasn¡¯t strong enough to smash through the armored carapaces of the Frenzied Excavators and she was a pure melee fighter that didn¡¯t use weapons, so at first glance it seemed like she would be at a massive disadvantage when facing Excavators, but she was clearly as confident as ever.


    She was fast enough to completely flank the monsters, even when they tried to face her. She used her superior positioning to drill them with powerful kicks that turned them into projectiles that smashed into their comrades. Where Coop was smashing them one at a time with the conclusive strikes of his morning star, she was able to destroy multiple monsters with one kick as they exploded into each other.


    She was unique in being a melee fighter that left the shield wall behind. Coop didn¡¯t see anyone else braving close range and risking the nasty afflictions that the Excavators could apply.


    Arthur was another that extricated himself from the crowd at the beachhead. He was similarly advantaged, with his control of spacing, he was able to kite a dozen monsters at once as they leaked the red mist that empowered his Bloodseeker class. His shortbows kept him well out of their reach and his superior speed kept them skittering in his wake with no chance of catching him. He quickly established a cadence where the monsters were defeated one after the other like a fatal chain reaction was occurring, while he constantly added replacements to the small train of pursuers.


    A phantom that Coop didn¡¯t recognize calmly walked into the swarming monsters with his fingertips pressed together so that his palms were nearly touching. He had nine baseball sized gray metal balls orbiting around his body like electrons around a nucleus. They looped around him, spinning at varying speeds and distances.


    When he cast his gaze on a monster, one of the balls left its orbit to bee-line into the target like it was a coin being slotted into a machine. The monster¡¯s carapace glittered with bluish gray energy where it had been struck. It froze as if it was malfunctioning. The other eight balls shot bolts that matched the energy into the afflicted Excavator without interrupting their orbits, whenever they were closest to the target.


    The monster was defeated before it had any chance to retaliate since its limbs couldn¡¯t recover from the crowd control applied in the initial attack. A pair of gray metal balls reformed from where the creature had been defeated and flew into orbits around the caster, giving him ten protective moons instead of the nine that he started with.


    When more monsters swarmed the phantom, he calmly teleported backwards, into an open space, without ever changing the position of his hands, and let the gray metal balls continue their work. Coop inspected the phantom, curious at how much progress he had already made to be comfortably handling the level 45 Excavators.


    [Spectral Human (Level 42)]


    [Charon¡¯s Gaze (Intelligence)]


    [Phantom of Ghost Reef]


    [Collector]


    Coop thought this phantom¡¯s progress was utterly ridiculous. Captain Kayla had said that they progressed in a completely different way, but he didn¡¯t expect the speed of progression to be that different! He didn¡¯t want to try and figure out how many levels this guy needed to have gone up per day to be where he was now. Coop was just plain jealous. They might not get experience from defeating monsters, but defending the fort was certainly a major part of their duties, and serving their purpose was what gave them experience.


    The phantom had a fascinating class as well. It reminded Coop of the spirit minion build that he had been offered. At least in the way it appeared to escalate in power as he defeated enemies. Coop thought the phantom would rapidly grow as he kept defeating monsters and collecting more orbs. He was glad the phantoms were allies. Keeping track of speedy classes like Camila¡¯s and Arthur¡¯s would be tough enough in a fight, but having an effortless teleport was a bit insane, especially when it applied to every class archetype.


    Coop felt that the state of the courtyard was already becoming manageable, even with the sinkhole pouring monsters from all sides. Excavators without the ability to ambush weren¡¯t playing to their strengths. With the battlefield stabilizing and the buildings being defended, he shifted his focus to the walls. He wanted to sweep the dark halls to prevent the monsters from setting up their annoying ambush nests.


    He followed a group of the skittering monsters as they rushed toward an open doorway in one of the galleries of the eastern wall. They barely made it inside before he caught up to them, but they wouldn¡¯t be able to escape his pursuit.


    When he left the lit courtyard for the dark interior of the northern walls, expecting to smash some monsters, he was met by Jett lazing in the middle of the room instead. As his eyes adjusted, there were no signs of the monsters, so he looked at her like he was waiting for an explanation. The only one he would ever receive was that she was a cat doing her own thing.


    She looked back at him before she got up and headbutted his shin, rubbing against his leg, then she walked to the corner of the room and melted into the shadows. Coop followed, interpreting her actions from experience, only to find that there was nothing but solid stone in the darkness. Jett had simply disappeared.


    A few seconds later she just popped out of another shadow like nothing happened. Then she headbutted him again and walked into the next room, leading him like a cat that wanted to be fed. He followed her, realizing that the interior of the fort was most likely completely clear with the cat taking control of the shadows.


    She only disappeared a few more times as she led him down to the basement, where he became more alert. He was wondering if there were Excavators swarming in the darkness as they exited their hive, but it remained quiet other than the distant clangs of swords striking carapaces, shields blocking claws, and the trickle of water as the ocean seeped through the ground. The basement was completely clear, but Jett led him straight back to the entrance of the hive, ignoring the puddles that made her paws wet. She stopped in the doorway and waited for him to head inside, peering over her shoulder with her tail flicking back and forth.


    Coop peered into the tunnel, acknowledging that he couldn¡¯t keep ignoring what everyone knew was lurking inside, but not ready to just enter the darkness on his own.

 Chapter 77: Felrog

    Coop squeezed the handle of his morning star with a white knuckle grip. He was straining his eyes as he stared into the darkness of the hive tunnel, doing his best to spot any threats. There weren¡¯t any of the red lights that would denote a Primal Construct was waiting in the depths, but he was still nervous. When he and Jett stumbled upon Felrog the Soul Snatcher the first time around, they were both caught by surprise when the Field Boss launched itself through the tunnel like the bullet from a gun.


    This time, Coop was just leaning around the edge of the tunnel, not willing to put his entire body in the firing range of the boss. When he didn¡¯t see anything after a few more seconds, he turned back to Jett to see what she wanted to do. He certainly didn¡¯t want to blindly climb into the tunnel and not have any way to escape the line of fire.


    Jett was gone again. Either she was already tired of getting her paws wet, or she was busy defeating the Frenzied Excavators that wandered into the shadows. The monsters seemed to like the darkness since it allowed them to hide their ambushes, but the shadows were already claimed by the territorial cat.


    Coop sighed, realizing he was alone in the near pitch black basement, about to do something reckless in order to fight a Field Boss. Again.


    At least he was a lot stronger this time around when compared to when he challenged Andamarius the Blight Howler, the Primal Tracker Field Boss in his golf course dungeon, just to test the strength of a boss.


    Acknowledging his own growth, Coop used his newest ability to try and scout the tunnel without putting himself in too much danger. He activated his Fog of War ability and watched as a thin layer of misty white vapor gradually materialized on top of the shallow water that covered the floor. He remembered the light breeze that had been flowing out of the darkness during his first visit, but helpfully, the direction had changed so that the breeze was flowing into the tunnel this time. Perhaps it had found another exit.


    He kept his Fog of War ability activated as he mentally pushed the fog in the direction of the hive. Manipulating his ability was a skill he had yet to develop but he had a huge mana pool to draw on as he fumbled around.


    After consuming a few thousand mana, a sheet of fog that was only a few inches thick began to gradually flow into the darkness of the tunnel. Gravity helped, since the tunnel was angled slightly downward as it extended toward the interior of the island.


    Coop waited as the fog slowly left the room. It was a surprise when he no longer received the overwhelming amount of sensory information that normally came with the ability. Once he was outside of the fog himself, he only had a limited connection that seemed to leave vague impressions of what was inside the fog rather than the deluge of information that he got when he was also inside.


    There wasn¡¯t any chance of him missing a Field Boss, even with just a fuzzy notion of what was inside the fog, so he stuck to the plan of letting it flow through the tunnel. Unfortunately, he found that his ability to discern anything useful got worse with the increasing distance. He needed to follow behind his Fog of War to keep it from becoming useless before it faded away.


    With another sigh, he surrendered himself to heading into the hive himself. He hadn¡¯t detected any monsters hiding along the smooth walls, so the only danger he was aware of was from the Field Boss if it was waiting at the other end. The fog moved forward like a cloud drifting with the breeze, languidly flowing through the tunnel. It was such a slow pace that Coop found his attention turning to the tunnel itself.


    The walls themselves left an acrid taste in the air. The glassy interior consisted of melted coral rock, but he didn¡¯t think it was heat that smoothed it out. Even in the dim light, he could see that the tunnel walls were quite pretty, like the pearlescent interior of a seashell.


    He slid his hands along the side as he went, impressed with the precision that the hive had been created. There hadn¡¯t been any branching tunnels, visible hatches, or trap doors interrupting the surface of the main path, just the smooth walls and a light breeze that followed along with him. Hopefully, the tunnels wouldn¡¯t be so extensive that he ended up wandering around in the gloom while the rest of the settlement fought on without him.


    The tunnels remained dark and empty aside from the slight mist that his depleted Fog of War had become. The mist still led Coop along the corridor, but he had allowed it to slowly fade away. There was no point in continuing to expend mana when using his eyes was just as effective.


    While it didn¡¯t take him all day to navigate the dark tunnels, it did take some time before the darkness started to diminish and he noticed it slowly getting brighter. He estimated it was already evening when he reached the source of the light.


    The tunnel connected to an open chamber that was at least as large as one of the blocks on the surface. It was big enough to comfortably fill with service buildings and not feel claustrophobic despite being underground. The walls and the ceiling were completely cloaked in darkness, but there were several pearlescent columns that emanated gentle blue light in slow waves at their bases. Coop felt like he was underwater or visiting a massive aquarium with the way the blue light trickled across the floor.


    Frenzied Excavators were scuttling out of the darkness at the edges, massing in the center, and climbing up solid columns that led into the darkness above. Surely, he had found their spawn points. He might not have found the Field Boss, but maybe this was better. He adjusted his grip on the ethereal morning star, briefly considering how to approach the situation.


    Coop had been worried that he was leaving his army and the residents high and dry while he strolled through the darkness, but he could contribute here. The more monsters he defeated the easier time his settlement would have. He didn¡¯t think much more about it, he just picked his first victim and started bashing away with his heavy weapon.


    The reaction was immediate. Not only did the Frenzied Excavators turn their attention to him, swarming aggressively, but Elite Ruin Excavators crashed from their concealed positions in the darkness of the ceiling. Coop didn¡¯t have time to reconsider his positioning as he blasted his way deeper into the army of monsters. He knew from experience that leaving the elites alone was a dangerous proposition. If they were allowed to chuck projectiles at him from behind the rest of the swarm, he would be risking a losing fight as he accumulated the dangerous Excavator debuffs.


    He let his Fog of War spread freely, intending to fill as much of the room as he could, as fast as possible. If he caught any stacks of the Soul Degradation affliction from any of their claws, the mana cost of his skills would become prohibitively high, preventing him from being able to cast later. Plus, if he concealed himself in the fog he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the elite¡¯s projectile attacks catching him off guard. If the fog was thick enough, they might not even shoot at all.


    The stingers from all of the monsters¡¯ tails would apply the debilitating Soul Rot debuff. If Coop received too many stacks and ended up stunned, he really might not recover in time, alone as he was in the underground area. Countering them with fog was a priority.


    Coop dodged a series of spiked projectiles, launched by elites, as he smashed their comrades. He found it easier to really exert his Strength and didn¡¯t hold back from doing so. He already had the attention of the entire chamber anyway. His notifications continued to stack up, adding to the previous few days of constant fighting and he blindly dropped unallocated points into Mind.


    Fog of War eventually consumed most of his mana, a bit more than 7,000 gone in his initial setup, but it laid a thick fog across the bottom of a large portion of the chamber that rose to Coop¡¯s head. The much smaller creatures were completely drowned in it.


    Coop was able to stop and take stock of the situation while the monsters struggled with the swirling clouds. They completely lost him in the fog. The Elite Ruin Excavators joined the Frenzied Excavators in skittering around searching for their target and the source of the disorienting mist, but it was in vain. Coop was able to watch it all at once, or rather just understand everything that was happening. The way Fog of War fed Presence of Mind information went beyond observing.


    When he walked through the mist, he was able to watch the monsters struggle as the fog manipulated their senses, tricking them into spotting glimpses of him with whatever their equivalent of peripheral vision was in random directions.


    Coop came up beyond an elite and swung his weapon. In the brief moment before his morning star crushed the monster it displayed recognition of Coop¡¯s presence. There wasn''t nearly enough time to react, but it seemed like the Fog of War was momentarily lifted for the monster as Coop smashed it. A sufficiently quick enemy might have the reaction time necessary to retaliate, but these weren¡¯t such an opponent.


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    The crushing slam that sounded through the chamber did nothing to help the other monsters solve their predicament. If anything, they were further confused by the warped sounds reverberating through the mist, just like with real fog.


    Coop¡¯s Fog of War had utterly taken over the arena, turning the area of the interior chamber into his personal domain. The Excavators that found themselves lost in his ability simply had no counter. They couldn¡¯t escape, couldn¡¯t find him, and couldn¡¯t get rid of the blanket of fog.


    He went to work.


    Coop defeated a thousand monsters and still more were constantly flowing into his misty realm. He was having an out of body experience. His senses perceived the entire domain of fog with equal fidelity. It didn¡¯t matter if he was on the north side or the south side, he was simply aware of everything that was happening inside the fog.


    He hadn¡¯t maximized his ability to use Presence of Mind, despite a few clumsy attempts to weaponize it as an oppressive intimidation move, but he realized now that it was like a force multiplier on Fog of War, giving the skill a way to stream information directly into his subconscious, like reading an aura, he was reading the fog.


    The mana cost to maintain the realm was reasonable, especially considering what a game changer it was. The upkeep didn¡¯t even exceed his natural regeneration. He could keep his domain active indefinitely, as long as he didn¡¯t need to spend any mana for anything else. Taking damage would diminish his capacity to keep the Fog of War going, as it would consume some mana through Mind over Matter, but he couldn¡¯t imagine a scenario where he allowed himself to be struck given his complete perception.


    When an elite randomly fired projectiles, Coop knew as soon as it took aim and could predict exactly what the trajectory would be. It was just up to his Agility to keep up with the information that he was being fed. So far, his stats were up to the task.


    Another thousand monsters were defeated under the crushing blows of his spiked morning star, he had run out of elites to fight already, so only the Frenzied Excavators remained. The chamber¡¯s light columns continued pulsating a gentle blue light that tinged the fog, giving it all a dreamlike quality.


    Coop¡¯s ability combination was completely nasty. He almost felt bad for his opponents, remembering the disorientation he felt when he was caught inside the Zombie Lord¡¯s area skill. His only regret was lacking an equivalent of the devastating lightning that had dealt so much damage back then.


    He¡¯d just have to create his own. As things stood, he couldn¡¯t spend any mana if he wanted to keep his domain going. That meant he couldn¡¯t apply his mistjumps since they had a mana cost. Imagining the ability to teleport around the fog made him want to force Practical Application to reduce the mana cost to zero as soon as possible.


    In the meantime, he made do with hunting the monsters down on foot, moving like a predator through jungle mists.


    It wasn¡¯t like he would need to maintain Fog of War indefinitely for every fight. There wasn¡¯t anything stopping him from using it briefly, mistjumping to his heart¡¯s content, with no intention of keeping the domain active afterwards. Establishing the zone of fog would be a massive mana expense, but he could look at it like an ¡°I win¡± button. He wouldn¡¯t need to maintain the fog if the fight was already over. It would be an effective tactic as long as the fog couldn¡¯t be dispersed or otherwise countered by his opponent.


    Coop kept smashing monsters with strength that belied the precision of his attacks. He was still actively pushing himself to truly utilize all of his Strength, not just what his mind thought he was capable of, but what mana had made possible. Meanwhile, his Presence of Mind and Fog of War abilities made it so that the exactness of his strikes would be difficult to replicate, even under ideal conditions.


    Eventually, after thousands more Frenzied Excavators met their demise, the inevitable happened.


    A mechanical screech, like a train¡¯s emergency brakes tore across the chamber, reverberating painfully in Coop¡¯s actual ears, not just his perception of the sound granted by his abilities.


    Felrog the Soul Snatcher announced its presence as it marched out of the darkness from a hole in one of the side chambers, huge spider legs gleaming in the gentle blue illumination. The massive mechanical scorpion-like Field Boss was searching for Coop.


    [Field Boss: Ruin Excavator (Level 40)]


    [Felrog the Soul Snatcher (Body)]


    [Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]


    He watched as Felrog faced his foggy domain. The monster crouched with its body and lowered its multi pronged tail before it lifted its oversized claws in front of its two dozen red light eyes.


    The sound of an enormous pneumatic cannon firing echoed as the FIeld Boss used its tail to shoot itself forward, across half of the chamber in an instant, directly into Coop¡¯s Fog of War. The blast of wind that was pushed by the rocket speed of the monster was enough to disperse the carefully maintained domain that had already lasted for half a day at least.


    Coop didn¡¯t even have time to get out of the way as the Field Boss launched itself through his domain. He knew it the instant the monster lined up its charge. Without his shield and no time to summon it, exposed as he was in the middle of the open chamber, he only saw one real option.


    Meet the Field Boss¡¯s charge head-on.


    The sound of Coop¡¯s two-handed overhand strike as it met the monster¡¯s rocket speed charge was thoroughly deafening. He had threaded the needle, barely slipping between the extended claws of the monster, and slammed his morning star into the center of the giant Excavator¡¯s face.


    The force of the blow, properly exercising all of his Strength combined with his huge Dauntless title bonus, was enough to drive the boss monster¡¯s breakneck charge off its original trajectory.


    Felrog wound up driving into the pearlescent ground, as if it was starting another tunnel right at Coop¡¯s feet. The boss was way too big to be completely avoided, as it was easily 12 feet tall and three times as long, and the blow only turned it 45 degrees down, at most, so Coop wasn¡¯t spared from the collision. His feet were taken out from underneath him and the monster¡¯s armored back slammed into him a split second afterwards as the monster¡¯s enormous body plowed the ground.


    Coop slid backwards on his own back, along the smooth ground, until he came to a stop among the tangled limbs of the hundreds of Frenzied Excavators that had been lost in his fog. They were mangled and defeated, dissipating into mana smoke after being thrown across the room due to being too close to the collision between the titanic field boss and Coop¡¯s full strength morning star swing.


    Coop pulled himself out of the heap as it turned to smoke, still holding his weapon, feeling ready to go. He was back on his feet before Felrog had pulled itself out of the rocky ground. Coop ran back to the monster, ready to keep testing his Strength on the bus-sized boss.


    The monster extricated itself before Coop was able to take advantage of its compromised position, but Coop was pleased to see the monster¡¯s caved in face. It had lost at least eight of its eyes with the single blow, and was now leaking what Coop imagined must be oil in spurts that spoiled the reflections of the pearlescent chamber floor.


    Felrog lifted both of its claws and screeched again, scrambling to meet Coop¡¯s charge, this time using its legs to rush forward. The monster weaved back and forth, teasing its ability to move laterally with its many legs. In the last second, Coop tried to spin around the nearest oversized claw to smash more of the red eyes, using the rotation¡¯s momentum to increase his damage, but his morning star met the opposite claw instead.


    Another bone rattling collision shattered the silence that had claimed the chamber without the regular monsters skittering around.


    This time both contenders remained upright. Coop¡¯s morning star had driven the extended claw backwards and into the ground while the one that he dodged snapped shut behind him, whiffing a guillotine strike on Coop¡¯s previously telegraphed path. Felrog¡¯s body actually lifted into the air like a truck running into a permanent bollard that wouldn¡¯t be budged. Its spider legs flailed in an effort to find purchase in the air while Coop prepared to slam his weapon again.


    Coop smashed his morning star into Felrog¡¯s face a second time. The crunch of his morning star further marring the metal face of the field boss was immediately followed by the sound of the monster¡¯s head and body colliding with the ground.


    Coop raised his morning star again, but Felrog retaliated first, swinging its first claw into Coop¡¯s torso and sending him flying. The ethereal armor that protected his torso held strong, but he lost his grip on the morning star while it was in his backswing.


    Felrog gave chase, unrelenting with its rushing charges, clattering along the ground erratically. Coop rolled across the ground and immediately mistjumped to his weapon, spending extra mana due to the Soul Degradation affliction applied by the claws.


    The teleport took him behind the field boss. He thought he would at least get out of the way of the charging attack, but found himself nearly trampled by the monster as its long body scrambled past their previous point of engagement.


    He didn¡¯t hesitate in using the opportunity to slam his morning star into the back left leg of the boss. The leg crumpled under the blow and snapped off, causing Felrog to spin with surprising agility.


    Coop leapt backwards in an effort to avoid a swiping attack from the pair of claws. He prepared himself to counter another charge, but the field boss lifted its claws up into the air and jumped. All of its remaining spider legs splayed outwards as it attempted to belly flop onto Coop.


    Coop had enough time to slide out of the way, but when Felrog landed, a wave of blue energy emanated from the bodyslam, passing through Coop and leaving him stunned with an immediate activation of several Soul Rot stacks. Coop was helpless for a few seconds as he waited for the inevitable free attack, but it didn¡¯t come.


    Felrog actually fled toward the darkness of the walls, seeking a tunnel. Coop couldn¡¯t do anything but watch while he was incapacitated by the debilitating Soul Rot affliction and Felrog attempted to reset the fight.


    The first round of the Revenant versus the Soul Snatcher clearly went to the Revenant.

 Chapter 78: Eclipse

    When Coop¡¯s debilitating Soul Rot debuff expired, he ran after the fleeing field boss. If there was one constant tactic that he had employed, it was pressing his advantages when he had them, but Felrog the Soul Snatcher had evaded him.


    Coop had no idea which tunnel the monster had escaped into, and there were way too many passages to try guessing. They covered the walls, angled up and down and split and forked in a maze that Coop was glad he hadn¡¯t been lost in when he followed the first tunnel. Coop couldn¡¯t even carefully track the monster¡¯s steps, searching for leaking oil, as now that the fog was gone, he was once again the target of the streaming surge of Frenzied Excavators.


    Infuriatingly, he could hear the air blasts that Felrog emanated from its tail to launch itself through the tunnels. Coop did his best to follow the sound, smashing Excavators the whole way, as it led him further beneath the center of the settlement and toward the edge of the hive chamber.


    On the bright side, his health was completely filled despite taking damage in the first encounter with Felrog, thanks to his Reaper title and the constant flow of event monsters. His mana was in a precarious state after his initial investment into Fog of War, a mistjump with Soul Degradation, and health protection from Mind over Matter. Hopefully, it would recover quickly enough as he only had enough for one more mistjump until his Soul Degradation debuffs expired.


    The illuminated chamber that Coop had occupied turned out to be one of four open areas, arranged around a central feature in each cardinal direction. Coop was inside the east chamber. Each of the others had similar glowing columns and smooth pearlescent surfaces. There was a deep cavern in between the four chambers that led down so far Coop felt like his ears popped when he looked over the edge. The pure darkness below yielded nothing.


    Looking up, following the flow of the breeze with his eyes. He could see the flashing of spells in the distant darkness and realized this was the sinkhole in the courtyard. It seemed like the residents had successfully moved up to the edges while he was fighting down there. Apparently, he had been holding up enough of the Excavators to give an advantage to the midrange skirmishers up top.


    Another pneumatic air blast drew his attention back down. Felrog had positioned itself directly underneath Coop, but the monster wasn¡¯t in the sinkhole. Coop suspiciously shifted, trying to find the source of the sound while fighting more Frenzied Excavators. Every swing of his morning star smashed another monster into the ground.


    The ground erupted as he fought and searched. Felrog shot out at its full speed, entering the upper cavern like a missile launching from a silo while managing to successfully target Coop. Felrog was the Ruin Excavator Field Boss after all. They thrived on ambushes.


    Coop had the ground underneath him completely removed and he was slammed by the extended claws of the Field Boss, launching them both up the sinkhole.


    The sudden acceleration completely disoriented Coop, stymying any smashing attack he had planned, and the collision applied ten more full stacks of Soul Degradation. His mana costs and cooldowns would make his skills unreliable, if not completely unusable.


    When his watering eyes finally refocused, he was weightless. He rotated until his head was down and his feet were up and he realized that he was soaring through the air, above the fortress courtyard, in the late night sky. He hadn¡¯t been this high looking down at the fort outside of a previous nightmare that left him feeling alone after Jones was cursed, facing a world of challenges. Judging by all the spells flashing around the fort, from the southern wall to the northern courtyard, he obviously wasn¡¯t facing anything by himself. That just motivated him to contribute more and make sure he was pulling his weight.


    He rotated a bit more and realized that Felrog was also in the air, deftly angling its claws so that it could plunge into the battlefield like an olympic diver executing a perfect dive.


    Coop couldn¡¯t afford to swap weapons and mistjump, and he wasn¡¯t sure if he could survive a fall from that high in the air. He also felt like he needed to interrupt Felrog¡¯s attack pattern. The people fighting down below would have a hard time getting out of the blast zone if the Field Boss was allowed to rocket back down.


    Coop decided on a desperate move. He resummoned his lost morning star, using the free function to have it returned to his hand, and chucked it as hard as he could at the Field Boss, letting it fly through the night sky. Without having his feet planted, he lost a lot of leverage, but he still put all the power into the throw that he could, twisting his torso and leaning on the strength of his shoulder while his legs kicked.


    Both of them were already falling as the morning star flew end over end and collided with the carapace of Felrog. The cracking sound indicated a solid hit, and Felrog was redirected enough to prevent the claws from aiming straight down, now slightly angled as it rocketed toward the ground with its many remaining legs flailing as it tried to right itself.


    Coop spent the rest of his mana, depleting himself well beyond his normal limit of 50%, in order to mistjump to his weapon and position himself on the same trajectory as the boss. He wouldn¡¯t be able to use any more skills until he regenerated some mana and got rid of the Soul Degradation stacks.


    Felrog blasted into the courtyard, near the edge of some of the service buildings, thankfully away from the beachhead and the main fighting area around the sinkhole. The monster landed awkwardly on its side as Coop chased after it.


    The meteoric impact completely eradicated the Bowyer and caused the Fletcher¡¯s shop to be half destroyed as the coral rock ground exploded around Felrog¡¯s landing zone. The rest of the Fletcher¡¯s building pixelated and disappeared, being recalled by the system. Neither of the new service buildings had sufficient defenses to withstand Felrog¡¯s plunging attack.


    Coop followed a split second later, crashing through the cloud of debris and slamming his morning star into the crater that Felrog¡¯s descent had created. Coop had tried to leverage his fall into a devastating blow just like during the opening engagement with this wave. The popping sound of the morning star blasting into Felrog¡¯s carapace and finding purchase was evidence of his success.


    However, Felrog recovered almost immediately, shaking off the fall and nearly crushing Coop in the process, smashing him with his armored back. A shattered carapace section, a completely collapsed back plate, a smashed face, and a missing leg barely slowed the Field Boss, such was its durability. It skittered out of the crater and prepared to go wild on the phantoms and residents, just as Coop had done to the Frenzied Excavators at the start.


    Adrenaline and frustration kept Coop going, but he had received some injuries in the ambush, the partially reduced fall, and again from grappling with Felrog. A quick self-assessment left him annoyed.


    His left arm was useless, he thought his shoulder was dislocated and his collarbone broken from Felrog¡¯s last thrashing, his right leg was numb with pain, unable to take his full weight on his hamstring due to Felrog¡¯s ambush that launched them out of the chamber, and one of his ears was ringing from the fall. His attack had spun him into an indirect landing and saved him from worse injuries, but he was pretty beat up. The pain was just dull background noise as it was overridden by an anxiety that insisted he keep moving for the sake of Ghost Reef. He could win a knockdown dragout rumble, but the rest of the town didn¡¯t have his survivability.


    His ethereal armor was missing, shattered in the crash landing, and he didn¡¯t have the mana to cast Salvation again, thanks to the lingering Soul Degradation debuff.


    He struggled for a moment to get upright, and eventually propped himself up on the morning star to find himself surrounded by Frenzied Excavators. They were climbing over the edges of the crater and sliding down to get to him. Coop impulsively started swinging his weapon with his one good arm, maintaining balance with his weight on one leg. It was an automatic reaction to being surrounded by the monsters. His instinct was to keep fighting.


    This was what it was to be a Revenant. He remembered the description when he selected the class. A relentless combatant, single-mindedly chasing victory with unflinching resolve.


    The Frenzied Excavators gifted him with health through his Reaper title. After just a minute, he was back at full, though his physical injuries wouldn¡¯t recover unless he rested for weeks.


    Climbing out of the crater was a challenge with only half of his limbs properly working and he had to leave his morning star at the bottom while he fumbled his way to the top. Recalling his weapon with Retribution, he finally got a look outside of the crater that he had landed in.


    The battlefield was a disaster. The frontline had collapsed in the short time that the field boss had joined the fight. The skirmishers had been routed, escaping in all directions, back towards the bridge or the walls. Felrog¡¯s disruptive presence was enough to completely flip the momentum and allow the additional Frenzied Excavators to swarm without Coop defeating a quarter of the entire wave. Only the burrowing owl continued to destroy monsters, swooping near the sinkhole and unleashing wind blades while the rest of the defenders retreated and sought to regroup.


    He watched as the Field Boss leapt into the air, curled its legs as it did a front flip, then splayed them out to do its bodyslam move. It landed with a crash and the blue wave of energy emanated from the boss that immediately activated Soul Rot on anyone it touched. Dozens were stunned, leaving them vulnerable to the smaller, swarming Excavators.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Coop did his best to rush to the enemy boss, hobbled as he was. He half galloped, relying on his morning star to take the weight from his injured hamstring.


    The Field Boss wasn¡¯t done. It slammed the base of its tail and both claws against the ground twice, then screeched as it raised all three appendages toward the air. Blue energy spikes of soul energy started erupting all around the battlefield from underground, as if they were being called forth by the monster. The Soul Spears impaled scores of people and Coop wasn¡¯t spared.


    He was vulnerable, unarmored as he was. A blue spike pierced through his back and suddenly appeared from his chest before it evaporated, leaving no physical wound, but burning with an agonizing pain where it had punctured his body. He would have collapsed if he hadn''t already braced himself with his morning star, using it like a crutch when his legs gave out.


    The damage wasn¡¯t nearly enough to deter him, though the pain remained. It was magic damage, the type he was by far the most resistant to, unlike most others. He pressed forward, willing himself to close the gap faster.


    He was almost there when the night suddenly lit up with pure white light. The illumination was accompanied by the grand chime of a massive golden bell that appeared high in the sky as if it was a celestial body, capable of replacing the sun and the moon.


    Madison had been elevated above the beachhead, 40 feet in the air, angel wings fully extended, as solid as if they were real, and with her halo glowing with a searing intensity. She was draped in flowing white silk and wielded a double pronged golden spear that made Coop¡¯s favored weapon look like a primitive stick. Light seemed to be shining on her from the heavens despite night shrouding the sky, thanks to the celestial bell.


    With the golden spear hefted above her head in one arm, another burst of white light left an expanding sphere of translucent mana that quickly encompassed most of the retreating defenders between the north side of the bridge and the south side of the sinkhole.


    Everyone that the sphere passed through received their own smaller and much dimmer pair of wings as they were bolstered by Madison¡¯s magic. The blue soul spears were deleted when the sphere touched them, and all of the defenders that had been stunned by Felrog¡¯s bodyslam were freed. Though most of them weren¡¯t quick to get up.


    Madison had completely taken over the southern half of the courtyard. Within the sphere, Ruin Excavators that had pressed too far were burned with smiting fire and the fighters that were struggling in their retreat had the pressure relieved, but the protective circle didn¡¯t reach the sinkhole. Felrog was even further, and Coop was behind the Field Boss.


    Felrog¡¯s screech had ceased, overpowered by the gonging of the bell from the heavens even as the celestial manifestation dissipated. A silence started to spread on the battlefield as the magnificent light from Madison¡¯s spells started to fade and the darkness of night gradually returned.


    The silence only lasted a second before Coop fractured it, using all the strength he could muster with his injured body to slam his ethereal morning star into the distracted Field Boss¡¯s tail. Coop tried to collapse it at the base while it was still stationary, before it could be used to summon more soul spears and relieve some of the pressure on the residents. His morning star clanged off the base of the tail, thicker than a tree trunk and far too sturdy to be broken so easily. He used the recoil to pull his weapon back again, and using one hand to slam the two-handed weapon on a new target, crushed another one of Felrog¡¯s back legs.


    He¡¯d rip the legs off one at a time if he needed to, just like when the Ancient Defenders were too sturdy for him and Jones to defeat without a struggle. Even if all of Coop¡¯s levels and stats just meant the same struggle had been elevated a few tiers, he would push on.


    Felrog abandoned its attack pattern and spun around, smacking Coop with a backhanded claw that sent him back the way he came from. Coop was still unarmored so the blow was severe. With the wind knocked out of him and a crack that only added to his injuries, he bounced on the ground, then rolled to a stop, tearing through the short grass and leaving a trail of sandy dirt.


    He climbed back to his feet as quickly as he could. The Field Boss had hit him hard enough to completely drain the rest of his mana through Mind over Matter protecting his health and applied another 10 stacks of Soul Degradation. He spat a mouthful of blood and sought his opponent, still able to swing his recovered weapon, mana or not.


    Coop was up in time to see that Felrog had actually run away again, but this time it was to make distance to line him up for another charge, just like its initial attacks when they were underground. This tactic hadn¡¯t gone well for the monster the first time around, so Coop welcomed another round. Despite the Field Boss¡¯s injuries, it still moved as quickly as it had at the start. Coop thought they¡¯d both find out how many destroyed legs it took to slow it down.


    He heaved his morning star over his shoulder with his good arm and prepared for another joust as the Field Boss rocketed toward him, claws first, barely skimming the ground as an airblast from its tail propelled its body. Coop was definitely not mobile enough to get out of the way, let alone dodge the claws to land another direct hit, and he didn¡¯t have mana to mistjump. He contented himself with swinging for the first claw that came into range. He was guaranteed to take a direct hit, but that didn¡¯t mean he wouldn¡¯t hurt the monster back.


    With his morning star primed, he readied himself to punish the monster at least as much as it had him.


    A split second before the Champion and the Field Boss collided a blur intervened. Camila appeared in between the claws with her open palm extended into the center of the monster¡¯s face, right next to the ruined portions that Coop had given it previously. When the monster and her palm collided it sounded like an aluminum bat hitting a home run. She had deftly activated her Perfect Counter.


    Felrog reversed direction and flew like a line drive with legs flailing and tail whipping in the wind until it crashed into the interior fort wall on the northwestern side. Camila¡¯s hand hadn¡¯t moved at all.


    The interior rooms of the first two floors were exposed by the collapsed stone, pulverized by the bus-sized boss crashing through. Thankfully the outer wall remained intact. Coop breathed a sigh of relief.


    ¡°I got your back.¡± Camila stated, watching the dust for the monster¡¯s return.


    ¡°I had him right where I wanted him.¡± Coop boasted as he wiped some blood out of his eye with his palm.


    ¡°Chalk it up to another race you lost to me.¡± Camila suggested with a smirk. ¡°You okay?¡±


    ¡°Just a whole bunch of afflictions and debuffs.¡± Coop admitted.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let Madison know.¡± Camila chugged a mana potion and left, deftly navigating through the chaotic battlefield while liberally applying her skills despite their cooldowns.


    Coop started making his way to the crashed section of the fort, knowing the Field Boss wasn¡¯t defeated. They hadn¡¯t received the notifications. Defeating Frenzied Excavators on the way allowed him to recoup his partially diminished health back to full once again, though he still couldn¡¯t cast Salvation to get his armor back with his limited mana and Soul Degradation debuffs elevating the cost too much.


    Ghost Reef¡¯s defenders had been able to stabilize the battlefield, though they had pulled all the way back to the bridge again. The full numbers of the Ruin Excavators were enough to hold them to a stalemate, even without the presence of the Soul Snatcher, and now the defender¡¯s forces were diminished. Coop was worried about them.


    Coop was further dismayed when Felrog shook itself out of the piles of rubble that it had been buried under. He had expected to smash it to bits while it was incapacitated, but it was barely phased by the force of its own charge being redirected into its face, though it was more mangled than before. There was no way it didn¡¯t have extensive internal injuries, a bit like Coop, but it still glared back across the empty fields with more than a dozen red crystal eyes remaining. Coop was halfway across the courtyard from the monster, so it had plenty of runway to come for him. Coop had a twinge of worry it would veer in some other direction and retreat again.


    While he was considering how to make sure he got the monster¡¯s attention, a streak of light shot across the courtyard like a shooting star running along the ground.


    Sunny stopped in front of the Field Boss, ending his linear sprint, and howled at the night sky. A miniature sun appeared above him, but it kept growing and rising until the courtyard was lit in magical light for the second time that night. Sunny¡¯s spell burned bright red and golden yellow expanding until it seemed ready to explode, taking the entire fort with it.


    The sun orb blasted Felrog with a blinding beam of flames that were hot enough for Coop to feel, even at his distance. It seemed like the temperature of the entire island was rising. The Field Boss huddled against the ground, taking up a defensive position just like the regular Excavators did when Coop tried to slice them with his blades. It was a powerful guard that Coop had given up defeating, preferring to change tactics and try his blunt weapons, but Felrog seemed to be suffering.


    Sunny kept blasting the Field Boss with flames, putting everything he had into the sun orb as he howled, but it wasn¡¯t enough. It was a monumental effort from the dog that had only been leveling for around a week, pinning the level 40 Field Boss with his attack. The sun¡¯s color started to fade, losing the red, and ceasing the flame beam, but remaining a golden yellow orb that cast long shadows all across the entire fort. Charlie and the defenders on the southern wall, still fighting the Marauding Prowlers, had a view that would have seemed like dawn was rising in the northwest.


    Once the flame beam ceased, Felrog returned to its feet, smoke emanating from its carapace, but seeming unharmed otherwise on its exterior. Its metal armor shimmered in the golden light, heat billowing off the surface and blurring its scorched form. Surely, its interior was absolutely cooked.


    A shadow spread across the courtyard until it engulfed the entire fortress, from the southern entrance, to northern town hall and everything in between. The light from Sunny¡¯s orb was completely snuffed out even though the orb was still in the air. Shadows that light couldn¡¯t penetrate had taken control of the night. Everything seemed to stop, from the Frenzied Excavators, to the phantoms, to Felrog itself, all anticipating something ominous as the blackness blanketed them.


    Then the yellow light from the edges of the orb gradually returned with the steady pace of a solar eclipse, until the shadow only covered an almond shape slit down the center of the orb, though everything else in the fortress remained in total darkness.


    The orb blinked.


    It had become the eye of an absolutely enormous black panther that gazed down at the Field Boss with what Coop imagined as an expression of utter disdain. The panther lifted one massive paw that seemed to move in slow motion due to the size, then brought it down on top of the bus-sized Soul Snatcher with an earth shaking stomp. The panther dissipated into black smoke as soon as it smashed the Field Boss like a bug, taking the orb and the shadows with it.


    The Field Boss was completely annihilated.


    The fort was once again illuminated by flashing light, this time because every single person present received multiple levels simultaneously.

 Chapter 79: Vanquisher

    Coop made it to the edge of the crater that had once been Felrog the Soul Snatcher, Field Boss of the Ruin Excavators, still in awe at what he had witnessed. Sunny whined at his side, encouraging him to give the dog attention. The crater was actually a perfect cat¡¯s paw print, with four clearly defined toes and a larger pad. In the center of the pad sat Jett. She was vigorously cleaning her normal sized paw, chewing, then licking in a cycle.


    The sun was rising. A proper sunrise in the east this time, though it was an alarming red color thanks to the constant presence of the mana dome. Coop scratched Sunny¡¯s ears as he took a moment to catch his breath and wrap his head around the defeat of his second Field Boss.


    Coop had smacked the boss around pretty good, brawling with it head to head in a way that would have been impossible not so long ago. In the end, he hadn¡¯t been the one to finish it off. If it was up to him alone, the fight would have gotten even uglier before it was over, but he still felt good about his odds of coming out on top after his recent growth. He was pretty beaten up, even if he was currently at full health, but that didn¡¯t discourage him. In this situation, his sustain had greatly exceeded his durability. It was something to keep in mind as he sought to strike the right balance with future upgrades.


    His skills certainly weren¡¯t as flashy as some others, but to be completely fair, he wasn¡¯t even using skills when he actually fought. The fact that he was strong enough to go toe to toe with a Field Boss just swinging his weapons was kind of amazing. He doubted there was anyone that could trade blows with a Field Boss the way he could, but Jett was proof that he still lacked some skill-based firepower. She had revealed a new ultimate ability in order to conclude her long rivalry with the Excavators. The black cat had been fighting them ever since the very beginning. It was only fitting that she was the one to finish it as well.


    The ethereal morning star that he was currently leaning on had packed a serious punch. Basic attacks that had the weight of his full stack of Strength behind them were nothing to sneeze at. Felrog was definitely taking real damage, even if the Field Boss had remained functional through most of the fight.


    When he fought his first Field Boss, Andamarius the Blight Howler, his spear attacks didn¡¯t do anything at all. Unless he landed a critical hit on the boss¡¯s more obvious weak spots, it was like poking the monster with a toothpick. Still, his damage wasn¡¯t enough yet, he wanted more. He needed more stats, but he also needed to keep his weaknesses in mind as he selected his next path. New skills could fill the gaps as well.


    Sunny left him to chase down the nearest Frenzied Excavators, satisfied with his ear scratches and eager to help defend the fort. Coop skimmed his absurd number of notifications from the last several days of constant fighting. He shook his head and ended up dismissing them all, rather than spend too much time going line by line. It was just too much to look through. He could check his status to get an idea of what changed instead.


    [Status]


    HP - 4850/4850


    MP - 9100/9100


    Class - Revenant (Level 59)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 57)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 30 (+910)


    Agility - 30 (+455)


    Body - 30 (+455)


    Mind - 910


    Intelligence - 30


    Acumen - 30


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion III, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper, Slayer III, Dauntless, Vanquisher


    Skills (Active) - Retribution, Salvation, Presence of Mind, Fog of War


    Skills (Passive) - Common Language, Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (3/50), Trophy Hunter (1/5), Defeat Ancient Devourers II (0/25), Defeat Primal Serpents II (4/25), Defeat Ruin Excavators IV (440/5000), Defeat Primal Kites III (0/250), Upgrade Village to Town


    Basic Credits - 767,212


    While fighting the combination of Enraged Defenders and Marauding Prowlers he received a total of four class levels and eight profession levels, with the day that both variants attacked simultaneously accounting for half of his progress. The first day of the Frenzied Excavator wave had already yielded four class levels and four profession levels thanks to the generous amount of experience granted by the Field Boss.


    In total, the settlement event had already added eight class levels and twelve profession levels to his stats and they were only a bit more than a fifth of the way through. For Coop, it wasn¡¯t even that far out of the norm, in terms of levels per day, but it was nice and consistent. Grinding normal monsters with no quests at a high rate seemed pretty close to breaking even with either quest chains or elites.


    He was happy to see his profession level rising quickly enough to finally catch his class. He had been hoping he could push his profession beyond his class for the extra stats ever since he realized professions gave stats at all. It wasn¡¯t enough of an advantage to hold off on class levels, especially since his aura was powerful enough to just hide his level completely, but it was still a bonus he would utilize if the opportunity came.


    He wasn¡¯t a Basic Scavenger anymore, which was a surprise. Evidently, his profession had jumped up a tier when it hit level 50. He was seven levels late in noticing. In his defense, there were constant waves of monsters trying to kill everyone he cared about that had been occupying his attention, and mentally assigning points into Mind didn¡¯t require any further examination of his status.


    Scavenging appeared to just do more of the same when compared to its Basic counterpart. Higher quantity of loot and a chance for higher quality loot. He had selected a really simple profession, but it had ended up being perfect for him. He was constantly utilizing it and it never required extra attention. He wasn¡¯t tracking down specific resources to gather, or hunkering down to learn how to craft new things, he was just doing what he would have been doing anyway while reaping extra rewards. More of the same wouldn¡¯t get any complaints from him. Just keep it nice and simple.


    However, Scavenging had also given him two new quests. The first, Fortune Seeker, would progress each time he looted a new variety of normal enemy. He had received credit for the Enraged Defenders, Marauding Prowlers, and Frenzied Excavators so far. The second quest, Trophy Hunter, asked him to loot five bosses. Felrog counted as the first. Hopefully, the rewards would continue to enhance the simple process of collecting rewards from Scavenging while he did his own thing. He didn¡¯t want anything that complicated his profession.


    He¡¯d also collected over 500,000 basic credits already, again thanks to Scavenging, which put him well on his way to purchasing the medical center. He thought the service might even help them during the siege, so he made a mental note to be slightly more attentive to his notifications in order to purchase it as soon as he could.


    His spatial storage had accumulated a massive amount of materials. He had over 15,000 Rage Cores and 10,000 Stealth Scales, and already a bit over 10,000 Hysteria Barbs, all Rare materials from the first three monster waves. He also had some Legendary rank materials from the Field Boss, this time called Soul Destruction Gems and Soul Guardian Crystals as well as five Rare Perfect Soul Dredgers.


    Coop was still hoarding the materials with higher rarities, but he might dump them on the new Blacksmith after the event, assuming the artisan was still there. He hoped the destroyed Fletcher and Bowyer hadn¡¯t taken a portion of the Uncommon materials with them when the system dragged them back. He¡¯d consult with Marcus about what other services to recruit with all the materials in mind.


    He was surprised any of the service buildings had been destroyed at all, but judging by the difference in precautions the buildings displayed, he figured they had just cheaped out on the fortifications of their already cheap services. It probably wasn¡¯t worth the investment for them to be as secure as the Library, Tavern, and Training Yard appeared to be. Of course, Balor¡¯s relatively cheap place was unusually protected, but the stonemason had admitted this was his first time in an assimilation, so he might have over prepared because he didn¡¯t want to be sent home early. Coop hoped they wouldn¡¯t lose any more of the services that they had recruited before the event was over.


    Meanwhile, his stats just kept escalating. It had become pure instinct to shove all of his points into Mind as soon as the light of a level engulfed him, and he had been adding a lot of points. The mental action didn¡¯t interrupt his fighting at all and the slight increases in strength and speed were always welcome in combat. 910 Mind and 940 effective Strength had to be completely unmatched at this point. Even his 485 effective Body and Agility were probably pushing the limit of those who hyper-invested in a single stat. The numbers were already beyond what others could achieve with a balanced build, even considering the additional stats from leveling a profession. He was actually approaching 800 levels worth of stats in total.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    A level 50 with a level 50 profession who invested into a single stat could still match him in just Body or Agility, and that would be before factoring in any bonuses that they might have received from titles, skills, or gear. Plus, he was really comparing himself to monsters like Felrog, who had stats that clearly exceeded a mere 5 per level and seemed to have an expectation to battle armies instead of one person at a time. Whatever cocktail had borne Field Boss tier monsters was clearly more potent than the mana accumulation of an individual human.


    Another surprise development in his status was the Vanquisher title. The title didn¡¯t have any bonuses, but it claimed to have primed him for special upgrades in the future. There had been a system quest that reminded him of his experience on the oil rig where he had to cleanse the infestation that yielded the title when he cleared the hive.


    The quest was to defeat 200 Elite Ruin Excavators and the Field Boss in charge of the hive. He had dealt with the elites while he was in the pearlescent chamber, underground, and Felrog was obviously no more.


    It seemed like the hive was the equivalent of the oil rig in the eyes of the system. Coop had some regret about clearing the golf course when he did. He was willing to bet that if it had developed further it would have turned into a dungeon equivalent as well, but he had to conclude that there were other areas outside of settlement territory that were accumulating enough mana to generate elites, then a Field Boss. In fact, it wouldn¡¯t be a shock to learn that a hive left alone for a long enough period would develop into something even greater. In any case, he got the Dauntless title out of crushing the Tracker¡¯s developing stronghold anyway, so it was worth it.


    All of that progress and he still felt a twinge of disappointment. It was too bad the event monsters weren¡¯t counting toward any Slayer quest chains. He¡¯d be absolutely swimming in quest completions if they did. It hurt his sense of efficiency to grind normal monsters without the additional bonuses, even if the levels were rolling in regardless. Coop shook his head at his own greed.


    Coop turned when his Presence of Mind detected someone approaching, interrupting his musings. Practicing with Fog of War had made him better at maintaining his aura already.


    Madison approached with a clear purpose, but he was still surprised when she pressed the palm of her hand against his forehead, as if she was checking his temperature. Her angel wings barely appeared as she seemed to take a diagnostic of Coop¡¯s health with several disappointed hums.


    Her wings increased their intensity and her halo appeared as she healed his injuries one by one. He didn¡¯t dare interrupt her, relieved as he was to be rid of the pain of the fresh injuries. It took some time for her to fix each wound.


    She stepped back when she was done, letting her magic fade. ¡°You¡¯re the easiest patient I¡¯ve ever had.¡± She tapped her lips with a finger, apparently recalling the treatment she just applied. ¡°It seems like you¡¯re always at full health, so I just need to stitch you back up.¡±


    ¡°How does your healing work, anyway?¡± Coop wondered as he testingly opened and closed his left fist, on the arm that had been useless minutes before, satisfied that he was as good as new.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not magic.¡± She responded, anticipating Coop¡¯s incredulity. ¡°It¡¯s the same process as if you went to a hospital. Mana is a tool that combines most of the processes into one. No need for a clinical history, referrals, expensive tests, calibrated machines, trials, or best of all, insurance. I just diagnose and apply treatment by manually controlling my mana and having it interact with the mana that¡¯s already present to encourage the natural healing processes.¡±


    Coop looked at her skeptically. ¡°Sounds like magic.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t work if I didn¡¯t already know how your body works.¡± She argued defensively. ¡°I would drain my mana pool trying to heal a papercut if I just flooded it with mana all willy-nilly, and your finger would be just as likely to fall off rather than be fixed.¡±


    Coop didn¡¯t like imagining his finger falling off, but he was amused by her proud attitude, he knew she had earned it through education and experience. ¡°Alright, I already knew you were impressive when you turned into an angel descending from the heavens to save everyone.¡±


    ¡°Well, I try.¡± She preened.


    Emmanuel, who was making sure Madison wasn¡¯t disturbed by any monsters, chimed in from behind. ¡°Did you see how high she got? I tossed her!¡± He laughed as he underhand tossed an impossible heavy looking boulder of coral rock, smashing an Excavator that got too close.


    Madison harrumphed. ¡°Don¡¯t say that while you throw that rock around, I don¡¯t like the comparison it draws.¡± Emmanuel just laughed as he retrieved the boulder to continue crushing monsters. ¡°Anyway,¡± she continued, ¡°the boss phantom sent a message along. He said to hurry up and get back underground and do whatever you were doing until the big spider dragged you out. He¡¯ll send a messenger when he¡¯s ready for you to come out again.¡±


    Coop involuntarily sighed as he recast Salvation, bringing his ethereal armor back. The morning star remained. The stacks of Soul Degradation were completely gone, so he didn¡¯t have to worry about the mana cost and he had recovered his full mana pool after Felrog¡¯s defeat thanks to his Reaper title anyway.


    Madison nodded sympathetically. ¡°No rest for the wicked.¡±


    She perked up as if she remembered something, ¡°Oh!¡± Then she stepped up to Coop and booped his nose with her finger.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Coop was bemused, unsure how to respond.


    Madison scowled. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. You¡¯re the one that told us to level our professions. I have to remember to use Basic Mending while I¡¯m weaving actual medical miracles.¡±


    Emmanuel chimed in with his own question as the monsters momentarily cleared out. ¡°Did we all get the Dauntless II title? Second group to defeat a Field Boss?¡±


    Coop double checked his titles, but his was still just Dauntless. ¡°What¡¯s the bonus?¡± He wondered.


    ¡°+90% damage to bosses.¡± Emmanuel responded as he hefted his boulder to his shoulder like it was essentially weightless. Coop was surprised to learn there were also tiered titles.


    Madison responded first. ¡°I believe everyone in the settlement received it, just like the levels, now c¡¯mon dear, back to the bridge.¡± Emmanuel grunted as he tossed his boulder forward, defeating another monster and waved casually to Coop. Madison followed, unharried by the tide of monsters being kept at bay by the man and his rock. Coop noticed Jett¡¯s tail at the edge of his vision following Madison, apparently she was satisfied with her contribution and ready to retire from the battle. He supposed she earned it.


    Coop had to get back to it. He hustled, knowing that they needed to get the monsters under control as soon as possible with Jett taking a break. If they didn¡¯t stop the monsters at the sinkhole, they might get into the fort and become more difficult to remove, especially with other waves pressing them. For now, the midrange fighters weren¡¯t letting any escape, but they didn¡¯t have the sustain to keep it up forever. Coop would be able to relieve the pressure on everyone once he got back to the grind.


    Inside the fort¡¯s walls, he found groups of phantoms, standing guard. A quick greeting revealed that they were the cannoneers from the second and third floors. They had been reassigned to make sure the monsters didn¡¯t form any nests inside the dark corridors, so even that was under control at the moment. The fourth floor cannon teams remained in their positions.


    Coop was beginning to realize that the Chosen of the Empire who had believed he was simply the muscle of the settlement may have been correct after all.


    He made his way into the basement and back to the pearlescent hive chamber and returned to his whack-a-mole strategy. Luckily, there were no elites to complicate the encounters with their ranged attacks, so he quickly found a rhythm until he had fully established another domain with Fog of War.


    Physically, he felt good. The relief of being healed of his injuries was enough to get him started. Each crushing slam yielded a satisfying crunch as he slipped back into a berserker mode that reveled in his strength and endurance. He needed the hype, because mentally, his weariness was growing. He needed a nap.


    The siege event would only get more difficult as time went on if things continued as they had been. At least his focus could remain on doing as much damage to the invaders as possible. He didn¡¯t envy the people he had delegated leadership positions to with the additional mental pressure of greater tactical decisions.


    Fog of War blocked the entire chamber¡¯s access to the sinkhole. He¡¯d take control of a quarter of the entire wave of monsters. The fog skill itself was powerful, but slow to establish itself, expensive, weak to disruption, and had a long cooldown as a result. Increasing his Intelligence would impact all of its shortcomings, but never eliminate them. Still, having it be strong enough to withstand Felrog¡¯s draft as he charged through would have been amazing. He would have been able to pick the boss apart if it was lost in his mist. As it stood, he¡¯d have trouble maintaining a thick fog against the ocean breeze on the surface.


    The way it synergized with Presence of Mind was a huge boon that truly exploded its potential. Without the massive feedback provided inside the domain of fog, it would primarily be a defensive utility that would provide camouflage and a break in the fight. Knowing exactly what everything was doing inside the fog turned him into a terror that could hunt his disoriented victims at his leisure.


    The Frenzied Excavators that were unlucky enough to spawn in the chamber that he had claimed had no chance. They entered the fog, rushing toward the open cavern, in order to reach the surface and attack the shard, but they only escaped the fog after they were turned back into mana smoke.


    Coop spent the rest of the day in his misty domain, fighting until it was dark again. He awaited the messengers that would be sent by Gideon.


    He was surprised when Mr. Gibson showed up with his full party, along with over a hundred others. Most of them were phantoms, but some were new residents that had come to avoid joining Empress City. Coop stepped out of his fog bank, losing his connection with it, but letting it continue to ensnare respawning Excavators.


    ¡°Champion.¡± Gibson acknowledged as he gaped at the vast, illuminated chambers and the darkness at the edges.


    ¡°Gibson.¡± Coop responded. ¡°What¡¯s with the troops?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here to relieve you.¡± He looked back as the rest of the squad continued to stream through the pearlescent tunnel. ¡°Captain Shane¡¯s having a strategy meeting at the shard.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Coop looked at the faces of the new residents. They all seemed determined, but tired. ¡°Not quite the welcome party you were hoping for, huh?¡±


    Gibson shook his head firmly. ¡°It¡¯s been far better than we hoped actually. You under-sold the place.¡± Gibson stated with the agreement of some of the other residents. ¡°We¡¯re glad to be here and have no intention of letting these monsters ruin it.¡±


    Coop accepted Gibson¡¯s declaration as the others vocalized their solidarity. He quit feeding Fog of War his mana, letting it begin to dissipate as he walked back to his combat area.


    ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll have that party after this thing¡¯s done.¡± He suggested over his shoulder. Once his fog thinned enough, the newcomers started gaping at the sight of the other chambers with their glowing blue pillars reflecting off the smooth surfaces, and the intimidating hole in the center that separated them.


    Coop went back to smashing for a few minutes, clearing the hundreds of Excavators that had been stuck in his fog, then headed back to the surface to get his update, leaving the rest to his companions.

 Chapter 80: Torment

    Coop glanced at the ridiculous number of timers on the edge of his vision and tried to parse how far along they had come as left the basement and made his way back to the courtyard. He¡¯d lost track of the time and was surprised to find it was night again when he reached the open air.


    [000:00:00]


    [000:00:00]


    [000:00:00]


    [012:36:24]


    He counted on his fingers as spells flew around the battlefield. Just five and a half days so far? The system should have given them a progress bar instead of all these timers. For some kind of supposedly omniscient entity, the system¡¯s UI left a lot to be desired.


    They had a solid two weeks to go before the last timer was completed. The days and nights were bleeding together for Coop. It was just one constant fight punctuated by desperate moments of flux as new complications made themselves known. He shifted his focus to the defenders that had surrounded the gaping chasm that had become the centerpiece of the northern town circle to see how the defenders were handling the current wave.


    Even Charlie had joined the defense. She was maintaining a whirlwind that swirled around the exit of the sinkhole. It was weaker than her previous tornadoes because she was doing more long term crowd control than damage. The monsters were being whipped back into their hole or lifted helplessly in the air. Other casters seemed to be experimenting with skill combinations that could make her winds more deadly.


    The glass droplets that Coop had witnessed devastating the Enraged Defenders seemed particularly potent as the tiny projectiles were swept into Charlie¡¯s winds. The underside of the hard carapaces on the Frenzied Excavators weren¡¯t tough enough to protect against the glass bullets when they picked up speed. The tiny volcanoes also seemed like a natural combination. They launched fiery magma balls that temporarily made streaks of flame among the winds when they collided with monsters.


    The residents of Ghost Reef weren¡¯t only getting class levels from experience, but also actual battle experience. It seemed like it was yielding some unexpected methods of coordination. Coop liked that. He had hoped his residents would focus on building their own potent classes that they would be passionate about, rather than stuffing themselves into a particular archetype, because he wanted to encourage the type of enthusiasm that might lead to creativity. He wasn¡¯t sure how much customization they could have possibly accomplished at this point, but he still imagined the freedom to do as they wanted was motivating them to push the limits of their abilities.


    His own enthusiasm had led to discovering a variety of hidden possibilities with his own skills after all. Mistjumping was of course the ultimate example.


    Coop crossed the fortifications at the beachhead which were leisurely protected by shielded melee phantoms who weren¡¯t seeing any action at the moment. He crossed the bridge and found Shane, Arthur, and Kayla near the civilization shard.


    The Charon¡¯s Gaze phantom was sitting cross legged on the edge of the town circle and gave Coop a polite nod as Coop walked past. The man¡¯s stare was unnerving, but Coop returned the downward nod.


    ¡°You already met Charon?¡± Kayla asked him by way of greeting as he approached the group.


    ¡°Met is a strong word. At most we¡¯ve made eye contact. Is he one of yours?¡±


    Kayla chuckled. ¡°He¡¯s the Captain of Sea Burial. Gives orders with his eyes, but he¡¯s always run a tight ship.¡± Kayla explained. ¡°I¡¯d say eye contact means you¡¯re already friends.¡±


    ¡°His name is Charon and he¡¯s known for his gaze?¡± Coop wondered, perplexed that the system would give him a class that specific.


    ¡°It¡¯s not really his name, like I¡¯m the Siren and Sharkbait is Sharkbait, but you¡¯ve got the idea.¡±


    ¡°Your class shoulda been Siren.¡± Coop reflected.


    ¡°You think I could lure men to their deaths with just my voice?¡± She mused for a moment. "Of course I could.¡± She answered with barely any hesitation, self-assuredly, and not giving him a chance to agree or disagree. ¡°A Siren is a type of Sea Witch isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Coop shrugged. ¡°Gonna have to ask Jones after we fix him up.¡± Coop ceded historical and mythological facts to the experienced caretaker.


    Arthur and Gideon joined the group, both looking just as tired as Coop felt. Shane looked relatively fresh compared to how he looked before, but Marcus looked absolutely awful.


    ¡°Damn Marcus, what happened to you?¡± Coop wondered. His first advisor was a wreck of tattered cloth and blood stains, like he had been put through a blender.


    ¡°Ah, well, turns out my class is quite the counter for both the Prowlers and the Excavators. I have an ability called Sign of Devotion that lets me detonate afflictions and heals me for each affliction removed.¡± He looked down at his ruined gear. ¡°If there was an easier way to get afflictions, I don¡¯t even want to know at this point.¡±


    Coop sympathized, one look was all it took, but he also felt a little envious of being able to remove afflictions. He¡¯d like to have a skill that could do that too, but he was always greedy for skills.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Shane cleared his throat and grabbed everyone¡¯s attention to start their semi-official business. ¡°Just to bring everyone up to speed, the southern wall defenders had a 12 hour break and have now taken over defense of the Excavator cave. Everyone else will now have their own 12 hours to recuperate. One hour before the next wave, we¡¯ll have all hands on deck.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re anticipating Primal Kites to make up the next wave, but even if that prediction is correct, it doesn¡¯t tell us where and how they would approach the fort. They are mobile ranged attackers that will be difficult for most melee to engage with. We¡¯ll most likely have the melee fighters resume fighting the Excavators to free everyone else up to deal with the new wave.¡± Shane paused and glanced at Marcus and Coop.


    ¡°We lost the Fletcher during the Field Boss battle. Our non-class based archers will run out of arrows quickly, and they might be needed to handle the Kites. Replacing that service might be crucial for keeping everyone in the fights.¡±


    Marcus responded, having had more time to explore their options while Coop remained fighting. ¡°Settlement construction is locked along with just about everything useful until the mana dome is removed.¡± He glanced up into the darkness of the sky where the red dome continued to loom. ¡°It¡¯s meant to disappear after each wave, but since our waves appear to be overlapping, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have a chance to build anything until the event is all over.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not all of the waves will be the same.¡± Coop suggested, though it wasn¡¯t an entirely helpful thought, introducing another variable to mess with their predictions.


    Shane nodded and continued. ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll be relying on manually conjuring and crafting arrows. It isn¡¯t a complete loss, since most of the actual archer classes have their own ways to provide ammo. It¡¯s the melee fighters who were supplementing their skills with a ranged option that will run out. We¡¯ll get everyone that has professions that could contribute to do so.¡±


    ¡°Other than that, morale is good. If anything, facing the challenge together is boosting the fighting spirit among the residents, but that will only last as long as we can continue managing their physical exhaustion and providing breaks from the constant fighting. The biggest influence on morale has been having Coop on the frontline, so you should keep that up.¡±


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    Coop scratched at the back of his head, slightly embarrassed, while Kayla snickered at his reaction.


    Shane went on. ¡°The naval crews have been bolstering our forces, but we¡¯ll need them in the water for each countdown. We know not all of the waves will come across the dunes now that one started underground, and even though they seem to be coming from their regular spawn locations, we don¡¯t know where everything spawns. ¡±


    Kayla saluted. ¡°You got it boss. The Eye of the Storm¡¯ll stay where she is, along with Windchaser, but we¡¯ll have the fleet spread to the edges of the territory before every timer.¡±


    Shane nodded and looked around at each of the others. ¡°That¡¯s about it. If no one has anything else¡­¡± He waited a moment for an interjection. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking command for now, the rest of you have until the next countdown reaches one hour to rest up.¡± Shane neutrally dismissed the group.


    Shane left them to head back across the bridge and help maintain the frontline, Kayla went to her ship after slapping Coop¡¯s shoulder. The rest headed toward the apartments or barracks.


    Coop accessed the shard and confirmed that they couldn¡¯t do anything other than observe the status of the settlement. They wouldn¡¯t be respawning phantoms until the event was over and they wouldn¡¯t be able to get the medical center either. He tried to look at the bright side: not having to worry about it being destroyed immediately after spending a fortune constructing it.


    He went to the Clumsy Shark. He didn¡¯t plan on resting for 12 hours, but he¡¯d take a nap, grab some food, and collect all the buffs he could before he went back underground. A little rest would do him good, but he also wasn¡¯t about to waste an opportunity to keep getting experience and it seemed like they needed to actively participate in order to receive any.


    The inside of the tavern was more crowded than ever, but people were subdued. Small groups were eating quietly together and others were just resting on their own. The few non-combatants were holed up in the safety of the building, so it reminded Coop of some kind of bomb shelter. He had thought the tavern would be the safest place in the settlement, but judging by the library¡¯s fortifications, it might only be the second safest.


    The muted atmosphere inside was stripped away when Elly¡¯s laughter broke out from one of the booths where Maeve was serving. The small burst of happiness spread through the room and even the most melancholy of visitors were involuntarily smiling to themselves as they ate or relaxed. It was a small reminder of the things they were fighting for. Even Coop needed it as he was wrapped up in leaderboards, stats, and level ups, but they were also securing their safety, their survival, and a future.


    Coop sat at the bar and Desmond served him a bowl of stew with a side of Vronk bread.


    ¡°How¡¯s it going out there?¡± The bartender asked.


    ¡°A few dicey moments, but we¡¯re managing.¡± Coop responded, but he was worried about the difficulty ramping up. If the monsters continued to escalate in levels, he really hoped that the other residents would be able to keep up. So far, they had risen to the challenge.


    Desmond nodded approvingly before moving on and helping other customers. Coop ate his food quickly, tapped the bar to settle his bill, and headed back outside. Instead of taking a bed for a power nap, he decided to just go relax underneath his second favorite palm tree. It might be his first favorite now by default. He wasn¡¯t sure if the one on the beach outside had survived the surging Defenders and the cannon barrages. It was on the edge of what ended up being the battlefield.


    Coop laid on his back looking up at the palm fronds and considered the weird relationship they all had with sleep now. He suspected that at least part of the tiredness that he felt was psychosomatic. His mind knew that fatigue should be setting in after a hundred hours of physical activity, but mana seemed to throw everything off.


    He woke up from what he intended to be a quick nap when the sun crested over the fort walls and began shining on his face. Brushing the grass off of himself, he got up and stretched. After checking the timers again, he realized he had been asleep for a solid eight hours. He certainly felt better.


    Coop headed to the town circle where Mikey B greeted him.


    ¡°Yo, Coop!¡± The Honorguard called as he jogged over.


    ¡°Hey Mikey, did you guys get the message delivered?¡± Coop responded.


    ¡°Yeah, man. Check it out.¡± He answered as he pointed to the west end of the canal where Amanda was watching a giant pig splashing around in the deep water along with the whole herd. He seemed to have claimed the shallows on the outside of the moat as his wallow and was taking the time to splash around in the unusually deep water when he was normally too big to actually swim.


    ¡°The little ones climbed on board while the big one followed us.¡± Mikey explained as Coop inspected the beast.


    [Gluttonous Wild Pig (Level 60)]


    [Eater of Worlds (Body)]


    [Chosen of the Shepherds of the Lost]


    Judging by the scrapes and scratches he had been forced to fight through the previous waves even on the next island over, but all the normal pigs were still accounted for. Coop thanked Mikey and told him to pass it on to Amanda before Coop went and found Madison. He interrupted her meal to see if she could heal the beastly pig.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a vet! I¡¯m a human doctor! For humans!¡± Madison scolded him for suggesting she was also a veterinarian, as if being a doctor wasn¡¯t enough, before she did in fact leave her meal to go heal the pig. The pig seemed happy enough with her treatment.


    Without wasting any more time, he headed back to the beachhead, checked in with Shane, and headed down to the pearlescent chambers. The chamber that they had access to through the basement tunnel was completely under control. Using his spear to mistjump across the gap, he claimed an adjacent chamber for himself while the residents took care of the first.


    Five hours of smashing with his morning star while maintaining Fog of War and the fourth timer beeped the last 10 seconds before buzzing to indicate another wave had begun. Coop remained underground, waiting for a wraith messenger to summon him if it was necessary, otherwise he would keep stifling the Frenzied Excavators for another 25 hours.


    The first pearlescent chamber continued to be occupied by Gibson and the rest of the squad that had relieved Coop. Between Coop and the rest of them underground, half of the Excavators failed to even reach the sinkhole. They kept at it even after the next wave started.


    Eventually, a wraith arrived at the edge of his fog with a message. The ghostly woman teleported across the cavern to deliver it to Coop, not showing any fear of the abyss and waited for him to poke his head out. She let him know that the fourth wave had been level 40 Tormenting Kites and that he should stick with the underground until the Excavators ceased spawning. Afterwards, they would be leaving the entire western flank to him.


    The Tormenting Kites were attacking from the sea, from the West, North, and East, so they weren¡¯t nearly as dense as any of the previous waves. This meant that the area skills that they had been relying on in previous waves were less effective and the monsters had more freedom to dodge. They were digging into their stock of arrows for now.


    The Kites weren¡¯t even trying to damage the walls and were instead exchanging fire with the defenders on the ramparts. Some flowed into the channel, but Kayla¡¯s navy was taking responsibility for preventing them from getting inside the fort while the huge pig eliminated any that approached his herd.


    After she finished her update, she fearlessly teleported back out while Coop kept his grind going, terrorizing the Frenzied Excavators while he planned for how he would engage with the Kites. He hadn¡¯t even found a good way of fighting the regular ones yet, so he didn¡¯t already have a grind mode to fall into. The monsters wouldn¡¯t be ambushing him as they tried to assault Ghost Reef, so he didn¡¯t think he would have the same problems.


    ¡ª


    Tzultacaj slammed his heavy spiked greataxe against the red barrier and roared in fury.


    The army had braved the mountains and jungles for weeks in order to reach the settlement¡¯s territory and carry out their vengeance. Thousands had fallen to the elite monsters hidden deep within the untamed wilds. The beasts tormented them as they traveled, and thousands more had died in combat with the Cult¡¯s priests and adherents, but even more had replenished their numbers as they liberated villages and cities. They could all see the grip of the Cult of Chakyum was being broken by the Jaguar Sun.


    The Cult had expanded throughout the region, well-beyond the limits of their settlement territory, establishing enclaves in secluded corners where they practiced their vile rituals, or openly took control of the remnants of civilization. They threatened shackles and death upon those who resisted and promised the rest that they would be welcomed into the settlement as it grew, so long as they were good sheep. Tzultacaj led the Jaguar Sun as they exposed and destroyed the priests time after time until they could reach the center of the corruption.


    Once they finally made it to the edge of the settlement¡¯s territory they were locked out by a massive dome of red mana. Worse yet, they had been harried by monsters too strong for anyone but a tiny few to defeat. The wilds had become a frenzy, with monsters aggressively leaving their dens to go on the hunt.


    With their backs against the impenetrable barrier, they were routed by the monsters of the wild jungles after just one day and one night. They didn¡¯t even have a chance to challenge the core of the Cult.


    The Jaguar Sun was squashed.


    Tzultacaj returned to the battle. There was no breaking through the mana dome. He would give his temporary allies more time to flee and make sure the monsters couldn¡¯t chase them anymore. The ancestral greataxe that never left his side was charged with red lightning as he jumped back into the fray.


    Tzultacaj vowed in blood that this wouldn¡¯t be the end.

 Chapter 81: The Prodigal Daughter

    Another day of the siege went by and the Frenzied Excavators finally ceased spawning. Ruin Excavators appeared in the darkness but they behaved the way the Ancient Defenders did, listlessly waiting for someone to get in range and otherwise being harmless. Coop took note of the potential Ruin Excavator grind zone and was excited about being able to return to the pearlescent chambers to complete quest chains, but that would obviously have to wait.


    Gibson and his squad headed for their own long break, to rest up and recuperate, but Coop rushed to get involved with fighting the Tormenting Kites. It didn¡¯t take long for him to be knee deep in the aquamarine sea, west of the moat, with his spear and shield gleaming in the late morning sunshine. Coop was excited for a new enemy to fight and to be out of the dimly lit caverns underground. It felt good to have the tropical sun on his skin again. The huge pig watched him as he lounged at the end of the channel. Apparently, the Kites weren¡¯t enough to rouse the big fella.


    There hadn¡¯t been any new developments, like an unknown Field Boss joining the fight, and the ranged fighters had scraped a stalemate with the Kites by just exchanging pot shots at each other. Most of the actual defeats of the monsters had been from the pirates, who were using the corvettes to strafe the tormenting monsters, periodically running them down as they slowly and inevitably collected outside of the walls like flotsam drifting with the currents.


    Defeating the Frenzied Excavators inside of his Fog of War had become routine enough for Coop to spend the full day coming up with ideas for fighting the Kites, and he had several tactics to try.


    The obvious choice would be to liberally throw his spear, using Retribution to return it to his hand for free. He¡¯d never run out of projectiles that way and he was strong enough to defeat the Kites with every throw.


    However, the reliable choice of spear throwing was his second backup plan, only to be used when he ran low on mana. The first backup plan was to abuse his mistjumps, taking the wave as an opportunity to exercise his Practical Application passive and reduce the cost of teleporting as much as possible. He was sure he would end up applying both tactics during the course of the wave, but he had one more experimental idea to try out first.


    He resummoned his hoplon, the round shield that was also tentatively a frisbee like projectile if he sufficiently developed his offhand throws. The shield was slightly different than normal. It was still solid, but he had altered the composition. He wouldn¡¯t be able to use it to block anything at the moment. It was purely a weapon with his current alterations.


    Coop viewed the approaching Kites and selected his target. The monsters were spread apart and looked very similar to a smack of jellyfish drifting above the surface of the ocean. It wasn¡¯t obvious where they were coming from other than it seemed like they were spread evenly along the entire horizon. They were slow and spread out, but they were inevitable.


    Coop could see thousands with the group of Kites extending all the way to the edge of the mana dome. Some of them were engaged with ranged defenders on the ramparts, applying their dodges when projectiles were launched at them and lobbing their own attacks back. It was the most leisurely of the waves as the creatures weren¡¯t an aggressive surge of monsters like the rest had been.


    Without the walls, this wave would have been a nightmare, but with the fort it was certainly among the easier ones. Ranged monsters coming from all directions without cover to hide behind wouldn¡¯t be a good time.


    Preparing to throw his shield and really enter the fray, he aimed and fired with an overhand motion like he was switch pitching. The hoplon flew straight and even though Coop still lacked the natural fluidity of a practiced throw, he managed to put a good amount of power into it. The Tormenting Kite failed to dodge, not fast enough to match Coop¡¯s Strength, even when he clumsily applied it, and the shield slammed into the monster¡¯s tentacle-like appendages.


    The alterations he had made to the shield worked exactly as he intended. The shield exploded into shrapnel as it shattered against the metallic Kite. He had come up with the idea when he considered how it had broken into pieces in the past and also remembered some skills he had observed previously. The skill of the Shattershot back on the oil rig who had fired ice arrows that shattered on impact and dealt incidental damage in an area instead of piercing, then there was the glass mage that was synergizing with Charlie¡¯s winds, creating bullets out of raindrop sized projectiles had both been sources of inspiration.


    Coop had basically tried to make an ethereal grenade. The Tormenting Kite that ended up being his test dummy was defeated, but that was the end of the good news. Resummoning the shield cost the full price of Retribution, making the move less efficient than just mistjumping at this point, and the shrapnel effect had been really underwhelming. Without anything to propel the shards, it really was more like throwing a glass plate with a ton of Strength. He would almost certainly do more damage if the shield had been completely solid instead.


    Experimental plan number one would need to go back to the drawing board. Plan B was a go. Coop threw his spear, destroyed a Kite, mistjumped, threw his properly solid shield, destroyed another Kite, and mistjumped again. At 28 mana and accounting for his mana regen, he could mistjump nearly 400 times in a row. If his throw failed to defeat the monster, the mistjump would put him in range to finish the job.


    The nearest Kites feebly counter attacked with their weak magical projectiles. Coop deliberately took damage from them, just to test, and lost 10 health. He would avoid taking unnecessary damage since it would also take away mana through Mind over Matter, and he wanted to be spending that on mistjumps, but it was nice to know he wouldn¡¯t be in much danger from these monsters.


    [Tormenting Kite (Level 40)]


    [(Intelligence)]


    [Minion of the Primal Constructs]


    They really were lower level than the Frenzied Excavators. It was a two-fold relief. First, that they would be less dangerous, and second, that every wave wasn¡¯t escalating in levels. There were just too many waves, to the point that if they were gaining as little as five levels each wave, the final wave would have been at least 50 more levels from the first wave. They¡¯d be fighting higher than level 80 monsters and Coop wasn¡¯t sure they¡¯d be able to handle it. He was pretty sure he could do it, since they were just regular monsters, but the rest of the residents might end up being left behind. He shuddered at the idea of a Field Boss at that level.


    Pushing aside his fears, he returned his attention to the Kites. Feeling confident about the current wave, he buckled in for a mobile grind, incorporating as many shield throws and mistjumps as he could.


    ¡ª


    Platinum barely made it back home before the mana dome locked her out. Neon hadn¡¯t anticipated the red barriers spawning for the duration of each wave and she ended up being the only one capable of traveling between their allies. No one else was fast enough to beat the timers. Still, she had exhausted her solidlights and Neon Park was preparing to fend off their second wave.


    The three settlements she had been in so far were all piecing together the mechanics of the event. Ghost Reef was a popular topic, with everyone trying to guess how they had achieved their challenge assessment. The popular theory was that they had a territory that encompassed hundreds or even thousands of miles already. She doubted that one. Neon Park was probably among the largest settlements, territory wise, because of its population, and their estimates put their territory at around 25 miles in diameter. She didn¡¯t think there were enough humans left alive on the entire planet to force a settlement to encompass that much territory.


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    In any case, absolutely no one envied the Ghost Reef. Based on the leaderboards it seemed like they were constantly fighting for their lives. One wave was enough for everyone else, including herself. In fact, one wave was too much for some, if the number of settlements that were disappearing off the lists was any indication.


    She entered her home and was going to take a well earned break before she joined in the defense up north. At this point they had confirmed that the waves were composed of the local monsters and they were already anticipating which would be next. They expected it would be a ground assault against their most secure sector in The Bronx. She wouldn¡¯t even need to help, but she would make her presence known once she relaxed for a bit.


    She let her silver, not platinum, hair down and let herself fall into the warm embrace of the raggedy couch that she insisted on keeping long after it should have been replaced. Neon barely relented in letting her bring it into his brownstone when she first moved in. One look at it had caused him to recoil in fear, but she was insistent, and it was comfortable enough to win him over.


    As she let herself unwind after the long trip, the door to Neon¡¯s study swung open and a party of four exited from where they were privately meeting with the Champion.


    Platinum was surprised to see The Bronx Commander herself, escorted by a few of her elites, had come to visit. It was rare for any of the community leaders to leave their domains, and that was especially true for the strongest of them. Not to mention the impending wave on her territory. They were probably the only sector that could spare powerhouses and still remain secure at all times.


    Despite being an old lady, the commander was a force to be reckoned with, even before mana. Now, she was one of the few people Platinum would definitely run away from if it came to a fight. Forget about levels, she wouldn¡¯t risk it. The other three, all her grandchildren, weren¡¯t any slouches either even if they didn¡¯t engender the same level of respect from Platinum.


    She politely nodded at Platinum as she passed by with elegance that bled into the room. She was one of those people that made others self-conscious of their shortcomings just by existing. The entire family was beautiful, but the matriarch was a goddess. Age had done nothing to diminish her presence


    Platinum didn¡¯t have time to straighten herself up after draping herself over the end of her couch like a slob before they had surprised her. One of the grandchildren knelt and gently snagged her fingers as if he was encouraging her to come with him.


    She shook her hand free, not interested in the admittedly handsome man, ¡°Leave me alone, Carlos.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, don¡¯t be like that, weren¡¯t you waiting out here for me?¡± He enticed.


    Before Platinum could deny anything, one of the other escorts, Carlos¡¯s sister or cousin or aunt, clapped him in the ear. ¡°Leave her alone, this is a business trip.¡±


    ¡°Ay! Gabby! Don¡¯t hit so hard! You¡¯re so much stronger now! I¡¯m just being friendly anyway.¡± He whined.


    ¡°Too friendly.¡± She retorted, raising her hand again before he started walking again. ¡°Sorry about him, Platinum.¡± She dipped her head apologetically.


    Carlos just waved a sad goodbye at Platinum as they followed the matriarch through the front door.


    Neon was the next to leave his study, holding his glasses in one hand and squeezing the bridge of his nose with the other like he had too much to worry about and had just added one more thing.


    Platinum hoped they weren¡¯t going to have any problems from that group. The Bronx had stood firmly outside of the safe territory of the settlement until the most recent expansion, and had done so while fighting off constant raids of elite monsters from the north and northeast. The same monsters that had driven a different civilization shard to destruction despite the advantages of a territory¡¯s protection. They survived when others would have been forced to flee or perish. She believed they¡¯d earned their survival more than most to this point.


    ¡°What was that about?¡± Platinum asked uneasily.


    ¡°Oh, you made it back!¡± Neon exclaimed, sounding like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He plopped down on the couch as well. The shard was most vulnerable when he was left alone, so he was relieved she was back. He turned serious after a moment. ¡°The Lady had a request.¡±


    ¡°Uh oh.¡±


    ¡°Nothing bad,¡± he waved away her concern. ¡±It actually works out nicely as long as we work with her. It¡¯s more of a build a better relationship with them sort of deal, they¡¯ll be more proactive in watching out for us if we help. She¡¯ll take the lead as we negotiate with all these last minute Elite Chosen groups, to start with.¡±


    ¡°Them again?¡± Platinum dismissively asked. ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? We¡¯re already much higher level than them.¡±


    On Day 30, as the settlement events began, the last of the Chosen arrived from their training. These were elites that factions believed could take over the entire world in lieu of an army, but Platinum wasn¡¯t impressed, none of them that she knew of had even cracked the leaderboards upon their return.


    Neon sighed. ¡°They have the best equipment we¡¯ve seen so far, we¡¯re not sure what other tricks they got, and there¡¯s quite a few groups of them. They¡¯re all demanding control and loyalty on behalf of their factions. Even without us in the way it might be a bloodbath between them.¡±


    ¡°So we strike first, make examples of some of them to get the rest to back off.¡± Platinum asserted, not at all doubting whether the pair of them could take a full party of the Elite Chosen, regardless of any hidden tricks.


    ¡°That¡¯s the backup plan.¡± Neon chuckled, similarly confident. ¡°First, we¡¯re gonna host a sit down in The Bronx and let them know their options: Settle down or exile. They can find a different shard to start their conquest if they think they can. All the borough commanders are onboard, though a few block leaders have aligned themselves with various parties already. I really doubt anyone will join them in exile.¡±


    Platinum raised an eyebrow. ¡°...and what did the Lady want?¡±


    ¡°You know how they held their community together with her family at the core, how they¡¯re all super tight, like a completely united front?¡± Platinum nodded, everyone knew the bonds of that family were absolutely unbreakable, none of them stepped out of line when it came down to it. Even someone like Carlos was reliably with his family and the surrounding community replicated that loyalty and respect when they displayed the ability to thrive in the face of the apocalypse.


    Neon continued explaining. ¡°Turns out there¡¯s a prodigal daughter, or granddaughter in this case. A driven girl that left home to pursue her own desires against her family¡¯s wishes. Headstrong and self-confident like that. She left as soon as she finished high school. They stayed friendly, keeping in touch until the apocalypse made that impossible. Despite trying to get her to come back, she never did. They want us to invite her back home given the new circumstances.¡±


    Platinum was surprised even a single member of that family would have voluntarily left the fold like that. ¡°Is she even alive?¡±


    Neon nodded confidently. ¡°She¡¯s been all over the event leaderboards. That¡¯s what motivated the meeting. Seems she might be just as much a powerhouse as the rest of them, despite a completely different starting point.¡±


    If she was on the event leaderboards, that meant she would be in Ghost Reef. They had completely dominated the event from the first day, but finding the settlement would be another challenge.


    Neon anticipated her next question. ¡°They¡¯re going to start making inquiries once the event is over, and they aren¡¯t in any rush to find her. They are completely confident that this wayward daughter will survive no matter what happens, they just want us to help with communication if we can.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t send me across the planet.¡± She begged, already tired of traveling around between waves. She didn¡¯t like heading into the unclaimed wilds even before the event put time limits on her travel.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll send Carlos.¡± Neon assured her with a chuckle.


    Platinum sighed, trying to imagine how she would even get to the Ghost Reef in Australia. ¡°So we just need to help find Ghost Reef, deliver a simple message, and The Bronx army will have our back? Isn¡¯t that too good of a deal? Who is this girl?¡±


    Neon pressed his glasses against his nose with a single finger. ¡°Her name is Camila Alvarez.¡±

 Chapter 82: The Fifth Wave

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    The next wave was coming.


    Coop had spent an uninterrupted 25 hours hunting the Tormenting Kites. The shallow waters around the patch reefs outside of the west side of the settlement had become his personal roaming grounds. How much the fifth wave would shake up the new status quo was yet to be determined.


    The west side of the hexagonal fort was really the two walls on the northwest and the southwest of the structure. The two sections were separated by the channel splitting the northern and southern sides of the courtyard, so Coop was covering a lot of ground, or water in this case, by protecting the entire western side. He wasn¡¯t able to eliminate all of the Kites that made their way from the edges of the mana dome, but he was supported by ranged casters that occupied the battlements at the top of the walls and of course the giant wild pig remained in his position at the entrance to the channel between the two walls. Together, they were enough.


    The rest of Ghost Reef¡¯s fighting force was spread along the rest of the fort with Captain Kayla¡¯s corvettes occupying a similar role as Coop, engaging the Kites at sea and preventing them from besieging the ranged fighters on the walls with significant numbers. The name of the game thus far was to prevent the monsters from developing a critical mass at any specific place.


    Coop¡¯s tactics in thinning the invader numbers had ended up being even more effective than he anticipated. When he was calculating how many mistjumps he would be able to do, he severely underestimated. He failed to account for his Reaper title recovering mana from his kills and the further reduction in mana costs from continued use with Practical Application kicking in.


    Normally, the mana recovered from monsters was completely negligible, but Kites were one of the few exceptions. They were essentially caster monster variants and had decent enough mana pools for him to sustain rapid mistjumps the entire 25 hours that he had been engaging them. Even at the start, as long as he occasionally killed more than one before a second mistjump, he was able to keep his strategy going indefinitely.


    The cost of his mistjumps had also dropped dramatically, thanks to Practical Application. He was nearly realizing the dream of having no cost mistjumps. They were down to 10 mana already, which was essentially free at this point, considering his massive mana pool, mana¡¯s relatively quick regeneration rate, and Reaper¡¯s recovery.


    Throwing his shield had also become much more natural. Thousands of repetitions was certainly an effective method of improving proficiency in something, though he was a little concerned about embedding bad habits into his muscle memory. For now, he was just happy to be able to hit targets reliably when throwing with his left arm.


    He was comfortable with two different shield throws. The first was a shorter ranged pitch that kept the shield vertical and would deal more damage when he struck a target. The second was the sidearm frisbee throw. He could get a lot more distance with the sidearm, but it relied on aerodynamic lift and drag forces that let it glide, but made it slower and less damaging. With his Strength, it was possible to catch a Kite that didn¡¯t see it coming, and defeat it, but most of the time it would be a better mistjump target instead. Other designs for his shield could improve its long range potency, but his spear would generally remain as his preferred option when it came to ranged attacks.


    While Coop practiced his ranged and mobility tactics, the settlement had eased into a steady routine. The residents were certainly more confident in their abilities and those of their peers, but it seemed like everyone was waiting for the other shoe to drop. No one expected the waves to get easier as they went, so a cloud of anticipation hung over the defenders as they engaged with the Tormenting Kites. The previous waves had countered their defenses far more effectively than the Kites, and they couldn¡¯t shake the looming threat of another trick from their minds.


    The fact that there hadn¡¯t been another Field Boss appearing with the new enemy type was a source of both relief and trepidation. Having the bosses show up unpredictably was not good news, but avoiding them altogether would be ideal. It would be great if Felrog was an exception due to the presence of a hive, but Andamarius had just been hanging out in his golf course before a hive had formed, so Coop believed other Field Bosses could be in unexplored corners of the territory.


    At this point, it was clear that the waves were composed of the local invaders. This event was punishing them for what Coop saw as the settlement¡¯s biggest strength; the variety of monsters around Ghost Reef. He had guessed that other settlements were simply more limited and that was why grinding was being ignored by seemingly everyone else on the leaderboards. Empress City only had the one monster available, but Coop couldn¡¯t confirm how the rest of the settlements were situated.


    This event seemed to be supporting his theory. The challenge assessment was clearly based on the number of monster types within the settlement territories, and each wave consisted of just one monster type. Ghost Reef seemed to be the only settlement with more than three monster varieties in its territory. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was a pure advantage anymore, seeing as the event was turning the benefits into a threat. He was just glad that the settlement¡¯s territory hadn¡¯t expanded even further. Who knew how many more varieties were lurking in the region?


    Before the next wave of monsters revealed themselves, he checked the event leaderboards.


    Siege Event Settlement Scores


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Ghost Reef - 5,924,046 (x48828125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Shinjuku Gardens - 587,912 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Neon Park - 577,888 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Lotho - 555,152 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Windy Coast - 552,224 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Bakilon - 549,912 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Loch Bridge - 548,501 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Acre - 548,058 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Wintermeer - 547,117 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Aotearoa New Zealand - 546,900 (x125)</li>


    </ol>


    Coop thought if Ghost Reef¡¯s event ended before the next wave, they would probably maintain their position in first place. It seemed like defeating a Field Boss had granted them a significant bonus, but none of the other settlements had done the same. Based on their scores he could guess that the x125 and the x25 settlements had experienced their first waves at this point.


    A few familiar settlements remained in the top 10, but Coop grimly noted that the entire list had shrunk from 649 to 525. Empress City went from rank 604 to 480 despite still having zero score. Some probably fell during the initial wave and others that could have held on may have faced a Field Boss that overwhelmed them.


    The Primal Constructs were definitely making progress in their attempt to take the planet for themselves. Too many resources were expended jockeying for position instead of securing their collective futures. He frowned as he destroyed another Kite and paused to pull up the individual scores.


    Siege Event Individual Scores


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Coop - 144,223 (+83,938)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Charlie Seraphin - 104,209 (+43,054)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Jett Black - 71,666 (+66,501)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Camila Alvarez - 71,542 (+63,921)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Madison Seraphin - 65,634 (+61,133)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Sunny Paws - 61,103 (+53,755)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Marcus Rollins - 57,012 (+53,125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Arthur Anonymous - 55,701 (+48,379)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Frank Goba - 55,694 (+49,835)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Elder Olani - 55,690 (+37,946)</li>


    </ol>


    It had already been nearly two waves and a Field Boss since he last updated himself on their individual scores. The split frontline hurt Charlie¡¯s coverage, but she was still dominant even with half as many targets. Meanwhile, Coop¡¯s score was really benefiting from the flexibility offered by his Revenant class. No matter the opponent or the battlefield, he should be able to consistently contribute and his sustain meant that the consistency could continue without breaks.


    The bonus from defeating a Field Boss had significantly boosted the settlement score, but the boost to their individual scores wasn¡¯t quite as monumental. Still, other than Charlie, every person who directly fought Felrog had moved into the top of the list.


    Marcus¡¯s affliction bomber strategy contributed a lot during the previous two waves, bringing him to the top seven when he hadn¡¯t been near the top at all previously. The rest of the top 1,000 was still dominated by residents of Ghost Reef with a few new exceptions.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Platinum appeared in the top 100 with almost 40,000 points. He had no idea how they could have managed that in a single wave. Even Charlie¡¯s best waves were significantly less. Maybe they solo¡¯d a Field Boss. Coop thought that was a name to keep an eye on.


    Hai Yun was the next non-Ghost Reef resident on the list. They had a score of 21,000 which was more like what Coop would expect from a dominant performance during a single wave. Hai Yun was ranked 750. From there, a few more unfamiliar names appeared with some frequency, but it wasn¡¯t like Coop knew every single phantom in Ghost Reef, so they could have been his allies just as much as elites from other settlements.


    Coop kept hunting the Kites, even after the buzzer indicated the start of the fifth wave. The invaders were almost leisurely in their assault with their slow, smooth movement. Even though there were just as many of them as any of the other waves, they were spread thin along three cardinal directions, reducing the impact of their overwhelming numbers.


    Coop gazed across the sparkling shallow water as Tormenting Kites continued to slowly glide above the reefs toward the fort. The sun was high in the sky, reducing their shadows to their minimum. The aquamarine sea was barely disturbed by the light breeze that seemed to be gently encouraging the water and the Kites toward the shores of Ghost Reef.


    However, he noticed several abnormal waves that bulged on the surface, like something was moving just below the water with some speed, like a predator on the hunt.


    He was at too low of an angle to see below the surface of the water from a distance, but the waves gave him the impression of sharks or dolphins seeking to trap small prey against the shore, and they were all heading toward him and the fort. The slower Kites were spaced out as they approached the fort, leaving room for additional paths in between which were now filled by the isolated waves.


    Coop didn¡¯t wait. He struck first, aiming his next spear throw at the much faster movement. The ethereal spear sliced through the water with barely a splash, exposing the creature for a brief moment before driving it into the sand at the bottom where it was defeated. Coop checked the notifications that appeared.


    [You defeated Crazed Serpent (Level 45)]


    [+55 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Tainted Blade (Rare)]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Fortune Seeker (5/50)]


    Crazed variants of the Primal Serpents were the next wave, and they were attacking from the sea along with the Kites. Coop was just glad they didn¡¯t need to scramble to realign their defenses again. He could probably keep the same strategy, more or less, protecting the western flank of the fort. The alarm bells started going off as the enemies were detected and the defenders prepared to meet the new challenge.


    Coop deliberately made a commotion in the shallow water, testing if he could bait the Serpents in a similar manner to the regular monster variants inside the mangrove forest. Each of the event monsters had demonstrated different priorities, with some blindly seeking to reach the shard while others sought to deal damage to the settlement or to the defenders themselves. He would find out where the Serpents'' had their priorities set.


    He threw his spear into the nearest Kite to the north, but held his position instead of mistjumping, still splashing as he went through exaggerated motions and resummoned his spear. He repeated the process with a Kite to the south.


    For a moment, Coop felt overwhelming unease, as he scanned the surface of the water. Splashing around had been far too effective. The scene from above would look like a thousand guided torpedoes simultaneously locking onto their target, and Coop was in the crosshairs. Coop noted the monsters¡¯ vertical blades extending, breaching the surface of the water and looking like metallic shark fins. It was threatening on an instinctual level.


    Coop met the first few head-on. Thrusting his spear as they launched themselves toward him like he was a primitive hunter facing off with another apex predator, fighting over a hunting ground. The Serpents would have made an excellent catch, as large as they were. If they weren¡¯t made of tiny spiked metal scales and didn¡¯t evaporate into mana smoke when he defeated them, they would make a good mantlepiece. They charged at him as if they wanted to spear him themselves and a narrow dodge on his part would still result in catching their extended horizontal blades.


    The Serpents were significantly more mobile than he was in the water, but he was quicker and stronger through raw stats. It was simply a matter of them being better adapted to moving in the ocean. Coop still did his best to back away, preventing too many of the monsters from reaching him at once. Of all the monsters they had fought, these were the largest so far. It would only take one or two of them striking him to knock him off balance and give the rest a deadly opening.


    When his ethereal spear caught them mid attack, their mass was enough to knock him backwards if he didn¡¯t have his feet firmly planted in the sand. If his spear only grazed the monsters, it was ineffective and they wouldn¡¯t be diverted. He needed to stab them directly as they tried to stab him, or fully dodge them and thrust the spear through their flanks.


    In the mangrove forest he had been fighting them outside of the water, on the wide branches, so he had been able to easily dodge their telegraphed attacks and stab them in the sides while they flew through the air. Here, in the shallow water, he couldn¡¯t count on getting out of the way fast enough without exposing himself to their extended blades. Their attacks were quicker since they didn¡¯t need to leap dozens of feet in the air to reach him, and he was slightly slower with the water partially stifling his movement.


    Coop made a quick decision and swapped his spear and shield for a new weapon. A polearm that he hadn¡¯t actually used before, but felt would be the perfect tool given the circumstances. It was similar enough to both the spear and glaive to be compatible with his techniques, and he would count on his Haunted title to correct his missteps.


    The three-pronged ethereal trident was fully solidified when the next Serpent leapt toward him. With both arms bracing the trident, instead of only using a single arm like with his spear, he was much more comfortable countering the diving charge of the monster. He had a lot more room for effective counter strikes with the multiple prongs increasing his strike zone. The ineffective grazes caused by his spear were now deadly skewerings with the new weapon.


    Coop stood against the surge of Serpents, slowly sliding backwards with each kill. He could handle them one at a time, but if they started crowding his flanks he would still be in trouble. Even head-on, when two attacks came simultaneously he was forced into narrow dodges that were made extremely risky by the extended horizontal blades. He ended up with long scratches more often than not when two attacked simultaneously. Then, the surviving of the pair became a monster he needed to deal with from behind as the surge continued from the front.


    Eventually, he was forced to move and try to reset the engagement, lest he be surrounded and turned into the target of a feeding frenzy. He did so by throwing the trident just like his spear. He had to hold it a bit closer to the spikes, finding its center of gravity, but otherwise it was the same. It flew with the same practiced arc and annihilated one of the neglected Kites as Coop mistjumped to it. The Serpents twisted to chase him like a school of fish aggressively pursuing a lure as he splashed back into the water.


    Coop skewered the quickest ones and continued the pattern. More Crazed Serpents constantly joined his pursuers, refreshing their numbers at least as fast as he reduced them. They were steadily attracted by the commotion of battle.


    The pattern that he fell into resulted in a significant number of Tormenting Kites reaching the fort¡¯s walls, but there was only so much he could do. Dealing with the much quicker and significantly more dangerous monsters occupied the majority of his attention.


    He gradually returned to his original distance from the fort, a hundred yards away from the walls, and resumed his patrol, back and forth, north and south. He eliminated as many Kites as he could manage while maintaining the attention of nearly every Serpent that approached from the west.


    Coop believed he could handle it and he felt relatively in control of the situation, outside of when he was scraped by a Serpent¡¯s blade and was forced to mistjump again. They left him striped with long cuts that bled and mixed with the water until he healed with his Reaper title. From above, it was possible to track his progress based on the small clouds of turbid water that marked his path.


    Late in the evening, the sunset turned the ocean red enough to mask his temporary scratches while he kept the precarious balance between fighting and kiting. It wasn¡¯t until the twilight had faded and it got really dark that Coop realized how much more difficult the scenario had become. With nothing but moonlight to watch for the leaping Serpents, he was forced to react with much less warning despite his condition slowly diminishing. Anticipating Ancient Prowler ambushes hadn¡¯t ever been this difficult, even when his stats were much lower.


    Thankfully, someone launched flare-like magic into the ocean, all the way around the fort. The magical projectiles landed in the water and emitted a verdant green smoke that illuminated the reef with a surreal dim light. The additional light was barely enough to keep the balance from tipping out of Coop¡¯s favor.


    One of the support wraiths showed up some time later and tossed him a care package before teleporting away to avoid any of the monster¡¯s attention. Coop didn¡¯t have time to find out what he was given with the delicate stability he carefully maintained. He drank a greenish yellow elixir from a small flask and shoved a chewy dried stem in his mouth as he continued fighting, mistjumping, and leading the monsters around in pursuit.


    He had two new buffs that immediately helped. The first was False-Light Eye. It gave him the ability to see silhouettes of everything in shades of light green as if the world had turned into green wireframes. He could see the Tormented Kites as they glided in the distance, ripples on the surface of the water, and even the Crazed Serpents underneath, all represented in a grid of glowing green lines. Alien night vision revealed more than his eyes could during the day time. He had to stop himself from gawking at the mana dome that was completely exposed in the sky with the enhanced vision. It looked like a neon green mesh wormhole against the black background of space.


    The second buff was Dried Hellebore Root. The name of the buff didn¡¯t help him understand what it did, but he immediately knew it was a stimulant. He could physically feel his pupils dilating, and his blood boiled, but he¡¯d never felt so focused on anything in his life. Mistjumping didn¡¯t leave him feeling any dizziness anymore, but it still felt like he was tripping in general.


    It promised to be a wild night, hunting floating jellyfish silhouettes with an ethereal trident, being chased by wireframe alien snakes, the ocean burning with glowing smoke, and a mana dome sealing them all in.

 Chapter 83: The Veiled Blade

    As soon as the sun rose, Coop¡¯s False-Light Eye buff dropped off. The sudden expiration was as if the natural light had actively dispelled it from his status. Coop wasn¡¯t seeing the world in green wireframe anymore, though he still had green stripes temporarily burned into his vision. It wasn¡¯t enough to blink them away, but they were slowly disappearing while he continued to fight the pursuing Crazed Serpents.


    The stimulant had also gradually faded during the night. Coop had feared a hangover or some other withdrawal symptoms, but he felt normal instead, maybe even a bit refreshed when the buff expired. Coop was practically as good as new when they started the eleventh day of the siege event.


    As he mistjumped across the shallows, using his ethereal trident to harpoon the chasing Crazed Serpents, he tried to differentiate between the days that had already gone by. It was difficult, since the days and nights bled together with the waves overlapping, especially when he spent days underground, but he could at least distinguish between the monsters that arrived with each timer.


    The siege started with the unusually aggressive Enraged Defenders and the first twist was the Marauding Prowlers arriving before the first wave had completed. The second surprise was when the Frenzied Excavators began their assault from inside the fort, spawning underground along with Felrog, the Field Boss joining in.


    Compared to the second and third waves, the Tormenting Kites had been an absolute vacation. They were admittedly a threat to individuals, with their ranged attacks and evasive maneuvers, but they were weak against the fort itself and they were unhurried in their assault. The fact that they were spread over such a wide area while maintaining similar numbers to the other waves also made them easier to deal with, even if it thinned the resident¡¯s numbers as well. At this point, he¡¯d bet on any of the residents being able to deal with a single Kite in a duel, so he thought a wider battlefield benefited Ghost Reef overall.


    The fifth wave of Crazed Serpents presented a similar situation to the Kites, with their wave spread around almost the entire fort, but they made up for the sweeping onslaught with speed and aggression that elevated the challenge beyond what the Kites offered. Coop was lucky to have been able to adapt his tactics to counter the rapid assaults of the Serpents, but the rest of the fort was struggling with them.


    The problem at the other walls was that no one could match Coop¡¯s role as bait for the surging monsters. The pirates attempted to fill in, but were relegated to sailing circuits in front of the walls, attracting as many Serpents as they could with each pass, but they weren¡¯t nearly as nimble as Coop could be with his mistjumps, and they were constantly taking damage or letting some monsters through. Without Coop¡¯s mobility, it was problematic to establish a clear focal point for the conflict.


    The Serpents had been gouging chunks out of the other walls all night to the point that Coop was tasked with rotating walls periodically. Shane was trying to spread the inevitable damage more evenly across the fort by having Coop pull the monsters away from the more damaged areas. The additional burden meant that Coop was drawing quite the crowd of invaders.


    Still, fighting the Crazed Serpents from the ships had some advantages over what Coop was doing. For one, they were able to fight while moving when Coop had to consider whether he needed to reposition or if he could stand and fight at any given moment. It was a balancing act between competing the basic instinct of fight or flight, but the ships avoided any compromise. The outcome was that the ships were able to defeat monsters at a much more consistent pace and Coop was forced into maintaining maximum concentration at all times.


    The monsters still never made it beyond the entrances to the channel as each end had become the focus for non-ranged fighters. Both sides of the channel were major choke points that quickly eliminated any Serpents greedy enough to try to reach the fort¡¯s interior.


    As the arrows were depleted, melee fighters left the walls and jumped at another chance to contribute. When given the opportunity they rotated, either by riding a ship or protecting the channel on the side not already protected by the pig. The last two waves hadn¡¯t been very melee friendly and they were already sufficiently rested after being rotated for breaks, so they were eager to pitch in.


    Coop had experimented with Fog of War, but because it failed to sufficiently penetrate the water, it wasn¡¯t a viable deterrent for the Serpents. The disorientation effect couldn¡¯t be applied to the submerged monsters, and they were attacking from such a wide angle, he wouldn¡¯t be able to cut them off by establishing a domain anyway. The nature of the wave called for constant movement.


    He was just happy they had survived another night. They would be able to repair the walls after the siege, so the superficial damage wasn¡¯t much concern. As the morning went on, the Tormenting Kites also stopped spawning, leaving the Crazed Serpents alone in their assault.


    All things considered, Coop continued to feel confident about their prospects through the siege event. If they were flexible enough to adjust to each of the waves so far, he hoped they would be able to keep it up for the rest.


    At least, he was feeling confident until a rumbling tremor shook the entire island until it culminated in an outburst that ceased the shaking. He swung his head to the north in time to see sand and water being launched into the sky high enough to block the midday sun. A plume of debris soared into the air as if a volcano had detonated slightly below the surface of the sandbars on the edge of the reef.


    A screech that vibrated the surface of the water and cast rippling shadows on the bottom echoed across the fort. All of the Serpents that had been hunting Coop abandoned their pursuit to heed the call. Coop followed the shrill shriek and noted the nocturnal bats were fleeing their roost in the northern corridors of the fort despite it being the middle of the day. Coop thought they might have the right idea, but he went towards the disturbance instead. He supposed it was the weight of responsibility that sent him chasing the potential danger.


    Coop followed the Crazed Serpents around the fort in the direction of the northern wall. Water that had been launched into the sky in the initial explosion was still falling like a light sunshower when Coop rounded the edge of the defenses. The fort¡¯s alarm bells were ringing in the background, but they seemed muffled after the screech that announced the arrival of this new threat. It was obvious a new challenger arrived and when Coop spotted it, he inspected it before he went any closer.


    [Field Boss: Primal Serpent (Level 45)]


    [Gaol the Veiled Blade (Body)]


    [Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]


    Another massive monster had arrived. Coop reevaluated the Serpents once he got a good look at their Field Boss. His conclusion was that they were giant sand worms. Instead of following the Crazed Serpents the way they had chased him for the last 25 hours, he changed directions and mistjumped onto the fort, not liking the way the monsters were leading him to the boss that towered over the edge of the reef, out of casting range of the walls.


    Gaol the Veiled Blade, Field Boss of the Primal Serpents was higher level than Felrog and was certainly larger. Gaol was only partially exposed, so an accurate estimation of its full size would be difficult, but the portion that was revealed was already larger than any previous boss Coop had seen, its head was elevated at least 40 feet into the air.


    Coop noted that its head had a crown of red lights that he expected would be a weak point. He just had no idea how they would reach them. Gaol seemed to be remaining completely stationary, fixed into the ground as it was. The boss had selected the battlefield and was gathering the Serpents to fortify its position. After another screeching call toward the sky, the boss faced the fort and dared the defenders to bring a challenge.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The northern wall¡¯s cannons fired as Gaol was blanketed by Crazed Serpents from all directions. The cannonballs blasted away dozens of the smaller monsters, but Gaol barely reacted, protected by sacrificing its smaller brethren. Gaol had called for all of the Serpents to join it and the smaller monsters had quickly become a wriggling mass that formed a protective layer on the Field Boss¡¯s exterior. Long rigid blades ran the entire length of the boss, but the smaller Serpents were able to maneuver around the edges to form a living, adaptive ringmail.


    From Coop¡¯s vantage on the battlements, he glanced back toward the interior of the fort and watched as nearly all of the phantoms and residents rotated to the north wall. Without Crazed Serpents attacking in the other directions, they were able to concentrate their forces once again, though The Eye of the Storm and Windchaser remained as the last line of defense for the shard.


    Gaol wasn¡¯t kind enough to wait for the defenders to reorganize themselves. The monster faced the sky and its face split open in four peeling strips, inundating the battlefield with another screech that turned the surface of the water into a mosaic of vibrations instead of the normal steady waves. Crazed Serpents lost their grip and fell off the boss before rushing to rejoin the mass that carpeted its skin.


    When the screech stopped Gaol relaxed its posture and there was a moment of calm before the sand in front of the fort¡¯s wall started erupting with a new threat. Metallic bone fingers had appeared in a chain of explosions along the edge of the underwater moat. They immediately started jabbing the stones of the wall as if they were the tails of underground scorpions. Each one had three joints with narrow segments in between. The final segment was a solid spiked nail that matched the Serpent blades of the rest of the invaders.


    Coop dropped down, finding something he felt he could fight, and faced one of the fingers with his trident. The thin finger would have towered over him if it stood straight, but as soon as Coop was in range it tried to jab him with its blade. Coop dodged out of range, admiring the whip-like speed of the finger. He swapped to his sword and shield before reengaging.


    A shield throw knocked the finger over and a mistjump into a powerful strike on the bottom joint destroyed the threat. The limbs were fragile, even if they were dangerous, they wouldn¡¯t be hard to defeat. If they were struck from any direction other than head on with the point of their blade, they would topple over from a lack of support. Disappointingly, the fingers weren¡¯t individual monsters, so he didn¡¯t receive any kill notifications or any loot for defeating them. Coop worked his way down the row, destroying them one after another with shield throws and mistjumps.


    If he hadn¡¯t developed his ability to shield throw, he wouldn¡¯t be nearly as mobile while using his sword, so he was glad to have spent the time practicing. Fighting the fingers with a polearm would have been a challenge to his precision, but chopping them with a sword was nice and straightforward.


    While he took care of the fingers, squads of phantoms had entered the battlefield, teleporting from the walls over the moat. They were creating a perimeter around the Field Boss to intercept Crazed Serpents as the smaller monsters attempted to join the others in protecting Gaol like living armor.


    At first, the phantoms were too close to the boss and inadvertently revealed another one of its abilities. The boss brought its body down to the surface and rapidly whirled in a full rotation. The spin exposed a massive blade inside what Coop had assumed was its mouth. The boss tried to cleave anything within its range, but the phantoms were quick enough with their teleports to avoid a crushing death as well as the gleaming edge of the revealed blade.


    The whirling spin wasn¡¯t only for Gaol to try and slice or crush enemies that got too close. It also launched hundreds of Crazed Serpents off of its body. The Serpents created chaos as the monsters were scattered across the battlefield behind the establishing lines of combat.


    When no phantoms were in its range, Gaol also continued to periodically spawn more of the blade fingers, though they were unpredictable in their locations. Instead of placing them all along the north wall, like it had at first, the boss also interrupted the phantom¡¯s formations, using the fingers to suddenly flank them.


    The boss¡¯s final trick was a cascade of blades that erupted out of the sand in sequence from the monster''s position. The blades were arranged in straight lines that spread across the battlefield, one eruption after another. If anyone failed to notice the telegraphed attack they would be in significant trouble as they were attacked from below with little warning other than the previous eruptions.


    The phantoms were forced to spread further out to avoid the boss itself, but they still had to deal with Crazed Serpents attacking them from both directions, the occasional finger surprise attack, and blades from underneath. The attention they drew was enough to free Coop from defending the wall and let him roam closer to the boss. The fingers that had picked away at the wall had left deep strips clawed out of the stone, but once again, the fort would hold strong.


    Ghost Reef¡¯s residents and the Field Boss entered a precarious stalemate where each tried to defeat the other through attrition. Gaol was extremely defensive, emphasizing its own preservation by sacrificing Serpents and relying on the fingers to attack rather than overexpose itself.


    Meanwhile, the residents lacked the firepower to consistently break through the Serpent shield. The Field Boss was far enough away from the walls to prevent most of the casters from reaching it with spells, though golden arrows blasted into the boss and arcing fireballs managed to land hits. Charlie established a steady tailwind to extend the range of their projectiles, but they still had to rely on cannon barrages and the Tempest Fleet to deal most of their damage.


    The most mobile casters, along with the mid-ranged fighters, ventured through the shallow waters around the entire moat in an effort to better contribute to the fight, but it was exceedingly dangerous to leave the safety of the fort walls. The Crazed Serpents were remarkably adept when navigating through the knee deep water, while every non-phantom would struggle to move quickly for very long.


    Sea Burial was the most active on the battlefield, by far. Captain Kayla¡¯s corvette with the Charon¡¯s Gaze phantom at its helm was able to stay at range, across the reef, and blast the boss with its siege ballista. Every time one of its massive ballista bolts struck Gaol, the worm-like boss was nearly slammed into the ground. The Field Boss would then shift its focus onto the ship, sending fingers and Serpents to retaliate, but the ship captain had a full crew of pirates along with dozens of his own gray orbs dedicated to point defense.


    The northern wall cannons were also effective. They needed to time their attacks so that the Serpents wouldn¡¯t reform their protective layer and absorb the damage, but when they did the damage was obvious. The first few cannons to land were inevitably defended by sacrificing Serpents, but that left gaps in the living armor that could be exploited. They were firing massive barrages to maximize their effect. Whenever the boss was peppered by cannonballs it inevitably took direct hits from a portion of the shots.


    Coop was sure they were whittling the boss¡¯s health away, and he did his part by mistjumping around the battlefield, destroying fingers as they spawned and splashing down on Crazed Serpents as they rushed to join the Field Boss. He swapped to his spear in between Serpents and bone fingers in order to heave it at the boss, matching the siege ballista bolts in effectiveness with his rather standard attacks, though he rarely drew the same attention as the ship. He was just another body on the battlefield in the eyes of the boss at this stage.


    The fight devolved into a classic slugfest throughout the entire day. They fought to prevent Gaol from regenerating its protective layer and the boss did its best to fend them off. By the time the sun sank beneath the horizon, concluding another red sunset, the wriggling protective layer on Gaol was noticeably thinner even with constant reinforcement. They were winning, but it was slow going.


    The night was unusually bright. No one needed night vision while the darkness was being suppressed by a stream of spells and explosions across the shallow waters in the north. Gaol¡¯s Serpent armor was fully diminished before dawn, but Coop was still worried that they wouldn¡¯t defeat him before the next wave began.


    He wasn¡¯t the only one worried. The defenders fought more aggressively, whether due to sensing a deadline approaching, or realizing that the Field Boss was losing. Even Gaol changed its tactics, abandoning most of its offensive attacks in favor of erecting brittle finger barriers that were barely enough to block Sea Burial¡¯s ballista or a handful of cannonballs.


    The defenders refused to allow many of the Crazed Serpents back into the battlefield, firmly establishing a perimeter on the east and west. A few monsters still reached the boss, especially from the north, but it wasn¡¯t enough to mount a proper defense or become a problem when Gaol released them into the defenders.


    It was dawn when Gaol showed real signs of struggle and eventually collapsed. The scene of the giant worm lying limply in the shallows as the sun creeped above the horizon drew cheers from the north wall, but no one had received the notification that they were looking for.


    Gaol¡¯s exterior split down the middle as the boss wriggled like so many of its regular brethren had throughout the fight. A shiny metal Field Boss that shimmered with extended blades emerged from its own shell like a snake shedding its skin.

 Chapter 84: Unveiled

    The Field Boss had evolved, entering a clear and distinct second phase. The boss had withstood the defenders'' onslaught for most of the previous day and the entire night, but it had finally had enough. Gaol was abandoning its static, defensive posture in order to retaliate with an obviously more mobile form. Coop reinspected the boss, worried about what was coming next.


    [Field Boss: Primal Serpent (Level 45)]


    [Gaol the Unveiled Blade (Agility)]


    [Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]


    Coop was relieved that the level hadn¡¯t increased, it wasn¡¯t that the difficulty of the encounter was increasing, but rather the dynamic was shifting. They would have to adapt along with it and he believed they had already proven their flexibility.


    The class, or the boss equivalent of a class, had changed from Veiled Blade to Unveiled Blade and the monster¡¯s primary stat had switched from Body to Agility. The physical alterations corresponded to both of the changes, with a sleeker look and longer exposed blades that reflected threateningly in the red tinged light of the rising sun. It seemed as though the boss agreed that it was time to finish the match, one way or another.


    Gaol dove into the sand with a speed that matched its transformation, arcing its body and revealing that more than half of it had been underground the entire time. Coop wasn¡¯t sure exactly how long its torso had been, just that it was clearly the largest boss he had seen, and by a large enough margin to raise concerns.


    The Crazed Serpents chased after the boss in the water like a school of fish, but the boss remained beneath the sand with only a series of its massive blades breaching the surface. It pushed through the ground, leaving a wake of churned water, turbid from the disturbed sand. The tunnel it created left the sandy bottom bulging as if a subway tunnel was hastily constructed underneath the shallows before collapsing from a lack of support.


    The Field Boss went straight for Sea Burial, intent on removing its most consistently dangerous foe. The ship had no chance of outmaneuvering the tunneling monster and was cleanly split in half with loud snaps as the ghostly deck planks were broken by the first blade, then into quarters before being smashed to bits by the following blades. The boss continued tunneling, unimpeded by the ship¡¯s destruction. The shining blades that extended from Gaol¡¯s body cut through the bulk of the hull as easily as the shallow water.


    It was an odd scene, to see a ship sink in no more than three or four feet of water, but it didn¡¯t last long. The ship flotsam dissipated back into mist, like an ethereal weapon, and the surviving crew were left standing in the shallows like everyone else, except they were facing down thousands of Crazed Serpents that remained in the boss¡¯s wake.


    Most of the crew teleported around the surge of monsters, but Charon stood his ground with a hundred of his orbs rushing forward and engaging targets. After accumulating them for so long, he had built up an entire swarm of the orbiting spheres, and he clearly intended to use them. He cleaved the school of Serpents down the center, in revenge for Sea Burial, but he was forced to use his own movement skills when Gaol took another pass. Frustratingly, the giant metal worm had yet to expose itself from underground.


    Gaol destroyed the formations of the defenders and caused most of the survivors to flee back around the fort, away from the fight. They completely lost control of the perimeter, but Gaol wasn¡¯t interested in forming more living armor after it had molted into its new form. Coop remained on the battlefield, but could only chip away at the constant surge of Crazed Serpents that continued to join in on the chaos. He needed a way to engage with the boss.


    Coop swapped his ethereal weapons around so that he wielded his reliable spear alongside his solid round shield. He traced Gaol¡¯s path as the boss circled the shallow water battlefield, seeking an opportunity. For the most part, the defenders had successfully evacuated back to the fort, but the boss wasn¡¯t satisfied and continued to patrol the edge of the northern reef as if it would find Sea Burial once again.


    Coop mistjumped into the center of the previous battlefield, to get in range of the boss monster while keeping enough distance to avoid grabbing attention from the swarm of Serpents that trailed behind. It would be tricky to get close enough to land any solid melee strikes even if the boss exposed itself, due to all of the blades flaring out in each direction, but that wouldn¡¯t prevent Coop from throwing his spear.


    The angle was such that Coop wouldn¡¯t be able to target the boss directly if he pitched his spear, even with all of his Strength. The shallow water and submerged boss would impede a straightforward strike. His typical damaging throws needed to be adjusted. Instead, Coop aimed his left arm up into the sky and threw his spear with an extremely steep angle, as if he was trying to break the mana dome¡¯s ceiling or take down the sun itself.


    Gaol kept moving, but Coop had given the boss several seconds of lead time before it would arrive at where he had aimed. The spear didn¡¯t come back down for a full 10 seconds, but when it did, a plume of water and sand exploded into the air. A dozen Crazed Serpents were defeated simultaneously, but the attack had landed well behind the boss. Coop hadn¡¯t expected his weapon to take that long to come back down, and when it did, it shot into the ground like an arrow.


    However, Coop had already learned at least one lesson when it came to Field Bosses. They were durable. Andamarius the Blight Howler had shown that a simple spear throw wouldn¡¯t cause enough damage, and even though his improved Strength would turn his spear throws into truly harmful bombardments, he wasn¡¯t satisfied with his standard spear slicing into the ground after free falling. So, Coop dismissed his spear and resummoned it with one major adjustment. He turned it into an extraordinarily heavy bar of solidified ethereal mist, with absurd density that pushed the limits of his Retribution skill.


    Coop took another running start, feeling his muscles burn from the extra heft, and threw the heavy spear like an immense javelin. This time, the spear took on a more typical arc, giving Coop a significantly more accurate throw with less hang time, but when it slammed into the ground it was like a kinetic bombardment from beyond the atmosphere. The plume of sand that erupted from the collision was incomparable to the previous, and the attack was right on target.


    Gaol remained underground, but Coop¡¯s spear had disappeared through the surface and presumably straight through the boss. Coop resummoned his spear to take another shot, satisfied with the dramatic result. Increasing the density of his spear to such an extreme degree wouldn¡¯t be useful in just about any of the other situations he had found himself needing a ranged option, but against an underground enemy it turned his spear into a bunker buster. The boss turned to move away, not appreciating a heavy rod burying itself straight through its metallic body, but also unaware of the perpetrator.


    Coop launched another heavy spear throw, pushing himself to put all of his Strength into getting the projectile enough distance to reach the retreating boss. Gaol was already beyond its original position, approaching the coral reef and abandoning the patch reefs and sandy shallows that had been their arena. The spear followed a shallow parabola before crashing through the sand near the tail end of the boss. The resulting eruption of water and sand caused the Crazed Serpents to scatter as they lost track of the boss¡¯s trail in all of the debris.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    The boss rounded on itself, now positioned exactly north of the settlement, and charged forward. Coop¡¯s attacks hadn¡¯t slowed it down, and if anything, the boss had become more agitated. The boss maintained full control of the fight.


    As Coop tried to decide what to do about the Field Boss, he watched as it rushed beyond his position, toward the fort, and finally exited from underground, fully revealing its form for the first time. It leapt into the air, with exactly the same motion as the Primal Serpents when they committed to their leaping attacks, only Gaol was targeting the fort itself.


    The full length of the boss was finally displayed. Nearly 100 feet of metallic scales covered in countless blades fully cleared the moat and smashed into the battlements of the northern wall. The impact shook the fort and collapsed a portion of the top floors, like a hammer smashing into a sand castle. Defenders fell off of both sides of the ramparts as they scrambled out of the way. Coop hoped no one was crushed by the monster¡¯s tackle.


    There were two gaping holes in the segments of the boss, which confirmed that the heavy spear was dealing real damage. The problem with these Field Bosses was their incredible health pools combined with even more impressive durability. They maintained functionality throughout the fights so that it was problematic to judge if they were weakening at all. Coop took special note of the distinction and filed it away for when he had a chance to address his own shortcomings.


    The monster splashed back into the moat before tunneling through the sand to resume its underground rampage on the empty battlefield. When it found nothing of interest, the boss retreated all the way to the reef a second time before rounding on itself once again and prepared for another charge. It had left a massive crater in the fort¡¯s wall, with the center of the fourth floor entirely turned into rubble all the way down to the second floor. Coop didn¡¯t think the wall would hold after a few more of Gaol¡¯s charges. The courtyard would be breached if Gaol was allowed to continue its strategy.


    Coop resolved himself to do something more to protect the fort. He began mistjumping toward the weakened portion of the wall to prevent it from being destroyed by another attack. He intended to pull a desperate move to redirect the Field Boss from hitting the same spot. Maybe his Strength would be enough to at least shift the gargantuan monster¡¯s path.


    As he rushed across the shallows, racing Gaol toward the fort, he noted the collapsed rubble was stirring. Someone had apparently survived the monster¡¯s tackle and was struggling to escape after miraculously avoiding being crushed by the bulk of the Field Boss. All the more reason for Coop to find a way to prevent the monster from repeating its attack.


    The pile of rubble swelled until it finally detonated, sending stone and brick flying. Monstrous leather wings unfurled and flapped hard, carrying the survivor above the wall.


    [Common Fruit Bat (Level 56)]


    [Oblivion Caller (Intelligence)]


    [Chosen of the Red Coven]


    Coop hesitated for a moment. That wasn¡¯t the survivor he had expected, but to be fair, he had avoided exploring the bat roost when he stumbled upon it previously. Still, this was another extremely high level resident that had managed to go completely unnoticed.


    The bat swooped toward the tunneling Field Boss before Gaol had a chance to leap at the wall a second time. The bat hovered for a moment before emitting a chirp that Coop felt in his bones. A high frequency vibration ripped through the air directly into Gaol¡¯s path with a burst of energy.


    The shallow water parted where Gaol was tunneling and the drenched sand almost seemed to liquify, turning into a patch of quicksand that forced the boss to leap prematurely. Gaol dove through the blast, breaching the surface before reaching the moat, and froze as if it had been momentarily stiffened. The bat had retaliated for its disturbance, but flapped its leathery wings and abandoned the battlefield rather than follow up with any other abilities.


    Gaol was committed to its attack, and even if it was stunned, its body had enough velocity to collide with the damaged wall. Coop prepared to heave his heavy spear from the side, but Charlie acted first.


    An incredible blast of wind stalled the boss¡¯s forward momentum so that its trajectory stayed much lower than it had originally intended. Coop seized the opportunity, with the boss effectively turned into a low flying spear, and adjusted his aim to try and take advantage.


    Coop threw his heavy spear into the side of the boss¡¯s exposed head. The spear smashed into the vulnerable boss with a terrible metallic tearing sound, and Coop immediately mistjumped into melee range. He slammed his shield against the crown, beneath the extended blade, with every ounce of strength he could muster. He tumbled back into the shallow water with his shield arm numb from the collision and watched as the boss sailed across the moat. The combination of the bat¡¯s interrupt, Charlie¡¯s push, and Coop¡¯s attack shifted the boss ever so slightly off of its previous track.


    The Field Boss plowed into the wall at the wrong angle, making no effort to adjust, smashing its head into the second floor instead of the battlements. It was off center and away from the already crushed outer section. The boss remained frozen for a few more seconds before it started thrashing its body. Gaol was struggling to dislodge itself after piercing the fort like an errant arrow.


    Coop had already returned to his feet in a rush to make sure he was out of the way, but seeing another opportunity, he threw his shield across the moat and into one of the adjacent cannon portals to go on the attack while the monster was vulnerable. Inside, he swapped his heavy spear for his sword and rushed for the boss.


    He wasn¡¯t the only one to see the chance to deal damage. Other defenders on the remaining ramparts started blasting Gaol with whatever spells they could muster. Coop rushed through the corridor and found the massive blades of the Field Boss, still seeking purchase to extricate the damaged head from the interior of the walls. The stone walls were quickly being pulverized by the extended blades along its body, and it was only a matter of time before even more of the wall was dangerously weakened.


    Avoiding the thrashing, Coop threw his shield and mistjumped into melee range. Using his sword, he started hacking the red lights of the crown, shattering the weak points like stained glass bubbles and causing Gaol to redouble its efforts to escape. The boss¡¯s escalating struggle only motivated the defenders to go all out.


    The boss abruptly shifted as something in the fort gave, causing part of the second floor ceiling to collapse in a heap, and Gaol started to free itself, sliding backwards until another series of columns caught its forward blades and it was trapped again. It hadn¡¯t escaped the defenders yet, though its tail had reached the deep water of the moat. Coop was dragged along with one of the horizontal blades near its face, but regained his balance when the boss was wedged again. He resumed his onslaught.


    The monster shuddered as a massive collision between its flank and The Fearless occurred. The 70 foot corvette jammed the boss in place with battering rams while its ornate flamethrowers blazed with gouts of fire. The boss was pinned for as long as the ship held, completely surrounded by the desperate residents.


    Coop found himself side by side with The Cleary brothers as they bombarded the boss with their metallic fists, sending visible shockwaves through the body, and dozens of phantoms teleported onto the boss¡¯s back to hack away at the shiny armored scales. The collapsed ceiling provided an opportunity for casters to sling more spells at the exposed body of the boss, and the tail that extended to the exterior was riddled with arrows and magical projectiles.


    Coop couldn¡¯t reach the opposite side of the monster to attack the rest of the critical areas, so he just started gouging chunks into the metal scales, carving his way through articulating metals and doing as much damage as he could. They only needed to avoid the still extended blades as the agitated boss tried to escape. With enough time, he could decapitate the monster, but he wasn¡¯t sure how long it would stay vulnerable.


    It was a true group effort, with others joining Coop in attacking from the sides while attacks rained down from the top and still more attacked from outside.


    They all flashed in the light of new levels as The Unveiled Blade finally ran out of health after nearly 25 hours of conflict.

 Chapter 85: Stacked

    The defenders of Ghost Reef had barely defeated the Unveiled Blade before the next wave began. Coop had been uneasy as the fight dragged on because he was worried that it wouldn¡¯t be over in time. The adversity of the challenges became significantly more demanding as they overlapped each other and having Field Bosses involved simultaneously with two waves was a complication he didn¡¯t think they could afford.


    The interior corridor of the fort was a ruined mess of collapsed stone and rubble. A wide open exterior wall, demolished by the Field Boss¡¯s bulk, let sunshine filter inside, through the dust, into what was previously a dimly lit hallway. Coop was surrounded by phantoms and a few residents that were congratulating each other on the victory with big smiles and pats on each other''s backs.


    Coop let himself relax for a moment, embracing the loosened atmosphere. He felt the tension that had accumulated in his neck gradually release, but he didn¡¯t indulge himself. A few seconds of calm was all he allowed before he put his game face back on.


    He jumped through the gap in the wall and mistjumped back into the shallows, crossing the moat with a shield toss. When he landed, he switched his weapon to the ethereal trident and headed toward the west side that had been his temporary territory through the last couple waves.


    There was no sign of the fruit bat that had successfully countered Gaol¡¯s assault. He assumed it went to join its unchosen brethren who had fled as soon as the fight reached the wall that housed their roost. Coop couldn¡¯t help but wonder what it had been hunting to get so many levels. It wasn¡¯t like fruit and flowers would have given it the experience to level so much, so he imagined there were other invaders occupying the groves around the island chain.


    If it had been active during the day, he was sure someone would have noticed. Jett had been securing the fort from Excavators ever since the beginning, the burrowing owl was defeating Ancient Defenders on the dunes, the pig fought on its island, but the bat must have had a larger range. It probably knew what the unknown waves would be. If only it could share, Coop lamented.


    The beeps counting down the next wave started as he sought the Crazed Serpents that had returned to their own assault without the call of Gaol. He heard Shane¡¯s clear voice directing squads back to their positions, hustling the defenders to prepare for the next wave while still dealing with the unfinished Serpent wave.


    Coop checked his notifications while he started to gather the Crazed Serpents, before they reached a critical mass.


    [You defeated Field Boss: Primal Serpent (Level 45)]


    [+91422 Basic Credits]


    [+2 Sharp Destruction Gem (Legendary)]


    [+3 Sharp Guardian Crystal (Legendary)]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Trophy Hunter (2/5)]


    Defeating bosses continued to be massively rewarding. Even when Coop outleveled them, they managed to give him enough experience to boost his progress, not to mention the Legendary materials and the Scavenging levels that came with them. He passively placed his unallocated attribute points into Mind and was surprised by another notification.


    [You have acquired a new title!]


    A surprise! Coop stopped gathering Serpents, quickly defeating the ones that had been the most aggressive about attacking him. He wanted to take a look at his status and see what this title was about before he lost his chance.


    [Status]


    HP - 5500/5500


    MP - 9943/10000


    Class - Revenant (Level 65)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 69)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 50 (+1000)


    Agility - 50 (+500)


    Body - 50 (+500)


    Mind - 1000


    Intelligence - 50


    Acumen - 50


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion III, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper, Slayer III, Dauntless, Vanquisher, Stacked


    Skills (Active) - Retribution, Salvation, Presence of Mind, Fog of War


    Skills (Passive) - Common Language, Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (5/50), Trophy Hunter (2/5), Defeat Ancient Devourers II (0/25), Defeat Primal Serpents II (4/25), Defeat Ruin Excavators IV (440/5000), Defeat Primal Kites III (0/250), Upgrade Village to Town


    Basic Credits - 1,264,211


    Coop stopped what he was doing completely. This was clearly a special moment that he should try to savor. All of his attributes were such round numbers, he considered retiring just to keep them the way they were. It was beautiful.


    With a contented sigh, he forced himself to move on and check his new Stacked title.


    Stacked - The first to reach 1,000 of any stat.


    Adds +20 to all other stats.


    As usual, Coop was most excited about being first at something. The title was like the cousin of his Slayer titles. Where Slayer granted +100 to his highest stat, Stacked gave +20 to the five other stats. Of course, he¡¯d rather have the points in Mind since his passive bonuses were what defined his build, multiplying the effect of each point, but he wouldn¡¯t be upset about getting free attributes.


    Levelwise, the Kites had been extremely stingy, yielding just one level before the Crazed Serpents joined the party. The Serpents had been similar to the Excavator wave in terms of Coop¡¯s experience, and the additional Field Boss had made up for the lesser gains from the Kites while the last day of Excavators also helped smooth his progress out.


    Coop¡¯s levels had been steadily growing thanks to the constant fighting, but his level was beginning to exceed the monsters by an unmistakable gap. WIthout quest completions to bolster his gains his class growth might stall out. Coop frowned at the thought, worried that this event would become an opportunity for others to catch back up to him. Coop¡¯s response would be the same as it ever was: grind more.


    Coop was so spoiled that he actually felt a little disappointed in only gaining six class levels. The real gains were in his profession levels, where he had gained another 12 in just five days, or 24 in the ten days since the event started. Coop nodded at the insane growth and resolved to keep the grind going if only for boosting his profession to absurd levels. Scavenging was benefiting from fighting a variety of new monsters, fighting tons of monsters, and looting Raid Bosses.


    He halfheartedly reminded himself that he really didn¡¯t care about levels themselves outside of the attribute points that they granted him. Admittedly, he also cared about his position on the leaderboards, but he could accept that seeing his name at the top was pure vanity and not actually necessary. A lower level with his exceptional stats would be even better, but that was looking like less of a possibility with every opportunity he found during the assimilation.


    A messenger wraith arrived to let him know that the next wave consisted of Defiling Devourers, the siege event equivalent of the Ancient Devourers that had claimed the mangrove forest alongside the Primal Serpents. They were committing a frontal assault and Shane was concentrating the defenders on the southern wall to handle them. Shane intended to leverage the moat to take advantage of the Devourer¡¯s apparent weakness to water.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    The wraith continued with Coop¡¯s assignment. He was to continue fighting the Serpents, but he needed to rotate along all of the walls. The northern wall was obviously weakened by Gaol, so he needed to pay special attention up there. They were leaving the majority of the Serpents to him and the pirates.


    Coop buckled in for another hunting session with the Crazed Serpents. Really, he was the one being hunted with these monsters, but whatever worked. He¡¯d have less backup and more ground to cover, but he¡¯d do what he could to give them all a better chance at surviving another wave. He reminded the wraith about the False-Light Eye elixir and was promised that one would be delivered before it got dark.


    He spun his trident in an experimental flourish and started chasing down Serpents. Once he got enough of their attention they would become an impossible to ignore crowd that attracted more to the chase with their commotion. They would be coming to him soon enough.


    Coop patrolled the waters for the rest of the day with just a skeleton crew supporting him on each of the walls. Everyone else was occupied with preventing the Devourer wave from breaching the fort. Coop felt a bit left out, but he didn¡¯t have time to linger on his feelings with the Crazed Serpents aggressively hunting him down.


    Physically, he was in good shape. He wasn¡¯t being exhausted, his mana was holding at or near its maximum at all times, and what little damage he took was instantly healed when he retaliated. However, being aggressively pursued by thousands of monsters every second would fray anyone¡¯s nerves. It didn¡¯t matter how strong he was or how much of an advantage he had over the individual monsters when they were an innumerable mass, if he blundered it would be devastating.


    The wave continued. By the time night fell he was getting the attention of more than three quarters of all of the Crazed Serpents that attacked the settlement. Countless monsters chased him, churning the water and struggling against each other to be the first to cut open their prey. Coop led them closer to the walls to give his support a chance to thin their numbers, but if they made any difference, no one could tell.


    The horror of thousands of worm-like monsters with extended blades rushing toward him every time he stopped was magnified when he was observing the scene through the False-Light Eye elixir. He never dared to defeat more than one at a time before he mistjumped away again. He was minimizing the risks as much as he could, but it also meant that their numbers were constantly growing.


    As the sun rose again, Practical Application had finally made mistjumps cost zero mana, but Coop had accumulated such a massive following that the newly spawned monsters had begun to ignore him. There was no time to celebrate another major milestone.


    He was forced to make extremely wide turns in order to avoid being cut off and frequently found himself too far from the fort for any of his backup to help. The monsters were chasing him all the way out into the reefs. The commandeered sailboats were his only company during half of his rotation. The pirates filled the same role as the wall¡¯s defenders, thinning the numbers a bit as Coop was chased, but they occasionally got the attention of too many monsters themselves. More than one sailboat was abandoned off the shores of Ghost Reef during the Serpent wave.


    It became easier, in theory, when the Crazed Serpent wave finally ended during the day, but even though no more were spawning, he still needed to deal with thousands of them in pursuit. He chipped away at them for hours, glad that he didn¡¯t need to continue tracking the new spawns, at least.


    A series of loud impacts shook the island chain once again. He thought they might be cannons until the fort¡¯s cannons responded with a barrage of their own. They were easily distinguished from each other when they fired consecutively. Coop frowned to himself. He had to finish with his task before he could join the other defenders and find out what was going on. The mass of Serpents had become so large he couldn¡¯t even receive messages without putting the phantoms in danger.


    Now that he didn¡¯t need to keep collecting new spawns from the Crazed Serpent wave, he was free to drag the train of monsters wherever he pleased. He roamed toward the south, keeping his distance, but giving himself a chance to catch himself up to speed on the situation. He could round the entire island to avoid being cut off by his pursuers.


    Once he had line of sight on the battlefield he knew the defenders were struggling. The bridge across the moat had been destroyed. Coop suspected that Shane had ordered its destruction at the start of the wave. The problem was that the moat itself had collapsed on the eastern side of the bridge, with large craters on the border remaining as evidence of the cause. Both edges had fallen into the deep water and combined with enough debris to form several land bridges across the protective barrier of the moat.


    The shell that the Devourers carried was also too tough for the casters to sufficiently thin the waves of monsters without concentrated fire. This meant that they were relying entirely on the melee fighters to defeat the incoming Devourers that the ranged fighters could only weaken. Most of the fighting had clearly occurred on the fort side of the moat. The walls had massive areas damaged by the unimpeded Devourers who climbed onto the walls and used their piledriver attack like a sledgehammer. The walls had entire sections that had been pulverized until the interior was exposed. Even now, Coop could see several of the monsters doing their best to chew through the stone and take the walls down completely.


    Still, the defenders had been holding on. They were finally thrown back by the arrival of another Field Boss.


    [Field Boss: Ancient Devourer (Level 45)]


    [Gromokan the Insurmountable Bulwark (Body)]


    [Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]


    Gromokan was an enormous Devourer that was easily a match for Gaol¡¯s bulk. This Field Boss was basically all shell, but it inched forward on unseen feet underneath its protective covering. The shell had three tubes extended across the top that aimed up at the sky and slightly forward, like mortars. While Coop was watching, one of the tubes fired a steel projectile up into the air with a deep thumping sound. Several seconds later a portion of the fort¡¯s wall exploded as if it had been targeted by artillery.


    A section of the wall directly across from the collapsed section of the moat had already been flattened all the way down to the ground level. The fort had finally been breached while Coop dealt with the Serpents. The defenders were retreating into the courtyard and regrouping on the inside of the breach. Shane clearly intended to use the opening as a choke point, but Coop wasn¡¯t sure if it would remain the only gap in the wall for long. The Field Boss was continuing to hammer the fort with an onslaught of artillery.


    Coop really wanted to join the battle, but he had his own army of Crazed Serpents still chasing him. He could only watch as another of Gromokan¡¯s mortars fired and another section of the fort¡¯s battlements caved into the top floor.


    Gromokan fired again not long after and Coop decided he couldn¡¯t just wait until he whittled down the Crazed Serpents one at a time. By the time he was finished the entire siege would probably be over, and the defenders were already in a desperate position. They were buying time until more waves overwhelmed them at best.


    He changed directions and headed straight onto the sandy shore, toward the Field Boss. The defenders had ceded the exterior to the monsters completely, so Gromokan was unharried for the moment. It traveled slowly across the island as if it was a moving fortress itself.


    Coop led thousands of Crazed Serpents onto the dry ground, mistjump after mistjump, and approached the boss on the dunes from its left side. Coop ignored the regular Devourers that slowly crawled across the sand toward the vulnerable walls and bypassed them even when they lifted their front halves and charged forward as if they wanted to joust. Instead, he conducted the train of monsters on a collision course with Gromokan.


    Another mistjump brought Coop to the back of the Field Boss¡¯s shell. Coop swapped to his sword and shield and struck the Field Boss with a powerful blow, smashing one of the mortar tubes before he turned to face the incoming Serpents.


    The Serpents were still pretty agile outside of the water, finally living up to their names and moving like snakes. They followed him like they were attracted by the pied piper. They easily navigated across the sandy surface and leapt toward Coop after coiling like springs. A deluge of monsters flew across Gromokan¡¯s shell as they chased their quarry, blades extended.


    Coop¡¯s ethereal swordsmanship allowed him to avoid the lunging monsters and slay his fair share, but the primary result was a swarm of blades that scraped and cut the Field Boss, unleashing streams of sparks that traced their paths. The Crazed Serpents kept their blades extended as they dove across the shell¡¯s surface and when they landed on the opposite side, they tried again. The high-arcing ballistic attacks from the Field Boss had stopped as the boss started taking damage.


    Gromokan was inundated with a cascade of blades while Coop danced on a knife¡¯s edge on the back of the shell. He barely spent any time outside of his mistjumps to attack because he was forced to repeat the dodges so frequently. He abandoned the idea of counter attacking the Serpents or doing more direct damage to the boss and concentrated on avoiding damage himself.


    He was still struck by glancing blows from the Serpents, but that was nothing compared to the bombardment that the Field Boss was experiencing. Thousands of Crazed Serpents dragged their blades along the surface of the shell as they sought to cut Coop open.


    In an effort to give himself some space and avoid the incoming damage he tried to cast Fog of War, but the flying attacks constantly disrupted its formation. His low Intelligence stat made forming a real domain of mist impossible when the conditions weren¡¯t ideal. He had to rely on the quick mistjumps to survive instead.


    The Serpents were like a carpet of blades and Coop was forced to temporarily abandon his strategy, retreating from Gromokan, leading the Serpents away before looping back around, just to give himself a breather. He circled the dunes and returned before the Field Boss even dared to try moving again. Gromokan¡¯s previously shiny shell was completely marred by scrapes and gouges, some even smoked from the friction. Coop mistjumped back onto the shell and smashed his weapon against a weakened portion of the shell before he started dodging the Serpents again.


    A few more minutes under a second round of attacks and large chunks of the metal plates on the boss¡¯s back fell to the ground, further increasing its vulnerability. The Serpents swarmed with such an intensity it seemed like Gromokan was borrowing Gaol¡¯s protective barrier. The Field Boss had completely given up its own assault on the fort and seemed to be turtling underneath its remaining bulwark. It ceased its progression and lingered in the battlefield like a stalled tank, but that only made the onslaught worse.


    For anyone watching from the walls it would seem like the Crazed Serpents had betrayed the Field Boss as they thoroughly blanketed the shell with inadvertent attacks. Coop made two more passes before he was eventually rewarded with the light that indicated he leveled along with some new notifications.


    He couldn¡¯t take his attention off the swarm of pursuers he had created, even as the boss¡¯s bulk began its disintegration into mana smoke. He retreated with a long shield throw, and with a swift dodge, mistjumped toward the fort. All he could do was shout a warning that the Serpents were incoming as well, but the defenders were already in place to rain damage on the choke point they had established in the fort wall having seen Coop¡¯s maneuvering on the battlefield.


    Hopefully, they were sufficiently prepared.

 Chapter 86: Breach

    Coop wasn¡¯t sure if his maneuver had been ill-advised, but it was too late to take back. He mistjumped to the ramparts after warning the defenders of what was coming.


    Gromokan had been bringing devastation to the fort¡¯s walls and needed to be stopped as quickly as possible or the settlement would have been quickly left defenseless. The defenders had already been pushed back by 25 hours of Devourers pressing forward and the delayed arrival of the boss had put them in an impossible position.


    Luckily, Coop had found a way to expediently end the Field Boss¡¯s assault, but in doing so, he had led the remaining Crazed Serpents to the wave¡¯s frontline. Now, the monsters were joining the Devourers in the raid on the southern wall in one massive surge that threatened to overwhelm the fort. The stubborn defenders only had a brief window to prepare while Coop danced across Gromokan¡¯s back with the Serpents in pursuit.


    The residents turned the breach in the fort¡¯s wall into a strategic chokepoint while Coop had been on the dunes. Spells swirled in the gap, turning the gap into a blender of potent magic with Charlie''s twisting winds as a base. The skill combinations that casters had been experimenting with during the previous waves were being brought to the forefront. The array of spells elevated all of their potency, where an individual caster didn¡¯t have the firepower to defeat the Devourers one on one, together they were significantly stronger. The armored monsters were pummeled by elemental combinations that transcended solitary attacks, breaking down their defenses, and defeating them.


    The support phantoms had quickly established makeshift platforms inside the courtyard for the casters to have elevated positions while they rained abilities into the breach. Others had taken positions on either side of the remaining ramparts, above the gap, like medieval defenders prepared to pour burning oil on their enemies. The melee fighters were positioned in a concave formation in front of the hastily prepared platforms. The curved shape caused the damaged monsters to also be outnumbered in the situation where they made it through the gap.


    Despite the magical blender, many of the Devourers plodded their way through the breach in the wall. Their protective shells were proving their worth, but they still had to face the melee fighters. So far, the melee fighters were able to overwhelm the weakened monsters that faced them, but the balance would only be maintained while there was only a single point of entry.


    In the center of the defensive formation were all three of the Cleary brothers. Their Warbuster classes were especially potent against armored targets and the Devourers were the most heavily armored of the invaders as far as anyone had seen. Their metallic fists ended any of the Devourers that made it through with resonating damage that tore through their internals. The armored shells just gave an easy target for the brothers to focus their attacks.


    Behind the brothers on the center of the elevated platforms was Captain Kayla. She was channeling her own spell while transparent black and purple octopus tentacles flailed with a bilateral symmetry behind her. Coop thought the manifestation of her mana was a bit like Madison¡¯s except instead of being angelic it was clearly associated with the abyssal depths of the ocean.


    Both of her hands were held forward and raised like she was unveiling a massive piece of art and both of her eyes blazed with dark energy that stained her skin like ink. A whirlpool of dark water expanded in the breach. Even though the solid ground was still visible, right at the surface of the swirling water, the whirlpool still appeared to have an endless depth. Staring at the ground in the breach was like looking into an infinity mirror. Purple octopus tentacles shot out from the abyss, snagging Devourers, and dragging them below the depths where they disappeared. Kayla¡¯s skill brought the powers of the deep sea to dry land.


    Derek sat below her, on the edge of the platform, kicking his legs to a rhythm while strumming away at his guitar like he was busking at a park. The song he played was intensifying even if it didn¡¯t seem like he was paying any particular attention to his surroundings. He was clearly building to a crescendo and timing it with Shane¡¯s shouted instructions.


    The mass of Crazed Serpents crossed the moat¡¯s dirt and sand bridge like a tidal wave. The Serpents leapt over each other and formed a wriggling mass that roiled and churned as it rushed forward. The monsters had finally lost interest in Coop, finding a different target in the grouped up defenders through the breach.


    Massive domes of energy erupted over the defenders, intersecting and overlapping each other, as Shane and other support classes unleashed their most potent buffs. Glowing runes flashed among the defenders, searing their forms in Coop¡¯s vision, and beams of mana created spotlights where targeted buffs were applied. Glyphs burned on skin and weapons while signets expanded in the air until they cracked. Shouts that temporarily empowered groups were projected over Derek¡¯s song, challenging the incoming monsters and vesting power in the immediate areas.


    ¡°Glory!¡± rang out and everyone in one section glowed in orange light. ¡°Die!¡± and weapons in the center took on a sinister red and black glow. ¡°Ud Elwes Essel!¡± and ghostly green and yellow banners with alien symbols appeared on the backs of everyone in another section. Most of the battle cries were understandable, but others were demonic sounding gibberish. The effect of each type was a similar boosting of abilities or stats.


    A mass of a thousand defenders were waiting on the inside of the breach. They were fully buffed and prepared to unleash their abilities even when they only had a few minutes to prepare. The rest of the phantoms and residents were waiting in reserve, protecting the shard, or returning to the damaged battlements. Even the wild pig had left his wallow and was standing perfectly still, at full alert, about halfway across the courtyard, facing the southern wall. He was big enough to be mistaken for a service building with the way he watched, motionless, still dripping with water. No one wanted to lose control of the breach in the wall.


    When the Crazed Serpents entered the choke point in their rush to join the fight they were bombarded by the culmination of all the prepared spells. They were burned and scorched by flames, whipped around by winds, impaled by rocks, glass, blades, and arrows, melted and shocked by forking lightning, frozen and shattered, torn, shredded, corrupted, dissolved, or just dragged into the ground that had transformed into the depths of the ocean. Coop threw a brittle shield into the chaos from the ramparts for good measure, letting the shrapnel combine with all the other projectiles, then swapped to his spear to pick off the most resilient of the raiders with swift throws.


    None of the thousands of Serpents that entered the breach made it through to the waiting melee fighters. The melee fighters were relegated into spectators as the defending casters displayed how much power they had accumulated in such a short time. Coop was amazed at their potency.


    With the Crazed Serpents wiped out and the Field Boss defeated, the defenders took control of the battle back. Riding a wave of momentum, they firmly secured the breach. The casters rotated and the composition of the blender in the choke was altered, but it remained effective.


    Coop joined the mid-ranged fighters in keeping the Devourers that avoided entering the gap from breaking down more portions of the weakened walls. The monsters were persistently climbing up the fort and using their piledriver attacks to damage the exterior stones. Coop inspected one that had climbed nearly to the top before it started hammering at the wall.


    [Defiling Devourer (Level 45)]


    [(Strength)]


    [Minion of the Primal Constructs]


    Coop aimed his spear and threw it at the protective shell to disrupt the monster¡¯s assault. He was happy to find that his Strength, and his ability to properly utilize it, had grown to such an extent that he destroyed the monster instead of just knocking it off the wall. The cylindrical shell exploded like a dropped porcelain vase when the tip of his spear pierced through it.


    Before the event started he had only been able to dent the protective layer of the Devourers inside the mangrove forest. Now, he was strong enough to defeat higher level variants of them with a single throw. He checked his earlier notifications before moving to the next target.


    [You defeated Field Boss: Ancient Devourer (Level 45)]


    [+92064 Basic Credits]


    [+7 Impenetrable Blackened Steel (Rare)]


    [+1 Sturdy Destruction Gem (Legendary)]


    [+4 Sturdy Guardian Crystal (Legendary)]


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Trophy Hunter (3/5)]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Defiling Devourer (Level 45)]


    [+51 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Blackened Steel (Rare)]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Fortune Seeker (6/50)]


    At the rate that Coop was leveling, he was confident that he would reach level 75 before the event was over. That meant that he had a major skill choice coming. Whatever options he received, he wasn¡¯t going to make a hasty choice. He wanted to make sure he selected a path that he wouldn¡¯t regret in the long run, especially since there hadn¡¯t been any clues to the length of a path. Knowing there would be more choices in the future was some consolation, but if he settled on a path banking on the future selections and ended up with a thousand levels of progress before the next selection, he¡¯d be a bit miffed. Hopefully, he¡¯d have some promising options waiting for him.


    He was ridiculously strong, fast, and sturdy, especially against magic damage, but he was jealous of the casters with their wide area of effect skills that could dominate a battlefield, and he envied the potent skills that were limited by cooldowns. Coop was confident that he would be unscathed by such spells if they ever targeted him, but that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t want them for himself. He¡¯d already established a solid foundation with his basic attack build, so some long cooldowns wouldn¡¯t cripple him the same way it did others, he would just revert to his current capability while waiting for skills to refresh.


    Coop settled into chasing down the Devourers that targeted the outer walls and daydreaming about his build until the next wave¡¯s timer counted the last ten seconds. The next wave came from the same direction. It was a blessing and a curse. Having the monsters attack from a single vector was ideal, in Coop¡¯s opinion, especially if it was the same as the previous wave. However, the southern wall was by far the weakest side after Gromokan had appeared.


    The moat was barely an obstacle anymore with all the debris that had collapsed into it and even though the hole in the wall was being utilized tactically, it was still a complete breach. The outer wall, the battlements, and the base of the wall had all taken significant amounts of damage as well. Another Raid Boss would be a difficult challenge.


    When the monsters that joined the next wave were completely new to Coop, his anxiety rose in response. Hopefully, one of the resident Chosen animals had been culling them without his knowledge. He inspected one of the first to get close enough to reach with Presence of Mind.


    [Foul Ripper (Level 50)]


    [(Agility)]


    [Minion of the Primal Constructs]


    The Rippers were almost humanoid, though they walked on all four limbs like some kind of ghoul. Despite their agility stat, they weren¡¯t all that coordinated in their motions. They basically crawled across the sandy dunes as if they weren¡¯t meant to be dwelling on the ground at all. That was until they got within range to use their primary attack.


    They shot whiplike cables from their heads that could deal damage with sharp strikes, or much more commonly, latched onto their target in order to drag themselves into melee range where they used all four limbs to rip and tear. They had long metallic claws on the ends of all four limbs which were the cause of their awkward mobility.


    The first monster to latch onto Coop¡¯s shield had caught him by surprise, but he dealt with it by smashing his shield against the stone ramparts and piercing the offending Ripper with three quick spear thrusts.


    [You defeated Foul Ripper (Level 50)]


    [+51 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Rough Cable (Rare)]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Fortune Seeker (7/50)]


    The Rippers ignored the choke point that had been created in the breach and simply climbed over the southern wall at all angles. The defenders couldn¡¯t leave the breach until the Devourers were done so the pressure had to be taken by the midrange fighters and two divisions of extra phantoms inside the lower levels. Rear Admiral Gideon took charge of the freshly formed battlefield at the top of the wall while Shane maintained the choke point.


    Coop dealt with the Foul Rippers easily, turning their tongue attack against them by driving his spear into their bodies when they dragged themselves toward him. Once he understood what they were trying to do, they were among the easiest monsters to counter. He was far too strong for one of them to pin him down, even if they were level 50.


    Unfortunately, if he pushed back down into the dunes in order to deal with more of them, he would be left alone where he would risk being overwhelmed by their cables. The rest of the defenders needed to use the roof of the fort to break line of sight until the monsters climbed over the edge. That meant the Devourers often had more time to deal damage to the walls, but Coop and the others held on until the Rippers were the only ones left.


    The Devourer wave ended and Coop feared another Field Boss would arrive to represent the Rippers, but thankfully, none came and the regular monsters were left on their own. Coop figured the monsters hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to develop a boss because the fruit bat had been hunting them all this time, or maybe another unknown native was farming them in an unexplored corner of one of the islands. Either way, he was glad to avoid another Field Boss when the wall was already breached as it was.


    By the time the countdown for the eighth wave began, Coop had already gained another four levels, putting him at level 72. He was close.


    There was some confusion when the eighth wave began in earnest. Only a handful of the new monsters appeared to be crossing the dunes, but none of the scouts spotted any more coming from the other sides. The Foul Rippers outnumbered the new monsters by a hundred times as they surged across the dunes.


    Coop risked exposing himself to more Rippers and jumped through the battlefield in order to make sure there were no stealth monsters lurking. They had learned their lesson during the second wave and he had a better understanding of tools like Fog of War to detect them. He didn¡¯t find any surprises so he inspected the slow moving, grub-like monsters that were apparently the next wave.


    [Rabid Carrier (Level 55)]


    [(Strength)]


    [Minion of the Primal Constructs]


    Another escalation in levels, but at this point the monsters were actually falling behind the defenders in terms of growth. Coop had his suspicions regarding the Carrier¡¯s name, but there was nothing to do but find out what they were about.


    He tested the monster while dodging the Ripper tongues by throwing his spear as far as he could while retaining his accuracy. The spear was launched like a ballistic missile and the impact didn¡¯t disappoint. The Carrier he had victimized was destroyed in a satisfying explosion. Coop¡¯s Strength gave him a cannon for an arm.


    The Carrier fractured into a hundred pieces, but they didn¡¯t evaporate into mana smoke like a monster that had been defeated. Coop checked his notifications and confirmed the kill between bashing Rippers that latched onto him.


    [You defeated Rabid Carrier (Level 55)]


    [+51 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Solid Shell Fragment (Rare)]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Fortune Seeker (8/50)]


    Looking closer, Coop could see that the fragments were moving independently of each other, rushing toward the fort in a frenzy like many of the previous monsters. The fragments were small, about the size of Coop¡¯s foot and they scurried on the sun soaked sand at a rapid pace, leaving tiny indentations on the surface as they crisscrossed each others¡¯ paths. He managed to inspect one of the horned beetle looking things and found that it was another monster type.


    [Rabid Swarmer (Level 55)]


    [(Agility)]


    [Minion of the Primal Constructs]


    Coop retreated back to the wall and the information on their next challenge was relayed among the defenders.


    In order to counter the new monsters, the casters that would have otherwise been on break between shifts at the chokepoint joined the midrange fighters and excess phantoms on the roof of the fort. They paired off and coordinated staggered strikes on the Carriers in order to wipe out the Swarmers as they were released. The best time to destroy the smaller monsters was as soon as they escaped the Carrier, when they were grouped up in tight bunches, otherwise they rushed forward and disappeared into any gap they could find. If it wasn¡¯t for Jett, he doubted they would be able to effectively hunt the small monsters down.


    Coop continued fighting the Rippers as they climbed the walls, waiting for his own chance to confront the Carriers and the Swarmers. He had several ideas for how to confront them. If he could use his morning star to smash them all at once it would be great, but he suspected landing a blow on all of them simultaneously would be a challenge. However, if he established Fog of War along the ground before destroying a Carrier, it would be enough to trap the much smaller monsters in his disorienting domain. If he kept his domain small, he thought he would be able to isolate them into easily dealt with pockets.


    He was eager to get out there and give it a shot, but he had a role to fulfill, protecting the casters from the Foul Rippers. Once the Ripper wave was complete, he¡¯d have his opportunity, and he¡¯d most likely gain enough levels to start on his next path.

 Chapter 87: Paths

    The Rabid Carriers weren¡¯t as simple as they had first appeared. He expected the Carriers to be easy pickings without the support of other more agile monsters. They moved sluggishly, but with purpose, and when they took damage they weren¡¯t deterred until they were defeated. Coop initially assumed they had nothing else going on outside of hauling the swarm of smaller monsters inside of them, but they had their own abilities that aided them in their function as well.


    When the Foul Rippers finally ceased spawning, Coop eagerly left the walls and entered the sandy, cratered battlefield to hunt the Carriers as they slowly crossed the scarred dunes. After he completed his role in defending the vulnerable casters on the battlements from the Rippers he was finally free to be more aggressive. He was enthusiastic about letting loose since he had been holding back in order to fulfill specific roles for the defenders during the previous several waves.


    When he found himself excited to leap into the battlefield like some kind of battle junkie he had a momentary flash of concern for his mental state, but he recognized that part of his bloodthirst was from being enthusiastic about unlocking his next skill. He was super close!


    Once Coop started to engage with the Carriers, he quickly discovered they weren¡¯t quite so basic. He easily worked around their lobbed ranged attacks and defensive abilities, but they still had one skill he needed to pay attention to. It was a type of self-destruct that launched the harbored Swarmers in all directions. If the monsters were able to burst before he defeated them, the fights ended up being unnecessarily extended. Not only would the Swarmers spread, making it inconvenient at best to track them all down, but the secondary monsters also received buffs that caused them to swell in size with improved stats.


    A buffed Swarmer still wasn¡¯t much of a threat on an individual basis, but a hundred of them were an annoyance that made each of the fights take much longer, and Coop was in a hurry to get experience.


    The Rabid Carriers were slow, lumbering, grub-like monsters and they arrived in such small numbers that Coop would have been able to clear their respawns in a matter of minutes, but the Swarmers were another matter. They were quick and chaotic, but hardly rewarding. Every Carrier represented more than one fight. The worst case was having a Carrier expel the Swarmers with a self-destruct after receiving critical damage, forcing a hundred individual engagements with erratic Swarmers before he could move on to the next.


    As long as Coop managed to defeat the initial Carrier monsters himself, he had a good chance of crushing the mass of Swarmers in just a few heavy swings of his morning star. The result of a Carrier bursting or not was whether he was slamming his morning star three times or a hundred times.


    The combination of his morning star and Fog of War provided an effective way in defeating the Rabid Carriers along with the Swarmers that appeared afterwards. His was a rare case that could individually handle both. The rest of the monsters were being dealt with by small coordinated groups that staggered specific abilities. A spike of damage to deal with the defense oriented Carriers, then a barrage to deal with the many Swarmers. This was a wave that invited the group oriented structure that factions developed, and several new parties were hastily formed to add to Shane and Gibson¡¯s previously established groups.


    Coop was careful to efficiently defeat the monster packs until he flashed with the light of the level he was waiting for. When he hit level 75 he headed straight back to the fort and left the rest of the monsters to the coordinated defenders.


    Coop made his way down the main street, grabbing a biscuit from the table that Vronk had set up outside, and snacked on it as he headed underneath his second favorite palm tree. It was the same one that he had sat under when he originally selected his class, so it felt appropriate for the occasion of selecting his next path. He checked his notifications as he wiped his fingers.


    [You defeated Rabid Swarmer (Level 56)]


    [+59 Basic Credits]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Skill options available.]


    He clapped his hands together and checked his options.


    There were three skill choices. Stygian Spirit, Arcane Comprehension, and Veil Piercer. These were all already familiar to him as they had been offered several times before. He grunted at the choices, feeling a little disappointed that there wasn¡¯t anything new and special for starting a path. Coop scanned their descriptions because he wanted to confirm that they were the same as they had been during the previous offerings.


    Stygian Spirit was the skill that would convert his mana into a different resource that could consume mana from his targets, Arcane Comprehension was the passive skill that provided bonus Intelligence based on his Mind at a one to one ratio, and Veil Piercer was the point blank area crowd control that applied a terror debuff to his targets. None of the skills offered any new surprises based on their descriptions. They matched what he remembered.


    Looking closer, mentally querying the choices, the menu turned out to be just like how Ixia had advised him. The Gardener had sagely prepared him when he made his Fog of War selection.


    The paths were actually revealed by name and he received some direct hints about where they would lead or what had caused them to appear. He was finally getting the type of clues he had wished for when selecting individual skills, it had just been reserved for the path choices instead. The only pertinent information he lacked was the length of each path. He still wanted some variety, so ending up on a path that took a thousand levels to narrow before forking again would not be ideal.


    The first choice, Stygian Spirit, would put him on the Path of the Undead and would eventually lead to potential undead racial evolutions. It was available to him based on his Reaper title, Spectral affinity, and Revenant class, which were all closely associated with various types of undead.


    Arcane Comprehension led to Path of the Mistwalker and was tied to his Haunted title, Retribution and Salvation skills which combined to give him the Ethereal title, and Fog of War. Mistwalker promised to be an evolution of his current archetype through upgrades that would add a new dimension to his skills.


    The last option, Veil Piercer, would steer him onto the Path of the Reaver. It was based on his Adamance and Retribution skills, Slayer title, and Revenant class. It was a clear continuation of his current strengths in skirmishing. Durability, Strength, and Brawling would be at the core of the Reaver.


    Before Coop decided on anything regarding the paths, he stopped to consider which skill would provide the most for his build in the long term. He felt confident in the foundation that he had established and was now looking to build on top of that base. Though, there were always places to improve, and Coop continued to be greedy with his desires.


    Remembering Jett crushing a Field Boss like a bug had him burning for more firepower even though more stats could eventually be a solution. Charlie¡¯s massive area coverage left his basic attacks feeling inadequate and even maximizing his mistjump mobility could only hope to be a high effort and less effective imitation of area damage. Even Marcus¡¯s affliction removal and sustain had Coop imagining how he would fare if he could do the same. Broken bones and torn muscles had restricted him multiple times despite his ¡®on kill¡¯ regeneration maintaining his health.


    Between the three skill options, the frontrunner had to be Arcane Comprehension. The only thing Arcane Comprehension would definitely do was increase his magic power. Surely, it would be a stepping stone to future spells even if it had no impact on his current attacks. The idea of getting spells was open-ended enough to fill Coop¡¯s imagination with possibilities.


    Stygian Spirit was a wild card of a skill. It could be devastating or it could be useless on its own, but he had no idea what else converting his mana to another resource would lead to. In order to decide, he would need to consider the Undead path it put him on more thoroughly.


    Veil Piercer, on the other hand, was a pure crowd control ability. Maybe that would yield some interesting synergies that allowed him to fully use his Strength while seeking critical strikes. As long as he kept getting stronger the firepower he wanted would come, but he felt like it would step on the toes of his Fog of War ability.


    He needed to look at the paths. Really they were the most important factor in this selection: Undead, Mistwalker, or Reaver.


    When it came to the Path of the Undead, the most compelling aspect was in the future racial evolutions. Converting his mana was definitely the first step to converting himself, but Coop had to ask whether that was something he wanted.


    There seemed to be a variety of undead. Between the Zombie Lord and his zombies variants, Abithik the lich and the other librarians, and the phantoms of Ghost Reef, he had already met several. They all seemed to have their own racial traits that would be great boons to his fighting style, like the zombie skills that hardened their bones to improve durability, the titles that jumped the Zombie Lord and his Captain into raid boss territory at the start of the assimilation, and the phantom¡¯s unrestricted teleports, but he had an instinctual reluctance to such a fundamental change to what he was.


    There were other, less personal concerns as well. What would happen to the phantoms if he truly became undead? Would they become mindless minions with their souls tied to him the way the zombies on the oil rig had turned? Sure, he¡¯d get experience from their combat, but would he be erasing their personalities or free will? He couldn¡¯t do that. He didn¡¯t even want to risk it.


    The aliens had told him enough to understand that most of their racial evolutions had been a necessary step in their progression. Balor¡¯s species were actual rocks before they evolved into the stone dwarves through an evolution. He imagined some of the Chosen animals would have opportunities to gain humanoid forms, as that seemed to be the route that most of the aliens had taken, but for Coop it didn¡¯t seem like he needed to change unless he really needed a racial trait.


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    It seemed like even if he didn¡¯t select the Path of the Undead, his other two options were closely connected with the undead anyway. Between Mistwalker and Reaver, he had an option that would potentially alter his archetype in the former, and an option that would build off his strengths in the latter. A racial evolution might become available in future selections even if he passed on it this time.


    When it came to the Path of the Reaver he felt like he was already walking the path with his Revenant class. If he remembered his grid analogy for the path selections, Reaver would be the path that went straight instead of forking left or right. It could be valuable to continue getting skills that played to his current strengths. He was basically guaranteed to get synergistic abilities and there would be more paths in the future if he sought variety, but if anything it felt like a narrowing of his current path instead of something new.


    The Revenant class had never felt stifling based on its options due to the flexibility it offered, but if he continued with the Reaver he might just box himself into the pure brawler archetype that had become his foundation. It was based on his Adamance skill and Slayer title which were admittedly fundamental parts of his build, but he already had that foundation. He didn¡¯t need to keep working on it.


    That left him with the Path of the Mistwalker. It sure seemed to fit with his reliance on mistjumping, but he got the impression that the ¡®mists¡¯ that Mistwalker was referring to had more to do with the dead, ghosts, and the ethereal: the metaphorical mists that existed between the worlds of the living and the dead, where souls and spirits wandered. It was based on the two skills that had given him the Ethereal title and his Haunted title after all.


    Even though Mistwalker was based on his Retribution and Salvation skills, which were even more fundamental to his entire build than what the Path of the Reaver concentrated on, he thought adding a new dimension was much closer to what he was looking for. It promised to be an evolution.


    Coop thought that settled it for him. It was the one path where he felt no hesitation when he considered the options. He still wished for a proper build planner, but the system seemed flexible enough that as long as he put himself in a good position, valuable synergies would appear.


    He selected Arcane Comprehension and began the Path of the Mistwalker.


    Coop didn¡¯t feel any smarter with the additional passive skill contributing to his Intelligence. He felt his scalp with his fingertips and didn¡¯t find any surprises, the very action of checking for a bigger brain proving his feeling correct. He checked his status, wanting to confirm the passive skill was working.


    [Status]


    HP - 6000/6000


    MP - 11000/11000


    Class - Revenant (Level 75)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 79)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 50 (+1100)


    Agility - 50 (+550)


    Body - 50 (+550)


    Mind - 1100


    Intelligence - 50 (+1100)


    Acumen - 50


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion III, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper, Slayer III, Dauntless, Stacked


    Skills (Active) - Retribution, Salvation, Presence of Mind, Fog of War


    Skills (Passive) - Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (9/50), Trophy Hunter (3/5), Defeat Ancient Devourers II (0/25), Defeat Primal Serpents II (4/25), Defeat Ruin Excavators IV (440/5000), Defeat Primal Kites III (0/250), Upgrade Village to Town


    Basic Credits - 1,807,190


    Coop couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the absurdity of his stats. He was certain that he was approaching the range of Field Bosses, especially with his Dauntless title doubling his damage against them. Regular monsters wouldn¡¯t be a threat to him unless they numbered in the thousands, and even then, it would depend on the matchup as proven by several of the previous waves.


    Arcane Comprehension had absorbed his Common Language skill, just like how Presence of Mind consumed the basic Identify ability. The Vanquisher title disappeared, which was a surprise, but he guessed that it had been spent like an entry fee for the Path of the Mistwalker. The title''s entire purpose was enabling upgrade options, and it seemed like it worked.


    His levels continued to progress as the waves rolled on. The end of the Crazed Serpent wave combined with the defeat of Gromokan, the Ancient Devourer Field Boss, really jump-started his progress for the last few waves. They combined with the monsters¡¯ escalation of levels to yield enough experience to continue giving him class levels despite overleveling.


    He was happy for the gains since he just wanted to keep leveling and hurry to the next skill choice. For now, he would make do with testing Fog of War, his lone Intelligence based skill, but first he checked the settlement leaderboards.


    Siege Event Settlement Scores


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Ghost Reef - 16,594,591 (x48828125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Shinjuku Garden - 1,376,854 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Silvervalley - 1,270,128 (x25)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Yucatan - 1,224,096 (x25)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Neon Park - 1,191,743 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Aotearoa New Zealand - 1,122,278 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Loch Bridge - 1,091,967 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Lekawa - 1,077,481 (x25)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Wintermeer - 1,061,864 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Nyiragongo - 1,012,639 (x25)</li>


    </ol>


    It had been 10 days since he last checked and Ghost Reef¡¯s score was even more absurd than before. The overlapping waves and Field Bosses had really pushed them beyond the realm of any other settlement. It seemed like both the x125 settlements and the x25 settlements had completed two full waves at this point while the x5 settlements only had one wave with scores half what the rest of the settlements had reached.


    Coop was surprised that none of the settlements had defeated any Field Bosses. Looking at the remaining settlements, he suspected that every time a Field Boss had spawned, it defeated the shard. There were only 358 settlements left. Empress City was still on the list at rank 311, so they had survived, but he wondered what would have happened if he hadn¡¯t defeated the Blight Howler Field Boss when he visited. Probably nothing good.


    Siege Event Individual Scores


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Coop - 743,843 (+599,620)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Charlie Seraphin - 400,044 (+295,835) </li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Shane Peters - 299,943 (+248,932)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Hozanek - 244,204 (+202,970)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Charon - 232,055 (+217,043)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Elder Olani - 230,764 (+175,074)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">The Siren - 223,823 (+211,824)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Camila Alvarez - 204,695 (+133,153)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Derek Anderson - 181,741 (+126,630)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Buck Cleary - 175,842 (+135,731)</li>


    </ol>


    The individual scores were still dominated by residents of Ghost Reef. If anything, the dominance had escalated when compared to the start. Platinum was the only name he was sure wasn¡¯t a member of their settlement and they were just above rank 900 with a score at nearly 75,000.


    The waves that Ghost Reef had experienced revealed various strengths among the residents, and there had been quite a few waves. Some individuals, like Buck, really excelled against particular types of enemies; in his case heavily armored ones. The pirates had a better chance to contribute when the fight had been in the water, but they weren¡¯t shy about joining in the fights on land. He thought the biggest surprise was Kayla being on the list, the Sea Witch was apparently another strong casting class that might even rival Charlie¡¯s Aeromancer.


    Coop headed back to the front of the fort, reequipping himself with his morning star and ethereal armor on the way. His break had been brief, but he was satisfied. The ninth wave would start soon and he wanted to try Fog of War on the Rabid Carriers before it came.


    The support phantoms and wraiths were furiously repairing the moat while a group of melee protected them on the duneside. They were digging all of the rubble from the edges, preparing for the next wave while they had a relative lull in the fighting. Groups of casters dropped dazzling spell sequences on approaching Rabid Carriers from the walls, efficiently controlling the Swarmers before they became a threat.


    Coop went further away from the fort before he cast Fog of War. When he finally cast his spell, he didn¡¯t hold back on his mana expenditure, not wanting the ocean breeze to overwhelm the fog¡¯s formation and put it on cooldown. He spent 10,000 mana off the bat, wanting to push his new limits with his massive Intelligence stat and see what the results would be.


    The mists that normally coalesced from around his feet and gradually rose from the ground until they slowly formed a thin mist were something completely different this time. Instead of a slow condensation of vapors that accumulated from wisps on the ground, a dense barrier of white fog formed a vortex, swirling around Coop as it climbed into the sky. The base widened like the inverse of one of Charlie¡¯s V-shaped tornadoes and instead of spinning in gusts, the fog billowed like a rolling cloud. A misty peak thrust upwards as a hazy fog mountain formed. Mist piled on top of itself until it spilled outwards in all directions toppling over itself. A tidal wave of mists spread across the dunes.


    Coop¡¯s Fog of War extended from the moat across the island to the south, gradually thinning as it reached halfway to the lighthouse, and from the west beach across beyond the dunes and into the scrubland until it nearly reached the mangrove forest to the east. It rolled out beyond the nearest coast into the ocean and spilled into the moat, interrupting the repairs and forcing the defenders backwards lest they be wrapped in the mists. The fog reached high into the sky, filtering the morning sunlight until it seemed like they were looking at the sky on another planet much further away from the sun.


    Presence of Mind threatened to completely overwhelm Coop as his ears rang and his physical senses were lost. When he touched his ear and raised his hand in front of his face to see if there was blood he couldn¡¯t see anything through the mass of fog that had settled in. He still knew there was blood thanks to his aura skill.


    The tiny clicks of a thousand hermit crabs along the shore echoed in his mind along with the the swishing of palm fronds, the scuttling of Rabid Carriers, and his own delighted giggling.


    The effect of Fog of War had really exceeded his expectations. He¡¯d overdone it a bit, but who could have guessed that more than 200 levels worth of stats being applied to a single attribute at once would have made such a dramatic difference?


    He¡¯d need to get used to the changes, and there was no time like the present.

 Chapter 88: Mistwalker

    Coop¡¯s mana was completely drained trying to maintain the massive blanket of fog that had been conjured by Fog of War. The cost of maintaining the skill escalated exponentially with the area covered, and he hadn¡¯t held back when he dumped his mana into the channel. As the ocean breeze and the consistent waves chewed away at the borders, along with curious residents who scooped and tested the edge, the skill constantly demanded more mana to replenish its losses. It was completely unsustainable.


    However, even without feeding the mists with more mana, it remained a dense bank that only shrank gradually. All of the various threats to its stability could only chip away at the totality of the domain. The fog would remain for quite some time thanks to the massive initial expenditure. In the meantime, he completely stifled the wave of Rabid Carriers that were lost in the foggy dunes. They were disoriented by the vapors that turned a portion of the island into an illusory barrier.


    There was zero visibility inside the fog, sound was muffled and warped, and smell and taste were stifled. It was like being inside of a sensory deprivation tank, even for Coop, but Presence of Mind completely took over for his muted senses. Based on his own experience inside the Zombie Lord¡¯s cloud, Coop didn¡¯t expect the fog to smother aura skills, but when it came to physical senses it appeared to suppress them all.


    When Coop slammed his morning star on an unsuspecting monster, the only glimpse it could hope for would be of the end of the weapon in the moment before it struck. The spikes cut through the fog, leaving tiny trails of turbulence that were immediately absorbed into the rest. Coop didn¡¯t leave any trail himself as he stalked through the mist.


    Coop wandered from monster to monster preventing even a single one from progressing across the dunes. The Rabid Carriers had resorted to meandering randomly with no hope of escaping his domain. Where other monsters would be able to flail against the fog, the Carriers weren¡¯t built for any sort of meaningful resistance and the Swarmers were too small to make a significant effort against the mists. Shane allowed the remaining defenders a break as Coop temporarily shut down the threat of monsters for the first time since the siege event began. They prepared for the next wave instead with hasty repairs and some extra rest.


    Coop had selected Arcane Comprehension and taken the Path of the Mistwalker anticipating the future options. He had not expected to turn Fog of War into such an excessive instrument of area denial right away. Coop had to admit he was just inexperienced when it came to actual active skills.


    The way his previous skills had interacted with his stats had been entirely passive. Retribution and Salvation determined his weapon power and armor durability based on his Mind stat, giving him gear that scaled as he improved his stats, but as far as Coop was concerned, they barely counted as active skills. Most active skills would multiply their effect based on the user¡¯s stats. Coop had experienced this many times in enemies, and knew inherently that skills could empower even a much weaker monster for at least one attack. He might have 1,000 Strength, but a monster with 100 Strength and a skill that utilizes Strength multiplied by 10 would, at least momentarily, match up against him.


    Coop¡¯s approach had always been one that concentrated on sustainability. He wasn¡¯t chasing power spikes, so if someone with 100 Strength could briefly match his 1,000, Coop would make his target 2,000 raw Strength instead, pushing the limit further and further. He¡¯d really need to keep snowballing his stats if he wanted to keep it up, but that was the deal he accepted at the beginning of his journey; ramping his stats by any means necessary.


    From the very start, Jones had anticipated skills being the primary aspect behind individual power, but Coop was essentially becoming an edge case where his raw stats could match up with others¡¯ skill multipliers. That meant that when Coop did use active skills with multipliers they could end up having ridiculous scaling, like Fog of War¡¯s domain expansion.


    If the multipliers were combined with his other absurdly scaled stats, like his unethically large mana pool, the interactions transcended the expectations for their level range. The skill just became busted when so much fuel was poured into it. A balanced caster simply wouldn¡¯t invest as much into Mind as he had, and now he gained an even larger investment into Intelligence than they could hope for, on top of the already extreme mana pool. The whole situation made him wonder what some of the contracted residents could do with their ridiculous levels. Maybe he was already scratching the surface.


    As he drifted through the mists he considered how to properly make use of Fog of War. It could encompass a much larger area than before, it was far more robust against disruption, and it was quicker to stabilize itself, but it still had a long cooldown, and if anything, the mana cost had gone up when considering the additional maintenance cost as the surface area increased.


    It would take a bit of experimentation, but the next time he used it, he planned on reining it in so that he could concentrate on controlling a smaller area. He¡¯d be ready to give it a shot once the next wave began. The morning was going by quickly while Coop handled the wave of Rabid Carriers. The rising sun added its own pressure to the domain, burning away the mists at the top, but Coop made no effort to keep maintaining the entire fog bank.


    Coop¡¯s domain finally dissipated before the timer began its countdown, but it wasn¡¯t long before the beeps echoed across the island once again. He had to admit he was glad the siege event was almost over. He checked the remaining timers while recalling the waves as he waited for the buzzer to sound off.


    [000:00:00]


    [000:00:03]


    [050:00:03]


    [100:00:03]


    Coop was proud of Ghost Reef¡¯s residents. They had persevered through so much already, despite having limited numbers and minimal time to prepare. They¡¯d faced off against overlapping waves and field bosses and they had been unflinching. So many other settlements had fallen. Each individual three day wave spawned an insane quantity of monsters, easily over 100,000, but they were still standing.


    There was a lot of credit to go around between the capable leadership of the commanders, the absolute loyalty of the phantoms, and the inspiring performances of individuals that were growing into powerhouses themselves. They hadn¡¯t had time for a training montage, but the siege had been a crucible that forged them into a true fighting force.


    Looking forward, there was only one known monster left; the Ancient Piercers hadn¡¯t participated yet and Coop knew they were within the settlement¡¯s territory. That meant the other two remaining waves would be new variants. It was the final stretch and they¡¯d already made it this far, Coop felt galvanized to push through the rest.


    As the buzzer that indicated the ninth wave¡¯s beginning sounded across the island, Coop faced the dunes and was surprised by a gust of warm, humid air blowing past him. He spun around and found himself face to face with an enormous snout. The wild pig had decided to leave the fort, jump across the moat, and stop right behind Coop. Coop heard the iron gate at the front of the fort slam shut after letting the pig exit.


    He figured the pig¡¯s presence was as good a sign as any that the next wave would be the Ancient Piercer variant. Coop remembered them being large gorilla-like monsters with a spiked crown and a spiked tail. They were the highest level regular monsters he had seen, so he expected them to receive a decent boost for the event.


    Coop stepped aside, deciding to let the Eater of Worlds take the lead on this one. It wasn¡¯t like Coop had any experience with the Piercers and he knew the pig must have spent most of its time dealing with the monsters on the second island. On the bright side, Coop thought that would mean the Piercers were unlikely to have a Field Boss, since they were constantly culled, but it had been a while since any of the waves had one and Coop knew he had a habit of jinxing himself. He hoped he didn¡¯t this time.


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    The wild pig growled and grunted, but the only monsters on the beach were the sporadic Rabid carriers that were still lingering as their wave continued. The parties of defenders kept them under control with their coordinated strikes, resuming their duties after Coop¡¯s Fog of War had finally faded away in the rising sun.


    Coop stepped a bit further away as the pig drooled and became more vocal. On the other side of the island a cloud of dust and sand was rising. As it grew closer, the sound of a stampede reached the fort. The island seemed to vibrate. Loose stones fell from the damaged areas of the southern wall and the surviving palm trees shook like they were trying to discard any leftover loose coconuts. The Piercers were blitzing across the dunes in a rush to attack the defenders, charging forward while letting their spiked crowns lead the way.


    The pig trotted forward and Coop reluctantly followed. Hopefully, he¡¯d get some clues for dealing with the Piercers from the pig so that he wouldn¡¯t need to figure their skills out on his own. He inspected the leading Piercer as the pig picked up speed.


    [Brutal Piercer (Level 65)]


    [(Strength)]


    [Minion of the Primal Constructs]


    The Piercers were big boys and had the levels to match. They were rushing forward, barrelling past the Rabid Carriers in a frenzied charge. Coop was intimidated by the speed and enthusiasm that the 12 foot tall monsters displayed, but the pig seemed ready to face them head on and started rushing forward as well. The Piercers propelled themselves forward on their thick arms and kept balance by keeping their spiked tail elevated behind them. Coop took solace in knowing he could disrupt the wave with an excessive Fog of War, though he already knew that would only temporarily halt the charge.


    Coop paid close attention as he anticipated a great clash between the large monsters and the even larger pig. Would the pig ram the monsters or would it seek a weak point that Coop hadn¡¯t identified?


    Coop¡¯s anticipation was denied as the pig stopped its own forward charge about 20 yards in front of the first in the stampede of monsters.


    The frontrunner Piercer levitated into the air, flailing its thick arms and heavy tail while trying to retain its balance while the Pig¡¯s eyes burned with energy. With a crunch that overpowered the stomping of the monsters the floating Piercer was crushed into a perfect cube as if it was inside of an invisible trash compactor. Then it was pulled toward the pig like there was a tractor beam summoning the monster to the beast¡¯s waiting maw. With another crunch it was mashed into an even smaller cube and the pig opened its mouth wider to accept the now bite-sized monster. It chomped down and finished the monster off like it was a small treat.


    The mana smoke from the defeated monster leaked out of the pigs snout on both sides, combining with the glowing eyes to give it a demonic presence that Coop couldn¡¯t help but admire. The beast gave a monstrous squeal that made Coop step back even further, though he had trailed pretty far behind in the first place.


    The pig¡¯s bulk increased as if it had absorbed some of the mass and stats of the defeated monster. A metallic crown appeared on the pig, joining its already threatening tusks, and the pig charged into the incoming stampede, without any reluctance, and started flailing and goring the monsters with its tusks and new spiked crown.


    Before Coop reacted another monster levitated from the crowd and crunched down until the pig ate that one too. The pig got slightly bigger and the metal crown seemed to grow even more menacing, adding another spike.


    There was no finesse or strategy that Coop could learn from watching the rampage. That didn¡¯t mean he¡¯d let the pig have all the fun. He swapped his morning star for his spear and shield combination and prepared himself to at least match the energy of the Eater of Worlds.


    Coop threw his spear at one of the leading Piercers further inland from the area the pig was claiming. The weapon zipped through the air, aimed for the monster¡¯s head. He was testing how robust the crown of spikes would be since it seemed to be the primary weapon of the enemies.


    When the spear collided with the monster it pierced the metal skull and barely lost any momentum. The decapitated monster¡¯s torso crashed into the sand, spraying debris as it landed, and began to dissipate before it stopped sliding. The spear continued into the flank of a second monster, crashing it onto its side with a hole carved straight through the monster¡¯s body. The spear finally smashed into the ground with a splash of sand that tripped up two more of the charging Piercers, destroying arms and legs on the way.


    Coop had momentarily forgotten that these were just normal monsters. They were very high level, at 65, and their bulky statures made them seem imposing, but they didn¡¯t even have elite stats. Size-wise they were intimidating, but while size was important, it wasn¡¯t everything, though he wouldn¡¯t dare tell that to the pig that grew even more after chomping down on another Piercer.


    As Coop mistjumped into the crowd, spending 0 mana, he smiled to himself, appreciating how far he had come: Free mistjumps and the Strength to demolish these monsters. He quickly defeated the two knocked down Piercers and threw his shield into another¡¯s crown. It had expected to ram Coop, but was instead met with his solid hoplon. Coop appeared behind the shield after another mistjump and thrust his spear forward in an expert attack that defeated the stunned monster.


    One more spear throw multi-kill and Coop was far enough inland to claim his own domain. He cast Fog of War, this time trying to keep it under control so that he could maintain it indefinitely.


    Coop let it expand until it covered most of the scrubland, inland from the dunes, blocking one third of the Piercers before they could reach the fort. The pig had claimed the center third and as he continued to eat, he had grown at least twice his original size. The last third, which ended with the beach, was the target of the casters and ranged defenders. It was the section with the least damage, and even from across the battlefield, Coop spotted Charlie at the top of the ramparts directing gusts of wind at the shore to control the space.


    A volley of cannon fire flew over Coop and the pig, thinning the Piercer wave as the residents established their positions. The number of cannons was notably less than when they started, with the significant damage to the wall reducing the operable cannon portals to half the original number, but half was still a formidable volley. Coop noted that the cannons even seemed to do more damage than when they started. Each one landed with a much larger explosion than he remembered in the early days of the siege.


    As he mistjumped between Piercers he considered the fact that even the cannons required an interaction of mana to be fired at all. Did that mean the power of the cannons could scale with the user? He thought it was possible. Mana seemed to gatekeep every physical reaction, but was there a purpose for the system to micromanage that much, or was it just a natural phenomenon caused by the presence of mana? He¡¯d have to wonder about it later.


    The Eater of Worlds towered above the center of the battlefield and Coop watched as it stomped and gored the Piercers. The pig seemed to have reached his maximum, about twice his starting size, which made him seem like a two-storey building. Each time he consumed an enemy he grew a bit larger, and it appeared to stack each time he ate another monster, but at some point he ran into the limitations of the skill. The cooldown looked like it refreshed about 10 times before the first boost wore off.


    The few Brutal Piercers that made it past the ranged defenders or the giant pig leapt across the moat, tearing through the air in order to slam their crowns into the wall with earth shattering force. They used their thick arms and tail spikes to smash and break the stones down before they were defeated by defenders. The amount of damage they did to the wall was significant, these were the most potent threat to the fort outside of a Field Boss yet. With the fort already weakened in several places, Coop wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there were more breaches before they were done.


    For Coop¡¯s part, his misty domain didn¡¯t leak a single enemy. They would have to get through him and his fog before they reached the already breached section. With his mistjumps completely free and his spear and shield equipped, he tore through the formidable monsters like he was possessed. He was a nightmare tormenting the mists, mercilessly cutting down confused enemies, from any direction at any time.


    In the past, when any monsters charged through his fog, they were often able to disrupt it, but that wasn¡¯t as meaningful a threat on an individual basis anymore. His opponents would need to be substantially more disruptive, though the mass of Piercers were collectively having some impact, they were still wrapped in fog after a few steps into his domain. The Piercers ended up tripping over themselves as they became trapped and confused. Their response was to swing their tails wildly, attacking the fog, but even that wasn¡¯t enough to disperse his fog to a significant degree.


    The more controlled domain he had established was draining his mana, but it was only slightly more than he could sustain. If he drank one of Olani¡¯s mana tinctures every hour and didn¡¯t spend any more mana through Mind over Matter he could make up the difference just by killing enough monsters and recovering tiny amounts from his Reaper title. He predicted that he would run out of mana tinctures first, but it wouldn''t be until after the Rabid Carriers ceased spawning.


    Coop settled in and liberally applied his mistjumps. He was the monster when they were inside the mists.

 Chapter 89: Hostile Takeover

    Supreme Champion Jerry the First stewed in agitation while he sat with the remaining advisors of Empress City. They gathered around the bar in the captain¡¯s lounge that Jerry claimed as his throne room discussing their current predicament. His new pick for Viceroy led the debate, allowing Jerry the opportunity to observe and contemplate their positions above the rabble.


    There were quite a few different faces from just two weeks ago. The frequency that he needed to punish them for mistakes was far too high, but when things went wrong, someone had to answer. Without Rod, good help was hard to come by, but even he had been a disappointment when it came down to it.


    Humans as a species were dominant on Earth thanks to their ability to manipulate. Whether it was other animals, the environment itself, or other people, humans needed to be able to outmaneuver them in order to survive. Like everything else, strength was irrelevant without the ability to wield it as a tool for control.


    Rod had understood those lessons well, but he had still been suckered. Jerry pitied his former friend even if it hadn¡¯t taken long to move on. There was no room for sentimentality in Jerry¡¯s ironclad logic and Rod was a victim of emotional weakness; a grave sin, as far as he was concerned. Jerry would never let emotions overrule his thoughts.


    When the siege event began, Jerry had pulled his army into the superior defensive position within the interior ring of Empress City. They had tens of thousands of Chosen prepared to defend the settlement from invaders and they made it clear that they would only defend the interior. Then, they opened up positions in the army for anyone in the perimeter that was ready to join. It was the perfect incentive. The carrot of safety with the stick of an unhindered wave of monsters.


    However, their recruitment efforts had been disappointing. He had expected to triple their numbers, at a minimum, while the obstinate would be run down by monsters. The Endless Empire¡¯s intel had been off once again.


    The settlement events were meant to be challenging, with massive rewards in experience and credits for participating. Instead, the wave of Primal Tracker variants was far too easy. Barely anyone joined the army while a rebel group rose up from within the shacks around the settlement. The rebels fought the wave on all sides and their ¡®noble¡¯ efforts inspired the regular citizens to join the rebels instead of the army.


    Jerry wasn¡¯t fooled. He saw the manipulation for what it was, but he couldn¡¯t counter it directly. It would be tricky to deal with enemies painting themselves as heroes. He would still find a way. It was just a matter of time.


    But time wasn¡¯t really on the Endless Empire¡¯s side either. The strategy the faction employed was meant to be a blitzkrieg, a rush to grab territory, with continued expansion fueling their numbers. They had a window of opportunity that had rapidly closed. Other factions¡¯ strategies would be coming online after the first event completed, and they would take a tech advantage over the Empire¡¯s initial rush.


    Jerry could only blame a poor spawn. The Empire had anticipated more civilization shards for them to cascade across, but the nearest settlement had been prepared to defend right away, and was much too distant to catch by surprise. The northern settlement that sprung up around old Orlando had hemmed them in from the beginning, sending caravans to raid their northern flank and executing their scouts and ships on sight. It was four days of travel between the settlements, with skill enhancement and without monster interference, but that hadn¡¯t discouraged their opponents from establishing a forward perimeter within the first weeks of the assimilation. They killed indiscriminately whenever the Empire attempted to bypass their patrols and entrenched themselves as mortal enemies from the start.


    Now, they had a new problem. The rebels had made themselves comfortable at the edge of Empress City¡¯s territory by moving to the port and claiming the coast for themselves. They were manually repairing buildings and using the port as a headquarters as they organized themselves. Everyday, more people left the outer ring to join the port. Recruitment numbers for their army had collapsed and deserters were quietly leaving the airport to defect.


    Jerry had heard rumors of early boss types appearing in situations like the siege event, but they hadn¡¯t received anything except regular monsters. The domestic problems would have worked themselves out if a boss type had arrived to wipe out the mishmash of untrained rebel defenders. The organized army could have displayed its superiority in that situation. Alas, none came. The Trackers had been higher level at least, though the rebels managed them regardless.


    Of course he wanted to crush the rebels mercilessly, but their numbers had swelled in the days since they revealed themselves, and their levels rivaled the Chosen of the Empire, thanks to the event. The rebels had gained levels while denying his army its own participation experience.


    For now, they were playing at negotiating, sending representatives back and forth. The Empire couldn¡¯t show weakness, but they were in trouble. Internal and external forces were applying pressure, and they had lost their early mover advantage. Once the event was complete, the northern settlement would continue to test them, splitting their focus. They would be vulnerable.


    His advisors continued to debate their positions. ¡°We should simply squash them immediately so we can focus on the northern settlement. The rebels won¡¯t expect it before the event is complete.¡± The leader of the northern battalions argued.


    ¡°That will drive support to their cause! We should focus on negotiating, maybe even cede some responsibilities in order to form an alliance. If we combine forces, the northern settlement will be the ones who are squashed.¡± His domestic affairs advisor stated.


    ¡°They have nothing to offer other than manpower! If we execute their leadership, we can take it for ourselves. We can thank their corpses for inspiring so many to get involved in the fight.¡± His second choice of Viceroy reasoned, to Jerry¡¯s approval.


    The debate was interrupted by the sounds of muffled arguing, followed by grunts and clashing outside the doors. The group of advisors all stopped debating and twisted in their seats to look at the entrance just in time for the heavy black double doors to be violently kicked open. The handles slammed against the walls before one stopped halfway ajar.


    Jerry stood up reflexively, offended that anyone would dare enter his domain without his approval first. ¡°What is the meaning of this?!¡± He yelled, but he got his answer after another moment of observation.


    A group of uniformed strangers stood in the doorway as one of the solid doors fell off its hinges. They stood above the bleeding bodies of his guards as they groaned pathetically. Blood pooled over the threshold and seeped onto the carpet of the captain¡¯s lounge as Jerry¡¯s mind ran through the possibilities. Jerry identified them immediately.


    [Human (Level 35)]


    [Human (Level 33)]


    [Human (Level 36)]


    [Human (Level 35)]


    [Human (Level 35)]


    Was the northern settlement making their move before the event completed? That would be exceedingly reckless. Was it the rebels? The intruders weren¡¯t very high level but they seemed to be equipped with matching gear. The color schemes were all the same greens and browns. These weren¡¯t familiar enemies.


    The first to enter the lounge, casually stepping around the expanding blood, smiled at Jerry, revealing a gold tooth. He just walked in like he owned the place. ¡°You must be the Champion.¡± He observed, getting Jerry¡¯s full attention without shying from it.


    The man was older, scarred and wrinkled, like a grizzled veteran with a thick gray mustache and bushy eyebrows underneath a black beret. He was equipped with an army green cloak, a bandolier on top of a grease-stained white shirt, and thick brown cargo pants. A combat knife was holstered at his hip. He raised his hands like he was approaching a wild animal and attempting to keep it calm.


    ¡°And who the hell are you?¡± Jerry asked disdainfully.


    ¡°I¡¯m called Grizz, and I¡¯d like to negotiate your surrender!¡± The old man exclaimed with an ugly attempt at a friendly grin across his face. To Jerry, all grins were ugly.


    Jerry had executed his own allies for less disrespect than this bastard was showing him. He didn¡¯t hesitate any longer to lash out. He threw six black void sparks at the old man before he made it any further into the room. Ranged was always king, and this dumbass brought a knife to a magic fight.


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    The black sparks shot across the room, sucking in the light as they went, gaining power and aimed for the old man¡¯s chest. The man had the good sense to look surprised, not expecting Jerry to act so decisively, as if Jerry wouldn¡¯t take the most logical approach to his personal area being intruded upon.


    Before the old man had a chance to do anything else, the black sparking stars closed the distance with erratic movements, accelerating and decelerating at random, but the man¡¯s bandolier suddenly exploded with six pops as some kind of automatic point defense was launched. All six of his stars evaporated in puffs of black mana smoke. Jerry¡¯s attack was intercepted, enraging the Champion.


    ¡°What are you standing around for?¡± Jerry shouted at his advisors. ¡°Attack!¡± He pointed aggressively at the intruders.


    The fat generals and sycophants looked at each other, unsure, before his new Viceroy finally summoned oversized stone arms and rushed forward. He attempted to punch the main intruder directly, but the grizzled man stepped forward, cocked back his arm so that his cloak could wrap around it with a rustling noise that made it seem thicker than it appeared, then mirrored the advisor¡¯s punching motion. When their fists collided, the advisor''s stone armor exploded with a cracking sound as it was destroyed.


    ¡°Hmph!¡± The intruder grunted from the effort. Then he lunged forward and pummeled the advisor with his cloaked arm. Once his victim was unconscious, he looked up at Jerry. ¡°You¡¯ve got a choice here. Trade your shard and keep your lives.¡± He explained with a flick of his cloak back toward the rest of the waiting intruders in the entrance way. He stared into Jerry¡¯s eyes with an earnest glare.


    ¡°Go to hell!¡± Jerry shouted, as he grabbed one of the last surviving artifacts after their prison had been raided. He smashed it in his fist and directed the dark energies at the invader filled with harmful intent.


    The old man¡¯s expression barely changed as he moved to intercept it with his cloak-wrapped arm, trusting his equipment to protect him. The dark energies passed straight through the barrier, punishing his trust and infecting him with the blood curse.


    ¡°Wha? Ah! Argh!¡± The old man shouted as he watched the veins in his forearm turn black. The black energy ran through his neck and his eyes bulged as he collapsed forward and landed, face first, on the ground, completely incapacitated.


    The other invaders looked at each other in surprise. They obviously hadn¡¯t anticipated any successful resistance. Their equipment was meant to be a massive advantage, but they suddenly had doubts when presented with its fallibility. One of the quiet observers gave a slight nod, and the rest entered the lounge.


    Jerry launched another four black sparks at the shifting trespassers, but they each fizzled as the bandolier defenses activated. The stymied attack emboldened the party, and they moved to fight together, unsheathing knives and spreading out.


    The advisors attempted to fight, realizing that if they didn¡¯t do anything, they would die, whether from the invaders executing them or from Jerry¡¯s punishment. It seemed like the only chance to negotiate had gone with the incapacitation of the grizzled veteran. The captain¡¯s lounge exploded into chaos as spells and attacks were launched back and forth. Glass shattered, stools burst into flames, and smoke clouded the room for a brief period of uninhibited chaotic violence.


    At the end, Jerry stood alone, an uncomfortable smile on his face, as he stared down all of the surviving invaders by himself. A second trespasser lay unconscious at his feet after he used his second artifact to afflict him with a blood curse, and one was kneeling, injured by the combined efforts of Jerry¡¯s deceased advisors, bleeding from several wounds.


    Jerry lifted a foot above the second curse victim¡¯s prone body and smashed his neck under his boot with a vicious stomp.


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    He was glad to have kept the last artifacts on him at all times after he lost trust in the system¡¯s security. They were still powerful trump cards in the early stages of the assimilation.


    Jerry launched his last black sparks and waited for it to inevitably be snuffed out by the equipment of his enemies, but one of them bore a hole through the chest of the injured trespasser and Jerry laughed out loud.


    ¡°Hah! You¡¯re more pathetic than I thought!¡± He taunted as another invader was defeated. Two were downed by curses and one by his skill. ¡°Without your gear, you¡¯re useless weaklings.¡±


    ¡°Cap? How¡¯s he gettin¡¯ around the aegis capes?¡± The last man anxiously asked. Jerry was surprised the lone female was called Cap.


    ¡°I dunno, Dan, just stay behind me.¡± She responded.


    Jerry sneered. ¡°That¡¯s right, Dan. Stay behind her.¡± Jerry grasped the last remaining artifact and crushed it while he hid it behind his sleeve.


    When Cap tipped forward, collapsing with blackened veins and a grimace, Jerry laughed as his victory was at hand. He hadn¡¯t been having much fun with all of the problems piling on Empress City, but this was exhilarating. Perhaps it was time to abandon the faction¡¯s carefully laid but flawed plans and take things into his own hands.


    Dan stepped backwards with his hands forward. ¡°Wait! I¡¯m just a reader! Don¡¯t kill me!¡±


    Jerry paused his exultation. ¡°A reader?¡±


    ¡°A mana guide! It¡¯s pretty much a non-combat class, but I have the latest intel from the faction data banks on Day 30!¡± Dan desperately sought someway to make himself seem valuable, but Jerry had already decided the man¡¯s fate.


    ¡°Well? Tell me what you know, and start with who you are.¡± Jerry patiently directed, in a much better mood after the fight.


    ¡°I¡¯m Dan!¡± His hostage uselessly exclaimed with wild, panicked eyes.


    ¡°I mean who are you representing, you idiot. Where did you come from? Are you with the rebels?¡± Jerry was already losing his patience.


    ¡°Rebels? No! We¡¯re from the Hand of Mirrors! I¡¯m supposed to find Bosses, Wells, and Shards for the party¡­¡± Dan took a deep breath and began to explain everything in a rush.


    ¡°We returned on Day 30. This was the nearest shard, but it was several days through the wilderness. We woulda been here sooner but I thought I detected a Field Boss spawn location, so we detoured a bit, angling for the first place title. Cap thought my skill wasn¡¯t workin¡¯ right, since it¡¯s too early for them, but I saw that crater in the golf course, I¡¯m sure someone already got one, it musta been you, huh? I wonder if the 2nd to 10th place titles also got claimed. They told us Field Bosses wouldn¡¯t even spawn ¡®til Day 50 plus! And they said to stay away until we were securely on paths, cause they¡¯re s¡¯posed to be well-rounded and much too strong for beginner builds. You obviously handled it though¡­¡± Dan trailed off as he looked at the bodies of his party and ran out of steam.


    Jerry had no idea what this guy was talking about, and his patience was really getting thin. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°¡®Cause the shard¡­¡± Dan explained simply, pointing directly toward the breakroom that housed the settlement¡¯s shard as if he could see it through multiple walls. Jerry didn¡¯t like that this guy knew exactly where it was hidden.


    ¡°And what intel do you have?¡± Jerry asked, giving Dan a few more answers before he ended this conversation.


    ¡°Well, for one, this is the Endless Empire, a middle C-Tier faction according to the Mirror, aggressive expansionist, heavily invested, but had a disappointing presence on the first set of assimilation leaderboards. The assumption was that the bad start was caused by direct competition for control of territory. There were over 20 factions that attempted a blitz, but only two managed to expand across multiple shards.¡± The mana reader recited. ¡°Earth is a popular place, but was severely underestimated by the system stats, and humans are just generally not as pliable as anticipated.¡±


    Jerry grumbled for a moment at the insulting analysis of his performance. ¡°Which faction is in the lead?¡±


    ¡°Well the factionless were the biggest surprise, easily combined for the most territory, but of the factions, The Abundant Grasp held 12 shards and the most territory before the event began. Also middle C-Tier, considered a persuasive expansionist faction, heavily invested, and apparently uncontested for the first 30 Days using a blitz strategy.¡± Dan recited.


    ¡°Where are they?¡± Jerry demanded.


    ¡°Um, only the factions know where they sponsored people, and the location of specific shards isn¡¯t revealed to anyone outside the assimilation.¡±


    ¡°How useless.¡± Jerry observed.


    ¡°But I know all the factions that appeared on the leaderboards!¡±


    ¡°Who cares. They¡¯re just groups of humans wearing different team colors.¡± Jerry was done with this guy.


    Jerry cast his newest spell, one that was meant to entirely replace Rod in his role of incapacitation. Cosmic Journey was supposed to be a powerful crowd control skill and he hadn¡¯t had an opportunity to test it.


    Dan seemed to sense his time was up. His eyes widened, and he shouted, ¡°No! Wait!¡±


    Dan was suddenly engulfed in inky blackness, like he was floating in space with no stars in sight. He seemed to be sinking into the depths of a stellar ocean as he was pulled toward his own body, across the cosmos. His speed slowly picked up, accelerating as he was drawn back to where he belonged. Dan screamed in fear, but the sound from his lungs had nowhere to go.


    Jerry observed as Dan stood frozen in place. He retrieved one of the combat knives and rubbed it against Dan¡¯s cheek, then sliced a thin cut down his face. Dan didn¡¯t react, not even a blink.


    Jerry nodded with satisfaction. ¡°Good.¡± He was pleased that Rod had been properly replaced.


    He looked at the two surviving cursed bodies and the frozen Dan and briefly considered eliminating them all. While they would be worth some experience, he decided to keep them as hostages in the dungeon. Maybe knowing the other factions would become useful. It would be illogical to throw away potential intelligence just because it wasn¡¯t pertinent at the moment. Plus, he could just kill them later.


    Jerry strode out of his captain¡¯s lounge, through the carnage, and sought some new helpers to carry his prisoners and clean up the mess. He didn¡¯t even glance at the corpses of his former advisors or the bleeding guards groaning in pain.

 Chapter 90: The Primal Constructs

    The tenth wave deviated from the pattern.


    Coop and the Eater of Worlds remained at the forefront of the battlefield for the duration of the ninth wave, each defeating tens of thousands of the Brutal Piercers before they reached the fort. They fought day and night. Coop allowed his Fog of War domain to shrink slightly after the Carriers stopped spawning, reducing the pressure on his mana and letting him keep the smaller domain active indefinitely after running out of mana potions. Not even a single invader made it through his side.


    Coop was wholly impressed with the wild pig¡¯s stamina. He had believed that the Revenant class was uniquely situated for extended fights, especially when combined with his Reaper ¡®on kill¡¯ regeneration making his sustain unmatched. The pig¡¯s class represented a counterpart to Coop¡¯s. The Eater of Worlds was unstoppable as long as he kept eating, and in a battle with effectively unlimited enemies, the pig could consume on demand. Coop could have set a watch to the Brutal Piercers being levitated into the air and getting crunched down.


    When the tenth wave timer came and went, everyone waited for the next monsters to attack. As the minutes went by, the expectation from the defenders grew until it was palpable, but no new monsters made themselves known. Like the previous 25 hours, they continued to deal with the Brutal Piercers by themselves. Scouts frantically searched the perimeter of the fort for stealth monsters, combed the underground, and kept a close eye on the skies above, just in case, but nothing was found. It took one of the pirate ships braving the current wave and checking the same vector as the Piercers to discover the next monster.


    They had appeared from the same direction as the ninth wave, on the second island of the chain, but instead of directly attacking as a stream of enemies while the wave spawned them in, like all the others, they appeared to have arrived as one large platoon. It wasn¡¯t a flood of monsters, the tenth wave was a singular force.


    The pirates hadn¡¯t been able to identify them, but from the descriptions that spread among the defenders, they sounded coordinated and organized as if they would be facing a real army instead of an unruly horde driven by simple aggression. They were sure it would be a completely different type of enemy compared to the previous waves. Coop was anxiously waiting for them to join the Piercers.


    They didn¡¯t come. The Brutal Piercers fought alone for two full days after the Rabid Carriers ceased spawning. They still managed to decimate the western half of the southern fort wall, using their crowns like battering rams in suicidal leaping attacks across the moat that collapsed large sections of the stone walls. The fort had already been weakened by so many previous waves, it couldn¡¯t withstand the heightened assault from the stronger monsters, even after emergency repairs had been hastily applied. The Piercers even forced their way partway into the courtyard. Three new breaches appeared in the wall, adding to the one on the eastern half, but the monsters had been held off through the coordination of phantoms and melee fighters securing the weak points and using the new breaches as chokes.


    After the last Brutal Piercer was defeated Coop inspected the pig, interested in his progress.


    [Gluttonous Wild Pig (Level 73)]


    [Eater of Worlds (Body)]


    [Chosen of the Shepherds of the Lost]


    The pig had gained an incredible 13 levels in one wave. Coop was left in awe as the beast moseyed across the battlefield until he waded into the ocean. The pig shrank back to his normal, small building size, as he went. He swam through the moat, back toward his wallow on the west side of the fort¡¯s channel without much more than a glance at the other defenders.


    Coop himself had gained half a dozen levels from the highest level wave yet. He was now a ridiculous level 82 Revenant and level 88 Scavenger. For Coop, every level was a source of excitement, piling on the stats and multiplying them through his passives as he became a monster himself, so he was especially happy to have gained so much from just one wave.


    Coop slowly swiveled to suspiciously gaze across the battlefield, anxiously tapping the butt of his spear into the sand, making a small packed area near his feet. The beach, dunes, and scrubland were a mess of craters and scorch marks. Streaks of melted sand, fissures in the ground, and blast cones pockmarked the island. It was devastating.


    The paths that he had worked hard to maintain were erased by churned ground and the fort was in even worse shape. The partially repaired moat had caved-in edges and debris floating on the surface or piled inside in scattered heaps, and was punctuated by the destroyed wooden bridge. The red glow from the sunlight filtering through the mana dome made the scene seem critical, like a video game¡¯s low health warning. Coop felt like he needed to start cleaning up to heal the island, but they were all still waiting for the next wave.


    He didn¡¯t know what to do with himself. He started picking his way back to the fort, circumventing the largest trenches with a winding path. He¡¯d catch up with Shane and find out what the field commander would have him do next. It was the first real lull in fighting in 19 days and it made Coop uncomfortable.


    The sound of marching caused Coop to catch his breath as he stopped and spun around. It seemed like the tenth wave was starting after all, the raiders had just been waiting until the previous wave completed. Coop wasn¡¯t sure if that was considerate of them, but he would have accepted a real break if it was offered.


    The monsters had formed an orderly line with multiple rows, displaying their superior organization compared to the previous waves, even if it seemed like an outmoded battle tactic on modern Earth. At a glance, Coop suspected that they outnumbered the residents of Ghost Reef, like every other wave, but this was the closest the numbers had ever been to even. Coop estimated that there were no more than 10,000 of the approaching enemies.


    These were the most humanoid of any invader Coop had seen, even more than the gorilla-like Piercers and ghoulish Rippers. Coop thought they looked like creepy, unfinished seven foot tall mannequins. They had two legs, a normally proportioned torso, two arms that melted into weapons rather than hands, and an oversized diamond shaped head that could have been mistaken for a helmet if it wasn¡¯t embedded all the way down to the glowing red solar plexus. They all exhibited a single red light in the center of their chests, but they had no other features on their dull gray skin; it was like they had walked out of a mold and hadn¡¯t been given the details that would make them seem life-like, nor were they given any sort of gear other than what was molded onto them.


    The Primal Constructs marched upright at a slow and steady pace with the front line presenting a protective column of heavy looking heater shields. The shielded monsters¡¯ other arms ended in a sharp spear point from the elbow down which they brandished over the top of the shields. Behind them was a set of unshielded soldiers with both arms ending in sword blades, also starting at the elbow, that rested on their shoulders, jutting above the crowd like banners. Next, was a row with arms that ended with cannon-sized barrels that made Coop assume projectiles would be fired. Then, there was a set that seemed to have a staff grafted to one hand and a chakram-like shield attached to the other, and finally, the back row was unique in that it had no arms at all.


    Coop recognized a classic party composition among the enemies: a tank, melee and ranged dps, a caster, and some kind of armless support. He doubted these were monsters from somewhere in Ghost Reef¡¯s territory. They were far too civilized to be the same invaders as Defenders or Kites. He inspected one of each row.


    [Elite Ruin Construct (Level 75)]


    [(Strength)]


    [Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]


    [Elite Bane Construct (Level 75)]


    [(Strength)]


    [Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]


    [Elite Spite Construct (Level 75)]


    [(Agility)]


    [Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]


    [Elite Scourge Construct (Level 75)]


    [(Intelligence)]


    [Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]


    [Elite Ancient Construct (Level 75)]


    [(Acumen)]


    [Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]


    Coop knew he shouldn¡¯t expect fairness, but he didn¡¯t think the highest level enemies should also be elites. Maybe the concession to the system was the limited number of monsters in the wave. The monster army was an oppressive force that had Coop wiping sweat from his brow before the fight even started. He was accustomed to fighting monsters, not armies.


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    While Coop was taking note that these were manifestations, like Field Bosses, and not minions, he heard Rear Admiral Gideon shout ¡°Fire!¡± from the fort. The remaining cannons on the wall fired in unison. As the thunderous volley echoed across the battlefield and the dangerous projectiles were propelled toward the coordinated invaders, more than a thousand giant spherical barriers sprang into existence. Each of the Ancient Constructs, the armless enemies Coop guessed to be support, had sprung into action and a shield similar to Shane¡¯s channeled domes appeared from their diamond shaped heads.


    When the cannon shots met the shields they zapped out of existence with a quick sizzle and a small puff of mana smoke. An uncertain silence collected on the island as the protective barriers flickered and disappeared after just a few more seconds. The Ancient Constructs jerked their upper bodies around, gesticulating excitedly even without arms.


    The defenders on the wall were muted after such an ineffective first strike. The cannons had been a powerful weapon, even against the Field Bosses, and they had been only getting more effective as the siege went on. To see them be rendered useless was a blow to their morale if nothing else.


    Coop jogged forward, breaking the moment of tension with a spear throw, just like the very first wave. This time he threw his spear with deadly intent rather than for travel. The ethereal weapon flew straight across the dunes with enough force to lift loose sand in its wake, leaving a straight trail from Coop to the Ruin Construct in the center of the alien¡¯s basic formation.


    The invaders didn¡¯t think his attack warranted another defensive skill, or didn¡¯t have the reaction speed to respond, leaving it to the front line to deal with. When the spear collided with the heater shield of the first Construct, a blast wave exploded from the point of contact. The heater shield shattered and the Ruin Construct crumpled as it was blasted backwards all the way through the backlines, carried by the spear as it took multiple more monsters with it. In the frontline, three monsters to the left and three to the right were also bowled over, flying through the orderly rows behind them, and leaving chaos in a semicircle radiating from the spear throw¡¯s aftermath.


    [You defeated Elite Ruin Construct (Level 75)]


    [You defeated Elite Ruin Construct (Level 75)]


    [You defeated Elite Bane Construct (Level 75)]


    [You defeated Elite Spite Construct (Level 75)]


    [You defeated Elite Scourge Construct (Level 75)]


    Coop felt a predatory grin crawl onto his face as he definitively confirmed that these monsters weren¡¯t at the level of a Field Boss. Coop was more than a match for the elites himself.


    The system often felt inconsistent, but one thing Coop thought it did well was prevent aliens from wielding their ridiculous levels during the assimilation. That was the reason he couldn¡¯t invite Maeve to wipe these waves out after all. Supposedly, it was the reason the entire planet was shielded until the assimilation completed.


    But Coop was exceeding the curve, blowing away expectations with his own stats. He imagined some real Primal Constructs back on their home planet trashing their equivalent of a VR helmet as they raged about meeting an overpowered enemy at the very start. He just wished they would give him loot or quest progress at least. He¡¯d have to be satisfied with experience alone.


    As Coop activated his mistjump, he heard some relieved cheers from the wall of the fort. His spear had revealed the monsters¡¯ fallibility despite their coordination and counterplay. He felt empowered to punish these Constructs for the hardships they were putting them through.


    When Coop stepped out of the mists and returned to the world, he was in the midst of the disrupted Constructs. He executed another Ruin Construct that was missing its shielded arm and was still laying flat on its back. His spear tip shattered the diamond head, then he smashed his shield into the red light of a legless Bane Construct as it struggled to continue. He whirled into the backline, establishing a perimeter for himself. Once he had created a bit of space right in the middle of the enemy army, he cast Fog of War.


    10,000 mana worth of mists swept from Coop¡¯s position, propelled forward across the battlefield, swallowing the army and trapping them inside Coop¡¯s personal domain. He¡¯d pressed his ¡®I win¡¯ button and immediately started hunting. He was giddy as he believed his power overwhelmed the invaders.


    Presence of Mind bombarded him with intel on the enemies movements, but Coop was more prepared for the influx of information having experienced conjuring such a large domain before and immersing himself in more controlled areas for the previous days. Anticipating it didn¡¯t prevent his nosebleed, but it was a small price to pay for field dominance.


    However, the greater surprise was the immediate retaliation from the nearest Constructs. He wasn¡¯t prepared for the monsters to retaliate so easily. Coop barely raised his shield in time to block a double strike from one of the dual sword wielding Bane Constructs.


    He caught the attack and retaliated with an overhead spear jab that pierced through the Construct¡¯s chest, but was assaulted by a lunging Ruin Construct, stabbing with its spear from above its heater shield. Coop rolled away, moving backwards just in time to avoid what seemed to be enlarged crossbow bolts fired from the arms of a Spite Construct¡¯s arms.


    The Constructs weren¡¯t disoriented by his fog at all. Only those nearest to Coop¡¯s initial attack even engaged him. The rest of the army resumed their march forward, passing straight through the Fog of War without so much as a stumble. They reentered the battlefield, mists drifting off their bodies as they reached the edge, ignoring Coop¡¯s attempt to claim the entire wave for himself


    Coop took a steadying breath, deeply inhaling the thick mists, and leaving small twisting trails as he exhaled.


    ¡°Nothing''s ever easy.¡± He quietly muttered in acceptance.


    He redoubled his efforts to eliminate his enemies, lunging into one of the groups with his spear tip aggressively seeking their weak points. Fog of War provided more than just concealment.


    He pitched his ethereal shield and it tore through the fog before smashing into one of the armless Constructs. The red light exploded in its chest as the Construct folded in half and joined the mist as mana smoke.


    The moment the shield left Coop¡¯s hand, he was already sweeping his spear across the knees of one of the staff wielding casters, cleaving both of its legs at the knee with an exact strike of his spearhead. When the monster collapsed forward to the ground, he stomped his foot through the diamond head, then he mistjumped to his thrown shield. He was the mist for a brief moment before he stabbed a shielded Ruin Construct through the back, aiming for the red light from behind while the monster attempted to corral him in his previous location with its heater shield raised and pointed arm poised to attack.


    They might not have been disoriented by the fog, but Coop could still take the advantage with his speed and movement abilities amplified by Presence of Mind.


    The Constructs that remained engaged with Coop attempted to maintain strict parties. They formed a perimeter within the fog, surrounding him with dozens of groups, and trying to pick him apart with ranged attacks, but Coop wasn¡¯t so easy to contain. The combination of complete perception thanks to Presence of Mind and his completely free of cost mistjumps meant that he could pinpoint gaps in their formations and exploit them with inhuman accuracy.


    Coop ducked underneath projectiles that were shot from behind, completely immune to his own blindspots. As he weaved toward enemies, raising his shield to deflect bolts instead of avoiding them caused the change in trajectories to catch Constructs by surprise, glancing against the unprepared aliens but dealing too little damage to properly hinder them.


    Coop¡¯s projectiles were another story. He threw his spear within centimeters of the edges of shield walls, clipping even the most minimally exposed weak points. He was constantly mistjumping into the ranged attackers, where he tore through their feeble defensive barriers before they could readjust to his teleports. These enemies may not be blind and confused inside his domain, but they were still intruding where Coop held all of the advantages.


    Before Coop finished off the Constructs that had lingered in the fog for too long, some of the groups that had pressed forward broke off from their assault on the fort and reinforced Coop¡¯s opponents. They didn¡¯t want him to rejoin his companions. Coop thought that would work out in his and the residents¡¯ favor.


    He trusted the residents of Ghost Reef to rise to the occasion after almost three weeks of constant challenges that each should have been beyond what they could reasonably handle. Coop¡¯s role had almost exclusively been to do as much damage to the waves as possible. If the Constructs wanted to feed him more bodies, he¡¯d happily send them back to wherever they came from. In fact, he would demand they send more.


    ¡°Bring it, then.¡± He taunted.


    Coop engaged another party, demolishing the armless support with his thrown spear to initiate. He followed with a mistjump that had him appearing with his round shield swinging forward, battering the more fragile caster before it could react. He impaled the melee fighter while it was still turning and threw his shield into the ranged fighter¡¯s unprotected chest while it still took aim.


    ¡°Too slow.¡± He observed.


    The shielded fighter thought it had a chance even after the rest of its party dissolved into the mists, charging forward at Coop¡¯s supposedly exposed flank while Coop faced the wrong direction. Coop just pulled his weapon back, crushing the charge with the butt of his spear without even a glance at the attacker. As he turned to the disabled Ruin Construct where it laid underneath its crumpled heater shield, he swapped to his morning star. The satisfying crunch of the spiked head annihilating the injured enemy echoed through the fog, seemingly from all directions.


    The Reaper title was recovering his mana at a rate he had never seen before. Even the melee fighters gave him at least 20 mana. The initial expenditure of mana to conjure his Fog of War wasn¡¯t as painful when he didn¡¯t have to wait for his natural regeneration to do the bulk of the recovery.


    Coop obliterated three more shielded Ruin Constructs with three arcing swings of his morning star, smashing through their smoothly molded bodies before he swapped to the glaive.


    When he exploited his extended range against the dual-wielding Bane Constructs, they attempted to block and close the gap. The power in his glaive¡¯s arcing swing meant that instead of arresting its motion, their blocking arm was ripped off at the shoulder. The wide blade completely cleaved through the Bane Constructs¡¯ bodies, leaving them in two halves as they disappeared.


    The ranged Spite Constructs fired their bolts to support the dying melee fighters, but Coop already had his shield out, blocking them, and he responded with his own missile. The spear flew silently through the mists, but the clash of the tip shattering the red light of one monster reverberated throughout the fog. With a teleport, Coop was in melee range of the other ranged attackers and he made their defeats inevitable.


    Coop accepted whatever sacrifice the Constructs would give him. It felt like he was scratching at the final advancement of his foundational combat style, where he fully exploited the flexibility of the Revenant class and fluidly utilized all of his proficient weapons from moment to moment.


    Eventually, the offerings dried up and Coop exited his domain. The hundred yards between his fog and the moat were complete chaos.

 Chapter 91: The Conduit

    The Primal Construct army had abandoned their orderly march once they met the phantom defenders, preferring to fight in structured parties of five rather than a full battalion. It was the doctrine that all the factions followed: parties that consisted of classic archetypes seeking to engage other similar parties. While it was far more organized than the simple wave tactics of the invasion monsters, it still lacked the proper coordination that a proper command structure would provide. The greater formation only lasted while they lobbed attacks at the fort¡¯s walls from the safety of their shields.


    Unfortunately for the Constructs, the phantoms of Ghost Reef had a completely different set of tactics, forged in the crucible of the siege, that embraced flexibility and spontaneous cooperation. Coop dodged an uncontrolled mana bolt and lunged into action, ambushing a party of Constructs while he observed how his allies were handling the assault.


    The phantoms hadn¡¯t had more than a few days to properly train together under the tutelage of Ledwidge, but they had already gained an immense quantity of practical experience during the settlement event. From the start, when they were selecting their classes, they had been encouraged to be more independent and adaptable than what rigid five man parties would have demanded. The few days of training wouldn¡¯t have been enough to establish proper teamwork, but the chaotic siege defense as they responded to waves and Field Bosses had tempered them into versatile combatants.


    Faced with foes that presented a greater power level than their own, the phantoms had formed large squads similar to the tactic they implemented to stifle Gaol the Unveiled Blade and his reinforcements of Crazed Serpents. They wisely identified that they wouldn¡¯t be able to match up against the Constructs on even footing, since the monsters were elites of a higher level than they were, and they embraced disorder to seek out advantages where they could. The phantoms had made extraordinary gains, but they were still around level 60 with only the top performers beyond 70. Their adaptability was paying dividends, allowing them to hang in there against stronger opponents.


    Instead of trying to match the Constructs with party based combat, the phantoms were concentrating their forces in specific locations, then relying on their superior mobility to relocate in large numbers, converging on new locations where they could slice individual parties of Constructs away from the rest. Even though they were outnumbered over all, they only fought smaller groups of enemies at any given time, as long as they moved fast enough. It was a strategy that required perfect execution, but the phantoms were willing to risk their second lives if only to buy the residents and the settlement more time, none of whom would have the opportunity to return if Ghost Reef failed the siege.


    Coop watched a group of over 50 phantoms, led by Gideon himself, run through the sand while pursued by several parties of Constructs. The monsters lobbed ranged attacks and spells into the crowd while maintaining their tight five man formations, but the phantoms dodged or countered while staying mobile, avoiding a direct clash. It looked like a school of baitfish being pursued by individual predators.


    Gideon shouted, ¡°Quick south!¡± and, with a rush of air, Gideon teleported away, into the center of a Construct party that was facing the wrong direction while pursuing a different squad. Surrounded by the higher level elites, the Rear Admiral brought his cavalry saber down into the shoulder of the party¡¯s ranged attacker and a phantom blade manifested by mana followed his strike, rending a deep cut into the monster. He yelled ¡°Bomb here!¡± and before any of the other Constructs reacted, the rest of the phantoms were on them like piranhas. The phantoms savagely ripped the monsters apart employing quick skills and wild attacks to deal damage. They weren¡¯t able to destroy them in one or two skills, but with more than 50 attacking just five enemies at once, it was a slaughter.


    The support Construct was the last to fall, as its barrier protected it for an extra second. Gideon yelled, ¡°Long north!¡± and led the way by teleporting behind the pursuing parties, repeating the maneuver on another unsuspecting group that had lagged slightly behind the rest.


    By avoiding a direct engagement and leveraging the phantoms¡¯ superior mobility they were able to fight with favorable conditions, then retreat before the Constructs could consolidate their superior forces. It wasn¡¯t a perfect strategy. They were losing phantoms with every maneuver, but they were at least delaying the Constructs from getting into the courtyard of the fort while simultaneously diminishing the invading force. The question was whether or not they could sustain their own losses. To Coop, it seemed like they were breaking even at best.


    Coop was doing his best to turn the tables, diving into the nearest Primal Construct parties with his mistjumps and giving the enemy parties another foe to worry about. Unlike the phantoms, his individual attacks were extremely dangerous to the Constructs and he cycled through his weapons as he splintered their formations. He had the impression that the factions weren¡¯t used to fighting so many enemies with high mobility skills.


    A different squad of phantoms teleported into a group and their leader shouted, ¡°Hammer down!¡± and Coop witnessed a dozen oversized spectral weapons form in the air and slam into the surprised Constructs, stunning them for the rest of the phantoms to pick apart.


    Not all of the Primal Constructs were simply chasing the more mobile phantoms around. The parties of Constructs each worked independently, and some saw the opportunity to rush through the loose, mobile defenders on the battlefield. A significant portion of them just continued beyond the dunes, ignoring the larger squads. They crossed the moat with running leaps, and attempted to scale the walls or make their way through the breaches in the fort. The residents of Ghost Reef were desperately fighting to keep them out.


    Shane¡¯s own party was fighting intensely on top of the battlements, in a proper five versus five, just the way the factions intended. The Dragon Knight¡¯s flames burst as she slammed into the opposing ranged fighters, spilling over the edges of the ramparts, while the Tomb Blade¡¯s chomping skulls stymied the melee by attacking their exposed ankles from the floor. Three identical Shanes channeled different buffs creating golden, crystal red, and flowing blue domes, at least two of which were illusions, and Arthur chipped away at their opponents, sliding back and forth along the concourse with smooth flowing attacks that danced between short stabs and quick bow shots.


    Gibson¡¯s party was similarly engaged, though they were inside the courtyard beyond the eastern breach nearly to the herbalist¡¯s hut, fighting in the open, undeveloped fields. The Construct party they fought was entangled in glowing verdant whips, spiked with thorns, while chaotic black and purple spells slammed into the armless support and ricocheted into the sky like pinballs in an arcade machine. Gibson slammed against the heater shield wielded by the Ruin Construct while the Argent¡¯s party went head to head with the aliens.


    Neither side in either of the engagements looked to be able to completely dominate the other, but the residents received spontaneous support from allies that could help turn the tide.  Gibson¡¯s party finally tilted the battle in their favor after the Construct¡¯s support was frozen in a block of ice by a random passerby that was rushing toward the open breach and Shane¡¯s party took the upper hand after the enemy backline was blasted by gouts of flame from the sky.


    The Primal Constructs quickly abandoned the idea of infiltrating the shadowy corridors of the fort. Coop witnessed more than one party diced into pieces as they found a more dangerous opponent waiting in the dark. The rest of the Constructs that scaled the walls tried for the roof instead, even though most of the residents had prepared to meet them on the ramparts.


    Coop was forced to duck beneath a Spite Construct that had flown 200 yards across the battlefield before it suddenly dropped straight into the ground. It seemed to have gone from being as light as a feather, gliding through the air, to having a mass of several tons. The crater it formed was empty aside from the mana smoke that escaped the rim. At the start of the monster''s trajectory it had made the mistake of targeting Madison while Emmanuel escorted her across the ramparts as she diligently healed the injured with wings and halo alight.


    Only one of the newest western breaches held against the Constructs. The Cleary brothers stood dead center, fully armored up, absolutely blasting the Ruin Constructs with their clenched fists. The Constructs tried to force their way through, but the melee monsters crowded in on each other, squeezing against the destroyed stones and limiting their own mobility. Sunny stood behind the trio of brothers, teeth bared, with his flame orb burning intensely as it suppressed the ranged fighters of the parties that attempted to get in.


    The parties of Constructs that rushed toward the shard through the other breaches met Kayla, Sharkbait, Charon, and the rest of the crews of The Eye of the Storm, Windchaser, and Sea Burial, manning the earthen barriers constructed around the town circle. Shadowy eldritch tentacles lifted monsters in the air where beams of gray energy riddled them with attacks, slowly depleting their health. The other parties of Constructs kept their distance, spreading throughout the courtyard, biding their time until they found a suitable target to engage. They almost seemed disappointed there weren¡¯t more five man parties to battle after they reached the courtyard, their tactics were so rigid. Coop scowled as he suspected they were treating the situation like a game, where each party wanted to accumulate its own contribution points, believing the objective was already in hand.


    Coop fought his way across the dunes, toward the beach where a mass of Constructs was forming. They were attempting to make it through the broken western side of the fort¡¯s wall, but had been attacked by the remaining salvaged pirate sailboats. Not all of them had been fully repaired, but they remained in the makeshift port. The pirates on the ships sent volleys of spells into the Construct army, but the alien barriers prevented the shots from landing, flickering in and out of existence to catch individual attacks as they came. Coop thought he could take advantage of the distracted and grouped enemies, potentially turning the tide of the battle.


    When Coop swapped to his spear and prepared to mistjump across the battlefield, he hesitated when one of the phantom squads made an ill-advised initiation. The leader was cut down by the Constructs before the rest of his squad joined him, leading to the entire squad falling apart, being routed by the pursuing Constructs and scattering as the phantoms immediately shifted to reinforce different squads or return to the fort.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Coop changed his target to save those that he could, blasting his spear into a Scourge Construct before it could complete a spell. The Construct¡¯s torso exploded and Coop stepped through the mists as if he had climbed out of the monster itself. Coop found himself engaging party after party of the invaders as he tried to relieve the pressure on the phantoms. For their part, none of them gave up.


    Coop ended up leading a small squad of phantoms himself, though they were mostly redundant when it came to attacking. At least he was able to safely escort them closer to the fort before they broke off. It wasn¡¯t such an easy task to cross an active and chaotic battlefield on foot, but the longer he took, the more Constructs congregated on the beach, so he didn¡¯t launch his spear and mistjump immediately. The Constructs would be able to overwhelm the makeshift navy with their ranged attacks if they continued to gather, but they also made themselves a juicier target once he was upon them.


    Coop rapidly swapped between weapons and destroyed any enemies that came within range, but the phantoms were struggling to maintain their tactical composure. The battle raged on and it was becoming clear that the higher level elites were slowly taking the advantage, but both sides were gradually weakening. To the phantoms¡¯ credit, they were disadvantaged from the start, but they hadn¡¯t let the Constructs walk over them. Coop was feeling pressure to make up the difference.


    When another squad of phantoms was whittled down to the point that the leader was left with less than ten followers, Coop mistjumped to their aid, giving them a chance to retreat back toward the fort and join the pirates. Casters on the battlements attempted to launch spells into the mess, but they were harried by Constructs as well, and a single spell wasn¡¯t enough to defeat the elites without any followup.


    Coop ended up on the ramparts, chasing enemies up the walls and giving the residents in between two of the western breaches a chance to regroup after being pincered by several parties of Constructs. On the south western corner of the fort, he noted Camila doggedly defending Charlie, using her Agility to prevent the monsters from advancing while the Aeromancer concentrated on the battlefield.


    Camila sped past the melee fighters that charged toward the pair and grabbed the leg of a Spite Construct, using her momentum to flip it off of the wall before she returned to the space between the Ruin Construct and Charlie. Camila made it back in time to counter a spear jab with her bare fist, tearing the offending arm off with the returning force. Coop made his way toward them, across the battlements, then he¡¯d go down to the beach.


    As he used his sword to literally disarm one of the dual sword melee fighters, a massive flash nearly blinded him. The entire battlefield was washed in searing white light that seemed to keep getting brighter until it was painful to look at. Coop felt his hair standing on end and there was a buzzing that reminded him of high tension power lines coming from all directions. The mass of Constructs that had congregated on the beach, reforming their battle lines, were radiating with dazzling white as if they were the source of light.


    Each of the Constructs that had gathered against the pirate ships was vaporized at once. The light from their bodies climbed into the sky in rigid forks until it met with a massive trunk of lightning that violently tore through the air and smashed into the beach. A massive black cloud churned and roiled above. The superheated air around the tremendous lightning strike crackled as it wiped out the stragglers. More than one Construct spontaneously combusted before turning to mana smoke.


    When the thunder announced the doom that those Constructs suffered, it flattened thousands of combatants across the battlefield and knocked stones from the fort¡¯s walls. More than one damaged area collapsed in response, but Coop couldn¡¯t hear the crumbling after the deafening explosion of thunder. The sailboats that had engaged the Constructs capsized in the makeshift harbor leaving the sailors wading around the edge of the fort, away from the shockwave¡¯s source to regroup with the rest of the pirates. They¡¯d accomplished more than enough by preventing the invaders from getting into the courtyard with greater numbers and causing the glut of enemies to concentrate on the beach where it could be destroyed. Coop had expected to be the one to do it, but Ghost Reef was filled with developing powerhouses.


    The image of the tree of lightning was burned into Coop¡¯s retinas. While his eyes struggled to adjust, Fog of War once again proved its worth. He summoned a gentle mist while concentrating on Presence of Mind which allowed him to block an incoming mana blast and respond with a powerful shield throw while he squeezed his watering eyes shut.


    Coop cleared the battlements with the sound of his ears ringing and his eyes closed, just letting his mist spread in front. When he reached the south west corner bastion, where the girls were, his senses had mostly recovered.


    The tactical strike of lightning had been a turning point. The remaining phantom squads were swarming the dunes with half a dozen groups of 50, mercilessly hunting down the isolated Construct parties that hadn¡¯t already made it through the breached walls. Coop had cleared the southern battlements himself and he believed the interiors of the fort stayed clear thanks to Jett. That left the courtyard.


    There were still at least 200 Construct parties scattered on both halves of the courtyard. It seemed like they knew the fight wasn¡¯t going in their favor and they were reacting in a variety of ways. Some of the parties appeared to be grouping up in order to reform a larger force, others were separating as if they were going to make Coop hunt them down individually, and the rest were aggressively pushing the pirates around the civilization shard in a desperate blitz to stop messing around and pursue the objective.


    Sharkbait was using a shielded Ruin Construct as a makeshift weapon, swinging the alien like a hammer and smashing it into its compatriots to keep them at bay. Charon had at least 50 gray orbs rotating like a vortex around himself as he calmly strode through enemies, applying crowd control for the rest of the pirates to use to their advantage. Kayla was in the back, surrounded by purple tentacles while Derek played his guitar from the ground next to the shard itself. Every few seconds a Construct would desperately struggle after being wrapped by a tentacle that dragged it underground into the ¡®depths¡¯.


    Coop looked to create some havoc in the gathering squad of Constructs forming off on their own. They seemed to be the most organized, but first he checked in with Charlie and Camila. Charlie was sitting down against a parapet with her eyes shut while Camila stroked her hair. She looked more exhausted than ever before. Coop, not wanting to disturb the Aeromancer, addressed Camila instead. ¡°Is she alright?¡±


    Camila was quick to explain, ¡°She got a new skill, she said it put her on a new path.¡±


    Coop felt his eyebrows go up and looked at the black sand on the beach. ¡°That was her?¡± Camila just nodded. He thought it could have been, but it was such an awesome display of power, he wasn¡¯t sure. Charlie was becoming a force of nature if she could wield such ridiculous lightning. Not only did she have incredible area coverage, but she was also able to commit such a devastating attack, though it appeared to completely drain her mana. He inspected her.


    [Human (Level 76)]


    [Aeromancer (Intelligence)]


    [Legendary]


    Legendary indeed, Coop thought. He honestly didn¡¯t think many people would ever reach the levels of power she was tapping into.


    ¡°Is she gonna be alright?¡± Coop asked just to confirm. Charlie had carefully managed her exhaustion for ten waves, but looking at her now, he suspected she¡¯d pushed herself beyond her limit.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Camila nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on her.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯m gonna go clean that up.¡± Coop gestured with his thumb toward the surplus of Constructs that were forming on the eastern side of the courtyard, near the fortified library.


    ¡°Go get ¡®em.¡± Camila sent him off with a smile as he aimed his spear.


    Coop took a few running steps and heaved the ethereal weapon. It was easier when he wasn¡¯t worried about accidentally injuring any of his allies, and in this case, he was hoping to injure some enemies.


    The spear soared through the air, crossing the courtyard, until it crashed into the rows of Primal Constructs that were establishing a new frontline adjacent to the library. They had been caught completely unaware that they were being targeted from such a distance and the spear immediately broke their organization down.


    The Constructs returned to their party formations rather than try and hold their lines against such a long ranged attack. Coop recalled his spear and threw it again, satisfied by the panic it brought on the monsters. The second time, they noticed the missile coming and erected barriers to try and absorb it.


    The spear shattered multiple barriers like brittle glass, one after another, before it impaled one of the support Constructs into the ground. The Ancient Construct stood like an effigy, propped up by the ethereal spear leaking ghostly fumes, until the monster dissipated into mist. The monsters were hyper focused on Coop¡¯s position on the ramparts, but Coop mistjumped to the spear and swapped to his glaive, suddenly among them. He swept the legs from an entire party of five while he developed a light misty domain with Fog of War to maximize Presence of Mind.


    Coop quickswapped between weapons always seeking to snatch the advantage from his opponents. It was like playing rock, paper, scissors, but Coop could see what they would choose and adjust accordingly. He abused his mistjumps to prevent their party teamwork from ever becoming a factor, relocating among the ranged attackers or flanking the melee when they attempted to control the spacing between them. Presence of Mind combined with Fog of War to eliminate his blind spots and elevate his skirmishing to a ridiculous level. The air was clear, but every time he swung his weapons the mist condensed in a trail behind his weapon amplifying the ghostly wisps into aquamarine vapor trails.


    They fought in the shadow of the library as the sun went down and Coop noticed the librarians peeping through slits in the stone that surrounded the building. A gleaming red brooch gave them away. He was putting on a good show.


    Coop was the last to finish with the Constructs. When the sandy battlefield out front cleared out, the phantoms took to hunting the invaders that had scattered around the courtyard and along the walls. The burrowing owl made a major contribution to clearing the northern walls, forcing the cornered Construct parties to focus on an entirely new angle of attack. The pirates defended the shard along with the residents who didn¡¯t need to remain in the chokepoints or on the battlements any longer.


    That left Coop and hundreds of elite invaders. After the residents cleaned up the rest of the wave, they encircled Coop¡¯s domain and blocked any opportunity for the Constructs to retreat, creating shielded barriers that trapped the Constructs with the Champion. Ghost Reef¡¯s enemies couldn¡¯t take their focus away from Coop as he picked the monsters apart, always selecting the best ethereal tool for the job, in an arena formed by his allies, like a makeshift fight club.

 Chapter 92: Eve

    The Construct attack was over in a matter of hours rather than days. The brevity was in stark contrast to all of the previous waves, and the break they had earned before the final was an incredible relief. But it had been brutal.


    Coop defeated the final Ruin Construct in the darkness of the night to the solemn appreciation of the remaining defenders. All of the remaining residents of Ghost Reef were gathered around where he fought, between the library and the fort¡¯s eastern wall, with the canal to the north and open courtyard to the south. Initially, they cast a wide net, hunting down the loose Constructs from the edges of the fort. The residents gradually closed in, until they were all surrounding the final enemies as they were defeated by Coop.


    Once it was over, residents sat on the roof of the fort wall with their legs swinging over the edge while pirates stood along the canal. The phantoms and other residents spread in a protective arc between the edge of the runed library and the open galleries of the fort¡¯s wall. None of the Constructs had been given any chance to escape the Champion¡¯s arena.


    Even though the Constructs had only challenged them for less than a day, the battles had been fierce. The toll they had taken on the defenders was obvious, and that was before Coop surveyed the destruction of the fort itself. He let his weapons dissipate once the last enemy was gone and took a good look at the defenders.


    Only about half of the phantom pirates survived, though the remnants were in good spirits under the watchful supervision of Captain Kayla and her first mate. At most, they grumbled for a chance to get drunk, or to get their comrades to pay up on various wagers. The Fearless had been moored at the edge of the canal, and the pirates leaned against the hull of the corvette where it loomed over the seawall while the crew sat on the rails along the deck. They picked at gold teeth and roused each other with forceful shoves whenever they spotted something interesting.


    The phantom army was devastated in comparison. They had started the siege with 7,500 members on the first wave, including the support phantoms and wraiths, but now they barely outnumbered the pirates. Sure, some had been lost along the way during the previous waves, but just the support roles before the tenth wave outnumbered the current total soldiers. The support phantoms had jumped into the conflict themselves in order to bolster the squads as they took losses engaging the parties of Constructs, so even the safer messengers and supply runners had faced the much stronger monsters in direct combat.


    Coop believed the phantoms were prepared to sacrifice for the settlement, and they had absolutely validated their dedication. If the settlement survived the final wave, he really hoped the system would allow them to be resurrected again. As far as he was concerned, he and all the other survivors owed them considerable gratitude.


    Shane spoke up, clearing his throat as he raised a hand and got the attention of the crowd. ¡°Good work, everyone. Get some rest before the last wave.¡±


    After being dismissed by their acting general, most of the survivors naturally headed for the tavern, either to visit their loved ones or to get some food and drinks, but quite a few stayed where they were, needing to gather themselves through the physical exhaustion and mental fatigue that had accumulated not just from the previous wave, but the entire event. Coop was one that lingered. He hadn¡¯t come down from the mixture of Haunted title hype and adrenaline that coursed through his body while he fought.


    Madison directed anyone who was injured to wait for her at the civilization shard. She demonstrated her aptitude by approaching the Tomb Blade, who was hopping along while being propped up by the tall blonde Dragon Knight. He¡¯d taken a nasty injury that left him with one leg terminating below the knee. He¡¯d already been healed, healthwise, but like when Coop¡¯s bones were broken, the injury remained as an affliction that would take time before it disappeared.


    Madison¡¯s wings lit up the darkness while she touched the man and his leg regrew, from the inside out, starting with the bone. Coop watched with grotesque fascination as Madison reconstructed the complicated limb in less than a minute. The former bus driver tested the foot gently before he put his weight down and smiled at the miracle of such a quick recovery from a devastating injury. His party smacked him on the back while he celebrated in relief.


    Coop was in awe at the healing prowess on display. He wondered if they could develop more healers in the future, or if Madison was one of a kind. When he thought about it, her whole family had ridiculous classes. Charlie and Madison were obviously exceptional, as recognized by their factions, but Emmanuel wasn¡¯t even trying to progress, had rejected his sponsorship, and was entirely focused on keeping his family together instead of his own gains, yet even he¡¯d shown flashes of unreal power.


    The settlement had lost many people, but the phantoms had deliberately taken the brunt with the full knowledge that the regular human residents couldn¡¯t respawn while they at least had a chance to come back. The majority of the Constructs had been defeated before they made it inside the fort, in spite of all of the breaches in the walls and the monsters¡¯ ability to scale the protective barriers, thanks to the valiant efforts of the phantoms.


    Still, he wished they had maintained the integrity of the wall coming into the tenth wave. He believed they would have been able to avoid so many losses if they could have concentrated on holding the perimeter, turning the wave into a ranged battle, instead of so many engaging in the battlefield.


    Coop closed his eyes and stretched his arms into the air. He felt frustrated about how much of a struggle the wave had been, but instead of sinking into ¡®what if¡¯ scenarios, he tried to channel the energy into motivation to improve. An internal chant to get more stats, more levels, and more skills built in the back of his mind. Next time, he¡¯d find a way to do more on his own.


    He checked his status, hopeful about his own progress.


    [Status]


    HP - 6650/6650


    MP - 12300/12300


    Class - Revenant (Level 92)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 88)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 50 (+1230)


    Agility - 50 (+615)


    Body - 50 (+615)


    Mind - 1230


    Intelligence - 50 (+1230)


    Acumen - 50


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion III, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper, Slayer III, Dauntless, Stacked


    Skills (Active) - Retribution, Salvation, Presence of Mind, Fog of War


    Skills (Passive) - Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (10/50), Trophy Hunter (3/5), Defeat Ancient Devourers II (0/25), Defeat Primal Serpents II (4/25), Defeat Ruin Excavators IV (440/5000), Defeat Primal Kites III (0/250), Upgrade Village to Town


    Basic Credits - 2,271,068


    The Constructs hadn¡¯t been good for anything except experience. They didn¡¯t contribute any levels to his profession, didn¡¯t add any credits to his total amount, and didn¡¯t provide any progress to his quests. However, defeating thousands of elites had been good for ten full levels. That was ten levels in a single day, and Coop had already been absurdly high to start with. He was pretty sure the wave had been actual Primal Constructs, handicapped by the system, rather than more monsters.


    He had to admit that his own selfish gains took some of the sting out of the struggle that they had gone through. Savoring the satisfaction of a victory over the faction grasping for control of Earth was just the salve he needed. Before he got too excited, he felt a warm hand on his forehead as Madison checked up on him.


    ¡°Mhm, totally healthy.¡± The healer assessed matter-of-factly. Then she surprised him with a hug, ¡°You did a good job.¡± She announced before letting him go. ¡°Now, pass that on to my daughter, I¡¯m gonna be busy making sure everyone else is ready for the next wave.¡±


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Coop just nodded at her back as she jogged toward the shard, catching up with Emmanuel who was helping move some of the more injured personnel. Coop took a deep breath by himself, the tropical night air was just a little cooler than normal. It was refreshing.


    On his way to the tavern he noted most people had opted to eat and relax outside underneath the clear night sky, beneath the collection of stars. The family members that had been hiding inside of the buildings were out and about. Elly was in the main street scolding her brothers for letting so much of the walls get damaged while they feebly tried to excuse themselves. She paused to wave at Coop as he stepped up to the Clumsy Shark. The brothers twisted to see what caught her attention and eyed him pleadingly, but he just waved at the family and left the brothers in the capable hands of their little sister.


    When Coop let himself into the tavern, he found a party. The pirates were drinking to make up for lost time and Derek was up on a table playing celebratory music surrounded by revelers. Phantoms were dancing together with big smiles while Maeve darted between them with arms full of drinks. For a moment, he forgot about the impending wave and felt drawn to the festivities.


    Derek paused his song when he noticed Coop enter and announced his arrival. ¡°There¡¯s the man of the hour!¡± People raised their glasses and cheered at Coop¡¯s entrance.


    Coop just smiled and shook his head at them as he made his way to the bar. He couldn¡¯t match that cheerful energy before the job was done. It was impressive how quickly the party had started even though they had another wave to go. The last wave had come dangerously close to wiping them out, but the festivities permeated the comfortable atmosphere of the tavern.


    Once Coop had a seat, Desmond greeted him with a professional nod and served him a bowl of his stew garnished with leaves and herbs he hadn¡¯t seen before. When Coop poked at them to discern what they were, they reminded him of chili leaves.


    Desmond spoke up. ¡°Lady Caisalya has been kind enough to gift rare medicinal herbs and spices. She believes humans can handle them when most species cannot, but let me know if it isn¡¯t to your liking.¡±


    Coop dug into the meal and found the spices to be particularly delicious. The flavor had a sharp but mild heat that was more smoky than sweet. He gave Desmond a thumbs up and kept eating. He had no complaints to make and before he knew it, he¡¯d devoured the food and started to feel better. Eating or sleeping, Coop was thinking he was pretty simple. While he finished the bowl, Maeve draped herself over his shoulder and squeezed before she sat down next to him.


    ¡°Oh!¡± She exclaimed in surprise as she got a whiff of his bowl. The meal hadn¡¯t been spicier than regular black pepper to Coop, even if the blend of flavors was new, but when he glanced at the waitress, she was flushed from her cheeks all the way to the tips of her pointed ears. Desmond had told him that the aliens were sensitive to flavors, preferring bland meals, but Coop thought the demons, at least, had a stronger palette.


    ¡°Heh¡­¡± Coop couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at her a bit and she shoved him in response in between fanning herself and gulping down Coop¡¯s drink.


    ¡°That was nothing.¡± Coop boasted, like defeating the spices was a major accomplishment, one comparable to defeating the Primal Constructs.


    Maeve wasn¡¯t impressed as she muttered, ¡°Humans.¡± and put an arm underneath her hair so she could use her other hand to fan her slender neck.


    ¡°So are you celebrating your human New Year as well?" Maeve wondered while she recovered.


    ¡°New Year?¡± Coop wondered. It was Day 50, so that actually seemed about right.


    ¡°Yep, they wanted to make sure they celebrated the Last New Year. The human spirit really is fascinating, even more than your tastes.¡± Maeve seemed amused. She leaned forward and rested her cheek on her hand, letting her hair bounce back down. ¡°What¡¯s your resolution going to be?¡±


    Coop just shook his head, ¡°I just want to make sure we survive the next wave.¡±


    ¡°I figured you¡¯d either say something like that or that you wanted to get more levels. Such a principled Champion.¡± Maeve mocked him as she rolled her eyes. ¡°Against all odds, you¡¯ve already gotten this far. I believe in you and all the other humans. Now, pick something fun instead.¡± She ordered, mischief twinkling in her eyes.


    Coop had to think about it. Maeve watched him expectantly. When he decided that he would try to enjoy the beach more, Maeve laughed as if she guessed it first.


    ¡°You¡¯re too noble, but that¡¯s what I like about you.¡± Maeve pointed across the room to where Derek was chugging a mug of ale on top of a table while surrounded by people chanting ¡°Chug!, Chug! Chug!¡± When he finished he flipped the mug over the head of a surprised phantom to show he hadn¡¯t left a drop. The amused cheers drowned out the consternation of the target of his demonstration.


    ¡°You know what Derek¡¯s resolution is?¡± She asked amusedly. Coop didn¡¯t expect it to be appropriate. She gazed at him knowingly. ¡°I¡¯m sure whatever you¡¯re thinking isn''t as improper as what it actually is.¡± She stifled a giggle as Coop watched the Virtuoso with the same look he had given Derek when they first met.


    ¡°I think you might have been given the wrong idea about resolutions.¡± Coop shook his head, worried about the corrupting influence humans would have on the alien contractors.


    ¡°Seems like most of the ideas that come from humans are wrong.¡± Maeve admitted. ¡°But that¡¯s part of what makes being here fun.¡± She laughed pleasantly.


    When the pirates around Derek shouted for another round, Maeve had to get back to work. Coop remained at the bar and took in the scenes. People were eating, drinking, and celebrating regardless of the mana dome that had sealed them in for the duration of the siege event. Not to mention the final timer ticking down in the periphery of their vision.


    The moment of respite was a hint of how the event would have gone if they had been challenged by half the waves that they received. They were paying dearly for the variety of monsters on Ghost Reef, forcing them into fighting overlapping waves and eliminating any breaks they could have enjoyed.


    Coop tried to look at the positives. The increased waves had been an opportunity for all of the residents to gain levels, experience, and credits. As long as they survived, they would be better off in the end.


    Charlie and Camila joined him in the tavern and he gave them both hugs, relaying Madison¡¯s encouragement before he caught them up on the festivities. The girls had a casual celebration for ¡®the last new year,¡¯ sharing a single drink and pledging to celebrate the next. Charlie was particularly exhausted. She still had to wait for her mana to recover and her new spell wouldn¡¯t be ready in time for the next wave. It had a variable cooldown based on her own input into the spell, and she had maxed it out on her first try. Coop and Camila had to reassure her that it was fine, but the Aeromancer was concerned that she should have saved it for the final wave.


    The girls ate their own spicy stews and retired to one of the rooms to rest. Coop hung around the bar, letting his sleepiness finally catch up to his fatigue. Once he stopped feeling restless, the exhaustion hit him hard.


    ¡ª


    The next morning the remaining residents prepared for the final wave. Coop expected to find hungover soldiers, but they were all ready and alert. Admittedly, he had to give more credit to mana than their sense of responsibility. The defenders concentrated on the eastern side of the southern wall, just leaving a handful of scouts for the rest of the fort. Most of the battlements were inaccessible outside of teleportation, wrecked as they were from the fighting. Portions of the walls were more like piles of stone.


    Some of the residents counted the final ten seconds together and cheered when the final buzzer sounded across the island, imitating a New Year¡¯s ball drop. After the merriment died down, they waited in expectant silence. He¡¯d prefer to think the waiting was the hardest part, but that wasn¡¯t always true.


    When the final wave made its appearance, there was no need to sound the warning bells. Anyone with eyes could clearly see what they were facing next. It was a single monster.


    It slowly made its presence known, starting with the crown of its diamond shaped head peeking through the surface of the deeper water, offshore, beyond the reefs, south of the mangroves and the eastern beach. A flock of birds, swimming offshore to avoid the action on the island, scattered frantically as a sudden wave pushed toward them. They took wing and headed for the palms of the second island. As more of the monster¡¯s features slowly appeared, no one moved a muscle, waiting for the complete reveal. Slow steps eventually pulled the rest of the monster out of the water, toward the shore.


    It was similar to the previous Constructs, except they could clearly see it as it waded out of the ocean toward the center of the eastern beach from all the way across the island. None of the defenders moved as it lethargically stepped out of the shallows, dragging seaweed from the depths at the edge of the settlement¡¯s territory onto the pristine beach. Its wake flooded the sand like a high tide, making the lighthouse on the rocky point appear to be on a tiny island before the water receded, clearing the debris and returning the shore to normal.


    The Construct glistened in the midday sun as water dripped from its body. It took another plodding step toward them. Coop thought he could feel the island shake when its bulk thumped onto the ground, but he was pretty sure it was his imagination getting the better of him. Still, the giant footprint it left in the trembling sand was evidence that it was a possibility.


    The monster was a titan that made the lighthouse look small. Unlike the previous Constructs, it had several red glowing ¡®eyes,¡¯ but these were absolutely massive pools of red mana instead of the smaller crystal like structures he typically targeted. The obvious weak points were located where the forehead would be, as well as the sternum, both shoulders, elbows, and knees. Otherwise, the coloration of the giant Construct was similar enough to the regular ones to be called the same. A hard steel gray made shinier by the moisture caused the surface of the monster to seem like it was smooth, but Coop could safely predict that it would be covered in layered metallic plates, just like every other Primal Construct.


    Both its arms terminated in points, like giant pikes. Its stomach had a massive octagonal structure embedded in its center that just screamed to Coop that it would shoot a laser cannon, but he had had a tendency to predict lasers and be wrong about those guesses.


    Their next challenge was approaching and it was by far the most intimidating threat they had faced during the event. It wasn¡¯t the worst of Coop¡¯s nightmares, where losing Jones to the blood curse had left him feeling isolated, alone, vulnerable, and wary of unbeatable monsters and countless enemies gathering. Back then, Jett, Charlie, and Camila had been there to remind him that he wasn¡¯t alone, which helped him resolve to continue forward. He looked around at the hundreds of allies that had gathered, nervous but unflinching. He really wasn¡¯t alone now, and he was much stronger than ever before.


    The other residents looked on in fear, contemplating their life choices, or considering how they would face this next challenge, but Coop felt better, having them at his back; he knew they were reliable after three weeks of siege, above all else.


    Coop could see the gears turning in Shane¡¯s head as he tried to come up with tactics for their diminished numbers to take on the huge threat. The giant clearly demanded either an equally massive opponent or a large army to challenge it. Coop interrupted Shane¡¯s thoughts with a declaration.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go first.¡±

 Chapter 93: Prime Construct

    Coop left the fort behind. Instead of waiting for the slow-moving boss to trek across the island and challenge the defenders while flattening the fort, he would meet it in the field directly. It wasn¡¯t like the fort¡¯s walls would do anything to protect them. The giant Construct was large enough to step across the moat and on top of the outer walls as if they were nothing more than a small ledge. Coop reasoned that it would be best to fight this monster in the open, where he could maximize his mobility and minimize collateral damage.


    After he threw his spear, letting it fly halfway across the island, he steadied his nerves. Coop tended to just go with the flow and put his head down to take things as they came, but that didn¡¯t stop him from getting anxious. Instead of letting his unease grip him, he looked at the positives. The big monster must be worth big experience, and surely, it was the last challenge they would have to deal with before they went back to hanging out on the beach and casually grinding easy monsters. The thoughts of gaining experience and tropical relaxation was enough to motivate Coop to do nearly anything, including attempting to solo a titan.


    As he mistjumped into the monochromatic version of the world, he noted that the boss was essentially frozen while everything else moved in slow motion, it certainly didn¡¯t invest in Agility. Though the boss was huge, Coop would have the speed advantage. Hopefully, his speed would make up for the fact that the boss had such an extreme size advantage.


    A second mistjump put him within a hundred yards of the creature, which had only managed half a step onto the shore of the island since Coop left the fort. He stopped and prepared with an activation of Fog of War.


    He let the skill establish a thin layer in every direction, coating the southern half of Rock Key, just hoping to use the mists to help enhance his reactions and improve the precision of his attacks. The thin fog would gradually dissipate without further input in the ocean breeze and midday sun, but at least it would magnify Presence of Mind and give him an advantage for the duration of the fight. He inspected the creature¡¯s aura while the fog grew.


    [Siege Boss: Prime Construct (Level 75)]


    [Alpha XIV (Intelligence)]


    [Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]


    ¡°Perfect.¡± Coop mumbled as if he was disgruntled, but a significant part of him undeniably meant it. The part that had him hungry for more progress, however he could get it.


    If they had to fight another boss, he preferred for it to be a Siege Boss. He¡¯d do whatever was necessary to collect a trophy from defeating it. Having an opportunity to complete the optional objective for the next settlement upgrade was a convenience he was genuinely happy to receive. The previous reward had been absolutely worth it, granting them the phantoms, and this way he wouldn¡¯t be hunting bosses around the world until he found one with the appropriate title.


    Compared to his first meeting with a Field Boss, he was positively overprepared. He had nearly 20 levels on this boss, but when he fought his first Field Boss they were practically even. Plus, defeating that first Field Boss had given him the Dauntless title, which doubled his damage against bosses, pushing his readiness for this one even further. This particular boss had Intelligence as its primary stat, which was another advantage for Coop, since Revenant was, at the most fundamental level, a magic tank.


    Coop considered that another title would be up for grabs with this Siege Boss. This wave might even have them competing with all of the other remaining settlements in a race to defeat the boss first. He wasn¡¯t sure if this final wave was guaranteed or if it had been the culmination of the previous waves building up to a grand finale. Ghost Reef could also have been singled out by the challenge assessment. The last two waves were suspicious in that respect, confronting them with actual Primal Constructs rather than their monsters. Either way, there was only one path forward, and it was through defeating his first Siege Boss.


    The Prime Construct started another slow step forward, and from the closer distance, Coop really recognized how sluggish this Siege Boss was moving. It may cover a huge distance with each movement, but Coop thought he¡¯d win in a foot race, even one where he had to take dozens of steps to match each individual motion of the boss. He took a moment to express sincere gratitude to the system for applying limits to the invaders during the assimilation. It was thanks to those limitations that Coop and Ghost Reef had any chance at all. The system wouldn¡¯t give them an impossible enemy now.


    Coop stared at the boss¡¯s diamond head, tilting toward the sky and feeling the sun on his face as he looked up. He took a running start to throw his spear in the practiced motion of hundreds of thousands of repetitions. He put all the Strength he could muster into launching his spear like a rocket heading into space. He felt his muscles flex and tried pushing beyond his mental blocks that subconsciously fought for him to hold back.


    A burst of sand emanated from his planted foot, and loose grains joined his mist in chasing his spear before gravity brought them back down, leaving a slight tail climbing into the sky, streaming particles back toward the ground. The difference in his travel throws and his attacks was all about the trajectory. When he attacked, the spear shot like a laser, with no arc at all.


    There was no way Coop could miss his massive target. A fraction of a second after the spear left his hand, it crashed into one of the obvious, glowing weak points.


    Of course, Coop went for the head. The Prime Construct¡¯s forehead erupted in a crashing explosion like a glass bottle being shot by a rifle. A glimmering purplish shield belatedly flickered in the air, too slow to even attempt to block his spear. The oversized diamond shaped head whipped backwards from the force of the collision. For a moment, Coop thought the entire boss might fall backwards, but it braced itself with a half step backwards while lifting its arms forward to regain its balance.


    By the time it recovered, Coop had already resummoned his spear to throw it again, not giving it a chance to have a turn, this time at the sternum, beneath the bottom of the diamond. He had no intention of letting it retaliate if his attacks left it reeling.


    Seeing the clear damage his first throw had caused, he didn¡¯t hold back with the second, feeling his battle-lust building as he gained momentum with the opening engagement. A rumbling roar escaped his lungs as he stepped into the throw. The spear tore through the air with a shockingly loud sonic boom that blasted his mists in a ring as it left his hand, the booming sound reverberating across the entire mana dome like an abrupt thunderclap. A split second later the blurring spear smashed the red crystal weak point in the monster¡¯s chest, crossing a hundred yards in an instant. The metal around the edges crumpled as his weapon continued all the way through the gigantic boss and burst out, through its back.


    The boss¡¯s torso bent as if it had the wind knocked out of it and Coop felt a surge of adrenaline as he quickly sought a way to press the advantage even further. This boss was slow and not nearly fortified enough to leave its weak spots completely exposed. At least, not when it was facing someone as far ahead of the power curve as Coop, with an increasingly lethal ranged attack.


    Coop lined up one of the shoulder weak points, but as he stepped into the throw he aborted the attack, realizing that the octagonal cannon in the center of the boss¡¯s stomach was internally rotating with a low, ominous rumbling sound that could have been the grinding of ungreased gears. The spin was escalating and purple and white light started to emanate from deep within. Coop quickly called an audible and threw his spear at the cannon instead, hoping to disrupt whatever attack was ramping up.


    The ethereal spear ripped through the air, trailing mists and sand before it disappeared into the cannon. Nothing happened for a moment as Coop watched the barrel¡¯s movement and the growing light building up deep within. The cannon¡¯s spin didn¡¯t cease and the glow continued to brighten while the rumbling smoothed out until it was like an enormous engine at full throttle. The spear had been destroyed. It was the first time he could remember one of his weapons breaking.


    Quickly casting Retribution, Coop aimed to persist in his assault, regardless of the boss¡¯s actions, but orbs started rushing out of the cannon in an unceasing stream of flashing light that demanded his attention. The orbs were transparent, four feet in diameter, and each contained a solid black bead in the center. The black bead arced purple plasma that bounced against the inside of the transparent outer shell as if it wished to escape its container.


    The plasma orbs shot up into the air between Coop and the boss. They floated in the sky for a moment, like a cloud of drones that continued to increase in numbers, crowding each other. The first to arrive seemed to arm, glowing even brighter with purple plasma touching the entire outer shell, and shot down to the ground in an instant, 20 yards wide of Coop, sending a small splash of sizzling sand into the air, but even more smoke. The first impact was followed by a dozen more, and they kept coming in a cascade of sandy explosions that inched toward Coop with each strike.


    Coop shifted backwards, watching their progression as they seemed to hone in on him; they were picking up speed as they pinpointed his position. He started moving away, then was forced to break into a run, away from the first impacts, as he realized they were closing in at an escalating pace.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    He was chased by a magical bombardment of plasma orbs, and they were catching up. He sprinted and tried turning, but the barrage followed him while the octagonal cannon continued spewing more orbs into the air. The explosions and the cannon itself combined to form a solid wall of rumbling sound as he zigzagged across the scrubland. A desperate mistjump with his shield didn¡¯t bring him more than half a second of relief as the orbs tracked him from above.


    Coop sacrificed a moment to throw his freshly summoned spear between the legs of the boss. His logic being that if he got behind the monster, its attacks would have to pass through its own body in order to keep tracking him. The boss would become his cover if he positioned himself correctly.


    The tiny pause in his retreat was costly. An orb clipped the greave of one of his legs, hissing and sparking when it burst against his armor. As a magical attack, Coop was well-defended from any damage, but it still tripped him up and it was followed by countless more orbs.


    Coop rolled so that he could cower behind his shield and avoid the persistent volley of plasma explosions. The orbs kept coming, and now that they had him pinned, they were able to pile on the damage, no matter what his defenses looked like. His ethereal shield hissed and shuddered until it started to melt under the barrage, warping under the repeated pressure. The shield was shrouded in smoke and heat as the plasma orbs refused to let up, digging a trench in the sand with the chained attacks.


    After hundreds more orbs struck the shield, it finally dissipated into mist, completely out of durability after blocking so many attacks. The rest of the orbs continued to pile on, hammering the crater until the cannon¡¯s projectiles were exhausted and the sky was clear. The trench that Coop had shrunk into was empty aside from sizzling sand and smoke.


    Coop was 50 yards behind the boss, standing in the wet sand of the beach, and aiming his spear at one of the shoulders after mistjumping away when the first few attacks connected with his abandoned shield. That plasma gatling cannon wasn¡¯t meant for single targets, that much was clear. Coop thought each of the orbs would have targeted an individual challenger if the boss was facing off with a proper army. He imagined the Primal Constructs, lined up with their parties, and how they would have been able to overlap thousands of mana shields to defend against the attack. It was too much firepower for an individual to withstand, even for Coop, as overleveled and defensive as his build was, but he was glad it was aimed at him and not any of the residents.


    He heaved his ethereal spear, with a quick shuffle forward, and mistjumped onto the gargantuan boss, initiating a counter attack while the Prime Construct was distracted by his apparent demise.


    The boss had initiated a scan on the dunes and a grid of semi transparent blue mana slid across the sand, searching for Coop¡¯s remains, but before it got any results, Coop slammed his morning star into the weak point on its left shoulder. The red crystal cover cracked before fragmenting into tiny shards under the pressure, like a frozen pond¡¯s icy surface cracking after being struck by a sledgehammer. Up close, Coop witnessed red mana smoke escape from the wound in a rush.


    The response was swift, and completely unexpected. Coop thought he would be thrown off, or maybe some kind of self-defense would kick in, but instead, the outer layer of the boss¡¯s smooth metal skin started to warp and mold into the arms or torsos of normal sized constructs. They waved various weapons at him, forcing him to jump, dodge, and counter, as he suddenly found himself surrounded by a small army of half monsters fluidly molding themselves on the metal surface.


    He ended up leaping off the boss¡¯s shoulder himself, landing with a thud in the sand, to get away from the onslaught. He had braced to withstand a magical attack and had been caught by surprise when he was suddenly thrust into a melee battle with malleable foes.


    Back in the sand, Coop strafed around the boss, doing his best to avoid putting himself back in the line of fire of the plasma orb gatling cannon, sprinting through the sand, while swapping back to his spear and shield set. While he selected his next target, he observed arms and torsos of the smaller constructs fidgeting at the edges of the destroyed left shoulder. They were desperately reconstructing the destroyed weak point. Interestingly, they weren¡¯t making the same effort on the destroyed sternum and forehead weak points. Meanwhile, the right shoulder weak point was glowing brighter than any of the others as if the matching pairs energized each other.


    Evidently, this wasn¡¯t going to be a good match for a battle of attrition, with the Prime Construct¡¯s ability to self-repair, so he committed to even more aggression. He continued to stay behind the large boss. It barely made any effort to actually face him, and Coop suspected it would have more magical attacks that weren¡¯t a strictly frontal barrage. There was no reason to wait and find out what other abilities it had when he had enough power to steer the battle himself.


    Reaching the boss¡¯s back again, Coop threw another missile, stepping into the motion at the end of a run, and blasted the back of the monster¡¯s leg joint. The ethereal spear exploded out of the weak point on the front, penetrating the knee all the way through and dragging a trail of escaped red mana along its path. His goal was to collapse the huge monster and pick it apart using the same strategy he always applied when he needed to take control of a fight. Immobilize if possible, and bash it to death. He saw no reason to value elegance as he pursued victory.


    The monster didn¡¯t go down willingly, slamming its right arm into the ground to stabilize itself, but it was the wrong shape for proper steadiness. The massive spiked end dug deep, and this time Coop was sure it caused the island to shudder.


    Coop repeated his attack from behind, but he aimed for the right elbow weak point as the arm held the weight of the monster. The result was even more destructive. His spear tore through the metal, leaving it misshapen and causing it to crumple in on itself as it struggled to bear the mass of the monster. The arm tore at the elbow as the boss¡¯s bulk shifted and it began to fall on its side.


    Coop backed away as the monster toppled over, avoiding the uncontrolled giant. It was like witnessing the failed demolition of a building. He raised his hand and squinted to protect his eyes as a cloud of dust and sand blew across the island and a wave of surging water ran offshore of the eastern beach.


    When the dust settled, the still intact arm of the Siege Boss was raised toward the sky. The spike on the end had split into four, opening up like a flower, to reveal another cannon. This one only fired a single miniscule black bead that slowly rose into the air, sending tiny, uncontained, spasmodic arcs of purple as it went. It climbed into the sky, until it was lost against the backdrop of the red mana dome.


    The monster¡¯s good arm closed back into a spike and it stabbed into the ground to prop its bulk back up as it tried to return to its feet. The smaller Construct torsos were frantically repairing the damaged knee, reconstructing the limb from the inside out, and Coop noted that the left shoulder weak point had already been fully repaired. The glowing red crystal looked as good as new.


    The Prime Construct managed to reposition so that it was leaning on its one good knee and kneeling on the other wrecked limb as the lower leg began to reform. Coop circled the boss, trying to situate himself in order to continue destroying the matching weak points. The boss lifted both of its arms to the air, one fully intact and the other a mangled stump at the elbow. A beam connected from the space in front of one end to the other before shooting into the air. Coop blasted the shoulder a second time, this time utilizing his spear to smash the weak point, but the boss maintained its attack pattern. Countless black portals, rimmed with deep purple, expanded in the sky, as if they had been there the entire time, waiting to be opened. They blocked out any light from the sun and cast the scrubland in black light that made Coop¡¯s ethereal equipment glow with bright turquoise light.


    The black orbs spat out tiny purple flares that, once again, attempted to hone in on Coop¡¯s position. However, these flares were different from the plasma orbs, in that they simply landed on top of the sand, marking their positions with sparking, purple, pin prick-sized lights, and they were extremely fast. Coop dodged them all the same, unwilling to risk receiving the cumulative force of any attack meant for an entire army.


    He wasn¡¯t able to simply get behind the boss as these flares were raining down from the sky, so he kept moving. The flares¡¯ ability to track him was less effective than the gatling plasma orbs, as they moved too quickly to turn more than a few degrees off their initial trajectory, but there seemed to be no end to them. Coop was careful not to retreat over any flares that had already landed, but was quickly spiraling away from the boss as he ran out of room near the beach, heading inland into the scrubland again.


    The boss let its arms drop and Coop was finally able to stop his mad scramble. A moment later every flare on the ground was targeted by a narrow, needle-like beam of lavender light that zapped down from the portals. A galactic bombardment crashed down on the island that forced Coop to squint after his eyes had adjusted to the black light, but enough Fog of War remained for him to make up for his lost senses.


    Coop marched forward, through the cloud of sand and dust, after the beams ceased, allowing Presence of Mind to guide him back into range of the boss. However, the boss hadn¡¯t been idle while Coop dodged its attacks. It was back on its feet, with its mangled knee partially repaired and shoulder also getting attention from the smaller constructs. As soon as Coop moved forward, it also lunged closer, with an explosion at its feet that destroyed the bottoms of both limbs, but allowed it to slide forward across the sand, creating a rooster tail of grains as it rushed forward. The Primal Construct thrust its good arm, point first, directly at Coop, with more speed than it had displayed with any action before.


    Still, Coop was able to switch directions and leap out of the way, thanks to Presence of Mind and his far superior Agility, but when the gigantic arm extended as far as it could go, an explosion of plasma appeared from the terminal point at the apex of the strike. A wave of mana emanated from the point, gliding across the ground, and Coop had to let it wash over him with his shield raised up protectively.


    The wave did minimal damage, but it was immediately followed up by a beam of energy as the Primal Construct¡¯s arm had opened up to reveal the barrel hidden inside, aimed while Coop was blocking, and blasted him with a direct shot. The beam of bright purple continued for a few seconds as the construct¡¯s gambit to line up an attack worked. Coop cowered behind his shield and growled in resistance, feeling the shield soften and begin to warp under the pressure. When it finally ceased, Coop stood up straight, smoke drifting off his bent shield and unblemished armor, and prepared to resume his assault.


    The boss seemed to accept that it wouldn¡¯t be able to rid itself of the tiny challenger after a direct hit failed to put him down. It raised both arms and an incredible amount of mana warped the air as it flew from the boss toward the sky. From Coop¡¯s perspective, it looked like the heat of a desert rising to a single point near the top of the mana dome, and at that point a tiny black bead started to grow.


    The bead expanded rapidly, quickly taking on the appearance of a deep purple star, burning with energy that pulsed along its surface in rolling waves.


    Coop had the distinct impression that he needed to interrupt this attack before it fully charged.

 Chapter 94: Icon of Mana

    Coop targeted the Prime Construct¡¯s remaining weak points, desperate to prevent the Siege Boss from fully charging its ultimate attack. The purple star that continued to expand above Ghost Reef seemed like it would go supernova if the boss wasn¡¯t interrupted. The boss made no effort to continue engaging with Coop, kneeling while concentrating all of its energy on growing the black bead into some kind of mana bomb. Without its counter attacks forcing Coop into wide repositionings, thanks to its bulk, it stood no chance against an onslaught from the Champion.


    He threw his spear like a missile, destroying the right shoulder weak point with an explosion of red mana, but the boss didn¡¯t react, absorbing the damage with suicidal determination. Coop quickly destroyed the left shoulder weak point for the third time, with another direct hit, but the boss still didn¡¯t react. Coop became a turret, disabling the remaining good elbow, and the boss just continued facing the growing orb in the sky with both arms limp at its sides as if it had already lost its life, transformed into an enormous mannequin with a red haze of mana leaking into the air around it.


    Coop disabled the rest of the weak points on the hips and knees and the boss finally tipped backwards until it was falling toward the beach that it came from, picking up speed like a felled tree as gravity inevitably dragged it down. When it landed, the island trembled. Its head and shoulders landed in the shallows, sending waves out into the ocean, while the rest of the body extended all the way across the dunes and into the scrubland where Coop stood.


    He looked up at the giant orb in the sky and observed that it was slowly sinking toward the ground, covering nearly half of the island in a purple glow that drowned out the rest of the light. Coop threw his spear at it, naturally, but his weapon simply evaporated into mists as it approached the core of the target. At most, his attack left ripples on the enormous surface.


    Coop frowned, ¡°Should I run?¡± He considered if he could even escape the massive attack. If defeating the Prime Construct wasn¡¯t enough to make the attack fizzle, he was out of ideas, and he didn¡¯t have any desire to test his magic defense against an alien mana bomb.


    Coop summoned a heavy spear and squeezed his grip as he furrowed his brows at the orb. When he heaved the denser weapon into the star, it retained its form until it was absorbed by the surface, but ultimately, it also disappeared into the spell.


    ¡°Not good.¡± He muttered as he made his decision whether or not to retreat and sprinted across the remaining scrubland, toward the boss¡¯s disintegrating body, intent on finding a way to hurry the process along. At least the Prime Construct¡¯s final attack wasn¡¯t continuing to expand.


    As he approached the supine monster, he noted that the molded construct torsos were exposed all over the body, thousands of them, facing the mana bomb in the sky. Some were lifting their weapon-limbs, and waving them as if they were empowering the attack themselves, but most were hunched over, clearly exhausted and dead. Coop swapped to his glaive and prepared to harvest their heads. He leapt onto the immobile, partially destroyed leg, and swept his glaive through the molded Constructs that occupied the enormous shin, taking them like he was reaping grain.


    He leapt across the collapsing titan, finding solid footing as mana smoke spilled from the gaps in its armored skin, and specifically targeted the few Constructs that had the strength to lift their arms into the air, like they were desperately vying for his attention. His glaive slid through their bodies like a hot knife through butter.


    Coop felt the pressure of the impending deadline sinking toward him from the sky as he worked his way across the torso and back down the opposite leg where the last group of weapons were raised to the sky. If there was only one tactic where he reigned supreme, it was efficiently defeating masses of enemies.


    The final Construct had its head lopped off and both arms removed while the Prime Construct¡¯s gargantuan body lost enough rigidity to be barely held together by smoke and dreams, like an enormous metal carcass barely more than a skeleton. A flash of extremely bright light made Coop flinch and gaze up at the purple star with concern, worried that it detonated in an air burst with the last of its supporters defeated.


    Coop found that the star was clearly collapsing, shrinking in on itself, but the process was disappointingly slow. It seemed like Coop had succeeded, but it wasn¡¯t obvious if the mana bomb would harmlessly dissipate or if it still had something in the tank.


    While he watched, thinking if there was more he could do, he slipped through the boss and fell as the metal plates fell apart, eroding into even more smoke. He landed on his feet in the sand, bracing with his glaive and looked around. The boss was finally disintegrating as if it had been completely defeated, but Coop still lacked the system notification he expected to find.


    Coop¡¯s vision rippled as the Siege Boss¡¯s mana smoke floated up toward the sky, joining the red mana haze from the demolished weak points until the air was tinged with mana so thick, it was like peering through a new version of Fog of War.


    While he squinted through the haze, the purple light emanating from the orb flickered out, like a switch had flipped off. Coop''s breath caught and he hesitated, peering at the orb with rapt attention, hoping for the spell to completely fizzle and not do anything destructive.


    After the purple light flickered off, the orb had been completely frozen. Staring at it made it seem like the world had been put on pause. The swelling energy along its surface remained completely still, no longer bathing the island in its purple light, until a thin, hairline fracture appeared down its center. Then, the entire orb split into two perfect halves, revealing the inside of the sphere like a textbook diagram of a cross-sectioned star.


    Coop wondered if his heavy spear had weakened its shell after all, until a massive black stake shot through the core, or maybe even shot from the core, splitting the orb, and continued until it slammed into the nearly disintegrated body of the Siege Boss on the ground. The stake pulled the two halves of the star as if they had become liquified mana and dragged them along its trajectory like purple vapor trails, mixing with the red haze.


    For a moment, Coop stared through the mixture in confusion as the mana whirled toward the projectile, chasing its path like the mists chased his spear throws. The Prime Construct¡¯s barely remaining physical body was impaled like a sleeping vampire and burst in a final explosion of mana smoke that followed into the hole on the beach that the stake created. All of the mana in the atmosphere chased, like bathwater going down the drain.


    He looked around, to see if someone like Jett had managed to land another incredible killing blow, but he was the only individual beyond the fort¡¯s walls on the other side of the island. A stake through the Prime Construct¡¯s own metaphorical heart was definitely not the purpose of the incredible attack, so he continued to hesitate while he tried to make sense of the situation.


    The Siege Boss was gone, completely transformed into quickly draining mana smoke, but Coop still hadn¡¯t received any notifications. The Prime Construct had been as good as defeated when it abandoned its assault to summon the mana bomb in a final act of defiance, but then, it lingered until it was finally impaled. It seemed like the mana bomb was fizzling before something broke through. That ¡®something,¡¯ drew his attention back to the beach.


    The mana smoke continued to thin, and he noticed the end of the black stake still peeking from the ground on the edge of the beach, alone in the wet sand, as if it was a pylon marking the deceased boss. The stake was vacuuming the haze of mana from across the entire settlement territory, creating a whirlpool that absorbed directly into the object and cleared the island¡¯s air.


    It had absorbed the remains of the failing mana bomb along with the Siege Boss¡¯s mana smoke, and it was insatiably accepting the rest of the available mana floating imperceptibly within the dome. Coop watched as the air became as clear as the first day of the siege, only partially tainted by the red mana dome¡¯s color. He hadn¡¯t even been aware it was accumulating each time they defeated an individual enemy during every single wave.


    The stake slowly seemed to grow, gradually extending further and further into the air, revealing dozens of Construct weapon-limbs wrapped and hanging limply from its surface. The limbs seemed to wake up as they reached the air, twitching and fidgeting in a mass of creepy dismembered arms.


    Coop realized the pylon was actually being pushed out of the ground when a regular Primal Construct climbed out of the sand, like a zombie escaping a forgotten grave in a cemetery, with the tall Construct totem attached to its back like it was a part of its spine.


    This new Construct was similar to the regular elites, but a bit taller, thicker, and instead of a dull gray metallic coloration it was dark blue and black with hints of green and orange on the tips of its limbs. It stomped forward with a casual indifference, not even acknowledging Coop¡¯s presence, seemingly oblivious to everything that had happened up to the point it climbed out of the sand. The new Construct shuffled along, swinging its elongated arms with each step.


    Coop took a deep breath, settling himself as he watched the monster. He felt no relief after the mana bomb disappeared, confused as he was with the new entity sucking up all the mana, but it seemed that the crisis had been averted.


    Once the monster had moseyed across the sandy beach into the dry sand, Coop stretched Presence of Mind and inspected its aura.


    [Siege Boss: Irrevocable Condemnation (Level 75)]


    [Melding of Fate]


    [Icon of Mana]


    ¡°So, you¡¯re not a Primal Construct?¡± Coop tilted his head and squinted at the creature while he mumbled to himself. Its aura didn¡¯t follow the regular rules Coop had become accustomed to, but it clearly displayed Icon of Mana instead of manifestation or minion of the Primal Constructs. He looked at the Construct limbs attached to the stake like trophies and a scowl crawled onto his face. ¡°Did you steal my kill?¡±


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The new monster wasn¡¯t particularly quick. It dragged its feet across the small dunes and the knuckles on its elongated fingers at the ends of its lanky arms scraped the tops of the ridges in the sand left by the Prime Construct¡¯s fall. Its aura didn¡¯t reveal what its primary stat was, and he couldn¡¯t make any educated guesses based on its appearance.


    As Coop got a closer look he had the distinct impression that this boss was different than anything else he had encountered, even ignoring its unusual arrival.


    Instead of being a Primal Construct with a different coloration, it actually seemed organic. Its skin was wrinkled in joints and it rippled and pulsed while shining with moisture. It was missing the characteristic metallic scales and red glowing weak points that made the Constructs seem familiar. Coop shook his head, concentrating on preparing for the fight rather than considering the implications of receiving a novel challenger.


    On its back, held like a war banner, the stake had become an effigy of Constructs that rose into the air more than 20 feet above the monster. Arms extended from the central totem of the banner, terminating in all sorts of weapons. A seven foot long jagged greataxe, a massive pike, bludgeons, shields, and blades were all present on the effigy. As the monster approached, the arms swung and flexed as if they had minds of their own. It was a bit like the Prime Construct¡¯s molded soldiers, but somehow these limbs seemed even more alien, organic, mutated, and elongated as they were.


    This encounter had evolved in an unpredictable way, but Coop came to the simple conclusion that the fight was unfinished, and he needed a quick regroup. His job wasn¡¯t done.


    Coop recast Retribution, bringing forth his ethereal spear and shield and dismissing the previously summoned glaive. The equipment rapidly solidified with delicate wisps of ghostly energy emanating from the surfaces while Coop adjusted his grip. He let his spear sail across the island and mistjumped to keep himself in between the monster and the civilization shard. Coop would engage with this new threat just as he had the previous one, solo if possible and with support only if he couldn¡¯t help it.


    A single, much smaller, but seemingly more dynamic threat was approaching. They hadn¡¯t lost anything in the initial engagement, other than some of Coop¡¯s already regenerated mana. All of the remaining phantoms stayed with the residents within the walls of the fort. The melee fighters stood on standby in protective formations around small groups of casters and archers, prepared to mobilize if the opportunity presented itself and Shane gave the order. There may have been a single, much less intimidating enemy when compared to the Prime Construct, but they would be fools to expect it to be a victory lap.


    Coop was going to face the monster head on. If he could bully it as he had the Prime Construct, he would. If not, hopefully, he would keep its attention and free the residents to safely attack from range.


    Of course, he would begin with his most reliable set, but all of the weapon swapping during the previous waves had brought the cost of Retribution down to 15 mana. Given the variety of weapons this Siege Boss was wielding, he thought he¡¯d have opportunities to swap compared to relying on spear throws against the huge boss. While the boss continued its steady approach, he opted to establish another thin layer of mist to empower Presence of Mind, conserving the rest of his mana for Mind over Matter and weapon swaps.


    Once he was set, fully regrouped, and nerves calmed, he hopped in place and shook out his arms like an athlete between plays. The Icon of Mana took its time, but it wasn¡¯t moving in slow motion the way the Prime Construct had.


    Coop lobbed an overly long distance spear throw, but the smaller boss swiped his weapon away as it arced toward it. Coop tried again, still waiting for the new boss to catch up, but his optimistic heaves didn¡¯t even cause his target to flinch. Eventually, it entered the battlefield Coop had selected and he really restarted the final fight, midway across the island, nearer to the fort compared to the previous battle.


    With three steps and a hop to firmly plant his foot on the ground, he launched his spear with as much power as he could muster, as the boss had reached a more optimal range. His mind told him that he would rip his own arm off, but thanks to the practice in applying his strength with his morning star, he was able to break through the mental block completely.


    The spear shot from Coop¡¯s arm with another thunderous boom, followed immediately by a second, blurring as it sped toward the still distant Siege Boss. The thin fog that had already spread forward wrapped along the shaft and lingered as a trail of twisting condensation, chasing the spear even beyond the spreading Fog of War. The line of smoke connected Coop¡¯s release to the monster¡¯s raised forearm as it offhandedly attempted to block the long range missile. It obviously didn¡¯t feel threatened, if it felt anything at all.


    The Siege Boss didn¡¯t pause its forward march as it swiped at the spear, and when the spear collided with the dark blue, black, and orange speckled limb the projectile was deflected away, spinning into the distance over the beach toward the reef. The monster barely flinched at Coop¡¯s most powerful throw, though its arm was flung backwards by the force of the impact and a bang echoed across the dunes while sand blasted past the point of contact.


    Coop scowled in frustration as he resummoned his spear, backing up even further, disappointed by the result after finding so much success against the Prime Construct, but the monster had temporarily stopped to assess the situation. Coop looked closer and realized the protective forearm was leaking black ichor onto the sand. Each drop sizzled while steam drifted into the ocean breeze as the ichor evaporated instead of pooling. The monster paused to look at its injury, apparently surprised to have taken damage at all.


    Coop shared the monster¡¯s surprise. His attack hadn¡¯t had the result he was hoping for, but the spear had drawn blood. Primal Constructs never bled. This really was a completely novel enemy, even if it was outwardly an amalgamation of the Constructs of the previous wave and the ones contained by the Prime Construct. Coop mentally classified the Icon of Mana as a mutant until he had more information, and lined up another spear throw.


    The Siege Boss finished assessing the damage to its forearm and resumed its steady forward march as Coop launched his spear a second time. There were no features on the smooth mask that formed the monster¡¯s face, but Coop had the impression it hadn¡¯t expected to take damage from the previous attack. The small injury motivated him to put even more effort into slinging his weapon at the monster.


    This time, one of the arms from the effigy banner on the monster¡¯s back slammed into the ground to intercept the spear. The limb smashed into the dune and sand exploded in all directions, firmly planting itself in the ground. The arm was shaped like it had a shield beneath its skin, flaring out in a rectangular shape at the forearm that was as wide as Coop was tall. The spear punched into it with a shockwave that caused the rest of the arms in the effigy to blow backwards like strands of hair in a gust of wind.


    Coop continued walking backwards and clicked his tongue in disappointment when the dust cleared. The shield arm of the Siege Boss didn¡¯t even have a scratch, and Coop had thrown his spear even harder the second time around. It looked like the monster took his attack seriously, though it didn¡¯t stop walking forward.


    Coop resummoned his spear once again, and as the Siege Boss retracted its protective arm, more black ichor leaked from the tip. Coop felt a grin sneak onto his face as he felt like a shark smelling blood. The monster hadn¡¯t been unscathed after all. Coop wasn¡¯t above chipping away at the boss¡¯s health, but he¡¯d need to find a way to stop its forward movement if he wanted to continue.


    He threw his shield first the next time, as the distance between the two had shrunk, letting the disc glide like a frisbee with the hope of baiting a defensive move from the monster. Before the shield connected, he launched his spear again. The timing meant that both weapons would arrive at nearly the same time. The monster responded with another one of its effigy limbs, an arm ending in a blunt hammer head. It crashed into Coop¡¯s shield, driving it straight down into the dune, dozens of feet in front of the monster, showcasing a wide range. The shield arm slammed into the ground almost simultaneously, intercepting the spear once again with a clang that echoed across the mana dome, directly in front of the boss.


    A split second later, a third arm uncoiled and sprang toward Coop with a spiked, fang shaped tip. Coop tried to dodge and barely succeeded in avoiding being impaled through the neck. The spike clipped his shoulder, wrenching his entire upper body to the side before it recoiled around the banner that held the effigy above the boss¡¯s back. Coop was shocked at the range the monster suddenly displayed. The attack had come so abruptly and with a velocity that nearly matched his spear throws. It was as if the monster was making a point that it could do it too.


    Coop watched for another attack as he walked a few more steps backwards along the packed sand and resummoned his spear and shield. He was slowly ceding ground, but there was plenty of real estate before he reached the moat.


    When he gripped his resummoned spear, he felt blood trickle down to his finger tips, but he hadn¡¯t lost much health from the glancing blow to his shoulder. It was more the surprise that he was in range of the monster that shook his inflated confidence after seeing the boss injured. He shook the blood off his hand and adjusted his handhold as he planned his next actions, given the new revelation of the Siege Boss¡¯s abilities. Each limb attached to the effigy seemed to be able to operate independently of the rest, while the main body appeared to be singularly focused on assaulting the civilization shard.


    Lifting his arm, he readied his spear again, but abandoned the attack in favor of raising his shield and intercepting the monster¡¯s uncoiling spiked limb as it interrupted him. The clang of the spiked limb against his shield rang across the island, but Coop¡¯s arm was steady. He wasn¡¯t overwhelmed by the strength of the monster¡¯s attack.


    He waited for a follow up, taking a few more steps back, but none came. The monster seemed to be specifically countering his spear throws with its own long range attack while it continued to slowly close the distance, not particularly caring to address Coop¡¯s harassment. The boss didn¡¯t chase after Coop. It just incessantly trudged toward the main gate of the fort. Coop would need to engage it directly instead of trying to kite it.


    The boss was within the dilute mist of Coop¡¯s Fog of War, so Coop aimed his spear another time, baiting an attack from the effigy of Construct limbs. The coiled arm launched itself toward Coop in an effort to disrupt his throw, but Coop was already swapping his weapons for the trident as soon as it sprung his trap. Instead of blocking the attack, Coop fully utilized Presence of Mind to precisely counter the monster. He anticipated the trajectory of the spiked limb and adjusted the trident as quickly as his Agility allowed him.


    The extended arm was impaled on all three the prongs of his trident, just like a Crazed Serpent that tried to slash at Coop. He tried to tug the boss off-balance, twisting his weapon with both hands for leverage, but the Siege Boss was at least as strong as he was, and refused to budge beyond continuing its forward progress.


    The individual arm wasn¡¯t able to escape Coop either, so he slammed the trident into the ground, pinning the frantically squirming limb as it tried to recoil around the effigy like a panicked snake. Coop stomped on it with his foot to hold it in place while he raised the trident with a jerk that sent black ichor flying into the air. He swapped his weapons again and when his arm came back down, the ethereal sword cut straight through the end of the arm, freeing the bulk of it to retract back to the effigy, but removing the dangerous weapon at its end.


    The arm jerked back toward the boss, leaving a trail of black ichor like an uncontrolled firehose. The ichor bubbled like acid when it landed on Coop, but it failed to dissolve his ethereal armor.


    Coop confirmed that there were no afflictions. It seemed like the blood was a direct attack that would be mitigated by his layered defenses and that meant he wouldn¡¯t need to be shy about damaging the monster for fear of being corrupted by the ichor.


    The Siege Boss stopped its march. It was still facing the fort, and now, it was nearly in range of the casters. Coop finally forced it off of its steady march forward, dealing undeniable damage that the Boss couldn¡¯t simply ignore.


    It elevated both of its elongated arms attached to its main body, almost like it was stretching its back, and the effigy on the back of the monster ceased its constant fidgety movement. Coop raised his shield and braced for another attack.

 Chapter 95: The Effigy

    For a passing moment, the entire island was completely still. There were no palm fronds left on the remaining trees to rustle in the gentle breeze and even the calm waves seemed hesitant to disturb the peace. The resolute defenders were collectively holding their breath as they watched Coop slowly back toward the fort. Seeing the Champion engage the boss had rid them of any of their own lingering hesitation in fighting the unknown enemy. They were just waiting for a window of opportunity to get some attacks in after the monster finally moved into the edge of their range.


    Instead of getting closer, the boss momentarily stopped, shifting slightly to face Coop directly, begrudgingly halting its previously uninterrupted approach toward the main gate after the ethereal sword disconnected a weapon from one of the oversized effigy limbs. The dismembered Construct limbs, attached to its war banner effigy, had writhed the entire time that it trudged across the island, but when the Siege Boss ceased its movement, to essentially glare at Coop, they stopped as well. It was like the boss was finally paying respect to the individual challenger that harried it as soon as it arrived on Ghost Reef.


    Coop returned the stare until he felt a tickle in the back of his head that almost itched beneath his scalp. A deep voice that seemed to come from every direction, but also from nowhere at all, broke the stillness that had temporarily blanketed the island. ¡°Die.¡± It whispered, thick with gravel, directly into his mind like an uncalled-for memory.


    A smokey pulse of miasma spread from the monster, passing through Coop and onward to the fort without even a whisper of pressure. When the dark energy crossed the moat, it buoyed up the walls before quickly evaporating after reaching the broken ramparts and the defenders on top.


    [You resisted Pronouncement: Death]


    Coop grunted as he acknowledged the sinister attack, recognizing that these Siege level bosses would have more abilities than regular monsters, or even elites. From his peripheral vision, flashes of light drew his attention and he spared a quick glance to the fort¡¯s walls.


    Madison was fully alight with her angel wings extended and halo blazing, floating in the air above the main gate. The chiming of her summoned celestial bell rang across Rock Key, as it emerged from the clouds in all of its heavenly glory. Coop wasn¡¯t affected by the boss¡¯s affliction, but Madison was already forced to cleanse the defenders with her ultimate ability.


    Coop shook his head and furrowed his brows, realizing he needed to end the fight soon, regardless of the rest of the monster¡¯s abilities. He swapped weapons once again, dismissing his sword, still dripping in black ichor, and threw his spear at the boss, resuming the battle with a quick toss and half a windup.


    The shield arm slammed into the ground, taking his spear throw seriously despite the decreased velocity, but Coop mistjumped to the spear instead of continuing his probing attacks. He obviously needed to redouble his efforts to occupy the monster or it would be free to cast afflictions. The residents were far more susceptible than he was, and he wasn¡¯t sure how consistently Madison could cleanse them.


    When he exited the misty, monochromatic realm, catching the spear in his outstretched hand before it collided with the monster¡¯s protective shield. He twisted around the shield arm, swapping his weapon while using the wide rectangular forearm to obstruct the monster¡¯s vision, not that it even had recognizable eyes. When he emerged around the edge of the shield, suddenly in melee range, hopefully catching the Icon by surprise, he sliced at its body with his sword, reaching high and seeking the monster¡¯s heart. The blade cut a long slice through the monster¡¯s chest that oozed ichor, covering its torso in blackness, but Coop was immediately forced to back away despite his successful attack.


    An effigy arm terminating with an enormous greataxe slammed into the ground from above, blasting a crater into the sand where he had planted his feet to attack. He was forced to jump away a second time as a butcher¡¯s cleaver, large enough to decapitate a dragon, crashed down next, just a split second after the greataxe. A sword arm, massive hammer, and barbed mace, followed in quick succession and Coop barely dodged each with frantic hops in the sand.


    He raised his shield and blocked a falling club, but immediately regretted the action as the crushing power made his shield ring and his arm ache. The effigy¡¯s close combat attacks were stronger than the longer ranged attack had been and he felt the concussion through his bones. Three more arms came down and he was pushed further away from the monster¡¯s main body until even the elongated limbs couldn¡¯t reach him. Through all of the combat, the central body had simply stood there, bleeding on itself while the effigy did all the work.


    Without Presence of Mind, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to dodge the series of attacks from the effigy. His target was in front of him, but when he was near, all of the attacks came from almost directly above his head. If he hadn¡¯t preemptively spread Fog of War, he would have needed to divide his attention to keep an eye on the effigy at least as much as the monster that hauled it.


    Once Coop was driven away, he took another good look to assess his next attack and couldn¡¯t help but grimace at his strange opponent. It was odd, even considering it was an alien. The Primal Constructs had been consistent in their appearance, even between their monster manifestations and themselves, yet this mana mutant had clearly adopted and corrupted them into something new and warped.


    He noted that even though the effigy¡¯s attacks had been quick and powerful, the arms took time to retract their weapons back up to the effigy and prepare another attack. Coop didn¡¯t waste time and swapped to his spear to mistjump back in, hoping to exploit this apparent weakness as none of the arms that attacked him were ready to continue.


    His spear only managed a glancing blow on the monster¡¯s leg before more of the effigy¡¯s arms started slamming down on his position, pushing him back out of range as he dipped and dodged each individual limb. With enough arms to seem like thick strands of tangled hair all along the effigy, the boss didn¡¯t need to reload each quickly, and with their length, it had a significant range advantage on him. But the monster was bleeding. It wasn¡¯t impervious to his attacks, he just needed to land them.


    Coop dodged back in, bouncing between the limbs, and tried something new. The long range spiked arm had never recovered after he severed its tip, so rather than strictly avoiding the arms of the effigy, he would retaliate against them. Even though he had been able to deal clear damage to the main body, he didn¡¯t push directly toward the center. Breaking through the radius of the effigy was more difficult than fighting the arms at the edge of their range, where he could back out before he was overwhelmed. He concentrated on whittling away the effigy as his alternative to directly assaulting the main body, but that left the creature free to resume its march forward.


    Coop quickly swapped between his weapons, needing to defend with his shield nearly as much as he dodged, since the boss shifted forward while engaging Coop with its effigy. Knowing that a direct hit would still stagger him, he was careful only to catch glancing blows with his shield and avoid the rest. When he had the chance, he switched to his glaive to slice retracting limbs, before going back to his sword and shield.


    The monster¡¯s forward movement pushed its attack range beyond the previous radius, protecting the slower retracting limbs. Coop was forced within the dangerous reach of the rest of the limbs if he wanted to make sure he had a chance to deal damage when they exposed themselves to his weapons, but he wasn¡¯t going to let it attack freely without retaliating.


    His ethereal swordsmanship really paid off when he made further efforts to stymie the Siege Boss¡¯s momentum with full engagement. Fighting within the attack radius caused the monster to stay still and let the limbs do the work, lest the main body get too close to Coop¡¯s frenzied attacks. The effigy¡¯s attacks sliced through the air only to meet the mists as he drifted between mistjumps and assaulted the retracting limbs from different angles. He needed to move so quickly, he wasn¡¯t always able to completely disable his targets, but he was applying constant damage through quick jabs and slices, finding them to be relatively soft targets compared to the defensive arms that blocked his spear throws at the start.


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    Only when an opportunity presented itself did he swap to one of his more devastating weapons. The glaive punished the limbs the most, severing the dangerous portions and leaving the rest of the arm¡¯s length as a useless, ichor leaking pipe that crawled back toward the stake, but his morning star also crushed more than a few into craters in the coral bedrock beneath the sand, turning them into unrecognizable, crippled arms, after they planted themselves into the ground.


    He tore through an arm that terminated with a sword blade with his glaive and the boss faltered for a moment as another part of the effigy retracted while bleeding. The monster had raised its main arms again while the rest of the effigy paused. Coop anticipated another blast of afflictions as he recognized the attack pattern, but the split second pause was too abrupt to give him an opportunity to counter.


    The deep voice tickled his mind again while Coop tried to launch his spear in the sudden lull. ¡°You will crave nonexistence.¡± It promised ominously, and a blast of miasma landed directly onto Coop¡¯s position as if conjured from a giant bucket above his head.


    [You resisted Pronouncement: Void]


    His spear was blocked by the shield limb even as the affliction attempted to corrupt him and Coop snuck a look back at the fort, worried about the pronouncement, but the defenders hadn¡¯t reacted. The Siege Boss appeared to have singled him out with its last affliction and Coop thanked his class for setting him up with so much magic defense. He had to imagine that such definitive sounding afflictions already had a low chance of successfully applying, and combined with his extreme magic defense, made them have almost no luck in sticking to him. No one else was as equipped to withstand such hazardous gambles.


    He resummoned his deflected spear and mistjumped back into the boss with a fast pitch to the side, swapping to his sword, and managed to sever another effigy arm as it came down in a perfectly timed counter attack. A second limb landed a glancing blow that caused him to stagger as he was too invested in countering the affliction cast. He blocked a follow up attack with his shield, letting the limb slide off the surface and strike the sand, but a third attack from the hammer arm caught him in the ribs and knocked the breath out of him, and a fourth attack that he couldn¡¯t avoid threw him further backwards.


    Coop rolled onto his feet after a reverse somersault as the few remaining cannons in the fort launched a barrage timed perfectly with the casters sending a wave of spells at the Siege Boss. It was right at the edge of their range. Coop was directly underneath the attacks, with his spear cocked back, immediately ready to launch it with the onslaught. Flame lances, ice bolts, black orbs, stone spikes, and golden arrows shot forward in a blitz to reach the boss first.


    The Boss didn¡¯t even flinch when the spells rained down, though it was forced to use its limbs to physically attack magical projectiles that would have directly struck the effigy. The shield arm specifically blocked Coop¡¯s spear, as the boss clearly kept track of his actions. The cannonballs exploded like bombs, releasing concentrated mana, when cut through. They had the most impact, but there were only a few cannons remaining operational on the southern wall of the fort.


    Coop resummoned his weapon and used his spear to mistjump back in, seeking to cripple the boss further, though whatever progress he had made cutting through the effigy limbs was hard to tell. Most of the limbs simply wrapped themselves back around the stake after his bladed weapons severed the weapons from their tips. It was only the three crushed limbs that dragged like dead snakes from when his morning star had disabled them that made any damage obvious. Coop wondered how many more he would need to cut down as he went for another round. The less limbs the better, no matter how the fight went. The Icon of Mana used the elongated arms both offensively and defensively.


    He slid between a pair of pointed, spiked limbs and mistjumped into the air with a flip of his sword, reappearing 10 feet off the ground, after leaving his shield floating for a moment with a light toss. He used his sword to cleave a limb almost at the base of the effigy before mistjumping back to his shield, returning to the ground before gravity brought himself or his shield back down. Limbs slammed into the sand in a tangle as his chained movements confused their counter attacks. The double mistjump was a high-risk move, but it let him establish an escape for quick assaults in dangerous areas. As long as his opponent didn¡¯t concentrate on the location of his shield, he could reliably return to safety in just a split second.


    The freshly dismembered limb gushed black ichor with far more velocity than any of the other wounds, and Coop thought maybe he found a strategy to pursue as he mistjumped back out of range. He didn¡¯t understand how much of the substance the monster¡¯s body could contain, but it didn¡¯t really seem like there was any correlation between the ichor and its size, or it would already be a shriveled husk.


    Coop worked his way back into close proximity to the effigy, dodging attacks with slight shifts and miniature mistjumps, barely avoiding being grazed, until he was near enough to flip his sword into the air again, cut another limb at its base, and return to his shield. A second gout of black ichor poured from the effigy, and he was forced to dodge two more attacks before slicing through a third.


    Instead of retreating back out of range, he kept up the pressure. Feigning retreats, only to return to the main body¡¯s side in order to hack at the effigy, then really retreating until he could force an opening. After keeping the engagement going, the Icon of Mana was running out of limbs to rapid fire against the annoying fly that Coop had become. Coop felt like he was taking control of the fight when the main body attempted to backhand him, moving more than it had any time previously.


    Coop shifted further away, feigning another retreat while reducing the number of limbs that could reach him before he jumped back in. The more devastating injuries caused clear agitation in the Siege Boss, and when it lunged forward, pulling Coop fully into its attack radius once again, Coop wasn¡¯t expecting it. The boss decided to commit fully to eliminating Coop, engaging all of its remaining limbs and adding the retracting ones as they reloaded.


    Coop dodged the first few attacks, but couldn¡¯t find an opportunity to retaliate. Sliding and twisting between a dozen more limbs placed Coop equidistant from the effigy and the edge of its attack radius. After six different limbs blasted into the sand around him, trapping him like a caged bird, he was forced to raise his shield and absorb a direct hit from above. His knees nearly buckled as a heavy hammer rang against his shield like a gong, but he rolled out of the way, slicing one of the limbs that had hemmed him in, and mistjumped completely out of range to regroup.


    The island was shaken by the thunderous roar of a true barrage of cannons, far beyond what the fort was capable of in its depleted state. The boss had been flanked when it finally turned its attention to Coop in agitation. The Eye of the Storm was parallel with the beach with its top row of cannons smoking while Captain Kayla shouted for the next barrage. It was a scene that reminded him of being near her target previously, but he had a lot more trust in the accuracy of the phantom pirates at this point, so he stood his ground.


    The Siege Boss didn¡¯t have a chance to counter the massive cannon barrage like it had with the fort¡¯s attack and it toppled over. Coop waited before jumping back in, letting Kayla do her thing, and opting to return to his ranged attacks, throwing his spear with deadly intent, at least for the limbs. He noted that the boss was mostly undamaged by the cannons, but it had been thrown off balance by the heavy attacks and a few more limbs appeared to be disabled and one was impaled by his spear. Coop was sure that the power of the cannons had been improving with the levels of the operators. The surviving phantoms were all level 75, matching the monsters¡¯ progress despite how rapidly the waves escalated, so there was no level mismatch between them and the Siege Boss.


    The main body of the boss just laid in the sand like a discarded doll while the effigy¡¯s arms flailed underneath the second round of cannons. After a third barrage, the limbs of the effigy went rigid, pointing straight into the sky from the effigy. They slammed into the ground in unison as if merged under one mind, all the way around, and lifted the boss off the ground, suspending the main body in the air.


    The boss had transformed from a large bannerman that carried an effigy of Construct limbs to a massive harvestman spider with far too many legs.


    It scuttled across the dunes with shocking speed, aggressively running down the offending ship, leaving Coop like an abandoned toy. The defenders on the wall launched their spells and attacks in an explosion of colors and light, but the boss was singularly focused on assaulting the Eye of the Storm. The quickness that the boss had suddenly applied meant that many of the attacks missed as it strafed the fort¡¯s wall, but enough connected to leave a few more effigy arms, now legs, dragging behind it.


    The Siege Boss still closed the distance to the ship and leapt across the final gap, across the surface of the water, with all of its legs splayed out, displaying their weapons as they prepared to slam into the ship.


    The Eye of the Storm fired one more barrage of cannons, making no effort to get out of the way. The thunderous broadside rocked the island, but the boss was undeterred by the cannons, willingly trading some health in order to eliminate the ship. Its momentum carried it through the air. The monster was intent on destroying Kayla''s ship.

 Chapter 96: The Warning

    The Siege Boss launched itself toward the Eye of the Storm, using the effigy it had originally carried on its back as an engine to sprint across the beach. The dozens of arms now behaved like arachnid legs and the main body dangled uselessly in the center, almost like the host of an extremely creepy parasite.


    The Eye of the Storm tried one last cannon barrage, but the monster¡¯s momentum wouldn¡¯t be stopped.


    With a crash that came prematurely, The Fearless slammed into the flank of the monster, flaming battering ram lit, shooting fire across the surface of the shallow ocean. The pirate crew on board immediately started hacking at the limbs of the monster while they shoved it off its trajectory, sparing the flagship from an attack. The center mass of the monster was pinned under the hull of the corvette, dragging it along the bottom until it was pinned between underwater coral rock and the keel of the ship, a hundred yards into the shallow reef.


    The legs of the monster found purchase on the ship and started ripping through the ghostly wood, shearing planks off the sides and tossing them away or thrashing the hull with frenzied attacks. After the boss had been pinned, the ship was torn apart in a matter of seconds.


    The Siege Boss rose out of the water on far too many remaining legs while the debris from The Fearless dissipated into mana smoke. The main body hung from the center limply, dripping water and black ichor from dozens of wounds while the effigy started making its way back toward The Eye of the Storm. It moved at a slightly slower pace with its reduced legs seeming lethargic. The flagship remained in the shallow water, using its oars to rotate where it would have run aground if not for its spectral properties.


    The monster barely managed to lunge forward before Coop¡¯s spear slammed into the main body, tearing straight through one of the dangling legs of the Construct. Coop mistjumped to the still flying spear, catching it in the air and swapping to his glaive to cleave another of the effigy¡¯s limbs as he flew past the rear legs.


    A massive purple tentacle wrapped itself around one of the many other legs, ensnaring the boss as Kayla cast her spells from the bow of her ship. The boss tugged at the offending conjuration before it adjusted its strategy.


    The monster paused and directed another affliction at Coop. ¡°You will perish.¡± It whispered into Coop¡¯s mind. Coop couldn¡¯t avoid the miasmic pulse that passed through him before he landed in the shallow water.


    [You are afflicted by Pronouncement: Demise]


    Coop winced as he splashed into the water and prepared to continue his attack. The world lost its color, but he hadn¡¯t mistjumped. He checked his debuffs and found Impending Doom. It lacked any description at all. Each one of the afflictions had been ominous with descriptions that implied finality. Now, he felt it. An anvil sat on his heart and he struggled to take a steady breath. He figured it was about time one of them managed to land. Throughout the entire assimilation, it seemed like only physically applied afflictions ever made it past his magic defenses.


    The Siege Boss sluggishly rotated in place, stretching its trapped leg in order to keep after Coop, who had become equally sluggish. The shallow water further limited Coop¡¯s mobility, but it seemed like the boss was struggling even more than he would without this affliction, especially if his allies were able to continue adding their support.


    The Siege Boss appeared to be rapidly weakening and Coop was surprised by how much its condition had already deteriorated. Coop sensed how much danger the Siege Boss was in and with bleeding eyes, he grinned a bloody smile as his gums leaked crimson. He was at full health and mana, despite whatever was happening, and he wasn¡¯t dead yet. He couldn¡¯t hear anything but the ringing of his ears as it gradually got louder, and the edges of his vision closed in like he was being engulfed in darkness. But, he knew they would win.


    Coop swept his glaive above his head, meeting a sword shaped limb as it followed him along the surface of the water. He jumped backwards, out of the way of the hammer limb, and prepared to retaliate, but he was beaten to the punch.


    Camila practically ran on top of the water before she rammed the stretched limb that was still held in place by Kayla, applying her momentum into a generating pulverizing blow that cleanly severed the limb from the effigy at its base. The boss had been tethered by the limb, but it stumbled forward once it was released, not expecting the loss of resistance.


    Coop swapped to his morning star and mustered all of his strength to bash the still planted hammer limb while the rest of the limbs tried to secure the bulk of the monster. When the weapon connected, the monster¡¯s limb flew in a full rotation around the effigy and the boss staggered while it strove to maintain its balance while adjusting its other legs.


    A gust of wind unexpectedly pressed down on the area with enough force to push all of the water out of the way, exposing the wet sand bottom to the open air and drying it out. Coop¡¯s knees almost gave underneath the pressure, but the already off balanced monster was flattened against the sand. The wind ceased as abruptly as it had begun.


    The remaining phantoms descended on the prone monster, wielding their teleports and unleashing a flurry of attacks while the opportunity presented itself. The boss was vulnerable.


    ¡°Coop.¡± A distant sounding voice spoke from behind. He spun around and Olani stood, leaning on her gnarled driftwood staff in the shallow water. ¡°Hold still.¡± She stated simply as she plunged a bone dagger into his heart.


    He sucked in air and stifled a cough as he almost choked on his own blood. The Elder pulled out the sharpened rib bone, now covered in sizzling black ichor and tossed it into the air, over her shoulder. A vulture made of bones appeared, and chomped it down. Olani drew an orange rune over Coop¡¯s wound and pushed it forward, into his chest, where it absorbed into his skin and sealed the gap between his ribs.


    ¡°You better hurry it up.¡± She warned him as the colors of the world returned to his vision as blinked away unsummoned tears. ¡°Long cooldown on Dirge Eater.¡± She explained as she applied another glowing rune that buffed his stats. She tapped her staff on the ground and a group of wolf-sized runed spiders climbed out of the sand and leapt toward the boss, latching onto a stationary limb and biting, while she retreated away from the fray.


    Coop spun back around, no longer bleeding, but feeling like he just recovered from a very long sickness. He took a deep breath that swept away the rest of the brain fog that had been engulfing his senses.


    The Siege Boss was recovering from the wind blast that had temporarily stunned it and was beginning to retaliate against the phantoms from the ground. The effigy¡¯s limbs simultaneously attacked in every direction, but the phantoms had retreated as soon as the monster stirred. Coop moved in and had to hurdle over flailing limbs like he was jumping rope, but he noted that the monster had become even slower.


    All three Cleary brothers took turns punching the shield limb as it slid across the sand and the lower part of the limb erupted as the Warbusters combined their armor countering attack on the most armored part of the Siege Boss. One of the other limbs split in half when an invisible blade sharp enough to cut the air itself bisected the arm. Coop recognized Jett¡¯s most casual default claw attack, but he also noted that the black ichor didn¡¯t spray out of the amputated wound. It appeared to have coagulated while still inside the boss¡¯s limbs.


    Coop took advantage of the gap in the monster¡¯s flailing, created by Jett and the Cleary brothers, and pounced toward the main body. He silently gritted his teeth as he slammed his morning star straight down with an overhead strike that crushed the main body¡¯s head. There was no flash of a level, so he continued to savagely pulverize the body with a rapid series of rhythmic thumps as the morning star made craters in the sand beneath the boss.


    ¡°Damn Siege Bosses won¡¯t die quick.¡± He muttered through gritted teeth, one word between each slam.


    Once the effigy¡¯s base had been dismantled underneath Coop¡¯s pummeling, the boss¡¯s flailing limbs finally gave up and the defenders finally received their levels.


    As the Siege Boss dissolved back into mana, Coop watched as hundreds of sea urchins were left behind from where their spines had been embedded in the limbs and body of the boss. Coop looked at his fingers, tightly gripping the shaft of his ethereal morning star, a bit surprised to still be standing. He took a moment to wipe the blood from his face, rinsing with seawater while his strength seeped out of him.


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    He started to carefully walk back toward the beach to join the celebrating defenders, feeling the accumulated exhaustion like a ton of bricks, as they cheered and hugged each other in relief, finally rid of the incessant timers that had haunted them for three weeks. But before he joined his companions, a beam shot through the top of the mana dome with an audible cracking sound, at what Coop had to assume was the speed of light.


    The red mana dome that had been the standard background throughout the siege shattered and peeled away, deafening the residents with the roar of miles of shattering glass. The beam engulfed the area that the boss had occupied with blue light.


    Coop raised a hand to protect his eyes as the beam expanded with the same velocity that it had arrived with, swallowing him, the defenders, the fort, and the rest of the settlement¡¯s territory until they were inside another mana dome. The former red color had become so ubiquitous that the new blue color was jarring. It was like being transported to an alien mirror dimension.


    As the beam flooded the island, Coop¡¯s ethereal weapon and armor dissipated. His lingering Fog of War was cut off and Presence of Mind ceased feeding him information. When he checked his allies, they were all bewildered, though he noted that Madison and Charlie had both passed out, along with a handful of others. Coop checked his status.


    [Sta#~s¡­


    ¡°Status is gone?¡± Coop frowned, trying to understand what was happening, perking up as the adrenaline came shooting back through his veins.


    He couldn¡¯t check his mana, but he knew that it was completely drained despite being full after the defeat of the Siege Boss. It seemed like all of his active skills were disabled. However, as he clenched his fist and flexed his forearm, he was sure that his stats remained. It was like having the Empire¡¯s prison collar snapped around his neck again, but the sensation was far more all-encompassing.


    They¡¯d come too far to back down now. If another phase was starting, he¡¯d start swinging first.


    ¡°Enough is enough.¡± He complained.


    Another entity started to take shape above the craters that Coop had formed while he smashed the previous Siege Boss. Coop watched as a humanoid formed piece by piece from the tiniest building blocks. It was almost like watching the reverse of a monster dissipating into mana smoke, or maybe it was more like one of the service buildings constructing itself, from the ground up, out of thin air. He¡¯d never seen a monster spawn, so it was possible they always came into existence in a similar way. He wondered if the same had happened with the black stake.


    While the being solidified, Coop took careful note of the details. He couldn¡¯t use his aura to inspect it, so he looked for weapons, weaknesses, and any clue that might help defeat it. Contrary to the mannequin-like Constructs, if he hadn¡¯t watched this individual materialize from mana, he wouldn¡¯t be able to distinguish them from a human. An intensely beautiful human at that.


    Golden hair floated in an extremely long ponytail. The ends of her hair defied gravity and locks of hair framed her face with light as the strands shone under the setting sun. Her bangs were parted in the middle and gently brushed her jawline. A white blindfold completely covered her eyes, but tiny golden runes glowed along the top and bottom of the cloth with a calming pattern.


    Both of her arms were held demurely behind her back. She wore a blue wrap dress, hemmed with gold, that matched her hair and the runes on her blindfold. Sheer white cloth fluttered in the breeze behind her shoulders hinting at the shape of angel wings, though they were transparent enough for Coop to see it was an illusion created by the floating cloth. She had a thin gold belt that seemed to rest on her hips instead of holding her dress in place and gold bracers that covered her wrists. Blue cloth covered her hands, but not her manicured fingers, and her feet had the same blue cloth covers, but her toes and her heels were both exposed. She stood on top of the water, on the balls of her feet, without getting wet.


    Coop found himself absolutely enchanted, like he was in the presence of a goddess. He felt like he needed to be on his best behavior, like he needed to do whatever he was asked, like they weren¡¯t prepared to be in her presence. How could they receive a goddess and ever be prepared?


    Coop rushed forward, surging through the shallow water as he realized this could be dangerous. He never believed in gods or goddesses and this could easily be a manipulation designed to drop their guard. They had been caught unaware by surprises during previous waves, and he didn¡¯t want to fail now, when it seemed like they were at the finish line.


    The goddess smiled with her lips pressed together as he approached, revealing cute dimples. Her eyes were hidden behind the blindfold, but he could still tell the smile was genuine. He thought she expected his eager supplication and watched as her lips mouthed, ¡°Oh!¡± as he balled his fist and threw a running haymaker at her jaw with all of his prodigious Strength and Agility combined with frustration toward the system for putting them through so much.


    Her realization of his intentions came in the moment before his punch landed, but it was still enough time for her to raise a single finger, from behind her back, as if she would press it against his lips to shush him, but instead used it to block his fist.


    Coop¡¯s wrist ached from colliding with an immovable object.


    She scolded him like a misbehaving puppy with her finger still up. ¡°No!¡± Then she flicked him with her next finger.


    Coop flew backwards, a welt forming on his forehead, all the way back to the beach where the rest of the residents were watching in fearful awe. A blue mana bubble encased him while he flew and prevented him from moving any further beyond the shoreline.


    He looked back at the goddess, along with everyone else, waiting in intimidated anticipation to see what would come next. They were obviously completely at her mercy. She¡¯d completely dismantled him with two fingers when he had the element of surprise on his side.


    She shook her finger as if it hurt, then put it in her mouth like a little kid with a booboo. Coop held his breath. He was totally immobilized and all he could do was let his imagination run wild. If she was an enemy, they were as good as dead. If she wasn¡¯t an enemy, he might have just made her one by attacking first. All he could do was wait for the shoe to drop, trapped as he was inside of the mana bubble.


    After another moment, she strode across the surface of the water until she stood on the beach in front of the residents. She faced Coop, and even though he couldn¡¯t see her eyes, he felt her gaze boring into him. He stared back, waiting for his inevitable punishment.


    ¡°Hmph.¡± She looked away, dismissively.


    Coop finally exhaled. The goddess looked around the island, paying extra attention to the sky. It seemed like she could see things that no one else could.


    ¡°50 days? That can¡¯t be right.¡± She mumbled quietly to herself.


    She started inspecting the gathered crowd. No one moved a muscle, and Coop couldn¡¯t even if he wanted to. The goddess nodded approvingly when she looked over Camila and seemed impressed by Charlie and Madison though neither had regained consciousness after their mana was drained. Emmanuel stood protectively in front of both of his family members, appearing prepared to give Coop¡¯s method of attack another shot, with both fists clenched tightly enough to hear them creaking and the goddess let out a ¡°hmm¡± at him before she moved on. She pursed her lips when she came to Kayla, pet Jett affectionately, and gently patted Sunny on the head.


    She finally stopped in front of Gibson, Charlie¡¯s former neighbor. ¡°You. Ally of Genesis.¡± She addressed him in an authoritative tone. Gibson kept his eyes on his feet, but he stood up straight. Gibson was one of the few people who still had a faction in Ghost Reef and she had identified it when she selected him. ¡°Has it truly been 50 days since the assimilation began?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Gibson spoke clearly, though he was obviously nervous to the point of his knees trembling.


    ¡°And you defeated an Icon of Mana?¡± She asked with obvious disbelief.


    Gibson for his part looked up, unsure, then he looked right at Coop. The goddess followed his nervous look and faced Coop once again, then sighed. Coop couldn¡¯t even shrug inside his mana bubble.


    ¡°We defeated a Siege Boss, ma¡¯am.¡± Gibson answered, looking back down to his feet.


    ¡°Amazing¡­¡± The goddess mumbled, though everyone was staying quiet enough to hear a pin drop, so everyone still heard. ¡°What was the name of the Siege Boss?¡±


    ¡°Irrevocable Condemnation.¡± Gibson responded, doing a good job being the involuntary liaison.


    ¡°Truly?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    The golden haired goddess looked up at the sky where the beam had shattered the mana dome. ¡°I guess this is the right place in the end.¡± She stated dismissively. ¡°So few¡­ and this soon¡­¡± She mumbled.


    She walked away from Gibson and put some distance between herself and the crowd, apparently so she could address everyone. She ended up standing on top of the water again while they all waited with bated breath.


    The goddess cleared her throat in a very mortal-like manner. ¡°I don¡¯t have much time, and since my entrance was ruined¡­¡± She paused and made it clear she was glaring at Coop. ¡°I will have to skip the introduction and congratulations for an abridged explanation.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve come with two messages. A warning and a proposal.¡± She took a deep breath.


    She made it clear that it wasn¡¯t her pleasure to be the bearer of the messages. ¡°First, the warning¡­¡± She slowly turned her head as she faced each person individually making it clear the message was for each and every one of them. ¡°You will all die.¡±

 Chapter 97: The Proposal

    ¡°You will all die.¡± The goddess ominously declared as she scanned the onlookers from behind her runed blindfold.


    After a tense moment of silence that permeated the island, Coop laughed out loud. The shock of the whole situation threw him off kilter. His outburst earned another glare from the beautiful goddess as she clenched her jaw while her nostrils flared, but he wasn¡¯t the only one to react in a way she didn¡¯t expect. All of the pirates had immediately laughed as well, led by Captain Kayla¡¯s unabashed amusement at the sinister proclamation. Even the more disciplined phantoms from the army couldn¡¯t control their mirth.


    There weren¡¯t many people left in Ghost Reef after the siege event, but most of them were still ghosts that had already died previously. The phantoms, understandably, had a weird view on death. For the rest, immortality hadn¡¯t been anything but a passing fantasy a few months prior to the apocalypse, and after it became a real thing, dying seemed to have become even more likely instead of something they had grown beyond.


    The goddess looked like she felt left out of an inside joke, so Coop volunteered an idea while he remained suspended in the energy bubble. ¡°Maybe you should give us that introduction after all.¡±


    She looked up at the sky in exasperated contemplation before she said anything. ¡°I can only keep mana suspended for a short period, so I don¡¯t have time to follow the approved presentation.¡± She pursed her lips before making her decision. ¡°I¡¯ll use my own judgment, but don¡¯t blame me if your existence ends up consumed by the machine.¡±


    Coop would have shrugged if he could. ¡°Say what you need to say.¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯d find a vexatious planet.¡± She grumbled as she arrived at a verdict. She pulled a small red disc from the air with a flip of her fingers, like she was doing a magic trick. With a dismissive wave of her other hand, Coop fell out of the mana bubble and landed in the wet sand of the beach. She flung the disc to him with a flick of her wrist.


    She pointed at Coop. ¡°Take that and form a faction. Any territory controlled by the faction established by the Purification Chip will be free from the judgment of mana. It will push an update, just like when a settlement upgrade occurs. When a faction claims territory, a similar update is sent through the territory.¡±


    Coop looked at the object in the palm of his hand, eyes buried beneath furrowed brows. ¡°Huh?¡± He grunted. She¡¯d lost him when she directed him to form a faction.


    She ignored his confusion and pressed on. ¡°Mana is a weapon from the first iteration. By the second it was fundamental to the universe after bonding with all matter on a subatomic level. On this eleventh iteration, it is omnipresent. Its purpose was to limit threats to the creator species by crippling technological growth in potential rival civilizations and otherwise terraforming for their future benefit.¡±


    Coop glanced around with wide eyes as everyone that was conscious listened with rapt attention. He hoped they were understanding better than he was.


    The goddess continued. ¡°The assimilation period is a trial. If a planet is determined to have exceeded a certain threshold of technological advancement, mana will hijack the assimilation, bypassing the system restrictions to enact the Eradication Protocol. Sentient life will be cleansed, and the planet will be conserved for the creators. They are extinct, as far as we know, so in practice, that just means the assimilation will fail and the planet will be relegated to the uninhabited.¡±


    ¡°Cleansed¡­¡± Coop mumbled, not liking the sound of any of that.


    ¡°The presence of an Icon of Mana indicates you are already failing the assimilation. An Icon demands a high concentration of mana, and therefore, time. Mana is everywhere, but it takes time to activate, update, and accumulate. Normally, years would go by before an Icon arrived, then years more before it roused sufficient forces to make its move, so there is an opportunity for preparation.¡± She briefly paused as if contemplating this peculiar scenario herself. It was only day 50. ¡°However,¡± She resumed, ¡°once an Icon has spawned it has always been the first precursor for the Eradication Protocol. No Icon would spawn on a passing planet.¡± She stopped and looked at the sky again.


    They were all hushed as they waited for her to continue. There was no breeze and the waves of the ocean had ceased completely. Coop broke the silence. ¡°How would we resist mana itself? It¡¯s literally everywhere?¡± He trailed off under her withering attention, but he thought it was a valid question.


    The Avatar scowled at Coop from beneath her runed blindfold. ¡°I suppose you will use your fists.¡± She jeered, still upset by his audacity, before she reestablished her composure. She cleared her throat and answered for everyone else. ¡°Mana intends to preserve the planet for the creators. Much like a planetary sponsor, it will manifest conventional forces until it has accomplished its mission. You should have already seen one example for the process when the Icon appeared. As long as you are free from the judgment of mana, you will continue to have access to the system. Ensconce yourselves deep within purified territory and some of you might have a chance of survival.¡±


    Coop breathed a small sigh of relief since it sounded like his own mana wouldn¡¯t turn against him, though the Avatar wasn¡¯t exactly brimming with confidence in their chances. As for witnessing the process of the Icon forming, he had no idea what he had seen. He understood it took a lot of mana, though. The main difference being that normal monsters seemed to passively grow in power while the Icon had actively vacuumed up everything available. He supposed that the only conclusion to make was that the forces of mana would be stronger, not limited by the system.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Coop struggled to keep the fading conversation going like it was a bad date. ¡°Who are you?¡± He asked, deciding on a simple question among the many rattling around his exhausted head.


    She turned her attention back to Coop, smugly, like someone had finally asked a question she actually wanted to answer. ¡°Others have mythologized us with many names. Based on your contracts, you may have heard some already: The Great Golem, The Shared Nightmare, The Machine God, The Pale Lady. I am representing those who created the system to counter the oppression of mana. You may think of me as the Avatar of the System.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop wasn¡¯t as impressed as she had hoped. His brain was busy wrestling with the realization that mana and the system really were supposedly two different entities, one barely limiting the other.


    She tisked at Coop before she addressed everyone in the manner she attempted originally, regaining her air of authority. ¡°I have delivered your warning.¡± She pointed at the disc still in Coop¡¯s hand. ¡°That is your invitation. Establish your faction if you wish for any to live. Save what you can.¡±


    Coop squinted, realizing she was already concluding her presentation. ¡°What about you? You seem pretty strong and you¡¯re already here, think you can help us out with this eradication business?¡± Coop reached.


    Coop¡¯s overture induced a genuine laugh from the overbearing goddess. The sound was so pleasant he found himself charmed all over again despite his aching wrist and forehead. She responded with just one side of her mouth curled in a half smile. ¡°Unfortunately, I am out of time. It¡¯s possible we¡¯ll meet again¡­ If you survive.¡±


    The blue beam that had engulfed the island rapidly contracted until it was a narrow spotlight on their temporary visitor. The bright light drowned out the rest of the island, making it seem like she was alone in the center of a stage, surrounded by darkness.


    Then, with a burst of energy that knocked everyone off their feet, she disappeared. The mana dome collapsed with another shattering sound and a rush of air flooded over the island as the ocean breeze returned and the calm waves resumed.


    Coop looked at his hands, feeling woozy, and noted they were purple, the sand was blue, the sky was yellow, and he had a sense of severe vertigo that left him on his back with both arms out to keep his balance. It was a strangely familiar experience that reminded him of the day mana had arrived on Earth, or if the goddess was to be believed, the day that mana was activated. If this was a new beginning, he really hoped there wouldn¡¯t be more meteors.


    Coop stayed on the ground, lying on the beach sand, watching the sky until his vision gradually returned to normal. The clear blue was only interrupted by a steady procession of delicate clouds that stretched from east to west. The fluffy white forms leisurely drifted by, reflecting Coop¡¯s desire to take it easy for a while.


    He kept watching the sky while the residents and phantoms stirred, returning to their feet and chatting amongst themselves. The fact that the sky wasn¡¯t obscured by the red mana dome was such a massive relief to Coop, he refused to look away, smiling to himself for the moment. He took deep breaths through his nose, seriously considering a nap on the spot.


    His line of sight was interrupted when Marcus loomed over Coop, casting a shadow over his face and blocking his perspective of the clouds. ¡°You gonna get up?¡± His first advisor wondered, all business, even in the aftermath of the siege and a visit from a shockingly beautiful alien.


    Coop sighed as he sat up and leaned his arms on his knees. The phantoms were already heading back to the fort and the pirates followed Sharkbait to the Eye of the Storm, wading into the water where the galleon waited. Neither group seemed particularly bothered by the revelations that the alien goddess had left with them. No matter what happened, they were dedicated to Ghost Reef. However, the residents were all waiting for Coop.


    ¡°What?¡± He asked as he looked around.


    ¡°Mate, are you gonna do what she said? Make a faction and all that?¡± Derek spoke up, pointing at the disc in Coop¡¯s hand.


    Coop lifted it up to look at it closer. It really just looked like a minidisc, but the same red as the mana dome or from the mana that leaked from service buildings. He sent it to his spatial storage before he lost it and considered the question for a second.


    ¡°I mean, I think it has to be done based on what we just heard. I don¡¯t want to gamble with eradication if I don¡¯t need to.¡± Coop shrugged. ¡°But, do we believe what she said?¡± Coop stood up and wiped the sand off his elbows. No one responded right away.


    Derek volunteered his perspective. ¡°She was really hot, but that was a lot to take in.¡± More than one person nodded at both halves of his statement.


    The absurdity of the situation was overwhelming. He stretched his lower back before he faced the rest. ¡°I¡¯m just glad we all witnessed that together. I can¡¯t imagine trying to explain what happened to anyone else.¡± A few others seemed to agree. It would be hard to believe that an alien beamed in to explain what every other alien claimed was unknowable, then disappeared in a flash of light after giving such an ominous warning.


    Coop looked around as the various residents contemplated the situation. The passed out individuals were recovering while others quietly recapped the visitor¡¯s message to them, going through exactly what he was happy to avoid. Coop saw it as a good time to get everyone on the same page.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Arthur, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I believe this is well-beyond my pay grade.¡± The future intelligence advisor concluded without any hesitation. Coop shrugged, thinking that was fair enough.


    Coop turned to Shane, but one look told him all he needed to know. The field commander was out of his element once the battle was over.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Buck?¡± Coop asked, not seeing the big man right away. When the eldest Cleary brother stepped through the small crowd, Coop addressed him. ¡°What do you think about what that pretty lady said about mana? Plausible?¡±


    Buck rubbed his hand along his buzzed head while he answered. He put both of his huge palms up and shrugged as well. ¡°It makes as much sense as anything else. I mean, magic or not, it¡¯s all a mystery to us, isn¡¯t it? We don¡¯t really have the ability to test it.¡± He gestured to the older man that helped test the cannons before the siege began. ¡°The Professor might have something to add.¡±


    The older man cleared his throat, sounding just like a teacher from a university that was waiting for his turn. ¡°Clarke¡¯s third law states: ¡®Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.¡¯ I believe this is the best real life example there has ever been. The young man is correct about our current ability to experiment. I think it would be better to concentrate on the credibility of the speaker, rather than the plausibility of her words.¡±


    Coop nodded, ¡°It is what it is.¡± He concluded, seeing the wisdom in the professor¡¯s perspective. Looking back up at the sky, he considered the circumstances of their little visit and considered how that impacted the Avatar¡¯s credibility.


    Earth was supposed to be encased in a mana shield that prevented factions from interacting with the planet during its assimilation. Coop¡¯s own research in the library had revealed that the aliens basically only saw leaderboards on the outside. And yet, someone appeared to have breached the containment in order to deliver a message.


    ¡°I wonder if she¡¯ll show up again if we find another Siege Boss to kill.¡± Derek murmured, though knowing the Virtuoso, it was just because he wanted another look, rather than more answers.


    ¡°An Icon.¡± Coop corrected, but Derek had given him an idea. The Avatar seemed surprised to have arrived so early in the assimilation, and had even made Gibson clarify that it was an Icon of Mana that was defeated. She had specifically noted that mana never made a move until years had gone by. Coop thought they had defeated so many waves of monsters it released enough mana to simulate a planet much further along in the assimilation, and the Prime Construct¡¯s mana bomb had put them over the edge for an Icon to appear. Therefore, they should still have time to prepare. He wouldn¡¯t risk years, but a few days to let people mull things over wouldn¡¯t be a problem. They¡¯d earned a break, right?


    Coop took in the exhausted and stressed out faces around him. He wasn¡¯t the only one feeling mental fatigue from the siege event. ¡°First, we should all just take a vacation.¡± He decided. ¡°Once we¡¯re rested, we¡¯ll fix up the settlement and see about starting a faction. If anyone comes up with a good reason not to, let Marcus know.¡± Coop chuckled when Marcus looked exasperated at the surprise delegation.


    Once people took in the state of the fort¡¯s wall, they seemed to agree on taking a break first. The southern wall was a mess. Stones had been gouged out and destroyed, rubble filled some gaps while the breaches went straight through to the courtyard, the battlements were crushed, the moat collapsed, the wooden bridge was just a few splinters, the iron gate hung lopsided from one top hinge, and the dunes were scarred and cratered.


    ¡°If anyone has suggestions for faction names, give those to Marcus as well.¡± He smirked at his own delegation powers.


    Coop¡¯s concise plan was enough to break up the group. It seemed like any direction was enough for them at the moment. Coop flopped back down onto the sand, flat on his back and looked up at the darkening blue sky. Most of the residents headed back toward the fort, but a few sat with their feet in the water or underneath the surviving trees, leaning against the bare trunks for what little shade they offered. They were probably checking notifications, which Coop did as well.


    [You defeated Siege Boss: Prime Construct (Level 75)]


    [+91945 Basic Credits]


    [+11 Titanic Destruction Gem (Legendary)]


    [+4 Titanic Guardian Crystal (Legendary)]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Siege Boss: Irrevocable Condemnation (Level 75)]


    [+202441 Basic Credits]


    [+3 Voidstone (Legendary)]


    [+1 Effigy of Constructs (Trophy)]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Trophy Hunter (4/5)]


    [You have acquired a new title!]


    As the notifications floated across his vision against the clouds in the sky, Coop took his time checking them line by line. There weren¡¯t any timers rushing him along and he savored the lack of pressure.


    First of all, the Prime Construct¡¯s defeat notification appeared, but he was missing all the rewards that he associated with mana, like quest progression and levels from the experience. Instead, he only received the scavenging rewards. The Icon of Mana really had stolen his kill, if only partially. Was that how it empowered itself?


    ¡°Weird mutant parasite.¡± Coop muttered at the clouds, recalling the effigy.


    Irrevocable Condemnation seemed to have had some significance for the Avatar of the System, so he¡¯d try to remember it. He briefly wondered if they would be seeing more Siege Bosses in the near future, but he had to assume they would be rare. Mana needed more time to ramp up the threats, no matter where they came from.


    Another three hundred thousand credits put his total to nearly 2.5 million. Hopefully, Madison wouldn¡¯t be mad about him putting her back to work since he would purchase a medical center with the accumulated funds right away. Afterwards, he¡¯d still have plenty to spend on other services, though he wasn¡¯t sure what they would need. Marcus already had the plans to manually build instead of being entirely reliant on the system¡¯s constructions.


    The Siege Boss dropped him three more legendary materials and the trophy that he needed for the optional portion of the settlement upgrade quest. He quickly checked the quest, since this time they were limited by 22 days of stability. The countdown began when he upgraded the settlement after defending it from Kevin the Hammer. Off the top of his head, that meant it had been 28 days. Unfortunately, it seemed like every day of the siege had been considered unstable, so there were nearly 14 days left: eight days before the event and none at all during the siege.


    ¡°Two weeks, then.¡± He confirmed to himself.


    He also needed to find and defeat one more boss, preferably a Field Boss, to complete his Trophy Hunter quest. There probably weren¡¯t any remaining within Ghost Reef¡¯s territory. If there were, they would have joined a wave like the others had, but he¡¯d keep an eye out for fresh arrivals. It was pretty annoying that the Prime Construct hadn¡¯t counted, but without its consumption, maybe the Icon wouldn¡¯t have appeared at all, and he still would have only received one boss to defeat.


    Moving on, four more class levels put him at level 96 for the Revenant and two more profession levels with Scavenging pushed to level 90. Another skill selection was already on the horizon, but he felt a tinge of frustration that his profession level had already started falling behind his class again. Those dumb Constructs coming themselves and not having any loot really undermined his dream of sneaky stats granted from an overleveled profession.


    Shaking his head, he assigned his unallocated points into Mind. It was the first time in many levels that he hadn¡¯t automatically assigned his points. The Avatar had disabled all of their statuses before he had the chance.


    Finally, he had received a new title, called Defiant. First, Coop checked what it was for and was extremely satisfied to see that it was granted for being ¡®The First Raid to Defeat a Siege Boss.¡¯ Another world first, and one that he was able to share with the current residents of Ghost Reef.


    The Defiant title bonus wasn¡¯t applied until he made a choice. Each of the attributes were represented as an option with a single word, though it didn¡¯t specify any further what they would add.


    [Strength - Potency]


    [Agility - Initiative]


    [Body - Durability]


    [Mind - Sustain]


    [Intelligence - Dominion]


    [Acumen - Wisdom]


    Coop¡¯s inclination was to select Mind, but that was just a force of habit. He took his time thinking about the options. Each choice appeared to reinforce an aspect of the corresponding attribute, so Coop had to consider what he was lacking. This would be a separate bonus from his Mind stacking, so he wasn¡¯t sure about doubling down. Rather, it was time to do one of two things; shift his focus to increasing his future firepower by enhancing his new path and Intelligence based skills, or shore up any weaknesses remaining in his foundation once and for all.


    Before he decided, he glanced at a few of the other residents that had lingered with him on the beach. Jonah, the waiter, was sitting with the elderly Dreadnought lady. She didn¡¯t look as old as she had at the start, and Jonah seemed more confident as well. Coop inspected the pair.


    [Human (Level 65)]


    [Dreadnought (Body)]


    [Unflinching]


    [Human (Level 53)]


    [Allflame Scion (Intelligence)]


    [(Defiant)]


    Everyone had insane progress. The residents got as many as 50 levels in 20 days and the phantoms were all level 75, which seemed to be their current maximum until the settlement upgraded. He¡¯d check all that later, for now he wanted to compare notes and see if he could glean the title bonuses before he made his choice.


    ¡°Hey, Jonah!¡± The young man looked up at Coop¡¯s voice and looked nervous. ¡°Did you make your title choice yet?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes! I picked Mind.¡± He admitted, like he was reporting himself to his boss.


    Edith, the Dreadnought, chimed in as well, ¡°I picked Strength.¡±


    ¡°What did they do?¡± Coop asked as others joined in to share.


    ¡°Mind increased the mana pool bonus of the Mind stat, which is perfect. Mana was a seriously limiting factor for us casters.¡±


    ¡°Strength increased the multiplier for any skills using the Strength stat in their calculations.¡± Edith added.


    Someone Coop didn¡¯t know explained his choice. ¡°Intelligence is like Strength, except instead of a damage multiplier, it¡¯s spell vigor. The Spells will be more robust.¡±


    Coop dismissed Strength as an option. He didn¡¯t have any skills that would utilize the Potency bonus. He also wasn¡¯t sure about Intelligence. He could see the utility if his Fog of War was still struggling against the ocean breeze when he conjured it, and even after he took Arcane Comprehension, he imagined that a more robust spell would have a reduced mana drain while he maintained it, but it wasn¡¯t the increase to firepower he was seeking when it came to Intelligence. He took another look at Mind. Knowing what 10,000 mana meant for Fog of War, he imagined what 20,000 mana would look like.


    ¡°How much mana do you have, Jonah?¡±


    ¡°1,200 after the bonus. I had around 1,000 before.¡±


    Coop thought that 20% was actually pretty huge, though it could also be a flat bonus at only 200 mana.


    His choice was drifting elsewhere, to one of his last weaknesses in his foundation. His magic defense was ridiculous and his physical defense was certainly great, but his lower durability relative to his own stats, let alone the boss¡¯s, had been exposed time and time again. Broken bones and torn muscles or ligaments limited him even more than his health pool, and here he thought he had an opportunity to improve that particular aspect of his build.


    Coop made his decision. He went with Body and gained the Durability bonus to his physical defense. He wouldn¡¯t need to turn himself into a zombie to get hardened bones.

 Chapter 98: Results

    Malsteron was internally celebrating the addition of another member to his personal colony. He was among the last of his species, though he wasn¡¯t an individual. His were a species of tubular worms that formed colonies that unified into an autonomous cooperative. Once, there were nearly a million of his ¡®people,¡¯ forming grand collectives that built a city on their home planet, but after their assimilation failed, only a handful of colonies remain in eternal exile.


    It was a dire situation, but it was better than most other eradication protocol survivors. At least each of his people represented hundreds of individuals. Other species weren¡¯t so lucky and were left with numbers too low to ever recover, and that was only if they avoided complete annihilation, a feat too rare to properly quantify.


    He continued his inner celebration, welcoming his new member when his team leader returned from her greetings protocol. The transfer room slowly stopped spinning as she reformed from the pocket of deactivated mana trapped within the cylinder. The clunking would need to be investigated and he assigned another member to make a note. It was yet another maintenance task on a list that always seemed to grow. Keeping the scraps together was a perpetual challenge.


    ¡°Welcome back, Lyriel.¡± One of his voices hailed while one of his other individuals saluted properly. ¡°How did it go?¡±


    ¡°Awful. Just awful.¡± Lyriel raised one of her fingers to display a minor injury to Malsteron, waving away a bit of excess steam that shouldn¡¯t have been in the ship with her other hand. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure if she needed medical attention, as he wasn¡¯t completely familiar with her biology, but he sincerely doubted it. Lyriel was at an extremely high level, among the pinnacle of the exiled and far beyond what Malsteron would ever achieve. As the lone survivor of her species she had to be exceptional to live at all.


    ¡°Did you break a nail? Does it not regrow?¡± Malsteron wondered, her mood was far worse than he expected and a negligible injury wouldn¡¯t be enough to explain her state. Based on the initial readings they had taken, Earth showed significant promise in aiding their cause, so he had expected her to be feeling hopeful.


    ¡°One of them attacked me! He even managed to deal damage!¡± Lyriel spluttered, obviously venting after forcing herself to maintain her dignity as was befitting the greetings protocol. However, dealing damage to her should have been far beyond the realm of possibilities from a new species in the midst of their assimilation. His people would say, ¡®an individual tooga couldn¡¯t hope to scratch the stars,¡¯ and that was especially true when the star was Lyriel.


    Malsteron¡¯s internal celebration was halted as several of his individuals double checked their preliminary data, gathered during the bidding process for new planets. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡± Multiple of his voices echoed simultaneously before he decided which should speak. ¡°The assimilation has barely begun. In fact, we¡¯ve never initiated the greetings protocol so early, so we should expect them to be far below the norm.¡±


    ¡°Look!¡± She held her pointer finger closer, showing a carefully manicured nail was indeed cracked along the edge with a slight bruise forming underneath.


    Another of Malsteron¡¯s individuals repeated themselves in shock, ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be possible¡­¡±


    ¡°How did this happen?¡± Malsteron wanted her to explain.


    ¡°As soon as I arrived on the planet, one of them assaulted me. Perhaps he hadn¡¯t let his bloodlust fade and mistook me for another Siege Boss. I used minimal contact to defend myself and avoid further misunderstandings, but the force of the blow exceeded three or four times the maximum expectations of even a hyper-Strength stacker at their stage.¡±


    Three of Malsteron¡¯s voices escaped. ¡°Impossible.¡± ¡°All readings were green.¡± ¡°Zero anomalies detected.¡±


    ¡°Was mana not properly dispersed? Perhaps it was an activated skill.¡± Malsteron contributed.


    ¡°I know how to do my job. It was just a fluke from a sub-100. There was a feline, a Sage of the Merciful, and a canine present, so I believe it was some kind of planetary elite group already forming.¡± Lyriel waved him off, but Malsteron was skeptical at any planet¡¯s ability to organize their absolute best into an elite group so rapidly after the disruption of an assimilation.


    ¡°Everything else was within expected parameters on my end. What about yours? Did you get everything through the slip?¡± Lyriel changed the subject.


    Malsteron gestured a positive acknowledgement and shifted so another individual could announce the findings that they collected through the tiny hole temporarily created in the planetary mana shield. It would have significantly more detail than the standard system public portfolio.


    ¡°Principal species: human, humankind, mankind, Earthling, 99% galactic midpoint, extreme class variability, extreme affinity variability, belligerence level 6, fractious global civilization, fractious-high development, limited space exploration.¡±


    Individuals within Malsteron instinctually vibrated uncomfortably at the insanity being described as if they could ward off the threat. The results greatly exceeded their preliminary readings. Space exploration alone was cause for a direct inquiry. There was more than one species within The Exiles that had been rescued from orbit while the rest of their species was eradicated by the protocol, but anything that qualified as extreme was also cause for further investigation. Even a global civilization would have been enough to dispatch their team. The vast majority of species joined the galactic community before establishing societies at all, being uplifted by mana and the system, and therefore, the expected level of development was ¡®none.¡¯


    His speaker continued, obviously aware that the surprises would keep coming and wanting to avoid distracted thoughts from the listeners. ¡°Abnormally high natural physical attributes of all planetary species caused by near post-mana default gravity and planet density. Planet Earth: extreme radiation, near ideal orbital consistency, near ideal axial rotation, extreme biosphere, extreme predation, extreme hydrosphere, extreme atmosphere, extreme weather, extreme climate, extreme geological activity, level 9 biodiversity.¡±


    Lyriel stared slack jawed at Malsteron while the report was presented, each extreme designation pushing the whole analysis further into the realm of insanity. Malsteron himself was having trouble processing his individuals¡¯ reactions. Distracted as he was by the splitting celebration, only the one individual that observed the instruments knew what kind of outlier they were dealing with.


    By all measures, Earth sounded like a planet where no life should exist for a dozen different reasons, and yet level 9 biodiversity indicated it was absolutely teeming with species. Population density predictions would be completely wrong. Malsteron¡¯s own planet had two species in total, including his own, and that qualified for level 2 biodiversity. Level 9 was an umbrella for an excessive number of species.


    Surviving even a single extreme qualification without mana activation was terribly rare and here was a planet with an extravagant number of survivors. The system¡¯s preliminary readings had failed to report any of these details or there would have been greater ripples throughout the galactic community.


    ¡°Assimilation population distribution is irrational with large groups extant in all extremes, regardless of civilization shard allocation. Total population estimates overheated the instruments. Best estimate was more than 20 quintillion from mana-qualified species before burnout¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, stop.¡± Lyriel interrupted Malsteron¡¯s speaker, ending the presentation, not believing survivors could remain outside of shard territory for any real period of time, nor the ridiculous population. ¡°The instruments need recalibration, we can¡¯t report this data, it is clearly erroneous.¡±


    ¡°We confirmed calibration after the previous greetings protocol concluded and followed standard 100-cycle maintenance.¡± Malsteron pointed out. ¡°Everything is as accurate as possible.¡±


    Lyriel observed the instruments herself, double checking his work. After verifying his words she seemed to be convinced.  ¡°How long until we arrive?¡±


    A different individual took over answering. ¡°We fell behind the activation wave when we had to hard bank to the new assimilation, the mana sails won¡¯t catch us back up. However, we can support several more transfers with current energy levels, and they will continue to charge in the wake of the wave as we chase the brink.¡±


    Lyriel nodded. ¡°Good enough. I¡¯ll write the report.¡±


    Malsteron fidgeted as he tried to find the correct words to ask how they would handle Earth. They were only equipped as a scouting vessel. If some humans had a chance of holding out against being designated anathema, their ship still wouldn¡¯t be able to evacuate the survivors. ¡°What are we going to do about the humans?¡± He finally asked, keeping it simple.


    ¡°The mission stays the same. We just have that many more opportunities for revenge.¡± Lyriel gave him a beautiful half smile that hardly masked the ugliness of her words.


    ¡ª


    Coop sat on the wet sand, letting the sparkling waves wash over his feet. They finally had a good view of the sunset without the red mana dome interfering with the light, or a wave of monsters threatening them with violence. Coop admired the view with a handful of other residents.


    He still had leaderboards to check, but he continued taking in his own status.


    [Status]


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    HP - 6800/6800


    MP - 7621/12600


    Class - Revenant (Level 96)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 90)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 50 (+1260)


    Agility - 50 (+630)


    Body - 50 (+630)


    Mind - 1260


    Intelligence - 50 (+1260)


    Acumen - 50


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion III, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper, Slayer III, Dauntless, Stacked, Defiant


    Skills (Active) - Retribution, Salvation, Presence of Mind, Fog of War


    Skills (Passive) - Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (10/50), Trophy Hunter (4/5), Defeat Ancient Devourers II (0/25), Defeat Primal Serpents II (4/25), Defeat Ruin Excavators IV (440/5000), Defeat Primal Kites III (0/250), Upgrade Village to Town


    Basic Credits - 2,573,509


    As far as he was concerned, he had three projects on his docket based on his status alone. First was to spend his credits, second was to clear some of his quests out, which would naturally lead to the third project of reaching level 100 and getting another skill choice. But, for now, he was on vacation.


    He checked the final event leaderboards, not expecting too many surprises.


    Siege Event Settlement Scores


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Ghost Reef - 27,861,867 (x48828125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Shinjuku Garden - 1,954,678 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Neon Park - 1,902,361 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Aotearoa New Zealand - 1,816,781 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Acre - 1,753,376 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Odense - 1,684,428 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Turnhal - 1,675,479 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">New Elega - 1,646,531 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Reyes - 1,577,582 (x125)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Loch Bridge - 1,508,634 (x125)</li>


    </ol>


    Of course, the top of the list was dominated by the settlements with the highest challenge ratings, meaning they had the most waves to accumulate points. Ghost Reef was uncatchable from the start, as long as they survived, based on their ridiculous rating.


    Coop thought the biggest shock was that none of the other settlements had defeated any field bosses. Scrolling through the list, he couldn¡¯t find a single settlement that had killed a boss, they all hovered around certain thresholds based on the number of waves. In fact, he was pretty sure that if any settlement had been victorious over a boss it would have jumped them up to second place.


    Coop knew there were Field Bosses out there, they had been forced to defeat several themselves and the first one he found was near Empress City. Either the Field Bosses had remained outside of the territory of settlements during the event and the three within Ghost Reef¡¯s limits were flukes, or every time a Field Boss joined a wave it resulted in the settlement being wiped out. He supposed both could be true, and that was a depressing reality. It seemed like culling the monsters and preventing a boss spawn within the settlement territory was a huge factor in other settlements¡¯ survival.


    There were only 277 settlements remaining. It was a harsh result and despite all the gains that Ghost Reef had appreciated, he still wasn¡¯t exactly looking forward to the next event. Empress City had sunk to rank 267, but they had survived, which was more than the majority of settlements could claim. It also seemed like most of the top ranked settlements had made it as well. They would have been able to fall back on the large populations that earned them their ranks in the first place and that would have combined with being less likely to have Field Bosses present with so many to cull monster populations.


    He moved on to the individual scores.


    Siege Event Individual Scores


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Coop - 2,001,081 (+1,257,238)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Charlie Seraphin - 763,913 (+363,869) </li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Shane Peters - 371,014 (+71,071)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">The Siren - 355,232 (+131,409)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Elder Olani - 301,642 (+70,878)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Camila Alvarez - 277,690 (+72,995)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Buck Cleary - 267,013 (+91,171)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Reese Maddock - 256,182 (+80,251)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Charon - 254,429 (+22,374)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Jett Black - 245,204 (+70,551)</li>


    </ol>


    Coop¡¯s score had really exploded during the last few waves. Part of it was certainly because they had lost so many people, leaving more responsibility on his shoulders, but that couldn¡¯t explain all of it. The Constructs must have been worth a particularly large amount of points, considering Charlie also had made a disproportionately large contribution.


    Scrolling down the list there was another twinge of anxiety for Coop. Instead of all 1,000 spots being dominated by members of Ghost Reef, there was a sharp drop off in score as they ran out of residents. It painted a dire picture of their population. Before, when there were more than 1,000 names, it was anyone¡¯s guess what the total population of Ghost Reef was, but now it was made clear that they had been severely diminished. It made Coop reconsider how much they had lost during the course of the event.


    For a moment, he felt like they had been exposed. Then again, his individual score exceeded every other settlement on the planet, and he wasn¡¯t alone. That should make most think twice about challenging Ghost Reef.


    Platinum was still the first name from outside, ranked in the 200s, even above many of the surviving Ghost Reef defenders. The second half of the list was almost completely unknown to Coop, presumably filled with names from successful settlements all over the world.


    Next, he checked the global leaderboards. He had ignored it in favor of the siege event scores, but now it was time to see the results of what all the factions touted as an opportunity to gain experience.


    Day 50


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Coop (Level 96)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Charlie Seraphin (Level 77)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Ashton Cliff (Level 72)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Cole Walker (Level 72)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Sila Tupua (Level 70)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Ix-Hau (Level 69)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Ateh Nawej (Level 68)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Ebai Ekowa (Level 68)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Tzultacaj (Level 68)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Turakina (Level 68)</li>


    </ol>


    Seeing his name firmly at the top was predictable, but still completely satisfying. Charlie at number two wasn¡¯t exactly a surprise, but Coop had expected Ghost Reef to dominate the top of the list after 11 waves of monsters fed them experience for 20 days. Instead, the list was almost unrecognizable.


    Coop¡¯s first observation was that none of the phantoms appeared on the list. He knew that every single one of them had reached level 75, where they capped out. If the Spectral Humans were included, then the list would look identical to the event¡¯s individual scores, with Ghost Reef taking over much of the top 500, and comfortably. The fact that they had started the assimilation as something other than human seemed to preclude them from the human leaderboard.


    Other than Ix-Hau and Tzultacaj, every name was brand new. Coop thought that was bizarre. The new names also seemed to be much higher level than they should be when he considered they would have had a maximum of three or maybe four waves during the same period. Perhaps they had opportunities to supplement their gains in between waves, but that would have been some pretty extreme grinding and none of the other familiar names had followed along. He would have expected some of the consistent top performers to keep up if it was simply a matter of making efficient gains during their downtime.


    Charlie had put a decent gap between herself and the rest, but it was much thinner than the difference in waves should have created. Coop lacked the imagination to envision classes that were more suitable to defending a siege than Charlie¡¯s, but could these other people have had classes that outshined the legendary Aeromancer in this particular arena? It seemed unlikely. To match up with Charlie¡¯s progress with basically a quarter of the opportunity sounded absurd.


    No matter how Coop worked through it, 40 levels from three waves and maybe a week of free days felt impossible. Even if they fought each wave completely solo, he didn¡¯t think the experience was there. They didn¡¯t even have Field Bosses to fight and they were a big chunk of experience for the Ghost Reef defenders, awarding multiple levels each time one was defeated.


    Not to mention none of the new names were in the top 1,000 of the individual event scores. These people must have been gaining experience outside of the settlement event completely. They might not have participated in the event at all.


    Coop watched the horizon as he worked through the puzzle. The last gasp of the sunset reflected off the edge of their local mana well, the Coral Forest, and Coop recognized that there were still unexplored opportunities nearby. But, who were these people that could be strong enough to thrive outside of settlement territory for such a long period. Were they wily survivors, forced to scrape by without civilization shards? Or were they the final group of Chosen, sent back by their factions at the last minute with as many advantages as they could be given?


    The settlement events were touted as easy experience by the factions, but they were looking at it from a different perspective than Coop. They correctly recognized that it was a good chance for weaker individuals to hide behind walls and stronger defenders to gain experience with minimal risk. That was what Jones¡¯s faction had preached and encouraged him to practice. There was certainly wisdom in that strategy when it came to raw numbers of Chosen.


    The difference for Ghost Reef was that they had a tiny population compared to what was anticipated by the system, the factions, and everyone else. No one had an easy time here, but he imagined how different the situation would have been if they had hundreds of thousands of residents. The waves would have been easy experience delivered right to their door.


    The event was an excellent opportunity for people in well-defended settlements to gain free levels, but they would have reached a ceiling pretty quickly. Coop thought, based on their experience with each wave, that three waves could have yielded around 10 levels to a reasonably motivated defender. The new names at the top of the leaderboard, including Charlie, had gained closer to 40 levels, and that would explain the shakeup he was observing.


    Coop thought he¡¯d add a fourth priority project in exploring the mana well as he wiped the sand off his butt and headed back to the lighthouse to shower and sleep. The sun had barely gone down, but he planned to sleep at least 15 hours.


    He was amused that the lighthouse had been spared by the waves of monsters. Other than a few minor scrapes on the exterior from incidental contact, it was totally unharmed. Before he went up through the threshold he looked across the island back toward the fort.


    Despite the destruction, what was left of the old stone structure still appeared sturdy, and even from a distance he could see phantoms shifting rubble and clearing the ramparts to return to their duties. Ghost Reef would only get stronger from here, he was sure of it.

 Chapter 99: New Year - New Coop

    Coop woke up late in the morning. His first sleep-addled thoughts went to the start of the new year. He¡¯d have to let someone more qualified decide how to categorize the first year after mana, but he figured it would represent the start of a new calendar era at the very least. What better way was there to start such a momentous period other than sleeping in?


    ¡°Mmm...¡± He hummed in comfort.


    He was cocooned within his blankets, warm and cozy, but he had already slept so much that falling back asleep would be impossible, no matter how comfortable he was. Thanks to mana, he was feeling better than ever, despite the gauntlet of fighting the settlement completed the day before.


    He rolled a few times to free himself from the wrapped covers, then spun to put his feet down over the side of the bed. The old wooden floor was smooth to the touch and slightly cooler than the air in the lighthouse. He scrunched his toes on the wood grain as he stretched his neck, first up toward the similarly aged wooden ceiling, then to the left, and finally to the right with a sigh escaping his lips.


    Jett was sleeping on the edge of the mattress, blissfully sprawled on her side. Coop leaned over and stroked her shiny black fur for a few minutes, indulging himself in taking his time, lazily waking up without the incessant timers ticking away in his peripheral vision. Jett¡¯s coat had grown even softer after mana activated. She purred in her sleep while Coop ran the tips of his fingers through her fur.


    The thoughts of mana roused his sleepy mind a bit more. Knowing slightly more about what mana actually was didn¡¯t really change how Coop considered the overall situation. As far as he was concerned, it was still magic, but maybe he¡¯d be able to make some small adjustments when he activated his skills. He knew he was probably deluding himself, but it was worth trying to take advantage of the expanded knowledge that had been bestowed upon them. He didn¡¯t think trying something new would cause any harm, and if anything, just consciously practicing with Presence of Mind would be worthwhile.


    As he rubbed Jett¡¯s cheeks and stroked her back, Coop activated Presence of Mind to inspect her aura. Instead of brute forcing his imaginary bubble to engulf her aura like he had in the past, he deliberately pushed his own aura forward. He imagined a chain reaction, physically passing along his purpose like a microscopic game of telephone.


    If the one that called herself the Avatar of the System was to be believed, mana wasn¡¯t an unknowable, mysterious entity that simply existed, but something that was piggybacking on all matter while gatekeeping the established rules of reality. Basically, it really was still magic, but it meant they might not need to throw away the accumulation of human knowledge to adapt to their new world. There was no sense in starting from scratch if they didn¡¯t need to.


    Coop envisioned magic as the caster¡¯s intent being passed along and mana making it happen, as long as it was within accepted parameters established by the system. It wouldn¡¯t explain all of the phenomena they had experienced since the assimilation began, but it helped Coop visualize some of the limitations. He wasn¡¯t trying to solve the mysteries of the universe, just wrap his own head around the situation in a way that would help him progress.


    Coop¡¯s working theory was that the system operated as an interface that allowed them to partially manage the mana around and within them, and affinities were the language each individual used to communicate with the ever-present mana. The system afforded some level of control over mana, even if the system and mana really weren¡¯t parts of the same whole. He couldn¡¯t start a fire at his fingertips, even if he understood the physics of how it would work and put his effort into compelling mana to make it happen, but if he had a skill through the system that started a fire, he could summon it at will. The language he used to interface with mana was the limiting factor.


    In any case, he looked at Jett¡¯s aura, practicing his mana control through a new lens of rather basic comprehension. The cat¡¯s information came to him much like it had before. Maybe it took a bit less effort, but any differences were more likely caused by his imagination than an actual improvement.


    [Awakened Cat (Level 87)]


    [Sentinel of Shadows (Agility)]


    [Venerated of the Blessed Mau Collective]


    [Sharp, Dark, Silent (Essence of Umbra)]


    ¡°Hm? Wow¡­¡± Coop muttered as he took in Jett¡¯s updated aura.


    He hadn¡¯t expected Jett to progress through that many levels since she had a tendency to come and go as she pleased. Charlie benefited from massive area abilities and she had diligently defended through every wave, but even she hadn¡¯t been able to catch up with the settlement¡¯s resident cat. Jett¡¯s aura was slightly different as well, highlighting ¡®Essence of Umbra¡¯ instead of ¡®Slayer.¡¯ It seemed to correlate with her growing darkness powers.


    Coop gently stroked her fur a few more times before the tip of her tail started flicking back and forth, so he took that as a sign and left her alone. On his way to the stairs, he stretched his arms and his lower back, and fully woke up. He had a few important things to get done: cure Jones, resummon the phantoms, and research factions. Then, he could focus on progression for himself and the development of the settlement as a whole.


    He ignored the mostly empty kitchen and unused dining floor, skipping down the steps to the bottom of the lighthouse. As soon as he made it to the last step, into the living area, Sunny started bouncing on his front paws and shoving his wet nose against Coop. Apparently, the retriever was impatient for Coop to start his day.


    ¡°Alright, Sunny, let¡¯s get going.¡± Coop scratched him behind his ears and patted his back while inspecting his aura as they exited the lighthouse.


    [Dog (Level 53)]


    [Herald of Dawn (Mind)]


    [Adopted of the Pack]


    [Bright, Blazing (Good Boy)]


    It was an impressive showing from the newest resident treat seeker. Sunny gained as many levels as Coop or Charlie during the siege, though he had a much lower starting point. The retriever had done an excellent job and Coop made sure the dog knew it with affectionate pats.


    The glorious tropical sun greeted them both as they stepped through the threshold and down the exterior steps. Coop took a deep breath, tasting the salt in the fresh air and stepped onto the fine white sand. The island was free of the ominous red tint and revealed itself to be a beautiful, but scarred, paradise under the radiant daylight.


    The trail that led straight north, to the fort¡¯s entrance, was completely gone. It had been trampled by hundreds of thousands of monsters to the point that it couldn¡¯t be distinguished from the beach sand and flattened dunes. Craters pockmarked the island. The southern end of the island was at least mostly spared from the consequences of direct battle. It lacked the craters and gouges they would find inside and around the fort, but even it had massive indentations and deep holes from the Prime Construct¡¯s attacks and general bulk.


    Thankfully, the lighthouse hadn¡¯t been the focus of any of the invaders. He glanced up at the light to see if he could spot the spectral relic, but in the light of day it was impossible to notice the subtle green glow, even when Coop knew it was there.


    He did notice a gray cockatiel with a yellow head perched on the tip of the lighthouse, looking a bit like a weathervane. Coop was puzzled for a moment, since cockatiels weren¡¯t a native resident to Ghost Reef. Maybe it was someone¡¯s escaped pet. The small parrot flew off while Coop considered trying to capture it. Coop looked at Sunny, but the dog just stared back at him, tongue hanging from the side of his mouth, silently urging him to get going.


    As he and Sunny started their leisurely stroll across the island, they watched as a blurred trail of mana smoke connected the idle Ancient Defenders one by one. The monsters still meandered along what were once dunes and were now a mess, retaking most of the previous battlefield for their spawn grounds. Each Defender along the entire route disappeared into mana smoke as they were smashed by a rushing attacker.


    At the last Defender, Camila ceased her blitz and waved at Coop and Sunny before she jogged across the sand to meet them.


    ¡°Morning!¡± She greeted as she kneeled in front of Sunny and gave his cheeks a good scratch while she caught her breath. She dripped in sweat that she wiped away from her forehead with the back of her hand before she looked up at Coop. ¡°Late start, huh?¡±


    Coop shrugged and smiled, ¡°I¡¯m on vacation.¡± He claimed as his excuse.


    ¡°We all are.¡± Camila agreed as she stood up and pushed loose strands of hair that escaped her ponytail behind her ears. ¡°But not all of us can relax. I need to catch up to Charlie. Then, you¡¯re next.¡± She smiled as she challenged him, punctuated with a finger against his chest.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like you have a healthy work life balance.¡± Coop joked. ¡°Vacation is when you should be relaxing.¡±


    She crossed her arms. ¡°You¡¯re just worried that I¡¯ll catch up if you slack off too much.¡±


    Coop sighed with false weariness. ¡°Guess I better get back to the grind after all.¡± Of course he was going to do that anyway. ¡°Don¡¯t work too hard.¡± He warned her.


    ¡°You wish.¡± Camila waved him off and went to take a break. Coop inspected her aura, continuing to practice with Presence of Mind.


    [Human (Level 67)]


    [Interceptor (Agility)]


    [Kinetic (Defiant)]


    Camila was a full 10 levels behind Charlie now, but that only put her one or two levels outside of the top of the leaderboard. Coop hadn¡¯t been able to see her affinity or any titles in the past, but he didn¡¯t think his new technique was the reason he uncovered them now. It was just his Mind stat steadily increasing at a pace that exceeded her aura defense.


    She took her breather in the shade of the lighthouse while she waited for her cooldowns to come back up, so Coop and Sunny left her to the grind and continued toward the fort. As they went, he noticed that Camila had actually wiped out every Defender in a narrow strip down the island in one burst of momentum. She wasn¡¯t just waiting for her skills, but she had to wait for monsters on her track to respawn as well. Coop was a bit jealous at the efficiency, remembering how small his circuits had been when he optimized his own grind. He¡¯d put money on Camila being the next person to get a Slayer title based on her current strategy, assuming she didn¡¯t move on before she was done.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    While Coop and Sunny strolled along the beach, the impact of the previous weeks of fighting became increasingly obvious. The damage to the island was glaring, but Coop had some ideas for what they could do to fix it up. He¡¯d speak to Caisalya about expanding her gardening outside of the fort, and he¡¯d pitch in with some of his own efforts in restoring the island.


    He and Sunny had to step around some fallen palm trees that were scorched and half buried in sand before they approached the previous location of the crossroads in front of the fort. A group of pirates were hauling usable trees to help repair the newer sections of the dock and Coop made a quick detour to help them out with their burdens.


    At the dock, Charon greeted Coop with a nod as the Champion hauled a pair of downed palm trees, one on each shoulder, to one of the piers. They were heavy enough to force Coop into putting some effort into moving them, but he was carrying more than what two dozen pirates had been struggling to transport.


    Around the reef, phantom pirates were recovering damaged sailboats, intent on restoring as many as they could. After the siege, only The Eye of the Storm and Windchaser endured, the former thanks to the trap and sacrifice of The Fearless, and the latter due to lingering near the shard to the very end. Their efforts of mapping the region would be on hold for the time being while the settlement healed.


    Coop exchanged a few words with the various pirates as they worked to restore the sea wall.


    ¡°You guys alright?¡± Coop asked.


    ¡°All good, boss.¡± They gave him an easy response. When it came to morale, the pirates didn¡¯t seem particularly impacted by the events that had taken place. He thought it was a testament to the challenging lives they had lived in the past and their dedication to Ghost Reef.


    When Coop headed back to the trail, Charon walked with him for a moment.


    ¡°Champion¡­¡± Charon spoke to Coop¡¯s genuine surprise. He¡¯d assumed the man was mute, like Sharkbait, and that Kayla had a pattern going with her captains where she leveraged her charisma while doing all the talking, but here was one of her captains speaking on his own. The man spoke with a clear deep voice that jolted Coop to attention. He stopped and gave the previously silent man a chance to speak his mind.


    ¡°A captain without his ship is a wretched man¡­¡±


    When Charon didn¡¯t continue, letting his words linger in the breeze, Coop responded in an attempt to console the strange captain. ¡°I don¡¯t know if we would have succeeded without everyone¡¯s contributions, and you did more than most. We¡¯ll get you another ship, don¡¯t worry about that. If the system delivers, it might even be the exact same one.¡±


    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Charon nodded and returned to his silence. It seemed like the quiet captain just wanted reassurance that his place in the settlement would be restored. Charon headed back to the dock with a nod and Coop inspected the pirate captain before he was out of range.


    [Spectral Human (Level 75)]


    [Charon¡¯s Gaze (Intelligence)]


    [Phantom of Ghost Reef]


    [Collector]


    Like all the other phantoms, he was at level 75. They were capped by the level of the settlement, and Coop wouldn¡¯t be able to upgrade Ghost Reef for two more weeks. It was a quirk of the phantoms¡¯ existence, having their progress intertwined with the settlement and its Champion.


    Still, 75 was extremely high. Every phantom would be tied for third place if they were on the regular human leaderboards, and they would have an opportunity to explore other avenues of progressions while they were at the cap. For one, he knew many of them had already been working on professions during their downtime even before the siege.


    Coop returned to the crossroad with its tattered copse of trees. A few of the hardier palms actually survived, though they were scarred, charred, or bent, and all completely lacked palm fronds. The leaves had gone with the shrubs and grasses around the trunks of the trees, reduced to ashes and blown away in the wind.


    In the slim shade of the trunks, Shane and Arthur stood while the rest of their party kneeled around Sunny, the star of the show, as he received all of the pets. The Dragon Knight was vigorously scratching his ears while he squeezed his eyes shut and enjoyed the attention.


    Coop approached the party and addressed Shane, ¡°What¡¯s the occasion?¡±


    ¡°We were heading to the mana well. Arthur thought it was a good time to assess the monsters, before anyone else had the idea to head inside without a proper briefing.¡± Shane explained.


    Admittedly, Coop was someone that had the idea to head inside sooner than later. Instead, he agreed that it was a good idea to get some preliminary information first.


    ¡°We¡¯ll stick to the highest levels, where the monsters should be the weakest.¡± Arthur elaborated. ¡°According to the information we found in the library, the aliens refer to this type of well as a ¡®plunge,¡¯ a well where the core is sinking, meaning the densest mana should be at the bottom and monsters will be stratified accordingly.¡± Arthur gave an uncharacteristic gesture to show that he wasn¡¯t entirely sure. ¡°Given the revelations from the Lady Avatar, we can¡¯t entirely rely on the factions for information.¡± The man was obviously working on his own understanding, much like Coop.


    Coop offered the theory he was still articulating in the morning. ¡°I bet by mana density, they really mean something like compatibility. The mana that¡¯s already present being more¡­ let¡¯s say ¡®cooperative¡¯ with different affinities.¡±


    Shane just shook his head as Coop tried to make sense of things. ¡°It¡¯s all just magic to me.¡±


    Coop couldn¡¯t help but agree with him. He might just be confusing himself by trying to understand mana better, but he wasn¡¯t really in a rush to decipher everything.


    Arthur seemed to ponder Coop¡¯s thoughts before he spoke again. ¡°You¡¯re assuming all mana is bound to matter, but why couldn¡¯t there be free mana as well? It would be easier to understand concentrations of mana if it was referring to the free, pure mana that supposedly flows through the ley lines. Affinities might work as you said, but on already bound mana.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Coop scratched the back of his head.  ¡°That would make more sense wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Coop admitted. ¡°I think that would also explain the mana smoke from defeated enemies better. Like it¡¯s mana being unbound or something.¡±


    Arthur nodded. ¡°The factions might have their own limitations, but they have had a lot of time. There¡¯s certainly nuggets of truth buried within their explanations.¡± Coop accepted the wisdom of the future advisor. Coop had no reason to claim infallibility.


    They changed the subject to the settlement itself, relaying a report from Marcus. The fort wasn¡¯t in great shape, physically, but the residents were feeling combinations of relief, motivation, and hope. Arthur believed it was only a matter of time before they started pushing themselves to prepare for the next challenge. The siege event had been massively rewarding in terms of levels, and it was possible overconfidence could lead to dangerous situations, which is how they ended up prioritizing the mana well. In the meantime, the motivated residents could be integral for repairing the damage, which is what Marcus was concentrating on.


    Coop ended up breaking up the puppy petting party so they could get on with their task. He and Sunny watched them go from the limited shade under the trees and Coop used Presence of Mind to inspect the entire party.


    [Human (Level 66)]


    [Vitality Channeler (Acumen)]


    [Dynamism]


    [Human (Level 65)]


    [Bloodseeker (Agility)]


    [Human (Level 61)]


    [Dragon Knight (Body)]


    [Ancient (Defiant)]


    [Human (Level 57)]


    [Tomb Blade (Strength)]


    [(Defiant)]


    [Human (Level 59)]


    [Illusionist (Mind)]


    [Light (Defiant)]


    Coop was convinced that even the residents of Ghost Reef were beyond the curve of expected levels. Everyone had gained more than 30 levels in the last three weeks. More than a level a day was a pace that would have easily put them on the top of the leaderboards during the first month of the assimilation, when leveling was meant to be faster. Even now, it was impressive enough to push them all into the upper echelon of power among humans. If the settlement¡¯s population wasn¡¯t so low, the security of the settlement would be unquestionable.


    Coop and Sunny headed across the moat, using a newer sand and rock bridge that had formed some time during the last two waves. Sunny¡¯s ears perked up as the sounds of mournful weeping traveled on the breeze. They walked around the precariously leaning iron gate and found Marcus doing his best to console Balor as the stonemason sat on the ground and wailed in agony.


    Balor didn¡¯t even look up when Coop arrived, holding his face with both hands where he seemed to have collapsed next to a pile of stones that represented the entrance to the mess hall. The rubble contained the remains of the dining room where Jones started all of his infamous guided tours. It really was a shame, but the damage wasn¡¯t a total loss.


    Marcus seemed out of ideas for dealing with the miserable display, so Coop went straight to his first alien friend and tried to calm him down, kneeling next to him and patting him on his broad shoulder. ¡°Balor, don¡¯t worry man, we¡¯ll get things fixed up.¡±


    Balor finally looked up and stared at Coop with red rimmed eyes. ¡°How?! I lack the skill to recreate the physical handiwork and I don¡¯t have the ability to reconstruct such bricks. Any of my reconstructions will be completely different, relying on mana to exist, they will be scars on a magnificent work.¡± Balor¡¯s respect for the fort came from the fact that it was an enduring construction made completely without the aid of mana, something unheard of in the broader universe. Now that Earth had mana, he obviously thought such projects would be relegated to history.


    ¡°You can just use your expertise to supervise while someone else makes the bricks. I think it¡¯s more about the manual labor at this point anyway, right Marcus?¡± Coop glanced back up at his advisor.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been trying to say, we actually have multiple brickmakers among the phantoms who can lend their experience. A few of them are even from the same period that the fort was originally built, so we can make the repairs authentic.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we can make some upgrades?¡± Coop offered, seeing an opportunity to improve the fort with modern innovation, but Marcus was frantically gesturing to cut him off, waving his fingers across his neck back and forth.


    It was too late, Balor returned to his despair at losing so much of the fort, and imagining the impossibility of perfectly recreating it just made it worse. He only calmed down once Sunny interfered, licking the stonemason until Balor realized who he was being consoled by.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been planning on building some stuff ourselves, Balor, you should help out once we get started. I think you¡¯ll enjoy it.¡± Coop offered before he turned to his first advisor. It would at least show the stonemason that they weren¡¯t completely abandoning human innovation in favor of mana. ¡°When are we getting started?¡±


    ¡°Today we¡¯ll be starting on the cafe you suggested followed by the mana experimentation barn.¡± Marcus explained. Coop thought things were moving fast. He really expected everyone to be exhausted after the siege, but they were starting right away.


    ¡°Sounds good.¡± Coop approved. ¡°I¡¯m gonna see about getting the Merciful Medical Center. Do you need any credits?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already replaced the lost Fletcher and Bowyer. We are low on funds, since commerce was on hold, but I think we should be fine.¡± Marcus shared his evaluation. ¡°I¡¯ll keep on top of developing the settlement, you just do what you need to.¡±


    ¡°You got it.¡± Coop readily agreed. It was the beauty of delegation, though he couldn¡¯t completely deny the urge to be involved.


    Coop made to leave, but Sunny seemed concerned about the stonemason and wanted to stay, so Coop patted them both a few times to say goodbye and headed down the main street. Marcus went to organize the crew for their first construction project shortly afterwards.


    The civilization shard waited in the surprisingly undamaged town circle, still protected by Balor¡¯s low earthen barriers, erected before the first wave. Coop walked past the barriers and placed his hand on the shard to access the menus and a white beam of light shot into the sky. It exploded into sparkling fireworks that crackled in the air, drawing the attention of everyone around the fort as they stopped whatever they were doing to gawk at the unexpected festivities.


    Coop was so excited about finally getting fireworks, he didn¡¯t even care what it was for and gaped like a child. A system message announced the reason anyway, issuing a global message to everyone on the planet.


    [Settlement Event: Siege - Complete]


    [Temporary Leaderboards Finalized]


    [Settlement Winner - Ghost Reef]


    [Score - !Overflow Error! Output Exceeds Limit 15eF]


    [Individual Winner - Coop]


    [Score - 2,001,081]


    [Rewards - Distributed]

 Chapter 100: Siegebreaker

    ¡°Hah!¡± Coop laughed, feeling like his hope for some celebratory spectacle at each settlement milestone was finally fulfilled. It didn¡¯t matter that the burst of firework-esque magic was for the event instead. He admired the white sparkles as they drifted across the open sky and wondered why they didn¡¯t get a show like this before.


    ¡°Stingy system.¡± He muttered, but he couldn¡¯t hide his smile.


    While he was watching, bursts of light shone directly on each of the residents, matching the beam that initiated the fireworks as if it was being reflected back down. It was almost like they would all be abducted by a more classic interpretation of aliens, but instead they were all receiving rewards for their contributions in the siege.


    Coop was targeted by a pair of spotlights. One white light distributed his personal rewards, which triggered notifications as they arrived, and a second, glittering gold beam, placed the settlement reward in front of him so that he could reach out and take it.


    The settlement reward was another miniature disk, almost identical to the one the Avatar of the System gave him, except instead of red, this one was royal blue. His notifications, in a rare moment of helpfulness, explained that he had received a Faction Founding Chip. Coop extracted the Purification Chip from his spatial storage and held it in his other hand to compare side-by-side.


    He chuckled at the redundancy of having two of the things. Maybe it was easier to establish a faction than he thought, but he doubted it. The settlement must have earned something quite special after going through their tribulations, to the point that they broke the system¡¯s scoring.


    He wondered if he could use both to create two separate factions, or maybe combine them into a super faction. Was the Purification Chip even the real deal? What were the normal benefits of establishing a faction anyway?


    Coop paused and realized he didn¡¯t even know how to create the faction in the first place. The only information he had was that he needed to use the disk. He held back before he started playing with the items like toys, lest he accidentally apply them while he tried to figure them out. Shrugging, he shoved them both into his spatial storage for safekeeping.


    He decided he would research factions in the library himself. Now that he didn¡¯t have anything looming over his neck in the form of settlement events or threatening enemies, he could freely spend time pursuing such information, and he was excited to do it. Out of all the residents of Ghost Reef, he had been one of the most infrequent visitors to the library, but that would finally change.


    Establishing his own faction seemed like a big step, and it was slightly different from what his primary goals had been in establishing Ghost Reef and representing the factionless, but it wasn¡¯t completely in opposition. The idea of being factionless was really to better represent human interests in the face of the galactic community, without outside influence, but a human faction could easily fulfill that same role. They could unite and endure the Primal Constructs together, denying any of the invaders control over Earth and refusing to be subjugated by outside forces.


    If they really decided to start a faction themselves, the question would shift to which chip to use. Ultimately, it would come down to whether or not they believed what the Avatar of the System had to say. Coop felt like she had tried to manipulate them into respecting her from the start, which was why he attacked to try and break the spell. Admittedly, he couldn¡¯t be sure that his intuition was correct, but the fact that Mind was his primary stat meant he should be more sensitive to such machinations compared to any of his companions. He was suspicious of her for some reason, and now that he had a second, real faction chip, he felt like they had a nice backup plan.


    That left the consideration of the Avatar¡¯s words; that they were facing the judgment of mana, and failing. Coop didn¡¯t like the sound of an eradication protocol, and no matter what the details were, it sounded like something they would need to prepare for. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to ignore the stranger¡¯s words, even if Coop wasn¡¯t sure if they came from a trustworthy source.


    He¡¯d give the rest of the residents an opportunity to give their two cents before he took the first step, but he knew where he stood. It didn¡¯t seem like they would be able to ignore the warning and it was too dire to take a chance. That meant they would use the Purification Chip first. He glanced at both chips inside his storage and moved on to checking the notifications for his personal rewards.


    [+1000000 Basic Credits]


    [You have acquired a new title!]


    Coop froze in surprise. He never expected the system to be so generous. Even if he was receiving the top reward, that was a real fortune. A million credits was a ridiculous amount, considering every other quest reward he had seen, though he¡¯d spend the entire sum right away on the Merciful Medical Center. Obviously, the settlement constructions were meant to be collective projects, but Coop had been able to fund them himself.


    He imagined what it would be like if he didn¡¯t have Scavenging combined with his habitual grinding feeding him additional credits. It would feel like he hit the lottery. This event may have been the only source of credits for many other people, depending on their professions. It was no wonder the factions touted the benefits of the events to their Chosen. Between the experience and the credits, it really was rewarding, even if it wasn¡¯t flashy.


    He checked the title, wondering if it was a participation trophy after the real reward came in the cash prize, not that he¡¯d complain. Every little bit counted.


    Siegebreaker - First Place during a Siege Event.


    Adds +10% to Selected Attribute.


    Coop selected Mind with his mouth wide open in shock. Forget about participation trophies, this was the gold medal. He tried to stay calm, but even the mere existence of percentage bonuses to attributes was a revelation. When combined with his build in particular, it was actually ridiculous. He was snowballing before, but this meant he could become utterly uncatchable. As long as he didn¡¯t hibernate for the rest of the assimilation, it would be a daunting challenge to match him in pure stats, and Coop wasn¡¯t sleepy.


    Coop calmed himself. He couldn¡¯t ignore the possibility of other ridiculous titles floating around out there, not to mention superior leveling strats, legendary classes, other absurd skill combinations, and equipment bonuses. Still, he¡¯d stick to his strategy of stacking stats, and now he knew there would be even more valuable tools to pursue. He was already looking forward to the next event. It was easy for him to ignore the struggles once he got his eyes on the prizes.


    ¡°Hey, Laurie!¡± He spotted someone to compare rewards with as Laurie strolled through the circle with her baby swaddled across her chest. She smiled with a wave and walked over. ¡°Did you get rewards too?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I sure did! Over 200,000 basic credits and a title that added a flat +150 bonus to an attribute of my choice.¡±


    Coop thought that was a huge bonus even if it wasn¡¯t a percentage boost. It certainly beat out a single Slayer title. ¡°What was your final ranking?¡± Coop queried curiously, trying to gauge reward brackets.


    ¡°387,¡± She grinned. ¡°Not bad for the level nine you found hiding away in her apartment, huh?¡±


    ¡°Not bad at all.¡± Coop agreed as he inspected her.


    [Human (Level 54)]


    [Enchanter (Intelligence)]


    [Arcane (Defiant)]


    If even the random citizens of Ghost Reef were this strong, they would have a good chance of making it through future hardships together. He congratulated Laurie on her impressive progress as she continued on her way, and flagged Madison and Emmanuel down as they exited the tavern. He inspected the pair as they approached.


    [Human (Level 64)]


    [Angel of Dawn (Mind)]


    [Sage of the Merciful]


    [Graceful (Lifegiver)]


    [Human (Level 62)]


    [Enforcer (Strength)]


    [Massive (Titan)]


    ¡°Mr. and Mrs. Seraphin,¡± Coop offered an overly polite greeting, knowing he was about to dump more work on Madison in particular. ¡°How were your rewards from the event?¡±


    Emmanuel grinned and responded first, ¡°We¡¯re rich! And we both got titles that apply +5% attributes! I¡¯m gonna need a calculator to keep the ratio the missus wants me to maintain.¡± He laughed knowing Madison was right there already shooting glances in his direction.


    Coop knew they were both in the top 25 overall, so they must have ended up with the highest tier rewards below his own. He suspected his title reward was unique, which was satisfying in its own right, though he wouldn¡¯t have minded if his allies all received a bigger boost.


    When Coop turned to Madison with a smile, she narrowed her eyes, suspicious of his extra polite demeanor. He waved for them to follow him to the shard without saying anything else, accessed the build menu, and spent one million credits to construct the Merciful Medical Center. It would be on the west side of the courtyard, across the street from the canal on the north side. It was much smaller than he expected, but how much treatment would immortals that can heal with magic actually need? He doubted it had many hospital beds.


    As the shining white and gold building formed he turned to Madison and smiled as soothingly as he could, which, apparently, wasn¡¯t good enough.


    She looked back at him bitterly, seeing right through him. ¡°You couldn¡¯t even let me have one day off? Not even one?¡± Coop was pretty sure she didn¡¯t mean it, at least not entirely.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Emmanuel laughed and spoke on her behalf, clarifying Coop¡¯s uncertainty. ¡°She won¡¯t admit it, but she¡¯s happiest when she¡¯s mending. She just likes playing around.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, why¡¯d you have to call it mending. That¡¯s so annoying¡± Madison griped, apparently still annoyed at taking a profession called Basic Mender.


    Coop nodded placatingly, not completely ¡®in¡¯ on their dynamic, before he tried to be encouraging. ¡°Me and Charlie would appreciate it if you helped Jones as soon as possible.¡± He said, appealing to her sense of empathy.


    Madison just nodded, knowing when to stop messing around. ¡°Alright,¡± She tied her hair back. ¡°Let¡¯s go check out the facilities.¡±


    They walked across the unfinished stone bridge and Coop eyed the hole in the center of the northern circle that the Excavators had created during their wave. If anything, the area was even more damaged than the battlefield in front of the fort. The Field Boss and the horde of Excavators had left some real destruction that would take proper repairs to clean up. Thankfully, one of Balor¡¯s laborers was already working on creating the street, whispering incantations and kneeling while leveling the ground with a sweeping motion of his hands.


    As they walked along the canal, the Merciful building completed the final touches of its construction. It wasn¡¯t nearly as large as the library, more comparable to the town hall. However, the library was a much simpler block of stone and glass when compared to the more complicated newest addition to the settlement.


    The hospital was a surprisingly modern looking building. Compared to the rest of the system buildings, it seemed like a better aesthetic fit for a major city¡¯s ritzy, only slightly medieval, downtown, with glass windows on the wings and ornamental flourishes on its peaks and corners. It was especially out of place when contrasted with the nearby fort¡¯s smashed up north western inner wall with the paw shaped crater in the ground.


    A white cylindrical building reflected the sunlight from the center of the facility. On each cardinal direction, extending from the central building, a two storey rectangular wing extended outward, forming an equal-armed cross. In between each wing were manicured courtyards with stone pavers, shaded benches, and elevated shrubbery. The southern hall terminated with an open lobby, like the front wall had been removed from a modern hotel entrance, leaving it unrestricted to the public.


    As they entered the premises, Coop¡¯s eyes were drawn to gold lighting beneath his feet. Lights were embedded in the floor along both sides of the hall, separating comfortable lobby seating on the edges from the central walkway. The lights created contrast between the shadowed white walled waiting areas with gold highlights that filtered through the spacious open air chamber.


    Each light was covered with partially translucent caps, filled with some motile liquid that cast complicated shifting shadows on the smoothly curved white ceiling. The patterns imitated movement, drawing his eye. He thought he saw a diorama of clouds rolling along above him, but when he looked directly, it transformed into sunlight filtering through a jungle canopy, then when he looked away again, it seemed more like flocks of birds taking flight. It was all quite operatic instead of the sterile atmosphere that a hospital would normally reinforce.


    Hopefully, the price hadn¡¯t been inflated to include luxury accommodations. He was primed to grumble after making the huge purchase if they didn¡¯t get what he paid for, which was specifically the ability to cure blood curses.


    At the end of the alcove, five aliens were waiting to greet them. One alien stood front and center, while the rest flanked them from a few steps behind, on either side. All five wore thin white clothes that had gold embroidery and were reminiscent of a traditional nun''s habit with a cape, but with no cap or veil. Instead of anything on their heads, they were all completely bald with their scalps as shiny as the gold highlights around the central building. They even lacked eyebrows. Coop had the slight impression that all five of them had reptilian facial structures, but they were still pleasant to look at in a sort androgynous way.


    Emmanuel and Coop let Madison lead the way, as she had transformed back into the all-business physician with a presence that demanded respect as soon as she entered the building. It was like a switch was flipped. Even Coop, who had no experience in a medical environment, seemed to instinctually realize she was in charge within the premises.


    The center alien dropped to one knee and the rest went down onto both. Then, while staring at Madison¡¯s shoes, he spoke with a light voice. ¡°Honored Sage, it is our pleasure to make your acquaintance. We are students of the third column.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, that¡¯s fine, you can all stand up.¡± Madison disregarded the reverence they tried to show. She pointed at the center alien. ¡°Would you please show me around the facilities? And could the rest of you prepare the ritual chamber for a blood curse procedure?¡± She made requests that didn¡¯t sound like questions at all.


    ¡°Of course, Honored Sage.¡± The aliens responded in unison without change in their expressions. Coop was just a little creeped out by the synchronization.


    Madison turned to Coop. ¡°I¡¯ll take it from here. Just know that setting up the ritual will take anywhere from a week to several, depending on the facilities and the curse.¡±


    ¡°But, it¡¯ll work?¡± Coop couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Madison confirmed. ¡°But, I¡¯ll need you there at the end.¡±


    ¡°No problem, do you need Caisalya to provide materials?¡± Coop readily agreed and wanted to help if he could.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already spoken to her and Olani. We¡¯ll coordinate everything before we begin.¡± Madison answered before she turned to Emmanuel, ¡°Honey, could you watch the door? Stay close in case I need you?¡± She asked sweetly.


    ¡°Yes, dear.¡± He agreed, happily. Coop looked over at Charlie¡¯s father and he just smiled back before leading the way to the threshold of the building. Madison followed the lead alien through a door that had been invisible within the back wall while the other four went through a separate passage that was equally concealed.


    Coop nodded to himself, that was one major task started. Coop said goodbye and left Emmanuel standing like a statue at the entrance of the hospital, obviously playing the role of bouncer, whether it was necessary or not.


    Coop headed back to the civilization shard, glad that they had accomplished a major goal on the way to healing Jones. Just like with the settlement upgrade, it was only a matter of time.


    At the shard, he accessed the army menu to return the phantom soldiers and pirates that had sacrificed themselves for the defense of the settlement. However, instead of a flashing button promoting reinforcements, he found the option was grayed out and inaccessible. The button itself had a gradient that was reminiscent of a loading bar. It didn¡¯t budge while he watched it and it was barely 10% completed. He frowned, disappointed. He checked the navy and found that summoning new ships to complete the Tempest fleet was also unavailable, despite the open dock space, though the bar was closer to full.


    The civilization shard claimed that the settlement needed to gather more mana. Coop crossed his arms as he considered what that would actually mean. Was there a way they could regenerate mana, or was it necessary to simply wait?


    Mana had never been a consideration when he accessed the shard to construct new buildings, but maybe he had never built enough to deplete some hidden reserve. He failed to come up with a reasonable explanation on his own, especially when he considered what the Avatar had told them about mana¡¯s omnipresence, though he recalled how she drained all of their mana upon her arrival and frowned. He also remembered that Balor mentioned the fort¡¯s mana reinforcement was tied to the civilization shard, so he wondered just how much pressure they had put on the settlement during the siege. The end result was the same whether he understood it or not. They had to wait for this as well.


    Instead of starting the welcome back party, he went to the tavern to grab brunch. He would put Marcus on finding more information regarding the settlement¡¯s mana. It seemed like something the town hall and clerk would be suited for investigating.


    Inside the tavern, he sat with Olani as she ate with her grandkids and Desmond served him something new. Apparently, the residents had been trying to get the devilish bartender to add some more familiar recipes, with slight twists. In this case, the experimental dish of the day was similar to french toast, but instead of sweet or sugary, it had a thin but savory gravy. And the bread was baby blue.


    ¡°Man, that¡¯s good.¡± Coop mumbled between bites to the amusement of the grandkids. They were clearly looking at Coop as some kind of role model and he wasn¡¯t entirely sure how he felt about it.


    As usual, Desmond¡¯s cooking was delicious, but Coop was beginning to suspect that cooking with mana involved was cheating. Though, he had to admit, experience was probably also a significant factor, even if most of it was from cooking for aliens without taste buds. Coop polished off his meal, tapped the counter to transfer some credits, said his goodbyes, and headed for the library.


    Shouts of ¡°No! Over there,¡± and ¡°Yes! Stack them on top!¡± drew Coop¡¯s attention as he passed through the tavern¡¯s doorway into the courtyard.


    On the other side of the town circle, Marcus and a combination of a few residents and a few dozen phantoms were hauling materials that had been contributed by the carpenter and the quarry. One of the residents was taking an executive position, standing on top of a pile of wood and directing the rest as they planned out the first non-system provided construction.


    Coop took a moment to interrupt Marcus. ¡°You need any more help?¡± Coop offered.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got it completely under control. Come on, you let Shane take care of the battle tactics, let me take care of the settlement.¡± Marcus insisted as one of the phantoms tripped over a stack of flat stones, dropping what he was carrying as he went down. Marcus shook his head before he continued. ¡°Mr. Fred Brown up there was an award winning architect before he retired. He¡¯s gonna be moonlighting as our foreman.¡± Marcus waved toward the shouting man and shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ll see how it goes. At least the designs should be nice.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Coop watched as the foreman struggled to get the phantoms organized. ¡°When you get a chance, could you look into how we can recover settlement mana? We can¡¯t accept reinforcements until we have more.¡±


    ¡°I already looked into some of the settlement resources. The shard just passively collects several different things, and I believe mana was one of them. There are service buildings we can construct that will yield more or increase the reserve capacity.¡± Marcus explained.


    ¡°Of course there are service buildings.¡± Coop sighed. ¡°In that case, could you track how much we recuperate over the course of a day. I¡¯d like to get some of those service buildings, especially if it¡¯s really slow.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing. I¡¯ll get on it this afternoon.¡± Marcus agreed, equally motivated to bring the phantoms back.


    That was good enough for Coop, so he left the makeshift construction crew to it. Before he left, Marcus elbowed him to get his attention and pointed out Balor, who was done pouting and was sneaking glances at the construction crew from the side of Vronk¡¯s bakery. Sunny sat facing the dwarf, giving Balor¡¯s slightly hidden spot away with a tail that waved in circles. Coop was glad the stonemason was showing interest. Coop left Marcus with a thumbs up and walked the opposite direction along the canal, toward the library.


    Properly utilizing the library had been a long time coming. As he passed through the tall glass doors, the cool air of the library felt refreshing. Only a handful of seats were taken by phantoms quietly browsing tablets in the first floor lounge areas. Coop made his way straight across the carpeted lobby to visit the head archivist, the lich, Abithik. Coop needed directions, but he also had been hanging onto a potential treasure for a long time.


    The skeletal lich greeted him politely. ¡°Congratulations on a miraculous defense, Champion.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, it looks like we¡¯ll be repairing for quite some time.¡± Coop admitted, suggesting they could have done better.


    ¡°The fact that it¡¯s possible to repair is truly remarkable.¡± The lich continued to praise the defenders. ¡°How can I help you today?¡±


    ¡°I have some research to do, but first¡­¡± Coop smiled and extracted a random book out of his spatial storage, looted back on the mainland. As he slid it across the reception table, Abithik raised his hands as if he was afraid to touch it lest it bite him. Coop wasn¡¯t sure if it was because the boss of this library didn¡¯t recognize a book or if it was because he immediately identified it as extremely valuable. Honestly, it was hard to read a skeletal face. There were literally no expressions.


    ¡°You interested in adding to your collection?¡± Coop prompted with his eyebrows raised.

 Chapter 101: Factions 101

    Abithik sputtered, staring at the book that Coop placed on his otherwise empty reception desk. At least, Coop thought he was staring. His bony face was aimed at the book, but the lich had no eyes, just dimly glowing orbs inside his otherwise empty sockets, so Coop was making an assumption as to where his attention was focused.


    ¡°Is that a tome of pre-mana knowledge?!¡± The lich finally found some words and barked them out, sounding like he needed a drink.


    Coop angled his head to read the cover. It was a faded and dog-eared copy of ''The War of the Worlds,¡¯ by H.G. Wells.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Coop wondered if it would actually be okay to introduce human literature to the aliens. ¡°No, that''s a science fiction novel.¡± Coop pulled out another book, choosing more deliberately while ignoring Abithik¡¯s visible confusion at the genre.


    Coop made his new choice and placed the second book on the desk. It was a children¡¯s encyclopedia with a picture of Earth superimposed over a collage of various animals. Abithik rattled as he did a skeleton¡¯s imitation of a gasp and slid backwards at being confronted by twice the number of books as before.


    ¡°That one has basic knowledge in it.¡± Coop offered, tapping his finger on the cover, but the librarian was ignoring him. He subtly reached for one of the buttons situated on the switchboard on his side of the wide reception desk and pressed it repeatedly, at least a dozen times, in rapid succession.


    A moment later, Lakan, the dark blue haired zombie that looked like he was a prince that died of hypothermia appeared from the reserved sections behind the reception. ¡°Yes, Abithik? Emergency?¡±


    Abithik pointed at the pair of books, still keeping his distance to avoid touching them.


    Lakan looked surprised as well, but he immediately moved closer. ¡°Are these the so-called human books?¡±


    Coop nodded. ¡°I was seeing if you guys would take care of them. No point in me keeping them in my pocket.¡±


    Lakan hesitated with his hands hovering over the encyclopedia before he finally flipped open the hardcover of the book, taking care to feel the texture before he pulled away as if it stung him. ¡°We aren¡¯t equipped to handle such valuable items.¡± He stated firmly, squeezing his eyes shut as if he was in pain, and sounding like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else.


    Coop looked around the impressive library feeling a disconnect between the facility and the value of a few used books. ¡°You could just put them on some shelves.¡± Coop offered, feeling like it would be a waste to keep them in his spatial storage. ¡°That¡¯s how humans would have kept them.¡±


    ¡°You underestimate the importance of such artifacts. A pre-mana society with such an advanced method of maintaining knowledge is extraordinarily rare, even unheard of, frankly. Either one of these would justify an entire museum dedicated to its history that culminated in its prominent and secure display.¡±


    Lakan looked up at Coop and gave him a stare that he clearly meant to convey he was serious. ¡°Even spoken language is rare among new members of the community. I have heard of these books from your residents, but I naively believed they were boasting in an effort to impress us. I am not personally aware of a species as advanced as humanity joining the galactic community.¡±


    Coop took the statement as further evidence of the existence of the eradication protocol while Lakan returned his concentration to the reverse title page of the children¡¯s encyclopedia. ¡°I would like this for the special collection, but we are not equipped to have them transferred to system oversight, nor for the preservation of physical copies. I suggest constructing a museum or perhaps the absolute highest level scriptoria.¡±


    Coop shrugged, accepting the zombie¡¯s advice. ¡°Alright.¡± A scriptoria sounded like a place Charlie could apply her profession, and he had previously considered a museum for Jones. Maybe they could build both, but then again, why involve the system at all? They could start their own human library as well.


    ¡°Can you read that?¡± He asked Lakan as the librarian continued to gawk at the book.


    ¡°Kind of. The common language struggles to translate alphabets before they have been approved by the system, but I have some experience, additional authorization, and skills thanks to my position and profession.¡± Lakan responded without looking back up.


    ¡°Are there many alphabets?¡± Coop felt like that would contradict what Lakan had just said about language being rare and he pondered how he would introduce some of the different languages from Earth. A few of the residents and many of the phantoms weren¡¯t English speakers in the first place, but the universal language abilities did such a good job, even the aliens hadn¡¯t noticed.


    Lakan continued to browse the encyclopedia, doing his best not to touch too much while flipping a page before he explained absentmindedly. ¡°Enough newcomers establish their own alphabets upon joining the community, as a rite of passage, for there to be multiple examples.¡±


    ¡°Huh. I see¡­¡± Coop mumbled, distracted by the reverence the librarian continued to show for the encyclopedia. ¡°You can borrow that if you want.¡± He offered since the alien was so keen on the book.


    ¡°I absolutely could not. My immortal life wouldn¡¯t even be worthy collateral.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, there¡¯s probably thousands of copies of that specific book, even after everything that¡¯s happened.¡± Coop waved away his concern.


    Lakan snapped his attention back to Coop before he stuttered a bit as he strove to articulate his thoughts. ¡°You- The-¡± He paused and started again after taking a dramatic breath. ¡°I know you are working hard to deal with the assimilation. The fact that you survived such a challenge assessment is testament to your gallantry, and we all saw you take responsibility and defeat the Construct projections to protect the lives of your people, but you should consider prioritizing the preservation of as many of these as possible. It would be a laudable effort.¡±


    Coop frowned at the thought of additional responsibilities being put on his shoulders. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, but there¡¯s a lot more than books out there, and a lot of other things that should be protected.¡±


    Coop considered the respect that aliens put on the fort and wondered how they would feel about something actually ancient structures, or even modern skyscrapers. Would they want him to forget everything else to protect the pyramids? As Coop¡¯s goals solidified, it was more like he wanted to preserve as much of the planet and the life on it as possible anyway. There was no reason to feel guilty about continuing on his path.


    He put the novel back into his spatial storage, leaving the encyclopedia for Lakan, whether the zombie was comfortable with it or not.


    ¡°Abithik, could you direct me to where I can learn about factions, starting from the basics?¡±


    The lich snapped out of his stupor as soon as Coop gave him a task. ¡°Of course.¡± He flipped another switch. ¡°Please head to the third floor. Asha-Kali will guide you from there.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Coop left quickly while Lakan hesitated to touch the book in order to return it to the fleeing Champion while feebly calling for him to wait.


    When he reached the third floor, Asha-Kali was impatiently waiting. A few lavender streaked strands of hair spilled over her shoulders and her dark red brooch glittered as she shifted to the sound of Coop¡¯s footsteps.


    ¡°Oh. It¡¯s you.¡± She stated monotonously upon observing Coop, seeming vaguely disappointed.


    ¡°Yep.¡± Coop responded happily.


    ¡°This way.¡± Asha-Kali turned and swiftly marched toward one of the rear corners of the stacks, paying no heed to whether or not Coop kept up. When she stopped and indicated multiple shelves, she continued. ¡°I trust you can navigate the collection from here.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Coop answered with a smile.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll leave you.¡± She stated firmly, marching back the way they came. Coop watched her go, and shook his head. She just had that kind of personality. There was nothing to worry about, so he concentrated on the shelves to find tablets that would be helpful.


    Coop naturally began from the left, checking the very first tablet and finding that it would be useful based on its title. He swept along the shelves and ended up with five different items to explore. Starting with ¡®Factions: What?¡¯ and ending with ¡®A Comprehensive Deconstruction of The Faction Criterion and How to Evaluate Them.¡¯


    He sought a comfortable spot, and decided to sit on a couch in front of a wide table. A floor to ceiling window was adjacent to the table, facing west across the fort. He had a view of the canal as it cut through the fort¡¯s courtyard and connected with the ocean. The huge wild pig was visible even from all the way across the settlement, treading water in the perimeter moat, happily swimming with his herd. The brand new hospital reflected light from its new position north of the canal.


    For a moment, he felt like something was missing and he tapped his fingers while he tried to figure out what it was. After a moment, he realized it was the constant presence of all of the phantoms. Compared to when they had so many more people wandering around, relaxing while off-duty or patrolling the ramparts, the settlement seemed relatively empty. A handful were moving here and there, several different groups of a dozen or more people were setting up for repairs on the fort¡¯s walls, and the construction project at the edge of the town circle had drawn a crowd, but the loss was obvious from his vantage.


    It wasn¡¯t even that long ago that seeing anyone other than Jones around the fort would have felt bizarre, but now, a few hundred people wasn¡¯t enough, especially after briefly having over 8,000 bustling around the fort and courtyard. Coop thought it was strange how quickly his perspective could shift.


    Done checking the view and figuring out what was off, he turned his attention to researching factions, starting with the almost offensively simple sounding ¡®Factions: What?¡¯


    To start with, factions weren¡¯t the only organizational structure in the universe, but they were distinguished by being the only ones recognized by the system. This fact alone was enough to elevate their relative importance to the top. There were unofficial governments, alliances, religions, associations, consortiums, institutes, brotherhoods and even things as simple as clubs that still found ways to exist and rise to prominence within the galactic community, but when it came down to it, factions were at the center of everything.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    The formation of a faction was presented like the legendary holy grail. Outside of a new assimilation, the methods of obtaining a faction chip were vague at best, and the actual act of forming a faction was completely glossed over. The strategies to obtain a chip sounded almost like myths, with unconfirmed reports making up the bulk of the ideas. Lists of impossible sounding feats were deemed as possibilities, but nothing was ever confirmed. The vast majority of factions had existed for so long, their own formations were lost to time, and none had any incentive to guide others into becoming their rivals even if proper records were kept.


    When it came to an assimilation, only a maximum of one faction chip would be distributed at the end of the entire process, though most of the time none were obtained. The requirements were considered inordinately demanding, especially when just surviving the assimilation was far from guaranteed.


    The only well-documented method was for it to be rewarded to the Champion of the top ranked settlement, if any, to survive an accumulated 111,111 Challenge Assessment points at the end of a successful assimilation. This was described as a feat that was almost never achieved. Even with all of the events that would take place in 111 years, earning the cumulative assessment was extraordinarily rare, but Ghost Reef beat it in one.


    Coop shook his head in amazement. He wondered if they lucked out having the first, and presumably easiest event be so overwhelmingly stacked against them, or if it was a sign that future events would only continue to escalate in danger. According to the tablet, he shouldn¡¯t have received the final reward until the assimilation was completed, but Coop just shrugged since it seemed like the settlement score had been all kinds of bugged out.


    The only reason why the Challenge Assessment reward was known at all was due to assimilations that ended up being reduced to a single settlement for the entire planet¡¯s surviving population. These ended up being difficult for invaders to crack and had resulted in a handful of recognized factions by the end of their assimilations.


    It was a good way for a faction to start. A united bloc of members forged together through the crucible of a difficult assimilation. They were typically recognized as courageous by the rest of the galactic community and allowed some leeway in establishing themselves before being challenged by other proven factions in inter-faction conflicts.


    While skimming ¡®You and Your Faction: A Handbook,¡¯ Coop found information about the benefits that factions provided. Most beings in the universe were in a faction, and virtually all beings started in one. It was supposedly a mutually beneficial relationship where factions enjoyed additional benefits based on their population and individuals received opportunities through the faction.


    To Coop, the opportunities sounded similar to settlement events, except they allowed people to voluntarily opt in to participate, with a fee, and compete for rewards and experience in the name of their faction. It seemed like that was the primary way for people outside of an assimilation to level up and otherwise collect rewards and experience. It was no wonder the factions emphasized events, it was something they knew well.


    Generally, a faction¡¯s influence could be measured by their member population and their physical territory. Individual strength would always be a factor, but it seemed like numbers trumped all when it came to direct competition between factions. This incentivized factions to collect members and refuse to let them leave. An individual that achieved sufficient power would be difficult to keep under control, which is how factionless people even existed. Coop had renewed respect for the factionless aliens he kept recruiting. They needed to earn their independence from the factions they had defaulted into by presenting enough strength to resist the collective power of their faction.


    One important aspect that was going unsaid, but Coop was piecing together, was that the galactic community was completely dependent on the system. Since factions were affiliated with the system by default, they were afforded greater privileges than would otherwise be attainable. The main reason for this dependence appeared to be that there was absolutely no other way of traveling between planets except using the system¡¯s ability to project, and apparently, under certain circumstances, transport their bodies. It was a galactic community with no space travel, where factions competed to control entire planets, and the system regulated the factions.


    Looking at it another way, assuming the Avatar of the System was telling the truth, the system was empowering victims of mana to a certain extent, but it was extremely limited. Without the system, mana would have successfully isolated every single planet from the start.


    Coop put aside the tablets and relaxed while he organized his thoughts. He was basing his decisions on what he saw as best for Ghost Reef. Right now, his focus was local, where settlements were the main piece in the game, but he could see how, as the board expanded, factions would become the main pieces. Most of what he had learned about factions wasn¡¯t immediately relevant to him.


    Creating a faction in order to integrate into the greater universe was something he could delegate in a hundred years, assuming they survived. The real reason to rush was to deal with this supposed eradication protocol, but there was no real corroboration for the Avatar¡¯s warning. It was just simple risk mitigation to establish it early, using the Purification Chip to do it. That was probably fine. He hadn¡¯t found anything to discourage his inclination to just get on with it so far, other than his general cautiousness wanting to avoid some kind of trap. Even then, he felt like they would have to go forward with the Purification Chip.


    The worst case scenario for not using it was guaranteed death.


    Before he got into the next tablet, Asha-Kali gracefully slid onto the sofa next to him. Coop jumped at her surprising appearance, she had moved so silently and appeared without warning. Then, Shalatha and Charlie sat down on the other side of the table.


    ¡°Hey, Coop!¡± Charlie greeted cheerfully as she sat down, bouncing onto the plush sofa opposite Coop.


    ¡°Hey Charlie, what are you doing here?¡± Coop asked as he welcomed the company.


    ¡°I made friends with Shalatha back before we went to get my parents. I was just visiting since the library had been locked up during the siege, and Asha-Kali let us know you showed up.¡± Charlie explained brightly.


    Coop glanced at Asha-Kali, but she just expressionlessly stared back at him underneath her arched eyebrows.


    ¡°I was just looking up some stuff about factions¡­¡± Coop began.


    ¡°Did you decide to start one?¡± Charlie asked excitedly. ¡°You know, I never got to see the visitor or the disk since I conk out when my mana gets drained.¡± She stated, obviously wanting Coop to show her. The two librarians exchanged a quick glance, but didn¡¯t seem to be sure what Charlie was talking about. Apparently, news of the Avatar and the faction chips hadn¡¯t reached the contracted residents.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll wait and give others a chance to weigh in before going through with it.¡± He shrugged and pulled out the Faction Founding Chip rewarded by the system at the end of the event to show her. Both of the zombies reacted immediately.


    ¡°By the Pale Lady, don¡¯t go waving something so valuable around like that!¡± Asha-Kali exclaimed as she actually recoiled away from the miniature blue disk while grabbing Coop¡¯s forearm to make sure he kept it away. Coop appreciated that she was careful with her extremely sharp, black nails as she held his arm firmly. Shalatha was nodding in agreement so vigorously that her straight bangs became disheveled with her eyes locked onto the disk.


    Coop put the blue disk back into his spatial storage with a mental nudge.


    ¡°Do you humans not know the meaning of envy?¡± Asha-Kali asked rhetorically. ¡°That represents the seed of true independence. Do not take it lightly.¡±


    ¡°Independence from what?¡± Coop wondered.


    ¡°Other factions.¡± Asha-Kali stated, still grasping his arm. He guessed having access to the faction benefits really was valuable if even the ones who fought to be factionless held them in such high regard.


    Shalatha was looking closer at the tablets that Coop had collected. ¡°You¡¯re really starting a faction? Is that even possible? So soon?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡± Coop responded, ¡°We¡¯ll be taking some input once there¡¯s been some time to think about it.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to think about?¡± Asha-Kali asked from his side, recovering her composure with her grip on his forearm finally releasing as she placed her hands into her lap.


    Coop decided it would be better to try and get advice from those who were steeped in the system than not. ¡°Well, we also received a warning - that we were facing judgment of mana and failing. I¡¯m not sure if it was entirely trustworthy, but we don¡¯t know enough to properly judge credibility.¡±


    Shalatha¡¯s eyes widened, but Asha-Kali was the one that responded. ¡°It¡¯s far too soon to make such a claim. The judgment of mana is a colloquial term for what determines if a planet will be accepted into the galactic community or not. There is still the entire duration of the assimilation remaining, and a true failure is unusual. Sponsorships and contracts would be far less appealing if it was common. In any case, it¡¯s never fully decided before the end.¡±


    Coop shrugged. ¡°If it¡¯s not true, someone tried to manipulate us for unknown reasons. If it is true, we¡¯ll need to use the faction to secure territory to survive the eradication protocol.¡±


    Both of the zombies had clearly never heard of an eradication protocol, exchanging a glance with each other. Shalatha asked, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Apparently, what comes next after a judgment of failure.¡± Coop explained, glad that both the system and mana were impersonal enough for them to have potentially taboo conversations after the information restrictions had been released. ¡°We were told to use this to give ourselves a chance.¡± Coop stated as he risked another overreaction by pulling out the Purification Chip, but hoping they would have some expert advice.


    When the red chip appeared in his hand, both of the contracted residents looked at it briefly, then looked back at him with no change in their expressions, as if nothing about it was particularly interesting. It was in complete contrast to the instantaneous reaction they had when seeing the chip provided by the system. Other than the color, Coop couldn¡¯t see any major differences.


    Asha-Kali was the first to give her input, yet again, nonplussed by the appearance of the Avatar¡¯s gift. ¡°That appears to be some kind of shard empowerment chip, they aren¡¯t uncommon as rewards during faction events. It should add a buff to a faction¡¯s settlements.¡± Coop looked at it with some disappointment, expecting it to have the same impact as the Foundation Chip.


    The Avatar really laid into establishing a position of authority, but her mask hadn¡¯t been that convincing in the first place. Then, she had given them a dud while selling it as something so valuable even the contracted residents were shocked by the genuine item. He supposed the point of the Purification Chip, to create safe territory from the judgment of mana, could still be achieved as a simple settlement buff, and he could understand wanting to guarantee its use after they had gone through the trouble to deliver it. If even the factionless aliens would jump at the opportunity to establish a faction, the logic was probably the same for most Champions. Despite the thin manipulations, he was feeling inclined to believe in the Avatar¡¯s purpose.


    Asha continued her thoughts on the judgment of mana. ¡°It isn¡¯t common knowledge what happens to planets rejected by the galactic community. The assumption has always been that mana is revoked and they are forced to exist in true isolation. Doomed after being shown enlightenment. Eradication is certainly a possibility. As far as the factions are concerned, losing mana would effectively be the same thing.¡± Asha-Kali stated coldly.


    Shalatha was upset by the idea. ¡°That¡¯s terrible.¡± She mumbled. Charlie also had concern written all over her face.


    Asha-Kali didn¡¯t seem as moved, but she offered her perspective. ¡°At least securing territory with a faction follows logically. That is what they do, after all. A faction capital is simply a settlement with the limitations on subordinate settlements removed.¡±


    Coop understood the difference between designations as factions being like nations and individual settlements more like city-states. The civilization shard remained the base component with its fundamental properties determining the overall structure, so he wouldn¡¯t need to learn new concepts. Faction territory was just the combined settlement territory, and so on.


    ¡°We should go for it, Coop!¡± Charlie suggested encouragingly.


    Coop slid the tablet that was in front of him toward the rest of the pile and leaned back against the comfortable sofa and sighed. ¡°There¡¯s definitely a lot of ¡®ifs,¡¯ but the way I see it, if there¡¯s any possibility of this eradication protocol coming, then we have to take whatever chance we have to survive.¡± He eyed the red disk in his spatial storage. The only reason to start early was to follow the Avatar¡¯s instructions to prepare themselves. Really, they were preparing anyway; accumulating power remained the most important aspect for their survival, regardless of the strength of their opponents.


    The more Coop deliberated on their situation, the more convinced he was that they were at the advent of a new stage in the assimilation. Like other random humans after he had defeated the Zombie Lord, the Primal Constructs didn¡¯t seem that threatening anymore. They remained limited by the system. In a weird way, Coop was looking forward to moving onto the next challenge.

 Chapter 102: The Dreamer

    Coop spent the afternoon exchanging ideas and researching factions with Charlie, Shalatha, and Asha-Kali. They went through the tablets he had selected, mostly alleviating concerns he had with establishing the faction. He had never participated in any study groups while he was in school, but he imagined the experience would have been similar.


    Coop¡¯s more capricious questions frequently drove them off topic. More than once, he needed Charlie¡¯s responsible presence to remind him about their priorities. He wouldn¡¯t be betting on assimilations anytime soon, even if they had a faction, so he didn¡¯t need to learn the rules. They wouldn¡¯t be subject to the more proper faction wars until after Earth¡¯s assimilation was complete, since in those cases the settlements themselves would be up for grabs. Earth was sealed off by the system for the time being, so he didn¡¯t need to research faction politics. They also didn¡¯t have the type of funds that would be necessary to sponsor Chosen in a different assimilation even if they did become available. Basically, they couldn¡¯t even do most of the cool stuff factions were known for, even if they had one.


    They predicted that some limited features, like the faction events and faction disputes might be available, even during the assimilation. They were projection-based services that would occur in designated places where territory wouldn¡¯t be exchanged. Participants went through the same process that the system already allowed with the contracted residents.


    If they competed successfully, they could receive more settlement-wide benefits in the form of other buff chips, but Coop wasn¡¯t convinced they would be worth the additional headache. Shalatha retrieved another tablet that went over the known rewards from the chips. They basically turned the territory into a soup of insignificant boosts with the primary purpose of bolstering the population by incentivizing residents into the settlement. Coop thought it was more akin to a marketing scheme for something like timeshares than to actual reinforcement. Not even he cared about stats enough to be excited about +2 Agility at night while inside the settlement¡¯s territory.


    However, the main problem was that a fledgling faction would be subject to something that Coop interpreted as hazing, where the established powers would attempt to put newcomers in their place to reinforce the hierarchy of factions. For the most part, the factions behaved as if they ran the show, but even Coop could see that the galactic community only existed thanks to the system wrangling mana and uplifting them. Without the system, those factions would be trapped in their bubbles and effectively lost to the cosmos, forever hamstrung by mana. They were all little fish swimming in the system¡¯s aquarium, believing it was the ocean. Coop wasn¡¯t sure where that left humans; feeder fish being acclimated to the aquarium¡¯s water, probably.


    The two zombie librarians were an excellent resource for common knowledge within the galactic community, but that meant that everything they knew was filtered through the lens of the system. Coop had to consider the limitations on their perspective. Still, compared to how much he knew about factions, the system, and mana, they were absolutely brimming with insights.


    Charlie wound up volunteering to take responsibility for Ghost Reef¡¯s future human library when he explained how the other librarians had been reluctant to take the books he had scavenged. They¡¯d just need to get something constructed. It would be another project to add to Marcus¡¯s list, but Coop was content with leaving the specifics of development to others at this point.


    Charlie¡¯s profession had been slow to start, but managing a library would give her ample opportunity to level it up. Charlie was miffed that Camila¡¯s profession was absolutely flying in comparison. Apparently, Charlie required plenty of advocacy, giving her friend free profession levels whenever they were together, so Charlie was excited to get her own going. If she didn¡¯t, Camila would end up with significantly more attributes, even if Charlie¡¯s class level was slightly higher.


    As evening approached, the sun began to shine through the floor to ceiling window next to their shared table. Coop took his leave for the day. He wanted to stretch his legs and take a visit to the pearlescent chambers underneath the fort. It was time to grind.


    He had some lingering concerns about monsters building up and expanding into the inner walls, forcing Coop to clear the darkness of swarms once again. At the moment, they lacked the manpower to have phantoms continually patrolling and guarding like they did before the siege. If he could prevent that extra hassle with some short grind sessions, he would.


    He said his goodbyes, but before he took more than three steps away from the sofa Asha-Kali lunged after him, clearing the back of the sofa in a single motion that was unleashed like a spring. The quick movement made Coop instinctually try to dodge, with hundreds of thousands of individual engagements for training, but she was so much faster, he had no chance. She snatched both of Coop¡¯s arms and held him still, at arm¡¯s length, pinning them against his body.


    ¡°The hell?¡± Coop huffed through teeth gritted from effort and surprise.


    When he looked at her, confused, the lavender streaks in her hair finished turning blood red, and her black nails swirled with clouds of sanguine mana at the tips. The dark red brooch that she wore on a choker around her neck had changed to a deep purple. He tried wrenching his arms free and feebly struggled for a moment before accepting that there was no way he could resist. Her grasp was an unbreakable vise and he felt as weak as a kitten in comparison. He was made painfully aware of the incredible gulf in power that still existed between himself and the much higher level alien.


    ¡°Asha!¡± Shalatha exclaimed, also surprised by the librarian¡¯s abrupt action and clearly concerned about violating the system contract.


    Asha-Kali¡¯s solid black pupils expanded as wide as possible, making her seem unfocused before they slowly started to shrink, staring past Coop¡¯s own eyes like she could see directly into his soul. Her face was frozen with a sneer, revealing her slightly too long canines. They were cute when he first discovered Shalatha¡¯s, but they were scary in this context.


    Coop¡¯s peripheral vision blurred until it faded into nothingness as he was entranced by her silver-gray irises. They swirled as they reclaimed her eyes from her shrinking pupils. Before he knew it, there was nothing left of his perception except her eyes. The pinpoint pupils trapped his own. No sounds and no distractions were left. Just Asha-Kali.


    She finally broke the spell, speaking in a hiss and spitting words out like they would burn her painted lips. Coop couldn¡¯t tear his own eyes away from hers as he hung on every word.


    ¡°The dreamer crows thrice - A desperate ally requires aid, a trap is set, a stronger foe lies in wait. - Unnatural influence spreads, concealed, waiting, unblinking, bathed in crimson. - Hope and despair each lie within the forbidden summit¡¯s heart. Beware!¡±


    Asha-Kali¡¯s gray eyes rolled back and Coop was back to himself with her whispered voice echoing in his mind. She let go of Coop¡¯s arms before she slumped toward the ground, collapsing like an emptied vessel. Coop caught her by her arms, reversing their positions as he held her fragile body up instead. He was surprised by how frail she suddenly became. It was a far cry from the seemingly unstoppable power she just displayed while grabbing him. Her brooch had returned to dark red and her hair¡¯s streaks melted back to the more familiar lavender color they always had been, but she was out like a light.


    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Coop nearly shouted as adrenaline rushed through his veins. He fought to stay in control as his fight or flight instincts continued to go into overdrive. For a moment, when he saw her sharp canines, he honestly thought she was going to eat him, then she started raving like she lost her mind. He hadn¡¯t been attacked, but it still felt like it, and whatever she said seemed monumental.


    ¡°...Kali.¡± Shalatha whispered, the Undead girl still startled herself.


    Coop squinted at Shalatha, hoping for a bit more of an explanation.


    ¡°Asha and Kali were twins in life.¡± Shalatha stated simply, as if that was enough.


    ¡°What about all that stuff she said?¡± Coop asked as the single word, ¡®Beware,¡¯ rattled around his head along with his frazzled nerves.


    Shalatha frowned as she put her arm around Asha-Kali to take her from Coop. ¡°If you heard anything, it was a message transferred directly to you. She collapsed as soon as she grabbed you, from our perspective.¡±


    Coop looked at Charlie who nodded in agreement, with her expression still one of shock. If Shalatha had told him it was a hallucination, he might have believed her, but she inadvertently confirmed that he had received a message.


    Shalatha tried to warn him off, seeing his expression change as he reconsidered the words. ¡°It¡¯s really better if you don¡¯t linger on whatever you may have heard. Many people have essentially gone insane after obsessing over seemingly prophetic words. It¡¯s a profitless endeavor...¡±


    ¡°Was that a prophecy?¡± Coop didn¡¯t think that would be possible, even with mana, but what the hell did he know? If mana was omnipresent, could the system control fate itself by twisting interactions to meet its needs?


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Shalatha sighed. ¡°No, but Kali¡¯s affinity made her a reader. Kali can¡¯t make predictions, and her observations were always more like guesses that reflected the instant she dipped into a leyline. She may have tapped into something that was accurate at the moment, but by the time you decipher it, too many things will have changed for it to be reliable. Heeding her words might even have the opposite effect than what you expect, and the worst part is that it might not even be meant for you in the first place.¡± Shalatha continued to discourage his inclination to etch the words into his memory.


    ¡°She seemed to be trying to give a warning.¡± Coop was struggling between the warnings of the two librarians. A warning, and a warning to ignore the warning. He squeezed his hands closed, finally getting a grip on his nerves before he relaxed. ¡°Should we take her to the medical center?¡± Coop offered his arm.


    ¡°She just needs to rest.¡± Shalatha made Asha-Kali comfortable on the sofa. ¡°Sorry you had to see this.¡± Shalatha apologized shyly. She could probably tell that Coop had been slightly shaken.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Coop tried to sound convincing, but he was still distracted by Asha-Kali¡¯s words.


    ¡°Please come back soon.¡± She said over her shoulder as she turned her attention back to the other librarian.


    Coop glanced at Charlie, who still looked astonished. ¡°I guess, I¡¯m gonna head out.¡± He confirmed, feeling a bit like he was asking for permission.


    Charlie slowly nodded and looked over at Asha-Kali. ¡°Are you sure she¡¯s okay?¡± Charlie asked Shalatha and received a firm nod from the librarian for an answer. She looked at Coop with obvious concern still on her face. ¡°I think I¡¯ll stay for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Alright, see ya later.¡± Coop finally took his leave with a wave, but he was preoccupied by the experience. He tried to listen to Shalatha¡¯s warning and not worry too much about what he had heard, but he really couldn¡¯t find the fortitude to ignore it completely.


    On his way out of the undead archive, Abithik flagged him down before he reached the doors and confirmed that Lakan had taken the children¡¯s encyclopedia into the special collection for safekeeping, but left a message for Coop urging him to take the treasure back. Coop left it. Maybe the special collection librarian would grow to appreciate Earth that much more as he was exposed to the book. Charlie would be able to collect it after they built the human library.


    Once Coop stepped outside, he took a seat on the white steps leading up to the library. He took a few deep breaths, trying to reclaim his calm and get back into vacation mode.


    It was a bit of a wake up call, like Asha-Kali had known what he was thinking, about moving beyond the Primal Constructs and looking forward to greater challenges, and said, ¡°Be careful what you wish for.¡± He didn¡¯t like feeling helpless and weak, and it wasn¡¯t the first time it had happened recently. The Avatar of the System had been even stronger than Asha-Kali, and the librarian was on a level that Coop would need to work to catch up to.


    He closed his eyes, and let the warm tropical air wash over him until he really was relaxed again. Little by little, he¡¯d get to the next level. It didn¡¯t seem like there was much point in comparing himself with other humans when the future threats could be so much stronger.


    When he opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was the same cockatiel from the lighthouse. This time it was closer, in the crown of a coconut palm at the edge of the canal. It was making a small squeaking sound as it rubbed its beak back and forth that Coop found oddly soothing. He inspected the curious bird, considering how he¡¯d catch it.


    [Cockatiel (Level 14)]


    [Spirit Guard (Acumen)]


    [Chosen of the Twilight Phoenix]


    [Spectral]


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Coop hadn¡¯t expected it to be Chosen, but in retrospect, he should have. The fact that it had the same mana affinity as himself was the real surprise. Had it been attracted to his settlement because of the spectral relic?


    Coop raised his hand with one finger parallel to the ground to act as a perch and called the newcomer. ¡°C¡¯mere, birdy.¡± He tried whistling and making kissing sounds to get the bird¡¯s attention. The bird eventually swooped down after staring at him with head feathers pointing straight up. It skipped his finger and landed on his shoulder and paced back and forth twice, to Coop¡¯s delight.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good bird. Do you wanna stay in the settlement?¡± Coop cooed at the bird. He was recruiting an entire menagerie at this point.


    The bird whistled and Coop nodded at what he interpreted as acceptance. Then the bird hopped to Coop¡¯s head, plucked a beakful of his hair, and flew away. Coop sucked air between his teeth in shock and rubbed his scalp as he lost track of the cockatiel.


    ¡°What was that about?¡± He mumbled to himself. He shook his head in confusion, but at least the brief interaction got him moving again. Apparently, his increased durability didn¡¯t suppress the pain of having a chunk of his hair pulled out.


    In the town circle, residents and phantoms continued working under the setting sun. The banging of hammers, sawing, sanding, and shouting echoed from the construction site. Coop checked out the progress on their first regular human construction as he let Asha-Kali¡¯s words sink into the back of his mind. Technically, the pirates had already built their small piers on the sea wall, so the experiment was really on the skill of the human workers.


    The residents were still actively working on the coffee shop across the street from the tavern, but Coop thought it was coming along nicely. It should have been a safe choice to experiment with their capability. However, judging by what they had already built, it seemed like they had made it significantly more complicated than necessary. They seemed to be shooting for a high end place, with artsy flourishes, rather than a purely utilitarian building. He guessed it was the influence of the award winning architect and the designer not fully appreciating the amateur laborers on their first job. On the other hand, maybe Coop was underestimating them.


    It looked like there would be an elevated patio or terrace on either side of the few steps to the main entrance, facing the town circle. A low barrier with room to hang plants was halfway completed along the exterior as phantoms brought planks to finish it off. The deck would allow lounging customers to watch the shard and the canal beyond, and eventually, Coop imagined, crowds of people passing through the main intersection of the settlement. The coffee shop certainly had the potential to become a nice spot when they were finished.


    The interior was mostly just framing. A team was already laying a surface down on the inside while preparing for the flooring, and others were arguing about dimensions while measuring the ceiling with the inexact method of holding their arms out and comparing the width to their materials. At the rate they were going, it looked like they would be mostly done in a single day, assuming nothing needed to be redone afterwards. It was another impressive effort by the residents of the settlement.


    In the distance, Coop could see that Marcus had purchased more service buildings to generate the materials necessary for their own construction, including a lumber mill behind the carpenter. At least it was relatively small, barely occupying the same amount of space as the quarry.


    Unless it was forced, they wouldn¡¯t ever completely get away from the system¡¯s contracts, since those buildings automatically produced various items and materials that they would otherwise be unable to acquire on such a remote island without establishing shipping channels with other regions. The system¡¯s offerings were too convenient when it came to production, but that didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t supplement the settlement with their own services. The redundancy would protect them in the event that they lost contracts for any reason.


    Coop was happy to see that Balor was actively participating with the rest of the construction crew. The master stonemason was retrieving materials and observing while Hana¡¯s father, the teacher with carpentry experience, carefully crafted wood joints. Coop was sure there would be skills and professions that made the process easier, but it was cool to see human experience still being used and the stonemason behaved like he was respectfully watching an artisan at work. The system, or mana itself, wouldn¡¯t be able to pull the rug out from underneath them if they established themselves through their own labor.


    He left the crew without interrupting their work and crossed the bridge to the northern courtyard. He angled to the east entrances of the fort¡¯s wall while admiring the laborer¡¯s completed job of smoothing the northern circle. The laborer had begun paving the main street, starting at the northernmost point, the town hall.


    Coop had to bypass the huge crater that destroyed two of their service buildings during the siege. Marcus had simply replaced the services on the other side of the pizza-slice shaped block.


    He traveled into the fort¡¯s damp basement and made his way to the original tunnel that Jett had revealed to him. He wondered if it would be a good idea to seal it off in the future. Before they did, they would need to establish a more direct entrance to the underground chamber. It would be easier to keep an eye on the entrance if it wasn¡¯t hidden in abandoned supply rooms within the unused basement. Guards could make sure nothing came out while preventing residents from wandering inside. They would be able to add Ruin Excavators to their guided grind zones.


    While he strolled through the dark tunnel, enjoying the light breeze that flowed along with him, toward the chamber, he appreciated the smooth tunnels once again. The Excavator Field Boss, Felrog the Soul Snatcher, had done a commendable job, though Coop didn¡¯t think the boss had been responsible for the greater chambers. Even though they were unusual, they seemed to have been formed by a more natural process when the planet shifted at the start of the assimilation. The pulsing pillars that illuminated the underground were definitely beyond the capability of the boss.


    Coop looked around the chamber, finding that the regular Ruin Excavators had retaken the open caverns. The small scorpion-like monsters were scattered in the dim blue light that emanated from the glowing pillars. A few skittered on the edges of the shadows along the walls, but none of them were nearly as active or mobile as the event versions. Coop was a bit disappointed not to find any elites, but there might be some hidden within the depths of the tunnels if he really sought them out. For now, he would just chip away at the quest chain while preventing a buildup of monsters in the darkness.


    Coop summoned his ethereal morning star and strode into the arena, keeping his eyes up, waiting for an ambush. When none came, he cast Fog of War, letting it consume a bit less than half of his total mana pool in order to fill most of the chamber in thin swirling mist. It wouldn¡¯t be dense enough to blind his opponents, but the regular monsters had no ranged abilities and it would give him maximum awareness through Presence of Mind. These opponents had no counter for his area skill and the calm atmosphere was perfect for a stable bank of fog that required little, if any maintenance.


    Unfortunately, the monsters were spread thin and not particularly excitable like the ones that had been charging toward the center during their siege wave, so he was only able to capture a few dozen inside of his domain at a time. It was good enough for a lazy grind session, but wouldn¡¯t do when he was really chasing numbers. In any case, it wouldn¡¯t be a complete day unless he did at least some grinding, so he started banging away.


    While he smashed the weak monsters with his morning star, he couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Asha-Kali¡¯s message. He didn¡¯t even try to interpret anything, but he didn¡¯t want to forget the impression it had left on him, just in case.

 Chapter 103: Last Stand

    Coop managed to get into a solid groove, smashing his way through the regular Ruin Excavators at a constant pace with his heavy morning star. He didn¡¯t need to rush, but he still expanded his hunting grounds to account for the monsters¡¯ spawn rates and prevent himself from catching any downtime. His was a strategy of consistent, uninterrupted combat. It was quite the contrast with Camila¡¯s burst of power against the Ancient Defenders, where she needed to pause to wait for her own cooldowns as well as a full wave of monster respawns.


    He was a little jealous of her speed at the time, but slow and steady wins the race, and Coop wasn¡¯t even that slow. One hit kills and unwavering movement kept him efficient. It wasn¡¯t the first time Coop had compared himself to the turtle racing a hare, this was just the most recent example. The leaderboards had become evidence of his straightforward persistence.


    Eventually, he was cycling along the edges of the darkness engulfed walls, catching the Excavators as they entered the chamber from deeper within, in a constant series of battles. He charged from one point to the next, his footsteps becoming a rhythmic precursor to the thumping of his slamming attacks as they formed a steady beat that echoed through the expansive caverns. The entire first chamber was within his rotation.


    He was curious about what he would find deeper in the tunnels that spat the monsters out, but he refrained from exploring and interrupting his first grind in the pearlescent chambers. He had a sneaking suspicion that he wouldn¡¯t actually find much of interest in Felrog¡¯s meandering side tunnels, yet the possibility of elites remained tempting. Odds were that he would simply find regular Ruin Excavators in prepared ambushes instead, and that would be an annoyance that interfered with his pace. New monster variants would need to be outside of the settlement¡¯s territory if they didn¡¯t get a wave during the siege, and he doubted he could penetrate the depths enough to exit the perimeter of their territory by taking stroll through the dim tunnels.


    Balor¡¯s enthusiasm for the underlayer didn¡¯t include the pockets of earth in between, and Coop trusted the stonedwarf¡¯s judgment when it came to the underground. The gaping chasm in the center of the chambers was the important feature, the gateway, as the alien called it. The stonemason would need to crack it open before they could access the real subterranean stratum and judging by its current depth, it would be a real significant project, far greater than anything they had done before. Coop wasn¡¯t even sure how they would get to the bottom of it right now, considering the depths already appeared to go on forever. Setting up their gateway would be a long term project, for after they got all of their other ducks in a row.


    Part way through his grind, he shifted to one of the adjacent chambers, further away from the entrance tunnel. A quick weapon swap and mistjump across the gap gave him a fresh chamber to roam. He left the initial cavern to the surprise company that arrived in the night.


    Gibson¡¯s party ventured into the depths beneath the settlement in order to start their own quests to defeat the regular monsters, apparently forgoing sleep in order to continue their progress. They were feeling comfortable with the particular Excavator variants of the Primal Constructs after their contribution against the Frenzied version during the siege event. They planned on hunting them until they received their own Slayer titles. Coop respected the enthusiasm, but he made sure to encourage them to pace themselves, reminding them that the quests were a marathon and not a sprint. They promised to heed his advice. Coop just hoped they wouldn¡¯t be discouraged when they really dug into the stage with a 5,000 kill requirement.


    Coop inspected them before he happily ceded the first chamber¡¯s hunting grounds.


    [Human (Level 60)]


    [Argent (Body)]


    [Chosen of the Allies of Genesis]


    [Human (Level 57)]


    [Crushing Palm (Strength)]


    [(Patient)]


    [Human (Level 59)]


    [Malkiian Peacemaker (Intelligence)]


    [(Bound)]


    [Human (Level 62)]


    [Blackflare (Strength)]


    [Chosen of the Mourning Souls]


    [Chaotic (Eldritch)]


    [Human (Level 59)]


    [Force Propagator (Intelligence)]


    [Chosen of the Kiberius Spirits]


    [(Defiant)]


    They were certainly the second strongest group in the settlement, but that wasn¡¯t saying much, sadly. The only other consistently formed group was Shane¡¯s party. There were plenty of strong individuals among the residents. He thought of the Cleary brothers or even Derek. Coop wondered if more parties would form after their experience with the siege event. It wasn¡¯t something he was actively encouraging, but they might come together organically. The most likely outcome would be dynamic parties temporarily forming rather than more static groups.


    Most people appeared to be more comfortable grinding when they had both backup and company. Not everyone was quite as solitary as Coop and able to engage in the monotonous task of repeatedly engaging the same monsters over and over without letting their guard slip and putting themselves in danger. Even Coop was guilty of losing focus a few times, most recently with the Excavators. He could see some of his companions feeling more dedicated if they teamed up.


    The siege event had turned every invader into a significantly more dangerous version, with significantly more numbers than normal, so the residents of Ghost Reef were coming around to really grinding the regular versions down, whether it was in groups or not. There were enough different monsters for them to take their pick of matchups, based on their preferences. It seemed like being exposed to the monsters and witnessing Coop¡¯s prowess had encouraged everyone else to grab the advantages that Ghost Reef offered. That was good news for the settlement.


    Eventually, Coop was ready to call it a night after around 2,500 Excavator defeats. As far as his stats, he¡¯d only received a single level in Scavenging, but he was just getting back into the swing of things with this initial hunt. He checked his notifications as he bade farewell to Gibson¡¯s party and returned to the lighthouse.


    [You defeated Ruin Excavator (Level 33)]


    [+17 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Soul Dredger (Uncommon)]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Defeat Ruin Excavators IV (2669/5000)]


    Coop was satisfied. A short session that yielded over 2,000 monster defeats before he even broke a sweat. He¡¯d really missed seeing his quest numbers go up after fighting so many of the stingy event monsters. The event may have given him experience, challenging monsters, and a global leaderboard to abuse, but it lacked the reliable kill tracker of the quests and the incremental progress that it represented. And that was ignoring the anxiety from the constant threat of annihilation for his settlement and his allies.


    It was good to be settling into a period of calm. He hoped it would become the new normal.


    ¡ª


    Hai Yun scowled at the army of settlement guards blocking the road, uncharacteristically allowing her true emotions to slip into her expression. She quickly stifled the brief lapse in her mask of equanimity and carefully observed the ambushers while casually smoothing the silk wrapped around her wrists.


    There were over 100 Chosen guards in front of her. They were all armed and armored by their sponsoring faction, one that intended to claim the world. Based on what she had seen of their settlement¡¯s organization, she judged they had no chance of accomplishing such a feat. The nearest shard for them to conquer was the massive Gangcheon settlement. This faction was at least a million Chosen short of becoming even a regional threat, let alone a global one.


    Still, they had respectable levels, some of them even enough to brush against the top 1,000 of the leaderboards, though they didn¡¯t quite make the cut. She and a handful of her original surviving bodyguards eclipsed them dramatically, but it wouldn¡¯t change the inevitable outcome of a clash between her forces and theirs.


    Hai Yun sighed, leaving a bitter trail of visible breath in the cold air, exhausted from traversing the wilds, then being on the front lines for the entire duration of the siege event, just to be hounded by the settlement¡¯s dogs as they ventured back into the wilds when it ended.


    She had meant to take her people to the Korean settlement that consistently appeared in the top two of the leaderboards, Gangcheon, judging it to be their best hope when they left her family¡¯s ancient compound, but the siege event had interrupted their migration. Instead, they sought refuge in a smaller, more militant settlement her scouts had identified before finding their destination. The same scouts that she had sent ahead to prepare their ancient merchant ship for their retreat from the peninsula, but would have been useful in identifying the trap that awaited the rest of them. Another mistake, she thought, dourly.


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t think we¡¯d simply allow you to leave, did you?¡± The leader preened in front of his soldiers, alone in front, while the rest of his team hid behind temporary cover. His stark white uniform contrasted with a dark blue sash over one shoulder, peppered with snowflakes clinging to the surface, and an unblemished, brown leather belt around his waist. He pressed both of his thumbs into his belt and grinned confidently. He believed that with their numbers, they had already won.


    He was correct.


    She looked behind herself at what remained of her pitiful train of attendants and followers. They were even more exhausted than she was, and many had fallen into despair over the weeks of struggle, and yet absolutely none of them had abandoned her. The difference between her fighters, attendants, and their families had become difficult to ascertain at a glance. The untamed areas between settlements were even more dangerous than anticipated, even without a mana well in close proximity. Monsters were growing wherever they could find mana. Everyone had already faced death many times over, becoming battle-hardened even though many had started as simple civilians.


    Half of her loyal attendants had already turned to protect their flank, fully prepared to lay down their lives, if necessary, in order to buy her time. It was a sight that both frustrated her and made her proud. She may have let them down by the end, but their support had never wavered, not from a single one of them, and not for a single moment.


    Another 200 Chosen settlement guards had finally caught up from behind them, surrounding her party while closing off their only avenue of retreat between the steep, rocky, snow-covered mountains. They had chased after them ever since she had agreed to leave their territory. She had allowed herself to hope they were just making sure she took her people away, but of course that was a naive dream.


    ¡°We won¡¯t allow you to gather forces and return to our land.¡± The leader proclaimed. ¡°The shard belongs to the Knights of Time and eventually, the world!¡± He said while spreading his arms wide to the adulation of his squad.


    Hai Yun returned her full attention to the leader, keeping her expression completely neutral while willing him to burst into flames. ¡°As if we have any interest in your pathetic settlement.¡± Hai Yun declared. ¡°You¡¯re lucky we arrived when we did, or the monsters would have overrun your miserable defenses.¡±


    The settlement had ¡®generously¡¯ allowed her to set up a camp in the mouth of a gorge, dead center in the path where the invaders attacked. They wouldn¡¯t even allow the families of her followers shelter behind their fortifications, nor any relief between waves.


    ¡°And we thank you for that.¡± The leader sneered contemptuously.


    It was obvious what would come next and Hai Yun clamped down on her emotions as she recognized her many failures that led to this final confrontation.


    ¡°Mistress,¡± One of her young attendants interrupted Hai Yun¡¯s thoughts with a whisper. The girl was barely 15 years old and had only received her class during the first wave of the siege. The fact that she was level 34 after just a few weeks did nothing to change the fact that she was a child. ¡°You should flee. We will hold them off.¡± The girl offered with a determined expression that was reflected even among Hai Yun¡¯s oldest followers.


    Hai Yun shook her head. ¡°Nonsense. I will punish these dogs for their impudent barking.¡±


    Hai Yun held her arm forward, palm facing up, with just her pointer finger and middle finger aimed at the leader of their ambush as if to personally challenge him. He continued sneering at her, reveling in his favorable position. She flicked her wrist up, so that her two fingers aimed at the sky and her flame dragon blasted out of the ground around the leader¡¯s feet. Her level 50 skill had made her dragons significantly more responsive, something she had withheld during the last wave of monsters.


    The leader¡¯s sneer melted away, replaced by his agonized screams as her first dragon rose into the air like a volcanic eruption. It seemed her will had been more than enough for him to burst into flames after all.


    The heat of the dragon¡¯s entrance immediately melted the fine, powdery snow that covered the landscape and a wave of warmth blanketed the ambushers. The leader¡¯s invisible shield shattered as he died, revealing itself to be uselessly placed a dozen feet in front of his position where he expected to intercept any frontal attacks.


    Hai Yun bent her elbow and clenched her hand into a fist and her dragon exploded in an air burst of fiery lances. The horrified expressions of the nearby soldiers witnessing the quick defeat of their leader transformed into anguish as they joined him in the torment of a painful death.


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    Hai Yun accepted that she would die here as well, but she would extract a high price for the lives of her followers.


    She pushed the palm of her opposite hand forward, extending it beyond her silken wrist wrap, looped around two fingers, as she continued her assault. Her second dragon rushed forward, like a battering ram, toward the entrenched ambushers, mouth agape with lightning teeth displayed. Purple and white sparks spread across the ground in unpredictable patterns, but her attendants fearlessly charged directly behind the dragon, not needing her verbal direction to fight to the death.


    A thick wall of deep blue ice crossed the road and her lightning dragon smashed into it as the rest of the Chosen recovered their wits and began to fight. The ice wall held strong despite streams of electricity leaving glittering trails fanning across the frozen surface. Her bodyguards leapt into the fray, each engaging a dozen of the settlement¡¯s soldiers in brutal close combat on the edges of the wall. The battlefield collapsed into chaos as weapons cut through the air and spells flew through the gaps. The snow-covered valley hardly muffled the cries of distress as blood stained the ground red.


    She resummoned her flame dragon, and let it swoop across the ice barrier, melting it with flames. Then she called both of her conjures into the air, twisting them into a double helix and letting their combined form smash down into the midst of her enemies from the sky. A wave of fire and arcing lightning swept the battle line. The air itself was charged by her attacks, making the fine hairs on her arms stand up, and the crisp winter scents were drowned out by the burning flames catching her enemies.


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    She knew that her followers were dying at her flank, holding off the soldiers that had chased them for days, but she had to face the enemy in front of them. She would be sure to make their sacrifices worthwhile. Her dragons swept the backlines of the enemy, seeking out the undefended ranged fighters while her bodyguards held the line, weapons and bodies drenched bloodred.


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    As she summoned a new cycle, she used her lightning dragon to catch a series of polychromatic energy arrows that targeted her directly. The dragon consumed the attacks and she finally spared a hasty glance behind. She wanted to see how much time she had left. She had no intention of dying with any mana in reserve.


    She was relieved to find most, or maybe even all of her followers remained steadfast at her back. She was able to concentrate on turning her dragons into a swirling torrent of flames and lightning while her elite bodyguards cut through their distracted and panicked foes. For a moment, she believed they might be able to punch through, cleaving through the ambush before they were overwhelmed.


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    However, an ear shattering shriek arrested her swelling optimism. The sounds of battle only grew more intense from her flank until she couldn¡¯t resist the urge to turn around and bear witness. The enemy trap had failed and she had routed the frontal assault, meant to pincer them against the larger force, but the pursuers would be able to engulf her meager forces on their own. She still had enough mana to extract a heavy price from their killers and she prepared to call her dragons onto the rear.


    Upon a closer look, she realized that her followers hadn¡¯t even been engaged in combat at all. A single individual was cleaving through the gathered enemy Chosen, causing chaos from within their column while deflecting magic attacks with swipes of stretched claws.


    The disorder was already winding down by the time Hai Yun joined her spectating followers. She witnessed the young lady that saved them tear a hulking warrior¡¯s throat out with a swipe of her nails, bite through the neck of another with pointed teeth and an impossible stretch of her jaw, and impale her pointed fingers into the heart of a third, launching a gout of crimson blood arcing into the sky. It was a savage slaughter, even for this apocalyptic Earth.


    The girl wailed a dissatisfied screech and a dozen of the remaining soldiers dropped their weapons and collapsed in a perfect circle around her, clutching their ears or eyes as they bled. She jumped into the air toward the final holdouts with elongated fingers and sharp nails held forward. Her thick matted hair trailed after her like a beast in its own right and Hai Yun spotted the girl¡¯s blind, cloudy, pupiless eyes for a brief second before she landed and the final enemies were torn apart.


    The attendants mumbled around Hai Yun in hushed tones fearing what they were seeing, as the girl¡¯s wounds rapidly closed where she had been pierced by arrows or spells. ¡°Demon!¡± ¡°Vampire.¡± ¡°Devil¡­¡± but when the last soldier was defeated, Hai Yun stepped forward to thank their savior.


    The girl stood barefoot in the center of a massacre despite the below freezing temperature. The ruined rags that might have once been a nightgown barely clung to her thin figure. She was so skinny, she might have been starving if not for the effects of mana. Her fingers and nails shrank to a normal size as Hai Yun walked through the killing field, though they still dripped with blood.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Hai Yun expressed in genuine gratitude, ¡°but why have you saved us?¡±


    The girl kept her head down, causing her blood-soaked hair to cover almost her entire face, though Hai Yun could still see the blood on the girl¡¯s cheek and chin that obviously wasn¡¯t her own.


    When the girl didn¡¯t respond, Hai Yun continued. ¡°Might I know your name?¡±


    The girl turned her head away, but she responded in a shaky voice that belied the power she had displayed. ¡°I don¡¯t know it.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know your name?¡± Hai Yun¡¯s eyebrows rose unconsciously.


    ¡°I know what it was, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s mine anymore¡­¡± The girl seemed confused, but Hai Yun would honor their savior if she could, and perhaps even establish a powerful ally in doing so. Hai Yun had been taught to strike when the iron was hot, and here she saw an opportunity beyond obligation.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright.¡± She reassured her. ¡°Mine is Hai Yun. Would you like to come with us? We are leaving this place, we will find somewhere better.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± The girl flinched, but one milky eye appeared between locks of hair.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Hai Yun responded confidently.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to fight? But, you saw me.¡± The girl faltered, whispering. ¡°You saw¡­¡±


    ¡°You saved us. For that, we will be forever grateful.¡± Hai Yun stated with a short bend at the waist. She knew her followers would reproduce the gesture with their own deep bows.


    After more hesitation, the girl decided. ¡°I would like to go¡­¡± The girl pondered for another moment before she continued, ¡°I was called Irina before.¡±


    Hai Yun was surprised to hear a European name this far away from the continent. ¡°Then let¡¯s go together, Irina.¡± She invited the girl with an outstretched hand.

 Chapter 104: Market Avenue

    While gripping the rake with both hands, Coop raised his arms into the air and stretched his back. A few solid pops along his spine gave him a wave of relief as he exhaled dramatically. He wiped the sweat from his brow with the knuckles of a sand covered hand and took a deep breath. The small reset was enough to get him ready to keep going.


    He adjusted his grip and lifted the reliable rake into the air before dropping the metal tines into the sand, letting gravity do most of the work in bringing the head down. The dunes were already looking significantly improved as he worked his way across the battlefield. He was using the same rake that Jones had wielded when they fought Ancient Defenders in the early days, but now he was avoiding the pacifist monsters in favor of challenging the sand itself. The Defenders shifted in their places, but otherwise ignored him just as he ignored them. He chuckled at the idea that they had finally reached an accord.


    ¡°Yoohoo! Coop! Over here!¡± Caisalya called for him with her singsong voice as she directed his attention to another massive crater where a cannonball had blasted the sand away until coral rock was exposed. The limestone bedrock was barely covered by packed sand in the first place, so anywhere that received a significant impact left the base of the island uncovered. At least with Charlie¡¯s tornadoes the sand was uniformly distributed around the area and they hadn¡¯t explosively penetrated the surface of the ground.


    He jogged over to where Caisalya had indicated and started breaking up scorched sand along the edges of the crater with the rake, making sure to spread the sand relatively evenly across the rock. The sand reacted in a variety of ways, depending on the element that disturbed the dunes, but for the most part, the solution was simple. Separating clumps and redistributing the sand.


    The herbalist was helping him restore the habitat, healing the battle wounds one at a time. She was reseeding some of the native plants while Coop reset the sand according to her instructions. Coop had intended to do something about the scars left after the siege, but he hadn¡¯t expected to manually transform the dunes that divided the coastal beach from the interior scrubland himself.


    When Coop explained his intention for restoration of the damaged dunes, Caisalya encouraged him to work urgently and not to dally. Apparently, disturbed dunes quickly collapse into instability without vegetation. The steady ocean winds blow the sand and force it to migrate inland without the stabilization brought by the roots of dune grasses, which in turn, make it difficult for those same grasses to support themselves.


    Caisalya was reestablishing the sea oats and placing small posts in strategic locations that reminded Coop of tiny garden fences while she had him plow the most critically damaged areas. The small barriers would provide a temporary structure for dunes to regrow naturally, though the sands would shift over time, this would prevent them from blowing away completely before then.


    In addition to Coop, Caisalya had recruited both of her foragers, Ixia, and several grannies that had been interested in gardening into the restoration efforts. They¡¯d have the dunes set up for a full recovery before the day was done.


    A thorough habitat assessment also allowed the herbalist to outline ideal locations for new trails where they would cause the least fragmentation. She drafted another two dozen residents into laying flat stones for the paths, lined with small natural barriers. Coconuts, driftwood, and coral rocks formed a tiny hedge along the newly reformed trails. The windward side would also contribute to the formation of new small dunes as the ocean breeze pushed sand inland. Coop had to admit that their quick reconstruction of the trails put his previous maintenance efforts to shame.


    Once the dunes were restored, the scrubland would also recover under the watchful care of the herbalist. The dunes naturally provided a barrier to the low-lying inland area, so they needed the initial attention. Lizards were already darting between surviving pickle grasses while hunting unseen insects, and land crabs reclaimed their territory, waving a single claw from the openings of their holes as they unearthed themselves after being buried in sand-covered gaps in the bedrock.


    The beach, in contrast, had already fully rehabilitated itself to his untrained eye. The steady waves washed away any evidence of the hordes of monsters that had stampeded across the coast. Now, the only stampedes were the tiny black and white shelled hermit crabs wandering along the shallows and the sandpipers chasing the waves in and out like they were dancing with the sea. The only difference for the beach was that there were fewer clusters of palm trees leaning over the shallow water. Ixia was already in the process of creating small sandy berms where coconut palms would be encouraged to make a comeback. They would reestablish welcomed shady spots on the beach as they grew.


    ¡°Hah! Got another one!¡± Derek shouted, and Coop turned to see what he¡¯d discovered this time. The man held a small glassy orb up to the sun so that he could observe the swirling red mana inside, like he was evaluating a precious jewel.


    Satisfied with his inspection, Derek jogged down the half finished trail, stepping from one flat stone to the next, until he reached Coop. ¡°Check it out! Got a huge one this time!¡±


    ¡°Nice one, man.¡± Coop congratulated him in between plowing with the rake. Derek was leveling his Basic Foraging profession and was dredging up common and uncommon materials called Traces. The materials formed in the aftermath of significant mana fluxes, something that could apparently happen in the aftermath of an event where tens, or hundreds of thousands of monsters died in a single area over a short period of time.


    ¡°I think Sunny is still beating you though.¡± Coop pointed out as the retriever trotted along the trail with a large green Trace in his mouth. Derek and Coop watched as the dog gently put it on top of a pile of a dozen others of various colors and sizes.


    ¡°Not fair at all.¡± Derek grumbled indignantly. ¡°When is the market opening anyway? I want to see what a fortune I¡¯ve already collected and sell it before the dog saturates the supply.¡±


    Coop leaned on the rake and glanced at the angle of the sun. ¡°Should be soon right?¡±


    ¡°I hope so. No offense, mate, but your settlement was sparse.¡± Derek reflected.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, that¡¯s not fair. Credits are hard to come by, and even then, we had way more stuff than the Empire.¡± Coop tried defending their early progress. The market would just be an upgrade for the residents that were already present anyway. It didn¡¯t bring any new merchants itself, despite the 250,000 basic credit price tag.


    ¡°No seven foot tall scantily clad purple amazon women though.¡± Derek pointed out. Coop just shook his head, remembering how Derek had cultivated his particular image with just about everyone he interacted with.


    ¡°Well, after that siege event, we¡¯re going through a period of development. Make sure you leave any of your requests in the town hall.¡± Coop suggested, trying to shift the conversation away from Derek¡¯s musings.


    ¡°I already submitted my ideas, but your weird bird mayor refused to accept them.¡± Derek complained. Coop was not going to ask what he had proposed. ¡°I mean, there¡¯s no way there are no alien strip clubs right? And they¡¯d definitely be big money makers. Think about it. I bet you¡¯d be able to take the world over through tourism. Love not war right?¡±


    Coop sighed as Derek answered his unasked question anyway. ¡°Go find more traces, dude.¡±


    ¡°Nice idea, mate.¡± Derek perked up and started walking away. ¡°Grabbing drinks later, right?¡± He asked from over his shoulder.


    ¡°Depends when I start my grind.¡± Coop answered noncommittally.


    ¡°Take a break, Champ!¡± Derek yelled with exasperation as he jogged backwards. ¡°Drinks later!¡± He demanded as he pointed at Coop, slowly turning back to the beach. ¡°Argh!¡± He shouted and stopped in his tracks as Sunny trotted by with yet another Trace, this time a sky blue one, in his mouth. If there had been any competition between the two, it was well out of hand by now.


    Coop¡¯s day had begun with what was already becoming the start of his new routine: Jett bullying him off of his pillow while he slept, a jog with Sunny as the retriever heralded dawn, a cold shower, breakfast with Maeve to try Desmond¡¯s experimental alien-human fusion dishes, and an update with whoever had anything that needed his attention around the settlement. From there, he was flexible enough to work through any problems that arose or explore new opportunities that he found. If nothing complicated his life ever again, he would be perfectly happy.


    Before Coop presented his idea to Caisalya and ultimately ended up working the beach with a rake, Marcus had sought him out during breakfast in order to let him know that the coffee shop would be fully complete in the afternoon. To commemorate the start of a new period of growth for the settlement, the top advisor was setting the opening of their first construction up as a small celebratory event. A grand opening. Hopefully, the first of many.


    Coop suggested they purchase the Market public service and combine its introduction with the shop¡¯s opening. People would have a reason to grab a drink and take a stroll along the canal, checking out stalls of goods for sale. Coop still had almost 2.5 million credits, so the cost wasn¡¯t a problem anymore, and it wasn¡¯t like Coop was planning on giving up his lucrative grind sessions any time soon.


    The market established a trade zone that would be accessible to all members of the settlement. In Ghost Reef¡¯s case, they had the market extend east and west along the canal on both sides from the central bridge all the way to the fort¡¯s wall. Their population wasn¡¯t enough to fully utilize it, but it was giving them room to expand in the future.


    The public service added a new set of menus to the shard¡¯s interface that allowed for reservations within the designated area. It would keep everything nice and organized while generating revenue for the settlement. Coop knew a few of the contracted residents would be particularly excited about setting up stalls as they had made their requests when he welcomed them to Ghost Reef. Most of the service buildings were designed to be workshops, so they weren¡¯t prepared to sell goods without a market stall. It also meant that more jobs would be open to residents since the crafters wouldn¡¯t be the ones physically doing the selling. All in all, he felt the market was a good purchase for the development of the settlement.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°Champion Coop! The last one is here!¡± Caisalya called like she was singing a song, flagging him down as he raked and organized his thoughts. He hustled over to the next crater and continued his efforts.


    He found himself enjoying the physical activity quite a bit. Raking the beach drew a surprising number of parallels with his grind sessions. The sun beating down on his shoulders and the teeth of the rake sifting through the sand made him feel like he was achieving something worthwhile, a little bit at a time. It seemed like he was really following in Jones¡¯s footsteps in becoming a dedicated caretaker for Ghost Reef.


    Coop finished up the last of the raking and admired how much had improved in such a short time. The scars from the battles were nearly gone, the damaged dunes properly seeded, the trail was already better than ever, and the beach palms were planted. The aliens were using their profession abilities to accelerate the growth of the new vegetation while the finishing touches were put in place.


    He walked the trail toward the fort and found Balor finishing their brand new stone bridge across the moat. It matched the style of the canal bridge, though it was much smaller and obviously designed specifically to withstand a siege.


    The moat was similarly being upgraded. It was already fully cleared of debris by phantom pirates and they were rebuilding both of the sides to be significantly more sturdy. One of the lessons they learned during the siege was how easily the banks caved in and how the debris contributed to temporary bridges over the protective gap. Afterwards, they would be re-dredging the bottom to make it even deeper. They wouldn¡¯t have sand and stone creating temporary bridges in the event of a future siege.


    Balor joined him in observing the moat¡¯s progress, wiping his large stone hands on his dark pants. ¡°How¡¯s that for a day¡¯s work lad?¡± He asked, puffing up his chest with pride. It seemed like the human construction projects had inspired him to show what he could do as well.


    ¡°Looks good, Balor.¡± Coop complimented the stonemason. ¡°The stone arches are especially impressive.¡±


    ¡°Aye, you humans appreciated the incomplete main bridge, so I didn¡¯t mind throwing something together in a rush.¡± Balor frowned at the arching stones. ¡°I¡¯ll make the pair of bridges a matching set. You just make sure to get those walls back into shape.¡± He nodded toward one of the many breaches in the southern wall of the fort.


    ¡°Once the phantoms are back, we¡¯ll really dig in. It¡¯ll come together quickly when we all work together.¡± Coop promised. Marcus was taking care of the groundwork so that they would just need additional labor to get everything done. For now, whomever had any expertise related to construction in brick or stone were taking surveys and drawing up plans for significant repairs. Coop had learned his lesson not to let Balor know that they might make some minor changes as well. The fort was meant to be too functional to keep completely historically accurate.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have believed you if I hadn¡¯t seen your artisans construct that fancy shop.¡± Balor admitted, referring to the coffee shop. Coop didn¡¯t bother pointing out that they were mostly amateurs, not artisans, and it wasn¡¯t meant to be that fancy.


    ¡°Without that first event looming, we finally have a chance to put a priority on development. I hope you can keep up.¡± Coop teased the stonemason.


    ¡°Pfah! Go and see how the roads are coming along and say that again!¡± Balor shook a stone fist as Coop headed into the fort.


    The iron gate was still unrepaired, leaning off of its hinges against piles of rubble, waiting for the smiths to complete a commission, but the main street had already been finished. Balor and his laborers had worked overnight to complete the primary thoroughfare of the settlement.


    From the entrance Coop gazed straight across the entire development. His eyes were drawn to the glowing civilization shard in the center of the first town circle, like the crown jewel at the focal point of the courtyard with the dome of the town hall in the distance behind it.


    Textured cobblestone connected the main gate, to Balor¡¯s bridge, and beyond to the town hall. The stone was a hundred different shades of white and gray and came in a variety of shapes in sizes, but by some magic, they all fit together flawlessly, leaving no gaps at all.


    Stone planters that seemed to be carved from a single piece of coral rock were perfectly aligned down the center of the road, forming raised islands surrounded by unpretentious, comfortable, wooden benches on all four sides. The planters were already filled with blooming pink hibiscus in the shade of medium sized palms that had orchids clinging to their trunks. The street would be shady enough to keep cool even during the tropical summer and had plenty of comfortable spots to rest in between shopping sessions.


    Both town circles were also complete with their own stone patterns spiraling from the central features. The southern circle had the civilization shard and Balor was forming plans for turning it into a true centerpiece. The northern circle had the sinkhole that would eventually become their underground gateway, topped with some kind of tower, according to the stonemason.


    The radial streets and the perimeter road were still just outlines, but the stonemason¡¯s team would be getting them completed even before the settlement had the buildings or the population necessary to utilize the routes. Having Balor and his laborers temporarily free from reinforcing the walls meant that significantly more paving would get done in a short period of time.


    Coop walked along the shaded street, watching crested hummingbirds investigate the new flowers in the central berms while olive-capped warblers hopped along the palm canopy. A few phantoms lounged on the benches in the shade, idly chatting, but it seemed like most of the residents were working on one project or another.


    When he arrived at the coffee shop, he had to admit to being impressed. Even though he had seen it in progress a few times, he didn¡¯t expect the end result to be so elaborate. Coop had been anticipating an extremely basic layout for their first attempts at building, literally a square with a door and a roof, but he had clearly underestimated the expertise of his residents.


    Instead of a shop, it was more of an open air cafe with an elevated deck. The whole setup could have lived another life as a premier rooftop bar, serving alcohol to young socialites while overlooking a downtown skyline. Lounge seating was arranged beneath a wooden canopy and leveraged the location on the town circle to look over the open space. The outer wall of the deck was a solid half wall that was still being painted with white paint, provided by Sojjah in exchange for shelf space for some of her products. The exterior was just waiting for the hanging succulents that would encompass the entire perimeter according to the owners¡¯ preference.


    Coop was making his way through the entrance when Laurie grabbed his attention.


    ¡°You¡¯re here!¡± She greeted as she swiped her hair away from her face, brushing her cheeks with her fingertips, leaving streaks of white paint behind. ¡°Come inside!¡± She hurried him through the front, toward the bar, and led Coop through a door into the back area where they would establish a small kitchen. It was full of construction supplies for now, but also had a huge series of tiny pots of dirt with individual leaves sprouting roots. They were the succulents that would decorate the walls, grown by Laurie and Greg, propagated from their plants back home.


    ¡°So? Do you really have it?¡± Laurie asked, still skeptical about Coop delivering on outlandish promises.


    Naturally, Coop shrugged. ¡°We¡¯ll see, I guess.¡± He accessed his spatial storage and started placing all the things he had previously scavenged from the smashed up coffee shop back on the mainland. Laurie gasped in astonishment as the equipment appeared, but she quickly focused and grabbed a notepad to start jotting notes for her records.


    ¡°You have no idea how grateful we are. Just getting us here was more than enough to put us in your debt forever.¡± She shook her head as she concentrated on writing. ¡°Greg has been absolutely panicked about how he was going to make anything, especially after they started building. We were even considering shifting the entire business model to reselling goods produced by the contracted residents.¡±


    As the coffee brewer, espresso machine, and coffee grinder reappeared, Laurie breathed in relief, but Coop agreed with Greg. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t really know how you¡¯re gonna do it either. This whole project was just a whim.¡± He placed bags of coffee beans and continued. ¡°How are we going to get you more coffee beans?¡±


    ¡°We already arranged it with Ixia. Our operation is small enough that she can supply us with just a few tracts as long as we give her some beans to start with.¡± Laurie noted. ¡°The power of magic.¡± She explained with exaggerated whimsy. ¡°Expanding will be difficult, but that¡¯s for the future to worry about.¡±


    ¡°What about water? Electricity? I dunno, sugar, milk?¡± Coop still wondered about how they would work out all the details.


    Laurie held her fingers up and put one down as she checked each item off. ¡°We already hired a crew of pirates that have water related affinities, Greg can heat things up just fine, and the new Plantation, Grove, and Ranch along with the Herb Garden cover almost all our supplies, Vronk is experimenting with more pastries, and Balor already taught us how to make disposable mugs. They actually poof into mana when they¡¯re emptied.¡± She shook her head with her own astonishment. Coop raised his eyebrows and she smiled at his reaction, ¡°It¡¯s not our first time starting a shop like this!¡± She exclaimed with a laugh. ¡°Even if it is the first time with magic involved.¡± She added, importantly.


    Once Coop finished retrieving the scavenged items, Laurie went to gather all of the future cafe employees and have a final meeting. Coop attempted to head for the underground pearlescent chambers and continue grinding, but he was caught up by Camila. She was particularly enthusiastic about the return of coffee and he ended up waiting on the deck with her, lounging while watching the comings and goings of the town circle. As she raved about the coffee shop, he got the impression she was some kind of caffeine fiend and wanted to be the first to try a cup.


    It wasn¡¯t long before he was surrounded by other familiar faces. Charlie arrived with Shalatha, Derek with two phantom pirates, and Buck with Elly on his shoulders and both younger brothers trailing behind. Even Maeve left the tavern, ostensibly to check out the competition, though it seemed obvious she was just curious about the drinks herself, having heard of the accolades of coffee from other residents.


    Marcus got everyone¡¯s attention to kick things off. He gave a brief prepared speech where he announced that this was the first of many additions to the settlement as they worked together to develop their home and sanctuary. He concluded by inviting everyone to explore the stalls along the newly established market avenues while enjoying their drinks.


    Coop leaned against the deck¡¯s railing, sipping an iced coffee with magical cubes floating in the drink, and watched as phantoms sold elixirs made by the alchemists or residents purchased ornamental knick knacks for their new homes. Derek loudly celebrated his haul as he sold the Traces he gathered to the blacksmith¡¯s stall. Apparently, it was enough to purchase 20 drinks in the Clumsy Shark.


    The market reminded him of the stalls at a festival, colorful and inviting, though the merchandise was certainly different. He was surprised by how many had popped up. It seemed like almost every contracted resident had reserved a spot. Even Balor had a shop manned by a phantom that was selling decorative baubles and small furniture.


    It felt like another level up for Ghost Reef. When Coop finished his drink, he headed for the Ruin Excavators to seek out his own.

 Chapter 105: Idle Speed

    Coop dismissed his morning star and allowed his Fog of War to finally fade away as he left the pearlescent chambers. He imagined the Ruin Excavators collectively sighing in relief as their tormentor finished for the day. He¡¯d hunted for a bit longer than he planned, but it was just because he was feeling motivated to get the next Slayer title. He couldn¡¯t let the settlement make all the gains, developing as quickly as it was.


    As he took the smooth tunnel back to the fort, he checked the notifications that accumulated during his hunt.


    [You defeated Ruin Excavator (Level 33)]


    [+15 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Soul Dredger (Uncommon)]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Defeat Ruin Excavators IV (3228/5000)]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Ruin Excavator (Level 32)]


    [+18 Basic Credits]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Ruin Excavators IV]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Defeat Ruin Excavators V (0/11111)]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Ruin Excavator (Level 31)]


    [+21 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Soul Dredger (Uncommon)]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Defeat Ruin Excavators V (1423/11111)]


    Compared to the siege monsters, the regular invaders just weren¡¯t that rewarding when it came to experience and loot. Still, Coop appreciated that they were available for him to hunt whenever he felt like it. Every tiny contribution helped him continue to grow and he was always prepared to put in the work for the additional stats.


    These monsters may not be providing him with levels directly, but the quest completions continued, and there was always the Slayer title at the very end to look forward to receiving. He was surprisingly comfortable with not getting levels straight from the grind since it gave his profession levels a chance to catch up again. Someday, Scavenging would exceed his class levels and be the sleeper source of a massive amount of attributes. In the meantime, he doubted anyone would ever suspect his profession was even close to his level anyway, as overleveled as he was. When would someone with his level find the time to level a profession?


    He checked his updated status as he made his way through the tunnels and back toward the courtyard.


    [Status]


    HP - 7540/7540


    MP - 12713/14080


    Class - Revenant (Level 97)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 93)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 50 (+1408)


    Agility - 50 (+704)


    Body - 50 (+704)


    Mind - 1280 (+128)


    Intelligence - 50 (+1408)


    Acumen - 50


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion III, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper, Slayer III, Dauntless, Stacked, Defiant, Siegebreaker


    Skills (Active) - Retribution, Salvation, Presence of Mind, Fog of War


    Skills (Passive) - Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (13/50), Trophy Hunter (4/5), Defeat Ancient Devourers II (0/25), Defeat Primal Serpents II (4/25), Defeat Ruin Excavators V (1423/11111), Defeat Primal Kites III (0/250), Upgrade Village to Town


    Basic Credits - 2,403,541


    The Siegebreaker bonus was so nice, it already exceeded a single stack of the Slayer title, but it was really throwing off the nice rounded numbers he had previously become accustomed to seeing. Coop shook his head at his sense of aesthetics.


    Instead, he flexed as he analyzed the feeling of his current stats and gave himself an approving nod. Intelligence was a weird one though, the only time it made any difference was when he was casting Fog of War. If only he could flex his brain too.


    Once he finished the Ruin Excavator chain, he would get the last two levels to reach 100 by hunting the Devourers and Serpents for one more stage in each of their quests. It would only take two or three more days at the comfortable rate he was going. Then, he¡¯d get access to another skill choice. He was looking forward to expanding his Intelligence-based arsenal. The days of his foundational skirmisher style were surely coming to an end.


    ¡°Totally.¡± He chuckled to himself sarcastically.


    In all seriousness, he never expected to completely leave the brawler lifestyle behind and didn¡¯t actually want to, either. It was his first choice for a reason, and unlimited grinding would always be his bread and butter. But, some more active skills were long overdue.


    His Fortune Seeker quest had also progressed a bit since the siege ended. It went up the first time he looted any normal monster, but that was only while the quest was active. He had to retroactively loot monsters he had killed prior to receiving the quest. So far, he had defeated a few Ancient Defenders, Ancient Prowlers, and of course the Ruin Excavators for three more to his Scavenger quest completion. Fortune Seeker was going to take a while to finish anyway, so he wasn¡¯t in a rush. It was just a bit annoying that he didn¡¯t have credit for the Primal Trackers back on the mainland. Everything else around Ghost Reef would be easy enough to return to, but he didn¡¯t think a trip back would be worth the single monster credit.


    His hoard of credits had barely taken a dent, despite his recent massive purchases. The event rewards and his bit of grinding had basically negated any expenses already. Plus, the additional services from the market were feeding back into the settlement, so even if his personal wallet shrank slightly, their collective spending power was going up. Other than meals, he barely had anything he wanted to buy for himself anyway.


    As he made it back into the fort¡¯s basement, Coop checked the leaderboards with a twinge of concern over the unknown leveling strategies that resulted in so many new names the last time he looked. Hopefully, they weren¡¯t catching up to him yet, even if he was grinding more intermittently than before.


    Day 52


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Coop (Level 97)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Charlie Seraphin (Level 77)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Ashton Cliff (Level 72)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Cole Walker (Level 72)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Sila Tupua (Level 71)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Banshee (Level 70)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Ix-Hau (Level 69)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Ateh Nawej (Level 69)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Ebai Ekowa (Level 69)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Xba-Hau (Level 68)</li>


    </ol>


    It looked like he didn¡¯t need to worry. There was barely any change to the top 10 with just a few people gaining a single level in the last couple days, including himself. The only real fluctuation was the reappearance of Banshee who leapfrogged into the sixth spot at level 70 after not being on the list before. He guessed it was too soon to write off the Undead that had drifted out of the spotlight since their excessively quick starts.


    Coop still had an absurd lead. Once he completed the Excavator quest chain, he¡¯d grab another two levels immediately, so he¡¯d still manage at least a level a day in the short term, if not more. That seemed plenty to avoid being caught by anyone else, for the time being. Afterwards, he¡¯d look into extending his lead even further. There was no point in keeping his foot off the pedal even if his idle speed was enough to stay ahead. The siege had ended up being an opportunity to propel himself into the stratosphere and he would fight to avoid being brought back down.


    Whatever method the others had been using to level up seemed to have tapered off already, or otherwise come in bursts. They had been getting roughly two levels a day for the 20 days of the event if it was averaged out, but that rate had obviously been unsustainable.


    Coop considered if their huge experience gains were only available during the siege event. Maybe the monsters had gone wild even outside of the settlement territories, so those who didn¡¯t participate in the event ended up in significant battles anyway, gaining levels for their struggles. Coop grimaced at the idea of fighting waves of monsters and then not receiving the awesome event rewards at the end, but it certainly appeared to be a possible explanation.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    On the other hand, they may have tapped into a one time source of experience, or one that took time to reset before they could take advantage of it again. Field Bosses seemed like a possibility for a burst of levels that might take time to respawn. He wasn¡¯t ready to write off any of his potential rivals, even if he didn¡¯t personally feel particularly threatened by any of them anymore, thanks to his ridiculous stats even relative to his high level.


    It was early in the night when Coop made his way into the courtyard. He caught a glimpse of the stars between thin clouds as a few straggling birds flew back to their roosts after an evening of foraging. Even from the northern half of the courtyard, Coop could hear laughter and loud conversations coming from the tavern.


    He passed a few groups sitting together along the sides of Balor¡¯s bridge. They were looking at the glimmering reflection of the stars in the calm water while letting their feet hang over the edge.


    First, he stopped by the library, but according to Abithik, Asha-Kali remained indisposed for the time being. He was getting a bit worried about her, and he had lingering questions about her potential prophecy. It didn¡¯t matter how much he tried to ignore her words, the overall warning persisted in the back of his mind. Even if it wasn¡¯t for him, someone else might need the words of caution.


    On his way into the tavern, he ran into Emmanuel and Madison who were chatting as they strolled along the canal while sipping drinks from the new cafe.


    ¡°Coop!¡± Emmanuel waved him over happily. Madison barely reacted. Coop could see she was exhausted, maybe even more than any of them had been during the siege.


    Coop waved back, trying to match Emmanuel¡¯s energy. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡±


    ¡°Finally getting a break!¡± Emmanuel announced. ¡°Also, I¡¯m supposed to invite you to the residents¡¯ training session tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Oh? What¡¯s that?¡± Coop asked. The settlement was really getting to the point where he couldn¡¯t keep track of everything going on, but that didn¡¯t mean he wanted to be left out.


    ¡°Well, they only met twice before the siege event started, but they were meeting with Ledwidge to try out different weapon types and eventually have him teach how to wield them. I think it¡¯ll become a regular thing.¡± Emmanuel explained before he rubbed his head. ¡°I dunno if you need it, but apparently Ledwidge was excited by the idea of having you swing by. He said some stuff about you breaking his test.¡±


    ¡°Uh oh, am I in trouble?¡± Coop checked, suspiciously.


    ¡°No, nothing like that.¡± Emmanuel chuckled with a deep rumble from his chest.


    ¡°I¡¯d be happy to check it out.¡± Coop confirmed, as long as no one would scold him. ¡°When¡¯s it happening?¡±


    ¡°Before lunch! And if you head over early, I¡¯ll introduce you to the Seraphin Gravity Gym!¡± He announced gladly.


    ¡°You started a gym? That sounds interesting.¡± Coop was intrigued. He¡¯d been dying to lift some weights even before mana had given him absurd strength, so a gym was appealing. Being on Ghost Reef meant he only had bodyweight exercises and a pair of dumbbells ever since he arrived, even before the apocalypse.


    Emmanuel laughed heartily, seeing Coop as a possible kindred spirit. ¡°You¡¯ll have to stop by to find out!¡±


    Coop nodded before he checked up with Madison. ¡°And how are you doing? I feel bad about making you work so hard.¡±


    She flicked her hand at him dismissively. ¡°This is nothing. We¡¯re just getting started.¡± She tilted her head to the west toward the medical center. ¡°You wanna check out the progress?¡±


    ¡°For sure, I¡¯m interested.¡± Coop agreed, failing to hide his eagerness. ¡°I hate to ask already, but how much longer will it take?¡±


    Madison led the way back to the northern half of the courtyard to reach the hospital. ¡°Like I didn¡¯t expect you to nag me.¡± She drawled sarcastically. ¡°About a week, definitely less than two.¡± She predicted. ¡°His prognosis is good, and he should be able to make a full recovery, though complications are still possible. It seems your friend was infected by a particularly nasty blood curse variant designed for efficiently disabling powerhouses, and he wasn¡¯t exactly a powerhouse.¡±


    As they walked into the entrance of the hospital, she continued explaining the nuances of blood curses and Coop did his best to follow along while he stared at the golden lights dancing with shadows on the ceiling. ¡°Elder Olani very cleverly used her abilities to drain his mana pool which denied the curse from reaching full saturation. She probably saved him from a more challenging infection with her quick thinking.¡± Madison continued.


    She led them through an automatic door, down another hallway, and into a large amphitheater. ¡°This is the grand ritual chamber.¡± She casually waved a hand across the space while she sipped her drink.


    In the center of the room, beneath a spotlight was Jones, lying on a floating gurney that seemed to be suspended by the bright light. The rest of the room was dim in comparison to the brilliance in the center, but gentle golden light evenly illuminated the cylindrical chamber. The floor was an incredibly detailed, but still incomplete, massive mosaic that slightly sloped from the edges down to Jones¡¯s position.


    Coop thought it looked like a complicated sand mural, with obvious symmetries mirrored around the completed portions of its circumference. Two of the alien contractors kneeled as they individually contributed to the pattern, seemingly conjuring one grain of sand at a time.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± Coop muttered, not really sure exactly what he was looking at, but appreciating that it was intricate to the degree of insanity.


    Madison nodded and explained a bit more. ¡°We have to combine our own mana with reactive tonics made with Caisalya¡¯s ingredients to solidify the pattern. When it¡¯s complete it should create a mana torrent that reacts with the specific curse.¡± She cleared her throat and lifted her drink with her pinky out, ¡°A concentrated mana current that will siphon the cursed mana to be dispelled through dispersal and desaturation.¡± She quoted with a slightly pretentious sounding imitation of whoever had originally taught her. ¡°At least that¡¯s how it was explained to me,¡± She frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t like it, because I have my own doubts about mana now that we had our visit with that rogue ¡®goddess.¡¯¡±


    Emmanuel snorted, but looked properly contrite when Madison raised an eyebrow at him. Coop looked at the man questioningly and got a brief explanation. ¡°She doesn¡¯t like that the Avatar knocked her out when she showed up.¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡± Madison clicked her teeth. ¡°A bit hostile for someone purporting to represent such authority while bearing proclamations for our own good, wasn¡¯t it?¡± She countered derisively and Emmanuel readily agreed, knowing Madison enough to pick his battles.


    Coop added his own thoughts. ¡°I¡¯m just a simple guy, but I didn¡¯t like how she presented herself either. It seemed like a mental attack, like another more manipulative phase of the siege boss. She was too perfect.¡±


    Madison raised her eyebrow at Coop. ¡°I heard you tried knocking her out. That¡¯s quite the reaction to witnessing perfection.¡±


    ¡°I dunno what kind of abilities we might face, so maybe I was a bit jumpy.¡± Coop argued while finding himself feeling slightly defensive.


    ¡°I have my doubts about her, but maybe if we see her again, you should apologize.¡± Madison chuckled, apparently approving of his original greeting, but not entirely willing to condone it openly.


    Coop just sighed at the idea of meeting the Avatar of the System again, ¡°I¡¯ll consider it. I probably won¡¯t try to punch her again anyway.¡± He remembered how his wrist folded against her finger like he had punched a concrete wall and subconsciously rubbed his forehead where she had flicked him.


    Madison nodded and sighed after the smile faded from her face. ¡°I guess it¡¯s back to work for me.¡± She announced with a big stretch after handing her mostly finished cup back to Emmanuel.


    ¡°Can I help?¡± Coop offered. If nothing else, he had an absolute ton of mana. If he could apply it, they might be able to finish sooner.


    She patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Not with this. Mana affinity plays a major role. That¡¯s why I only have those two helpers.¡± She indicated the two kneeling aliens as they hunched over and stared at the edges of their workplaces in abject concentration.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Coop reluctantly acquiesced. ¡°Keep up the good work. If you need anything, just ask.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a matter of time.¡± Madison reassured him as she returned to an open space in the design to get back to her task.


    Once again, Coop had trouble comprehending the results-based methods that factions had developed. An affinity-based mana current to siphon cursed mana? Coop shrugged and just accepted his own limited interpretation; mana was everywhere, but could mostly only be interacted with through a compatible affinity.


    Coop shrugged his frustrations off and promised to see Emmanuel in the morning before he headed back to the tavern. The night was young and he¡¯d have to find Derek and pay him a visit to keep him off of his back for a while.


    Crossing the bridge once again, it was clear the tavern was the focal point of the night. Its door was constantly propped open by residents and phantoms entering and exiting. The warm light spilled into the freshly completed main street and the nearby benches were full of people unwinding.


    Coop went with the flow of residents and phantoms, entering the Clumsy Shark with the flow of the crowd. It was all hands on deck inside, with the extra waiters helping Maeve and Desmond manage the flock of customers. The place was busy, and this was with the population of the settlement significantly diminished. He realized, for their sake, the settlement needed to get more venues before they continued to expand. Hopefully, Marcus would have it covered.


    It didn¡¯t take long for Derek to spot him and announce that the Champion had arrived.


    ¡°Fashionably late aren¡¯t we?¡± Derek joked as he put his arm across Coop¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Hey, Desmond! A round for the Champ, on me!¡±


    ¡°He already drinks for free, Derek.¡± The barkeeper pointed out as he poured a pale glowing ale into a mug. ¡°He is the Champion after all.¡±


    ¡°Perfect! Make it two rounds then!¡± Derek laughed as he raised his own mug.


    Coop drank as vaguely familiar faces came to introduce themselves, but it was too many for him to ever hope to remember any names. Some residents thanked him for allowing them to come to the settlement in the first place, phantoms paid their respect, and others swore to get stronger to stand shoulder to shoulder with him in the future. Coop just defaulted to being friendly and welcoming, accepting the hugs, shoulder pats, and handshakes as they came.


    As the crowd diminished and people went back to their parties Coop was faced with one more phantom pirate. ¡°Is it true that Derek was essential when you escaped from the Empire?¡± The blonde pirate asked openly, looking up at Coop with doe eyes. Coop glanced at Derek and found him nodding vigorously with both thumbs up.


    Coop shrugged. ¡°I mean, he helped protect us from some wind, sure.¡± Coop wasn¡¯t sure he would call Derek¡¯s role essential, but he wouldn¡¯t deny that the Virtuoso contributed.


    ¡°And you two are best friends?¡± She continued, tilting her head to the side letting the black ribbons woven into her high pigtails sway over her shoulder.


    Coop looked over at Derek again, wondering what he was telling people, and watched as he continued nodding even more vehemently. ¡°We¡¯re friends...¡± Coop confirmed neutrally.


    When the pirate turned to Derek, he put his arms out. ¡°I told you! Me and the Champ go way back, we were literally bunk mates in prison!¡± He put his arm around her and gave Coop a wink as he led the way to a table with other pirates who started exchanging coins as bets were settled. Coop shook his head and finished his drink.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d end up with such a friend.¡± Desmond observed from behind the bar.


    ¡°Me neither.¡± Coop admitted. ¡°I mean, he didn¡¯t really lie, just exaggerated a lot. I¡¯m sure he doesn¡¯t tell people about how he looted one of the Chosen¡¯s torches and almost got us caught.¡±


    Desmond grunted. ¡°He blames that bit on you, actually.¡±


    ¡°That figures.¡± Coop shook his head. Desmond moved on to other customers leaving Coop for the moment.


    Coop prepared to go back to his lighthouse, but before he left, he spotted Shane and his party in a corner booth. They were quietly discussing something with serious looks on their faces as they half ignored their own card game. It reminded him of the first time he saw the party, though they had seemed more nervous back when they prepared to ask to stay in Ghost Reef. This time, they actually seemed a bit depressed. He decided to give them a visit before he left for the night to find out what was going on. He wanted to hear about the Coral Forest in any case.

 Chapter 106: Just Guys Being Dudes

    ¡°Go fish?¡± Coop asked the table, but he didn¡¯t even get an answer.


    The Illusionist scooted over for Coop to have a seat next to her. He sat down and she gave him a strained but friendly smile that almost reached her eyes, one that the secretary probably repeated frequently while dealing with the public in the pre-mana days. Coop actually thought it was an upgrade from the nervous looks they shot him from their corner booth when he first let them stay in the settlement.


    However, the rest of the party all sat quietly, staring into their drinks, ignoring their cards while taking quick glances at each other. The party was agitated, but at least he knew whatever was bothering them wasn¡¯t due to his presence anymore. They¡¯d all been through a lot together when considering the experiences of the siege event. Coop even felt a comradery with the residents he hadn¡¯t officially met and Shane¡¯s party had been along for the ride from nearly the beginning.


    ¡°Alright. Lay it on me. What happened?¡± Coop prompted the group. Of course, they all looked at Shane and let their party leader answer. It was a familiar pattern that had kept the group together through a variety of situations during the apocalypse.


    Shane used his fingertips to push his hair behind his ears and straightened up in his seat before he answered. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, really.¡± He started, but it was obvious wouldn¡¯t accept a non-answer. ¡°We¡¯ve just been banking on getting experience inside a Mana Well ever since we returned from the sponsorships. Then, you told us about the one right there in your backyard, and we really got our hopes up, but we are quite a bit behind being able to venture inside this one.¡±


    He sighed like someone who had refused to give up only to find his goal was impossible. The weariness he felt was evident. ¡°We spent the day doing more research in the library, trying to understand what is driving the invaders to develop as fast as they are, but we haven¡¯t found a satisfactory answer outside of variable mana concentrations.¡± Shane glanced at Arthur who simply dipped his head in agreement. The group waited for him to continue, none of them had anything to add that would contradict his disappointment.


    ¡°The traditional scaling in a Mana Well is based on distance from the core as it behaves like some kind of mana emanator or magnifier. This leaves the initial monsters, referred to as first stage monsters, at the lowest level in the well, and therefore the easiest to hunt. Inside a plunging well, like the Coral Forest, the first stage would be at the upper most locations, furthest from the sinking core.¡± He stopped and shook his head in disappointment. ¡°They were easy enough to find, but they had levels that were at least in the 90s. All of our identification abilities only displayed question marks.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to do quite a bit of hunting around the islands before we can have a proper hunting party, and that¡¯s only if the monsters don¡¯t continue growing. To make it worse, if they¡¯ve grown that rapidly during the opening days of the assimilation, the odds of them slowing down and stopping their progress suddenly are low.¡± Shane sighed again, understandably upset that their long term plans were being derailed even though they had made a massive leap forward through experience gained from the siege event. In the moment, they clearly felt like their efforts were wasted and they would be left behind.


    While Coop commiserated with the party, he couldn¡¯t help also being a bit excited when being presented with the challenge. He mentally penciled in ¡®exploring the Coral Forest¡¯ as one of his near future endeavors while he waited for the time-gated settlement upgrade and Jones¡¯s recovery. It would be good to mix it up with his Slayer title chasing by delving into a dangerous abyss. He would need to test the experience gains inside of a vaunted mana well to determine if a shift in his personal priorities made sense.


    Coop had an idea. ¡°You guys aren¡¯t that far off.¡± He said optimistically, before he quickly refreshed his memory of their levels, gently shifting his aura to inspect theirs. They were between levels 57 and 66, which actually was depressingly far off. Their melancholy was a little more understandable given the disparity.


    He tried offering an alternative anyway. ¡°I¡¯ll check it out myself. Depending on how I match up with the monsters, maybe I¡¯ll be able to escort parties through portions of it.¡±


    Arthur leaned forward to join the conversation. ¡°Mana Wells introduce significant variability to power, it isn¡¯t recommended to simply compare levels.¡± He warned rather pessimistically. ¡°They won¡¯t be bound by the rules the system imposes on the planetary sponsor. It is a pure reaction from mana densities that establishes the well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for a few more levels first.¡± Coop reassured him with a smile, though it still seemed like the entire party lacked confidence in him. He waved a hand at them. ¡°How many bosses do I need to smack around before I can handle some non-Primal Construct monsters?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll probably be fine.¡± Arthur finally conceded. ¡°We¡¯ll need to hunt the local invaders more seriously and perhaps even wait for another settlement event to push us beyond the minimum threshold.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out.¡± Coop promised. He didn¡¯t want his residents running into roadblocks in any case. ¡°We didn¡¯t get any warning for when the next events will arrive either.¡± He noted.


    ¡°It will most likely be triggered by some discovery soon enough.¡± Shane stated wearily. ¡°According to our orientations, the majority of them appear randomly, but they can¡¯t overlap.¡±


    ¡°Something else to look forward to, then.¡± Coop opined, not really appreciating the unpredictable nature of the future challenges. He¡¯d rather have them scheduled so that he could plan around their starts.


    Coop shrugged, he could only plan for so much anyway. ¡°Let¡¯s have a round of drinks and keep our heads up.¡± Coop flagged down Jonah and ordered for the table. When he turned back to the group, their moods hadn¡¯t improved, so he kept distracting them with questions. ¡°What kind of discoveries might trigger an event?¡±


    ¡°It could be anything really.¡± Shane admitted, recalling what the Empire had taught them. ¡°It¡¯s usually some threshold being reached, like an individual faction gathering a certain number of civilization shards or a sufficient number of individuals climbing beyond a certain level.¡±


    ¡°Volume of territory for an individual settlement.¡± The Dragon Knight added after she swiftly finished her drink, letting the empty cup knock against the table.


    ¡°A settlement hitting a certain level of development.¡± The Tomb Blade contributed before he sipped from his own mug.


    ¡°So, pretty much anything, and we¡¯ll inevitably trigger them as long as we keep pushing forward.¡± Coop observed to the agreement of the table. ¡°Do you think we should be pushing to trigger the next one as soon as possible?¡± He didn¡¯t think so, but maybe they could press some advantage while they had it over the rest of the settlements.


    Shane shook his head. ¡°Ah, probably not until we¡¯ve recovered the army or otherwise refreshed our troops, not to mention the fort¡¯s repairs¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Coop was finding reasons to be worried about progression, and he didn¡¯t like it, but he pushed the fear aside. Maybe it was selfish, but he didn¡¯t think there was anything that would deter him from pushing himself forward. He wasn¡¯t exactly trying to save the world, just make Ghost Reef a place that was safe for anyone, and as the Champion, he needed to keep pushing himself to make it a reality. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to hold off on getting more levels or upgrading Ghost Reef.¡± He affirmed.


    ¡°No, you shouldn¡¯t hold back.¡± Shane reassured him. ¡°There¡¯s really no way to know what will trigger an event and it¡¯s predetermined by the planetary sponsor before the initiation of the assimilation. They can¡¯t mess with us after the fact, to punish us or game the process or anything else beyond what they chose at the start.¡±


    Arthur concurred. ¡°Strategically, our best bet continues to lie with gathering as much power as possible in order to be prepared for future challenges. To hold back for others would be a detriment to everyone, including the ones it would be meant to benefit.¡±


    Coop was just glad he wouldn¡¯t need to start sandbagging, but he still played the devil¡¯s advocate. ¡°What if we waited until everyone was level 99 before hitting 100?¡±


    Arthur chuckled. ¡°It would certainly require patience and coordination. Unfortunately, the threshold is just as likely to be at level 99 instead, or at 1,1111, or not on any level at all. It¡¯s not worth trying to work around all of the possibilities.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Coop was ready to accept any reason not to add to his slowly shrinking list of concerns.


    After finishing a few more drinks, the group decided to head back to their shared apartment and Coop made his way back to the lighthouse to get some shuteye. He walked along the new trail and noted that the smooth stepping stones were still warm from the day¡¯s sunlight despite sunset finishing hours before. He wondered if that was magic too.


    A handful of residents were fighting along the freshly repaired dunes, defeating Ancient Defenders under the light of the moon. They gave him a friendly wave as he walked by. A pair of phantoms also waved at Coop while they lingered near the edge of the scrubland making sure the Prowlers didn¡¯t catch anyone by surprise. Coop waved back, glad to avoid a salute from the soldiers.


    Despite the hardships, Coop couldn¡¯t help but feel Ghost Reef was already coming out from the threat of destruction better than ever. He fell asleep with even less worries than the day before.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    The next day, Coop went through his routine with Jett, Sunny, Maeve, and Marcus, then headed for the training yard while the day was still young. He was excited to find out how some of the residents were training, but also what Emmanuel had set up to claim as a gym.


    Emmanuel was already outside, next door to the training yard. He had claimed a small lot next to the yard, erecting a makeshift fence in a square shape that bordered the service building, and to Coop¡¯s surprise, arranged various pieces of equipment along the perimeter. A handful of simple stakes marked the boundaries and a simple mat at the edge of the future road indicated the entrance.


    Coop¡¯s anticipation grew as he spotted a flat bench, pull up bar, squat rack, and several barbells lined up together, shining like they were brand new in the morning sunlight, but there were no weights. It was a bit of a letdown, especially compared to his initial burst of excitement at seeing the equipment.


    Emmanuel was bench pressing an empty bar on the flat bench and was straining to get the last few reps out, so Coop moved to spot him. The big man must have done an incredible amount of volume to struggle as hard as he was with a standard looking 45 pound barbell. Anyone that looked at Emmanuel could tell that he was strong. He had an intimidating build that he had clearly cultivated over decades of effort and self-control.


    On the last rep, Emmanuel nodded and grunted for a spot and Coop grabbed the bar to put it on the rack. Coop almost fell over in surprise when the bar barely moved. It was incredibly heavy, weighing far more than he expected. He planted his feet and got it onto the rack with a struggle and looked closer at the metal bar wondering what the heck it was made out of.


    ¡°Damn, how much does that thing weigh?¡± Coop muttered, but Emmanuel didn¡¯t respond right away. Coop hadn¡¯t expected the empty barbell to be twice as heavy as his heaviest spears because a barbell was familiar and his weapons had long ago escaped logical observations and firmly embedded themselves in his mind as magic.


    The big man sat up on the bench, breathing deep. When he caught his breath he turned to Coop and grinned. ¡°Hope you¡¯re ready to get a workout in!¡±


    Emmanuel stood up and got behind the bar himself. ¡°You¡¯re up, my man. How much do you wanna warmup with?¡±


    ¡°135.¡± Coop answered automatically. He¡¯d spent four years hitting the gym while he was in college, plus all of the time in high school getting ready in the first place, so he immediately defaulted to what he remembered.


    ¡°Let¡¯s make it 150.¡± Emmanuel cheerily suggested. ¡°Easier for me to do the math starting from 50.¡±


    Coop waited for Emmanuel to reveal the weights, but when he didn¡¯t move, Coop figured they were already set, so Coop just went with the flow. He rotated his shoulders, getting his rotator cuffs warm before he sat down and got underneath the bar, a bit scared of its previous weight. He gripped the knurling and rotated the bar a few times inside the rack, testing it and finding it suitable, then lifted the bar to begin.


    The bar almost flew out of his hands; it was so shockingly light. He did a few reps and put it back, sitting up with a sour face having achieved nothing.


    Emmanuel guffawed. ¡°I was waiting for you to notice! We¡¯re a lot stronger now!¡±


    ¡°How much were you doing before?¡± Coop wondered, still remembering how heavy the bar seemed.


    ¡°2,500.¡± Emmanuel grinned. ¡°New world record! And it was for reps.¡±


    Coop just gawked at him. Emmanuel was a big guy, but Coop had him pegged as a bodybuilder. He was too thin and lean to have been a proper powerlifter, though he was much bigger than Coop.


    ¡°How strong are we?¡± Coop murmured, half in awe and half curious.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find out!¡± Emmanuel suggested as Coop got back underneath the bar. ¡°Let¡¯s warm you up at 1,000 pounds.¡±


    Coop was game. ¡°I thought we¡¯d use the training yard¡¯s magic. Where¡¯d you find the equipment?¡± Coop wondered, now recognizing it as somehow special.


    ¡°I commissioned it from the smiths after we received our rewards from the event. It¡¯s basic stuff, but they work fast.¡± He beamed. ¡°I can customize the weights with my abilities. I simply multiply their gravity.¡± He placed his hand on the center of the bar for a moment and nodded at Coop.


    Coop went through the motions, adjusted his grip, and gave it a shot. The bar glided through the air, moving easily. Coop could feel that it was absurdly heavy, far beyond anything he would have even thought of attempting before, but he was also strong enough to do it. The resistance felt good and Coop kept the reps smooth.


    The realization of his new strength was more strange than empowering. It was a completely different scenario than when he was smashing things with his ethereal weapons and pushing himself beyond his limits. Coop had been underneath weight he couldn¡¯t move, and that¡¯s what this felt like, except he was moving it easily. He couldn¡¯t argue that the weight was inaccurate, because he could feel that it really was ridiculously heavy. It made him wonder about the mechanics of mana and whether or not it was even him lifting or if mana was doing all the work. What were their actual limits? Did they have any, or was it all mental?


    Emmanuel pulled the bar into the rack, interrupting Coop¡¯s musings. ¡°Alright, you don¡¯t need to do a hundred, it¡¯s just a warmup.¡± He chuckled.


    They swapped positions and Emmanuel did his last set, getting two reps in at 2,500 pounds again. When he was finished he rested his elbows on his knees while he sat on the end of the bench. ¡°That¡¯s it for me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Coop joked. ¡°Just a small car for a couple reps?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see how far you get!¡± Emmanuel challenged Coop.


    ¡°Alright, but I¡¯m gonna stick with triples when it gets heavy.¡± Coop rubbed his hands together as he got back on the bench. ¡°By the way, how much Strength do you have?¡±


    ¡°About 500 after a doubling bonus.¡± Emmanuel stated with a sly grin. ¡°You?¡±


    Coop shrugged and couldn¡¯t suppress his smile. ¡°Getting close to 1500.¡±


    Emmanuel rubbed a hand on his bald head as he nodded with his eyebrows up. ¡°You¡¯re a freak, huh?¡±


    Coop grabbed the 2,500 pound barbell in response. He spun it a few times as he found his grip and started another set. The bar never changed speed as he sailed through 10 reps. It felt like he was still on warm up weights. They waited a minute and Coop did the same at 3,000 pounds. He did 7 reps at 3,500 pounds, feeling the bar slow down, and saving some fuel for even heavier weights.


    While he rested, the Cleary brothers arrived with Elly in tow. ¡°Whoa! You got the Champ here already?¡±


    ¡°He was easy to convince.¡± Emmanuel admitted with his hands out. ¡°You squatting today, boys?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Buck confirmed as he put Elly down.


    Emmanuel touched three barbells and pointed at them. ¡°500, 1,000, 1,500.¡± Junior put the lightest bar on the rack and started warming up.


    ¡°How much are you lifting?¡± Tiny asked Coop.


    Emmanuel answered for him. ¡°This is 4,000.¡± Tiny whistled with surprise.


    Coop began his set while the brothers quit their setup to spectate. Tiny leaned forward with his hands on his knees to get eye level with the bar and Junior put both of his hands behind his head with his cheeks puffed out. Coop pushed through 5 reps, feeling the burn in his triceps and inner chest, but barely letting the bar slow down on the way up.


    ¡°Gah damn! That looked easy as hell!¡± Junior exclaimed. ¡°You got way more in ya¡¯ huh?¡±


    Coop sat up, catching his breath. ¡°We¡¯ll see, it¡¯s getting harder fast.¡±


    Buck nodded. ¡°Diminishing returns. Still, you¡¯re way out ahead. That¡¯s quadruple what us three put up already.¡± He indicated his brothers with a flick of his wrist.


    Elly looked back and forth from her brothers to Coop. ¡°He¡¯s stronger than Buck?¡± She asked them. ¡°He¡¯s not bigger.¡± She frowned as she tried to wrap her head around the deviation in her logic.


    ¡°He¡¯s a lot stronger.¡± Buck confirmed to the visible confusion of their little sister.


    Coop had to really dig deep to get through 3 smooth reps at 4,500 and they lowered the increments as he continued. He pushed through sets until he was staring at 5,000 pounds. Simple fatigue was setting in, so this was his last set, whether he was pushed to failure or not. Coop was pretty confident his one rep max would still be quite a ways higher, but he was content to let the run stop before it got out of hand. Buck was spotting him in the center, Emmanuel was on one side, and Junior and Tiny were both on the other.


    Elly kept her distance, wary of the heavy weight, but she still lifted both arms and shouted, ¡°You can do it!¡± As she was caught up in the enthusiasm.


    Coop primed the bar and took a deep breath, planted his feet, arched his lower back and leaned his shoulder blades into the bench. He clenched his teeth as he brought the incredible weight of the bar lower until it brushed his chest, then he pushed, letting the air in his lungs escape through his teeth in a hiss.


    ¡°Up! Up! Up!¡± ¡°Easy!¡± Tiny and Junior yelled over each other, doing their best to encourage the lift.


    When Coop got the barbell all the way up, Buck announced, ¡°That¡¯s one.¡±


    Coop sucked in another deep breath and repeated the motion. The burn ran through his entire body as the compound lift drove him to the limit of his stamina, if not his actual strength. He pressed his heels into the grass beneath his feet as he forced the impossibly heavy bar back up, telling himself that the only thing holding him back was himself. The shouts of encouragement were muted to his ears as his heart pounded over them.


    ¡°That¡¯s two.¡± Buck counted, making the lift official. All four of the spotters kept their hands underneath the bar, ready to help.


    Coop went for the third, feeling the sweat pour off his forehead. The heat that was coming off of his chest made the tropical air seem chilly. When he started pushing the bar up, the hiss of air escaping his lungs had turned into a growl. His face contorted with the struggle to keep the lift smooth, but the barbell was still moving comfortably.


    ¡°You got it!¡± Emmanuel shouted excitedly. ¡°A little more!¡±


    Tiny whispered in awe, ¡°Too easy,¡± to Junior who just nodded in agreement.


    As soon as Coop reached the apex, Buck yelled, ¡°Three!¡± They all grabbed the bar and pulled it back onto the rack with a clang of unbelievably heavy iron colliding with a magically reinforced, sturdy stand.


    Coop shot up and roared along with the Cleary brothers as they slapped his back and rubbed his head while all three jumped up and down. He pounded his chest like a gorilla while Emmanuel rattled the bar against the rack in excitement. They were hyped like they had just won a championship in the final seconds in front of a home crowd.


    The celebration continued with undiminished enthusiasm until Coop noticed an actual small crowd of residents laughing at them as they gathered on the road. He paused while the brothers kept the excitement going. The commotion had drawn their attention as they headed for the training yard.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Charlie wondered, sounding left out.


    ¡°Just guys being dudes.¡± Camila laughed as she shook her head.

 Chapter 107: Spar

    Coop had been so caught up in testing his strength on the bench, he¡¯d neglected all of the other lifts he normally would have done with a proper routine. Naturally, he always paired chest day with tris and shoulders in the pre-mana times, but he¡¯d have to chalk his first workout down as an exploration of the facilities. The residents¡¯ training session was starting soon and he wanted to participate in that as well. Coop wouldn¡¯t miss an opportunity where he could glean some new tricks for developing his own skills.


    Emmanuel had only allotted himself a temporary break away from the medical center, in order to attend his own gym, and wasn¡¯t attending the training session himself. Apparently, none of the weapon types had clicked with his build, so he was continuing to experiment with non-standard types. Emmanuel went to the coffee shop to bring something for Madison as he left the gym.


    The Cleary brothers hadn¡¯t accomplished anything at all when it came to their workouts, since they ended up turning into Coop¡¯s hype men, but all three planned on getting back to it while the other residents trained in the yard. They also had classes that eschewed weapons in favor of using their metal fists to transmit their abilities directly into their targets. Weapons would be a detriment to them, but that made Coop wonder about Camila¡¯s participation. The Interceptor¡¯s reliance on perfect counters meant weapons would get in the way of her skills as far as he could tell.


    He said goodbye to the brothers, leaving them to return to the squat racks for their leg day. Emmanuel had already set the weights for their squat session, so they were good to go.


    Coop hadn¡¯t set a workout plan to mess up just yet, but he¡¯d definitely be back, even if it wasn''t to push for records. There was still a possibility that they would be able to gain levels from exercising, like the phantoms, but it would take some dedication to find out. Coop was slowly filling his days with a consistent routine, so of course hitting the gym would be included. Ghost Reef was finally graduating from body weight exercises and if nothing else, Coop was always trying to take every advantage Ghost Reef offered.


    Even without the additional potential of levels granted from working out, Coop was slowly becoming a pre-mana activity aficionado. Between sleeping, eating, even showering, he imagined that after a few years of daily life inundated with mana, people would call him old school.


    Coop jogged to catch up with the rest of the residents that were entering the training yard. In total, there were around 30 people attending. Considering there were only around 100 non-phantom residents in total, and half of them were either seniors, children, or otherwise engaged with responsibilities, it seemed like a good turn out. Coop noted that at least 10 of them were in fact old neighbors of Charlie that had been power leveled right before the siege event. Edith, the Dreadnought, was in attendance even though her grandson was not. Jonah was probably among those busy working and as a caster, may not have felt much urgency in weapon training. Ledwidge would surely have other lessons prepared for different archetypes.


    It would be a good time to touch base with Ledwidge again. Coop had been relying on his Haunted title and constant repetition to develop combat techniques, but he could also consult with the local expert and see what he had to say.


    Inside the training yard, the residents queued up to select a weapon from a wide display that awaited them. Coop estimated about 100 different individual types lined up in organized rows that were categorized by general archetypes. Similar to Retribution¡¯s ethereal summons, they all appeared to be ancient or medieval, though these were slightly alien interpretations of familiar weapons. Coop was still able to recognize them all, from swords and greatswords, axes large and small, maces of all sorts, daggers, and polearms. The main thing they all had in common was that they were made of the same living wood as Ledwidge¡¯s bo staff, even the blades.


    The residents fanned out after they claimed their weapons. They tested the weights and balance before the treant trainer directed them to the sides of the yard. The classic training dummies, that looked to also be made from the same wood, but decorated with straw padding, waited for the residents.


    Coop was surprised when the first resident took a swing with a heavy practice greatsword and the dummy shifted position in order to avoid the blow, then raised a thick wooden trunk for an arm to block a follow up attack. The dummies actively participated in the training. The resident stepped back after his attack was deflected and nodded as if he had just come to some sort of understanding, then reset his footing slightly to try again.


    Coop didn¡¯t see any weapons that immediately called for his attention, so he watched as the residents finished making their own choices or prepared to engage with the dummies. Charlie had selected a tall staff that was a head taller than she was, but Camila had simply gone to one of the practice dummies unarmed. Once Camila was near her selection, she entered its attack range and started dodging as it tried to strike her. Camila¡¯s exercise was reminiscent of those found in a boxing gym, except the equipment itself was behaving like her trainer.


    Charlie joined Camila and selected a neighboring target and started with some clumsy practice swings with the staff. Hers didn¡¯t fight back at all, as if it was able to judge the level of its target on its own. She held the extended weapon with both hands together, turning it into an unwieldy club. Coop thought he would offer his advice, but Ledwidge interrupted him.


    ¡°Champion Coop! You¡¯ve finally visited!¡± The treant declared in a booming voice.


    Coop just waved with an apologetic smile as the trainer approached his position at the side of the display of weapons. ¡°Sorry it took so long, it just seems like there¡¯s constantly more things to do.¡±


    ¡°Of course! That¡¯s the life of a Champion!¡± Ledwidge laughed jovially. ¡°If you stop, the settlement will become an easy target. Besides, you and your people are getting plenty of practical experience. I can only offer a chance to expand familiarity at this point.¡± The treant planted one end of his staff on the ground. ¡°I am looking forward to having your army visit again. We hadn¡¯t even begun to explore tactical maneuvers before the event started.¡± The treant seemed to deflate slightly at the memory of how limited his training had been by time. ¡°Truly, when that Challenge Assessment appeared, I feared I hadn¡¯t done enough.¡± He brightened up with a hopeful look before he continued. ¡°But, I was told these phantoms would be able to rejoin us...¡±


    ¡°That should be the case. The settlement had no mana at the end of the event, so we are waiting for resources to recover.¡± Coop explained the army¡¯s general absence.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Ledwidge seemed surprised. ¡°After such an occurrence a lack of mana is a surprise. It must be an extremely demanding process to require even more after so many invaders were defeated.¡±


    ¡°Should that have contributed to the reserves?¡± Coop wondered.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Ledwidge confirmed. ¡°Normally, passive collection is slow and greatly dependent on physical location in relation to ley lines, but the event was a special circumstance. An absolute torrent of mana was released in the form of mana smoke due to your battles.¡±


    Coop shook his head to himself. He was pretty sure the Avatar of the System was responsible for their limitation and he added it to the list of demerits on her visit. She had drained all of their mana pools when she arrived. Would it be a surprise to find out she had drained the settlement¡¯s reserve as well?


    Ledwidge jumped in surprise, then froze, as a bird landed in his crown of branches, interrupting their conversation. ¡°This one again? What does it want?¡±


    Coop took a closer look and noticed it was the spectral cockatiel again. He watched as it dragged a twig in between two of Ledwidge¡¯s antler-like branches, tested it, then pulled it out. ¡°I think it¡¯s looking for a place to make a nest.¡± Coop observed with a laugh.


    Ledwidge gasped. ¡°And I am being considered? Such an honor!¡± The treant rumbled while keeping completely still.


    Coop checked on Charlie and found that she had adjusted her hand position and was using the staff to bonk the dummy over the head. He was surprised that she acclimated to the weapon so quickly. She hadn¡¯t ever used or even expressed interest in obtaining a weapon before, and as a pure caster with a dedicated guard she had less need than most to diversify her arsenal.


    Ledwidge followed his eyes. ¡°The practice dolls provide real-time instinctual guidance up to a basic level of aptitude. They¡¯re an extremely valuable tool for introducing beginners to combat and for testing new weapons.¡±


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Coop raised his eyebrows, connecting the dummies to the feedback his Haunted title had continually provided him. Meanwhile, Camila was bobbing and weaving inches away from the one that still tried to land a single hit on her.


    Ledwidge chuckled as he tried scratching the cockatiel with a finger, just for the bird to open its beak to defend its possible nesting spot. ¡°The dummies can be used for sparring as well.¡± He stated between cooing at the bird, referring to Camila. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve been hoping to do the same with you. I would really like to test your technique. You have great potential, but I am worried you lack proper direction. My understanding is that your world had largely abandoned the martial techniques that would have best transitioned to galactic expectations.¡±


    ¡°How do the practice dolls work?¡± Coop asked, still thinking about his title.


    ¡°They are made from the same material as the weapons, a living heartwood and sapwood pair that are produced by my people specifically.¡± The treant stated proudly. ¡°The two parts remain connected through mana as long as they remain within my domain, that is this training yard. They can provide instruction based on knowledge and experience of their creator until they run out of mana. They are essentially a form of lesser minion.¡±


    ¡°How do they retain knowledge?¡±


    ¡°By the grace of the Mother.¡± Ledwidge stated solemnly. Coop side eyed the treant, noting the respectful tone as the alien seemed to take a moment to commune with the ground.


    Coop reasoned that it was another feature of the system or mana itself. The continuity of information was something that had been bothering him with regard to the phantoms. Coop didn¡¯t believe there were spirits lingering on Earth, or some other form of unknown, non-magical afterlife. He thought mana had to be present before the assimilation in order to record the people that became phantoms. If that was the case, it was another point in favor of trusting the Avatar of the System¡¯s message. She was the one that suggested mana was already everywhere, while the factions believed it arrived with the initiation of the assimilation.


    He looked back at the treant who had finished his moment of quiet supplication. ¡°So, how would we spar?¡± Coop was worried about Ledwidge¡¯s system contract preventing him from combat with the Champion in particular.


    ¡°You can use your weapons and attack me. I will not strike you.¡± Ledwidge claimed with confidence.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to accidentally hurt you.¡± Coop worried.


    ¡°One of the features of the training yard is injury protection. Should you manage to strike me, if it even could do damage, it will be prevented.¡± The treant confidently declared as he led Coop to the center of the yard. Coop felt a bit more motivated to land a strike after the treant implied that he wouldn¡¯t be able to.


    Ledwidge tapped his staff and a wood barrier surrounded them like they were in the center of a large boxing ring. ¡°This will prevent any collateral damage. Whenever you¡¯re ready, Champion.¡±


    Coop took a moment to consider which weapon to use. The treant was much larger than he was, had greater reach, and was heavily armored, both naturally and with steel plates. He figured he would quick swap frequently as that was the culmination of his foundation, but he¡¯d start with his reliable default spear and shield set.


    As he summoned his standard ethereal equipment, letting the mists form his armor as well, out of habit, he used his aura to inspect the contracted resident, nudging it toward the patiently waiting treant.


    [Knight Marshal (Level ??)]


    [(Body)]


    Coop paused. He was surprised that he could see Ledwidge¡¯s primary stat. Were his stats really catching up already? That was an exciting possibility.


    ¡°Show me what you can do.¡± Ledwidge commanded, spinning his bo staff between both hands like a helicopter blade before he abruptly stopped the motion, and held it in both hands parallel to the ground pointing directly at Coop. It almost felt like staring down a sword, but Ledwidge¡¯s weapon was thick to match his size and he held it near the center rather than where a hilt should be. The cockatiel finally left the gnarled branches on his head and perched itself on the outside of the barrier, observing.


    Coop flipped his spear, reversing his grip and grabbing it over his shoulder. He threw it with as much force as he could muster in a single step. There was no reason to hold back. He¡¯d like for Ledwidge to give him a proper evaluation and that meant really going for it.


    The treant shifted slightly, with a smooth, efficient motion that barely required any effort, so that he could catch the tip of the spear with the end of his staff. He looked like a tree bent by centuries of wind as he leaned to the side. The collision between the weapons sounded like a gunshot, but Ledwidge didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Incredible power for such a sprout of a Champion! But why disarm yourself?¡± He asked with some dissatisfaction in his voice.


    Coop raised an eyebrow as he resummoned his spear and mists gathered near his outstretched hand. ¡°You haven¡¯t seen me fight yet?¡±


    Ledwidge watched as the spear reformed from the solidifying mists and hesitated. ¡°Well, no.¡± He admitted. Coop thought that made this little test even more interesting.


    Coop threw his spear again and Ledwidge seemed disappointed as he mimicked his previous block, but Coop mistjumped before the collision and redirected the spear lower, thrusting for the treant¡¯s armored torso, aiming to land an obvious blow.


    Ledwidge planted one of his heavy feet behind him and green mana swirled around his leg in a burst from the ground. His limbs groaned like a tree bending underneath heavy pressure. The treant twisted to avoid the thrust that Coop aimed at his center mass. ¡°Amazing movement!¡± Ledwidge exclaimed in the middle of his dodge and while Coop transitioned to a horizontal swing, chasing Ledwidge¡¯s slight retreat, but the bo staff caught the shaft of his spear. ¡°Hah!¡± The treant shouted in excitement as he clearly began enjoying himself.


    The weapons remained stationary for a fraction of a moment as the spear disintegrated into mist. Another moment later and Coop was slicing his short sword underneath the bo staff¡¯s wide block. Ledwidge took another huge step backwards, planting his other foot and getting too far away to be threatened by Coop¡¯s sword. ¡°Wonderful!¡± The treant shouted with glee. ¡°I didn¡¯t plan to move a single step and that¡¯s twice already!¡± Coop was being toyed with like a child.


    Coop was hidden behind his shield as he thrust his freshly resummoned spear three times at the treant¡¯s chest, but each strike was blocked with the cracking sounds of more gunshots as the spear tip banged against alternating ends of the staff.


    ¡°Perfect form!¡± Ledwidge continued his running commentary, obviously not feeling pressured by Coop¡¯s attacks.


    Coop lobbed his shield into the air, and spun as if he was swinging his spear like a baseball bat held with both hands. Ledwidge¡¯s arms swirled with verdant mana as he boosted his speed and twirled his staff until it was perpendicular to the ground to knock the shield out of the air while simultaneously blocking Coop¡¯s telegraphed swing, but the shield dissipated in the air before being blocked and the sharp blade of Coop¡¯s glaive sliced clean through the bo staff between the treant¡¯s grip.


    ¡°What!¡± Ledwidge yelped as his block caught blade instead of shaft. Coop pressed forward while swinging his glaive in a flurry of precise attacks, seeking the treant¡¯s exposed limbs with practiced accuracy. Every slice came from a different, unpredictable angle as if Coop was carving the face of a clock in the air in an arbitrary order.


    Ledwidge¡¯s entire body burst in green that spilled over his unarmored bark. He was forced to use both halves of the bo staff to block the strikes as they chased his ankles or wrists from every angle. He was finally silent as he concentrated on avoiding even a glancing blow while Coop refused to abandon the momentum he was building.


    He was forced to take two more steps backwards, with bursts of green swirling energy, but Coop took advantage of the gap to take a running jump and raise the glaive above his head in a strike that would split an opponent in half, down the middle. The treant slammed the halves of his bo staff together, above his head, instantly repairing his weapon in a fusion of green mana that doubled its center thickness, in order to receive the attack that aimed for his crown of branches.


    When the heavy morning star landed, Ledwidge wasn¡¯t prepared for the brutal smash and was forced to step back again lest he smack himself with his own staff while his guard was pushed down.


    Coop was already thrusting his spear at the treant¡¯s chest. He was relentless with attacks that screamed of desperation to win, despite the friendly competition. It wasn¡¯t something Coop could just turn off as it was the only way he knew to fight. Ledwidge blocked almost as desperately, clearly impressed by Coop all over again. Coop pushed his aura on the treant, trying to imagine a second version of himself, attacking the same way in slightly different spots, hoping the intent of his attacks would be enough to distract Ledwidge and let an attack slip through.


    A loud beep interrupted the spar and Coop watched as Ledwidge belatedly realized that the ethereal spear had been swapped to his trident. One of the side prongs had grazed the treant while he focused on precisely catching the tip of the spear with the end of his staff.


    Coop caught his breath while the cockatiel landed in Ledwidge¡¯s branches again. He was surprised he hadn¡¯t ended up leaning on his tricky mistjumps, though that was the next step in his plan. It didn¡¯t seem like his aura distraction had worked at all, but it had given him an idea on some new tests when fighting enemies closer to his own level. Outside of fighting boss level enemies, Coop rarely had an opportunity to chain his abilities against a single opponent.


    Ledwidge seemed to be pondering something, so Coop waited in silence until he spoke. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think there is much I can teach you after all. You are clearly more proficient in some weapons compared to others, but you obviously have an unbelievable talent for picking them up. Not to mention the flexibility of your skills.¡± The treant seemed happy. ¡°How about we go again? This time, refrain from using the spear.¡±

 Chapter 108: Mana Dense

    Coop woke with a start and sighed dramatically as his blurry vision revealed the old wooden ceiling in his bedroom within the lighthouse. The excitement of whatever he dreamed about lingered, but the details had already slipped his mind.


    He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and lazily stretched his arms above his head. The covers were already shoved off of his torso, but he needed to shift Jett off of his chest before he rolled out of bed. She didn¡¯t protest, or even wake up, like a purring weighted blanket, when he placed her against his pillow.


    ¡°Today should be a big day¡­¡± Coop reminded himself as he shook the remnants of a deep slumber from his consciousness. One more hunting session with the Ruin Excavators would be enough to complete the quest chain. That meant another Slayer title was on the horizon. He hopped out of bed, invigorated by the prospect of progressing past yet another threshold.


    He was astonished that he had fully recovered from the intensity of the previous day. The fact that he wasn¡¯t sore at all, despite bench pressing for the first time in months, was a miracle. And that was ignoring the actual inhuman amount of weight he had moved. By all conventional logic he should need more time to recover, but mana broke his sense of reason.


    Then, there was all the sparring. He and Ledwidge contended with each other for hours. The treant trainer had put Coop through the wringer, slowly isolating his weakest techniques by eliminating his most proficient weapons from Coop¡¯s quick swaps, one at a time. Coop was forced into drawn out combat with each of his selected weapons which gave the trainer plenty of time to analyze his weaknesses.


    Coop was still able to land a glancing blow without his spear, but Ledwidge dismissed Coop¡¯s ethereal glaive second. Without his spear and glaive, Coop already couldn¡¯t win the basic challenge of landing a single blow. He had even fallen back onto his ethereal swordsmanship with additional misleading double mistjumps that incorporated his shield, but it hadn¡¯t been enough.


    Ultimately, his sword techniques were mostly defensive in nature, relying on deceptive movements to avoid damage while exposing his opponent to surprise attacks, but Ledwidge was completely passive, dodging and blocking without ever counterattacking. It was impossible to ignore that the treant was also unambiguously faster than any human on Earth. Coop envied the raw stats that such a higher level accumulated. It further fueled his drive to keep leveling. Being slower than a literal tree landed with a twinge of shame.


    The difference in attributes was obvious when Ledwidge was able to react to Coop¡¯s mistjumps. There was simply no way to time his teleports to catch Ledwidge off guard. Ledwidge was able to respond to the forming mists before Coop was fully transported. It was a reminder of the difference in speed Coop had enjoyed when he returned to the Ancient Prowlers and no longer needed to guess at their ambushes, he could simply dodge out of the way as soon as they engaged.


    Ledwidge was particularly disappointed with Coop¡¯s swordsmanship. He spent a significant amount of time trying to adjust Coop¡¯s form. It seemed like the Haunted title had guided Coop into a savage barbarian style that contrasted with the more formal, fencing style Ledwidge promoted. At least, Coop assumed it was due to his title¡¯s guidance. It was also possible it was his own personal inclination manifesting through his technique and the title just nudged him along the course that he chose himself.


    While Coop accepted the tips he received from Ledwidge, he really preferred the brutal hack and slash approach that he had already settled into. Coop was a brawler at heart, but maybe he would be prepared for a more formal duel if it ever came to it. His glaive techniques had benefited from acquiring the skills to adjust his pace after grinding the Primal Trackers, so he fully embraced the idea of alternating between a formal style with brutish assaults. If nothing else, it would make him unpredictable when he faced more sophisticated opponents that attempted to get a read on him.


    There was less to say about the morning star as the challenge in wielding the weapon was almost entirely based on decision making rather than technique. Choosing the right time to commit to a heavy slam was the essence of the combat style with his two-handed mace. Out of all of Coop¡¯s weapons, the morning star¡¯s style benefitted the most from Coop¡¯s highest physical stat in Strength. Ledwidge tried to correct his understanding of what the weapon even was, pointing out that Coop was using an oversized one-handed weapon rather than an actual two-hander, but it was just one of the limitations of his Retribution skill. Larger and heavier two-handers simply couldn¡¯t be summoned. Perhaps if he was a Reaver rather than a Revenant it would be different.


    Coop¡¯s trident was a surprise highlight. His experience with the spear carried over to a significant degree, providing Coop with a high propensity for the weapon. It may have been the weapon he had practiced with the least, but Ledwidge claimed that his aptitude was on par with his sword and morning star. His spear and glaive were both a step above, but that combination of experience actually helped assimilate into a solid trident technique. Coop accepted that it was a spear with the ability to leverage orientation. It was a stylistic parallel with the glaive and only his lack of experience held it back from joining his other polearms in terms of effectiveness.


    When Coop revealed the flail, Ledwidge¡¯s expert advice was to put it away before Coop hurt himself.


    Instead, Ledwidge offered a polearm alternative that he expected Coop to be able to immediately incorporate into his quick swap style, and two more that might become valuable with a bit of practice. The treant wasn¡¯t shy about offering to spar more in the future to develop the newer weapons, but especially emphasized that they could have a proper matchup after Ghost Reef acquired a colosseum. It seemed like he was a bit eager to beat Coop up, which the expensive system service would allow without violating any contracts or permanent damage to the Champion.


    The weapon that Ledwidge suggested would be useful immediately was a two-pronged polearm, a war fork. It was a sibling to the trident. The center prong was missing and both outer prongs were more like pointed blades, instead of spikes, with the edges aiming out. Ledwidge believed it would be a nice bridge between his thrusting spear, and his slicing glaive, since Coop utilized the styles and weapons interchangeably already. It was the perfect weapon for his current strengths, capable of implementing both at once.


    The other two weapons were a bo staff, naturally, as that was Ledwidge¡¯s own preferred weapon, and a battle staff that took Coop a few tries to properly summon. The treant claimed that both weapons would bridge a gap between Coop¡¯s polearms and his morning star in terms of technical style. The bo staff was closer to his polearms while the battle staff was more similar to a double sided mace.


    The potential diversification of Coop¡¯s repertoire left him motivated to grind the rest of the evening away. So after Coop¡¯s extreme workout session and extended sparring, he spent hours more smashing Ruin Excavators. He spent half of the time wielding the bo staff, so Coop was already practicing with one of his newest options. It was equally effective against the squat monsters when compared to his usual choice, but there was something satisfying about the raw crunching power that the morning star provided.


    Night had fallen by the time he exited the pearlescent chambers, rounding out almost an entire day of exercise. The final stage of the Ruin Excavator quest was at 5,823 out of 11,111. It put him well into striking range for finishing the quest off.


    All in all, it wound up being an intensely physical day that rivaled the siege event in how much he exerted himself. Coop thought it was amazing what a good night¡¯s rest supplemented by mana could do, as refreshed as he was.


    He led Sunny along the dunes, walking straight to the fort beneath the recently risen sun, but the retriever had to stop and visit the handful of residents who fought Ancient Defenders. Sunny ended up starting his own hunt, leaving Coop to get breakfast alone before he went to the library again. Coop was sure the dog was already more popular than he was.


    Balor and his laborers had completed all of the planned roads within the fort. Most of the blocks remained empty or just partially filled, but the hub and spoke configuration, centered around the bridge connections, was distinctly noticeable. There was something particularly gratifying about all of the completed roads, like the fort¡¯s courtyard was finally properly adorned. It really looked like a rapidly developing settlement with all of the infrastructure in place.


    The stonemason was already starting his next project in the center of the southern town circle. An octagonal stone gazebo was taking shape, leaving room for crowds to access the shard in the center, lounge on shaded benches facing the shard, and enjoy angular gardens between the entrances. The whole structure would double as a proper citadel in the event of another siege, and because it would be the focal point for anyone arriving from the main entrance, Balor was going all out.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Coop noted their progress as he walked along the canal to the library, passing a handful of market stalls doing some early morning business.


    Inside the library, Abithik greeted him politely. ¡°Good morning, Champion. What are you looking for today?¡±


    ¡°Could you direct me to where I can learn about monster levels.¡± Coop requested.


    ¡°A popular topic it seems.¡± Abithik observed as he flipped a switch, referring to Shane¡¯s party and their more recent visits. ¡°Third floor, Champion.¡±


    ¡°Thanks!¡± Coop went up the steps, excited to learn, but also because it was Asha-Kali¡¯s floor. Hopefully, she had recovered since she did her mana reading on him. Apparently, her recovery had taken multiple days. The length was even a surprise to Shalatha, who knew the other librarian best.


    Asha-Kali was waiting at the landing of the third floor with her arms crossed. Coop looked up at her and smiled as he approached, glad to see her, but before he had a chance to start a conversation, she spun away. ¡°This way.¡± She directed in her regular, cold tone. It was nice to see her back to normal.


    ¡°Hey, wait.¡± Coop called as he rushed up the last few steps. He had to jog across the carpet-like floor to catch up. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She stated without pausing.


    ¡°Can we talk about what you said before? It seemed important.¡± Coop broached as he matched her quick pace. She took long strides without slowing down.


    ¡°We cannot.¡± She responded definitively.


    ¡°But-¡± Coop started.


    ¡°I do not have any recollection of what was said, nor do I know for what purpose it was said. I cannot offer you any advice beyond not to obsess over the dreams of unreality.¡± Asha-Kali explained in a terse, if familiar, way.


    ¡°I¡¯m not obsessing, but you mentioned strong foes and told me to beware. It¡¯s hard to ignore that completely.¡± Coop argued, hoping to find a way to get her to elaborate on the message.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know what was said, but you are in the early stages of an assimilation. Strong foes should be expected and being wary is sound advice.¡± Asha-Kali¡¯s lips curled on one side. ¡°You can safely heed that bit.¡± Coop got the impression that Asha-Kali just took a while to warm-up. She always started taciturn when he first met with her.


    ¡°Is it possible to get another message?¡± Coop wondered.


    Asha-Kali raised an eyebrow. ¡°No. Kali is, at best, a memory that echoes within my subconscious. There is no rhyme or reason to such an outburst.¡±


    ¡°We could spend more time together, just in case?¡± Coop offered, trying to find a compromise. In his opinion, there was no harm in gathering more intelligence, even if it was unreliable. As long as he knew it wasn¡¯t necessarily accurate, he could take it with a grain of salt and behave accordingly.


    The reticent librarian finally stopped her march among the shelves and faced him. Her arched eyebrows furrowed as she stared at him for a moment. ¡°That was the worst attempt at courtship I have ever experienced.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Coop was just expecting another ¡®no.¡¯ He squinted at her suspiciously, but she was unreadable.


    Asha-Kali quietly chuckled before she led the way for a few more steps and directed Coop to a shelf of tablets. ¡°Here you are.¡±


    Coop gave up on Asha-Kali and concentrated on finding tablets with the information he wanted. He was just looking for information that would explain how monsters leveled up. After he obtained his next skill, he would be heading into the mana well to discover what sort of challenges awaited them. According to Shane¡¯s party, the monsters had been growing unusually fast, so he wanted to brush up on the rules as they were understood by the factions. It should be basic enough information.


    He found a comfortable seat and started browsing the handful of tablets that he had gathered. Asha-Kali quietly sat down across from him and just watched whatever was going on outside the window. Coop raised his eyebrows waiting for her to tell him what she wanted, but she just serenely checked her nails.


    ¡°Asha?¡± Coop broke the silence. If she was going to hang around, he might as well ask her some questions directly. It would help him cruise through the tablets if he had a baseline of information to begin with.


    ¡°Yes?¡± She looked up from her nails.


    ¡°What determines a monster''s level?¡± He asked innocently.


    ¡°Mana concentration.¡± She stated simply. That was the same information he already knew, that every Chosen seemed to have been told, and what Shane¡¯s party had explained.


    ¡°What determines mana concentration?¡± He asked as he tried to get into the specifics.


    ¡°Mana density and time.¡± She continued in an easy monotone, like a confident student who was bored with the answers.


    ¡°What determines mana density?¡± Coop genuinely wondered. As far as he could remember density and concentration had been used interchangeably, but she was suggesting they were two separate concepts when it came to mana.


    ¡°The planet¡¯s physical characteristics and the flow of ley lines.¡± She pointed a single manicured finger down and tapped it against the table indicating underground.


    That was more or less how he had already understood the fundamentals, but he had been under the impression that mana density was consistent across the planet with settlement territory providing the exceptions, like islands in a turbulent sea.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± He nodded as he started looking at the first tablet he had collected. Asha-Kali just smirked and went back to her nails.


    Coop scanned the tablets and found a few interesting bits of information, but like Shane¡¯s party, he could only conclude that Ghost Reef must have unusually high mana density leading to increased mana concentrations relative to the expected quantities.


    Monsters leveled up passively as they collected mana. If the rate they collected mana exceeded a threshold, they would evolve into elites. According to timetables included in the tablets, elites would be expected to appear after a monster spent 10 or more days within a high density area. That didn¡¯t seem right to Coop. He and Jones had fought their first elite on Day 4 and he wasn¡¯t likely to forget the experience. He doubted monsters were already on Earth before the assimilation began, so he was further led to believe that Ghost Reef really did have high mana density.


    ¡°Asha? Is this graphic accurate?¡± Coop asked as he slid the tablet to her.


    She glanced at it before responding. ¡°It is oversimplified, but it is the conventional wisdom for monster generation within the galactic community.¡±


    ¡°Do planets keep getting invaders even after the assimilation ends?¡± Coop wondered, a bit confused by what he was reading. He had associated the presence of monsters with the Primal Constructs specifically, for obvious reasons, but the tablets implied something different.


    ¡°Not invaders, but, of course, monsters.¡± She corrected while returning her attention to her nails.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop was moderately surprised, though he supposed it made sense that the Slayer quests were more exclusive to assimilations. ¡°What are the monsters based on, if invaders aren¡¯t involved?¡±


    ¡°Native phenomenon or local species if there are any. Mana tends to establish its own varieties.¡± She explained, remaining patient with Coop¡¯s questions.


    While the idea of mana mutations was interesting, he didn¡¯t linger on something so far into an uncertain future and brought the topic back to his current target. ¡°What exactly is a mana well?¡±


    Asha-Kali pursed her lips as she decided how to explain it so that Coop would understand. She took a little too long, implying she thought he was a bit simple, but she responded eventually. ¡°You have wells on your planet, do you not?¡±


    ¡°Like, for water?¡± Coop asked and Asha-Kali nodded as he slowly got there. Coop shook it off. So what if he was a little simple sometimes? He was dealing with alien magical garbage, he couldn¡¯t be blamed just because sometimes the answer was literally in the name. The mana seed that initiated the well had thrown him off. It¡¯s not like water wells had a water seed at the bottom that was supposedly emanating or otherwise magnifying the water supply.


    He cleared his throat and regrouped. ¡°So, say a mana well is inside of an area that naturally has particularly high mana density in the first place, what happens?¡±


    ¡°If you are wondering about your settlement, the mana density is only marginally high from what I have experienced in the past. Stronger monsters correspond with more mana and there would be more treasures, presumably.¡± She stated too calmly.


    ¡°What kind of treasures?¡± Coop asked eagerly, completely recovered from his embarrassment as the prospect of riches distracted him from other things.


    ¡°Crafting materials of course. I will not explain to you how crafting works.¡± She preemptively stopped follow up questions, but she inadvertently reminded Coop to pay a visit to his crafters before he went delving. Coop was a bit disappointed because crafting materials didn¡¯t particularly excite him with the overwhelming convenience of Scavenging.


    ¡°Thanks, Asha.¡± He had only spent an hour of his morning in the library, but he was satisfied with what he had learned. Basically, he concluded that he shouldn¡¯t dally too much as the monsters were likely to be growing even while he prepared. More importantly, he trusted Shane and Arthur to have been thorough in their own research on the mana well and anything else that he needed to know would have been relayed to him.


    Besides, there was nothing like hands-on experience.


    He stood up. ¡°Alright. It¡¯s time for me to go hunting.¡±


    ¡°Good luck little Champion.¡± Asha-Kali smirked without shifting her gaze from her nails.

 Chapter 109: Forward

    Coop was wielding an ethereal bo staff as he finished off the last of the Ruin Excavators for the quest line. The pearlescent chamber was getting a break from the constant smashing that normally accompanied his morning star hunting sessions. Instead, the bo staff cracked down on the carapaces of the monsters, smashing them just as efficiently as his heavier mace, but with a larger emphasis on speed instead of pure strength.


    He should have been working on proper technique while incorporating the weapon into his arsenal, but he felt inclined to use it like a blunt spear instead. The problem was that a blunt spear was perfect for taking advantage of the Excavators¡¯ physical weaknesses and lack of range, and Coop already had so much experience with his spear that it just felt natural to default back to his original weapon¡¯s techniques. As long as he practiced, he would slowly develop his own style thanks to the nudging of his Haunted title. Ledwidge might not be happy with his personal touch, but if it was effective, Coop didn¡¯t care if it ended up ugly.


    The Ruin Excavators were defeated either way, and if he asked them, he didn¡¯t think they would have a preference on the matter of his technical expertise. Coop basically spawn camped an entire chamber as his quest drew closer to completion.


    [You defeated Ruin Excavator (Level 33)]


    [+20 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Soul Dredger (Uncommon)]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Defeat Ruin Excavators V (10616/11111)]


    He continued on his rotation while his thoughts wandered to his upcoming skill choice. He was anxious about it. It would be his first time seeing any skill options after selecting the Path of the Mistwalker. Even though it started with Arcane Comprehension, he had to admit that the name of the path didn¡¯t really imply that it would lend itself to a spellcaster choices.


    Obviously, it was too late to do anything about that, so he¡¯d just have to wait and see. No matter what, he¡¯d make the best of it, and he¡¯d have his strong foundation to fall back on in the worst case. It was all the more reason to continue mastering more weapons and further improving his mana costs through Practical Application.


    Coop squeezed the bo staff as he leveraged the full length of the weapon into a whirling smash that crushed the carapace of a Ruin Excavator. What the weapon lacked in heft, when compared to his morning star, it made up with velocity. Instead of the solid, weighty thump reverberating through the chamber that followed his morning star¡¯s slams, each attack was preceded by a whirling rush of air as one of the ends of the staff flew toward his targets, then a crack that echoed after it collided with the metal monsters.


    He had to keep himself from making extraneous flourishes as he enjoyed the whooshing of the bo staff¡¯s swift movements through the air. It didn¡¯t help that the ghostly wisps of his ethereal weapons highlighted the exaggerated motions, turning them into painterly strokes of teal colored art for fleeting moments before the trail scattered.


    More than any of his other weapons, the bo staff seemed to lend itself to incorporating his own limbs as well. He¡¯d never had the urge to kick and punch as much as he did while wielding the bo staff when his grip shifted, though he also refrained from getting too close to the Excavators. There was no reason to expose himself to their debuffs, but he kept the idea in mind.


    Coop wondered if Ledwidge would be able to help him incorporate hand to hand combat into his technique given that the Knight Marshal was a tree. Would he be able to properly account for human limbs? It might be something Coop should try learning on his own. It certainly seemed like it would be a good idea to learn how to fight more while disarmed. He knew how to throw a punch, but that was about it, and there had already been a few situations where he had needed to resort to an unarmed attack or two. When he acquired the ability to conjure his own weapons, and the ability to resummon them at will, he thought he was completely immune to losing them in combat. However, the Empire¡¯s Soul Tether and the Avatar of the System had both been able to restrict his active abilities and therefore his weapons. He couldn¡¯t ignore the possibility of similar effects floating around, even if unarmed combat would remain low on his list of priorities with so much else to do.


    After a handful more cycles around the entirety of the eastern pearlescent chamber, Coop finally got the level he was waiting for. He immediately changed directions, heading for the entrance, and with one last glance to the blue tinged underground cavern, bade farewell to the Excavators. He checked his notifications while he went on his way, back through the dank basement.


    [You defeated Ruin Excavator (Level 32)]


    [+22 Basic Credits]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Ruin Excavators V]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Slayer title upgraded!]


    Slayer IV at last. Another 100 Mind in the bank, or 110 now that his Siegebreaker title added 10%. Coop was smiling as he returned to the sunlit courtyard, satisfied as he took yet another step forward in his personal progress. He was level 98 already, an absolutely massive number in his opinion, and an achievement he hadn¡¯t imagined when his journey first began.


    Though, he had to admit that each Slayer title was becoming less impressive as his total levels continued to climb. He understood why the aliens didn¡¯t emphasize chasing the 100 bonus stats, since it was ¡®just¡¯ 20 levels worth of growth. When Coop got his first Slayer title, he was level 23, so it nearly matched the total stats his class levels had awarded him. Now that he was nearly level 100, it wasn¡¯t as huge of a step forward. He imagined being level 1,000.


    Coop decided then and there, as he crossed Balor¡¯s stone bridge, that he¡¯d never look down on the bonus stats he was accumulating. So what if he was level 1,000? He would aim to have 50 Slayer titles by then. He would keep collecting every bit of growth, no matter how incremental, and then he would hunt down more percentage bonuses so that even the tiniest margins were meaningful. As long as the opportunities presented themselves, he would do his best to take advantage of them.


    There was no denying his desire to become an absolute stat monster, with passives that multiplied his attributes to absurd levels. He hadn¡¯t come across another class that matched the snowballing foundation he had developed. In fact, stats seemed to almost be an afterthought when it came to gauging relative potential of a class for the broader universe. Stat advantages were perceived as a secondary bonus outshined by a primary advantage. The scale of levels broke the common sense calculations. One class gets more stats? Just get more levels to catch up!


    Charlie¡¯s Aeromancer was the perfect example of a class that benefited from stat conversions, but was considered superior due to other factors. Her area coverage understandably drew all of the attention when evaluating her abilities, but with her Acumen feeding into Intelligence, she effectively reduced what would have been four mandatory stats into three.


    When she distributed her attributes, she would be that much more efficient than a class without any conversion. And that was ignoring the fact that even casters would be tempted to put points into Agility, for the physical speed, in addition to Intelligence, Acumen, Body, and Mind. Over thousands of levels, Charlie would come out extremely far ahead in terms of raw stats in the attributes that affected her skills.


    However, the evaluation of mandatory stats was purely from Coop¡¯s perspective, where he believed being well-rounded, individually effective, and durable were the most important factors. He didn¡¯t want anyone to die! Not to mention each class seemed unique enough to require specific considerations instead of such overly broad directions.


    Factions like the Eternal Empire were looking at it from a very different, and much more impersonal perspective. They wanted hyper-focused party or raid members who distributed their stats in order to specialize in a single role. If they had their way, the difference between Charlie and another caster, in terms of stats, would be zero. They would both put all five of each level¡¯s unallocated points into Intelligence, ignoring the individual benefits of unique classes and personal skills. Therefore, the only difference would be that an Aeromancer had a bigger area of effect than another caster. They didn¡¯t seem to bother accounting for the specific ratios that might maximize the skills of each individual class, opting for the simplest possible standards instead.


    Coop thought it wasn¡¯t an entirely unreasonable determination, though it left a lot of potential on the table. The galactic community wasn¡¯t exactly wrong. It was just a different perspective where their members were simply units in an army. If he was forming a raid in a video game, there¡¯s no way he would invite a damage dealer that wasn¡¯t optimized for damage, and he wouldn¡¯t waste time micromanaging the individual variance between each unit while directing an army.


    Camila, similarly, ignored Strength in favor of Agility based momentum damage. Coop thought that should be enough to consider her class elite, but in her case, they concentrated on her movement abilities instead. He would have figured they were sleeping on damage mitigation as a valuable resource, but if Camila had selected the class they wanted, she would have been a pure tank for Charlie, who would have been a pure damage dealer. As a package, they would collectively cover each others¡¯ bases.


    Between Charlie¡¯s legendary Aeromancer, which seemed to be widely accepted as top tier, and Camila¡¯s Interceptor, which she took to the dismay of her faction, Coop would honestly put them near each other in terms of advantages. Everyone in the universe would probably have their own tier lists when it came to classes and Coop¡¯s own biases contrasted with the Empire¡¯s.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Meanwhile, Coop¡¯s Revenant skills were something else completely. He wasn¡¯t distributing his stats at all. Forget about the efficiency of going from four stats to three, he spent all his points in one. For his personal tier list, that put Revenant firmly at the top, but he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if factions thought his class was pitiful. He was doing all of his damage without active abilities, like some kind of plebeian, poking millions of monsters with his pathetic spear. So what if he had as much Intelligence as one of their pure casters? They had skills with multipliers on them. It would take some truly special scaling to keep up with their multipliers, though that¡¯s what Coop had been chasing.


    He wondered how many of their pure casters had massive investments into Agility so that they could match the speed of any fighter they faced, or how many rogues had huge stacks of Mind to negate the dangers of area spells attempting to counter them. Both were options that Coop intended to meet. How many pure casters even had atrociously large mana pools, like Coop¡¯s? He admitted there were innumerable possibilities in the universe, and he didn¡¯t have to go that far to find some examples of weirder builds, the Tomb Blade in Shane¡¯s party was a Strength based caster for one, but they still had to distribute their points and water themselves down relative to what he was doing.


    Coop nodded to himself, feeling eager to get his next skill and see what limits his stats could push. He had high expectations for when he could call his build ¡®complete,¡¯ and he wasn¡¯t even close to that point yet.


    The mangrove forest lay in front of him, darkened by the thick canopy of leaves like it was twilight in the middle of the day, with only occasional strips of sunlight penetrating to the marsh at the bottom. The steady sounds of the ocean breeze were diminished inside the still forest, leaving the dense carpet of leaves and interwoven branches motionless and relatively quiet. Only a few bird calls and ever present droning insects shattered the illusion of a forest frozen like a photograph.


    He was at the end of one of the new stone-lined trails that led across the island with plenty of daylight left, and he was only making a relatively short visit, since he was still on the defeat 25 stage of the quest lines for both Devourers and Serpents. It should be two quick levels from the pair of monsters to hit another major level threshold.


    He summoned his ethereal trident and picked a root trail to follow deeper into the oversized grove. The oversized stilt roots of the mangroves were broad trails with rough surfaces for him to follow deeper into the habitat. They made traversing the maze easy, as long as he could keep track of his directions.


    Once he was far enough from the edge of the forest to start spotting several monsters, he dropped down into the dark water, letting his feet sink into the leaf-covered muck. As soon as he stabilized, he unleashed his Fog of War, establishing a thin layer that coated the surface of the calm water.


    The goal wasn¡¯t to discourage the Serpents from finding him, but rather allow him to leverage Presence of Mind to detect when they approached his position. The misty layer spread throughout the area until it consumed half of his nearly 15,000 mana. No breeze was able to penetrate the thick canopy and intertwined roots and branches, so it was an efficient use of his skill. Coop¡¯s skills made him particularly comfortable in the mangrove environment, one that would be particularly inhospitable for most others.


    Even before he made more of a commotion, he was able to detect dozens of the monsters as they idled between roots in the calm water. They disturbed the surface just enough to make tiny ripples that bounced between obstacles, turning the shallow swamp into a radar screen to his senses.


    Coop used the prongs of his trident to splash around, making a ruckus that was guaranteed to gather the Serpents¡¯ attention. As soon as he started, the aggressive monsters immediately started bee-lining to his location. A few splashes and they behaved as if dinner was served. Coop stood still and waited for the first ones to get into his range.


    He had already defeated tens of thousands of these types of monsters during the siege, but the environment was different enough to force him to commit to an altered plan. He wouldn¡¯t be able to kite them as effectively thanks to the quagmire of muddy water and thick muck bottom. Instead, he would hold his ground and preemptively strike with the help of Fog of War and Presence of Mind.


    When the first monster prepared to lunge, expanding its bladed fins in an aggressive posture, it received a nasty surprise. Coop threw his trident and pierced the monster through the head while it was still beneath the water.


    When the next Serpent dove through the dispersing mana smoke, shearing the water with its dorsal blade while the rest of its body remained just an inch beneath the surface, the prongs of Coop¡¯s ethereal trident pierced through the thin layer of liquid before penetrating its toughened scales. The second Serpent was driven into the muck and defeated while the trident disappeared, resummoned to Coop¡¯s hand to dispatch the next.


    Coop stood like a turret, applying Presence of Mind to track and select his targets, then he deftly launched his trident to preemptively intercept the attacks of the Serpents. After a minute, he was already halfway done, defeating a dozen of the monsters. He needed to relocate to get the attention of more, which was easy enough. A simple throw and mistjump and he was in a fresh hunting ground. Another two minutes and he lit up the murky swamp with light of level 99.


    He mistjumped back onto the roots, and began a search for the Devourers that would bring him over the top, leaving his foggy domain behind. The Devourers were more frequently found deeper in the forest, so he let himself be drawn even further, not overly worried about Field Boss surprises after both of the known resident monsters had their bosses defeated during the siege. He replaced his trident with another of his new weapons in his ethereal arsenal.


    The battle staff emanated ghostly mists as Coop held it at the center. Both ends were topped with cylindrical mace heads, the same width as the wooden shaft, but lined with four rows of metallic teeth, separated 90 degrees from each other. It was like a baby version of his morning star¡¯s deadly spike ball.


    He already knew he could overpower the Devourer¡¯s with raw Strength, but he would take the path of least resistance when it came to finishing off the next stage of the quest. A blunt weapon made more sense against the sturdy protection of the shelled monsters. He wouldn¡¯t have to dance around in order to get underneath the tanky creature either.


    It only took a few awkward swings before he found the proper stance and grip. Admittedly, Coop had no idea what he was doing with any of the weapons to begin with, he could barely identify their particularities without someone else¡¯s help. Coop had previously swung just about everything like a baseball bat or a sledge hammer, where he needed to grip the end of the weapon opposite of the striking area. However, the battle staff was a lot more rigid in that it required his hands to be nearer to the center. Swinging it like a bat would have him grasping the pointy teeth of one end, and was clearly not the way to do it, though Coop might give it a try at some point anyway.


    Coop worked through the last of the Devourers, gripping the battle staff with both hands and holding it out in front of him. He would meet the charge of the monsters, shift to the side, and smash the shell with one end of his weapon, whichever side would move with the momentum of his dodge. If he needed to follow up, it was a smooth motion to strike again with the opposite end as it would already be held in a ready wind up position. It was almost like rowing a kayak with a double-sided paddle. He generated most of the power through his hips, lats, and shoulders and was always prepared to attack with one side or the other.


    By the time he flashed with another level, he already felt like he had a basic understanding of the new weapon. He would never be able to generate as much power as he could his other options, but he could chain attacks together at a significant pace while maintaining a readily defensible stance. Even if it seemed less flexible than his other choices, it would be a nice addition to his arsenal, especially when he needed an alternative balanced option compared to either of his shield sets.


    He swapped the battle staff for his spear and shield, and mistjumped his way back out of the humid mangrove forest, leaving the birds and the bugs behind. He checked his notifications as he emerged back into the open air of the island.


    [You defeated Primal Serpent (Level 32)]


    [+22 Basic Credits]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Primal Serpents II]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Ancient Devourer (Level 35)]


    [+26 Basic Credits]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Ancient Devourers II]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Skill options available.]


    Nothing for being the first to level 100, but it was a number that didn¡¯t seem to have any significance to the system. Not everything would reward a title even if he wanted them all. In the meantime, he headed for the lighthouse and checked his status in preparation for yet another decision to overthink.


    [Status]


    HP - 8200/8200


    MP - 15400/15400


    Class - Revenant (Level 100)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 94)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 50 (+1540)


    Agility - 50 (+770)


    Body - 50 (+770)


    Mind - 1400 (+140)


    Intelligence - 50 (+1540)


    Acumen - 50


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion III, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper, Slayer IV, Dauntless, Stacked, Defiant, Siegebreaker


    Skills (Active) - Retribution, Salvation, Presence of Mind, Fog of War


    Skills (Passive) - Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (15/50), Trophy Hunter (4/5), Defeat Ancient Devourers III (0/250), Defeat Primal Serpents III (0/250), Defeat Primal Kites III (0/250), Upgrade Village to Town


    Basic Credits - 2,647,822


    Coop skimmed over the stats. As long as they went up, he was happy, and another Slayer title was sure to make them go up.


    Fortune Seeker progressed by two, thanks to the Serpents and Devourers, and the Excavator quest was completely cleared. He still had plenty of quests in progress and even though he¡¯d really like to clean that section up, he was going to check out the Coral Forest Mana Well first.


    Scavenging kept his pile of basic credits growing to his constant satisfaction. He¡¯d find something to do with them, maybe just dump them on Marcus and tell him to keep the settlement development going.


    Whatever he decided for everything else, first things first, he had a more important decision on his plate. It was time to select another skill.

 Chapter 110: of the Mists

    Coop took a cold shower in the lighthouse to rid himself of any lingering muck or salt residue from his hunt within the mangrove forest. The coastal habitat was still largely unexplored, but Coop thought he already had a good handle on what it had to offer. It wasn¡¯t like he expected to find any more Bosses after they defeated the two that would have been within the depths of the swampy forest. Now that he had completed the Ruin Excavator quest, he thought the mangroves offered the best possible next locale to pursue more Slayer titles. The Primal Kites in the shallow water still represented a challenge to grind that he had yet to fully resolve.


    As he switched the water off, he noted that the pressure from his gravity tank wasn¡¯t holding up despite recently using the manual pump to refill his shower. The cistern¡¯s water supply was getting low. They were nearing the end of the dry season, so hopefully they would start getting afternoon showers to replenish their water supply. The island chain had no aquifer to tap into, so they had been reliant on regular intervals of rain to maintain reserves. Even the old fort had an extensive sand filtration system, built with the original construction, though he doubted it was in good shape after the battle damaged the walls, combining with the many years of minimal maintenance.


    The situation was a bit different after mana activated for a variety of reasons that made them less reliant on natural systems. If necessary, he could find someone with appropriate water powers to recharge the rainwater cisterns. It certainly wasn¡¯t a priority. The wet season was defined by regular passing rain showers, heat, and hurricanes. They¡¯d just have to wait and see how the climate was impacted by the start of the assimilation. If it hadn¡¯t been changed too much, they shouldn¡¯t have any problems.


    Refreshed and dried off, Coop flitted around the lighthouse with nervous energy, seeking busy work to keep himself occupied while he skimmed the list of skills being offered after he reached level 100. To Jett¡¯s dismay, he dusted and swept while he looked at his options, disturbing her daytime sleep. At least he was channeling his decision anxiety into something relatively productive.


    Coop had learned some lessons after his previous rounds of skill selections, so he paid attention to details that he hadn¡¯t before.


    There were a total of 21 skill options offered at the onset of the Path of the Mistwalker. A surprising 7 of the skills were passive skills. Coop was briefly enthralled by the idea of getting skills that doubled down on bonus stats, but the only passive skill available that did such a thing was Clarity of Purpose. While it was a relief to see the Acumen skill continued to be one of his options, the lack of even more stat stacking was vaguely disappointing after his enthusiasm built his hopes up. He was imagining something that would influence his Mind stat. At least Clarity of Purpose¡¯s presence confirmed that even though he was walking the Path of the Mistwalker, he remained a Revenant. Revenant skills would continue to appear as choices.


    There were 12 active skills, but in Coop¡¯s opinion, several of them barely qualified as active. Of the 12, 4 of them were skills that applied temporary self buffs, and most of the rest had conditional activations that relied on several other factors before they could be used at all. One of them in particular grabbed Coop¡¯s attention: a skill simply called Infusion. Any wounds he took while the skill was active would have their damage, and any other negative effects, temporarily prevented by a protective mist that would seal the wounds and reinforce his body until an internal reservoir was depleted by the mist¡¯s dispersal. It could even temporarily cheat death or otherwise negate critical injuries.


    It sounded awesome, but Coop winced when he imagined actually applying the skill. Receiving a critical hit wasn¡¯t something he liked thinking about, but instead of bleeding, he would leak mist, and if he lost an arm he would have a solid mist replacement that allowed him to keep fighting. It wasn¡¯t what he was looking for, but he couldn¡¯t help admiring the incredible utility it could give him. He was tanky enough to pass on it for now.


    Out of the 8 remaining truly active skills, Coop was disappointed when his desire for a ranged spell nuke went unfulfilled. Void Drop didn¡¯t make a reappearance at all and while a few of the spells offered could certainly increase his firepower, he wouldn¡¯t be blasting siege bosses with any of them, and none of them would allow him to wipe out massive raids either. At least, that was based on their limited descriptions. There was no reason to completely write them off, especially when they would be scaling off of his thick collection of stats.


    Another of the active skills that seemed wild, though it had no damage component, was an ability called Vaporform. The description led him to believe he would be able to enter the same monochromatic world that his mistjumps dragged him through, but in real time. He would become incorporeal whenever he activated it. While it seemed like a purely defensive ability, Coop could see a variety of applications when combining it with both his mistjumps, quick swaps, and melee techniques to turn it into another layer of depth in his current fighting style. Again, it wasn¡¯t what he was looking for, even if it was an interesting prospect.


    Mistwalker offered a few damaging active skills that were clearly meant to be supplementary, adding lingering effects to his damaging abilities that debuffed or applied damage over time. Other active skills were auxiliary effects that followed an attack. Brocken Spectre was his favorite, though he wasn¡¯t clear on how it would interact with his own weapons. Basically, it would project and magnify his previous attack with a mistform copy. If he punched something, a magnified fist of mist would immediately follow. It certainly had potential, especially since it added its own damage scaling off of Intelligence, but it didn¡¯t meet all of his current requirements.


    Coop was looking for a skill that did damage on its own, that would scale off of his growing stats, especially if it was ranged or covered a large area. It didn¡¯t need to be complicated as long as it gave him an opportunity to leverage his base stats into damage.


    The last two skills options that were being offered were skill upgrades, rather than new skills. Retribution and Salvation both had evolutions available. The fact that the two skills with upgrades available were the two skills he considered fundamentally important to everything he accomplished meant that he would take them seriously. Coop ceased his cleaning and settled down in the lightroom at the top of the lighthouse, with a view of Ghost Reef, underneath the spectral relic as he considered these last choices with special focus.


    First was Retribution, the skill that summoned his weapons and one half of the fundamental basis for his class he had built, with an upgrade called Legacy of the Mists.


    ¡°Call upon Legacy.¡±


    The upgrade would add an activated ability, ¡®Legacy of the Mists,¡¯ to his weapons, which would call a phantasm to fight alongside the caster. This phantasm would exist temporarily and wield the conjured weapon the caster had equipped to engage his opponents. They would deal weapon damage based on Intelligence, have weapon proficiency based on Mind, speed based on Agility, and substance based on Acumen.


    Coop rubbed his chin as he considered the limited information he was given. These phantasms would scale off of an eclectic collection of stats. If he understood it correctly, he could use his spear and shield to summon a clone that would engage his enemies by his side with the same combination of weapons, but dealing magical damage instead of physical.


    He had questions. Were these minions? They were explicitly temporary, but that didn¡¯t necessarily mean they were different each time. How much would they scale? He had so many stats, and they scaled off of so many different ones, he had to assume they would be balanced around much lower investments across the options. That meant they might be pretty ideal for taking advantage of his specific stat stacking build, basically punching from a much higher weight class than they should. There was no mention of their defensive stats, so Coop could only assume that this was meant to be a purely offensive upgrade to his weapon conjuring skill. He had no clue what ¡®substance¡¯ had to do with anything, and it was tied to the only stat he hadn¡¯t scaled up. Yet.


    Regardless of the details, upgrading Retribution jumped to the top of the list. It wasn¡¯t exactly what he was looking for either, but that didn¡¯t mean it couldn¡¯t fulfill the goal he was trying to achieve. Whether or not these phantasms could become a ranged nuke depended on how they scaled and it was all relative to their targets anyway. Legacy of the Mists was an encouraging choice as far as Coop was concerned.


    He checked Salvation¡¯s upgrade with equal consideration and even more hope than before. The upgrade was called Inheritance of the Mists.


    ¡°Accept the Inheritance.¡±


    Salvation would also receive an activated ability, named ¡®Inheritance of the Mists,¡¯ which called an apparition to fight for the caster. The apparition would also exist temporarily, but it would be grounded on only one of his attributes, scaling them with multipliers that were based on the specific apparition that appeared. Coop would have access to the apparition¡¯s abilities for the duration of its existence.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Coop carefully noted the difference in wording, where the phantasms fought ¡®with¡¯ the caster, the apparition fought ¡®for¡¯ the caster. It was possible that both descriptions meant the same thing, but the swap from ¡®with¡¯ to ¡®for¡¯ seemed significant. If they didn¡¯t mean the same thing, Coop was honestly worried that he would be possessed by the apparition while it fought on his behalf, like he¡¯d be handing over the controls temporarily. He was still dealing with his Spectral affinity, so he didn¡¯t let his guard down when it came to stereotypical ghost moves.


    The fact that apparitions scaled off his stats with additional multipliers was a huge win. Salvation would become a skill that fully leveraged Coop¡¯s attribute stacking, no matter how exactly it worked. However, it didn¡¯t indicate that he would be able to choose which apparition appeared. Coop didn¡¯t like that there might be an element of randomness. The potential for randomness was a glaring mark against the Inheritance upgrade when compared to the Legacy upgrade.


    Either way, Coop was ready to ignore the other skill options in favor of the upgrades to Retribution and Salvation. He fully intended to take both upgrades along with the Acumen passive skill with his upcoming skill choices. The only decision was the order that he would take the skills in.


    His initial instinct was to take Retribution¡¯s Legacy of the Mists first as it seemed the most reliable as well as the most likely to take advantage of Practical Application¡¯s mana reduction trait. If he needed to summon phantasms frequently, he would like to reduce whatever mana cost they came with to zero as soon as possible.


    Inheritance of the Mists probably had greater upside in exchange for a potential to be less reliable. He wished there was a catalog of apparitions so he could see the possible results, especially when it came to their skills. Coop would get the chance to borrow their skills, after all, but what if he had no idea how to actually use them. It might be the case that Coop would need to practice with the apparitions before they became more useful. In that case, it might be beneficial to upgrade Salvation first to start reviewing the skill¡¯s capabilities.


    Coop watched the waves lap onto the shore from the top of the lighthouse while he considered both options. The decision might not matter that much. He was going to zoom through the levels until he was ready to take the next one as well, even if it meant becoming a wandering quest completer. Now that he knew what was waiting for him, he was motivated beyond just accumulating stats.


    He shook his head at himself, not wanting to rush anything. There was no telling what might come up in the immediate future. He couldn¡¯t ignore the possibility of a new threat, a new event, or any other challenge that could show up and throw his plan into chaos.


    The thought was enough to convince him to take the upgrade he perceived as the most immediately and reliably useful.


    As he highlighted Legacy of the Mists and accepted the upgrade to Retribution, he felt like a kid unwrapping a present. After he accepted his choice, the only difference to his status was a plus sign added to the end of Retribution in his active skills line.


    Coop climbed to his feet to head back downstairs. The evening was barely setting in, so he had plenty of time to test his new skill on the Ancient Defenders along the beach trail.


    However, before he left, his attention was grabbed by tapping on the glass window of the lightroom. Upon inspection, he didn¡¯t immediately notice anything. Then, a flash of feathers revealed the spectral cockatiel as it attempted to grip the grille of the upper set of glass panes, before giving up and flying out of sight again.


    Coop watched for a moment before the bird returned, clearly trying to get inside the lightroom with a stick in its beak. He tried to shoo the bird away the next time it hit the glass, but the bird was insistent. Another flyby and the cockatiel actually turned into a transparent, ghost version of itself and flew straight through the window, but it lost its stick outside. The bird chirped and hopped around, agitated, before it flew back up to another of the windows and swiped at it with its beak from the inside.


    Coop unlatched a top pane and lifted it outwards, propping it open before any of the glass was destroyed by the magically enhanced bird, and the bird flew back outside.


    A few seconds later it returned, through the opened pane with the stick in its beak. The bird hopped inside like it owned the place, ignoring Coop and skipping along the ground until it was underneath the light, in the shadow of the black iron stand. It placed a single twig that it had recollected within its beak on the wooden floor and chirped, pleased with itself.


    Coop held his hand up, about to ask what the heck the bird thought it was doing, but stopped himself. Instead he issued a warning. ¡°You better watch yourself, or Jett will eat you.¡±


    The cockatiel angled its head to look at Coop with one eye and chirped, unconcerned. It hopped up into the opened window and gripped the bottom frame. Coop moved to close it and leave the bird outside, but the bird turned and swung its open beak at Coop¡¯s hand, defending the window holder and making it abundantly clear that it wanted him to leave it open.


    ¡°Whatever.¡± Coop sighed and gave up. The spectral bird wanted to be near the spectral relic, that was fine. ¡°I¡¯m closing it if the storms start rolling in.¡± The bird chirped and flew back outside, heading across the island toward the fort, trusting Coop not to close the window after it had sufficiently warned him.


    Coop summoned his ethereal spear, using his freshly upgraded Retribution ability, and casually tossed it out the open window. He mistjumped before the spear landed, taking a shortcut from the top of the lighthouse to the trail outside.


    Coop planted the butt of his spear on the sandy ground and tried activating Legacy of the Mists. The thought of summoning a phantasm barely entered his mind before a genuine ghost lunged out of nothingness with a burst of mist, its own spear held forward in a perfectly executed leaping attack that left Coop impressed, nodding in approval, and thinking ¡°Not bad.¡±


    The phantasm landed in the white sand, disturbing the grains despite its ghostly appearance and planted the butt of its spear in the ground. The phantasm looked at Coop over its left shoulder, spear held on the right, and seemed disappointed before it disappeared in another puff of mist.


    The first thing Coop noted was that it wasn¡¯t a clone. That was a one-eyed, grizzled and scarred spearman who was very unpleasant to look at. Coop was normally pretty modest, but he didn¡¯t look anything like that ghost and he thanked his lucky stars for that fact. The phantasm¡¯s weapon matched Coop¡¯s, but his armor was completely different. More importantly, the entire phantasm was almost completely transparent along with all of its equipment, almost like an invisible man standing inside a thin mist. It had been, by far, the most ghostly of the spectral phantoms, wraiths, and whatever other nonsense he had encountered so far.


    The second was that the phantasm literally only lasted one second, maybe two. On the bright side, there was no cooldown, so he could do it again. However, it was a rather steep 500 mana to call the Legacy of the Mists, and for a single attack, it wasn¡¯t very efficient.


    Mana also wasn¡¯t the only price he had to pay. His ethereal weapon was the source of the phantasm, and he was notified by the system that his weapon had lost one durability, then gained one durability after the phantasm disappeared. Durability wasn¡¯t something he had ever needed to worry about. The only time it had ever come up were in the rare instances that his equipment actually broke, and Coop really didn¡¯t think it was a real problem when he could just resummon his gear. Still, it seemed like his personal weapon was being split in some small part in order to fuel the phantasm.


    He tried the skill again and another burst of mists preceded a phantasm that leapt from a few feet to Coop¡¯s right, landing an expertly aimed attack to where Coop was absently aiming 10 feet in front of himself. This was a completely different ghost, a lithe woman with a golden tiara pinning straight, long, black hair that reached all the way down to her waist, wielding an identical spear and wearing a simple sheath dress that was straight out of an Egyptian hieroglyphic. She turned with her spear ready, and looked at Coop with makeup like the Eyes of Horus. A sly grin started to form on her face before she disappeared.


    Coop tried to say something, to see if they understood him, or could communicate at all, but she was gone too quickly. The fact that they were so clearly different made him wonder what was going on. He had expected a clone of himself, but he was getting completely different people.


    He activated Legacy a third time and immediately used his aura to inspect the phantasm. A huge man with thick bear furs folded over his shoulders and a bare, hairy chest jabbed into the air before shooting a curious look back at Coop from behind a bushy orange beard. He disappeared in another burst of mist, but Coop had been able to identify him before he was gone.


    [Phantasmal Spearman (Level 100)]


    [(Mind)]


    [Minion (Ethereal)]


    Coop was relieved they were clearly labeled as minions. He had been worried about the implications of resurrecting someone for a second or two then having them disappear from existence. That would have been dreadful, but from what he understood, a minion really was something much different from Ghost Reef¡¯s phantoms, for instance.


    He had one more test to do and he selected the nearest Ancient Defender as the subject. Coop approached the monster, and activated Legacy of the Mists. A medieval peasant spearman lunged through the air and pierced the monster so thoroughly, the Defender was completely annihilated. The spearman had time to raise his spear in triumph before a burst of mist marked his disappearance.


    Coop¡¯s first Mistwalker skill selection may not have resulted in a flashy spell-based nuke, but it definitely seemed like there was real potential with these phantasms to fill a similar role, and maybe more.

 Chapter 111: Good Morning Ghost Reef

    When Coop woke up, he had the vague impression that something was missing. It was like his subconscious was trying to tell him that the situation wasn¡¯t quite right, but exactly what was lost to his dreams. After a moment of confusion while staring at the wooden beams in the ceiling, he realized that the steady purring snores from Jett were absent. He was groggy from a late night experimenting with the Legacy of the Mists, but the missing cat startled him awake.


    At first, he was worried she had run into some trouble during her nightly patrols and might even need his help, but if there was one resident of Ghost Reef that they didn¡¯t need to worry about, it was Jett. The black cat who controlled the shadows of their territory was probably the most formidable duelist in the settlement, even when including the overleveled Coop. Still, her absence was enough of a wake-up call to get him moving.


    After a few moments of frantic contemplation, going through various possibilities of where he should go, Coop threw the covers off and ran up the steps to the lightroom, taking them two at a time and hoping he wasn¡¯t too late.


    The lighthouse had picked up an intruder in the cockatiel, and even though Coop had half-heartedly warned the bird of the danger it was taking by entering the lighthouse, he wasn¡¯t sure if he had really done the threat justice or if the bird even comprehended heads-up. Jett was responsible for keeping pests out of the lighthouse in the past, and she had been an efficient and hypervigilant exterminator for decades before Coop had arrived.


    When he breached the threshold of the lightroom, he came face-to-face with a startled cat, silhouetted by the dawn light. Jett was an undefined black mass against the panoramic sunrise while Coop¡¯s eyes struggled to adjust to the brilliance of the sun reflecting off of the ocean all along the horizon, but her wide gold-yellow eyes blinked once, providing enough context to figure out what she was doing. She was laying on her back, underneath the edge of the light stand, staring back at Coop from her flipped perspective. Above her, the spectral cockatiel paced back and forth on a black iron rod that stabilized the light, still in one piece, appearing mostly unharried.


    Jett tenderly pawed at the bird¡¯s tail feathers, as they danced above her, with a few gentle swats before she rolled back onto her feet, stretched, and yawned. Coop had gotten himself all worked up for nothing, but he was happy to be mistaken. It seemed like Jett had become a bit more relaxed in her retirement, leaving some of her old responsibilities to Coop and allowing him to invite guests into her territory. He should have known, given all of the other residents they had accumulated over the previous weeks that she had refrained from slicing up.


    She went down the stairs without any fanfare, leaving Coop and the bird alone. He felt bad about interrupting their playtime, but Coop was especially glad he didn¡¯t find the cat with feathers sticking out of her mouth. He would have felt intensely guilty if he had.


    ¡°Crisis averted, huh Birdie?¡± Coop asked, mostly to himself. The bird¡¯s crown feathers fanned up, but he didn¡¯t get any response otherwise. It was nice that the previously elderly cat was feeling playful.


    Coop shook his head and followed Jett¡¯s path back down the spiraling stairs. By the time he reached his bedroom, she was already making herself comfortable where he had previously hibernated, not letting the warmth be wasted. With the cat claiming his bed, everything was as it should be.


    He sighed and went the rest of the way down, feeling tired again after waking with such anxious thoughts. Luckily, Sunny was always ready to start the day, and cheerfully encouraged Coop to hurry up and get outside.


    A brisk jog with the retriever and an even brisker shower after, Coop sat with Marcus inside the Clumsy Shark at a table near the always stoked fireplace. Only a few other tables were occupied for breakfast, but Marcus had arrived early to claim one in the cozy tavern anyway.


    Desmond promptly served the experiment of the day, giving Coop a firm nod that somehow communicated ¡®good morning¡¯ and ¡®enjoy the meal¡¯ all in one gesture. This time, Coop was able to try the devilish bartender¡¯s experimental breakfast burritos. They looked as one would expect, avoiding any alien colors, but the filling was almost like a thick tomatoey stew. It wasn¡¯t bad for a hearty breakfast. Desmond never missed, as far as Coop was concerned, and he paid his compliments to the chef.


    Marcus had already finished eating by the time Coop arrived, but had waited in order to continue their newly established morning ceremony. Coop thought it was like flipping the television on to get the morning update with a local personality: Good Morning Ghost Reef with Marcus Rollins.


    ¡°We should be ready for the phantoms to return soon, thanks to the Mana Mill speeding up the accumulation. The other facilities merely increase the capacity. I estimate a week should be enough time to fill the reserves enough to bring them back, as long as we don¡¯t spend it on anything else.¡± Marcus provided updates as Coop dug into his burritos.


    ¡°What about the rest of the Tempest Fleet? Could we at least summon the last two Corvettes and their crews?¡± Coop asked after he finished chewing a much too large bite.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to look into it, but I have to imagine the ships themselves would require a substantial investment of the settlement resources.¡± Marcus considered before he continued updating Coop.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to place some new resource services inside the underground chambers, including greater storage facilities, so that we can keep them secure, and leave more room for residents up top. If the fort is going to house a city, we need to make sure we can accommodate a much larger population than would have been realistic without mana.¡±


    Coop nodded. ¡°Makes sense, but even then, it¡¯ll be hard to make sure there¡¯s enough room.¡± He thought the normally minimally populated island would get crowded real fast without some kind of expansion throughout the settlement¡¯s territory, to more islands or into the underground.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure it will be a problem. We don¡¯t have access to any of the service upgrades for the apartment buildings at the settlement¡¯s current level, but once we do, even the smaller apartment buildings will certainly become more efficient in terms of real estate.¡± Marcus assured him.


    ¡°You saying they¡¯ll get taller? That could be a problem if they extend too far beyond the walls and we get attacked.¡± Coop paused as he reconsidered if having the housing on the edge of the fort had been a good idea after all.


    ¡°Taller buildings is certainly a possibility, but with mana involved maybe there will be more alien upgrades as well.¡± Marcus predicted.


    Coop imagined some real sci-fi solutions like warping space. ¡°Actually, that doesn¡¯t seem that unlikely.¡± He realized as he mentally accessed his spatial storage, finding a precedent from much earlier in the assimilation, but he had to ask himself if it would be okay for living beings to be physically manipulated like that. Then again, his mistjumps were doing something pretty wild to his own body. When he assessed himself, it was so far so good.


    Marcus leaned forward conspiratorially. ¡°Not to mention the defensive upgrades we might be able to add to the wall even if they do get taller.¡± Coop¡¯s eyes widened as he looked around to make sure Balor hadn¡¯t snuck up on them, but the bar was clear and no one was downing mugs of ale like the stone dwarf would in the morning.


    Marcus continued once Coop nodded to himself in acceptance. ¡°Mr. Gibson¡¯s party has begun exploring the tunnels that connect to those pearlescent caverns. It seems there are a whole series of them underground. The Ruin Excavators spawn deeper inside, so we won¡¯t be worried about respawns where we build. For now, we¡¯ll just claim enough territory to roughly double the town¡¯s surface area without leaving the fort. Rather than expand beyond the walls, we have the option to continue expanding underneath instead. Personally, I believe that¡¯s the wisest course, but I¡¯ll leave it up to the combat specialists, and yourself of course.¡±


    Marcus shifted in his seat. ¡°After the soldiers return we will have a slightly different problem.¡±


    ¡°The barracks are all messed up?¡± Coop tried anticipating the issue.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Marcus shook his head. ¡°No, housing-wise, the fort does need to be repaired for them to return to their barracks, but now that the entire fort is available, we have plenty of room for a large army. However, the problem is that they are just too numerous, even as they were, to keep as a standing army for our current population. Financially, it can¡¯t be done. The settlement will bankrupt itself trying to maintain their salaries.¡±


    Coop shrugged, pretty confident in his personal ability to generate credits if necessary. ¡°We can give them the option to become regular citizens. They can help defend the fort just like any other resident if it comes down to it.¡±


    Marcus continued his nervous shifting as he continued. ¡°Actually, I think maintaining the large army is important for future conquests. They may even become a requirement when you start expanding beyond Ghost Reef. The phantom army can be the force that secures whatever you decide to take. What we need is more residents to sustain them, which can also come from expansion.¡±


    Coop started to object, feeling quite satisfied with leaving Ghost Reef as a welcoming place for people to voluntarily join, but Marcus cut him off. ¡°I know you have no interest in conquest, but I think with your growing presence, it¡¯s inevitable. Think about our neighbor, Empress City, the conditions just aren¡¯t great. We could improve the situation for all those hiding out in the fringes.¡±


    ¡°I dunno¡­¡± Coop was really uncomfortable with the idea of deliberate expansion. He really just wanted to turtle up on Ghost Reef and invite people to be safe from the Eradication Protocol after they established a faction. He believed it was an ideal location and could become a beacon for other people. Forcing people to accept his help, even if it was for the greater good, was beyond the responsibilities Coop was willing to accept. Even becoming a Champion had pushed it, and if it wasn¡¯t for the limited options, he would have avoided it to focus on his own development. Leveraging the advantages he had accumulated to crush others just wasn¡¯t in him. He¡¯d rather hang out on the beach and keep leveling to maintain a sanctuary for those who came.


    ¡°Charlie warned me you¡¯d be hard to convince.¡± Marcus nodded as he watched Coop¡¯s internal struggle. ¡°She said you¡¯re a true hardcore PvE¡¯r and will shy away from PvP. I think she¡¯s the only one on the planet that understands the basis for your mentality, cause I have no idea what she was talking about.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably better that way.¡± Coop admitted as he started on his second burrito. She wasn¡¯t exactly wrong, but when it was put in terms like that Coop could see how he might need to broaden his ambitions. Depending on the genre, even a PvE¡¯r might need to defend their grind spot from challengers or griefers, and more often than not, the purpose of gathering strength was to wield it. Still, it was a large leap, going from being willing to defend his territory, to looking to dominate. Coop sighed, feeling like wanting to help people kept getting more complicated.


    Marcus continued. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m not saying we start seeking out global conquest here, but you know we¡¯ll need to make moves after the Avatar issued such a stern warning. Mana¡¯s judgment would be something we should at least warn others about.¡±


    Coop was still reluctant, not really seeing how conquest and transmitting a warning were the same. ¡°I guess¡­¡±


    ¡°Forget about it for now, it can wait until after the faction meeting and the settlement upgrade. Let¡¯s move on to more fun topics.¡± Marcus started, knowing exactly how to improve his Champion¡¯s mood.


    Before Coop could eagerly ask, Marcus anticipated his next question. ¡°Yes, the Big Beach Bash Bonanza will be ready for the upgrade. There¡¯s a former wedding planner among Laurie¡¯s people and she¡¯s already been taking care of the arrangements, recruiting volunteers, and organizing the catering.¡±


    Coop was satisfied. ¡°Good.¡± He couldn¡¯t wait for that. It was almost two weeks away still, but it would be the proper welcome party he promised the residents, and it would be the official celebration for their victory in the first event, the settlement upgrade, and the returned phantoms. If the system continued to deny him celebratory fireworks for settlement upgrades, they would make their own. ¡°How¡¯s the treasury?¡±


    Marcus winced. ¡°It¡¯s pretty light. A lot of the new services don¡¯t actually bring any income since they interact directly with the settlement rather than the residents or other services. They¡¯ll be helpful in the long run, but they required upfront payments that put us back quite a bit. Then there¡¯s the fact that we are taking on some construction ourselves. We may save the recruitment cost that the system would charge, but we are purchasing all of the materials instead, and that makes the construction cost actually higher than it would have been through the system. We¡¯re effectively subsidizing our citizens for now.¡±


    Coop gestured at Marcus and sent him a million credits. They weren¡¯t doing him any good while they sat in his inventory.


    Marcus¡¯s eyes went wide as he read his notification and found the sudden influx. ¡°How rich are you? I thought the medical center would put you out for a while.¡±


    ¡°Grinding is good.¡± Coop shrugged, going back to his burrito. ¡°You sure we need more citizens to maintain our army?¡± He asked facetiously.


    Marcus grunted before he continued. ¡°The only other thing was that Erasimus Doomthread was asking for you.¡±


    Coop nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll pay him a visit today¡­¡± He said with his mouth full. Coop would have to keep an eye out on the rest of his wallet when he was around that Clothier. He had ways to siphon credits without his customers realizing what they were getting into.


    Coop continued after he finished chewing, ¡°I¡¯m going to take a little expedition into the mana well this afternoon, after I visit the crafters. You probably won¡¯t be able to get me in case of an emergency.¡± He sideeyed his first advisor ¡°Will you be alright?¡± Coop asked, knowing it would be the first time Marcus was in charge of the settlement by himself.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be fine.¡± Marcus assured him as he prepared to head out. ¡°I¡¯m going to hole up in the town hall and burn through some of these funds.¡± Marcus took his leave and Coop finished his food by himself until even more pleasant company joined him.


    Maeve sat in the freshly vacated spot across from him and chit chatted about the comings and goings of the tavern. The demons were extremely pleased with their luck at being contracted to Coop¡¯s settlement. It was both the most profitable contract they had been on while also being the most fun. Human personalities were a bonus that they hadn¡¯t experienced on any other planet.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you humans were keeping these wonderful drinks to yourselves.¡± Maeve playfully grouched. She was apparently also becoming a big fan of coffee under the tutelage of Camila.


    ¡°There¡¯s all sorts of stuff that mana is keeping from us.¡± Coop pointed out. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much we¡¯ll ever be able to bring back, but coffee is definitely just one of many treats you¡¯d probably enjoy.¡±


    Maeve hummed. ¡°Be careful, Champion. If you keep providing us with such surprises, we¡¯ll stay forever.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t try to stop you.¡± Coop admitted, not even sure if he had that kind of veto power at the end of their contracts. He had to assume that as Champion he probably did.


    ¡°As solemn a declaration as you¡¯d be like to give.¡± Maeve laughed before she went back to work, preparing for the busier lunch rush and even busier evening.


    It seemed like everyone was in good spirits. The relaxed vibes of the tropical island paradise overwhelmed the tension from the apocalypse when monsters weren¡¯t breathing down their necks.


    Afterwards, Coop dropped by The Seraphin Gravity Gym. ¡°Morning, boys.¡± He greeted the Cleary brothers. ¡°Back day?¡± He double checked as the three brothers each stood in front of a barbell with their hands on their hips, catching their breath. They all looked identical even though they were different ages, especially when they synchronized their mannerisms.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You wanna hop in?¡± One of them asked.


    ¡°For sure.¡± Coop confirmed, knowing that the weight would be low. Going through the motions was enjoyable regardless, providing more nuanced control over his mana boosted physicality the more he practiced.


    He took his time warming up before he joined them for deadlifts, bent over rows, and weighted pull ups. Emmanuel was still at the medical center with Madison, so Coop used the weights that were setup in advance for the brothers and didn¡¯t chase any more personal records. It was a pleasant time in the morning sun with Elly, joined by Olani¡¯s grandkids, cheering them on.


    The brothers told him about how the construction crew had erected the mana experimentation barn immediately after the cafe. The building had gone up in a matter of hours, like an Amish barn raising.


    The brothers, along with the professor, had already started working on their first experiments with mana. The first research they were working on was figuring out if they could be utilizing mana as a replacement for electricity. The brothers in particular were worried about the summer heat on a tropical island and hoped to figure out how to get air conditioning without recruiting some kind of ice mage for each building.


    Coop sincerely wished them luck, though he had been mentally prepared for the heat the moment he accepted the junior caretaker keeper job that brought him deeper into the tropics in the first place. The Cleary brothers¡¯ discoveries would be applicable to a wider variety of applications, but the big boys were particular with their initial goal of comfort.


    After the casual workout session, he found himself standing inside the master blacksmith¡¯s shop, waiting for the dog eared owner to come out from the back. He wanted to ask some questions about the mana well.

 Chapter 112: Ghost Reef Standard Issue

    Coop tapped his fingers on the counter while he waited for the hammering in the back of the blacksmith¡¯s workshop to cease. The smith had already been alerted to a customer when Coop entered the shop¡¯s front door, but he was obviously in the middle of something that Coop didn¡¯t want to interrupt. When the clanging finally stopped, it was only a few more seconds before the blacksmith himself burst into the public area of the shop from his private work area behind the counter. His oversized eyes lit up when he realized it was Coop who had come to see him.


    ¡°Oy! The Champion pays us another visit! Ya¡¯ here to check your army¡¯s new armor sets?¡± Garod barked as he wiped black soot onto his apron, leaving streaks against the rough brown surface. ¡°I gotta say, they were more fun to work on than I would ever expect for somethin¡¯ meant to be standard issue. Me and the Armorer had a blast.¡± He revealed while adjusting his oversized goggles out of the way, settling them onto the top of his head with a snap of their elastic band.


    ¡°Actually, I was going to ask you about rare materials and what I might find inside of a mana well¡­ but I¡¯d like to see them anyway.¡± Coop decided to compromise with his curiosity mid sentence. He hadn¡¯t been a part of the planning of the army¡¯s equipment, leaving that primarily to Shane and whoever he deemed would be able to contribute.


    ¡°Come on then, I have a fresh pair in the back. The rest are already in your shiny new armory.¡± Garod gestured for Coop to follow him into his private work area.


    Coop rounded the counter, avoiding the assortment of foreign tools and odd metals on display, bypassing the raised shelves filled with similar miscellanea, and followed the alien into the back room. Two empty sets of armor stood in the rear, glistening in the flickering light of the smith¡¯s flames like a casual pair of motorcycle body armors. Coop couldn¡¯t help himself, oohing when he took the sets of equipment in. The armor looked cool.


    They managed to be sleek and low profile, thanks to the magic involved in assembly, despite the metals, cloths, and leathers clearly being made in actual traditional ways. They were armored with charcoal gray plates of perfectly smooth, curved metal that seemed flexible enough to be molded for the individual wearer, a bit like Coop¡¯s own form fitting ethereal breastplate, and had a matte finish which absorbed light rather than reflecting it.


    Beneath the metal armor, flexible black leather connected the plates, contrasting with the charcoal gray, making the setup look like it was made for some kind of futuristic cyberpunk assassin. The leather was surprisingly soft when Coop felt it between his fingers and had an additional layer of tough woven cross sections of what he recognized as Erasimus¡¯s manaweave. He wondered if someone had given the idea to recreate kevlar to the clothier.


    ¡°The angry elderly human had plenty o¡¯ requests for the armor.¡± Garod explained as Coop touched the armor, describing the veteran that had consulted on the phantoms¡¯ training. ¡°Claimed he wanted it bulletproof and had to explain to us some of your ignition based pre-mana weapons.¡± Garod shook his head. ¡°Scary stuff.¡± Coop was just glad they had experts to consult with the crafters. Outside of sports wear, he had no personal experience with any type of equipment that might be useful to protect against magical enemy assailants.


    ¡°What are these?¡± Coop wondered as he ran his fingertips along ghostly turquoise highlights that formed diamond shaped slivers that were situated almost like subtle racing stripes and decorative flourishes along the metal plates. The same greenish chips imitated the vertebrae of a spine down the back plate and seemed to barely undulate between different shades of the ghostly green he associated with spectral affinity.


    Garod continued explaining while Coop explored the armor. ¡°Mana siphons. Designed to help with magic defense and provide some minor advantages for the wearer¡¯s resources. They¡¯ll work best on your home territory thanks to your settlement upgrades.¡±


    Coop nodded as he checked out the other pieces. A solid matte black helmet matched the rest of the armor and formed a perfect seal with the breastplate, almost as if it would be ready for a spacewalk. One of the armor sets had the opaque visor open and the other closed. A scarf-like layer of cloth rested on the shoulders and around the neck, reducing the profile of the padded shoulders giving the whole getup a post-apocalyptic ranger feel.


    Garod reached up and did something underneath the edge of the waist. The armor transformed with the brief rustling of fabrics, so that the metals shrank or disappeared underneath and the helmet was reduced to something between a neck brace and a torc. He was suddenly staring at a reasonably fashionable leather vest with light cloth sleeves and leather pants with black combat boots.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop found himself surprised at the dynamic transformation. Instead of combat armor, he thought the gear could easily be worn casually. Maybe it would look out of place at a fancy restaurant, but a pre-mana bar, or a tavern? It would fit right in.


    ¡°Ya¡¯ don¡¯t need your soldiers lookin¡¯ like shock troops unless they want to be intimidating, so there is a standard mode. Your human demands were extensive, so we had to use four times as many materials than would normally be necessary. Most would call it excessive¡­¡± Garod didn¡¯t seem particularly bothered by the demands, rather a bit impressed by the willingness to spend so much for what would become basic gear. ¡°Good thing you left so many magic materials, or else it couldn¡¯t be done for such a large order. These are better, and more expensive, than most would be willing to equip on their first-class elites.¡±


    Garod fumbled with some kind of scanning tool that was resting on his work table and raised it up for Coop to look through. Coop suddenly viewed a status screen that described the armor.


    [Ghost Reef Standard Issue Armor]


    (Rare)


    +1139 Physical Defense


    +608 Magic Defense


    +23% Mana Regeneration


    +50% Affliction Resistance


    Active Climate Control


    Durability 100/100


    Requires Level: 75


    Requires Affiliation: Ghost Reef


    Lead Crafter: Garod Harod Etherforge


    ¡°Pretty good, huh?¡± Garod boasted. ¡°The affliction resistance and extra physical defense came from those materials you threw in. It even went up a rarity thanks to my expertise and the quality of the excess materials. Nearly unheard of for that to happen.¡± The smith stated proudly.


    Garod tapped the helmet of the battle ready armor set. ¡°The extra features include air filtration and temperature control. Your advisors seemed worried about gas attacks and mist in particular.¡± Garod paused, shaking his head subtly. ¡°I dunno what your planet went through, but ya¡¯ got some strange phobias.¡±


    Coop was happy to hear that his advisors had been thoughtful enough to plan some contingencies. He wondered if the troops would be able to fight inside Fog of War with this armor. Maybe he could tone the skill¡¯s density down for them and find a level that still worked on most enemies.


    ¡°Are you going to have to make a higher level version in the future?¡± Coop wondered how frequently they would require upgrades, noting the level requirement was exactly at the phantoms¡¯ current maximum. After the settlement upgraded, they would be able to continue leveling. Even Coop couldn¡¯t provide enough materials for them to make new sets of armor every time the phantoms leveled.


    ¡°No, no, once the equipment is assigned to someone they will be able to have it enhanced whenever they feel it''s necessary for a much cheaper price than the original crafting.¡± Garod chuckled to himself conspiratorially. ¡°The thing is, it would be really challenging for a different crafter to get the job done properly, so it¡¯s best to return to the original crafter when it¡¯s time for enhancements.¡±


    ¡°Is that the real reason you enjoyed working on this stuff? Banking that your customer base is gonna come crawling back for enhancements?¡± Coop joked, seeing exactly the business model these crafters were angling for.


    ¡°Hoho, that¡¯s not a small part of it! I¡¯m happy to tie myself to a settlement that could survive the challenges of that first event! Keep on progressing this settlement, Champion. We¡¯ll all benefit together.¡± Garod beamed, feeling good about his position in Ghost Reef. ¡°Ya¡¯ wanna see the weapon prototypes too?¡± Garod asked with a twinkle in his eye, happy to present his completed works.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I won¡¯t say no¡­¡± Coop agreed while he went back to making sense of the display. It was the first time he had seen defenses represented numerically, so he couldn¡¯t be sure if they were high or low. He had to take the master blacksmith¡¯s pride and enthusiasm as proof they were good totals.


    He summoned his own set of armor to gauge relative values. He sincerely doubted it would ever be a good idea for him to use anything other than his own skills to equip himself, but it would work as a point of comparison. Maybe if the stats on crafted gear were hundreds of times better than his own, he could consider using it for specific situations, but losing his ability to mistjump alone was enough to have him pass on switching anything up. His mobility was the primary reason he didn¡¯t really consider the result of the build he put together as a pure tank.


    [Ethereal Gladiator Armor]


    (Summoned)


    +1540 Physical Defense


    +1540 Magic Defense


    Mind Lucky Bonus


    Magic Critical Immunity


    Regenerative Durability


    Durability 100/100


    Requires Class: Revenant


    Requires Race: Human


    Haunted


    Coop blew air out of his nose as he smiled at his reliable armor, the flat defenses seemed to be scaling with his Mind stat directly, though there were a few additional lines he didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Garod? How much physical defense does a point of Body give?¡±


    ¡°Well, the final numbers depend on a whole series of unknowable variables. A general rule is one defense for one stat, as a baseline. Remember that physical defense itself is also just representing more variables that the system uses when determining damage in a numerical sense.¡± Garod flipped his ears behind his shoulders as he explained. ¡°As far as we mere individuals are concerned, bigger numbers are better and that¡¯s it. Let the Maker sort everything else out.¡± He warned, like Coop was close to asking about knowledge that was too advanced for them to decipher. Based on what Coop knew about the relationship between mana and the system, he figured the system was merely assigning values to real phenomena and not actually determining them.


    He looked back at the display and shook his head at the values, keeping in mind that the armor was providing additional stats that applied on top of his already enormous personal attributes. His armor was basically doubling his default magic defense and tripling his default physical defense. And, it was already higher than Garod¡¯s armor thanks to his huge stacks of stats. It was insane. Revenant was definitely inclined toward a tank class, at least how he had built it.


    Garod glanced at the reading for Coop¡¯s armor and his already huge eyes widened even further. He spluttered in surprise for a moment before recovering enough to pay his respect. ¡°Now that¡¯s some propa¡¯ gear, kid. Magic Defense like that is absurd. Crit Immunity and a Lucky Bonus on top? Completely unfair. Regenerative durability is a unique attribute that would put many smiths out of business if it wasn¡¯t extraordinarily rare. Kinda wasted on summoned armor though¡­¡± He scratched his chin. ¡°What is Haunted?¡±


    ¡°A title.¡± Coop explained simply.


    ¡°Well, ain¡¯t that somethin¡¯. Titles on equipment is essentially a myth. Could be that those rumors started from some conjured gear instead of crafted¡­¡±


    ¡°What about Regenerative Durability?¡± Coop prompted, taking note of durability now that one of his skills had recently brought it to his attention.


    ¡°Right. So, normally, when gear loses durability it needs to be manually repaired, most of the time by an actual smith or at least with a kit created by one. That¡¯s the main way we make our living. Outside of newcomers, most people ain¡¯t constantly crafting new items and updating¡¯ them as much as maintaining what they got. Once some durability is lost, it won¡¯t come back no matter how nice ya¡¯ treat the piece of gear, so it needs to be brought to an expert to fix it up, using materials in the process.¡± He jabbed at Coop¡¯s armor. ¡°Regenerative Durability means that the particular piece is more flexible with its mana, capable of passively regaining some of what was lost, whether it be by erosion or damage. Thankfully, it really is rare.¡±


    ¡°What happens when the durability reaches zero?¡± Coop continued, though he was pretty sure he knew the answer thanks to his past experiences in combat.


    ¡°The equipment will be broken beyond repair. Sometimes catastrophic failures can even happen, where the mana will escape explosively!¡±


    Coop had some of his equipment break in the past. Mostly his shield, but his spear hadn¡¯t fared very well when he put it through the Primal Construct¡¯s main weapons. He supposed the system was more particular than just saying it broke, actually calculating the durability as it was diminished.


    Garod took Coop¡¯s easy acceptance of destroyed gear and grew a bit agitated. ¡°None of your people better let any of my equipment get to that point. Gah! Now you make me want to put anyone using these through a course on satisfactory maintenance!¡± Garod continued, grumbling about the difference between life-saving equipment and toys, worried about his efforts being neglected by the phantoms.


    ¡°What¡¯s a Lucky Bonus?¡± Coop asked before the smith distracted himself any further.


    ¡°Means all the calculations are done twice and the better result is the one that goes through.¡± When Coop continued to look unsure, Garod explained further. ¡°This is simplified to an unreasonable degree, but imagine a weapon has a damage range of 1-100 and a skill has a 1x to 10x multiplier. It can do anywhere from 1 to 1,000 damage, but the lucky defense bonus makes it roll twice and chooses the lower value... It¡¯s not that simple in reality, but ya¡¯ get the idea.¡±


    Coop nodded, understanding that it was good and freely ignoring anything that complicated it further. First hand experience told him it wasn¡¯t so simple, or the details that went into a regular strike wouldn¡¯t matter, but he knew he could swing harder, faster, or from a different angle, and get different results depending on where he struck and how accurate the blow was. It seemed like the system was applying numerical values to everything without interfering with most of the real physical considerations of combat. Figuring out how to survive the assimilation would have been a mess with how limited the user interface had been from the beginning if even the most basic interactions were being manipulated in a way that required understanding what was going on under the hood.


    Coop used the scanner to look at the crafted sword Garod had brought over while using Retribution to summon his own sword. There was no chance of replacing his weapons now that he upgraded the skill and added the Legacy of the Mists, but he was curious to compare them anyway.


    [Ghost Reef Standard Issue Sword]


    (Rare)


    +960-1280 Physical Damage


    +5 to All Attributes


    +13% Chance to apply Additional Bleeding Affliction


    Durability 100/100


    Requires Level: 75


    Requires Affiliation: Ghost Reef


    Lead Crafter: Garod Harod Etherforge


    The sword sure looked cool, matching the armor sets perfectly, and the additional attributes seemed awesome, but how would it compare to Coop¡¯s weapon? He turned the scanner to his sword.


    [Ethereal Shortsword]


    (Summoned)


    +1,540 Physical Damage


    Regenerative Durability


    Durability 100/100


    Haunted


    Requires Class: Revenant


    Requires Race: Human


    Coop looked at his sword and shook his head in satisfaction. Once again, his equipment matched his Mind stat. Even his weapons exceeded what Garod claimed to be the best weapons crafted on Earth. That meant gear wouldn¡¯t be the great equalizer for anyone standing against Coop¡¯s stats until even better equipment became available, and it wasn¡¯t like his equipment would stop scaling in the meantime, as long as he kept chasing stats.


    It was a bit curious that the damage on his short sword matched up with his Mind stat exactly, though. He summoned his spear to also compare, expecting different values since they were completely different types of weapon.


    [Ethereal Spear]


    (Summoned)


    +1,540 Physical Damage


    Regenerative Durability


    Durability 100/100


    Haunted


    Requires Class: Revenant


    Requires Race: Human


    ¡°Garod? Why do these two different weapon types have the exact same damage?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Like I said, the calculations aren¡¯t so simple. Somewhere in the damage formula there are surely variables for weapon types, among a thousand other things. Just remember bigger is better and leave it at that.¡± The smith glanced at the scanner and paused as he looked at Coop suspiciously, looked back at the scanner, then back at Coop. ¡°Are you really level 100?¡±


    Coop chuckled. ¡°For now.¡±

 Chapter 113: Commission Complete

    Coop claimed a set of armor along with a weapon to keep for himself. He couldn''t really imagine a situation where his active abilities were disabled and his spatial storage ability continued to be available, but it wouldn¡¯t hurt to have some security. It wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t already have massive quantities of other items occupying the seemingly unlimited space, including weapons he looted from various Chosen, but the matching gear was too nice to pass up.


    ¡°Alright, Champion. Now that you¡¯ve helped yourself to my hard work, what is it that you actually came here for?¡± Garod jested. ¡°Something about a mana well? If you¡¯re here about a special order to aid you in a delve, I¡¯m ¡®fraid I lack even the basic resources to improve upon your summons.¡±


    Coop hadn¡¯t really been interested in replacing his ethereal equipment anyway, but that didn¡¯t mean he wouldn¡¯t be able to find something to do with upgraded gear. ¡°Well, first, I¡¯d like you to tell me what to keep an eye out for inside the well. As I understand it, there should be treasures to find.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Garod emphatically agreed. ¡°Mana wells produce the best jewels for arrays. You remember the garbage dagger you had the first time you visited?¡± Coop nodded in response, pulling the Empire¡¯s assassin weapon out of his storage once again.


    Garod pointed at the hilt where decorative bead-like stones were arranged in a simple geometric pattern, in this case, a diamond. ¡°The tiny stones from that thing should be all over the place, even in a basic well. They just pop up wherever free mana collects. A mana well is exactly the type of place to have such pockets. The more mana the greater the jewel.¡±


    Coop wondered if he would be doing more foraging than fighting, like the mana well would be a magical egg hunt instead of a grinding zone. Coop stared intently at the hilt of the jeweled dagger and frowned. The tiny beads would be hard to find without paying special attention for them, but he didn¡¯t intend for his trip to be a scavenger hunt.


    Garod dispelled Coop¡¯s minor concern, ¡°Ah, but you can ignore those little ones. It would take a master Artisan to make them even remotely useful beyond decoration. Not that there isn''t a market for them, I just get the impression you¡¯re lookin¡¯ for somethin¡¯ more utilitarian and those are the lowest quality. Keep an eye out for any that are actually glowing with their own light, those can have real power, and of course bigger ones.¡± Garod spread his hands like he was holding a basketball. ¡°If you find somethin¡¯ this big, feel free to retire!¡±


    ¡°If only.¡± Coop laughed, thinking retirement would be a good excuse to vacation on the beach. Coop would keep an eye out for the pearl-like jewels and hedge his bets. He moved on to his next question, pulling out a [Rage Core (Rare)], one of the crafting materials that dropped during the siege event. These came from the Enraged Defenders.


    Before he could ask his question, Garod interrupted him. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be damned!¡± Garod hopped into the air and snatched the golf ball sized metallic sphere out of Coop¡¯s hand and stared directly at it with an intensity that went beyond admiration. ¡°Master Champion, this is a fine treasure.¡±


    Coop¡¯s sly grin gave away the extent of his stash and Garod looked up at him with a combination of fear and astonishment. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me...¡± Garod backed away, still holding the Rage Core. ¡°But I won¡¯t be able to produce anything of better quality without matching materials. If I used this on the standard issue armor, it wouldn¡¯t improve, it would merely save on material efficiency.¡±


    ¡°What else would you need?¡± Coop asked, noting that even though the equipment was Rare, it had only used the Uncommon materials that he had left with the crafters, even if they were masters and had been generous with the quantity of materials.


    ¡°To keep it simple, these materials are reagents for preparing the metal to be further reinforced by mana. Shaping metal and magically reinforcing it is the absolute basic process. The next level would require a magic catalyst, but they are Legendary materials, the sort of thing a hero would have to adventure for. And at that point, not having a high-quality array as well would be an insult to the final product.¡± Garod looked annoyed at not being able to effectively use the materials that were becoming available to him. ¡°Your stonemason has a full set of armor with a greathammer of that level.¡±


    ¡°Is that the top of the line?¡± Coop wondered. It seemed like they weren¡¯t really that far off when he considered the materials in his storage.


    ¡°To go beyond even that, you also have to add an affinity material, which will typically make equipment that would have been Legendary evolve into a Unique during the crafting process. These materials are usually relics, artifacts, or other items that already have an aura of mana, but they tend to be specific to the intended user, and really quite difficult to ascertain.¡± Garod trailed off, still thinking about catalysts.


    ¡°I see. First, I need the Legendary materials.¡± Coop confirmed to Garod¡¯s agreement. Coop pulled out a [Voidstone (Legendary)] that he scavenged from the defeated Icon of Mana Siege Boss. ¡°Something like this?¡±


    Garod looked at it with a confused look. ¡°Maybe? I¡¯ve never seen something like this before, so I wouldn¡¯t risk applying it incorrectly. The rarity alone makes it far too valuable to experiment with.¡±


    Coop tried a Soul Destruction Gem and a Sharp Guardian Crystal, retrieving them both from his spatial storage and displaying them to the blacksmith. Both had come from Field Bosses and were rated Legendary. The first came from Felrog, the Ruin Excavator Field Boss and the second came from Gromokan, the Ancient Devourer Field Boss.


    ¡°Yes! These are perfect catalysts!¡± Garod finally put the Rage Core down on his work table, discarding it like its existence was suddenly irrelevant, and reached to take the Legendary material¡¯s from Coop, like a child ready to unwrap a present.


    ¡°Hang on, what about this?¡± Coop retrieved the [Splinter of Ashen Legacy (Unique)] to show Garod. It seemed like a simple piece of burned wood, as if Coop had pulled it out of a still warm campfire. The splinter glowed as if it was ready to ignite. Smoke gently drifted off its surface.


    ¡°Ohhh! That¡¯s certainly an artifact!¡± Garod pulled his hands away as if he was afraid to get burned. ¡°Something with a fire adjacent affinity¡­ How did you get this?¡±


    ¡°From an Undead Captain. He wielded a surprisingly powerful fire staff. I¡¯m assuming it came from that.¡± Coop explained, remembering how much firepower the zombie Captain displayed at such an early point in the assimilation. He hadn¡¯t understood enough about power levels to realize he had been unusually strong despite Coop¡¯s early investment into magic defenses, and of course he¡¯d only just found out exactly how powerful his armor had been the entire time.


    Garod interrupted Coop¡¯s reminiscing with his excitement. ¡°Want me to make a Unique Fire Staff? I¡¯m sure I can convince your Viceroy to get the necessary services with something like that ready to go. I can only make the core as a smith¡­¡± Garod pinched his ears with his dual-thumbed hand. ¡°Or maybe a wand? A focus?¡± He eagerly offered.


    ¡°Does the affinity of the weapon need to match the user?¡± Coop double-checked.


    ¡°Not match exactly, but be under the same umbrella at least.¡± Garod stated. ¡°Otherwise the benefits won¡¯t be fully realized.¡±


    ¡°What about armor?¡± Coop wondered if he could make some fire immune gear for someone instead.


    ¡°The same rule applies from weapons to armor¡­¡± Garod continued to disappoint and his ears drooped as he recognized he wasn¡¯t making a good case for using the materials right away.


    Coop put the splinter back into his storage as he considered his options. He wasn¡¯t sure if any of his companions would specifically benefit from a fire staff, so he didn¡¯t want to jump the gun until he asked around.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hang onto it for now, but could you prepare to make Unique items in the future? I¡¯ll be putting you to work as soon as I get more materials.¡± Coop decided. Garod looked a bit down, but not completely discouraged. If Coop had already come across Legendary and Unique materials in such a short time, the smith seemed to believe more would be possible and he was enthusiastic about crafting high quality items. Presumably, it would be the best way for him to continue leveling his profession.


    Coop felt like he had been given a new quest, but this one wasn¡¯t system related and was much more open ended. He confirmed it with Garod, ¡°Just to make sure I understand, I need reagent materials from regular monsters, catalyst materials from bosses, an affinity material to make it unique, and jewels for an array.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget a master crafter to coordinate the assembly!¡± Garod reminded him, not wanting to diminish his own importance.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not gonna do it myself¡­¡± Coop pointed out as he turned to leave. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be back.¡± Coop left the shop with an encouraging wave as Garod stayed in the work area to get back to work.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Coop strode across the bridge, leaving the crafters in the north behind, and entering the southern town circle. Caisalya¡¯s gardeners had already finished landscaping the completed roads and the canal was lined with medium sized trees that shaded the edges of the market stalls.


    Balor¡¯s gazebo citadel was nearly complete and it already looked fantastic. If Coop didn¡¯t know better, he would never have guessed that it was primarily a defensive feature, like the inner keep of a fortified castle. Instead, it would easily be mistaken for a recreational area designed to entertain parties or even host weddings.


    Tall pillars of carved stone held slightly angled, tile roofs that spiraled from above the civilization shard to each of the extended rest areas, leaving a gap directly above the crystal. Benches lined the edges of elevated wings, in the shade, while sunlight filtered to the inner sanctum through cleverly designed angles and gaps that left the shard highlighted in the center.


    Stone steps coiled past the rest areas from each cardinal direction, and beneath the elevated bench platforms, troughs full of flowers had already been planted. There were spaces for larger trees to grow in between each wing and their adjacent entrances.


    Coop walked up one of the curling stairways and around the shard, admiring the intricately laid mosaic that distinguished the inner sanctum from the rest. It was just a generic pattern, but the tiles were each only the size of a fingernail, so the detail was absurd. Against the low outer walls, a handful of residents were already relaxing on benches sipping coffees as they observed the shard itself, since it was the central feature. Behind them, the low stone wall had wide gaps between pillars that looked over the curving stairs and future gardens, like a bunker looking down a trench.


    The sunlight shone directly onto the shard and Coop suspected that no matter the time of day, the inside would be lit by the sun. It was an inviting effect, and Coop found himself approaching the shard, just to access the menus, as he absently took in the ambience.


    He wasn¡¯t looking for anything in particular with the shard, but he did find additional options thanks to the upgrades Marcus had purchased. The Armory, which Garod had mentioned, was accessible through the shard and it included an automatic inventory. There was also a Storage Depot, which could store material items that would be accessible to each of the services for a fee. Basically, the settlement could sell directly to the various buildings within the territory, and Coop was able to place items into the inventory from his own.


    Coop went ahead and filled the shelves, so to speak. He added 10,000 Soul Dredgers, the Uncommon crafting material from Ruin Excavators, to join the leftover materials he had dumped onto Garod. The surplus Uncommon materials were the only items within the depot.


    Coop expanded the inventory by adding 90,000 total Rare materials from the various Siege enemies. There were Rage Cores from the Enraged Defenders, Stealth Scales from the Marauding Prowlers, Hysteria Barbs from the Frenzied Excavators, Polaric Scales from the Tormenting Kites, Tainted Blades from the Crazed Serpents, Rough Cable from the Foul Floggers, Solid Shell Fragments from the Rabid Carriers, and Contaminated Spikes from the Brutal Piercers.


    Coop chuckled at the quantity of items. He was even keeping thousands of each material for himself, and didn¡¯t bother adding anything that he didn¡¯t have in excess, but the settlement¡¯s Storage Depot was indicating that it couldn¡¯t take any more. If any of his residents wanted to have special order gear crafted, or upgrades made, they would have the opportunity, and the settlement would make some credits. A win-win for everyone involved.


    He quickly tabbed over to the army menus. The army reinforcements were still only a quarter of the way there, meaning they had a ways to go. It was disappointing, and he was hoping they would be back in time for the settlement upgrade. Marcus thought they would make it, but Coop didn¡¯t think it looked particularly good. There were about 10 days left, but that would only put the progress at 75% if the rate stayed the same. It should be faster now that Marcus purchased some of the upgrades, so Coop conceded that the advisor had a more informed prediction than he did.


    On the bright side, the reconstruction of the destroyed ships as well as the recruitment of the rest of the Tempest Fleet was much closer to being available. He¡¯d let Marcus handle it, but he suspected the ships would be back sooner than the crews would be respawned.


    Coop went to the Clothier next, for what he hoped would be a quick stop. As the glass door glided to a close, Erasimus Doomthread rushed from behind a counter, excited for a customer. Coop had to admit that it was still incredibly intimidating having the fanged minotaur give him so much attention while moving like a predator attacking prey.


    ¡°Welcome!¡± The clothier greeted with the enthusiasm of an aggressive salesman. ¡°Ah! It is you! I am so glad you stopped by!¡±


    ¡°Hello, Erasimus.¡± Coop responded cordially. ¡°I heard you were looking for me, so here I am.¡±


    ¡°I have to admit, I did not expect your settlement to develop so quickly, or even survive this long. I have had so much work, crafting parts for your soldiers. I guarantee the Ghost Reef Standard Issue Armor will be twice as comfortable as anything else they could wear!¡± Erasimus declared confidently.


    ¡°I just finished checking out the armors myself, they seemed very nice.¡± Coop politely confirmed. ¡°So, what was it you needed?¡±


    The clothier nodded. ¡°Straight to business.¡± Erasimus grinned a wide toothy smile. ¡°I approve. I just finished your commission. The Mana Mill is usually a niche upgrade, but because it¡¯s already here, I was able to complete your under armor.¡± Erasimus waved his arms with a flourish and produced a light gray wristband, like something Coop would have expected to wear in a gym.


    ¡°Go ahead. Try it on.¡± The clothier encouraged as he handed Coop the thin piece of woven cloth.


    Coop shrugged and slid it onto his wrist. He immediately felt like he had leveled up multiple times and he raised his eyebrows. ¡°Does this have stats?¡± Coop wondered.


    ¡°Indeed!¡± Erasimus exclaimed. ¡°The information on your preferences was accurate then. Most would not have noticed a change, only those who value attributes to a high degree would feel the improvement immediately. Especially after the first few points in each attribute have been assigned and the physical effects have passed.¡±


    ¡°Do you have one of the scanner things?¡± Coop asked, curious about the wristband.


    ¡°I do not, but I am happy to give you the details myself. That is a Spectral-Infused Under Armor of Legendary quality, crafted by yours truly.¡± Erasimus stated proudly, standing up straight as if he was basking in praise.


    ¡°You can make Legendary items too?¡± Coop was in awe, having been under the impression that Garod was the only one in the settlement who could.


    ¡°Hah!¡± Erasimus guffawed. ¡°It is no small feat, but you must understand, by recruiting the factionless you have stumbled onto a rarely tapped pool of talent and experience. A faction would never spare an expert or master artisan for a fledgling settlement on an assimilating planet, but in Ghost Reef, there are at least three masters, and who knows about the rest.¡± Erasimus clicked his claws as he leaned forward conspiratorially. ¡°Our dear Vronk is a Worldbeater, and I am even aware that our lovely Herbalist has a 333 billion basic credit bounty on her head.¡±


    Coop looked at him confused, not immediately comprehending the number and Erasimus cleared his throat and clarified. ¡°Ah, forgive me, I forgot that you wouldn¡¯t know about the faction economy yet. Of course, factions deal with greater sums than individuals.¡±


    Coop¡¯s eyes bugged out as he finally caught up. He had honestly convinced himself that he was rolling in money with his profession, but he had to readjust his perspective. He realized how little value there actually was for full investment into assimilating planets if it was only about money. It was about getting their foot in the door, or leveling up their professions, like how a faction event worked for class levels, an opportunity to craft for the newbies and get some experience. 333 billion, though?


    ¡°What did she do?¡±


    Erasimus waved his question away like it was a gnat. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. We factionless would never be awarded a bounty from a faction, so we are all on the same side. I bet you hadn¡¯t noticed that your town clerk never leaves his roost.¡± The clothier chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s because he recognizes the arrangement and isn¡¯t exactly factionless even if the service he provides is truly independent.¡±


    ¡°What about the Merciful?¡± Coop worried that he had inadvertently set the stage for conflict between his contracted residents by consistently selecting the factionless. They all seemed to get along, and quite a few had even become friends, but he couldn¡¯t have known about galactic politics ahead of time.


    ¡°They are completely obsessed with their calling, which is to heal. They are one of the most recognizable selfless factions. No, what I meant to draw to your attention is the incredible skill of yours truly, one of the masters in your settlement!¡± The clothier bowed and waited for an applause. He stood back up, satisfied with his own imagination. ¡°Touch your wrist.¡±


    Coop touched it and the wristband morphed and slid across his skin until he was suddenly wearing a crop top that didn¡¯t cover his chest at all. ¡°What the¡­¡±


    Erasimus gave a throaty laugh. ¡°Camila suggested this configuration. My favorite customer, that one; she left you a message when she helped me with the specifications. This is her design preference, but Charlie would probably prefer a thin stringer.¡± He paused with another chuckle. ¡°Tap it again.¡±


    Coop followed the instruction, and the under armor molded itself as it climbed down his torso and into his pants. ¡°What the heck?¡± He pulled the waistband of his shorts to find the under armor had become a pair of cheeky swim briefs.


    Erasimus just laughed again. ¡°I was told you needed a new bathing suit! You can adjust it yourself by tapping it and concentrating on what you desire. It might take some practice, so these were pre designed for you.¡±


    Coop tried to turn it into a long sleeve t-shirt and it immediately molded itself, though it continued to be perfectly skin tight. ¡°Oh! That was fast!¡± Erasimus admitted with some surprise. ¡°Poor Camila¡¯s prank was foiled so easily.¡± He chuckled deviously.


    It actually worked the same way as Coop¡¯s ethereal weapons, so he had plenty of practice adjusting items to his intent, but that also gave him an idea. He summoned his ethereal gladiator armor and it fit smoothly, completely unimpeded by the under armor, while the under armor seemed to fade away as if it was absorbed by the solidifying mists.


    Coop experimented with his idea, trying medieval knight armor, but nothing happened. He thought that he wasn¡¯t able to change his armor when he first summoned it, back in the first week, because he hadn¡¯t practiced enough, like Erasimus suggested, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case after all. Recalling the purpose of mana, to put a ceiling on technological advancement, he tried one more time, this time thinking of a more primitive layered leather armor. Surprisingly, it worked. He had reequipped himself in some very basic hunting gear that was intensely ugly.


    This whole time, he thought he had no choice with his gladiator armor, but the real problem was that he didn¡¯t actually know any other types of armor besides what he had seen depicted in movies. His image of a knight was gothic plate armor, which came at the tail end of the middle ages, and was apparently too advanced for mana to allow. Admittedly, he was too attached to the ancient Greek armor to switch at this point, and he returned it to its usual ghostly gladiator appearance. It wasn¡¯t like a different style would yield different stats anyway and the gladiator set felt right.


    ¡°So, do you want to know the stats?¡± Erasimus prompted, a bit too eagerly, with all his teeth showing.


    Coop nodded, ¡°Of course, tell me.¡± He prompted almost as eagerly.


    ¡°There is only one. +10% Mind.¡± The clothier declared with another flourish of his claws.

 Chapter 114: One That Hunts

    While Coop slowly waded through the shallow water on the way to the mana well, he basked in the feeling of adding another 10% boost to his Mind stat. When even the smaller physical increases of each level were noticeable, a huge jump in stats felt like breaking through a previously unknown threshold. Coop couldn¡¯t stop himself from admiring the changes.


    Coop was particularly in tune to the changes that occurred each time his stats increased, at least compared to other people, primarily because of the physicality of his routine and the emphasis he was placing directly on growing his attributes. Even he couldn¡¯t notice physical changes to his body, though. The stats only appeared to change them slightly before tapering off, like Body making the elderly appear a decade or two younger, and Strength slightly improving physical appearances. He was pretty sure the actual physical changes to his body had been maxed out when he first received the Champion title bonus.


    The elderly weren¡¯t able to return to their twenties and no one was hulking out beyond what was possible even without mana. Only the effect of each stat continued to progress after the initial investments, so he could still enjoy feeling stronger or faster. He knew Charlie and Madison wouldn¡¯t notice mental changes in the same way. They normally enjoyed doing jigsaw puzzles together, but the effect of continuing to invest in Intelligence and Acumen were improvements to Magic Power and Magic Speed, neither of which humans would have a good way of measuring. Strength and Agility increased Physical Power and Physical Speed, both of which were easy enough to test.


    While he squeezed his shoulder blades together, still enjoying the Physical Power added by his Strength stat growing, he reflected on the dangers of interacting with the settlement¡¯s clothier. Erasimus had truly delivered in crafting something spectacular, that Coop would find impossible to pass up. However, after the expert salesman had Coop hook, line, and sinker, he reminded the young Champion that there was a cost for his services.


    As a result, Coop¡¯s inventory was 350,000 basic credits lighter. The bonus that his new under armor provided was absolutely worth the price, but when he considered some of the services he had purchased with even cheaper price tags, the experience left him shaking his head. He doubted he would have commissioned something that could result in such a hefty fee, so Coop was glad Erasimus had bamboozled him the way he had. Otherwise, Coop would have missed out on such powerful equipment. Still, it was pretty expensive.


    His Spectral-Infused Under Armor was a huge step forward for his progression and he didn¡¯t intend to go anywhere without it. Erasimus had explained that, while it had durability, it wouldn¡¯t break down when he took damage because it didn¡¯t apply anything directly to his actual defensive values. Equipment that didn¡¯t need much maintenance was perfect for Coop, since it wouldn¡¯t become a burden when compared to his uncomplicated ethereal summons.


    More importantly, because the under armor was fashioned with a specific mana-weave that was dependent on spectral affinity mana, like what he had empowered the settlement with, it would naturally regenerate while inside Ghost Reef¡¯s territory. It had its own limited form of Regenerative Durability. That also meant that he could repair it himself, using his own mana pool, if it became necessary. Basically, there was no reason to expect to lose the under armor anytime in the future. Coop felt safe considering the stat boost it provided as a permanent buff alongside his title bonuses.


    The additional 10% bonus added with his Siegebreaker¡¯s 10% bonus, giving him 20% more Mind. It wasn¡¯t multiplicative, but two additive boosts weren¡¯t enough for Coop to rule out the possibility of multiplying his attributes further.


    For now, it was like every level gave him an additional point over the default five. Gaining so many stats at once was exciting, but he had to remember that he was still competing with skill multipliers in other builds.


    As Coop put some distance between himself and the shore, making his way toward the mana well, he took a deep breath and looked forward. The mana well represented another opportunity to grow, one that wouldn¡¯t be inherently limited in the same way that completing the Slayer quest chains was. Afterall, there were a finite number of individual monster variants out there for him to grind before the quests ran out. An alternative way to progress was always something he had to keep an eye out for, at least if he wanted to avoid globetrotting for the rest of the assimilation. He had some high hopes for the Coral Forest in becoming that alternative.


    After a few minutes of wading, the water was up to his thighs, slightly cooler than the afternoon air, but still as warm as a bath. The light breeze left the waves calm, and the bright sun made the water clear enough to watch every steady step that he took as he planted his feet on the patterns created by the flow of waves on the submerged sand. Seagulls made a racket as they flew around the island in small flocks, but otherwise, the area was quiet enough to be used as one of those sleep aid recordings from the before times. The calm ambience was only interrupted by each of his own sloshing steps.


    Coop summoned his ethereal armor along with his three-pronged trident, watching as the ghostly wisps emanated from the solidified equipment.


    He was entering Kite country, and if he was being honest, he hated them. They were the worst variant of invaders by a significant margin because they perfectly countered his grinding strategies by virtue of staying spread out and hidden. Even the other monsters that relied on ambush tactics weren¡¯t as bad as Primal Kites.


    At least he could find Excavator swarms, attract the Serpents, or let himself fall for Prowler bait to get a decent grind going. The Kite puzzle hadn¡¯t been solved yet. Coop didn¡¯t want to leave any of the quest chains unfinished, rotting in his status, even if the mana well became a more efficient experience grind. The bonus Slayer stats basically defined his entire build so leaving one behind would not be ideal.


    It had been a while since he actually tried hunting the Primal Kites, and he had gained more than 50 levels within that period. That meant he had two new skills that might come together to remedy his inability to grind the monsters. So, while he made his way to the mana well, he started channeling Fog of War, establishing a thin layer along the surface of the water in a gradually increasing area around himself. He¡¯d find out, then and there, if he could put the Kites back on his grind menu.


    He concentrated on Presence of Mind, seeking the concealed enemies that he knew were hidden in the sand within his vicinity, waiting to ambush him. While he let the overwhelming input wash over him, he struggled to detect anything underneath the water. The surface waves, the wavelets caused by slight shifts in the breeze, and small floating debris were all made clear as day, but the fog couldn¡¯t penetrate the sea. He sought hints that would clue him into the Primal Kites¡¯ hiding places, like maybe a bulge on the surface or a tiny feeler for them to observe above ground, but nothing jumped out at him.


    Before he gave up, small streams of tiny bubbles rising from the bottom caught his attention. They flowed in a steady trickle that made him suspicious, so he shifted toward the nearest column. It could just as easily be the result of a crab blowing bubbles as anything else, but it was worth investigating. As he drew closer, he let his hopes get up. All he needed was a way to detect the Primal Kites, even if it was subtle.


    Once he concentrated on the suspect sandy patch, he realized there was an extremely slight, invisible dome centered around the bubbles. The sense Presence of Mind funneled into his head when he focused on the perimeter of the dome was like he was licking a battery. It seemed promising, considering the electrical attacks the Kites utilized.


    Coop went ahead and passed through the edge of the dome and a Primal Kite burst out of the water in an effort to ambush him. Even as it broke the surface of the ocean, Coop¡¯s trident caught the monster, piercing through its main body and destroying it instantaneously. The low level creature didn¡¯t have any chance to attack or dodge.


    Coop shook his trident at the sky in triumph before pumping his fist with a relieved ¡°Yes!¡± He finally had a breakthrough for grinding the Kites. The sneaky monsters wouldn¡¯t escape his Slayer grind for much longer. He was tempted to get started right away, but regrettably, he had a different mission for the day.


    He waded through the thigh high water, toward the mana well, while he let Fog of War cover the sea with an inch thick layer of gray mist, further testing his new tactic for hunting the Kites. The miniscule streams of bubbles were a bit like carbonation floating to the top of a mostly flat soda, but thanks to Presence of Mind, even that small hint was enough, especially when he specifically sought it out. As he found the streams more easily, he slowly acclimated to seeking the slight detection domes of the Kites. Four more of the monsters had their ambushes stymied by Coop¡¯s waiting trident as he successfully identified their burrows. He was ecstatic.


    When he arrived at the edge of the mana well, his mood couldn¡¯t have been better. Sure, in a way, he was adding more tasks to his to-do list, but cleaning out his quests was always going to be there, and this was simply a way to get another job done. When a job concluded with extra attributes being piled onto his status sheet, he would be happy to do it.


    ¡°First things first¡­¡± He looked down from the lip of the sediment rimmed chasm that connected the Coral Forest with the surface. Coop had forgotten what a mesmerizing sight the overgrown corals generated. His eyes followed the sheets of water that fell along the edges, like a thin glassy curtain, pulsing as each gentle wave tipped slightly more water into the waterfalls in a hypnotizing rhythm.


    The cascade of water fell until it landed on various coral platforms, each at a different elevation. Inside the cavern, there were massive, deep blue acropora tables, large enough to be the base of a skyscraper, dark purple elkhorn corals branched like lavender edged highways, creating their own bridging structures, pale pink staghorn corals climbed through the waterfalls and bright red brain corals established enormous bulging structures. Everything was comically oversized.


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    Once again, Coop was struck by how deep the cavern dug into the ocean floor. The entrance was large, having been established by a crashing meteorite, but it barely did the interior justice. It seemed like an endless abyss, angling west as it carved through the coral bedrock. The coral platforms obstructed his view so that it was like peering down into the twilight skyline of a faded neon megacity. There were tiny figments of color floating in the open spaces between overgrown corals that made the whole habitat seem to be flooded with an even thinner liquid than water, like the air was so thick with mana some feathery objects were able to float.


    Coop hopped down to the first coral platform, recalling his first time exploring the region. He had meant for the first time to be a quick peek, but he ended up lost and spending far more time than he planned just trying to find his way back out. This time, he took note of the direction he was facing and kept track of where he entered. There was no way this little expedition would end up taking longer than he expected this time around. At least not by accident.


    He chuckled to himself, still satisfied by the prospect of eliminating Primal Kites en masse. There was no sign of any dangerous monsters this close to the surface within the well. The Stage 1 creatures must not linger near the entrance.


    He was curious why the mana didn¡¯t seem to leak out into the surface. Instead, it appeared to coalesce inside the well. His best guess was that the settlement¡¯s territory obstructed the mana from escaping and unduly influencing the settlement. If it didn¡¯t, he was sure they would have elites back up top, but other than the scattered normal Kites, only the natural environment remained. Thriving as the ecosystem was, he doubted mana had anything to do with the growth of seaweeds and coral heads back on the surface, since they still seemed mostly normal at a glance, even when their orientations were slightly odd.


    The presence of a civilization shard probably saved them from being overwhelmed by elites earlier in the assimilation and he thought he should be thankful. It would explain why they had to deal with Elite Ancient Defenders before the territory expanded to include the entrance of the mana well. Back then, they had always appeared on the beach nearest to the well.


    Carefully, Coop navigated between coral platforms, further and further into the Coral Forest, until the darkness would have engulfed him if it wasn¡¯t for the blue-green bioluminescence of dinoflagellates that not only clung to the rims of the corals, but also floated through the air in wispy clouds of dim light. It was truly an alien world, despite being comprised of familiar, if gargantuan, mutated, species.


    He took the trip slowly, ready to confront whatever monsters had discouraged the strongest party of Ghost Reef to the point of questioning the viability of their futures. Shane¡¯s party hadn¡¯t taken the exposure of their relative weakness very well, but they had effectively warned Coop so that he wouldn¡¯t let himself walk into danger. Not only did he keep his eyes peeled, but he made sure to actively concentrate on Presence of Mind. He was moving too much to apply Fog of War without committing to a huge expenditure of mana, though he considered letting the misty domain sink into the abyss as he traipsed across the overgrown corals if he couldn¡¯t find anything on his own.


    While he journeyed across a basketball court sized star coral, he spotted his first item of interest. A single white pearl shone from a tiny groove, reflecting light from the shadows in the dark green and blue ringed surface. When Coop approached it, he realized it was a jewel, though it was small and didn¡¯t glow, so it wouldn¡¯t be any good for an array. He scavenged it anyway, dropping it into his spatial storage and feeling a bit more confident about finding more little treasures. He was really looking for monsters, though.


    Fortunately, it didn¡¯t come to dumping his mana into Fog of War to find his first challenge. Coop paused on the edge of another blue-green platform, looking over the next purple platform, which held a relatively large, eight foot monster in the center of a flat coral arena. A quick inspection with Presence of Mind revealed his first target as it waited in the center of the deep purple platform.


    [One That Hunts (Elite Level 101)]


    [(Agility)]


    [Of The Hunger]


    The creature sat completely still aside from two pairs of forelimbs diligently rubbing against each other. It seemed like it was fastidiously washing the tiny grasping claws at the end of each limb, like a surgeon cleansing their hands before a surgery. The monster wasn¡¯t exactly like any particular sea creature, but Coop could still pick out features that were relatively familiar.


    It was far too large for a pre-mana crustacean, yet if anything, it shared the most characteristics with a predatory shrimp. The reddish-brown armored carapace was shrimp-like and layered as it ran down its back. The carapace terminated with a wide tail that would be helpful for swimming if it was still underwater. The tail was admittedly more lobster than shrimp-like, fanning out with wide uropods held slightly above the ground.


    However, it had too many smaller legs and two pairs of claws that were shaped closer to a praying mantis than any kind of crab. The obvious weapons were narrower and more spear-like than the crushing shape of a normal claw. The way it held all four of them, cocked back over its shoulders, actually reminded Coop of throwing his own spear.


    Even stranger, for a shrimp, were the pair of thick segmented legs that held all of the rest of the thin grasping limbs in the air, and the gaping, sharp-toothed jaw that would have been more at home in the lightless depths of the deep sea. Coop shook his head from his perch as he decided this thing was an amalgamation of a shrimp, fish, and dinosaur, like a shrimpy velociraptor. They hadn¡¯t gotten any more pleasant to look at since his first visit. If anything, they had added to their disturbing appearance by adding more limbs and growing larger.


    The creature¡¯s aura was comparable to anything else he had inspected, nearly the same, except that just made the glaring difference stand out. Whenever he faced an Elite monster, the ¡®Elite¡¯ was placed before the monster variant¡¯s name. In this case, Elite appeared before the level. Whether or not that had any significance, Coop didn¡¯t know, but he thought it could be a quirk of mana well creatures and the difference between a mana manifestation and what he considered a mana mutation.


    It being ¡®Of The Hunger¡¯ was also a bit strange. Had the creatures of the mana well formed a faction somehow? Maybe they defaulted into one, but he was pretty confident in asserting that they were not Chosen. The shrimp was a kindred unchosen spirit, in a way.


    Coop swapped weapons to his most reliable set and leapt onto the creature¡¯s platform and gauged how it reacted.


    It twisted to face him, shuffling its two base legs, but otherwise remained in the center of the arena. Coop took a single step, planting his foot on the solid purple coral surface, and threw his spear directly at what would be the creature¡¯s chest, between the first pair of forelimbs. It wasn¡¯t the hardest he had thrown his spear, but the force would be enough to annihilate just about any of his previous opponents, excepting the bosses, which would still assuredly take significant damage.


    The spear crossed the arena in a fraction of a second, leaving a streak of bioluminescence as it disturbed inactive clouds floating in the air, turning it into the spitting image of a blue laser bolt, but the moment before it collided with the creature, one of the four pointed claws twitched and a massive cracking sound boomed through the cavernous forest. The sound made Coop involuntarily wince as it overwhelmed the more gentle constant falling water cascading against coral heads.


    Coop¡¯s spear shot into the ground without touching the creature at all. The claw had moved so swiftly, Coop¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t even track what it did, but he was sure it hadn¡¯t physically touched his spear.


    The smaller forelimbs continued to rub against each other as the two combatants judged the other. Coop was impressed by the ability of his opponent, but he wasn¡¯t sure about the shrimp¡¯s feelings. Perhaps it looked down on him. It just faced his direction with its gaping maw revealing extraordinarily long, narrow teeth, glistening wet as they slowly dripped with thick saliva.


    Coop channeled Fog of War, not holding back. He wanted to make a thick cloud that covered the entire platform. If this creature was that fast, he would need the full value of Presence of Mind to anticipate its attacks. His ethereal spear was returned to his hand while the mists billowed from around him and engulfed the creature in a tidal wave that swallowed the arena before the excess spilled over the edges.


    Presence of Mind zeroed in on the shrimp, and Coop prepared to explore what else it could do. The creature was clicking rapidly, though Coop couldn¡¯t tell what exactly was making the sounds, it seemed like the carapace itself was repeatedly snapping and he feared it would molt and reveal an even more formidable form. Enough prior monsters had multiple phases for him to be concerned. The creature continued to face Coop without leaving its position in the center of the coral platform. There was no transformation taking place.


    Coop flipped his spear and threw it again, with the same amount of force as the previously countered throw, but with the additional obfuscation provided by Fog of War. The spear zipped through the fog, right on target, until another of the shrimp¡¯s claws twitched and a massive cracking sound erupted across the platform, blasting a temporary cone-shaped clearing in the fog.


    With the additional awareness provided by Presence of Mind, Coop was able to understand what happened, but he still couldn¡¯t exactly witness it. The shrimp¡¯s claw swung and snapped shut with such unbelievable speed and force, it created a vacuum bubble that blocked his spear¡¯s trajectory and smashed it into the ground. The claw actually targeted the air in front of the spear rather than the weapon itself and the disturbance was enough to completely deny the spear¡¯s momentum.


    The clicks continued to emanate from the creature, and the fact that it was able to counter the Fog of War disorientation settled onto Coop. In a way, he thought that made sense. Deep sea creatures were at home in a much more extreme environment than a thick fog, even if it was magical. The murky depths introduced their own challenges for such species to naturally overcome. If mana enhanced those abilities, then he wouldn¡¯t expect these creatures to be confused.


    Coop hesitated, not sure if he really wanted to try anything else. Maybe Shane¡¯s party was right to respect the challenge the Coral Forest mana well was presenting.


    ¡°...Nah.¡± Coop muttered, as he resummoned his spear.


    He wasn¡¯t going to let an elite shrimp get the better of him unless it was way more than a few levels ahead.

 Chapter 115: Delve

    Fog of War created a pocket of mist that bulged over the surface of a single coral platform, isolating it from the rest of the abyssal forest. The deep purple color of the coral was completely washed out by the gray mist, but small figments of bioluminescence managed to illuminate the edges of the fog bank. The reflections expanded into light pillar optical illusions that cast long shadows through the fog. From the outside, it would seem like a bizarre gray smoke bubble was caught in the slightly upturned rim of the massive coral, but inside, Coop was facing off with One That Hunts.


    Coop slowly rotated around the edge of the platform, hunched forward with his ethereal equipment at the ready, as he tested the creature¡¯s ability to track his position with its persistent clicking. The creature continued to face him, even as he attempted a sneaky flank, but it remained stationary aside from some small shuffling rotations with its larger legs. The carapace didn¡¯t have the best lateral articulation, but it never shifted in place to prevent its sides from becoming exposed, turning its entire body to keep Coop directly in front. Its perception was obviously unhindered, despite Coop¡¯s disorienting fog.


    He went through the motions, trying the different variations of spear throws he had developed over the months, throwing different trajectories, then throwing his shield, then lobbing his shield and timing his spear so the attacks coincided. The four claws represented an impenetrable defense to Coop¡¯s ranged attacks, at least as long as he had less than four projectiles. Each claw was fast enough to catch a bullet in a pocket of void space, but had to take some time to reset before they could be reused.


    The shrimp hadn¡¯t made any move to counter attack, or close the distance in any way. Coop suspected that it had a different definition of hunting than Coop¡¯s initial guess. It didn¡¯t seem to be a pursuit hunter, rather, he thought it was territorial. That was why Coop was hesitating to mistjump into melee range. It was fast enough that it wouldn¡¯t be caught by surprise, and comfortable enough to bait him into getting closer while letting him take ineffective potshots. Coop was wary of its confidence.


    Coop was already running out of ranged tactics and the rest of his techniques would require him to get closer. There was really only one more strategy he hadn¡¯t tried, but he had little hope in it working. Still, he resummoned his shield, making it into the ethereal grenade he tested during the siege with disappointing results at the time.


    The brittle shield was pitched directly at the shrimp, with Coop¡¯s switch-pitch, and Coop threw his spear a split second after with his dominant arm, letting the two land one immediately after the other. The shrimp repeated its defense, with one claw twitching and the shield exploding into fragments when it collided with the disturbed empty space while the spear chased close behind.


    The ethereal fragments peppered the creature, and to Coop¡¯s surprise, the other three claws also twitched as if they were deflecting individual bits of broken shield. Then, the spear slammed into its chest with a dull slapping sound, like a hammer slamming into wet wood. Coop couldn¡¯t believe his previously failed idea worked at all. He quickly resummoned a brittle shield and recalled his spear with a desire to press his advantage. The flak had been enough to overwhelm the creature¡¯s powerful defense even though it was almost entirely harmless.


    The shrimp took a direct spear shot to its chest, but it had barely flinched. In fact, if one its grasping forelimbs wasn¡¯t bent awkwardly, Coop wouldn¡¯t have believed it took any damage at all, and Coop had put enough zest in his attack to punch a hole through an Intelligence based Siege Boss. The high level shrimp had some seriously strong physical defenses, even without its protective counter strikes.


    Coop aimed another shield throw, but as he stepped into the pitch, the shrimp slammed the base of its broad tail against the coral, sending his fog billowing away as it shot forward, directly at Coop. In the split second that the dynamic of the fight had transitioned when his opponent went from a passive target to taking an aggressive charge, Coop had a belated epiphany that he should have realized when he inspected the creature. This shrimp wasn¡¯t just a manifestation of mana, nor was it a simple minion.


    Coop¡¯s previous opponents had mostly been basic monsters with minimal to no evidence of actual thought, following simple attack patterns that were easy to suss out. However, this creature was different, and now he believed it was more advanced. The creature hadn¡¯t been absently stationed in the center of its platform, content to let Coop test its capability with prodding ranged attacks like a minion of the Primal Constructs. The shrimp was actually doing the same to Coop, gauging the threat that he presented and sampling his attacks. They were like two wild animals deciding if a fight was worth it, poking at each other before committing to real combat while they still had a chance to retreat or force the other to abandon the challenge.


    Receiving some damage from Coop¡¯s spear attack had been enough to provoke the shrimp into fully engaging with the human trespasser.


    With all four claws raised in the air, two straight up, and two fanned out at 45 degree angles, the shrimp cut through the fog with even more speed than Felrog the Soul Snatcher. Coop could thank the Field Boss for the exposure of facing down a rapid charge, because Coop was able to instinctually fall back to his prior experience and avoid a panicked scramble. His shield was brittle, and wouldn¡¯t offer any protection, the attack was too fast for him to avoid, so like with Felrog, he only saw a single avenue: attack. Coop had made up his mind before he even realized he was making a decision.


    Coop held his shield with his forearm raised above his head, like he was shielding the ground in front of him from a midday sun, and leveled the spear underneath the shield, bracing it like a rifle in a solid grip. He bent his knees and had a fraction of a second to prepare for going head to head with yet another challenge.


    He squeezed his jaw shut as they collided. The spear tip smashed into the underbelly of the shrimp, dead center among the dozen forelimbs that reached and grasped at the weapont, desperate to claw at Coop¡¯s arms. His spear was longer.


    The brittle shield exploded into tiny shards as it completely failed to block even a single of the claw attacks that bore down from above. Coop doubted even his regular shield would have withstood the onslaught, but the length of his spear and his white knuckle grip kept the creature far enough away that his head and body avoided any of the extraordinary guillotine strikes.


    He hadn¡¯t budged from where he planted his feet and leaned into the collision, but his spear had also failed to penetrate the shrimp¡¯s stomach, simply holding it at bay. They would end up in a stalemate where the shrimp couldn¡¯t apply what Coop was coming to realize was its killing strategy. The creature wanted to get close and grapple its prey with its forelimbs while its four claws slammed down from its shoulders. It was durable enough to have no fear of getting up close with a physical fighter and dangerous enough to do serious damage even to an armored opponent. He guessed the sharp, needle-like teeth came last.


    Rather than grapple with the creature without his shield, Coop used both arms to brace the spear and dug in from a lower angle, trying to lift the shrimp off the ground before the rearming claws struck either of his limbs. Up close, the claw strikes emitted an unbelievable amount of heat, and even when they didn¡¯t actually make contact, he still felt like he was being seared by bursts of energy that were hotter than flames. It seemed like a purely physical reaction rather than a magical one, where heat was being generated by the violent collapse of cavitation bubbles in the mana dense air.


    He managed to unbalance the shrimp, using his spear for leverage, and taking advantage of the momentary weakness, roared as he put his Strength into launching it into the air like he was flipping it on a grill. The creature flailed as it was tossed backwards and a powerful flick of its tail reoriented its body and sent it shooting back to the ground, but Coop hadn¡¯t been idle. He followed his toss, seeking to combo the setup with quick attacks.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    When the shrimp slammed into the ground, it was battered three times with his spear to the side of the head, then smashed with a massive overhand blow with Coop¡¯s spiked morning star as he quickswapped weapons in the middle of his flurry. Coop figured the blunt damage would be more effective against the shrimp, but even the morning star failed to properly destroy the armor. It felt like he was tenderizing tough armored meat with the way the carapace flexed underneath his attacks and its body refused to yield. His spear hadn¡¯t done much better, but now that Coop had the creature off-balance, he didn¡¯t let up.


    During his followthrough, Coop finally utilized his newest upgrade, Legacy of the Mists, giving it a proper field test, and a phantasmal caveman leapt out of the mists to deliver a shocking side swing with its own morning star shaped club. The phantasm delivered a mighty blow that nearly chopped the shrimp in half, exploding through its torso like dynamite. The Legacy summon stepped forward with its weapon raised above its head, preparing to deliver a final slam to the toppled creature, but it evaporated into mist while it was in its backswing.


    Coop imitated the motion, following the lead of his temporary companion, smashing his weapon against the still armored shrimp. Despite having an enormous, gaping wound in its abdomen that prevented it from holding its upper half upright, Coop still barely did any physical damage himself.


    He spent another chunk of mana to cast Legacy again and watched as a bald headed, brown-robed monk crushed the creature¡¯s head with an unadorned morning star. The ghost turned and Coop imagined he was being judged before the monk disappeared in a puff of smoke.


    Coop leaned the morning star over his shoulder and shrugged. ¡°Magic damage, huh?¡± Coop concluded that would be the creature¡¯s primary weakness as he checked his notifications.


    [You defeated One That Hunts (Elite Level 101)]


    [+1012 Basic Credits]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Fortune Seeker (17/50)]


    Coop took his time evaluating his initial exposure to the Coral Forest¡¯s residents, starting with the information provided through the notifications.


    Even though the creature had an Elite designation, it still counted toward Fortune Seeker¡¯s progress. Fortune Seeker only counted progress when he looted a normal monster for the first time, so he could make a few conclusions. First, One That Hunts was technically not Elite, but had some additional scaling that was pushing it well beyond system limitations for a normal monster, probably thanks to being within a mana well, so the system gave it the particular designation when it displayed the information. Second, the creatures of the mana well were in fact monsters and not something else. Coop thought it was possible they could have been animals, but was ready to dismiss the idea. He knew he couldn¡¯t kill a fish and progress the Fortune Seeker quest.


    Scavenging more than 1,000 basic credits from a single creature was a pretty significant bonus. The combination of levels for his target, and all the bonuses applied from progressing his Scavenging quests meant that he was getting 5 to 10 times more credits when compared to the elites he encountered on the oil rig. If nothing else, the mana well could be a good place to grind funds, if all his opponents were this generous.


    When it came to the fight itself, Coop could confidently say that the mana well elite creatures were far and above where he expected a typical elite to stand. Even if an elite creature was focused on physical defense, he could anticipate punching through those defenses with his overwhelming stats, and yet the One That Hunts had withstood all of his physical attacks, presenting an even sturdier constitution than Field Bosses and lining up more closely with the Icon of Mana¡¯s protective forearms and shield limb specifically. It was proof of Arthur¡¯s warning, that the mana well would present additional variability outside of system limitations. It was clear he would be leaning heavily on the significant magic damage Legacy of the Mists brought to the table. He was just happy to avoid a down and dirty punch out with each of what amounted to trash monsters.


    The phantasms may be short lived, but they had had magical firepower that he could never have claimed previously. The first devastating blow from a phantasm had essentially ended the fight and Coop was feeling comfortable with his future prospects against other opponents after the experience. When he experimented with the phantasms on the beach, they had annihilated the Ancient Defenders, but that didn¡¯t mean much given the incredible level disparity. Field testing them against a particularly strong, equivalently leveled opponent had confirmed they would be a beneficial addition to his repertoire.


    The phantasms may cost 500 mana, a huge chunk for what amounted to a single attack, but it seemed more than worth the cost. Coop¡¯s firepower was still limited by his attributes, even with Legacy, but now he had even more variety than his arsenal of weapons provided. The phantasms would double the variety if he considered every weapon a different type of physical damage, but he wondered what the difference between blunt and slicing magical damage would be. Was there a difference? Charlie had her sharp edged water blades, and those were definitely magic and definitely cut through things, so there probably was some distinction.


    Coop shrugged, ignoring the physics of magic, looking forward to finding out for himself before he observed the aftermath of the battle. The vicious claws of the shrimp hadn¡¯t even landed glancing blows on his arms when they destroyed his shield, but he still ended up with small scratches and burns that had been enough to deal a few hundred points of damage each. Dealing any notable damage to Coop¡¯s fully armored kit, with his defensive stats and increased durability, was no small feat. Shane¡¯s party was wise to avoid pushing themselves to progress within the mana well until they were more prepared.


    His health was practically full, despite taking damage, thanks to his Reaper title and his huge total. However, even though the kill also returned a significant amount of mana compared to the average monster, the expenditures of Fog of War, Legacy of the Mists, and some Mind Over Matter effects had drained more than he recovered. He¡¯d gained about 250 mana after spending 4,000 and losing another 600 to damage.


    The next creature he found would be met with more aggression from Coop¡¯s side. He wasn¡¯t sure if he would have managed the charge and grapple without Fog of War and Presence of Mind, but he wouldn¡¯t bother with attempting the disorienting fog next time. A thin mist, if anything, and pressing an attack with phantasms aiming for the killing blows would be the basis of his strategy. Coop thought he had the general gameplan down, but he would need to find more monster spawns before he refined it.


    The coral platform had completely held up, not even getting scratched when Coop and the shrimp scuffled, and there were no indentations caused by the slamming of ethereal morning stars, magical or physical versions. There wouldn¡¯t be any cause for concern over collapsing a coral head and falling deeper into the abyss as he fought, but he was curious exactly what was up with the coral itself.


    On the other hand, Coop¡¯s Fog of War domain was much worse for wear. The misty presence had been diminished significantly by the shrimp¡¯s claw attacks, tail movements, and rush across the arena. Now that his fog skill was supplemented by a massive pile of Intelligence, he hadn¡¯t expected anything less than boss monsters to be able to wave the mists away, since it wasn¡¯t actual fog, rather more of a mana-based approximation of the natural phenomenon, like his equipment couldn¡¯t possibly be mists. However, the first shrimp had managed to do quite a bit of damage to the domain on its own. The fragility of his domain would need to be something he kept in mind. Putting himself in a situation where he relied on it, only for a counter to unexpectedly appear, would be irritating at the very least and more likely just plain dangerous.


    As Coop crossed the coral platform, ready to continue his delve into the mana well and satisfied with his first real test of Legacy of the Mists, he paused as a glow caught his eye. He didn¡¯t expect to find anything that his Fog of War missed, but in the exact center of the arena, a marble-sized blue orb illuminated a small area in white light around its perch. It sat in a nest of coral that had woven itself around the object.


    Coop jogged over to it, unwilling to risk missing a treasure before he moved on. Coop hadn¡¯t spotted it, even when it was inside his domain of fog, because the shrimp had been positioned directly on top of it. The stone wasn¡¯t an egg, so he wasn¡¯t concerned with looting it. Instead, it reminded him of an uncut jewel. Upon retrieving the treasure, he found that the blue orb had a rough surface, but it was still vaguely oval. With some polishing the stone might end up being a massive sapphire-like mana gem.


    The center of the platform was probably the point where the most mana accumulated. The shrimp was essentially lounging in a mana bath that was dense enough to form a huge jewel.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop thought he discovered something about the mana flowing through the well, and thought back on how the Icon of Mana had formed, greedily vacuuming as much mana as it could. The powerful monsters of the mana well were still only passively accumulating power, they just happened to be in an ideal environment.


    Coop pushed the blue orb into his spatial storage, feeling like even though the first monster had only yielded credits, he still received a treasure as a reward for the challenge.


    He looked forward to finding more as he leapt down to the next gray-green brain coral platform and continued his expedition.

 Chapter 116: Scratching the Surface

    Coop continued his meticulous descent into the Coral Forest. Every flash of light that reflected off a wet surface drew his attention as he investigated each hint for another small treasure. He hoped to collect enough to start getting arrays on his residents¡¯ equipment, but so far the jewels seemed to be far too rare. Of course, he was still only at the very beginning of the well; the good stuff would surely be deeper.


    The steady clamor of the streaming waterfalls cascading down from the entrance slowly diminished as he explored further away. Eventually, the consistent sounds were replaced by intermittent thin streams of dripping seawater tapping away against the corals. Droplets still percolated down from the porous coral rock ceiling, splashing across the coral platforms, where they pooled into shallow puddles of crystal clear liquid, or continued over the edges and into the depths. The orchestra of droplets created the ambience of trekking through an alien forest after a heavy rain saturated the canopy.


    While the entrance mostly sank directly into the bedrock, the cavernous hollow held a slightly northward and mostly westward angle. The momentum of the original meteor seed seemed to have directed the formation, presumably by sending the core sinking through the sediments as it chased the much larger meteor mountain that had landed even further away.


    Coop primarily traversed the coral platforms laterally. His only vertical movement came when he dropped to the next platform. For every bit of depth, he went at least three times as far across. While more difficult challenges surely awaited him if he went deeper, along with greater rewards, he wanted to continue fighting the first stage monsters before he progressed any further. It made sense to him that he should complete Stage 1 before moving onto Stage 2.


    There were two things he wanted to accomplish before he left. One was to scout the mana well, keeping an eye out for treasures and assessing its potential for power leveling his companions. The other was to determine how efficient the mana well would be for grinding experience for himself.


    The factions, as narrow as their perspectives were, had been accurate in calling the settlement events rewarding. They had also espoused the virtue of fighting inside mana wells, so he had high hopes. He gave credit where credit was due and believed the factions weren¡¯t totally blind to opportunities for their Chosen during the assimilation, even if a lot of their other advice had been disappointingly inept.


    As much as his progress took him along the platforms, he could still see that the cavern went much further down. He was only scratching the surface. The fact that he had only found a single creature would have been disappointing, but he tempered his lofty expectations by reminding himself that the Coral Forest was a vast chasm filled to the brim with overgrown corals, and most likely, an assortment of awaiting monsters should he venture further.


    A simple peek over the edges of any coral platform revealed how truly expansive the mana well had already become. If the core was still sinking, the Coral Forest would keep expanding. Monster density would be the primary factor that determined how much time Coop would spend in the environment and he strongly suspected he would have to go down before he was satisfied, but he¡¯d try to be thorough on the way.


    While his plan was to return to the surface before nightfall, there wasn¡¯t any particular reason he needed to rush back other than preserving his routine. Time was holding back most of the major developments that he would have to participate in. Everything else could be handled by the residents of Ghost Reef. Coop felt comfortable sticking around inside the mana well until he could give his own comprehensive report to Shane¡¯s party.


    It took him a few minutes and a few coral platforms before he found the next One That Hunts. This specimen was slightly different from the last, having a different, much brighter coloration. Fire engine red bled across its carapace, fading to black as the color stretched toward the edges of its armor and down the sides all the way to the tip of its tail. Otherwise it was the same shrimp-fish-raptor hybrid creature as the last. Coop inspected its aura to make sure he wasn¡¯t in for a surprise and prepared to start another fight.


    [One That Hunts (Elite Level 102)]


    [(Agility)]


    [Of The Feast]


    A new faction? The previous monster had been ¡®Of The Hunger.¡¯ Coop thought that was interesting, but otherwise nothing was different. Once he confirmed it was physically the same, despite its colors, and only a single level more advanced, Coop hopped to its platform. If it had a different main stat he might have been wary of a new set of attacks, perhaps with flames in mind with all the red, but he got the impression it was merely representing a different group of shrimp with its colors.


    Coop didn¡¯t need to go through the same song and dance, testing his opponent while it measured his own capabilities, so he quickly stepped into a brittle shield throw and sought to refine his burgeoning shrimp hunting tactics. The shrimp, on the other hand, waited patiently as it gauged the mysterious challenger, not sharing the knowledge gained by its brethren¡¯s experience.


    The shield exploded into shrapnel when the creature¡¯s top right claw countered the projectile, and the other three claws similarly attacked the fragments, leaving it temporarily defenseless. Defenseless if ignoring its substantial passive physical defenses, anyway.


    Coop attempted to take advantage of the creature''s overcommitment to countering his ethereal shield fragments by mistjumping to one of the dissipating bits before it completely returned to mist. Mistjumping to the broken shield was the first variation to his newly established strategy that he would test. He was surprised by the level of precision his Ethereal title afforded him when he was able to target a specific fragment that flew to the shrimps exposed right flank.


    The creature was an Agility focused speedster, though, and was able to react to Coop¡¯s movement even if it lacked the ability to articulate its torso laterally. Luckily, Coop already had some experience sparring with someone even faster. Ledwidge may have only taken defensive actions, but he had been too fast to catch off guard with any of Coop¡¯s techniques, so the shrimp¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t an undue burden that fell outside the realm of expectations.


    Coop¡¯s teleport caused the shield fragment to bounce off his own forearm, and the shrimp did its best to spin and match Coop¡¯s sudden appearance. Coop was already thrusting his freshly summoned war fork, wielding it like a farmer jabbing a haystack. The twin bladed prongs caught one of the spear-like claws and prevented the creature from regaining its defensive posture. It was a bit like holding an alligator¡¯s jaw shut to prevent an even more powerful bite.


    The claw was pinned against the creature¡¯s carapace and Coop activated Legacy of the Mists before the other three claws recovered. A phantasm jumped out of the mist and slammed its own ethereal war fork underneath the pinned claw, between carapace and abdomen, where an armpit would be on a more humanoid opponent. The phantasm¡¯s attack blasted through the shrimp like an explosive shock stick, crippling the creature by removing both claws on the exposed right side and demolishing the upper right side of its torso.


    The phantasm had attacked rather arbitrarily, even though the attack itself was a perfectly executed leaping thrust, it didn¡¯t seem to have aimed anywhere in particular, landing more or less where Coop had been concentrating his own attack. Coop mentally urged the phantasm to stab the shrimp in the head as he grunted and swept his own war fork across the monster. The weapon broke a forelimb with the outer edges of the blades and he tried pinning the opposite claws between the prongs before they could retaliate.


    The phantasm yanked its weapon back and executed a quick thrust to the head of the shrimp even as the ghost exploded into mist, finishing the creature off when both prongs went clear through the wide fish-like head.


    Coop watched as the mangled shrimp evaporated into mana smoke, in contrast to the previous non-Primal Construct opponents he had fought in the past. The smoke was whisked away into the depths of the mana well, following invisible currents that carried bioluminescent plankton and Coop assumed were thick with loose mana. The closed-loop system of the well reminded him of an instanced dungeon.


    He exhaled into the billowing mana. The disintegration of the body confirmed the end of the fight, and it had been fast enough to be called a success, a step toward an efficient grind. The fact that Coop was able to mistjump to the ethereal shield fragments, after the shield was broken, was a small surprise that he hadn¡¯t fully counted on working. The fact that it did actually work meant it would be the perfect opener against these opponents. The creatures were completely exposed immediately after countering his shield, so rushing in to take advantage at that point seemed ideal. Consolidating the opener with the follow-up would leave less chance for something to go wrong. He anticipated many shield throws in the future.


    The benefit of using the war fork was still up in the air. He had intended to apply the weapon as a form of crowd control while he utilized Legacy of the Mists to deal all of the damage, but pinning one of four claws didn¡¯t really accomplish more than if he just whacked the creature with any of his other weapons to keep it off balance. He¡¯d give the war fork a few more tries before he gave a different weapon a shot.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Legacy of the Mists, on the other hand, had been a complete success, dealing massive magic damage even with a different, potentially less ideal weapon. If the phantasm had gone for the head in the first place, the fight would have been over in a single motion. The ghostly soldier had gone for the killing blow after its initial strike, and Coop wondered if he had influenced its decision to attack again.


    In the past, he had tried directing Presence of Mind in different ways, either to pressure his opponents with the weight of his aura or to deceive them into falling for feinted attacks. None of the tactics had yielded particularly stellar results outside of what they accomplished with brute force, but Coop¡¯s experience with those experiments gave him the inkling of another concept.


    He might be able to direct the phantasms by properly exploiting Presence of Mind. Hopefully, all the aura practice he had been doing would pay off in some way.


    Coop gave the arena a quick search, checking for more jewels, but there weren¡¯t any for him to spot. Once he was satisfied with his sweep, regardless of a lack of treasure, he swapped his war fork for his opener shield set and continued to the next platform. The notion of discovering a new aspect of his skills put a little pep in his step as he rounded oversized tubular corals.


    The next monster was facing the wrong direction when Coop approached its coral platform. The previous creatures had all been waiting for him as soon as he crested the edge of the adjacent platforms, but this one was leaving its back completely exposed to the direction that Coop had arrived from. He wondered if it was supremely confident in its carapace or if this particular individual was simply a lackadaisical sentry.


    Either way, Coop would test its senses with a sneak attack. The shield he wielded was brittle, but he decided not to swap it for a solid version. In the event that he was detected early, he would simply transition to his ¡®flak the claws¡¯ strategy.


    Coop nodded to himself and swapped his grip on his ethereal spear before he tossed it behind the creature. The spear arced toward the center of the platform and Coop timed his mistjump so that he would end up in the air, still behind the ignorant shrimp. His movements would be at least as silent as the mists he traveled with.


    The mistjump shifted his vision to grayscale and pulled him through the black and white world. He prepared to immediately cast Legacy of the Mists before he touched the ground and he deliberately concentrated on directing the phantasm to decapitate the monster with Presence of Mind before it even knew Coop was there.


    However, when Coop silently reappeared several feet above the ground, he felt a powerful click wash over him that caused goosebumps to appear on his arms. It was the same sound that the first shrimp had used to avoid being disoriented by his Fog of War, and Coop knew he had been detected. Were the shrimps sensitive to fluctuations in the thick mana substrate of the mana well?


    Coop¡¯s phantasm appeared at his side, leaping through its own mists with a rectangular shield and long spear, looking like a ghostly Roman legionnaire. The phantasm didn¡¯t get a chance to go for the kill shot. The shrimp¡¯s tail smashed down first. Before Coop had even touched the ground himself, he was buffeted by a blast of wind that reversed his momentum and sent him tumbling backwards, thanks to his complete lack of footing.


    The phantasm exploded into mists as it was broken by the unexpected gust of wind, mid-thrust. The wisps of its presence blew past Coop as he stopped himself and sat up from his back.


    The One That Hunts had already turned around to face him, and with another slam of its tail, shot forward, attacking his vulnerable position with all four claws raised in preparation of devastating attacks. Coop only had his brittle shield, and he wasn¡¯t in position to arrest the charge with his spear, so he scrambled to reposition.


    As he moved, Coop cast Legacy again, once again applying Presence of Mind in an effort to direct the phantasm into seeking a killing blow by attacking the creature¡¯s head. Once the shrimp had begun its charge, it moved so quickly, Coop wouldn¡¯t be able to get out of the way, even if he had started on his feet, so he braced himself to awkwardly catch the shrimp with his own spear from his knees. He was assuming the shrimp would survive the insubstantial phantasm and attempt to grapple with him as soon as it got in range, but it would have to smash through his brittle shield first. Coop would toss his shield forward in an effort to bait the claws into attacking the shards before it reached him, then counter attack.


    The phantasm appeared directly in front of the shrimp, where Coop had thought he would toss his shield. All the rest of his summoned phantasms had leapt from his side, mirroring his dominant hand whenever he summoned them. The spear and shield wielding ghost stood in the trajectory of the charge, rather than leaping forward, like a disciplined ancient soldier waiting to receive an impending cavalry charge.


    Coop didn¡¯t put any faith in the phantasm, since the ethereal phantasms had never shown themselves to be anything but incorporeal mists that dealt magical damage, and gripped his spear with a tight grip, but the sound of the claws colliding with the ghost¡¯s shield was undeniably solid, like strong chitin colliding with a tempered plate of steel.


    The phantasm thrust its long spear forward, meeting the grappling rush of the creature with its own powerful strike, and the shrimp exploded, showering bits of carapace, forelimbs, and claws past the sides of the large ghostly shield that had completely blocked the preliminary attacks. Coop was engulfed in the light of a level up while his tossed shield crashed onto the ground uselessly, as Coop¡¯s plan was superseded by the phantasm.


    When the ghost disappeared, Coop was kneeling in the only spot of coral within several feet that was free of debris, as if he had been hidden behind a blast shield. As everything disappeared, transforming into mana smoke and drifting away, Coop nodded to himself, admiring the aftermath, as the revelations around the phantasms kept coming.


    He checked his notifications to confirm that another level had come so quickly.


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    While it was possible he had already been close to another level from kill experience after getting his last few from quest completions, he still suspected that the mana well was more than a little responsible. He¡¯d wait for another level before he projected too much hope on the experience gains from the Stage 1 monsters.


    But, Coop was still trying to wrap his head around just how powerful his phantasms were. Forget about a simple diversification of his damage types; these things had way more potential than some additional firepower.


    The phantasms barely had any duration, lasting for only a few seconds at the most, and they appeared to be physically weak. The fact that a relatively strong gust of concentrated wind was enough to disperse one of his phantasms back into mist moments before just provided further evidence for Coop¡¯s understanding. They dealt weapon damage based on Intelligence, had weapon proficiency based on Mind, speed based on Agility, and substance based on Acumen. He had easily accepted their fragility was due to his low Acumen, but after watching a phantasm use its shield to successfully block the extraordinary claw attacks of the One That Hunts, he was having to reevaluate.


    The phantasms might be weak, but the weapons were not, as they seemed to be directly based on the power of his default Retribution skill, as they borrowed durability directly from his own weapons. The phantasms themselves were the upgrade provided by the Legacy skill and they were bringing other benefits to the table which were scaled on their own, independently from the base weapon.


    He was previously considering the phantasms as a pure manifestation of his weapons, and their appearance was more of an aesthetic feature caused by his own subconscious imagination, a bit like the appearance of his armor, but now he was thinking that the ghost that wielded the weapon was much more important. The weapon only determined what the phantasm wielded, but the ghosts had their own styles, abilities, and scaling. If they had simply been using an exact magical copy of his current weapons, the last phantasm¡¯s shield would have been brittle and wouldn¡¯t have withstood the shrimp¡¯s charge.


    Then there was the interaction with Presence of Mind. Coop was sure he had some level of control now, or at least the ability to communicate what his intent had been when he activated Legacy of the Mists. Before, he was simply activating the skill. The phantasm would leap from the mists, on the side that he was wielding the weapon that he applied the skill to, and it would attack. He was concentrating on the shrimp¡¯s charge when he summoned the last phantasm, and it had delivered on Coop¡¯s intention to have the charging monster collide with the shield even if he was planning on doing it himself.


    The previous phantasm attacks had been incredibly powerful and executed with perfect technique, but they didn¡¯t really appear to be targeting any specific weak points like an actual expert would. Instead, they were following his ambiguous intent while he focused on his own actions. His first tests even had them attacking nothing. But, when Coop¡¯s intent was for a specific place to be attacked, they complied. The restriction was because Coop''s basic command when he activated the skill was simple: ¡®Attack.¡¯ After all, that¡¯s all he wanted out of the skill, magical attacks, but as usual his imagination was too limited.


    The fact that he tried to obstruct the shrimp¡¯s charge had been at the forefront of his mind when he summoned the last phantasm, and it had done just that, using the weapons with a proficiency that Coop could still learn from, despite being his most proficient set. There were parallels to how he had discovered his ability to mistjump through a desperate desire to catch the Primal Kites. In this case, his desire had been to counter the shrimp¡¯s charge.


    The phantasm had also appeared directly in front of him rather than from his side. Being able to summon the phantasms from other angles could also open up even more combat possibilities. Coop spent a lot of energy in combat trying to catch his opponents off guard, sliding into their flanks, or mistjumping into blindspots. Imagining the potential of coordinating his attacks with phantasms leaping out of nothingness from any direction to further complicate standing toe to toe with him was enough to get Coop riled up. To start with, instead of summoning a phantasm to ¡¯attack,¡¯ he needed to be far more descriptive: ¡®attack from the left and aim for the head.¡¯ He would add more complications as he gained experience.


    He was beginning to think that the phantasms should be considered a manifestation of his Haunted title, where limitless expertise had a chance to be tapped into thanks to his Revenant abilities. It was a lot less subtle than subconscious, instinctual, technical approval, but that knowledge must have been coming from somewhere. It wasn¡¯t like Coop was especially intuitive when it came to martial techniques, so he didn¡¯t think he was personally the source.


    Coop was frequently impressed by the versatility of his class, but in this case he had to give credit to his mana affinity for allowing him to tap into a small part of the proficiencies accumulated across the eras of humanity.

 Chapter 117: Coral Colony

    Coop left the coral platform empty of its previous shrimpy occupant and moved on to find the next. The monster density of the top layer within the Coral Forest had been a bit disappointing so far, but he kept his head up. His improved familiarity with Legacy of the Mists was already worth the trip, and if nothing else, having a better idea of the lay of the land within his own territory was valuable.


    He checked his status while he dodged droplets of seawater, falling from the coral encrusted limestone ceiling, having gained another level after just a few engagements.


    [Status]


    HP - 8960/8960


    MP - 14672/16920


    Class - Revenant (Level 101)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 95)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 50 (+1692)


    Agility - 50 (+846)


    Body - 50 (+846)


    Mind - 1410 (+282)


    Intelligence - 50 (+1692)


    Acumen - 50


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion III, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper, Slayer IV, Dauntless, Stacked, Defiant, Siegebreaker


    Skills (Active) - Retribution+, Salvation, Presence of Mind, Fog of War


    Skills (Passive) - Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (17/50), Trophy Hunter (4/5), Defeat Ancient Devourers III (0/250), Defeat Primal Serpents III (0/250), Defeat Primal Kites III (5/250), Upgrade Village to Town


    Basic Credits - 1,366,908


    The biggest change since the last time he took a closer look was the additional 10% Mind bonus added by his under armor. He¡¯d only gained a single class and profession level, but his stats had taken another huge jump thanks to the new equipment. The jump in his mana pool was especially valuable with the additions of Fog of War and Legacy of the Mists putting greater demands on his mana consumption.


    Getting his Practical Application to lower the cost of Legacy was a good enough reason to lean more heavily on the newest addition to his build. The sooner he got the 500 mana cost to come down, the better. Besides the normally impossible range of stat scaling that he had bypassed with Revenant passive skills, Legacy was a skill where the only other real limitation appeared to be the cost, and Practical Application was the perfect solution for the mana portion.


    Other than his stats going up, his basic credits had shrunk a bit more after he paid Erasimus for the gear, and a few of his quests had progressed slightly, but he would have to dig into those Slayer chains in order to clean up his list some point soon. The Primal Kites were in deep trouble when Coop returned to the surface, and he suspected the Serpents and Devourers wouldn¡¯t fare much better when he started hunting them with more diligence. Legacy of the Mists could potentially make all of his grinding efforts even simpler, especially if he could maintain summoning the phantasms consistently.


    Coop fondly remembered grinding the Ancient Defenders and gradually incorporating the mistjumps into his rotations as they became more affordable due to increases in his mana pool and slight decreases in the cost. The increase in efficiency had been so sweet, and now he had another tool that he expected to have a similar impact. Time would tell how much the phantasms would help, but given how much potential he was slowly uncovering, he was confident they would become another gamechanger.


    He hopped down to another platform and paused for a moment. In the distance, the sound of shrimp carapaces clicking was drifting through the cavern, joining the steady clatter of water droplets splashing down. It was almost like an audience was unenthusiastically clapping somewhere far away, but Coop recognized it after the sound had already thoroughly countered his Fog of War and his most recent sneak attack.


    Coop made no effort to shy away from the sounds. He knew they represented exactly what he was looking for. A dense hunting ground to scour. The excitement he felt as he imagined what he would find was like the anticipation of unwrapping a present.


    Coop¡¯s steady march from platform to platform had taken him westward along the northern edge of the cavernous well. The limestone bedrock ceiling was the only layer that remained above his head as he stuck to the top most level in order to continue with stage one monsters. In between massive sea fans and coral outcroppings that were growing off the walls of the cavern, he was able to catch glimpses of more limestone bedrock as it sloped down in the direction he was headed. He was approaching the western edge of the mana well. The sounds he heard were coming from the north western corner.


    Anticipating a bigger fight, Coop skipped his comprehensive searches for smaller jewels and headed straight toward the clicking sounds. After crossing three more coral platforms and rounding a bulging column of staghorn branches, he laid eyes on the most massive coral growth yet.


    An incredible, blue, purple, and pink foliose coral had claimed the northwestern corner of the mana well. It spiraled upwards like a rounded pyramid with dozens of layers of giant rose petal shaped coral heads until it peaked against the ceiling. Gentle rivers of seawater dripped over the edges forming rivulets that continued until they disappeared underneath other coral platforms. From Coop¡¯s perspective, the foliose coral was both above and below him, creating a structure that easily rivaled the entire fort in size. It was so large, other massive corals had settled on portions of it, creating a pseudo hedge maze of winding, spiraling, and twisting paths.


    It was a gargantuan cathedral of natural construction, and it was covered in hundreds, maybe even thousands of visible creatures, looking like miniatures staged along the edges of the coral, with even more bound to be within the nook and crannies of the interior. The Ones That Hunt had an entire coral colony, and the clicks he had been hearing were the result of them challenging each other for positions along the outskirts of the coral levels. It seemed like they were territorial after all, but the rivalries were focused on each other rather than invaders like Coop.


    The Coral Forest had never felt claustrophobic, the way a cave system would, but it was certainly dense with features. Moving through it was a lot like walking along the middle level of a rainforest, beneath a dense canopy that formed a solid barrier above, but with lots of room underneath, between twisting branches before the ground level. Despite the sense of scale impressed upon him by the overgrown corals that established entire platforms for him to travel along, he had never expected to find anything so individually large as this incredible coral monument. It certainly seemed like a potential grind zone upon first glance.


    Coop already had a brittle ethereal shield prepared, so he took a moment to select a path and plan a route before he jumped in. There was a ledge beneath the platform he stood on that connected to a spiraling outcrop. He could skirt around the outside one portion of the colony if he followed the path, so he thought it would make a promising start.


    While he had previously come to the conclusion that going down would increase the monster density along with mana, he hadn¡¯t considered flow patterns that might result in pockets of increased mana. In this case, the edge of the cavern seemed to be an area that was thick with the invisible resource, and it had led to massive growth along with a troupe of the shrimp creatures.


    He decided to diligently explore the colony before he continued into the depths. It seemed like the coral pyramid would naturally lead him to lower levels anyway, so he could be patient. Inspecting the nearest monster, he prepared for more combat.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    [One That Hunts (Elite Level 101)]


    [(Agility)]


    [Of The Hunger]


    With nothing abnormal in his inspection, Coop dropped to the ledge a dozen feet below his platform and made his way to the first opponent. It waited by itself on a secluded fold of coral, isolated from any of its potential allies, which was why Coop singled it out. He pitched his shield and mistjumped as soon as the shrimp committed its claws to destroy the additional fragments.


    When he reappeared, he was already swinging his freshly summoned war fork, slicing through the air with the outer prongs like it was his glaive. The sharp blade smashed into the side of the shrimp, failing to cut through the armor, but with enough force to fold the creature as far as it could bend, leaving its head hanging beyond Coop¡¯s blades like it had been blindsided by a clothesline. This time, he was seeking to batter the creature instead of simply wrangling its claws with the war fork, abandoning crowd control in favor of momentum-based dominance, much more in line with his prior experience.


    Coop cast Legacy of the Mists even as his war fork collided with the outer shell of the monster with an enormous crack. The phantasm leapt out of a puff of mist from directly behind Coop¡¯s attack. The ghost was a bare chested, demon-masked warrior who slammed his own ethereal war fork into the completely exposed head of the shrimp as it leaned over Coop¡¯s weapon.


    The phantasm disappeared with what seemed like a satisfied nod at the collapsing, headless corpse of the One That Hunts. Coop was equally satisfied with the result, having directed the phantasm to strike exactly where it had. He had used Presence of Mind to highlight his intent, steering an attack the moment that the shrimp¡¯s head was at the apex of its lateral movement while its body folded from his own strike. The phantasm had connected perfectly, with too much precision for it to have been an accident. Coop was newly confident that he could guide highly coordinated attacks with Legacy of the Mists and Presence of Mind.


    Coop continued along the outer edge of the coral colony, defeating monsters with uncanny coordination with the phantasms, occasionally glancing over the edge as he moved. The layers of coral continued until his line of sight was blocked by sea fans, sponges, and what looked like car-sized sea anemones. The foliose coral¡¯s base must have been extremely far down, when most of the coral platforms were extensions that branched out of massive pillars or the limestone walls, it alone continued as far as his vision remained unobstructed.


    After almost a dozen more shrimp creatures, Coop was fully satisfied with his first test. The results of coordinating with his phantasms were spectacular, achieving a level of cooperation that would be impossible for two individuals to ever reach without something on the level of telepathy.


    The next One That Hunts greeted him with an aggressive click, and Coop started his second test after another quick inspection of its aura found nothing unusual. He blasted the creature with ethereal shield shards and instead of mistjumping, tried casting Legacy of the Mists from range while the shrimp was distracted.


    The phantasm leapt from the mists, starting about 10 feet directly in front of Coop and attempted to reach the creature, but ultimately couldn¡¯t cover the total distance with its initial attack. The phantasm still ended up having an opening strike zone that was impressive. It could strike more than 15 feet from Coop¡¯s position thanks to its momentum and reach. That was much further than a simple melee attack, putting it firmly into midrange territory.


    However, before the phantasm disappeared, it landed with firmly planted feet, maintaining extraordinary balance, and smoothly transitioned from a leaping thrust into a rush forward in an effort to strike its target at least once. The ghost didn¡¯t quite make it, but still managed to double its effective range through its own efforts and remarkable coordination and speed.


    Coop crossed part of the empty space between himself and the shrimp, and as the One That Hunts slammed its tail in order to charge, he cast Legacy of the Mists once again. Before the shrimp¡¯s charge got going more than a few feet, the phantasm jabbed through its torso, combining the monster¡¯s forward momentum with its leaping thrust to produce a devastating, killing blow that split the shrimp into two halves.


    Coop was once again satisfied with his initial test results. The phantasms weren¡¯t confined to his own melee range, though they did have some restrictions. Coop would be able to use them for midrange skirmishing while he remained relatively safe in addition to coordinating with his own melee brawling. Unlimited range probably would have been too much, even compared to the rest of his overpowered skills. At least, that¡¯s what he told himself.


    When Coop selected the Mistwalker path, he had been hoping for powerful spells. He had to admit to feeling disappointment when he didn¡¯t receive any ranged nukes, but the memories of that feeling were fading quickly. The phantasms were almost like spells, but they were even better. They inherited some of the control that Coop had witnessed Charlie applying to the wind, with it receiving her directions, but the ghosts also boasted autonomy that wouldn¡¯t require his continuous micromanagement. Not to mention they were in fact dealing magic damage, just like a spell would. Legacy of the Mists was exceeding all of his expectations.


    Coop continued practicing with the phantasms at midrange. It took around 20 more engagements before he was confident in eyeballing the perfect distances with little more than a glance, but there was some variance between weapons that he would need to consider. A spear thrust covered more distance than a glaive chop which was still greater than a morning star slam. He wanted to be able to strike accurately even when he only used his peripheral vision. If an opponent watched his eyes for clues, they wouldn¡¯t be able to derive his intentions easily, but he would still need more practice before he was at that level.


    Continuing along the coral path as it ramped slightly upward and looped around the rest of the colony, he only had one more test. The next One That Hunts was a single level weaker than the previous few, but otherwise the same in every other way, including coloration.


    Coop didn¡¯t waste any time proceeding with his final examination. His brittle shield shattered across the shrimp¡¯s defenses, and he teleported into melee range where he summoned two phantasms consecutively. They both appeared, though they made an odd couple with equipment from completely different eras, one was in a simple leather and cloth kilt while the other wore heavy duty metal armor with a fully covered helmet.


    They were each mid-leap, but to Coop¡¯s surprise, they interfered with each others¡¯ thrusts, despite being incorporeal ghosts, causing both to be slightly off the mark. The shrimp still had no chance under the weight of damage produced by Coop¡¯s massive pile of Intelligence applied twice, once by each phantasm, even from imperfect strikes. Coop leveled up as the monster was defeated despite the less than stellar coordination.


    Coop paused after the phantasms disappeared, considering his final test to be a passing score with a flaw in the application methodology. Coop thought he might be able to stack them, but if not, it would be easy to fix the phantasms getting in the way of each other. The problem was that he had summoned them in exactly the same way, directly on top of each other. He could just have them summoned from opposite directions or any other angle with a slight change in his intent. The result would be even better than his initial ideas, since they could provide flanking attacks on their own. Coop might even become redundant if he was willing to dump his mana on having phantasms fight on his behalf.


    Coop quickly put his unallocated points into Mind with a mental nudge, and double checked his notification.


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    He was delighted that another level had arrived so soon. The mana well was absolutely proving its worth. These monsters might even be better than true Elites in terms of experience. Coop couldn¡¯t help but be impressed while seeing such rapid progress. Considering it had taken around 35 kills to get another level, and given that he was already at such a high level to begin with, this place would be a gold mine. Higher levels were supposed to take longer, but Coop kept finding ways to maintain his momentum, even as he progressed to new heights.


    Coop was itching to continue pursuing more creatures and refine his control over the Legacy of the Mists, but his mana was severely diminished. He was forced into mistjumping back to the platform he had arrived from, so that he could take a break while his mana recovered.


    The Ones That Hunt were only easily defeatable because of the magic damage provided by Legacy of the Mists, but that meant he was significantly more reliant on mana than any of his previous grinds. Luckily, Practical Application had already started to kick in, but moving the mana cost from 500 mana each phantasm down to 499, was hardly worth celebrating.


    ¡°Damn.¡± He muttered, shrugging to himself, happy to at least confirm that it worked at all, even if he had hoped it would reduce it by percentages rather than flat amounts.


    He perched himself on the edge of the coral platform, kicking his feet over the edge with the coral colony in front and beneath him. From his perspective, he could still see tons of monsters. Most were idle, like the ones he had encountered claiming the center of various platforms where the mana flowed in a way they seemed to enjoy, but there were quite a few battles occurring between pairs of shrimp.


    It seemed like most of the combat was occurring on the south side of the coral colony. Interestingly, the fire engine red colored shrimp appeared to be the aggressors, challenging the darker brown shrimp for territory that the other shrimp were already content to occupy. Coop could only surmise that the two factions he had already spotted were somehow rivals within the mana well.


    As he relaxed and waited for his mana to recover, he considered which direction to head during his next assault. Avoiding the extra complication of shrimp already fighting each other seemed like the right choice, so he¡¯d stick to the north side, but he already knew he didn¡¯t have the mana to complete a circuit of the colony. He¡¯d just start on a different ledge and travel the same distance before he took another break.


    The platform that he was seated on seemed like a pretty nice spot to safely wait, and he didn¡¯t consider the path to reach the location to be overly dangerous. There were only a few shrimp in between the entrance and the platform, so he thought inviting Shane¡¯s party this far could be alright. The question would be if they could even get experience from up on the ledge. They might need to actually participate in combat with the shrimp that he defeated, and that would be an additional challenge to figure out.


    Coop leaned back and watched the bioluminescent plumes drift along the edges of the coral rock ceiling. It would be Day 56 by the time his mana was ready to go, but he didn¡¯t mind. The rest of his companions had the settlement under control and his next tasks still had time to cook before they were ready. He basked in the feeling of being unhurried.

 Chapter 118: Shrimp Cull

    The One That Hunts was swiftly dissolving into dust that further brokedown until nothing but thin wisps of mana smoke remained. The smoke was swept away with the underground currents, being carried off into the unseen depths by the invisible flows of mana. Coop¡¯s phantasm had struck the battered creature with an ethereal bo staff, defeating it with blunt magical force while Coop chained attacks with his own weapon, simultaneously preventing the shrimp from getting close enough to grapple and keeping it off-balance with varied whirling swings.


    Coop had cycled through each of his weapons, testing both the weaknesses of the monsters as well as his phantasms. The monsters were proving to be a difficult opponent for his personal abilities. None of his weapons had elevated his effectiveness above the rest by any significant degree and he continued to rely on the phantasms to carry his damage through each engagement. Coop checked his most recent notifications after the last kill of the round.


    [You defeated One That Hunts (Elite Level 103)]


    [+1004 Basic Credits]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    It had only taken another 45 or so kills before he lit up with another level. The pace would have been excellent, considering the monster density and the speed that he could defeat them, but he was ironically running into the limitation that prevented most others from deeming grinding as a worthwhile pursuit at all: resource management.


    The only reason the fights went smoothly was because of Legacy of the Mists, but the phantasms were intensive on his mana pool. The cost was forcing him to stop his grind to recover. It was frustrating, as it was preventing him from getting into a groove, taking him out of his meditative grinding mindset just as it got going. Coop would have abandoned the whole thing until he had a chance to exploit Practical Application into making the skill cheaper if it wasn¡¯t so incredibly satisfying to incorporate the phantasms into his techniques.


    Every time he successfully coordinated with Legacy it was significantly more rewarding than properly exercising his own techniques by themselves. The commendations of his Haunted title were put into overdrive when Coop and his phantasms exercised precise combinations as if the act of coordinating multiplied the subconscious rewards. The satisfaction was addicting.


    He blasted through most of his mana in about an hour, using a single phantasm for every shrimp, but he got several extra summons through the Reaper title recovering a significant amount of resources for each kill. He told himself he just needed to power through the early parts and the efficiency would come later, but the initial mana cost was discouraging. At least he was diligent enough to avoid draining his mana completely, always maintaining some for Mind over Matter to kick in during an emergency situation.


    Coop planned to continue to experiment with his different weapons as he engaged more of the shrimp monsters in the coral colony. He was trying to see if the phantasms came with any of their own particularities when it came to the different weapon types, but so far, every weapon had yielded expert phantasms with incredibly potent magic power. Each one had proven to be capable of perfectly executing precise and devastating attacks, whether their equipment was truly ancient or advanced enough that Coop would be prevented from summoning his own equivalent set by the system¡¯s restrictions.


    The shrimp monsters were weak to every type of magic that Coop could bring to the table. It didn¡¯t matter if the phantasm was wielding a sword, a glaive, or a bo staff, every single one had a lethal and often explosive result. Coop was a little curious about both the physics and the mechanics of what was happening when the magical force was transmitted through a physical attack from an incorporeal entity, but he was more than content with the outcome regardless of his own understanding. The monsters themselves were at least partially to blame for the dramatic results, with their odd physiology. It may have made them physically robust, but it came with some other costs that magic damage evidently seized onto.


    It did seem like the blunt weapons were slightly more effective when it came to the shrimp monsters. The bo staff and morning star phantasms never failed to take entire chunks out of their targets. While the bladed weapons had better penetrative power, they were more concentrated with their damage. Either way, the monsters were defeated, though.


    As Coop returned to his resting spot, he reflected on the incredible progress he was already making thanks to the mana well. Two levels, some possible treasures, and there was massive potential with the Stage 1 monster alone. The Coral Forest had delivered with an excellent grind spot, and he was barely getting started, unable to totally capitalize with his mana limitations.


    While he waited for his mana to recover, he tried summoning another new weapon. The one-handed weapons he could wield with his shield were missing a blunt option, and he didn¡¯t necessarily want to give up the shield through quick swapping just to access the more devastating weapon options. Really, only his sword and spear were available with his shield, and even though quick swapping had nearly eliminated most of the restrictions between his weapons, allowing him to utilize his entire arsenal as he pleased, he felt like he should round out his one-handed weapons with at least one more to simplify his kit. The slight restriction where mists spent time solidifying was something he could easily prevent with a one-handed blunt weapon ready to go for each engagement.


    Considering how many weapons he was already cycling through, he was surprised he hadn¡¯t already stopped to consider the damage coverage of his arsenal. With his shield, he only had a slashing weapon in the sword and a piercing weapon in the spear. Previously, he had been hyper focused on other factors, like mobility and range, so he had left an obvious gap to fill. All the bashing while using one-handed weapons had come from the shield itself.


    Coop thought about using a simple club and going all-in on bonking his enemies, but he had the image of a one-handed warhammer clear in his mind¡¯s eye, so he tried that first. Mists gathered until he was gripping a surprisingly long weapon. He didn¡¯t expect Retribution to allow the hammer to extend to a length that was similar to his shortsword. He was mentally prepared to try a regular claw hammer, but his ethereal summon was already shaping up to be much better.


    The warhammer was simple enough, with a sturdy handle, and surprisingly narrow shaft. The head of the hammer was only as wide as the already slight shaft, with a flat face on one side, and a pointed spike on the opposite. The hammer head was almost comically small, but Coop really wouldn¡¯t want to be hit by either the blunt side or the spiked side. It reminded him of a lengthened geological hammer that would be useful for precisely chipping through rock to find precious stones.


    He swung it a few times, testing it, and finding the balance to be much better than his first summons usually went. It zipped through the air with shocking speed. A heavy pommel beneath the grip moved the center of gravity away from the head, but that made it feel like it was extremely quick. When he tapped it against his shield, he didn¡¯t feel any reverberation run down his arm. The grip seemed to be insulated by the mists imitating thick layers of leather that would prevent painful vibrations. Coop thought it was neat.


    After playing around with his new weapon for nearly an hour, shadow boxing with the help of his title, his mana had finally recovered. Coop hopped to another layer of the foliose coral, ready to crack some giant mana-mutated crustaceans.


    He had to pick a different path because his previous routes were still cleared of monsters, despite having hours to respawn. The lack of proximity based respawns reminded Coop of the Primal Trackers back on the mainland. When he wiped them out from the Peacock Park fields they didn¡¯t come back right away. First, they had to rotate from the golf course where they originated from. Coop had his own suspicions for where the shrimp came from, since the foliose coral structure grew from the depths, he thought they would be climbing up from below.


    The coral path he selected twisted toward the interior and led him along folding structures that reminded him of the edges of a ruffled dress. The upturned edges were lit with the same bioluminescence that floated through the air in clouds of sprites, but the bases were solid coral that reached beyond the top of Coop¡¯s head. Coop had to respect the guidance of the coral as breaking through it would be unreasonably difficult, and frankly, Coop didn¡¯t want to damage the unique structures.


    As he rounded a corner of the coral hedge maze, he found himself entering a natural courtyard with a single monster occupying the center.


    Coop targeted the One That Hunts and launched his brittle shield to initiate the fight. The shrimp¡¯s claws blasted the air with their incredible speed and Coop immediately followed. As he stepped through the mists with his warhammer cocked back, he greeted the shrimp with a devastating swing straight to the top of the head and activated Legacy of the Mists.


    The One That Hunts was completely dazed even before the phantasm landed its own attack from behind. The ghost was fully decked out in heavy plate armor that the system would never have allowed Coop to equip. It held a painted kite shield at the ready while it smashed the warhammer through the exposed carapace of the shrimp. Coop and the phantasm had a moment to stare at each other before the mists took the summon back, but Coop could only see himself in the partial reflection of the heavy plate helmet and the coral walls behind, like he was peering into a dirty, fog-covered mirror.


    Coop raised his warhammer to check out the small head. It really was unimpressive, completely lacking in any sort of intimidation factor, but there was something threatening about a seemingly innocuous weapon as well. There was no denying the effectiveness after it rendered the shrimp helpless with its initial strike. Really, the only reason any of his other weapons had worked at all was due to his sheer Strength and relentlessness, but the warhammer finally had some impact outside of shifting his opponent into vulnerable positions.


    Coop continued through another of the winding coral pathways, brushing past tall sheets of violet or orange gorgonians, and heavy gardens of bright anemones, all while defeating every shrimp he found with even greater ease. After refining his tactics and finding the right tools for the job he was already gaining momentum. If not for mana putting the breaks on him periodically, he¡¯d be entering the zone. He still had mana to go when he lit up from receiving yet another level.


    Stolen story; please report.


    [You defeated One That Hunts (Elite Level 101)]


    [+1008 Basic Credits]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    Coop may not have been able to get a nice steady grind going, but he was still establishing a cadence of a level every few hours of fighting. He tried to compare the speed to any of his other grind sessions, but nothing really compared to the flood of experience he was receiving except maybe the Primal Construct Elite wave. It was ridiculous when he considered half of the time he spent was wasted on recovery.


    Legacy of the Mists was slowly getting cheaper. He noted it cost 498 mana and wondered if Practical Application was taking pity on him by working faster than normal. If that¡¯s what it took, he wished the skill would feel more sympathy. Coop only wanted the ability to grind anything he wanted for as long as he wanted, whenever he wanted.


    ¡°Perfectly reasonable.¡± Coop assured himself under his breath.


    Coop continued defeating shrimp monsters within the coral maze until he was nearly out of mana again. Another level marked the time to return and he checked his notifications before he got his bearings.


    [You defeated One That Hunts (Elite Level 101)]


    [+1026 Basic Credits]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    If there was one aspect of the mana well he was already feeling unfulfilled by, it was the lack of profession levels. It was too early to establish that Scavenging wouldn¡¯t progress at all, but he was getting worried. He hadn¡¯t defeated that many monsters yet, but other than the initial shrimp, Scavenging hadn¡¯t gone up at all. It was fine. Any increase to his stats was good and a grind area where class experience exceeded profession experience was merely the inverse of the normal quest chain grinds. They¡¯d probably balance out over a long enough period of time as long as he kept up with both.


    Coop looked around at the confusingly similar coral structures as they overlapped each other, establishing nooks and grooves in the borders of the trail, and shrugged to himself. He would have been completely lost if he was relying on his own navigational skills to keep track of the winding paths across the coral colony, but when it was time to recover his mana all he needed to do was swap weapon sets and mistjump above the barrier walls. Teleporting back to the safe coral platform was as straightforward as tossing his spear a few times. Mistjumping for free was pure luxury.


    The pyramid shape of the coral colony was especially handy, since no matter where he ended up, he always had the consistently shaped landmark to orient himself. Then there was also the fact that he was making himself comfortable in the very top level of the north western corner of the entire mana well. It didn¡¯t take much effort to find himself back at the safe coral platform where he made himself cozy while he waited for his resources to recover.


    ¡°I shoulda brought snacks.¡± Coop mumbled to himself as he lay down on his back, doing his best to find a comfortable position on the magically reinforced calcium carbonate structures.


    The frequent breaks were frustrating, but they also meant that he could probably keep up this version of a grind forever, as long as his mental state didn¡¯t give in. Coop just had to keep in mind that, eventually, the mana costs wouldn¡¯t hinder him any longer. He was finally starting to relate with all those who dismissed his type of extended solo grinding as a viable method of advancement. Even he would have sought alternatives if his build wasn¡¯t specifically designed to be efficient.


    Without his particular combination of skills, in order to have the equivalent regular attack potency, someone else would need to be hundreds and hundreds of levels above their target along with wearing extremely expensive equipment. At that point it would probably be insulting to challenge Ancient Defenders for however long it would take to kill a complete quest chain¡¯s worth of them. It would definitely be preferable to find a party and challenge equal level monsters to gain more levels.


    Coop was finally moving away from the idea that some of the factions were completely incompetent. They were approaching the assimilation from a different perspective, and if Coop was being honest, their conclusions weren¡¯t that bad some of the time, as long as he could figure out their point of view. He wasn¡¯t sure how he would have convinced a bunch of strangers to grind from the start if he couldn¡¯t point out the specific monsters to start with, how to fight them, and the significance of the benefits without using Ghost Reef and himself as examples. The factions didn¡¯t know which monsters were located where, and for the most part there just weren¡¯t the same varieties for their Chosen to hunt. It would be much easier to rely on global settlement events, mana wells, and maybe more powerful monster concentrations later.


    Thankfully, Coop didn¡¯t need to keep considering things because his mana was recovered. Coop hopped up, excited to return to the action. He chose the same starting path and followed it to the natural courtyard with the intention of trying a different path at the crossroads.


    However, he found a respawn of sorts. A fire engine red shrimp was waiting where there had previously been a brownish shrimp. Coop inspected the newcomer.


    [One That Hunts (Elite Level 101)]


    [(Agility)]


    [Of The Feast]


    Apparently, Coop had left a gap for the other shrimp faction to fill. As interesting as it was that the coral colony was dynamically populated by the shrimp, he proceeded to fight the monster because he was far more interested in the experience they could give him.


    He threw his brittle shield, allowing it to be annihilated by the defensive claw strikes, and mistjumped into range. The head of his one-handed warhammer clobbered the shrimp as he struck it in the right temple, forcing it to stumble to the left. A phantasm appeared on the left to deliver the killing blow, taking advantage of the shrimp¡¯s shift to maximize the damage with a crossing strike.


    Coop continued with his new route, finding monsters waiting like sentries. Another level lit him up in a hazy white spotlight when his mana pool was a third of the way depleted.


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    He shook his head at how rapidly the levels were coming despite the obstacles preventing a smoother grind. A dozen more phantasms and he was ready to head back to wait for his recovery.


    On his third run to the courtyard, he was finally presented with an issue that might require more patience to overcome than he currently had. A bright red shrimp was grappling with a brown shrimp where previously he had found an individual of one or the other for him to engage with. They slammed each other with their claws, barely dealing any visible damage despite the force of the blows. The fact that there were two wasn¡¯t the problem, it was what his aura had revealed when he inspected them that caused him to rethink the viability of a perpetual grind in the coral colony.


    [One That Hunts (Level 56)]


    [(Agility)]


    [Of The Feast]


    [One That Hunts (Level 56)]


    [(Agility)]


    [Of The Hunger]


    The levels of these opponents were unacceptable. They even lost the ¡®Elite¡¯ designation before their level. There would be no progress for Coop in defeating monsters that far below his current state. He was already level 106. He was definitely better off completing quest chains, no matter how much lower the quest monsters would be. At least the quests themselves would offer guaranteed levels along with the Slayer stats at the end.


    Coop shook his head as he ascertained what was happening. The monsters respawned in a much weaker state, then seemed to grow by accumulating mana, evolving into Elites and advancing in levels. These two individuals were hardly half the size of the ones that Coop had previously been hunting and they only had two claws each, instead of four.


    The two factions appeared to be fighting over ideal locations that would enable their progress, but that meant that Coop wouldn¡¯t be able to simply fight the respawns. He would need them to spend some time growing before it would be worth it for him to swoop in and harvest the experience. On the other hand, this meant that Shane¡¯s party and other residents of Ghost Reef would be able to take advantage of the lower level opportunities. That would also call for Coop to cull the monsters that had already developed into challenges that were too difficult, and for him to venture forward into alternate hunting grounds for himself.


    Coop pushed away the disappointment at finding lower level monsters and accepted that he found a new goal before he returned to the surface and reported his findings. He just needed to defeat every single One That Hunts one time, then he could leave and let his companions claim the coral colony as a leveling zone. Since he didn¡¯t have a quest tracker, he wasn¡¯t keeping track of his total kills, but he was sure he had only defeated a few hundred of the shrimps at most. He was giving himself permission to kill thousands more. He shrugged, it wouldn¡¯t be any good to leave any shrimp over level 100. It would be a nasty surprise for his residents to find.


    ¡°The experience is just a bonus.¡± Coop tried fooling himself about what he really wanted.


    Remembering how the exploitation of the mana wells was described by the factions, he thought it made more sense. They had always mentioned ¡®occupying¡¯ or ¡®monopolizing¡¯ the mana wells. The terminology had actually been deliberate all this time. He had mistakenly assumed they meant the words as exclusionary ideas, blocking others from benefiting, but he admitted he could have been wrong. The mana wells needed periodic attention or they could get out of control. Coop imagined that there were others around the world that had been allowed to grow too much, and only someone overleveled would be able to clear them out.


    Given that it was Day 56 and the fresh monsters were level 56, he wondered if that was also why the factions had dictated that only the exceptional would exceed a level a day. He shook his head, realizing he was going too far in crediting the aliens. There was no way they had accurately predicted mana concentrations and densities when they varied across the planet. Not a chance.


    He reevaluated his thoughts, and came up with several of his own theories for why the alignment in days and levels. The top option being that the stage closest to the surface was closest to the standard that the factions were actually familiar with. After all, levels were supposed to slow down as the assimilation progressed and people reached higher echelons. The one day, one level rule wouldn¡¯t make sense for a sliding scale.


    Coop watched the shrimp wrestle with one another, slamming their claws against carapaces with brutal wet slaps and snagging the smaller forearms with their graspers. They really had an even match of physical defense and striking power. Whichever one of these two specimens won, Coop could only say that it would take a long time to determine the victor.


    He was forced to bypass the belligerent pair and head down another unexplored trail. One of the last branches from this particular crossroads. Coop had given himself a new mission, and he would take it on with gusto. Cull the shrimp.

 Chapter 119: Admiralty

    Marcus stood proudly with both of his hands on his hips as he observed Ghost Reef¡¯s brand new Admiralty and Marine Affairs Office. The expensive construction would empower their navy, unlocking further specialization, and it would allow the sailors to receive passive training, education, and unique skills. It was something between a naval academy and maritime department for the settlement. The features could be utilized by regular residents as well, which was the intended purpose of such a service, but in Ghost Reef¡¯s case, it was almost entirely for the phantom inhabitants. They were effectively specialized residents in the eyes of the system. But if regular human residents were interested, they would have a pathway to joining the navy.


    Captain Kayla nudged him to get his attention, always with her casually disarming charm. ¡°So, what do you think?¡± She asked, referring to the new construction as it stood in all of its grand majesty. The fresh white columns stood in contrast to the slightly gray clouds that blew across the horizon. Thunderstorms appeared to be on the forecast, but they were still firmly in the dry season, according to Coop. Marcus watched the clouds reflecting off the three stories of tall luxurious windows with a raised eyebrow, doubting the expertise of their Champion a little, and not for the first time.


    ¡°A bit fancy for you lot, isn¡¯t it?¡± Marcus remarked, referring to the rabble of gambling pirates sloshing drinks back and forth on the brand new docks of the Basic Port. Less than half were bothering with any appearance of productivity while the rest just enjoyed their time, taking advantage of literally any excuse to celebrate. In this case, a new marina was justification enough. The night before had been a rowdy party as the settlement received the ships that had been defeated during the siege event, though the crews remained absent with the rest of the phantoms. The Fearless and Sea Burial Corvettes had been brought back and Marcus had witnessed some of the hardiest seeming individuals weep with joy as they swept their hands across the decks of the respawned ships. He slowly shook his head at the memory of the sight.


    The last round of purchases had gone to developing Ghost Reef¡¯s maritime capabilities specifically to benefit the same pirates who seemed happier with a pair of dice and a bottle of alcohol. They were an island settlement, so they couldn¡¯t neglect naval facilities, even if the prospects weren¡¯t gearing toward their maximum potential.


    ¡°Maybe...¡± The Tempest Fleet Pirate Queen cryptically responded, though her expression was clearly hinting that she wouldn¡¯t be uncomfortable with high class amenities despite her preferences remaining less elegant. Marcus wondered how much of her crew shared her opinion, but he was sure they would follow her lead regardless. That was one thing he was sure about the phantoms, they were loyal to the last. He would be glad to have the ones they lost back.


    Marcus had to admit he didn¡¯t actually know much else about the phantoms, or any of his other new colleagues for that matter. In the past, he had staff who would provide background information on individuals he was meeting with, but times had changed quite drastically. He was standing in front of a series of magical constructions that hadn¡¯t existed the day before. That was proof enough of the major alterations his life had undergone.


    The Admiralty was a large rectangular building that called upon colonial stylings. It was three stories tall and wide enough to mirror the entire seawall¡¯s length. The bulk would have been a problem, as it obstructed a portion of the southwestern fort wall, blocking the cannon portals of the lower levels, but the Admiralty itself was heavily armed and fortified. The building was designed to withstand a naval siege on its own, despite its fancy furnishings, and considering the eponymous reefs that surrounded the settlement in every direction, the only threat of a waterborne attack was at the port that it now looked over. The lone channel through the reefs would lead directly to the freshly constructed defenses. Regular ships wouldn¡¯t be able to approach from any other side.


    The southern wall of the fort, which was currently the subject of the first round of repairs, would protect the port from any land based assaults, leaving the crossroads in front of the moat bridge as the choke point toward their maritime structures.


    Marcus had hesitated before spending so many basic credits on anything that would go outside of the protective fort walls, fearing their destruction, but he had been convinced after understanding the design of the factionless buildings. They were designed to be frontline defenses for settlements in the first place. The location on a narrow strip of dry land between the moat and the marina further increased the entire settlement¡¯s safety.


    The Basic Port replaced the previously limited seawall with robust docks, extended piers, and simple wooden cranes. They could support a dozen ships the size of The Eye of the Storm, which meant that the Tempest Fleet would finally be whole once the settlement accumulated enough mana to summon the rest of the ships and sailors, they were still missing two unsummoned Corvettes, and they had the capacity to continue to expand.


    Along with the port, they had also constructed a Shipwright and Drydock where the seawall ran up to the edge of the moat. Kayla¡¯s captains were already working with the alien artisan with the goal of producing ships that could match the abilities of the phantom ships. They believed it was possible thanks to the inundation of spectral mana within the settlement¡¯s territory, and Marcus had no reason to contradict the idea. It would be a boon to have the option to expand the navy¡¯s best features. The homefield advantage of ghost ships combined with the shallow reef meant that their security was extraordinary. The additional costs were akin to upgrading equipment from Uncommon to Legendary, but they would pay happily.


    The Siren herself had received an official promotion with the construction of the Admiralty. The new building had provided its own advisor slot, so she was now an official advisor of the settlement, similar to Marcus, only her system access was limited to maritime affairs, where he had responsibilities that encompassed the entire settlement. Her new designation meant that she could take care of the navy without the Champion¡¯s direct oversight, and by proxy, his own. Given the phantoms¡¯ absolute loyalty, they were ideal candidates for increased responsibilities.


    Marcus and Kayla completed the inauguration of the Ghost Reef marina with Kayla examining the facilities while Marcus went back to his other duties. He headed toward the town hall to reconvene with the town clerk. The alien bird preferred to monitor the settlement through the town hall¡¯s menus, so only Marcus was ever out and about.


    Marcus was thrilled by the rapid development that had been taking place. Other than the repairs to the walls, they had already gone far beyond what he and Zakronaw had outlined. It was mostly because of Coop¡¯s unbelievable last minute contributions. The Champion of Ghost Reef had filled their depots with Rare materials that the contracted aliens eagerly purchased at exorbitant prices. Coop may have fully funded the settlement for the foreseeable future and it appeared he was just making space in his special stash. Marcus thought it was ridiculous, but would happily leverage Coop¡¯s contributions in order to prepare the settlement for the upcoming challenges.


    He wondered what else the Champion would pull out of the mana well. It had already been two full days since Coop went inside, and judging by the leaderboards, things were going marvelously. The residents were determined to have Ghost Reef mirror his progress while he was gone.


    Ghost Reef¡¯s school would be finished today, to the relief of Laurie and the other parents. They had consistently hounded Marcus about setting up a daycare for the children and he had done them one better thanks to another of Coop¡¯s offhanded suggestions. They even had three teachers who had volunteered to either come out of retirement or return to their previous profession, so Marcus selected one of them to take charge of reestablishing a curriculum that incorporated an orientation to the system and mana. Later, they would invest into a system Academy, but they all wanted the children to start with a human perspective before the aliens taught them anything as several parents were concerned about outsiders indoctrinating the next generation.


    Marcus even planned some adult classes, providing the skills necessary for phantoms and human residents to take on official roles in specific situations they anticipated popping up. They would be prepared to act as junior diplomats, legal advocates, or immigration officers, and anything else any volunteer could think of. The residents of Ghost Reef would be strong and dynamic.


    In the meantime, Marcus was filling the surface of the settlement with a mixture of services, to power the economy, and residential buildings, in anticipation of increasing the population. If they didn¡¯t upgrade the settlement soon, he would be able to have at least one of every single service type offered by the system at their current level, but they only had another week or so before the upgrade would be attainable. The only reason he didn¡¯t construct everything at once was to give the current human residents an opportunity to establish their own venues with manual construction before filling every available niche with an alien contractor. He had already completed all of his quests for this stage in the settlement¡¯s life, so he didn¡¯t have any reason to push it.


    Coop¡¯s intention to treat the entire assimilation as a united humanity versus the Primal Constructs was persisting even though the Avatar had revealed mana as a shadowy force behind a similar existential threat. They were still aiming to be a sanctuary for anyone that desired it.


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    It all lined up with Marcus¡¯s personal philosophy. Everyone had a personal strength, something they could contribute, and it was society¡¯s job to afford everyone the opportunity to explore those strengths. Ghost Reef would give everyone that chance.


    His first impression was that Coop was too unconcerned, nonchalant, and therefore unreliable. Marcus considered himself good at reading people, but Coop was someone that had thrown him off. Marcus blamed the circumstances for his inaccurate, or rather, incomplete read on the Champion. Coop was definitely too casual, an actual beach bum, but he wasn¡¯t unreliable. In fact, Marcus believed his nonchalance was a key factor in his successes. Coop was able to go with the flow even when the circumstances were caused by an alien apocalypse. Who else would just shrug when faced with potential eradication? Marcus was organized and intuitive, a good administrator, Kayla was an effortlessly natural leader but even more so, a survivor. Someone like Coop was indomitable. It was the Champion¡¯s personality that permeated across the settlement.


    They had more than enough room on the island. The fort itself was large enough to encompass a high density city, and the underground caverns doubled their space for the immediate future, with potentially more. Gibson¡¯s party had already found options to continue even further underground if expansion was necessary, but he doubted they would need to go beyond the series of pearlescent chambers that extended below the fort, not after they started unlocking more upgrades for existing structures as the settlement advanced.


    Balor had completed his citadel around the civilization shard, to Zakronaw¡¯s delight, and was already working on his next grand project. A tower that would stand on top of the sinkhole that formed in the center of the northern town circle. Apparently, the stonemason had been planning on cracking the hole open himself, but the Excavators had beaten him to it. He wanted to establish a gateway that would lead deep underground into a space that Marcus didn¡¯t fully understand.


    The tower would protect the entrance from both sides while providing some method of traversing the distance down. For now, it would be the entrance to and from the pearlescent chambers. Later, when they were ready, it would take them further below.


    Marcus was halfway from Balor¡¯s preliminary construction to the town hall, strolling across the gray stones, when the fort¡¯s alarm bells began ringing a warning. Marcus stopped and listened to the convergent chimes.


    ¡°Three vessels. West, Southwest. Threat unknown. Identity unknown.¡± Marcus mumbled to himself as he counted the gongs of each bell. The phantom pirates had developed their own code in their previous lives which had now been adapted for Ghost Reef¡¯s use. To outsiders the ringing of multiple bells would just sound like arbitrary noise, but there were carefully communicated messages hidden inside.


    Off duty phantoms and pirates jumped to attention as the various bells simultaneously relayed instructions for the different groups. The phantom soldiers were preparing the cannons on the appropriate side of the fort while the pirates ran to the marina to man the new defenses in the Admiralty, rushing to board The Fearless and Sea Burial, or heading to the canal where the two remaining battleships that almost always lingered near the shard these days, The Eye of the Storm and Windchaser, waited, preparing for a defensive fight if necessary.


    Marcus paused, unsure of what he should do as the de facto leader while Coop was absent. He knew the Champion would want to be the first to meet the potential intruders, solo if possible, but Marcus was much more of a diplomat or legislator than a frontline warrior. He slowly wandered back toward the entrance of the fort, hoping to receive some more information before making a decision. A wraith teleported to his side, answering his internal call, when he approached the canal bridge.


    ¡°Ah, Mary-Anne, what¡¯s the status?¡± Marcus prompted as one of the few remaining messengers, after the decimation of the siege, joined his side to relay a report.


    ¡°The ships appear to be salvaged human fishing trawlers rather than system constructions. They are similar to Windchaser in size but lack sails. No signs of weapons, minimal crew visible on deck. Captain Kayla is escorting the greeting committee herself with Charon¡¯s Sea Burial. She suggested that you prepare to receive their leader.¡±


    ¡°Have they indicated why they want to meet?¡± Marcus asked, hoping to prepare as much as possible in advance.


    ¡°They haven¡¯t. The Siren has simply guaranteed that she would retrieve their leader for you.¡± Mary-Anne clarified.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Marcus acknowledged, wondering if giving the pirate queen more authority was wise after all. She wouldn¡¯t shy away from starting an international incident, but he still trusted her judgment enough not to second guess her outloud. ¡°In that case, we can make use of the new Admiralty¡¯s facilities. Could you send Shane and his party as well?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Mary-Anne nodded and promptly complied with a teleport back toward the fort¡¯s entrance.


    Marcus turned around once again, feeling a bit embarrassed by the repeated motion, and marched straight to the town hall, double time. The palm trees in the central median swayed in the breeze as the wind picked up slightly. The weather continued to threaten to change despite the wet season being months away. He pushed through the double door entrance and stepped through the threshold.


    Once he was inside the open auditorium, he let the town clerk know the situation. Meeting a foreign dignitary was something he had actually done a few times in the past, and the sessions always occurred in private lounges separated from office spaces, because they almost always occurred as a photo shoot more than an actual meeting of the minds. Zakronaw informed him that there were protocols in place for faction meetings within the town hall, but that was for after the assimilation was complete. Interactions between settlements were up to them. Marcus didn¡¯t want to escort a potential enemy through the middle of their settlement, so they wouldn¡¯t use the town hall for this purpose.


    He went through a recessed door in the side of the auditorium to change his clothes. He had a suit and tie prepared by the clothier specifically for emergencies like this. When he returned to the auditorium, in a fresh suit for the first time since the apocalypse, Emmanuel was there with Laurie and Gibson. They obviously wanted to know what the commotion was about, and how they could help.


    ¡°Hey, Marcus, what¡¯s going on?¡± Emmanuel asked and the other two joined him in waiting for the explanation. The perpetual hospital bouncer rarely left his post without his wife unless he was heading for his gym, so seeing him inside the town hall was unusual.


    Marcus kept it simple. ¡°It seems we have some unknown visitors. I¡¯ll be receiving them at the new port in order to ascertain the purpose of their visit. If possible, I could use your cooperation to present Ghost Reef in the best light possible.¡±


    Emmanuel nodded along. ¡°What do you need?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want us to project weakness. Could you play doorman for the front gate?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s no problem. I¡¯ll get Buck to join me.¡± Emmanuel agreed, puffing up in a way that revealed he knew exactly how to project steady confidence through physicality.


    Marcus continued. ¡°Laurie, could you gather people and have them go shopping along the main street? I think it would be best to hide our currently diminished population by presenting a bustling town center. I don¡¯t intend on inviting them inside, but we can at least be ready, just in case.¡±


    The young mother nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll get everyone involved. I can even make Greg have a free coffee promotion, I bet we can get a line past the deck in a few minutes.¡± She chuckled, happy with the business¡¯s early success. It was already a staple of Ghost Reef.


    ¡°Perfect.¡± Marcus gladly accepted the cooperation. ¡°And Mr. Gibson, would you mind having your party enter the citadel? Just in the off chance we need to defend the shard.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely. Especially if we can have some free drinks while we enjoy the new gardens.¡± The man agreed.


    As they dispersed to accomplish their newly assigned roles, Marcus jogged across the settlement, flinging his tie over his shoulder, feeling silly for going back and forth so many times.


    Within the admiralty building, he entered a reception hall adjacent to the entrance. It was really just a small dining room, best for taking lunch or tea with one or two others at a large square table, but it would work for his purpose. He moved around the table, and after unbuttoning his jacket, and smoothing his shirt, took a seat in the comfortable, plush sofa chair on the opposite side from the door. He had to consciously keep his foot from bouncing as he found himself slightly nervous. It was the first time he was officially representing his new home, one that he already cared about deeply, so he was feeling the pressure. When he fixed his posture, he realized just how much Coop¡¯s nonchalance had begun to influence him. He never would have slouched in the past.


    A light knock preceded Arthur¡¯s entrance. The older man was dressed like a butler, with a white cloth over one forearm and a pair of spotless white gloves that were extremely out of place given the casual atmosphere of Ghost Reef, but here was Marcus in a suit and tie. Frankly, they both fit the admiralty building perfectly.


    ¡°How much sugar do you take with your tea?¡± Arthur asked.


    ¡°One teaspoon.¡± Marcus answered.


    ¡°Excellent. If you¡¯d like to end the meeting, ask for another cup with two.¡± Arthur responded.


    ¡°Hopefully, that won¡¯t be necessary.¡± Marcus wishfully noted. ¡°But, we both know how Coop¡¯s little meeting with the Empire went.¡±


    ¡°It worked out fine.¡± Arthur pointed out as he backed out of the room, not as squeamish as someone like Marcus.


    Marcus took a deep, steadying breath and thought it was good they were already getting some use out of the expensive building he had purchased. He really didn¡¯t think they needed to worry about violence given the relative strength Ghost Reef enjoyed after catapulting the residents through levels during the siege event. There wasn¡¯t a combination of people on the planet that could fit on three ships and successfully challenge them, but Marcus wasn¡¯t the kind of person to relish in the thought of combat, no matter if the outcome was all but guaranteed.


    A few minutes later, Marcus had calmed down, and Arthur escorted the visitor through the door.

 Chapter 120: The Envoy

    Arthur used his gloved hand to prop the solid wood door to the private reception hall open. His smooth motion seemed practiced and allowed the stranger to enter first without exposing his back to the stranger at any moment. The faux butler continued to hold the door as Captain Kayla followed their guest through the threshold. The pirate captain walked with her cutlass already drawn, its slightly curved blade flashing in the light, but the stranger didn¡¯t offer any resistance as he quickly made his way inside.


    Marcus stood up from the comfortable seat and offered his hand in greeting after rounding the dark wood table. Maybe it was a bit on the nose, but he saw the opportunity to play the good cop to Kayla¡¯s bad cop, so he took it. If it got them a few answers, like where this guy had come from and what he wanted, then it would be fine. He inspected the stranger using his Hierophant based aura skill, called Thoughtful Guidance, which had the additional benefit of revealing each stat where his target had a lower value than his own.


    [Human (Level 66)]


    [-Agility]


    [-Mind]


    [-Intelligence]


    [-Acumen]


    Marcus acknowledged that the man had an impressive level for anywhere except Ghost Reef. It wasn¡¯t all that special in the island settlement after the first event, but that meant he was probably favored wherever he came from. That implied that he was most likely dealing with someone with a clear purpose.


    Based on the man¡¯s attributes, Marcus knew he had invested into Strength and Body, and therefore, he could surmise a bit about his class archetype. It wasn¡¯t a perfect guess given the diversity of classes out there, but a guess based on stats was as reasonable a starting point as any. Marcus was a few levels lower, at 60, but he had distributed his attribute points into a wider variety of stats due to his class¡¯s variety of beneficial skills.


    The man¡¯s equipment appeared to be basic, with a dark gray, loose fitted shirt that was tucked into dark pants, an off white, open robe that draped over his shoulders, and dirty wrist wrappings that went up into his loose sleeves: not something a faction would have provided. His hiking boots seemed as out of place for a sailor as the layered clothing did for the tropics, and Marcus adjusted his assumptions regarding his origin. Nothing about him indicated he was from a nautical settlement other than the fact that he had arrived via the sea. Mountains or jungle, Marcus guessed.


    The stranger also had a long chain necklace that hung all the way below his chest. A large round pendant was attached to the end of the chain, weighing it down, with what appeared to be the hieroglyph of a skeletal face surrounded by intricate triangular patterns inlaid into silver and gold rings. The only other piece of equipment he wore was a black skull cap that barely covered the crown of his head and caused his hair to splay out. He supposed the stranger¡¯s clothing fit the bill for a traveling priest or monk.


    The man¡¯s demeanor was odd. His dry, salt-reddened eyes were open wide, unblinking, as if he was surprised, but his focus was firmly in front of him rather than seeking threats. Marcus blinked as he inadvertently imagined the dryness and his own eyes watered.


    ¡°Would you mind introducing yourself?¡± Marcus prompted as they exchanged a firm handshake. The other man gripped for a moment too long, but released before it became rude enough to acknowledge. Marcus had been subjected to similar attempts at power moves many times before, but some people did such things unconsciously. It seemed likely that this guy had presumed he was Marcus¡¯s superior based on his level alone, despite essentially being Kayla¡¯s captive. Marcus was detecting mixed signals, but he could accept that their guest was just a weird guy.


    The man responded as they both sat down on opposite sides of the table. ¡°I am merely an unworthy acolyte, but I have been sent as an envoy to bring you into the fold.¡± He stated without further explanation.


    Marcus waited a second before he tried to encourage the strange man to continue. ¡°An acolyte? Of what?¡± He tried, conversationally, though he had several more questions already.


    ¡°An acolyte, for now.¡± The envoy corrected. ¡°This mission will elevate me to priesthood.¡± The stranger declared happily before he leaned forward. ¡°Are you the Champion of Ghost Reef?¡± His eyes finally moved up as he concentrated on Marcus, though the man began scratching at his neck, a potential nervous tick.


    ¡°No.¡± Marcus answered and as the guest refused to elaborate, so did he.


    Marcus glanced at Kayla, wondering if she had exposed them as Ghost Reef, but she shook her head, clearly understanding his questioning look. It was possible old world knowledge had carried over and the islands just happened to be familiar. Marcus supposed it didn¡¯t change much if outsiders knew the name, because, when it came to their safety, the location was the important part, and this stranger was already on the island. Ghost Reef was already exposed globally, but its immediate identification certainly added to the questions Marcus would like to have answered.


    ¡°I would like to speak to the Champion of Ghost Reef.¡± The self-proclaimed envoy leaned back into his seat and seemed to search for something on the ceiling before glancing at the docks through the window to their side. ¡°It¡¯s a matter of great importance. It would be best if he decided whether to accept or not right away.¡±


    Marcus swallowed a sigh before he supplied some conditions. ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to answer some questions before you meet any Champions¡­¡±


    The acolyte nodded while staring at the table, apparently willing to compromise. ¡°I can only answer what I can.¡± Both of his hands continued to grip the armrest of the chair.


    Marcus raised an eyebrow, but started asking what he wanted to know. ¡°Are you representing a specific faction?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The acolyte shook his head. ¡°My faction directed me to claim a civilization shard in their name when they sent me back from receiving my sponsorship after just one day. If I had followed their instructions, I would not be here today. No, we have no need for factions.¡± His eyes shifted up toward Marcus. ¡°I hope that is not a problem.¡±


    Marcus waved his concern away, and continued with his questions. ¡°Then what settlement did you come from?¡±


    ¡°It is unimportant, I have not spent much time inside any settlement.¡± The acolyte vaguely answered. ¡°We only need one shard in the end.¡±


    Marcus frowned. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°To bring Ghost Reef into the fold.¡± The acolyte repeated his original message. ¡°I was granted the honor of traveling to Ghost Reef immediately after the siege event. The incredible performance of this settlement drew attention.¡±


    ¡°So, is this a diplomatic meeting or what?¡± Marcus asked, feeling more annoyed with each answer.


    The acolyte moved his head back up, as if he hadn¡¯t exactly considered it that way. ¡°Yes, it could be a diplomatic meeting. You see, we have already determined the best way to win the assimilation. We need to consolidate the planet¡¯s power to defeat the invaders. In my capacity as envoy, I am merely a conduit, and I am meant to incorporate the overwhelming strength of Ghost Reef for the good of us all.¡± The acolyte gave Marcus a genuine smile. ¡°I am sure that we will come to an understanding once I have been able to explain everything to the Champion.¡±


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    Kayla was scowling from where she stood behind the acolyte, and while Marcus kept his expression neutral, he resonated with her feelings. On the surface, it seemed like they had mutual goals. But, Marcus was suspicious of this acolyte¡¯s intentions. Where Ghost Reef was interested in defeating the invaders and viewed a united humanity cooperating as the correct approach, this envoy had presented a consolidation of power as their strategy. There were different ways to interpret words like consolidation, and Marcus wouldn¡¯t have them be subjugated. However, the acolyte really didn¡¯t give off the appearance of someone immersed in the nuance of his statements so it was possible they were being overly concerned. Really, his insistence on meeting their Champion was the biggest red flag.


    ¡°Is this a roundabout invitation to join your settlement? To consolidate power?¡± Marcus tried to get some clarity.


    ¡°Oh, no, not a settlement, and not yet. You have too much potential to bring in too soon.¡± The acolyte explained, but Marcus had no intention of being brought in at all. ¡°If you didn¡¯t have a settlement¡¯s territory for protection, we would consolidate right away, yes, but Ghost Reef can still flourish. We wish to see you thrive first.¡± Marcus struggled to keep his neutral expression, but Kayla was making a face like she smelled something foul.


    ¡°So what? Are you offering an alliance between your forces and our settlement?¡± Marcus queried, carefully gauging the acolyte¡¯s body language.


    The acolyte ducked his head and smiled again as he responded. ¡°Yes, an alliance of sorts, but there are conditions that must be discussed with the Champion.¡± He glanced over his shoulder toward Kayla before he returned to facing Marcus. ¡°Tell me, can I also meet the one called Coop? I am personally very interested in him.¡±


    A light knock interrupted them with impeccable timing and Arthur returned with tea, saving him from dancing around Coop¡¯s identity. There was no way any settlement would let this acolyte meet their Champion. He was just too suspicious. A message could easily be relayed without a face-to-face meeting.


    Arthur carefully poured for both of the table¡¯s occupants, subtly observing as he did so. The acolyte was shifty, but he still didn¡¯t seem threatening, returning his focus to the table. Marcus took one scoop of sugar with his cup and the meeting continued after the acolyte put five scoops in his own. Arthur¡¯s composed exterior was morphed with disgust as he watched the stranger add an unreasonable amount of sugar to his drink, but he cleared out with his poise intact.


    Marcus sipped his tea and came to terms that this meeting wasn¡¯t really going anywhere. The acolyte seemed completely unable or unwilling to offer the transparency they wanted. It wasn¡¯t a total waste to speak with him. They had confirmed some information that had previously only been conjecture, such as the location of Ghost Reef being identified and the siege event drawing attention to them, but this acolyte wouldn¡¯t expose his mission to them willingly and they wouldn¡¯t expose Coop to him either.


    They would have to rely on their accumulated strength to keep the settlement safe with its location exposed, but they were in good shape even before they had reinforced the phantoms. As far as he was concerned, they were negotiating from a position of power with someone who didn¡¯t understand their capability.


    Marcus put his cup back down and restarted their talk. ¡°If you want a message delivered to our Champion, we can make the arrangements, but otherwise you won¡¯t be getting a meeting. If you need to return to wherever you came from, to speak to whoever sent you, in order to get permission to reveal your intentions, you are free to do so.¡± Marcus gestured toward the door. They would resort to tracking the stranger back to wherever he came from if necessary. ¡°If you seek an alliance, you should offer some incentive. If you need help, you should ask straightforwardly.¡±


    The acolyte didn¡¯t appear surprised to be shown the door. ¡°I can¡¯t return yet. He would be disappointed if I returned so soon.¡± He stated somberly as he stood up.


    ¡°Who? The one who sent you here?¡± Marcus questioned, hoping to at least get that much.


    The fervor that climbed into the acolyte¡¯s expression as he focused his undivided attention on Marcus after previously not giving much eye contact at all made Marcus uncomfortable. When the acolyte spoke, he did so solemnly. ¡°Chakyum, the Lord of Death, who has returned from ruling over the Underworld in order to aid us in this global conflict. It is he who shall save us and all he asks of you is to consolidate your power with his.¡±


    Marcus almost rolled his eyes as he opened the door for the acolyte to leave. He wanted to sarcastically ask why he hadn¡¯t said the Lord of Death was calling in the first place, of course they would let him meet the Champion. ¡°Right,¡± Marcus shook his head. It sounded like more pumped up Chosen, riding a high from being sponsored, giving themselves useless titles that they thought sounded cool or intimidating. They had enough of that with the Endless Empire.


    ¡°Well, give the Lord our greetings.¡± Marcus stated cheerily, hoping it didn¡¯t come off as sarcastically as it felt.


    ¡ª


    Coop blew air out of his nose dramatically. The coral platform could really use some nice comfortable furnishings. The amount of time he spent swinging his legs over the side or laying on his back while waiting for his mana to recuperate was pushing his tolerance to the limit.


    He fantasized about making a pleasant lounge area to relax in, right there on the coral, though he wasn¡¯t sure if the mana well was stable enough for any permanent features. It was too bad the mana well was basically a bubble that excluded itself from the settlement¡¯s territory. If it was inside the territory, he was sure he would have been able to add modifications that suited their purpose. An outpost that served as a jumping off point for grind zones, filled with entertainment and comforts to pass the downtime would be perfect, like a proper adventurer¡¯s guild house.


    He took another deep breath, daydreaming, and watched the ceiling pulse with luminescence. Sure, he could admit that he had bitten off more than he could chew when he decided to clear out every single overleveled shrimp before he left. It was true, but it was also a worthy undertaking with benefits for himself as well as the residents of Ghost Reef.


    The coral colony was massive, and he could see that with his own eyes, but what he hadn¡¯t fully appreciated was the internal scale of the natural formation. Thousands of shrimp was almost certainly an underestimation when he had initially assessed their population.


    His last ten runs had all been into the interior of the coral pyramid. That was where most of the unaccounted for enemies had awaited him. The coral colony wasn¡¯t a condensed pile of corals with a winding exterior, but actually an interwoven pattern of spiraling surfaces. The surface area was significantly greater than Coop had originally estimated because there were paths running through the center of the corals in addition to the edges.


    Coop exhaled through his pursed lips and watched as floating microorganisms soared through the air from his breath. The mana well was a lot like being underwater, only with creatures and light debris traveling along currents of mana instead of liquid. The creatures that managed to hover along tended to be extremely light, at least where he was, near the surface. The lower stages might hold some surprises in the future. He¡¯d already witnessed several shrimp using their tails to ¡®swim¡¯ through the air as they sought unclaimed territory to establish their mana baths.


    Coop had spent hours observing the habitat and was really coming to appreciate the combination of alien and familiar features. The Coral Forest was fascinating, but he was really feeling ready to finish the last few runs and head back to the surface with the good news that his residents would be able to utilize the coral colony for grinding. If he took too long, the shrimp that claimed the spots he left open would level up too much and force him to re-clear before his companions could make use of the grind zone. They were leveling up at a steady rate while they passively absorbed mana.


    He had gone on dozens of runs already, running his resources down with Legacy of the Mists until he needed to wait for his natural recovery to refill his mana pool. Practical Application lowered the cost of Legacy to 487 which was good progress, but indicated that it would be a significant amount of time before the cost became negligible so that he could avoid downtime. Each run took around two hours in total, including his break time and depending on how quickly he found new monsters on his routes.


    Even though it was nothing like his marathon grinds, Coop had been inside the Coral Forest for almost four days, with three in his fight-break holding pattern after he found the colony. He sighed, glad that at least the extended duration of his quick trip wasn¡¯t due to getting lost.


    Reviewing his notifications, he could confirm that it had been an extremely productive expedition. He had entered the mana well in the afternoon of Day 55 at level 100. It was Day 59 and he was level 117. Somehow, he was still finding incredible opportunities to make massive leaps of progress, long after the generally accepted wisdom stated that experience gains would slow down. It was a good thing too, considering the threat that mana¡¯s Eradication Protocol could present. What would it even look like when mana broke free from the system¡¯s limitations? Coop figured he would worry about it when he got there.


    Unfortunately, the experience the shrimp monsters had been yielding had steadily diminished until he felt like he wasn¡¯t making any progress from defeating them at all. Without quest chains, the rewards he was receiving had been relegated to basic credits. His last level had come approximately 500 kills previously. That was the main reason he wanted to get out of the mana well. If he wanted to continue to progress, he needed to go deeper, or go somewhere else, and he wanted to report the situation so that his residents could take advantage of the well as soon as possible.


    He watched as his mana ticked upwards and prepared to make his last run.

 Chapter 121: The Ravenous

    Coop followed what was becoming a familiar route through the coral maze. The winding trail continued until he reached a massive junction of spiraling pathways. The reddish pink and violet corals opened into a space that held dozens of shrimp monsters that were around level 60, evenly spaced and idling in their positions while sending challenging clicks at each other, warding each other off from their claimed territory. Coop had previously cleared the area, but the vacant spots had already been refilled. It seemed as though the area was in high demand. He assumed that meant the quality of the mana currents was increasing as he traversed the pathways toward the central core of the upper colony.


    He ignored the respawns to concentrate on his destination. There was only one trail he had yet to follow. Once he cleared the final pathway, it would mark the end of his self-imposed expedition. Defeating every overleveled One That Hunts was a mission that had proven to be too ambitious, so he had reluctantly compromised with his sense of completion and opted for a reduced goal. Instead of ridding the entire coral colony of every single higher level shrimp, Coop had adjusted his mission so that he was only ridding the top portion of the pyramid of the more threatening enemies. The residents would be able to use the initial coral platform that Coop used to rest as a jump off point, as long as they didn¡¯t decide to venture lower into the depths. Sometimes adjustments were necessary, so he conceded part of his mission, confident that he could return later and pick up where he left off.


    Pushing past a curtain of waving anemones, Coop followed the last path as it ramped into the exact center of the gargantuan foliose coral. Coop expected to find a large enclosure that could easily hold dozens of monsters based on his trips around the perimeter pathways. The mana currents that flowed through the passageways all led to the central core, so he prepared to face a slightly more difficult challenge than the previous few thousand shrimp. Maybe they would be closer to his current level and reward him with some undiminished experience.


    ¡°Fingers crossed.¡± Coop whispered to himself. He wouldn¡¯t say no to a few more levels before he temporarily wrapped things up in the mana well.


    Coop carefully chose his footing as he stepped into the dimly lit coral passage. The flowing bioluminescence revealed a tunnel that reminded him of the ones created by Felrog. The interior pathway was flat on the bottom with a perfectly symmetrical horseshoe shaped top, and large enough for a full-sized train to comfortably pass through. In this case, the walls weren¡¯t smooth, nor were they iridescent, contrasting with the pearlescent chambers. The corals had naturally formed the tunnel, layer upon layer of mana-reinforced calcium carbonate.


    The feat of construction was especially dramatic when considering the tiny polyps remained their pre-mana, miniscule size. The main oddity caused by the presence of mana was that the polyps were excreting their exoskeleton bases in the opposite direction from the surface of the colonies. They were growing inwards instead of upwards without the sun to guide them. The result was that none of the fragile marine invertebrates were exposed on the external surfaces of the coral. Instead of filter feeding on ocean currents, they were capturing pockets of mana and bathing themselves in the unusual energy in safety and seclusion. That was why they had been unusually resistant to damage.


    Coop considered if there was a lesson to be learned from the way the mana well¡¯s coral polyps had adapted to being inundated in excess mana. They weren¡¯t Chosen, but they were effectively utilizing mana in a way that normally would only be possible through tools that the system provided. The presence of the mana well was an unusual situation, but the fact that the simple invertebrates almost seemed to hijack mana was interesting. It was the sort of adaptation that he believed could have been produced by millions of years of evolution. Coop wondered if mana¡¯s presence had already influenced some species¡¯ development even before it had been activated, or if rapid mutations within the Coral Forest had been the culprit of the coral polyps¡¯ adaptation. Coop suspected that it was the latter.


    As he walked along the path, a light breeze provided a gentle tailwind, ruffling his hair and carrying tiny specks of bioluminescence and the occasional abnormally large radiolarian. The tiny geometric creatures with silicate shells were normally too tiny to see, but inside the mana well all sorts of rules were broken. Everything he witnessed was normally underwater, for starters.


    The coral tunnel gradually began to expand as Coop kept walking toward the core of the colony. Other tunnels connected to the growing space, each providing its own gentle breeze, joining the main funnel in traveling inward. It was a bit like walking through some sort of passive wind tunnel, like his aerodynamics were being observed and tested.


    Coop remembered one of the times Charlie visited him at Ghost Reef, she had been excited to tell him about an article she had written for the park, needing him to get some underwater pictures. The subject had been the different species of porifera, sea sponges, that were native to the local reefs. She explained that the structure of the sponges passively adapted to local currents in order to take maximum advantage of filtering the water. Coop felt like a similar phenomenon was occurring inside the coral colony, but with mana instead of water.


    When Coop finally reached the core, he knew he had arrived at the heart of the colony. In the center of a massive open chamber, the mana currents all combined and formed a slowly rotating vortex that was only visible thanks to the tiny zooplankton that were swept along until they reached the ceiling and scattered along the roof. When they reached the outer walls they sank back down where they were picked back up and dragged into the gentle whirlpool.


    Coop took a moment to admire the incredible spectacle as he stepped past the threshold of the tunnel and into the open space. The core of the coral colony was at least as large as the pearlescent chambers beneath the fort, if not larger. It was lit by incredible blue and green bioluminescence that had gradually collected along every surface, but was especially dense in the center where the currents combined. The central feature was the unhurried twister where the mana currents intertwined until it seemed like a slow motion tornado held the entire chamber up like a magical column. The calm flow was almost lazy, but Coop instinctively knew the air was thick with mana, sensing that it was energized in some mysterious way.


    As he watched, stunned by the spectacle, he noted that the currents appeared to be flowing around some sort of central structure. In between clouds of plankton and bioluminescence he occasionally caught a glimpse of smooth dark brown wall. It was difficult to spot because it reflected the light, but there was something solid inside the vortex. As he watched for another peek, he saw the wall again, shiny and multicolored.


    Given that he had made it to the core and not found any more Ones That Hunt, he thought his mission was complete. It was time to head back to the surface. Discovering the incredible exhibition of mana currents was a pretty neat reward, but he figured he should stay on task and remember his original purpose. A spot where such an incredible amount of mana flowed would definitely have some equally impressive jewels forming. Coop didn¡¯t want to leave behind treasure without even a cursory search.


    Coop stepped forward until he could pass through the whirling mana vortex, seeking a gap in the wall, or any type of groove where the tiny jewels would form. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t pass through anywhere. The shiny wall seemed to be the limit for the mana currents as they flowed around the perimeter until they reached the ceiling. Coop tapped at the wall with his warhammer, finding the smoothness to be much more like a shell than any of the other coral walls.


    The idle observation allowed him to finally connect the dots of what he was observing, he stepped backwards, eyebrows climbing as the breeze pressed against his back. A giant shell inside of a whirlpool of mana? He didn¡¯t need more than one guess why that seemed like a familiar setup after days inside the mana well. As the realization dawned on him, the wall seemed to expand outward, passing through the mana vortex and steadily following Coop. The gentle swirl of mana became a chaotic cloud of stirred vapor as the focal point for the currents disappeared and they all shifted and collided with one another, churning in an expanding zone in the center instead of flowing up toward the ceiling and out to the edges.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    The shell continued to unfurl, revealing scutes of fire engine red alternating with mahogany brown along a massive carapace. Coop inspected the monster he had inadvertently discovered lounging in a dense mana bath. If there was a Stage 1 boss, this was it, for sure.


    [The Ravenous (Boss Level 125)]


    [(Agility)]


    [First of the Hunt]


    Coop leapt forward, seizing the initiative and swinging his warhammer at the head of the monster while it adjusted its bulk to climb onto its segmented legs. The giant shrimp had been curled on its side with its cylindrical carapace awash with mana, but as it stood, it gradually revealed its true size. Coop¡¯s hammer smashed against the crown of its head as it rose, with a huge leap to keep it in range, but the monster didn¡¯t flinch, absorbing the strike with an intimidating indifference.


    Coop landed and backed away while his Fog of War spread across the chamber, mingling with the gentle mana currents and filling the room. He watched as the shrimp fully hoisted its body up until it stood 25 feet tall, dragging a thick lobster tail behind it, with eight pointed claws rising above its shoulders like segmented flagpoles, and dozens of smaller graspers stretching from its torso. He considered retreating, but didn¡¯t want to leave before he tested the boss. The last time he left a boss alone it had returned with a vengeance, and he¡¯d rather not have a repeat of the same situation.


    Coop threw his brittle shield up toward the monster¡¯s face, and instead of defending itself with one of its eight claws, it let the shield crack against its forehead, then ignored the harmless ethereal shards. Instead, one of the claws twitched and Coop reflexively flinched away as Presence of Mind barely warned him of the motion. The tip blasted into the ground like an abrupt thunderclap striking where Coop was standing a split second previously. The attack emitted a massive amount of heat that, even without a direct hit, caused Coop¡¯s skin to redden and sweat.


    The claw actually left a perforation that hissed in the cooler air, with a molten center, and lined with charred rock, in the coral surface. It was the first time Coop had seen anything have an impact on the coral¡¯s structure at all. Even if it was merely a four foot divot, he worried it would have been a deadly blow if it struck him directly and that was ignoring the impact of the incredible heat at the tip of the claw.


    Coop steadied himself as his Fog of War completely filled the chamber with a thin mist, churning along with the mana currents, but remaining undiminished. He already knew the shrimp monsters were extraordinarily resistant to physical damage, which normally would have made them extraordinarily difficult opponents for Coop to handle. Legacy of the Mists had been carrying him by providing magic damage that perfectly countered the smaller variants, but the attacks were limited by mana. He had already dumped 4,000 of the essential resource on Fog of War, so he needed to be tactical with his strikes or he would run out of mana before he defeated the monster. The shrimps weren¡¯t Primal Constructs, they didn¡¯t have a red light highlighting their weakness, and Coop wouldn¡¯t be recovering any mana from his Reaper title, so Coop decided to jump straight to his standard backup plan. He had 12 attacks before he would chew into his allotted Mind over Matter buffer.


    A phantasm leapt toward the monster¡¯s right flank while Coop summoned a solid shield. The plate-armored ghost smashed its mean looking spiked warhammer into the giant shrimp¡¯s ankle. The segmented leg was as thick as a tree, but the magic damage caused an explosive reaction, tearing a chunk from the monster¡¯s lower left leg. Coop dove out of the way of another claw strike while the phantasm struck a second time and disappeared. The monster maintained its balance while Coop rolled back to his own feet. 11 phantasms to go.


    A second phantasm repeated the attack, smashing the weakened ankle twice before disappearing in a puff of mist. The Stage Boss teetered to the side just as it tried to strike Coop with a third claw. The attack went wide, leaving another indentation in the coral floor. The boss smashed its freshly shortened leg into the ground to recover its balance. Coop knew that these shrimp monsters had poor lateral movement and if he could disable the legs, he had a good chance of picking it apart. He had 10 phantasms left.


    Coop adjusted his position, sliding away from the front of the shrimp toward its undamaged side. He prepared to attack the opposite base leg, this time two segments up, at what he would call the knee, though it was inverted on the shrimp. This much larger shrimp didn¡¯t need to charge toward him to put the claws into range, so Coop wasn¡¯t worried about its tail continuing to provide mobility. He just wanted to make it so that the monster wouldn¡¯t be able to turn to face him.


    As he cast Legacy of the Mists, sliding to the side of the monster and anticipating the phantasm¡¯s attack, he was forced to raise his shield as the monster revealed surprising articulation of its claws. One of them twitched and struck at Coop while he was flat footed from readjusting his position. Coop reflexively summoned a second phantasm to buffer the unavoidable attack as he raised his shield and braced as best he could. He fully expected to be injured.


    The claw exploded against his phantasm¡¯s ghostly kite shield, causing the summon to burst into smoke, then smashed into Coop¡¯s own shield with a sound that ran throughout the chamber. Coop didn¡¯t have his feet planted, so he flew backwards and rolled along the rough coral surfaces until he bumped into the perimeter wall with enough force to knock his breath out.


    The ethereal shield had split in half and dissipated from the direct impact, and Coop used his hand to check his arm, shoulder, chest, and stomach for injuries. His skin was raw from the heat and he felt lucky everything was functional after such a powerful blow connected. When he raised his fingers to his face to look for blood he was surprised to find none, and he didn¡¯t have any debuffs from broken bones or torn muscles.


    Coop stood back up, awed at his improved durability. If this was before he had the Defiant title from defeating the first Siege Boss, he was sure he would have broken at least a few bones. The Blight Howler had broken his ribs by knocking him into a tree and Felrog had torn his hamstring and broken bones with much weaker attacks than what The Ravenous had just landed.


    He flexed his singed, but otherwise undamaged shield arm and looked up at the approaching shrimp monster. Coop couldn¡¯t help but grin at his foe. The fact that such a powerful monster could land such a mighty attack and he could walk away from it was practically a miracle. He dismissed his warhammer and summoned his morning star, feeling like he was the one that deserved the boss title now. He had 8 phantasms left.


    Coop stayed on his toes as he and the shrimp boss closed the distance between each other. He might be durable, but he wasn¡¯t unbreakable, so he had no intention of getting hit again. Now, he knew the claws could strike in a much wider arc than he anticipated, but his own range was almost as impressive thanks to Legacy of the Mists.


    A phantasm leapt from the mists around the monster¡¯s left flank and landed a devastating overhand blow against the shrimp¡¯s weakened knee. The monster began toppling forward with its momentum carrying it toward its opponent. Coop summoned another phantasm, directly in front of the monster, and the phantasm launched a massive uppercut from beneath the falling shrimp, smashing through the monster¡¯s jaw in an explosion of sharp teeth and chitin, before disappearing.


    The shrimp barely paused, surprising Coop when its grasping claws braced its body against the ground and prevented it from fully collapsing against the coral floor. Of course it could crawl. It was finally moving like an actual shrimp, instead of some kind of dinosaur, rushing forward with a slap of its tail while its graspers carried it along the ground.


    Coop strafed, trying to maintain his distance with a mid-range position, but the dangerous claws triangulated toward him. They moved like antennas, keeping the point directed at him while the ones that had already been fired slowly retracted back into their folded firing positions. Coop went all-in, deciding to conclude the fight or retreat after a final salvo. The fact that the shrimp had become more mobile after he disabled the legs was irritating, but it also put its head within the strike zone of his phantasms.


    He summoned a phantasm, which slammed its ethereal morning star into the back of the monster¡¯s head. Before it disappeared, a second phantasm smashed from the opposite side, combining its force with the recoiling monster. Coop summoned two more phantasms to repeat the attacks, then another directly in front as the monster hesitated in its rush to close the distance toward him. The forward phantasm struck the damaged jaw of the shrimp, causing it to buck backwards.


    All five summons disappeared in puffs of smoke and Coop called his final allotted phantasm above the shrimp¡¯s back and watched as it slammed the top of the monster¡¯s head. The graspers that were powering the monster¡¯s movement all stopped at once, flailing out from both sides of the creature as it went still. The giant shrimp slid on the ground, kicking up small bits of debris from the coral surface, before coming to a rest directly in front of Coop¡¯s position.


    Coop was spotlighted by the glow of receiving a level while the huge monster¡¯s corpse started losing color and disintegrated into mana smoke.

 Chapter 122: Oathsworn

    Coop leaned on the end of his ethereal morning star¡¯s handle, slowly shaking his head at the development of his build. The ramping challenges were clearly meant to be undertaken by parties, where individual weaknesses could be covered by allies and strengths could be exploited by a larger group. A powerful, physically resistant enemy should naturally be the target of pure casters supported by the disadvantaged fighters.


    Normally, an individual wouldn¡¯t be capable of easily addressing their weaknesses and they would be forced to rely on others to fill gaps in their kit. A physical fighter couldn¡¯t jump into dealing magic damage without a significant investment into different stats, skills, and therefore levels and time. More importantly, they would be neglecting their current line of progress to start another from scratch. If they invested stats into Intelligence it would come at the expense of Strength, making the change a complicated proposition.


    The factions recognized the obvious situation and determined that hyper focused individuals assigned to parties was the optimal solution. Meet a magically resistant enemy that is immune to blunt damage? Have the casters focus on crowd control and distraction, and swap the hammer warrior for a sword wielder.


    Coop¡¯s Revenant class was certainly an exception. His Mind-based build allowed him to bypass a significant portion of the investment and almost all of the drawbacks with simple passive skills, and more importantly, investing in alternatives didn¡¯t deprive his established strategies from further development. Every point of Mind was increasing his Strength and his Intelligence simultaneously and the only cost was the consumption of a single skill selection for each attribute.


    Coop slowly ceased shaking his head in disbelief and nodded once to himself in acceptance. He dismissed his morning star and summoned his spear and shield in anticipation of some travel. It was mission accomplished in the mana well.


    Admittedly, he had adjusted the mission a few times to make it feasible, but he counted the expedition a success either way. The top half of the coral pyramid was prepared for Ghost Reef¡¯s challengers. As long as they didn¡¯t venture too far into the depths, there shouldn¡¯t be any surprises awaiting them.


    Coop walked across the core chamber of the coral colony to check the center for treasures. The mana vortex had slowly formed a slightly different pattern with the absence of the One That Hunts bathing in the middle. The currents weren¡¯t driven up to the ceiling without the guidance of the creature¡¯s shell. Instead, they formed a whirlpool of glowing vapors that gradually filled the bottom of the core chamber. The gradual flowing pattern made it seem like he was walking on luminous clouds that were drifting in an alien sea-green sky.


    He waded through the slow moving currents, completely unable to feel them, as he approached what could have been a still image of the eye of a shrunken hurricane. His hopes for an epic treasure weren¡¯t fulfilled, but he still managed to snag a handful of glowing jewels. They would certainly be useful for arrays as they matched up with Garod¡¯s description of valuable materials. These were definitely the best haul he had acquired during his trip, but Coop had dreams of unique and legendary items to empower his friends.


    On his way back out, he checked the notifications received from defeating the boss shrimp. Coop didn¡¯t get his hopes up, knowing that the mana well monsters were slightly different from the invaders, with altered designations that didn¡¯t perfectly align with what he was familiar with. The ¡®Elite¡¯ Level monsters counted as normal, so he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if even the boss was just another regular monster, pumped up with mana.


    [You defeated The Ravenous (Boss Level 125)]


    [+251623 Basic Credits]


    [+2 Kinetic Destruction Gem (Legendary)]


    [+3 Kinetic Guardian Crystal (Legendary)]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Quest Complete! Trophy Hunter]


    A quick glance was all he needed to realize his assumptions were wrong. The giant shrimp had counted as a real Boss, completing his Trophy Hunter quest, and rewarding him with boss materials.


    ¡°Nice¡­¡± Coop silently jiggled his spear in contentment.


    Coop followed the coral passage back toward his rest area and considered the implications of the monster at the core of the colony counting as a true boss. Normally, the bosses he had fought were essentially improved versions of the monsters they represented. Thankfully, regular monsters never had all of the abilities that the Field Bosses wielded, and the Field Bosses had their own special designations with unique names and classes. In essence, they were completely different evolutions from normal variants.


    The Stage 1 Boss had really just been a much larger version of the rest of the Ones That Hunt, using the same abilities, just stronger, and with a name. As strange as that was, Coop thought it might be a blessing. He knew that when he cleared one of the mana baths, a different monster would promptly claim the spot. That meant this coral colony could be a farmable boss location. He just needed to wait for another Elite One That Hunts to bathe in the central vortex until it mutated to the next tier. The Field Bosses he encountered would gradually have their arenas overtaken by settlement territories and Coop thought that meant it was unlikely they would have a chance to respawn. The mana well, on the other hand, would remain in its own pocket, independent of Ghost Reef¡¯s territory.


    Mana wells were definitely living up to the hype as valuable domains. Between the experience, resources, and materials, Coop expected Ghost Reef to have a lot to gain from farming the zone. Especially, if it was a perpetually renewable location.


    Coop checked what his Scavenging quest, Trophy Hunter had rewarded him with. Once again he lowered his expectations. He just hoped the Scavenging quests would continue to upgrade his passive looting. The previous quests, from back when he first received his profession, alternated between upgrading quantity and quality of his scavenged loot. The pattern was right on the money. The reward was another of the very simple upgrades. It was a quality upgrade, but this time he was excited by the prospects. He would now be able to loot Unique items from some boss level monsters.


    That meant relics and artifacts might come from Field Bosses, or even the respawned One That Hunts Stage Boss. He had only seen two other uniques and both had come from the Breathless faction that sponsored the Zombie Lord. The Spectral Relic and the Splinter of Ashen Legacy were certainly valuable gifts provided to their Chosen, and Coop hadn¡¯t been exposed to anything like either since then. Coop had already felt incentivized to hunt the powerful bosses when he spotted them, but now that he knew he would be able to reap the crafting materials necessary for the master crafters of Ghost Reef to create unique class items, he definitely needed to make finding bosses a priority.


    Coop was feeling giddy about the future as he checked his status to let the good times continue.


    [Status]


    HP - 9560/9560


    MP - 10262/18120


    Class - Revenant (Level 118)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 98)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 50 (+1812)


    Agility - 50 (+906)


    Body - 50 (+906)


    Mind - 1510 (+302)


    Intelligence - 50 (+1812)


    Acumen - 50


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion III, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper, Slayer IV, Dauntless, Stacked, Defiant, Siegebreaker


    Skills (Active) - Retribution+, Salvation, Presence of Mind, Fog of War


    Skills (Passive) - Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (17/50), Defeat Ancient Devourers III (0/250), Defeat Primal Serpents III (0/250), Defeat Primal Kites III (5/250), Upgrade Village to Town


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Basic Credits - 3,714,117


    There weren¡¯t any real surprises other than the unbelievable pace of class levels. It was practically 20 levels in almost 5 days. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t entirely sustainable since he needed to wait for the monsters to accumulate levels before he could gain experience from them again, at least when it came to Stage 1 of the mana well. Stage 2 would surely have its own challenges and rewards to match them. If nothing else came up, he¡¯d be happy to jump back in after spreading the word of the opportunities to the residents of Ghost Reef, although he might aim for another Slayer chain completion before he came back. Alternating between the two grinds made sense to him given how one gave more experience per monster while the other gave profession levels instead.


    His basic credits were piling up again, but now that he knew they were only a tiny fraction of what factions wielded, he wasn¡¯t as impressed with his total. He had a sneaking suspicion that his crafters would be absorbing a significant portion of whatever he gathered, once he started looting unique materials from bosses, in order to get access to their services.


    Other than the major changes to his level and credits, he had completed the Trophy Hunter quest. It was one item crossed off from his to-do list, at least. His mind was drawn back to the partially completed Slayer quest chains. He wanted to target them as well, especially since he knew there were several other variants within the settlement¡¯s territory just waiting for him to engage.


    The Defiant title deserved special recognition as well. The additional durability had already made itself known in the fight against the Stage Boss. Coop felt certain that without the title, he would be nursing a few annoying injuries until he could get Madison to heal him. It was about time his durability caught up with his sustain. How much longer would it be until he could consider himself at the level of a boss? Coop shrugged, thinking that maybe he already could.


    Leaderboards were next! Coop was already sure of his position, but he could still enjoy the positive reinforcement, so he pulled the list up.


    Day 59


    <ol>


    <li> Coop (Level 118)</li>


    <li> Ich-Hau (Level 115)</li>


    <li> Charlie Seraphin (Level 80)</li>


    <li> Ix-Hau (Level 77)</li>


    <li> Victor Burke (Level 76)</li>


    <li> Adrienne Peletier (Level 75)</li>


    <li> Edmond Leclair (Level 75)</li>


    <li> Camila Alvarez (Level 74)</li>


    <li> Israa binti Yusri (Level 74)</li>


    <li> Ak-Hau (Level 74)</li>


    </ol>


    ¡°Oh?¡± Coop didn¡¯t like seeing how close one of the Hau individuals had managed to get to his position. They had even leapfrogged Charlie. How did those people keep making those massive jumps in level?


    The only reason why Coop kept leveling in huge bursts was because he kept finding formidable enemies. Slayer quest chains weren¡¯t responsible for the majority of his growth anymore, though the stat bonuses were what elevated him to the realm of power that led to his success in the first place. The Siege event had pushed him way forward and now the mana well had given him another boost, but both were only rewarding because the enemies were pushing the envelope of power to what he presumed was the system¡¯s limit. Even if he looked back, defeating elites on the oil rig had jump started his progression in a big way and he was barely prepared for that after his first Slayer title.


    It was nice to see both Charlie and Camila reaching the top tier as well, but this Ich-Hau individual had absolutely exploded in levels. It was the second time Coop had anticipated his growth to be unparalleled, only for one of these mysterious strangers to overshadow his increase in levels with an even larger increase. At least this time Coop had started with a big enough lead to keep it. He was still annoyed.


    Coop strongly suspected that the rest of the names were brand new because other people were falling into the same pattern as him. There were other groups exploiting mana wells by now, and some of them had probably started even while the settlement event was occurring.


    He shook his head to himself as he mistjumped through the Coral Forest, heading back to the entrance. Droplets of seawater splashed against him as he manifested on new coral platforms. The Ones That Hunt had resumed their sentinel duties, though he confirmed that they all remained below level 65. They ignored him as long as he didn¡¯t disturb their mana baths, and he left them for his residents.


    The monsters inside the mana well appeared to gain around two levels a day once they positioned themselves within the mana currents. He wasn¡¯t sure what determined their initial level, but the lowest he had seen was 56 which was roughly a baseline of one level per day. The way he saw it, the lower level was a rising tide that as long as his residents could manage to defeat, would lift them all up. If Ghost Reef could maintain a level a day for every person that wanted it, they would be unstoppable. The regular Primal Construct monsters would be the stepping stones that were settled by the territory, but the mana well would be a launch pad for those that could make use of it.


    Without any combat, he made quick time traveling back to the mana well¡¯s entrance. The distance between the coral colony and the mana well¡¯s surface connection was probably only about a mile, but since it was uneven terrain consisting of coral platforms with waiting monsters and physical obstructions Coop couldn¡¯t just launch his spear and mistjump across. He wondered if the boundary of the well increased the further down it went.


    Beneath the entrance, Coop took a moment to admire the sheets of water cascading over the edges and gazed up toward the sky. The open sky was a welcome relief from the incessant dripping of the coral ceiling. It seemed like he had just missed the sunset, but there was still enough light to see churning thunder clouds above Ghost Reef. Coop realized the drizzle wasn¡¯t from the waterfalls. It was the first rain of the year, though the gentle misting hardly qualified as rain.


    Coop tossed his spear over the edge and mistjumped back to the surface. The fresh air that filled his lungs was a welcome change. The damp caverns made the humidity before a rainstorm seem positively refreshing and he embraced the feeling. After a few deep breaths, he started wading through the shallow water to the island.


    Coop scanned the horizon as he casually pushed through the water. When something caught his eye he paused and squinted. There were three fishing boats accompanied by one of the ghost pirate ships in the distance to the west, beyond the reef.


    ¡°Hm.¡± Coop thought that was an interesting development. It seemed like visitors had arrived while he was occupied in the well. Coop thought it was a strange coincidence that he had fought all those shrimp monsters while potential shrimp boats were on the surface. It seemed like he would need to get himself updated when he got back to the fort.


    There weren¡¯t any Primal Kite ambushes on the way toward the shore, so he made quick time. When he arrived at the end of the beach, beneath the towering lighthouse, he was distracted by the idea of turning in for the night. It had been a few days with nothing but short naps on the uncomfortable coral platforms, so the bed in the lighthouse practically screamed for him to go enjoy its comfortable embrace. Unfortunately, he¡¯d spent enough extra time down among the corals, neglecting the settlement, so he trudged along the clean stone path to meet with either Shane or Marcus to find out what he missed. He could at least take some of his Champion responsibilities seriously.


    Halfway across the island, Coop could already see that the fort was unusually lit up with dancing flames along the southern wall. The brand new marina looked amazing, even from a distance, and he promised himself to make a thorough visit in the daytime. The big fancy building really made it seem like they were a functioning town with proper governance. The twin trebuchets, one on each end of the roof, only added to the grandeur. If he was on one of those fishing boats, he would have stopped before entering the channel as well, just in case someone was a bit trigger happy on the siege equipment.


    As he approached the crossroads, he encountered a strange situation. There was an individual man standing in the sand before the moat¡¯s new bridge with both of his arms spread, shouting a conversation with several residents on the walls as he kept his distance. The brand new gate was firmly shut.


    Coop meandered closer, down the middle of the damp path not doing anything to mask his presence beyond simply being in the dark of night. It was clear the residents were antagonistic toward the visitor, but he found it odd that they didn¡¯t simply expel him if he was a problem. The southern wall had begun with repairs, but Coop noted a few fresh signs of damage and wondered if the stranger had been the cause. It looked like boulders had been tossed into the exterior wall near the front entrance.


    ¡°...Be embraced by Chakyum! Join Chakyum in victory over the invaders!¡± The man was proselytizing in front of the entire fort. He sounded frustrated as he continued to rave. His message wasn¡¯t being embraced by the listeners in any way, shape, or form.


    Coop shook his head at the oddity. He didn¡¯t interrupt, letting shouts from the wall tell the man where he should shove Chakyum, and chuckled at the vulgarity.


    At least with the Empire, he had the impression that most of them weren¡¯t really zealous believers, and were just flying the banner out of convenience. They believed in safety in numbers more than anything else. It was uncomfortable to Coop when someone actually deified their faction, whether it was the God-Empress of the Endless Empire, or whatever this Chakyum was about. Every fanatic he had encountered ended up fighting him to the death.


    All the togetherness and embracing that this man was advocating didn¡¯t sound all bad. Consolidating power gave Coop the impression he wanted to turn Ghost Reef into a subordinate state, but he could be forgiven for misunderstanding their position, given the diminished population. Then he heard the guy mention consumption and Coop raised an eyebrow.


    A golden arrow zipped through the air at the man, fired from the eastern edge of the southern wall, near where the original breach had appeared, apparently trying to find an angle that caught the man off guard. The arrow left a trail of glittering sparks, but before it struck the stranger, a dark green energy shield intercepted the projectile, revealing an even greater transparent proximity shield that engulfed the entire area around the crossroads, including where Coop was already standing. If anyone tried to leave the fort, they would also end up inside the shield. It seemed like that was the plan. The man was challenging anyone that dared to come into melee range.


    Coop¡¯s eyes followed the green forcefield as it pulsed and faded before he spotted floating debris at the apex of the larger shield, each bit shining in the flickering illumination of lit torches along the walls.


    The debris appeared to be tiny gold or silver triangles that darted along the exterior as if they were microorganisms with minds of their own. The stranger never stopped speaking, even when the golden arrow was snuffed out by the dark green energy shield. He was obviously confident in the protection skill he had incorporated. Coop finally inspected the man¡¯s aura as he continued to half negotiate and half threaten the residents who were clearly fed up with being his audience.


    [Oathsworn Human (Level 115)]


    [Son of the Forgotten (Strength)]


    [Chosen of The Venati Collectors]


    [(Malignance)]


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop muttered to himself, surprised for the second time by a level 115 in a relatively short period.


    This was the second highest level human on the planet, Ich-Hau. It had to be. That might partially explain why the residents were hesitant to deal with him. He doubted anyone was even able to identify his level. Even if they could overwhelm him, they would be risking injury or worse engaging with him, and the situation didn¡¯t seem to actually be that urgent. Coop hadn¡¯t heard any whispers of the guy¡¯s faction, either.


    Coop distinctly remembered how the Zombie Lord had believed he was doing what was best for humanity as they joined an unknown galactic community. While the message was vaguely similar to what this stranger was spouting, and he also had a suspicious title, there was nothing else that clearly indicated he was representing the undead in any way. Still, Coop saw where this was going; the same was as the time on the oil rig. The oathsworn fit the bill of another fanatic, and a powerful one at that. Coop didn¡¯t like the way the guy was throwing his weight around, and he¡¯d come to the wrong place to do it.


    Coop cast Fog of War and let a wall of fog slowly drift out of the darkness toward the back of the stranger at the edges of the torchlight. The man continued to demand an audience with the Champion of Ghost Reef in a way that sounded like he would have an audience whether they brought him out or not. Coop allowed the mists to welcome the stranger to his domain. His wish to meet the Champion would be granted.

 Chapter 123: Ghosts in the Mists

    The stranger stopped shouting at the night sky with his arms spread when he was fully engulfed in the fog. The transparent shield seemed to only prevent external attacks, having allowed Coop to approach without warning the stranger and letting Fog of War spill beyond its threshold. The light drizzle continued to sprinkle through the shield as well, but it did little to diminish the mists. The oathsworn spun around, seeking the source of the sudden bank of fog to no avail.


    ¡°Finally!¡± The man seemed relieved. ¡°The first tribute from Ghost Reef¡­ I welcome it!¡± The stranger shouted into the mists, taking a combat stance as if he had been instigating the fight from the beginning.


    The oathsworn grunted as he flexed twice in a most muscular pose and his body immediately doubled in thickness, shredding his dirty white robes and exposing tight skin rippling with muscles. He repeated the motion and doubled again, as if he was being inflated with energy. When he went for a third boost, Coop¡¯s spear pierced his flank. The turbulent trail that followed the spear only existed for a brief moment before the rest of the fog consumed the disturbance and erased the trajectory.


    ¡°Ach!¡± The stranger coughed, caught completely by surprise and barely maintaining his balance in the sand.


    The tip only pierced a few inches through the man¡¯s waist even though Coop had meant to end the fight with the opening strike. Coop resummoned his spear as the man¡¯s meaty hands gripped the shaft and began to pull the tip out. The ethereal weapon disappeared from his grasp as if the fog itself swallowed the spear, causing his hands to involuntarily clap together.


    The man abruptly laughed as his wound rapidly healed with muscle fibers intertwining like strings followed by skin regrowing over the hole. ¡°Come! Enrich Chakyum with your power!¡± He spoke in an inhumanly deep voice that matched his freakish build. Blood dripped from his chin as he turned to face the completely wrong direction. He was clearly confident in his powerful physical resistance, but his Mind stat and aura skill left him to the whims of the fog. The Ones That Hunt had been even more resilient, with the ability to counter his fog, and they had ended up fueling Coop¡¯s progression. This Oathsworn had bitten off more than he could chew.


    Coop swapped his weapon and cast Legacy of the Mists, still standing in the middle of the path, surrounded by thick billowing clouds of fog that rolled across the sand like a vaporous storm, taking his time as he felt completely in control of the fight.


    A phantasm leapt through the mists from a different angle and sliced the back of the oathsworn with a ghostly sword. The blow cut deep, revealing the man¡¯s lacking magic defense relative to his physical protection. The man spun with abnormal speed, twisting his torso with unbelievable flexibility and blindly punched through the obscuring fog. When his fist struck the phantasm¡¯s shield, a bang reverberated through the fog as it billowed away, revealing a ghostly knight in plain metallic armor before refilling the gap. The oathsworn¡¯s wrist broke with a snap, leaving the phantasm with an opportunity to counter attack with another slice, cutting deep into the stranger¡¯s thigh before abruptly disappearing into the fog.


    The man shouted in pain and frustration as he lost track of his target and yet another phantasm struck him from behind, forcing him to wheel around again, flailing his uninjured arm while the other rapidly repaired itself. ¡°Honorless cowards!¡± He yelled and Coop scoffed at the exclamation. Coop may not have any real interest in taking lives, but it had nothing to do with honor. ¡°I demand a duel!¡± The man screamed.


    ¡°This is a duel.¡± Coop muttered to himself, letting the sounds be smothered by the mists, never reaching his opponent¡¯s ears. This stranger sure was demanding, but the idea of unspoken gentlemen''s agreements after an apocalypse was questionable at best, especially after shouting threats and challenges for anyone to hear. He was sure it was a simple ploy to avoid defeat. It seemed his opponent was truly confused because he believed he was being attacked by a coordinated squad. Fog of War lived up to its implicit promises.


    Coop flexed Presence of Mind, trying another of the feints that hadn¡¯t worked without Fog of War, pretending a ghost was gearing up to attack the man¡¯s flank again. The man spun and punched at the ghost, finding nothing but fog. He bellowed in growing rage as Coop made another discovery about his skills. Fog of War was a necessary base for magnifying Presence of Mind and their synergies shouldn¡¯t be underestimated.


    Coop tried again, spinning the man around with the impression of attacks; an imaginary onslaught leapt at the man from different directions in the fog, but none of it was real. Until it was.


    When another phantasm sliced at the man¡¯s neck, he panicked. He held his neck while he sprinted through the fog, away from the ghost. Perhaps he was seeking the edge of the domain, to buy time for his healing skill, or simply hoping to collide with his opponent, but his bearing was wide. He was running toward the scrubland with stomping feet that made him seem like a frenzied monster, kicking up sand with each heavy step. It seemed like he thought he could make distance and regroup if he moved fast enough.


    Coop summoned another phantasm as the man crossed his path and the ghost clotheslined him with a sword, ending the completely one-sided fight with a decisive blow. The green energy shield disappeared and the tiny triangular shards fell straight to the ground where they disintegrated on the sand.


    The oathsworn¡¯s headless body remained upright in a shocking display of balance. One moment he was sprinting across the sand, and the next moment his body was completely stationary, adjacent to a smug looking ghostly shieldmaiden, twirling her sword like a toy until she burst into mists herself.


    Coop tilted his head curiously, waiting for the body to tip over, carried by its momentum, but it stood motionless like a swollen scarecrow guarding the foggy crossroad from seagulls. Whatever boosts the stranger had used to physically bulk his body hadn¡¯t dissipated with his death and Coop wondered if he was somehow still alive. It wasn¡¯t like Coop understood the limitations imposed on mana.


    Before Coop had a chance to cast Legacy to summon another phantasm for a double-tap, Coop noticed the body started to swell. Presence of Mind combined with Fog of War to bring his attention to the subtle change right away. The stranger¡¯s body was already abnormally large, but that didn¡¯t stop the muscles from ballooning even further. Coop backed away immediately, expecting the worst, but thankfully, it didn¡¯t explode.


    Instead of a violent eruption, dozens of formless shadows shot from cracks in the skin. Coop paid close attention, raising his shield, but even Presence of Mind struggled to follow them as they were incorporeal. Once they were freed, they shot toward the cloudy night sky like leaking balloons, disappearing into the light rain. One after the other, the blobs of mana flew upwards, leaving Coop¡¯s fog behind as if it did nothing to confuse them. Coop tried inspecting one, but received nothing in response. They didn¡¯t seem to be entities recognized with an aura.


    The stranger¡¯s body shriveled as each one left, shrinking back to a normal size, then even smaller. The wisps of energy quickly disappeared in the light drizzle, and after the last one was gone, the body completely disintegrated, turning into ash that filtered away, much like the gold and silver triangles. Coop finally received the delayed notifications confirming his opponent¡¯s defeat.


    [You defeated Oathsworn Human (Level 115)]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    Coop shook his head, thinking that was weird, disappointing, and sad. He walked through his familiar fog toward the fort. The residents seemed tense as they watched his silhouette, until he stood in the flickering light of torches at the end of the moat when they finally relaxed.


    ¡°I¡¯m back?¡± Coop clumsily announced. It seemed like the standoff between the defenders and the oathsworn had been going on for a while. More than one face peeking above the ramparts seemed relieved that he had returned in time to end it before it got ugly.


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    Shane began dismissing and reassigning the defenders while the gate opened and Marcus exited in a hurry. Marcus clearly wanted to start explaining, but Coop interrupted him.


    ¡°I killed that guy. Should I take care of his friends? Maybe capture them?¡± Coop asked, pointing toward the fishing boats, obscured by the darkness, but certainly still there.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, he was alone.¡± Marcus reassured him, and led him inside.


    Coop followed, but was confused. ¡°He came alone? With three boats?¡±


    ¡°Well, he didn¡¯t start alone¡­ Let me start from the beginning.¡± Marcus tried to organize his thoughts as the pair entered through the front gate and walked along the smooth stone street, glistening from the gentle rain that continued to fall. Phantoms and residents alike streamed back into the central area of the fort, leaving the walls to those on duty. Apparently, the oathsworn drew the defenders out as if they were being raided.


    ¡°The boats arrived a couple days ago and he presented himself as a foreign dignitary establishing relations between settlements. I met with him, diplomatically, to learn their intentions. He claimed to be an envoy, sent to recruit Ghost Reef, but he was obnoxiously vague and his demands to see the Champion were suspicious enough for us to turn him away.¡± Marcus seemed worried that he hadn¡¯t done a good enough job representing them, but Coop didn¡¯t see it that way.


    ¡°Seems fair enough to me.¡± Coop reassured him. He had only listened to about a minute of the man¡¯s threats before he realized the guy had bad intentions, even if the specifics weren¡¯t clear, and that was coming from someone like Coop, who wasn¡¯t exactly trigger happy, willingly giving the benefit of the doubt to most people.


    Marcus sighed. ¡°The only thing he really told us was that he was here on behalf of Chakyum, the Lord of Death and ruler of the Underworld, and that he would become a priest after successfully incorporating Ghost Reef into the fold.¡±


    ¡°Nothing about that sounds like a good reason to develop friendly relations.¡± Coop pointed out. Someone with a title like Lord of Death should probably be suspect by default.


    ¡°No kidding.¡± Marcus agreed. ¡°The envoy refused to actually leave, though. He returned to his boat and conducted some kind of ritual that involved breaking a large talisman that he wore then boosted his power in an instant. When he first arrived he was only level 66, but after that his level was unreadable. You¡¯re the only other person that would have an unreadable level to everyone here, so we figured who he was by process of elimination.¡±


    ¡°You think that talisman was some kind of experience booster? A faction item or something?¡± Coop asked, curious. He had repeatedly wondered how other people were leveling, especially when they were at the top of the leaderboards. He wouldn¡¯t put it past the system to allow experience items to float around.


    Marcus scratched at his sideburn before he responded. ¡°I didn¡¯t see it myself, so I¡¯m not sure. Kayla witnessed the whole thing and tried to interrupt whatever was happening, but that energy shield was impenetrable and we didn¡¯t dare rush in without more information. She suggested the talisman was a defensive item and the levels came from the sacrifice of the crew. When the acolyte arrived, he wasn¡¯t alone, but after the ritual, the boats were completely empty¡­¡±


    Coop grimaced at the logical conclusion that revelation drew. ¡°Well, that¡¯s no good.¡± He conceded. ¡°Get Amanda to find where he came from. If there¡¯s a faction near enough to come here that¡¯s actively sacrificing people for levels, I want to know where it is so that I can put a stop to it. Especially if they¡¯ve put us on their radar.¡± Coop shuddered at the thought, realizing that Ghost Reef was probably specifically targeted for that purpose, like the settlement was a giant experience farm waiting to be harvested once ripe.


    Marcus nodded. ¡°I think that would be prudent, although he was pretty adamant about them not being a faction. More like a cult of personality around Chakyum, but they must be based somewhere. We can¡¯t do anything without some reconnaissance first. His actions really put some of his words into context. Consolidation sounds a lot more like being sacrificed in order to accumulate experience.¡±


    Coop nodded before he changed the subject. ¡°Did I miss anything else?¡± He asked as they approached the civilization shard. Marcus was heading to the town hall, but Coop wanted to enter the tavern to debrief with Shane and Arthur.


    ¡°The port is complete, the pirate ships have been returned without issue, the reinforcements should be ready alongside the upgrade, a few more buildings were added like the school, and the repairs are going faster than expected.¡± Marcus briefly summed up the last few days of settlement progression. ¡°Oh! Madison will be ready for you within the next two days.¡±


    ¡°Finally.¡± Coop sighed in relief, glad to be getting rid of the blood curse once and for all. ¡°How unfair is it that the Empire¡¯s Chosen were given such overpowered artifacts?¡±


    ¡°I believe the blood curse is only so effective while we are all still at a low level.¡± Marcus pointed out. ¡°If there¡¯s another faction that may be handing out experience tokens that can boost 50 levels in an instant, the Empire¡¯s artifacts might not seem all that special.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I suppose the Zombie Lord had unique items way too early as well.¡± Coop conceded. ¡°Could you send Shane and Arthur to the tavern so I can let them know about the mana well? I think it¡¯s gonna be an excellent place for the residents to level, but it¡¯s going to need constant maintenance or it¡¯ll get too strong again.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send a messenger.¡± Marcus confirmed as he would also need to summon the Outrider to begin her scouting mission.


    The pair parted ways and Coop turned to the Clumsy Shark and let himself inside. The warm glow from the fireplace gave the tavern a welcoming appearance compared to the drizzle outside.


    A stream of residents entered along with Coop as the mostly empty seats slowly became occupied. Maeve and Desmond were both actively directing people to tables and serving drinks as they came in.


    When Derek spotted Coop, he put his guitar down and jumped up. ¡°Over here!¡± He called from the corner, getting the attention of a dozen people. When a pair of phantoms started approaching his table, he waved them away dismissively. ¡°Not you.¡± He waved aggressively and shouted again. ¡°Coop! Come over he, mate.¡±


    The other residents at the entrance realized the Champion was among them and parted ways respectfully. Coop sighed and went ahead and joined Derek at his table.


    ¡°Don¡¯t need to make a big scene, dude.¡± Coop complained as he took a seat.


    ¡°If it¡¯s gonna get crowded, I might as well get the best service with the local Champion.¡± Derek rationalized conspiratorially. ¡°You take care of that weirdo that¡¯s been at the front gate shouting all day? Is that where the crowd is coming from?¡±


    ¡°Yep, I guess so.¡± Coop confirmed.


    ¡°Thank goodness. I¡¯m like 90% sure he was planning on eating us.¡± Derek made a face and shivered. Apparently, even he had been exposed to the shouting at the front gate.


    ¡°What other stuff was he saying?¡± Coop asked. ¡°I only heard a bit, but even I won¡¯t let someone come to our front door and threaten us like that.¡±


    Derek nodded in understanding. ¡°I think he was more of a monster than those Siege Bosses. He was all about Earth being consumed by darkness and the only way to prevent it was by joining his boss-man, Chumyum, or whatever.¡±


    ¡°Chakyum, I think.¡± Coop corrected, but not hating Derek¡¯s interpretation.


    Derek shrugged before putting his elbow on the table and leaning on it. ¡°He wasn¡¯t happy about being turned away by Marcus, so he was appealing directly to the people. Tried to convince us to let him in and have him guide us into his embrace. After a few hours of that, he wanted us to drag Marcus and you out so that he could free us from your oppression. It was like some kinda door to door salesman with regime change as his product.¡±


    Maeve appeared briefly with a pair of mugs. She placed them between Derek and Coop before smiling at Coop and moving on to the next table.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t he just force his way in?¡± Coop wondered.


    ¡°I think he was trying to win our hearts and minds first. I figure, once he realized he was barking up the wrong tree, that was next. Turn us all into tributes immediately instead of letting us fatten up.¡± Derek smirked and tapped his head with his finger. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been hanging out in here all day, can¡¯t eat me if I¡¯m protected by the demons.¡±


    As he smiled the door opened again and Shane and Arthur both entered, scanned the room until they found Coop, and headed straight for the table he shared with Derek.


    ¡°Mate, why didn¡¯t you tell me you were here on business?¡± Derek whined.


    ¡°I¡¯m just gonna tell them about the mana well, you can listen in. You¡¯ll probably wanna go down there with a party and get some levels too.¡± Coop explained as they watched the pair weave between tables to sit with them.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had several people try to get me to join them for grinding, but that¡¯s not the type of party I like.¡± Derek grumbled as he took a swig from his mug.


    Coop welcomed Shane and Arthur and gave them the rundown on the mana well. They were clearly relieved that it was workable.

 Chapter 124: Passing the Torch

    ¡°I found the first sapphire jewel right over there.¡± Coop attested as he pointed to the empty divot in the middle of the mana bath. The flow of mana was barely detectable, but if they looked closely, they could see that a pocket had formed in the center of the next coral platform. Shane and Arthur diligently took note.


    Coop was playing the role of tour guide for Shane¡¯s party as he retraced the steps he took in navigating the Coral Forest. They were only at the start, descending from the entrance and arriving at the coral platform where he encountered the first One That Hunts.


    After Coop had explained the nature of the scavenger hunt inside the mana well, the Illusionist had immediately spotted one of the lower quality jewels hidden within a stream of water that fell from the entrance that Coop had missed on his initial run. One of the perks of utilizing the well would be the availability of some of the more difficult to acquire materials. The fact that they could contribute just as much as Coop left them enthusiastic to take up the task.


    The mana bath that had contained the jewel was already reoccupied by one of the shrimp monsters. This one had a fire engine red carapace and was alert enough to face the group of intruders even before they moved toward its claimed territory. Coop inspected it, checking its current level to see if he needed to help Shane¡¯s party defeat it.


    [One That Hunts (Level 63)]


    [(Agility)]


    [Of The Feast]


    Level 63 was slightly higher than the average level of his companions, but it was pretty close to even. Since this was the first monster he had defeated when he began his expedition into the mana well, he expected it to be the highest level of the respawns. His preliminary conclusion was that they defaulted to one level a day when they spawned, wherever in the depths they were coming from, then received more at a rapid pace once they claimed a mana bath, maybe up to two levels a day. Of course, variable mana quantities would probably have some impact on their rates of growth, but he was ballparking things for the sake of his estimations.


    It was day 60 and this specimen was slightly outpacing the baseline, but if it started at level 55 when it claimed the spot, its current level would be more or less in line with Coop¡¯s expectations. It may have needed to fight to claim the spot first, delaying its mana accumulation a bit. Either way, it was certainly within range of Shane¡¯s party and hadn¡¯t evolved to the variants that Coop had battled. It was smaller and only had the two claws to defend itself with, exactly like the ones Coop had seen when he first entered the well, months previously.


    ¡°They really are much lower level.¡± Shane confirmed as they stood on the ledge, shoulder to shoulder. The relief he was feeling was obvious in his voice. The first time they entered, they spent more than a day just to end up finding monsters that were so far above them, their levels were presented as question marks. They stayed near the entrance to the well, but only found specimens they didn¡¯t dare engage with.


    ¡°Come on, you doubted me?¡± Coop feigned indignity. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t set you guys up like that.¡±


    Arthur nodded. ¡°Five more levels and we¡¯d be out of our depth, and we all know you barely pay attention to levels. You don¡¯t need to be as mindful as the rest of us when it comes to those gaps.¡± Coop thought that was probably true given that his stats hardly reflected his class level, but he was way more conscientious than that when it came to his friends. Sure, he¡¯d be willing to challenge just about anything to the point that he occasionally took unnecessary risks, but it was mostly because he saw those challenges as opportunities when they came up. Even he would hesitate when it came to double question mark enemies, as long as he had a way out. Not to mention, he paid attention when the monster levels became too low to give him experience.


    The Illusionist scrunched her face. ¡°It¡¯s way uglier than I expected. Calling it a shrimp monster didn¡¯t do it justice.¡± The Tomb Blade chuckled at her discomfort, not feeling as disgusted. They were used to fighting mechanical enemies, so this was a deviation that might take some time for most of them to adjust to.


    ¡°Definitely¡­ and I don¡¯t do seafood.¡± The Dragon Knight agreed, suddenly sounding like a picky date.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to eat it.¡± Coop pointed out, earning an annoyed look from her as she was confronted with the idea.


    The party spread along the edges of the deep red coral they stood on and started checking for a convenient way to the next platform. Coop had underestimated how difficult the Coral Forest was to navigate for those who couldn¡¯t simply mistjump over the gaps. In particular, getting back up would be tricky unless they had some specific method of leaping more than a dozen feet up, so they were forced to plan ahead.


    They had carefully selected their path through the well so far, marking coral platforms with garden flags, and leaving ropes with other tools to help them traverse back to the entrance. The party had prepared equipment for their adventure, and Arthur and the Tomb Blade carried packs that made it seem like they would be spelunking. More than getting individual experience for their party, they planned to establish the mana well as a proper grind zone for Ghost Reef as a whole.


    The group had been forced to meander back and forth to adjacent, but more closely arranged platforms, compared to Coop¡¯s straight path through the well, in order to create a proper trail. It was adding significant travel times that Coop hadn¡¯t anticipated during his first expedition, but they were carefully tracking the route so that others could follow in the future. Coop may have explored the mana well, but they were properly pioneering it with future utilization in mind.


    ¡°Over here!¡± The Tomb Blade called from the northern edge. A smaller brain coral had squeezed between the platform that they stood on and the wall of the cavern. It was only the size of a bus, small compared to the more extravagant coral features, but it provided a convenient stepping stone between the two larger platforms. Anyone could climb out, even without tools to aid them, as long as they could do a few pullups. A knotted rope would make the path universal as they refined the route.


    Helping each other down, they arrived on the next coral platform. They approached the territory of the waiting One That Hunts and once it was within range Coop watched the party all turn to him as if they were of one mind.


    ¡°A demonstration, if you would?¡± Arthur formally suggested on behalf of the group while the Dragon Knight nodded along.


    Coop had already relayed every detail he had uncovered about the mana well¡¯s inhabitants the night before. Even Derek had hung around, pretending to be uninterested, but paying attention in case he found himself hunting with a party. Coop communicated the dangers as he saw them. Namely, the incredible physical resistance, the extraordinary speed of the claw strikes, the horizontal mobility with the tail, and the tendency to grapple.


    He just shrugged, understanding that seeing was believing, especially when he recalled the first time they fought a Primal Kite when he took them to scout the pig¡¯s island before he left them alone on the island for the first time. Back then, he had warned them as much as he could, but they jumped straight into the fight themselves, overconfident, only to be stymied by the much lower level normal monster. It seemed like everyone was evolving over time, from the monsters, to the former Chosen, even to the wildlife.


    ¡°Alright, watch this.¡± Coop prompted as he summoned his brittle shield and hammer before slinging the shield at the waiting shrimp monster with a flick of his offhand.


    The shield predictably exploded as the shrimp defended itself with an incredibly fast claw strike. The other claw immediately followed, smashing a piece of ethereal shrapnel out of the air. Coop followed with a mistjump that took him above and behind the monster, about six feet off the ground. While in the air, he activated Legacy of the Mists, and a fully armored phantasm simultaneously struck the shrimp from the left with a ghostly one-handed warhammer when Coop smashed it from the right.


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    The One That Hunts dissipated into mist as Coop landed on the coral. He waited for Shane¡¯s party to approach. If he was being honest, he wasn¡¯t sure exactly how they could recreate his tactics, but they had a full party¡¯s worth of skills to utilize. The Dragon Knight and the Tomb Blade both had magical components to their damage, and Arthur¡¯s abilities weren¡¯t primarily physical damage as much as they were physical drains. They should have the tools necessary to take down the physically strong shrimp creatures.


    ¡°Why did you close the gap?¡± Arthur asked first.


    ¡°The range of my magic damage attacks isn¡¯t as long as my movement skill.¡± Coop readily explained. Launching phantasms from an even greater distance would be extraordinarily potent, but that wasn¡¯t how his current set of skills worked as he understood them. ¡°The monster will use its tail to lunge forward if you pressure it enough.¡±


    ¡°Just how physically resistant are we talking?¡± The Dragon Knight wondered as her jagged sword¡¯s flames ignited.


    ¡°Strong enough to be completely unfazed by my attacks.¡± Coop revealed. ¡°I only hit it to combo with my magical attacks. They are tougher than anything else I¡¯ve fought, including the Siege Bosses, I think. It¡¯s like they redistribute the force somehow, but magic damage really works well, and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s entirely because of my stats. They are just weaker against it in general due to their physiology.¡±


    There was a moment where the party looked at each other, confirming that they didn¡¯t have any more questions.


    Shane nodded, satisfied with the demonstration. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll take the next one.¡± Shane declared. ¡°Clones and projectiles before a magic boosted onslaught, but don¡¯t fully commit unless both of those claw strikes bite on the initial salvo.¡± The rest of the party nodded along with his instructions.


    Shane had to keep track of everyone¡¯s abilities, but that meant he could easily direct them in combat or come up with party-wide tactics. Coop thought it must be tricky to track others¡¯ cooldowns and resources, since he lacked the other members¡¯ system interfaces, but the fact that he could coordinate their entire siege defense meant he was actually really good at tracking so many things at once. Coop had no cooldowns at all and immense resources, and he was still occasionally surprised when an affliction, like those from the Excavators, altered his status. Shane certainly had a talent.


    The group slowly made their way across several more platforms, looping south before heading west again, in order to find the most convenient path. When they found the next shrimp, the brown carapace gave its faction away, and Coop inspected it to make sure there weren¡¯t any surprises.


    [One That Hunts (Level 63)]


    [(Agility)]


    [Of The Hunger]


    Shane confirmed that everyone in his party was ready before a golden dome expanded from his position. Four clones of the Illusionist rushed forward, waving their wands like they intended to physically stab the creature with them while their brown robes billowed from their movement. The shrimp took notice of the attack and didn¡¯t simply wait in its position as potential enemies encroached on its claimed territory.


    The One That Hunts slammed its tail into the ground and charged the incoming clones, defending its territory from the interlopers, regardless of being outnumbered. It flew slightly above the ground as if it was in water, closing the gap in an instant. When it slammed the initial illusion, its claw smashed all the way through, into the ground, with seemingly no resistance at all.


    The illusion shattered like crystal, sending sharpened shards forward. The launched shards sliced into the monster, leaving tiny wounds all along its abdomen and injuring multiple of the smaller grasping legs, revealing its eruption as a magic based counter attack.


    The shrimp monster maintained its composure, and continued its lunge to grapple with a second illusion as its momentum carried it forward. The second and third illusions were destroyed in the collision with the forward limbs and the fourth shattered when it was smashed by the torso of the aggressive shrimp as the smaller limbs attempted to grapple. Only one of the two claws was used, and it was only a matter of time before the first recovered.


    Arthur had slid around the side of the shrimp while it tunnel visioned on the clones, and was employing a short bow to pepper the monster¡¯s flank with seemingly weak arrows. Despite them having very little velocity, they still embedded themselves through the carapace of the monster, revealing a magical component that Coop didn¡¯t expect from the archer. The arrows released streams of blood red particles that chased Arthur as he spun around the shrimp, keeping behind it while he added to the pincushion forming in its shell.


    Another pair of clones came to try and bait the other claw, after Shane called for the other party members to wait until they could get the second claw to commit, but the monster was more focused on Arthur. Eventually, the shrimp rotated enough to slam its final claw into one of the arrows that Arthur fired, deciding that it wanted to stop one of those even more than the Illusionist¡¯s replicas.


    ¡°Now!¡± Shane shouted, and the Dragon Knight left a stream of fire as she launched herself directly into the shrimp.


    The Tomb Blade lumbered forward, jogging in her wake with a wide stance. Halfway to the shrimp, he smashed his small shield against the ground and a gray skull rose from the ground beneath the shrimp. The jaw latched onto the tail, preventing another rushing charge. The Dragon Knight assaulted the monster with a flurry of flaming strikes that sizzled in the damp air and left scorch marks against the creature, but again, left it without critical damage.


    Coop was getting nervous. They were taking too long to defeat it. He had expected their magic damage to be more effective, and even though he didn¡¯t want to worry prematurely, he knew the first claw would be ready to attack soon.


    ¡°Back!¡± Shane ordered, anticipating the first claw¡¯s reset as well just from a visual assessment.


    Another pair of illusions, this time of the Dragon Knight appeared on either side of the real person while she stepped back out, Shane had been correct to anticipate the first claw¡¯s recharge. The first claw struck out, after only a few more seconds, annihilating one of the illusions as the fake Dragon Knight raised its shield to block. The resulting destruction of the illusion sent pink, gleaming shards in all directions, smashing primarily into the monster due to the close proximity. The damage finally had the impact Coop anticipated, and the shrimp¡¯s armored carapace seemed to give out, losing pressure under a hundred new wounds. The Tomb Blade finished the monster off with a giant floating skull from above. The boney teeth chomped through the torso and split the shrimp in half before it faded. The monster¡¯s two halves disintegrated into mana smoke.


    Coop breathed a sigh of relief as two of the party members leveled from the fight.


    ¡°Those things are crazy!¡± The Dragon Knight exclaimed as they regrouped. She was showing everyone her arm, which was blistered and burnt from merely being near the last claw strike, behind the illusion. ¡°I have extreme heat resistance, and it still burned the hell out of me. I wasn¡¯t even the target!¡± Coop winced at her peeling skin, it was like she had an absolutely atrocious sunburn.


    Shane¡¯s golden bubble rippled and morphed into a vaguely green dome that could regenerate her health as they analyzed the damage. She was fine, but if it had been any of the other party members, they would have needed to pause in order to recover.


    Coop let them discuss the fight, not really having any notes other than for them to kill the monsters faster. He was sweating more than if he had been fighting himself and his heart was pounding. Spectating sucked.


    The rest of the trip further through the coral was slow, as they continued to pick and choose their path to make sure they would be able to easily return to the entrance. Coop let them fight another monster and the result was a significant improvement over the first. They would quickly become comfortable with the Stage 1 monsters of the mana well with some more practice.


    Arthur and the Tomb Blade set up a base camp on the coral platform adjacent to the coral colony, where Coop had napped so many times between confirming routes through the folds of the foliose coral. They had brought enough equipment to turn the edge of the coral platform into an actual campsite, with recovery and rest areas along with a simple cooking station. Coop was a little jealous of their foresight.


    Coop was going to leave them to it, but he wanted to check on the heart of the coral colony, so he mistjumped his way through the spaced out shrimp baths to take a look. He was hoping to find another Stage Boss already, which would make it an incredibly lucrative farming spot. If it was there, he would be swimming in Legendary crafting materials in no time at all.


    He traversed past the coral courtyards, through thick beds of anemones and sea fan screens until he was working his way down the smooth horseshoe shaped tunnel, letting the mana breeze flow along with him. In the distance, he could hear a cacophony of clicking, echoing along the glowing tunnel, and knew that there wouldn¡¯t be an individual boss waiting for him.


    Instead, the central chamber was practically bursting at the seams, full of shrimp. There were hundreds, each engaging with another as they fought in a massive team-based battle royale to see which would claim the thickest mana bath of the coral colony. Interestingly, the shrimp only grappled with shrimp of the opposite color scheme. It didn¡¯t matter that they were fighting over a single mana bath and there could only be one in the end, for now they stuck to the Hunger versus the Feast.


    Coop left them alone. They weren¡¯t high enough level to be worth defeating and they didn¡¯t have any quests associated with them to put them on his radar otherwise.


    When he told Shane¡¯s party about what he found, they quickly decided not to go anywhere near the core. That meant it would be up to Coop to return and check the progress of the central chamber, but he¡¯d give it some time for the shrimp to establish a hierarchy again.


    He finally left the party¡¯s camp site, which they declared as the Adventurer Guild¡¯s first outpost, and headed straight to the entrance. There was another project he was excited about, one that was a long time coming.

 Chapter 125: Kinetic Bombardment

    Coop positioned himself in the middle of a large sandbar near the entrance of the mana well and carefully scanned the shallows. The sun was directly overhead and only a few thin clouds obstructed the intense midday heat with partial shadows. He hoped it wouldn¡¯t become a problem.


    Starting earlier in the morning would have been ideal, but after a good night¡¯s rest he had been eager to get back into his routine. A few days inside the mana well with endless cycles between fighting for a few hours interrupted by forced mana recovery had been more mentally draining than any endless grind. Every break made him antsy, like he was wasting time, even though he could clearly see that the results were extremely efficient.


    It was a strange contrast with the more leisurely schedule he followed around the settlement. He may accumulate less experience, but it still felt like he was getting more done. So, after sleeping in his lighthouse with the gentle rain tapping away at the lightroom, he took Sunny on a run around the perimeter road in the courtyard while dawn burned away the dampness, he lifted weights with the Cleary brothers in the early morning, showered, and ate breakfast in the Clumsy Shark with Marcus, all before escorting Shane¡¯s party into the Coral Forest.


    Technically, he hadn¡¯t actually accomplished anything in terms of his own progression, but he still felt far more fulfilled. Accomplishing small tasks had that effect. Now, he was getting back into the grind, filled with renewed vigor that had been slowly sapped by frequent interruptions preventing him from getting into a groove as he challenged the Ones That Hunt. Coop could admit he was a little weird, but a nice smooth grinding session was essentially his happy place.


    After a moment more of sweeping his gaze back and forth and gauging the distances, he decided he was in the perfect spot. The strip of empty sand was bordered by seagrass patches along with small groupings of various corals that eventually gave way to the reef. It was a relatively barren area, at least compared to the tropical island and the reef itself. The corals tended to prefer clear, undisturbed habitats, and the sand bars that stretched along the islands had enough turbidity to discourage all but the most pioneering of individuals from settling in, and even then, they stuck to the edges of existing reefs before expanding further. The shifting sands may not have been subjected to significant wave pressure, due to the barrier reef, but the tides still pulled them back and forth twice a day, creating a dynamic habitat that wasn¡¯t ideal for most immobile species.


    However, Coop wasn¡¯t in search of corals. He was on the hunt for Primal Kites. Their spawn locations tended to be in exactly the type of sandy habitat that the sandbar represented. Previously, he had been able to find Kites in the sand approaching the entrance of the Coral Forest and off the eastern beach between the first two islands of the Ghost Reef chain. Both were sandy areas, free from established corals and seagrass meadows. The western sandbar he was surveying was on the edge of where he had already consistently found the ambushing monsters, but it was a much larger area than either of the already confirmed spawn zones.


    The Primal Kites had been spared for too long thanks to their obnoxious tactics that ruined the basis of Coop¡¯s sustained grind strategy.


    ¡°Not anymore.¡± Coop murmured to the sandbar as he carefully channeled Fog of War. He had a specific plan that he was supremely confident would work thanks to the additional skills he had gained since the previous times he tried hunting the Kites. As the fog appeared, he concentrated on executing his plan perfectly, to leave no room for doubt about the feasibility of his idea.


    Fog of War was being smothered against the surface of the water. Coop was forcing it down, but since it couldn¡¯t penetrate the sea, it was spreading out. As long as he channeled it slowly, he could gradually build a solid layer of mists from his position on the sandbar out across the ocean. If he could extend it across the sandbars around the entire island chain, he would, but even with his extremely large mana pool, he would need to settle for a smaller portion instead.


    The ocean was like glass, so there was no deterioration of his fog from waves, but the afternoon sun relentlessly burned the mists from above. The thin layer of fog was particularly susceptible to the effects of the heat because of the massive surface area the fog bank was establishing, but Coop was creating a dense carpet that would last long enough for his purpose. The improvements to his skill from increasing his effective Intelligence stat meant that even the compact layer of fog was robust enough to avoid burning away. Without the investment into Intelligence, he doubted he would even be able to establish the layer of fog at all. He kept channeling the skill until his mana reached zero.


    By the time his Fog of War had been fully channeled, the ocean had transformed into something out of a strange dream. The mists blurred the barrier between the sea and sky so that the horizon appeared undefined. No matter how much he pressed his fog, it still drifted into the sky so that the edges blended together with a smooth gradient punctuated by wisps of mist drifting away.


    Coop couldn¡¯t tell exactly how much area his skill covered, but it was more than enough to suit his strategy. Closing his eyes, he immersed himself in the information provided by Presence of Mind and sought the subtle streams of bubbles that the Kites allowed to escape from their ambush positions as well as the galvanic detection fields that they used to target their prey. Fog of War only yielded information from within its domain, but even with a narrow layer, he was able to find the Kites. Today, they were the ones that would be ambushed.


    Coop opened his eyes and hefted his ethereal spear, already heavier than his normal summons for this purpose, and prepared to launch it toward the nearest Primal Kite. He aimed to have the spear fall straight down, penetrating the Kite¡¯s burrow from above, so he needed a high arcing throw. He launched the spear with plenty of Strength, willing it to work, and watched as it rose into the sky.


    His enthusiasm had been a little too much. The spear kept climbing and he was forced to wait for it to come back down. Coop raised a hand to shield his eyes from the blazing sun as he tracked his spear¡¯s trajectory to its zenith, then continued to wait for it to fall toward his target. After more than 30 seconds it was clear that a shallower arc would be better.


    When the spear finally shot through the waist deep water and slammed into the oblivious Primal Kite with a thunk, the splash was surprisingly minimal. It was like an olympic diver executing a dive with perfect form, slicing through the water and sand vertically, with hardly any disturbance. The result was less destructive than if the Primal Kite had been allowed to launch its own ambush, as every time they shot out of the water they launched debris in an explosive outburst, applying shock and awe tactics to their initial salvo.


    The damage dealt to the monster wasn¡¯t diminished by the lack of erupting water and sand. The pointed end of his spear was all that mattered in that department, and it had firmly impaled the Kite, evidenced by his notifications.


    [You defeated Primal Kite (Level 18)]


    [+15 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Charged Metallic Scale (Uncommon)]


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    [Defeat Primal Kites III (6/250)]


    ¡°Hah!¡± Coop laughed in amazed satisfaction as he resummoned his spear back to his hand.


    He hadn¡¯t expected to land a bullseye on his first attempt. Just confirming that his strategy could work was enough, but he¡¯d nailed the first target in one go. There was something to be said about repetition, and at this point, spear throws were definitely one of his most frequently exerted attacks. Hopefully, that level of accuracy wouldn¡¯t end up as a fluke.


    There was an obvious problem that he would need to address, though. The single attack had taken almost a full minute to defeat an individual enemy. He still needed to kill over 16,000 Primal Kites. Coop didn¡¯t need to do the math to know that he would need to find a way to speed up his kills if he didn¡¯t want to spend the greater part of a month standing around in waist high water on the sandbar.


    It wasn¡¯t something he had planned for, so he aimed his spear for another dormant Kite, and launched it while he considered what to change. The spear whistled through the air with a less dramatic arc than the first throw, and smashed another Kite. The attack still took too long, but at least he confirmed his first on-target spear throw wasn¡¯t a stroke of luck.


    He dismissed his spear and resummoned another. This time, he really pumped up the mist¡¯s density, demanding a heavier weapon than ever before, hoping to reduce the flight time with a shallower arc while maintaining the destructive vertical landing.


    Notably, the spear took significantly longer to solidify, but when it did, it was weighty. Normally, his ethereal summons imitated the materials used in their real weapon equivalents, but the spear he held felt wrong, like it was too heavy for any object of its size, despite being conjured from solidified mists. Coop wondered what mana was doing to create the material.


    Coop hefted the ponderous spear, realizing that it would be less than useless in actual combat, even with his excessive strength, with how much it slowed him down. He stepped forward and tossed it toward the next Primal Kite, one of the nearest targets he had available. Instead of launching like a javelin, it felt more like slinging a shot put. There was no whistling as his spear lurched in a sad arc, but it ended up with the point down and on target.


    When the spear struck the ground, everything exploded with an abrupt boom that disturbed the quiet seclusion of the empty ocean. The water erupted in a cascade of churning violence, sand blasted in all directions, and a crater formed where the Primal Kite had been waiting. Ethereal fragments flew in all directions, among the chaos, as even his weapon was completely destroyed.


    ¡°What the heck?¡± Coop wondered as he gaped at the sudden destruction.


    Coop waded through the sea, toward the area of stirred water and collapsed sand. As he smoothed out the bottom with his feet, feeling a bit guilty about accidentally destroying part of the sandbar, he considered why it had happened at all while waiting for the fog to fill the newly formed gap.


    It was like his spear had contacted some old naval explosives, just beneath the surface of the sand, but that didn¡¯t seem right. As far as he knew, there had never been any bomb testing in this particular region. He knew other islands had beaches that were dangerous due to unexploded ordnance, but not Ghost Reef, and the Kite would have been where the explosives should have been.


    The only other idea he could come up with was that the spear itself had exploded. Had he put the ethereal mists under enough pressure to create such a violent result? It wasn¡¯t like conjuring the weapon had required additional mana, although it defaulted to free at this point, thanks to Practical Application, so he wasn¡¯t sure how pressure would build. Maybe tension was involved? Coop had no idea. He had ended up as a junior caretaker living in a lighthouse for a reason, and it wasn¡¯t his knowledge of physics.


    He summoned another spear, recreated the previous weapon in terms of weight, to try again. He shifted back toward his ideal spot in the center of the sandbar, and identified his next target. The shot put toss left something to be desired, and the slow arc was embarrassing, but when the spear slammed into the ground, it exploded again.


    Coop pressed his fingers against his forehead. The shame of his mostly failed ethereal grenades during the siege event was burning from within. He had gone the opposite direction with his brittle shields, making them less substantial so that they would easily shatter and the result was almost useless. They worked for creating flak for the Ones That Hunt and for giving him a more flexible one-time mistjump target, but that was a pretty unique scenario. If he had gone with making the shield more substantial, forcing the density to its maximum, he could have had a pressure bomb for his shield.


    Coop winced at the idea, realizing that it would be easy to hurt himself with a pressurized shield. Both styles of shield would be pretty useless for defense, but at least the brittle shield didn¡¯t hurt when it broke. Casting Retribution, he resummoned his spear, back to just a regular heavy one, as opposed to a pressurized conjuration.


    A potential new idea for his arsenal, but not something that helped him defeat the Primal Kites any faster. He didn¡¯t have any other immediate ideas, so he just continued launching surgical strikes on the Primal Kites. There was plenty of refinement to do before he really needed to go back to the drawing board. For now, he would repeat the throws until he found the ideal arc for efficient kills. High enough to defeat the monsters from directly above, but low enough to cut the hangtime down to a more reasonable amount.


    Spears continued to fall, destroying Primal Kites, one after the other. The speed may have left something to be desired, but the efficacy of high arcing spears piercing the hidden burrows of the monsters was undeniable. Coop leveled a few hours after he began, so he paused to check his notifications as the glow faded away.


    [You defeated Primal Kite (Level 17)]


    [+16 Basic Credits]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Primal Kites III]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Defeat Primal Kites IV (0/5000)]


    The grind was just beginning, and it was starting to look like the Primal Kites would be a long one. At least it was finally feasible to defeat them en masse with the combination of Fog of War, Presence of Mind, and spear bombardment. They had been an impossible challenge previously.


    With another spear throw, he kept at it. There was nothing preventing him from pushing on. There was plenty of daylight remaining, and his obligations continued to be noncritical, more or less. At least the critical ones were buffered by preliminary objectives, like timers or ascertaining locations, before he could act on them. Maybe a different grind target would be more efficient, but Coop wouldn¡¯t be leaving any of the quest chains on the table if he didn¡¯t absolutely have to, and in this case, the Primal Kites were already doable.


    Coop stopped to refresh his Fog of War. It had visibly diminished underneath the afternoon sun, despite a steady influx of Coop¡¯s regenerating mana. Luckily, the Primal Kites yielded him more than the average amount of mana, even when they were much lower level than so many other invaders, but Coop realized he was at the whim of the weather for this particular grind.


    Day 60 had been a windless day, with limited waves, and after the previous night, no rain. Other days might not be as ideal for sustaining a thin layer of mists on the surface of the ocean. Only the sun had challenged the fitness of his fog this time.


    Coop shook his head at how annoying the Primal Kites ended up being. Even when he had a good way to detect and eliminate them, he found himself challenged from so many different directions. It was a reminder that not every invader would be easy for him to deal with. The difficulty wasn¡¯t always due to a straight up comparison between stats, so no matter how overpowered he could make himself, he¡¯d still face issues that needed to be solved before he could move forward.


    He threw his spear at a dormant Primal Kite and watched it arc into the sky. Challenges were fine, he welcomed them when they were low stakes puzzles like when it came to the Primal Constructs. The previous threat to the entire planet was almost quaint after the Avatar of the System had revealed their potential future dangers. The life or death challenges that loomed on the horizon were something else that made him apprehensive, but there was only one way to go. Forward.


    ¡°More stats, more levels, more skills.¡± Coop reminded himself.

 Chapter 126: Low Tide

    Coop¡¯s heavy spear blasted into the ground with a muted thump that vibrated across the sea. The water level had gone down with the tide, leaving the surface just below knee height as the day wound down. Even during low tide, his spear impacts were streamlined enough to slice straight through the surface with barely any splash, leaving the collision insulated by the surrounding shallow water.


    He continued to experiment as he attacked the monsters, making some discoveries, but nothing that would hasten his grind. If he adjusted the arc so that the spear didn¡¯t come straight down, and increased the rotation on the shaft of his spear by dragging his fingertips as he released the weapon, he could make the landing more destructive, but neither would help the efficiency of his hunt. Small adjustments hadn¡¯t revealed any new, hidden tricks just yet.


    Despite grinding for hours, Coop hadn¡¯t actually seen a single Primal Kite. Every single one had been destroyed before coming out of its dormant state, sniped by his arcing spears before they had any idea they were being targeted. Sure, it was a bit unfair, but they deserved what they got, as far as Coop was concerned. It wasn¡¯t like the Primal Constructs would have played fair if the shoe was on the other foot.


    ¡°8.2¡± ¡°8.7¡± The judges declared firmly, not leaving any room for dispute. A pretty middling score, considering he was over a thousand repetitions into his grind.


    ¡°Come on, that was a perfect splash.¡± Coop argued as he resummoned his spear and threw it again. A little gamesmanship with the umpires was worth a try. The scores may have been meaningless, but his latent competitiveness still demanded he aim for better. The grind demanded that he wasted no time between throws, so he argued while he took his next shot.


    ¡°The sound wasn¡¯t right.¡± Camila explained her expert reasoning. ¡°We¡¯re looking for a thunk instead of a thump for maximum points.¡±


    ¡°The arc was too fat.¡± Charlie added dismissively as if she was a professional. ¡°Needs to be more up and down.¡± She moved her hand through the ocean air to demonstrate the shape she was looking for.


    ¡°That¡¯s true too, you need to get under it more, Coop.¡± Camila concurred, lifting her faux aviator sunglasses, crafted by the artisans of Ghost Reef, up above her eyes to get a better look for herself.


    The next spear throw landed with a more condensed thump, but even Coop didn¡¯t hear a thunk. It had been roughly 20 seconds since the previous barrage. Coop had slowly cut down on the flight time, seeking a sweet spot, but the variable distances meant that his attacks fluctuated with a pretty wide margin considering the total amount of time each throw took. The shortest flights were closer to 10 seconds, and if he got frustrated enough to use more Strength, he could extend it upwards of a minute or two.


    ¡°9.1¡± ¡°9.3¡± The judges announced. He smiled at Charlie. The mousy park ranger was reliably more generous with her scores.


    Camila and Charlie had joined him as the tide receded, bringing a pair of lounge chairs and perching themselves nearby. They claimed the highest point of the sandbar and sunned themselves while Coop chained his spear throws one after the other.


    At first, they had come to investigate what he was doing. The fog was visible from the fort and left the sentries a bit confused. Evidently, Coop¡¯s domain was covering more than one square mile, and with the aid of Presence of Mind, he was able to hit anywhere inside that area with disconcerting precision. The only time he had any off-target throws was when he was testing the limits of the arcs. It turned out the Kites were dug in pretty deep, flattening themselves beneath a significant layer of sand, with their tentacles coiled and ready to spring from beneath them, almost as if they were trying to stay dry beneath the ocean.


    If Coop¡¯s spear didn¡¯t come from straight above, he tended to miss, with no reasonable way to accurately predict how deep the monsters actually were. As long as the spear came from straight above the streaming bubbles, he would be on target. A more destructive throw, with high rotation, or even the pressurized weapons, could penetrate their burrows from an angle, but he either lost range or time with either strategy, meaning neither was feasible for his purpose.


    ¡°7.8¡± ¡°8.5¡± Coop couldn¡¯t argue with their assessment. His last spear throw had been a distant one, so the hang time was definitely too long.


    The girls were taking a break from grinding monsters themselves, but both were chasing their first Slayer titles with the Ancient Defenders. They each had ways of defeating masses of the monsters at once, but waiting for the respawns and their skills actually resulted in a slower grind than Coop had experienced when he cycled through tight circuits of the monsters. So, they were taking the marathon in chunks, working their way toward the final stage a thousand monsters at a time.


    He had expected them to go through the chains much faster than he had at the start of the assimilation, but the limitations were still with the respawn times. They waited longer periods and they ended up with a slower overall speed as a result. The situation would be far more in their favor if there were more of the monsters in the first place, but on Ghost Reef the monsters only had so much territory for themselves. Even the monsters that weren¡¯t physically limited by space, like the Primal Trackers and the Ruin Excavators, were still limited by respawns. It seemed like they only came from a single spawn area, then spread out if given the opportunity to do so, rather than just spawning wherever they claimed.


    Coop suspected that a Hive would have resulted in more spawn area if it was allowed to evolve further. It was a scenario he would keep an eye out for whenever he was away from his own territory. They wouldn¡¯t allow any advanced monster formations to grow within Ghost Reef, but in the unclaimed territory, he fully expected challenges to be escalating. He didn¡¯t shy away from the thought, or the fact that it excited him.


    Coop approved of the girls pacing themselves, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel for their situation. It would drive him nuts if every single grind was like the one in the mana well. He¡¯d completely spoiled himself with sustained grinds from the start. Anything less than a steady destruction of opponents would just frustrate him. The Kites were barely on the satisfying side of his speed.


    ¡°9.0¡± ¡°9.1¡± The judges decided as Coop blasted another distant Kite with a long hang time, but with more of a thunk than a thump.


    Sunset was coming, and it promised to be a spectacular one. Pink streaks were already spreading along the soaring clouds, giving them a wispy cotton candy style that made Coop want to wave his hands through them. He probably could satisfy his whim, throwing his spear into the sky and mistjumping, but he stayed on task.


    ¡°How much longer are you gonna go?¡± Camila asked as the trio watched another arcing spear ascend toward the cotton candy clouds.


    Coop had been at it for nearly seven hours. He checked his recent progress before he answered.


    [You defeated Primal Kite (Level 15)]


    [+13 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Charged Metallic Scale (Uncommon)]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Defeat Primal Kites IV (808/5000)]


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡­


    [You defeated Primal Kite (Level 16)]


    [+15 Basic Credits]


    [Defeat Primal Kites IV (1018/5000)]


    Coop had been slowly shaving off the seconds with each throw, but there was only so much he could do. The total time for each kill had been reduced by more than 50% on average, but that still meant he was only defeating around three monsters per minute, maybe four with some ideal target selection. Those were rookie numbers that he hadn¡¯t been forced to endure since his earliest grind sessions. In this case, he thought was being limited by the strength of gravity.


    ¡°I¡¯ll probably go for at least another 2 or 3 hours.¡± Coop decided with a shrug. That would put him in range of completing the fourth stage of the Slayer quest chain after two more similar sessions. At least he could hunt these monsters day or night, relying on his skill synergies for perception.


    At this rate it might take him another week to get through the final stage as well, but he wasn¡¯t in a rush. If he was, he could hunt through the morning, and cut the total time in half, then he could add nights to shorten it even further. If he was really pushed, he figured he could spend around four more days on the sandbar and get it all done, which wasn¡¯t bad, even compared to more ideal grinds. Even the most frustrating of enemies, with as many variables stacked against his grind as the Kites had, couldn¡¯t slow him down by a truly significant degree. The girls would take weeks more to defeat the ideal enemy in the Ancient Defenders, and both of them were significantly faster than most others who were making their way through the chains. Coop¡¯s speed remained on another level despite the growth that everyone else was experiencing.


    Camila and Charlie looked at each other and communicated silently as they made their own plans. ¡°We¡¯ll call it a day once the sun goes down. Can¡¯t keep judging if we can¡¯t see the spears anymore.¡± Camila declared as she stretched her arms above her head and they watched another spear fly.


    ¡°8.7¡± ¡°8.9¡± The two announced diligently after the spear throw defeated another distant monster.


    Coop nodded and another spear whistled into the air. ¡°I¡¯ll probably call it an early night tonight. I think we¡¯ll be doing the blood curse ritual to heal Jones tomorrow and I want to be as ready as I can be.¡±


    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s great news!¡± Charlie was palpably relieved. He suspected she was at least as anxious as he was to have Jones back up and about, having known him for years longer than Coop.


    ¡°I hope it goes well.¡± Coop confessed. He was concerned about exactly why he would be needed. Madison had given him the impression he would need to fight something at the end of the ritual.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it will!¡± Charlie reassured him. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to show Jones around the fort again.¡±


    ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll be mad about the damage?¡± Coop asked a bit timidly. The fort¡¯s walls were still in the process of being repaired and it was looking like it would take a while given the extra care they were giving to the old structure. Only one of the breaches in the southern wall had scaffolding across the skeleton of each floor with a small portion actively being repaired to the misery of Balor.


    Charlie chuckled at Coop¡¯s concern. ¡°He might be a little annoyed. He always grumbled about the lack of maintenance before, but I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll understand that we¡¯ve been doing our best. He might be happy to see so many people available for him to conscript into upkeep.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Coop thought about it. ¡°Maybe I should have a museum constructed ahead of time, just in case we need to get on his good side and avoid too much work.¡± It wasn¡¯t like he was lacking the funds to purchase more services.


    ¡°Hah, maybe.¡± Charlie didn¡¯t disagree, though he suspected she would be immune to any of Jones¡¯s admonitions. No one could stay mad at the adorable Aeromancer.


    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll see how it goes.¡± Coop put the matter aside for the moment, concentrating on slaying as many Primal Kites as he could.


    Eventually, Coop was silhouetted by the sunset as it bloomed in full force. The sun slowly sank below the horizon creating a dramatic last scene before ceding the sky to the night. It cast a fiery glow leaving the soaring clouds painted with color, from deep reds and oranges to the soft pinks and purples that had reminded Coop of cotton candy earlier. The water reflected the sky through the thin layer of mists, scattering the colors in a way that made it seem like the trio were standing inside the sunset more than just observing it.


    Coop paused his grind as the sun sank further beneath the horizon, and the colors intensified even while the sky above them darkened to deep purples and eventually night chased away the light.


    ¡°Beautiful...¡± Camila whispered quietly, as if she didn¡¯t want to disturb the sunset with her voice.


    Ghost Reef always had amazing sunsets, but this was one of the best. Coop waited as the lingering colors faded before he resummoned his spear and got back to it. The short break was at least as good as a full night¡¯s rest in terms of morale.


    The girls watched his fading silhouette for a few more minutes before they headed back to the fort to enjoy the rest of their night among the other residents. Coop only planned to hunt another 500 Primal Kites before he called it a day, so he kept up the grind.


    As he repeatedly launched his spear, he realized that his mana pool was full. The drain from maintaining Fog of War had been reduced such that his natural regeneration combined with his Reaper title to recover more than he spent. Without the sun pressuring his domain, its upkeep had been decreased to negligible amounts. Coop used some of his excess to cast Legacy of the Mists, hoping to continue his progress with Practical Application.


    A phantasm landed in the shallows with a splash that disturbed the tranquil water, but left the fog completely calm. After a brief moment of failed target acquisition, it turned to face Coop with a vaguely unfulfilled expression. The ghost was a lean man, rippling with coiled muscles ready to unfurl, with a spear that was nothing more than a sharpened stick, a leather loincloth, and a pelt draped over his back like a hood that could have only belonged to a saber-toothed tiger judging by the teeth around his neck. Coop felt like apologizing for wasting his time, but the phantasm disappeared before he found the words.


    Coop threw his spear and while it flew, considered if he should be moving around his domain and using Legacy of the Mists to supplement his kills. Without mistjumps to help his mobility, it would be even slower than his previous speeds, but it would add a kill every few minutes. Over the course of an entire grind session, it would add up to be a non negligible amount.


    When the thunk echoed across the water, he resummoned his spear and threw it again, this time at a particularly distant enemy. The high arc would certainly take closer to 40 seconds before it crashed into his target. He cast Legacy again, this time with the arbitrary thought of a spearman impaling the nearest Primal Kite even though it was well out of range, still not ready to commit to jogging through the water while throwing his spear at other targets.


    A hundred yards away, a sudden splash of cascading water and sand grabbed his focus and he received a kill notification before his spear had even landed. He quickly glanced side to side, looking for the phantasm before he realized what he had just done. Presence of Mind gave him all the clues he needed, despite Fog of War only occupying a layer that was an inch thick. The phantasm had been summoned all the way in the distance and made short work of the Primal Kite that Coop had let himself wistfully target.


    His spear landed with a disappointingly deep thump, destroying another Kite, and he resummoned his spear, pausing to look at it while his mind raced to explain what had happened. Instinctively, he knew it was another synergy between his skills. Presence of Mind allowed him further micromanagement of his Fog of War and Legacy of the Mists skills and Fog of War gave him an anchor point for the phantasms that bypassed the restriction that they be near himself, allowing him to summon anywhere in the domain.


    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Coop muttered to himself as he wrapped his head around the potential applications.


    His range was already insane when he relied on throwing his spear with all of his prodigious Strength, but it was still a physical projectile based attack that had its own limitations and counters. The phantasms leapt out of the mists, dealing magic damage instead of physical. Basically, the counters for each attack wouldn¡¯t work on the other. It wasn¡¯t like throwing his spear and shield simultaneously in order to try to overwhelm his targets. He could force them into a dynamic defense that he had a hard time imagining would be feasible, if he caught them in Fog of War.


    The only challenge he could immediately see was that Fog of War itself was essentially a static field with its own issues to overcome. It was significantly more robust with his Intelligence stat growing to absurd levels, but it still barely moved and would need to balance surprise with speed.


    Coop threw his spear at another distant target, then picked an adjacent Primal Kite and cast Legacy of the Mists. The phantasm defeated its target in a single second while his spear continued to soar into the night sky.

 Chapter 127: Curse of Carmine

    Coop rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he made his way to the Merciful Medical Center. It was a damp morning with air so thick with humidity that a heavy rain would have been a relief. They still had a ways to go before the wet season began, when it would storm twice a day like clockwork, but the weather seemed to be in a hurry to leave the dry season behind.


    The stillness of the ocean breeze enveloped the island in silence. Only Coop¡¯s slow footsteps broke the tranquility, with neither the steady waves nor the palm fronds contributing their voices to the regular background noise found on a tropical island. The light gray stone streets glistened with moisture, but the coarse texture prevented them from becoming slippery. Droplets hung from the tips of orchid leaves, threatening to splash down as Coop shuffled beneath them. Once the sun rose above the walls, the dampness would burn away, but for an hour after dawn, the courtyard was a preview for the impacts of future precipitation.


    Aside from a handful of phantoms on sentry duty, Coop was alone as he approached the southern town circle where the citadel protected the civilization shard. The succulents lining the outer border of the coffee shop seemed to be thriving despite the humidity. Coop thought they would prefer a drier atmosphere, but a whole series of blooming flowers decorated the perched planters. When he peeked toward the entrance of Laurie and Greg¡¯s cafe, he could only shake his head that they had yet to open. Even access to caffeine was relegated to island time.


    The residents of Ghost Reef were developing a schedule that kept them up late into the night, enjoying the cool and comfortable tropical nights. It was Coop¡¯s own fault that they slept at all. Most of the residents had already abandoned sleep completely until they reached Ghost Reef and found themselves with the security and freedom to take up old habits. The few early risers basically had the entire fortress to themselves.


    As Coop crossed the canal bridge, he paused to watch gently drifting mists that rose from the cool air, lingering from the night, condensing over the warmer water. The heat of the day hadn¡¯t burned the naturally formed mists away just yet, thanks to the shade provided by the fort¡¯s walls, and they languidly flowed out toward both ends of the canal. The giant pig was barely visible, motionless, like a looming shadow stationed dead center of the western opening.


    Coop hadn¡¯t seen any fog outside of what he summoned himself since arriving on the island chain so many months ago. He doubted the ocean normally brought any fog banks outside of a few days out of the year when a cold snap rolled through, but who knew how the natural systems had changed with the introduction of mana.


    Coop let out a big yawn and took a moment to stretch and fully wake up before he moved on from the canal bridge. The additional discoveries he had made while grinding during the night had kept him out later than expected. Adding Legacy of the Mists with Fog of War and Presence of Mind into his grind rotation had established a new dimension to his attacks that kept him experimenting and refining later than he intended.


    He suspected that he had already experienced the additional range provided by Fog of War, both when he fought The Ravenous Stage Boss as well as when he fought the Oathsworn Envoy. Each fight had been within his domain of mists, but they had been close enough that he hadn¡¯t noticed the fact that his phantasms were appearing an extra dozen feet away, concentrated as he was on the fights themselves. In retrospect, the size of the Stage Boss alone should have given the synergy away.


    It was only when he was left to his grind that the changes to Legacy¡¯s range really became obvious. The results for his quest chain hadn¡¯t been significantly better than just spear throwing, since he ended up severely restricted by his mana recovery, while making sure to keep enough to maintain the fog, but he was progressing in other ways as well.


    The Primal Kites yielded an unusual amount of mana through his Reaper title, but Legacy of the Mists was an extremely expensive ability compared to everything else he had seen. Practical Application had brought the cost down to 485 mana per cast, and Coop¡¯s mana pool was almost 19,000, but the recovery from the Kites was still mostly only in the single digits with a few generous individuals granting mana in the teens. The astronomical cost of Legacy relative to his title recovery just further motivated him to chase cost reductions.


    The phantasms were essentially as strong as he was, but distinct with their magic damage, so Coop was looking at them like a force multiplier. The more he could cast, the more he could enhance his potential and magnify the effect of his attributes, and that was ignoring the fact that the magic damage was an alternative to his own physical damage and that they could attack from more directions than he could by himself.


    ¡°Good morning, Champ.¡± Emmanuel greeted him from the edge of the lobby to the medical center, pulling Coop from his distracted power fantasies. Charlie¡¯s father was leaning against an exterior column, just keeping an eye on things. The protectiveness he had for his family couldn¡¯t be overstated.


    ¡°Morning.¡± Coop responded, clearing his throat as it was the first time he¡¯d spoken for the day.


    Emmanuel chuckled at Coop¡¯s sleepiness. It was a deep rumbling sound that underscored the man¡¯s stature. ¡°Thanks for coming by. Saves me a trip to go find you later. Just head toward the back of the lobby and one of the acolytes will come out to escort you.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty.¡± Coop accepted the instructions with a bit more clarity than their exchanged greetings.


    Coop wandered through the golden lobby, ignoring the shadows on the ceiling as they did their best to attract his attention. He only had to wait for a moment near the back before one of the slightly reptilian looking aliens appeared through a doorway that slid down into the ground.


    ¡°Greetings, Champion Coop. You are early. If you are willing to wait, I will escort you to the ritual chamber.¡± The contracted alien explained in a steady voice while Coop admired the sharp features of their face. The contracted residents of the medical center were attractive in an usual way, with sculpted androgynous features, smooth skin, and absolutely no hair.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind waiting.¡± Coop shrugged. He¡¯d rather be waiting than have to rush over lest he arrive too late for something as important as this.


    The alien bowed their bald head, catching some of the golden light in a reflection, and gestured for him to follow. They led him through a different sliding door that opened as their hand waved toward it. The wall was so smooth, he had no idea how many doors there were, and if he needed to find his own way he wouldn¡¯t even know where to start.


    As they led him deeper into the facility, he found himself watching the alien while they strode through the golden hallways with confident steps, like a fashion model displaying a nun-themed robe down a runway. It was interesting how human perception triggered something with the aliens that looked human. He wasn¡¯t as intrigued by the aliens that were simply geometric shapes, but the aliens that could pass for humans, with the only clue of their otherworldly nature being one or two features, could easily demand his attention. It must have been some kind of survival instinct from the times when homo sapiens had other now extinct rivals running around.


    The acolyte stopped at another smooth wall and another door slid up into the ceiling. Coop entered the threshold while the acolyte bowed to him and made to leave. When Coop looked around the room he felt his breath catch as he witnessed the nearly completed mosaic that Madison and her assistants had been working on for 10 days.


    When Madison had first explained that she would need to prepare a ritual, he had imagined salt circles, burning incense, crude runes, and maybe some wax candles. As they got started, she had shown their early progress, which revealed a much more detailed project forming, but now they had created something that Coop could only define as art.


    The gradually sloped floor was covered in a swirling mandala that spiraled all the way to the flat ringed edge of the perimeter of the circular chamber. Madison was kneeling on the edge with what looked like a velvet pillow under her knees as a grain of mana formed at her fingertips. She placed the grain and continued on to the next. It was definitely tedious work, but they had crafted a swirling masterpiece that Coop was afraid to ruin with even a simple exhalation.


    As he held his breath, Madison noticed his presence and looked up. She just dismissively waved her fingers at him as if he should make himself comfortable. Coop sat right where he stood and tucked his knees into his chest, afraid of making any disturbance. He tried to stay still, with just his eyes taking in the features of the room.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Jones was still in a floating gurney, spotlighted by an invisible source of light in the ceiling that could have been a skylight if not for its brightness before dawn broke. Jones was directly above the center of the spiraling patterns and looked peacefully asleep, if Coop ignored the black veins that stood out against his dark skin. Coop frowned that it had taken this long to reach the threshold of his cure, but they were finally on the verge of getting it done.


    After an hour of patience, Coop began repeatedly casting Salvation from his position on the floor, making use of his time by reducing the cost of his ethereal armor skill. It was down to 38 mana even though he had focused almost all of his Practical Application efforts on mistjump, Retribution, and now Legacy of the Mists. Summoning his armor was something he did all the time, and he had made a nice amount of passive progress toward making it free, although with his mana pool increasing, even without the reductions he would be able to essentially ignore the cost.


    Madison and her assistants continued for another few hours while Coop meditated on his own projects. The previous priorities he set in the aftermath of the siege were winding down, with them being on the cusp of curing Jones, the phantoms coming back sooner than later, and the settlement upgrade just days away. After those, he had three Slayer titles lined up. The Primal Kites, Primal Serpents, and Ancient Devourers all awaited his grinding focus. Exploration of the mana well was just beginning, with only the first stage tested and revealing itself to be a lucrative experience and credit farm with some minor opportunities for treasures. Then, there was Chakyum to deal with. Ghost Reef was on other peoples¡¯ radar after the first settlement event, and their first visit had already ended up adding to their problems.


    Coop knew he would need to be proactive when it came to dealing with those types of threats, the ones that came from other humans, or they would further complicate themselves. He wasn¡¯t completely against turtling up in Ghost Reef, but it wasn¡¯t only for his sake that he should squash challenges toward the settlement. His top priority was to make the settlement a safe place. The less time humans spent concentrating on fighting each other, the better.


    In the worst case scenario, the Eradication Protocol would be coming as Mana¡¯s judgment concluded. Everything he did would essentially be in preparation for the assimilation breaking down under the pressure of mana¡¯s one purpose.


    He shuddered at the thought of Icons of Mana leading armies across the planet with the intention of wiping humanity out. Ghost Reef¡¯s unusual siege event, leading to overlapping waves, which in turn created a permanent mana dome that trapped excessive amounts of mana on the island, led the Icons of Mana to have a false start. The Icon jumping the gun gave the Avatar a chance to deliver an early warning, but in terms of preparation, Coop¡¯s goals didn¡¯t change.


    He had to decide how to prioritize, but no matter which direction he went, he knew that staying ahead of the curve with his own progression was key. If possible, making sure his allies could also find paths to develop themselves was an equally valuable pursuit. Ghost Reef couldn¡¯t just be a sanctuary, but also needed to lean into advantages and provide opportunities for the residents so that they could fight for their survival.


    ¡°Coop. Are you ready?¡± Madison spoke while Coop had his eyes closed and he did his best to organize his plans.


    He opened his eyes, determined to knock one more thing off of his to-do list. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡±


    ¡°Good. Let me explain how this is gonna go.¡± Madison faced the completed mosaic. ¡°Once we initiate the ritual, mana will be siphoned from ley lines and flow along the pattern. The cursed mana will be forced to follow the torrent and leave Jones behind. Since it¡¯s a blood curse, it will seek to return or find a new host. We¡¯ll remove everyone from the room and you¡¯ll need to deal with the cursed manifestation.¡±


    Coop nodded along. The simple instructions as he understood them was that he needed to beat a monster up. ¡°Any tips for the fight?¡±


    Madison looked a bit anxious before she answered. ¡°Don¡¯t let it get in your blood.¡± She paused before she reassured him as much herself. ¡°You¡¯re so much higher level than the host, it really shouldn¡¯t be a problem, but be careful anyway. If you want, I can get Emmanuel to do it instead.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I want to do it.¡± Coop reinforced his position. As far as Coop was concerned, doing something like this for one of the residents was his primary job as Champion. Ghost Reef¡¯s management was essentially delegated away at this point, and he was just the heavy hitter that rolled out on behalf of the settlement whenever it was necessary. He had fallen into the exact arrangement that Jones¡¯s faction had anticipated for the Champion of a settlement at the start.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get this over with. Don¡¯t bother me for at least a week after this.¡± Madison insisted to Coop¡¯s amusement. ¡°Make that a month.¡± She adjusted seeing Coop¡¯s lackadaisical attitude rear its head.


    She stepped forward and waved her hand in an intricate pattern as she began the ritual. When the first mana grain was triggered, a needle-like beam of light shot toward the ceiling. The first light was immediately followed by a cascade of others, like dominoes knocking each other over, each individual bit of mana joined the symphony of lights. Since the room was slanted toward the middle, the lights all converged in the center of the ceiling, where the spotlight was already casting gentle golden light down toward Jones.


    Once every light was activated, they started dimming and pulsing in a rhythm that extended from the edges, inward, before repeating. The thin beams of light continued their pattern and the room gradually collected wisps of vaporous colors that could only be clouds of mana. The pattern pumped mana into the room until it felt like staring into the center of a nightclub¡¯s dance floor with one too many fog machines going off.


    The cloud of mana swirled with the pattern, slowly gaining momentum, until it was twisting around the room and up towards the ceiling. The mana continued to flow until it was a veritable torrent. Coop watched in awe as an inverted whirlpool formed, guided by pulsing spotlights, leading the mana up until it started the cycle again.


    In some ways it reminded Coop of the mana well¡¯s coral colony and the core chamber, but this was a more focused vortex of pure mana. Madison and her assistants had carefully crafted the pattern to create a mana concentration that visibly climbed while the Stage Boss had simply splayed itself into a mana bath to be washed in the magical energy contained within the mana well. The mana well was basically a separate pocket, established by the seed of mana that formed the zone in the first place, but Madison¡¯s vortex was the real deal.


    Coop was mesmerized by the swirl of mana until his concentration was broken by Madison and her two assistants guiding Jones¡¯s floating gurney out of the torrent and through one of the invisible sliding doors. Coop¡¯s eyes were drawn back to the center of the room, now with its central focal point absent.  In its place, a cloud of pitch black shadow and blood red smoke was condensing, forming a recognizable humanoid shape beneath the net of pulsing lights and swirling mana that rose to the center of the ceiling.


    Coop raised his ethereal shield, ready with his sword, as his opponent gradually condensed and lowered itself into the middle of the dancefloor-like arena. Coop¡¯s Fog of War filled the room, gliding along with the mana, thickening the vortex with a density that refused to be canceled. Coop could create a thin fog bank that extended for a square mile, a single chamber would be packed with his mists no matter how much turbulence disturbed the formation of his domain. As soon as his opponent seemed to finish forming, Coop applied Presence of Mind to inspect its aura.


    [Curse of Carmine (Level 33)]


    [Unbound Curse]


    [Manifestation of Blood and Mana]


    Coop advanced on the cursed manifestation with his shield at the ready. It raised clearly defined arms into the air and gaped a silent screaming challenge. Its hollowed out eye sockets had locked onto Coop with clear, ravenous hunger. The curse had taken Jones¡¯s form, except it was pitch black with vivid red veins beating throughout its body in a grotesque display of human anatomy.


    Coop flexed Presence of Mind, creating a misty decoy of a swordsman attacking the curse¡¯s flank from the fog. The curse didn¡¯t flinch, locked into a creepy staring contest with Coop, but it did slam the black mass of a foot it had formed into the ground and a crimson circle appeared around it, lined with black spikes that shot up in an effort to intercept Coop¡¯s feint.


    Coop acknowledged the reveal of an ability, and continued to advance. When he was in striking distance, he lunged forward, teeth clenched, and swept his blade at the manifestation¡¯s neck. He double summoned Legacy of the Mists at the same time and two phantasms appeared behind his opponent, one on each side. The first sliced toward where a heart would be and the second sought to separate the torso from the legs with a lumbering strike.


    The manifestation raised its black mass leg to summon its crimson circle, but Coop was already in his backswing, stepping backwards, before the pitch black shadow foot touched the ground. A regular level 33 simply didn¡¯t have the Agility to spar with Coop.


    Black smoke leaked from the decapitated neck, shooting out like a broken fire hydrant until a diagonal slice from one shoulder to the opposite ribs slid off of the remaining torso and exploded against the ground with another exorbitant amount of black energy cascading out like an overfilled water balloon. Then, the rest of the torso fell forward, leaving the waist and two legs to disintegrate into mana smoke. All of the black mana joined the torrent, rising to the ceiling like the eruption of a volcano.


    A crimson-lined circle remained on the ground, where the manifestation had attempted to fight back against Coop¡¯s opening salvo. When the circle suddenly burst into bright red light, Coop took another step backwards. The center of the formation turned an impossibly dark black, so deep that it seemed to suck the light out of the room. It was actually absorbing the mana torrent, driving it down from the ceiling into the circle.


    Destroying the low level curse manifestation was far too easy. Coop raised an eyebrow, watching the manifestation¡¯s death throes, and prepared for something else.

 Chapter 128: Trap and Key

    The red-rimmed black portal consumed the mana from the ritual¡¯s torrent with a voracious appetite. The siphon cleared the room of the vaporous energy in a matter of seconds. Coop¡¯s Fog of War went along with the torrent of mana and his domain was shredded by the dark vacuum. Coop braced himself for something big as the wind whipped up within the chamber, even pulling himself forward as it desperately sought more mana, before he steadied himself against the fine grains on the floor. Then, the vacuum abruptly stopped and he stumbled a step backwards when the pressure suddenly let up.


    For a moment, everything seemed to calm down. The ritual had ceased and the thin beams of light stopped pulsing, the torrent had disappeared, the air cleared, and the dark circle stilled. However, the red-rimmed black circle remained in the center of the room.


    Coop could hear himself taking deep breaths against the back of his shield as he waited for something else to happen. His eyes were glued to the fixture of darkness at the bottom of the gentle slope.


    The brief moment of relative silence was shattered when the vivid red barrier surrounding the blackness cracked, jolting his hearing with the clear snapping sound. A web of breaks crawled along the narrow strip, building up to a clamor of chaotic sounds. It was like bubble wrap popping, if each cell also unleashed a shriek. The entire circle released a red spotlight of hazy energy straight to the ceiling when the shattering concluded. The blood red mana slowly faded and Coop looked back down at the dark portal.


    A pair of elongated, curling horns slowly emerged from the darkness below, extending four feet from the ground before curving another few feet down and forward. A pitch black stone head followed, marred with scars and scrapes as if it had already seen countless battles, and won all of them. Something large was rising from the black void as if it was standing on a gradually elevating platform.


    Coop only hesitated long enough for his morning star to solidify in his hands before he smashed it straight down into the head of whatever was coming, right between the horns. Sure, all the demons he had met during the assimilation had been delightful, but none of them had emerged from pitch dark portals leaking blood red energy. The whole scenario reminded him of the final moments with the Prime Construct.


    His weapon snapped the emerging creature¡¯s head back, but it didn¡¯t seem to stumble at all, continuing to slowly rise out of the portal. Coop cocked his weapon back to repeat his attack while he applied Presence of Mind to find out exactly what he was dealing with.


    [Siege Boss: Monolithic Destiny (Level 100)]


    [Monument of Blood]


    [Icon of Mana]


    Coop scowled as he slammed the monster¡¯s head again. The challenge had ramped up pretty fast, going from a regular level 33 monster to a level 100 Siege Boss, but he wouldn¡¯t back down. In terms of stats, he was pretty confident in matching up with just about any boss lower level than himself.


    The monster¡¯s eyes snapped open, revealing blood red orbs that leaked matching mana smoke as it braced against Coop¡¯s strike with a stone grimace and a guttural growl. The entire black stone head had emerged from the dark portal by the time Coop struck again, and it was huge. It opened its mouth and roared at Coop in response to the second strike, sending blood red spittle flying across the room. Behind its sharp stone teeth, shaped like stalactites and stalagmites, an abyss of blood red extended down its throat, but Coop was only lashed by hot air as he backed away again. He had expected a blast, but nothing more dangerous than gross came from the maw.


    This monster would be able to swallow Coop like a bite-sized morsel if it could get ahold of him. Coop imagined an oversized stone and blood Balrog climbing out of the medical center and wreaking havoc within the fort¡¯s courtyard. He adjusted his grip, not planning on allowing something like that to happen.


    A claw suddenly gripped the edge of the portal, gouging three strips through part of Madison¡¯s carefully constructed pattern. Coop noted that the claw didn¡¯t really seem to be connected to the rest of the monster. It was more like it was forming as it exited the black barrier, rather than existing on the other side of it. Mana was condensing as the monster rose, establishing its form as it continued to get higher, exactly like a system service being constructed in the settlement. Coop realized he was spawn camping, but he felt no remorse if that was the case.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t have spawned right in front of me.¡± Coop muttered as he raised the morning star over his head.


    Coop smashed the middle stone claw with his ethereal weapon, with a rush of wind and a grunt, crushing the finger underneath his Strength. It turned into dust under the force of the impact.


    The Icon of Mana roared again, frustrated that it couldn¡¯t force itself through the too narrow circle any faster than it was rising, limited as the mana was so early in the assimilation. Coop thought it had overburdened the initial mana it had available and was so slow to form because it was relying on the ambient mana rather than the temporarily concentrated mass that the ritual had produced. Unlike the previous Icon, it didn¡¯t have hundreds of thousands of monsters worth of mana smoke trapped in the event¡¯s dome to work with, increasing the ambient density to simulate years of accumulation. Instead, it only had what Madison¡¯s ritual had been able to siphon into the chamber.


    ¡°Party hasn¡¯t started yet.¡± Coop confirmed as he adjusted his position to increase his onslaught.


    The monster leaned its neck against one side of the circle and shifted so that a massive gargoyle wing suddenly emerged from the opposite side. The wing extended 25 feet into the room, unfurling nearly straight up as the monster struggled to squeeze out of the void. Coop smashed another finger and the claw slipped back beneath the monster¡¯s torso, disappearing.


    Coop slid forward and firmly planted his foot on the gouged floor to slam his morning star into the cheek of the monster with all of his Strength. He felt a growing sense of urgency as he really wanted to prevent this thing from fully emerging. With a twitch of concentration, he cast Legacy of the Mists, timing it with his own swing.


    A phantasm crashed its own ghostly weapon into the eye of the monster as its head whipped to the side from the force of Coop¡¯s attack. Blood red mana exploded from the crater that formed and the monster redoubled its efforts to extract and form itself fully. The crater bled like a waterfall, splashing against the floor of the chamber and causing Coop to sidestep. He wasn¡¯t sure if the curse was still in play, but Madison¡¯s warning remained in the back of his mind, so he avoided the blood.


    With his own shout, Coop leapt onto the head of the monster, grasping one of the horns, and stabbed his freshly summoned war fork through the top of the stone skull while another phantasm severed the gargoyle wing at the base of the monster¡¯s emerging shoulder. The monster roared with fury as its partially formed, and obviously weak, body was being picked apart. The wing stub shot a fountain of blood that reached the wall of the large chamber before splashing against the floor.


    Coop swapped to his trident and stabbed again, reaching deeper into the stone head, earning his own gout of blood. A phantasm simultaneously drove through the back of the monster¡¯s neck with its ghostly prongs emerging from the gaping maw of the Icon while it continued to bellow in frustration.


    Coop switched his weapon again, back to the morning star, and slammed it against the base of the horn. The vibration the collision sent through both his weapon and the horn threw him off balance, forcing him to leap back onto the chamber¡¯s floor, behind the Icon. The monster was whipping its head back and forth, desperately avoiding another blow to its horn, so Coop summoned a series of phantasms, one after the other, letting them repeatedly slam their ghostly weapons into the base of the horn from different angles while he danced around the newly materialized neck of the distracted monster. After a series of blows, the horn cracked and broke apart like bloody volcanic ash.


    A second wing emerged, but Coop dumped mana into summoning phantasms, attacking the remaining horn while he faced the monster head on. It had rotated to use its teeth against him, frustrated by the ghosts, but Coop smashed his morning star against its chin, shutting its mouth with a crash, then bashed the reeling head while multiple phantasms beat a constant rhythm against the remaining horn.


    He swung a brutal slam into the right side of the monster¡¯s jaw, and the Icon retaliated with its wing. Coop ducked underneath the swipe while he summoned another phantasm and launched an attack from the reverse side, catching the left side of the monster¡¯s jaw while it attempted to wield its wing like a spiked tail.


    Coop attacked the black stone skull again, beneath the horn, and while he was in his backswing, summoned another phantasm to execute a lunging attack. This wasn¡¯t a fight of attrition, but a race to deal enough damage before the Icon could reach its full magnitude, so Coop was frontloading his damage, testing what his burst window had evolved into. The consecutive attacks left no downtime between his damaging strikes. His skirmishing had always been about snatching momentum and not letting up, and now he could cascade his attacks at an even greater pace when he coordinated his phantom strikes with his own.


    He continued to chain attacks against the exposed Icon, summoning phantasms to strike at the horn or to fill the gaps between his own swings until the monster shuddered in its death. It had only extended down to its collar bone in the time Coop had conjured 25 phantasms.


    When the other horn finally eroded into dust and dirt, leaking more blood red mana, the monster¡¯s head went slack. The one gargoyle wing spasmed before the monster dissipated into a dramatic flood of mana smoke that refilled the room in a dense miasma.


    Coop stood near the center of the ritual chamber and caught his breath while the glow of his level increasing faded away. The fight had gone well, and the increase in his potency thanks to Legacy of the Mists was obvious. He could magnify his damage by multiplying the summons. The ceiling was only limited by his mana pool and the cost of Legacy. When the mana cost was reduced to zero, it would be ridiculous, only temporarily limited by his weapon durability.


    He checked his notifications to confirm his kill.


    [Y~# !ef#ted¡­


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°What? This again?¡± Coop grimaced as the chamber was flooded with white light that dispersed the mana smoke and immediately overwhelmed the golden spotlight, crashing through the ceiling. The bright light forced him to clench his eyes shut, hiding them behind his forearm. His ethereal armor and weapon vanished and he clenched his fists, preparing himself to fight without his skills if he needed to. The mana suppression prevented him from accessing his Scavenging provided spatial storage, so Garod¡¯s weapons remained unavailable.


    When he was able to squint beneath his eyelids into the fading light, he watched as yet another entity spawned in. This time, it wasn¡¯t suppressed by whatever limitations the dark portal had placed on the second Icon of Mana. From the ground up, white blocks combined into silken-wrapped feet.


    Coop breathed a small sigh of relief that it wasn¡¯t a completely different alien with its own agenda to further complicate matters during their assimilation. He still considered throwing another haymaker as the Avatar¡¯s recognizable long legs manifested and she drained the mana from the settlement. Coop looked at the brightside. At least the Icon hadn¡¯t been the one to absorb all of their mana, but it was a small consolation when he had been waiting more than 10 days to resurrect the phantoms.


    As the Avatar¡¯s angelic form completed, Coop bit the inside of his cheek to avoid the inevitable feelings of reverence her appearance engendered. When it came to their temporary visitor, Coop¡¯s feelings battled between unmitigated respect and exasperation. He still wasn¡¯t sure how much of it was her aura and how much was due to her physical presence.


    The pair stared at each other for a moment, the Avatar from behind her golden runed blindfold, and Coop from beneath furrowed brows.


    ¡°You again.¡± They both stated dryly.


    ¡°Jinx.¡± Coop swiftly responded as if she would owe him a drink. He immediately felt better thanks to his own frivolity.


    ¡°You dare to attack me again?!¡± The Avatar spoke slowly through gritted teeth and clenched jaw. She seemed to be quickly deciding on a fitting punishment.


    ¡°What? No, that¡¯s just a saying.¡± Coop waved away her growing agitation like an annoying bug, which of course, caused her irritation to visibly rise. ¡°What are you here for this time?¡± He asked, trying to break the tension before it erupted into violence that left him inside of another mana bubble, or worse.


    The Avatar floated haughtily as she considered the situation before she visibly relaxed, slouching in a casual way that completely erased the godly image she cultivated in her first visit. Coop smirked at seeing her in a different light. He liked her better when she didn¡¯t seem to be looking down on them like a giant among ants, even if she really was essentially doing that.


    ¡°You have defeated another Icon of Mana.¡± She observed, apparently fishing for confirmation. When he didn¡¯t answer her non question right away, she fired off a few more. ¡°By yourself?¡± Her head snapped in the direction of the civilization shard before she returned her attention to Coop. ¡°Why have you not applied the Purification Chip? Why has another Icon appeared? Has the Eradication already begun? Which Icon was it?¡±


    Coop raised his hands to slow her back down. ¡°One at a time, lady. We¡¯ve got a minute since you don¡¯t need to do your whole spiel again, right?¡± She crossed her arms with a scowl and waited for Coop to answer her questions. He sighed and answered. ¡°It was called Monolithic Destiny. Do the names have some significance we should be aware of?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t change your struggle.¡± She responded as she contemplated the name of the Icon.


    Coop frowned, not enjoying being left in the dark. ¡°Is everything going to be a Siege Boss as things pop off?¡±


    ¡°No, they require too many resources to form legions of Icons.¡± She frowned as Coop looked unsatisfied, and she decided to explain a bit more. ¡°They can be used as indicators for what shape the armies may take. I¡¯m sure you noticed differences between Irrevocable Condemnation and Monolithic Destiny.¡±


    Coop nodded. He supposed it made sense for mana itself to be more variable than enemies manifested by a singular force like the Primal Constructs. The first Icon was like a parasite in the invaders, hijacking and mutating their form, but this last one was basically a huge demon of blood and stone. As Coop wrapped his head around the potential enemies, he thought the variety would be yet another challenge to consider.


    ¡°The Eradication Protocol hasn¡¯t begun, and the Icon spawned after I defeated a cursed manifestation. We did a ritual to remove a blood curse.¡± Coop answered a few more of her questions.


    ¡°That clarifies the extraordinary mana build up.¡± The Avatar looked around the ritual chamber a bit closer. ¡°This is inspirational work. With some repairs and refinements it could serve even more. Did your Sage do this?¡± She seemed genuinely impressed.


    ¡°She did. I¡¯ll be sure to let Madison know you complimented her. Maybe she¡¯ll let go of some of her animosity.¡± Coop smiled, proud of the work on her behalf.


    ¡°She¡­ dislikes me?¡± For a moment the Avatar seemed surprisingly worried.


    ¡°Well, you keep showing up unannounced and draining all of our mana¡­¡± Coop explained, letting some of his own frustration slip into his voice, but not mentioning what they all viewed as manipulations.


    ¡°It is a necessity for my visit. And it is not unannounced¡­ At least the settlement will recover its resources when you upgrade it.¡± She explained away the results of her appearance to defend herself.


    Coop shrugged, if the settlement¡¯s mana refilled when they upgraded, that was fine actually. They were only a few days away from the upgrade at this point, so they weren¡¯t set back at all. Moving on, he had his own questions. ¡°If we did the ritual again, would another Icon show up?¡± He had another idea for farmable bosses.


    ¡°No.¡± She shut his idea down right away. ¡°Icons behave like a force of nature, like mana itself, but they will diversify their tactics each time it fails. You won¡¯t have them appearing repeatedly unless the conditions of mana develop significantly. They can take all the time they would ever need to accomplish their directive as they will override the assimilation completely.¡± She paused as if she was reading into Coop¡¯s question. ¡°You will need to continue to challenge more difficult enemies if you wish to open the path for me again, for it is still much too early.¡±


    Coop wasn¡¯t exactly worried about that. ¡°How do you use the disc you dropped off last time?¡± Answering her last question with his own.


    The Avatar hung her head in sudden disappointment, letting her long golden blonde bangs block her face as she realized that part of the reason the faction hadn¡¯t been established was that Coop didn¡¯t even know how to start it. ¡°For a moment I forgot this was the frontier.¡± She whispered beneath her hair in exasperation before she used both hands to part her bangs and took a deep breath. ¡°You place it underneath the civilization shard. It will designate the settlement as a faction capital and simulate a true faction for territory and mana control.¡± She explained patiently, though the impact was lost after she made her annoyance so obvious.


    ¡°So it really doesn¡¯t make a faction?¡± Coop asked, confirming what they had learned about factions and settlement buffs.


    She frowned sadly, like she was revealing that fairy tales were make-believe to a child. ¡°Only the natural functions of the system itself can create a true faction. A judgment of failure from mana makes such a thing impossible, for your planet will not be inducted into the galactic community.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t prevent a true faction from being established, does it?¡± Coop questioned, though her explanation already added more things he wished to ask.


    The Avatar scoffed. ¡°Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself. There are innumerable trials to overcome before you could even deign to dream of establishing a true faction, not the least of which includes the Eradication Protocol. But no, in theory, the Purification Chip would work in tandem with a true faction, enhancing the territory even.¡±


    ¡°Cool.¡± Coop nodded, filing the information away for later, and switched gears. ¡°So, my turn. What is it you really want from us?¡±


    The Avatar paused for a moment, contemplating how to carefully navigate the question, but her hesitation gave it away to Coop. ¡°Of course, I am here to empower your survival so that you may join us when the assimilation is complete and we have the opportunity to retrieve you.¡± She tilted her head slightly to the side, letting her golden pony tail sweep to the side. She resumed her godly demeanor after slipping into more casual conversation with Coop.


    ¡°If your group developed the system itself, surely you could save us right away.¡± Coop pointed out. ¡°You¡¯ve overstated your position, or you¡¯re testing us the same way you claim mana is. Neither option makes you trustworthy.¡±


    She scowled at Coop¡¯s resistance to her explanation, but it was enough to get her to change her answer. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll level with you, human, only because I see potential in you. To have already defeated two Icons is a noteworthy achievement, worthy of this much. Not since my own assimilation have I witnessed someone progress as quickly.¡± Her scowl transformed to a grimace, like bad memories she hadn¡¯t meant to dredge up had returned to her thoughts.


    She let herself descend to the floor, and she stood on her own two feet for the first time he had seen. After a deep breath, she spoke more casually. ¡°We are but exiles, permanently branded with the judgment of mana, and unable to formally join the galactic community in any real capacity lest mana continue its crusade to eradicate us. We seek others who would share our fate to bolster ourselves and search for a solution. We do not do more than this because we cannot. Eradication chases us.¡±


    Coop frowned, recontextualizing his visitor. ¡°So you don¡¯t control the system?¡± Coop confirmed.


    ¡°We do not control it. Those who did are long gone, like those who created mana. Presumably, they were the original resistance as they created such a tool of empowerment.¡±


    Coop thought they could have just as easily been another group seeking to dominate and subjugate, given the whole process of the assimilation, and the structure of the galactic community, but he didn¡¯t vocalize his further doubts. It wasn¡¯t like he cared beyond what happened to Earth.


    ¡°We are merely the remnants left in the wake of our predecessors, toiling among their ashes. At most we have improvised tools using system framework, like the Purification Chip, crafted from extremely limited resources, and more accurate knowledge than the galactic community thanks to our prior awareness and technological development. None of us needed an uplift.¡± The Avatar admitted. ¡°Among the exiles, we have a variety of goals, but the one we share is to find a better solution for the current balance between system and mana.¡±


    Coop wasn¡¯t exactly surprised. He hadn¡¯t trusted her completely in the first place, but he found her current revelations honest. His main take away was that there wouldn¡¯t be an easy way out. ¡°That makes more sense.¡± He muttered to himself.


    The Avatar pursed her lips and pouted at his easy acceptance, probably realizing he had been more skeptical in the first place than she realized, meaning she hadn¡¯t impressed them as she intended.


    ¡°Avatar of the System, huh? What¡¯s your actual name, then?¡± Coop ventured.


    She huffed before responding in a quiet voice. ¡°Lyriel.¡±


    ¡°Nice to finally meet you, Lyriel. I¡¯m Coop. Champion of Ghost Reef¡± Coop greeted her with a practiced ambassadorial smile, just like when he welcomed the alien contractors after they first arrived.


    ¡°Is that what qualifies as a name on this planet?¡± Lyriel wondered.


    Coop shrugged. ¡°Not really.¡±


    She frowned slightly, thinking for a moment, before continuing. ¡°There is something else; an opportunity only during both an assimilation and an eradication. Something I wish I had known when I was in your position.¡± She stepped toward him and reached a hand forward, towards his face, and smiled a reassuring grin. ¡°If you continue to survive, I will give you a key. You will have the chance to unshackle us all.¡±

 Chapter 129: Bloodstone

    After returning to the center of the ritual chamber on her own bare feet, the Avatar of the System placed her hands behind her back and hovered into the spotlight, smiling at Coop modestly, masking the grand hopes she had clearly decided to place in him. She left Coop with another flash of blinding light, causing him to stagger as mana rushed back into the chamber, filling the void she created with her arrival. The bright light that condensed into the chamber made Coop consider getting his own runed blindfold just to spare his retinas. Once he recovered from the temporary vertigo, he searched for the doors that Madison and her assistants used to exit the room.


    As he slid his hands along the smooth walls, he wondered if the building itself was impacted by the clearing of mana. Would the medical center¡¯s doors even open? While he struggled to find his way out, he put his unallocated points into Mind and checked his notifications.


    [You defeated Curse of Carmine (Level 33)]


    [You defeated Siege Boss: Monolithic Destiny (Level 100)]


    [+210642 Basic Credits]


    [+3 Voidstone (Legendary)]


    [Bloodstone Relic (Unique)]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    ¡°Nice.¡± He smiled at receiving his first scavenged Unique. The Trophy Hunter quest was already paying off. He wondered what equipment Garod or Erasimus would be able to craft once he started farming more of the rarest materials.


    While he was continuing to flail against the unblemished border of the chambers, a portion of the wall adjacent to him slid open with a woosh. A disheveled Madison looked at him like he was an idiot for wiping the walls with his fingertips before waving him through the threshold.


    ¡°You alright?¡± Coop asked the overworked Sage. Her hair was uncharacteristically sloppy and her half-lidded eyes weren¡¯t only due to the physical exhaustion of recurring mana consumption.


    ¡°Warn a lady if you¡¯re gonna invite rude guests to suck the mana out of us like a damn vampire.¡± She muttered, sounding like someone with a bad hangover. Coop had hoped the Avatar¡¯s influence over mana wouldn¡¯t extend too far beyond the ritual chamber, but they had no such luck. Hopefully, it wasn¡¯t too disruptive to the rest of the settlement.


    ¡°Hey, she said she was able to visit because you did such an incredible job with the ritual.¡± Coop exaggerated the compliment, mending a relationship that had begun on the wrong foot for no particular reason other than wanting everyone to get along.


    Madison lit up, glowing with pride. ¡°Did she?¡± She turned back toward the chamber they had left behind. ¡°I suppose it did come out quite nice for my first try.¡± The former physician wasn¡¯t above abandoning modesty after accomplishing something so dramatic.


    ¡°It worked right?¡± Coop couldn¡¯t help but wonder about the results. Curing Jones had been a long time coming.


    ¡°Of course. Jones was already awake as we left the chamber. I was evaluating the lasting effects of the curse when she knocked me out.¡± Madison explained as they entered another, smaller room.


    ¡°Lasting effects?¡± Coop feared.


    Jones stood with one hand clasped on his other wrist behind his back as he gazed out of a viewing window that looked over the ritual chamber. Coop paused for a moment as he noticed the bright red veins running up his wrists and fading into his forearms. More crawled down his neck below the collar of his shirt and others ran through his calves. They reminded Coop of the flames that would be painted on a hot rod, but the effect was uncanny on a human. Coop used Presence of Mind on his old friend.


    [Bloodstone Human (Level 33)]


    [Bronarch Mountain Adept (Intelligence)]


    [Chosen of Collegia Universal]


    [Stone, Blood (Cursed)]


    It seemed like there were some changes to the senior caretaker, left behind by the influence of the blood curse. An extra affinity, a new title, and a racial evolution at the very least. Coop hoped none of the lingering effects were negative. He really doubted any affinities or titles would be anything but beneficial, even if the terminology didn¡¯t always have the best connotations. Afterall, some of his own were pretty grim and titles like Abomination had positive effects. Coop smiled at Jones¡¯s back, happy he was up and about, even if he had some new racing stripes.


    ¡°Jones!¡± Coop let out, unable to stifle his enthusiasm for any longer than it took to glance at his aura and come to terms with the changes.


    Jones spun around and smiled at the sight of his junior. ¡°Coop, my boy!¡± The older man stepped forward with his arms out and they embraced in a warm hug. ¡°How long was I out?¡± Jones asked quietly, holding Coop¡¯s shoulders as they separated.


    ¡°A bit more than a month.¡± Coop frowned, ¡°It seems like way longer. A bunch of stuff happened.¡± He started to explain, but trailed off with no idea where to start.


    ¡°I can see that.¡± Jones nodded slowly, angling his head toward the viewing window. ¡°Who was that pretty young lady you seemed so familiar with?¡± He curiously asked with a twinkle of familiar mischief in his eye.


    Coop huffed. ¡°You really went straight for the biggest complication right away.¡±


    Jones smiled. ¡°I always had a nose for trouble.¡± He raised an eyebrow at Coop, while tapping the tip of his nose to demonstrate, and expecting an answer with no intention of Coop dodging the question.


    ¡°Are you feeling alright?¡± Coop wondered, spinning to Madison before Jones had a chance to respond. ¡°Is he alright?¡± He asked worriedly, not wanting to get into the nitty gritty if Jones wasn¡¯t one hundred percent okay.


    ¡°He¡¯s fit as a fiddle, as far as I can tell.¡± Madison stated as she fixed her blonde hair.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Jones confirmed.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the racing stripes?¡± Coop pointed out the most obvious physical change.


    Jones looked down at his wrists. ¡°I guess it¡¯s from my racial evolution. According to my status, I¡¯m a Rank 2 Bloodstone Human now. Can¡¯t say it feels any different. Really, I just feel decades younger.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you at a lower level too?¡± Coop tried to remember, but he was pretty sure level 33 was closer to his own level at the time of fighting the Zombie Lord than what Jones¡¯s should have been.


    ¡°Indeed I was.¡± Jones put his hands up, unable to explain the differences either. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what, I never felt better. I was obviously well taken care of by Doctor¡­¡± He waited for Madison to introduce herself properly.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Seraphin.¡± Madison finished.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Jones was excited. ¡°Are you related to our young Charlie?¡± Jones asked curiously.


    ¡°She¡¯s my daughter.¡± Madison smiled proudly, suddenly appearing rejuvenated at the mention of the mousy park ranger.


    ¡°She¡¯s a lovely girl, gifted, and kind.¡± Jones deservedly heaped the praise on Charlie.


    Madison basked in the acclaim. ¡°She certainly is, but she¡¯s been hanging around quite a few troublemakers recently.¡± She lifted her own eyebrow at Coop.


    But Coop nodded along. ¡°Camila.¡± He confirmed. When Madison¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change he asked, ¡°Camila, right?¡±


    ¡°Anyway, feel free to call me Madison, Charlie has already told me so much about you, it feels like meeting an old friend. Thank you so much for taking care of her.¡± Madison ignored Coop and changed the subject.


    ¡°It was always my pleasure to have her visit.¡± Jones beamed. ¡°Where are we anyway? Still on Ghost Reef?¡±


    ¡°Still on Ghost Reef.¡± Coop answered. ¡°You¡¯re gonna need a tour.¡± He pointed out with a smile.


    ¡°Uh oh. What have you done with my fort?¡± Jones asked skeptically.


    ¡°Not me!¡± Coop looked at Madison. ¡°Is it alright?¡¯


    ¡°He¡¯s fine, get outta here so I can take a nap.¡± She dismissed them both.


    Coop exited the room with Jones and one of the androgynous acolytes was waiting to guide them through the facilities and back to the golden lobby. On the way, he promised to tell him about the Avatar, but wanted to start at the beginning. Instead, he explained to Jones that they had needed to construct the medical center in order to cleanse the blood curse that he was afflicted by, how Jett and Olani had saved him, and how the Endless Empire¡¯s Chosen had been attempting to snatch the civilization shard from them before Coop killed the ones who didn¡¯t defect.


    Jones nodded along until they reached the lobby where Balor, Olani, Charlie, and Camila were waiting with Emmanuel.


    ¡°Hah!¡± An enthusiastic laugh boomed across the lobby. ¡°Jones!¡± Balor shouted in genuine excitement as he practically bounded across the open hall despite being solid stone. ¡°Wait ¡®til you see what the young Champion did to your fort! He even found a new Viceroy to replace you, the scoundrel!¡± He laughed in glee as he threw Coop under the bus without a second thought. ¡°But, at least there¡¯s some hope with you back. C¡¯mon, c¡¯mon! It¡¯s my turn to give the tour.¡± The stonemason swept Jones out of the lobby and the rest followed, saying goodbye to Emmanuel who promised to make sure Madison would take a proper break.


    ¡°I can tell you are even more in tune with the stone than before!¡± Balor continued happily. ¡°Congratulations!¡±


    ¡°I suppose I am.¡± Jones agreed hesitantly, looking around the unfamiliar developments in a familiar place. ¡°I see¡­¡± He mumbled as he apparently tapped into new powers while gazing at the fort¡¯s walls. ¡°It might take some getting used to.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! Grandmaster Balor Rockshaper will be your personal mentor!¡± Balor promised. The stonemason had been starved for a human who appreciated the fort as much as he did without Jones in the settlement, and he wasn¡¯t shy about how delighted he was to have him back.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you out and about, old man.¡± Olani commented between Balor¡¯s exclamations as they strolled toward the canal from the medical center¡¯s entrance.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to be out and about.¡± Jones responded and they smiled at each other momentarily. Coop raised his eyebrows as he thought he detected a hint of flirtatiousness in their little exchange. Olani took her leave, letting Jones know that she typically haunted the alchemist¡¯s building these days.


    ¡°Was that always a thing?¡± Coop mumbled to himself, wondering just how aloof he had grown before slowly opening back up on Ghost Reef.


    The sun was high in the sky as Balor went in on the explanations for the paved canal avenue, the market street, and didn¡¯t forget to point out the still wrecked northwestern inner wall with the massive cat¡¯s paw print crater beneath it.


    Jones had to pause the excitable stonemason to ask about the absolutely enormous pig lounging in the canal, but all he got as an explanation was that, yes, there was a huge pig that hung around with his little herd. There were, in fact, quite a few new residents who were taking note of the grand escort Jones was receiving. The glowing red highlights on his skin made him stand out, even in a settlement full of ghosts.


    ¡°Seriously, Jones! They¡¯ve promised me over and over that they would be able to recreate the fortress walls properly, but without your presence I have zero faith! None! I mean look how the rubble still lays in the gaps! It¡¯s even worse from the battlements!¡± Balor couldn¡¯t help himself as he laid into the early repair efforts.


    Coop, for his part, was distracted with idle observations of the weather, while he tried learning how to whistle and stifled the temptation to summon his spear and mistjump away. The morning¡¯s precipitation was completely absent after the sun rose high enough to burn it all away, but Coop diligently sought out clues of its presence in order to escape the conversation.


    ¡°Now, Balor, it could have been a lot worse!¡± Charlie softened the blow, coming to Coop¡¯s rescue at least as much as when she first arrived on the island. She turned to Jones and continued. ¡°You should have seen Balor run around to make last minute fortifications when he saw the Challenge Assessment.¡±


    Coop could only shake his head and avoid eye contact with Jones while Charlie patiently explained how the siege event had gone. Luckily, one of her special abilities was that she was immune to generating any ire, so they got through the difficult part with minimal admonitions with regard to the state of the fort¡¯s walls.


    She particularly emphasized how dangerous it had been and that they were fortunate to have survived at all. Balor couldn¡¯t help himself, though, making sure Jones really understood the damage, clearly having every intention of touring each and every bit of wrecked stone, hoping that the expert human would be able to guide proper repairs before some amateur, like Coop, stacked them without enough proficiency. Coop just frowned and kept his eyes in the clouds as he accepted the slander, trusting that Jones would not be swayed.


    The newer facilities on the northern half of the courtyard were briefly glossed over in Balor¡¯s tour, with his interest clearly being in promoting the excellent stone work of the spoked roads as well as highlighting the future tower that would eventually dominate the northern town circle. There hadn¡¯t been much progress on the tower and underlayer project, but Balor had created a wide perimeter where the structure would go, establishing the preliminary foundation that would come next.


    ¡°You see, the ground floor will have an open patio that won¡¯t obstruct traffic aside from the central spire. The actual entrance to the under layer will be established in the existing space above.¡± The stonemason presented. Coop didn¡¯t exactly understand how it would work, but it sounded like there might be some pseudo teleportation possible. He¡¯d need to see it to have a better appreciation for the process. Jones just nodded along, clearly happy to be back.


    ¡°Now, don¡¯t mind the bridge. It¡¯s still in an incomplete state since our young Champion constantly needs my help repairing emergencies elsewhere.¡± Balor went on before identifying the civilization shard¡¯s citadel.


    As he guided the group through the spiraling stonework, they ran into Marcus and Kayla, seated on one of the stone benches facing the shard. The pair of advisors were discussing the direction of further development before the group interrupted them to introduce Jones.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± Marcus greeted him with a handshake. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind how I relied on your notes to organize the settlement.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just happy the fort was in good hands while I was otherwise engaged.¡± Jones chuckled before he turned his attention to Kayla. ¡°And you, my dear, must be The Siren herself, Pirate Queen of the Tempest Fleet, it¡¯s lovely to meet you, Captain.¡± The old caretaker laid it on thick, as Jones held her fingers politely, as if he was being introduced to real royalty, to Coop¡¯s surprise and Kayla¡¯s delight.


    ¡°My, my! Did you coach him, Coop?¡± Captain Kayla laughed, actually losing on the charisma front to Jones¡¯s opening salvo.


    ¡°Not at all.¡± Coop admitted with his hands held up innocently. ¡°I would have told him you¡¯re technically an Admiral now. I had no idea he could be that smooth.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know me when I was young.¡± Jones pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s not everyday you can meet a true hero.¡± Jones chuckled. ¡°I have read all the accounts of your adventures, and even have a copy of your portrait from a biography.¡± Jones explained. Coop finally realized that, of course, Kayla¡¯s assault on Ghost Reef was a major event in the fort¡¯s history, so Jones would definitely be familiar.


    Kayla, laughed at the sudden renown she hadn¡¯t been aware she had. ¡°There¡¯s a biography about me?¡± She gasped with an open mouthed grin. ¡°And it makes me out to be a hero?¡± She seemed skeptical, not forgetting that she was a notorious pirate.


    ¡°More than one!¡± Jones elaborated, ¡°And it was what you accomplished during your life that makes you a hero. It seems even now, your heroic deeds have continued, if what Charlie said of the siege event is true.¡±


    Charlie wilted under the affectionate attention of Kayla, but she was saved by the insistent meow of Jett announcing her presence to Jones.


    ¡°Ah, there¡¯s the lighthouse keeper!¡± Jones caught her leap and cradled Jett in his arms happily. The more than two decades of friendship not missing a beat despite his temporary absence.


    With Jones back, it already felt like everything would be right in Ghost Reef. Coop watched as the senior caretaker was comfortably reinserted into the dynamic that had developed around the settlement. He was already known to most people, as Coop often deferred to him even while he was incapacitated, and the search for a cure to the blood curse had been a driving factor for Coop to leave the island at all.


    There were a few more accounts to settle, but Coop was feeling happier than ever.

 Chapter 130: Balors Guided Tour

    Balor¡¯s guided tour was briefly derailed as Jones and Marcus, both consummate professionals in their respective fields, found themselves organizing plans for the immediate future. It was impossible for the pair to avoid, drawn as they were to keeping things orderly. The distraction began as the topic of Marcus and Kayla¡¯s shard-side meeting was brought up for Coop¡¯s final decision.


    ¡°Kayla and I both agree that adjusting our plans to spend mana as it becomes available would be the wisest choice.¡± Marcus concluded, letting Coop be the one to give permission after fully explaining the issue to Jones.


    With the additional boat slips contributed by the newly constructed Basic Port, the rest of the missing corvettes from the Tempest Fleet were available for recruitment, but the advisors had been holding off, worried about consuming the settlement¡¯s limited mana supply and delaying other urgent purchases. The priority had been given to the army of phantoms that had been lost during the siege, so the navy was concentrating on new construction with the Shipwright instead. Unfortunately, there came a stage in the construction of new boats that would require a significant injection of spectral mana in order to ensure the freshly built ships inherited the ghostly properties unique to Ghost Reef, so that too would have to be put on hold if they were avoiding the consumption of settlement mana.


    When the so-called Avatar of the System arrived for her brief visit in the medical center¡¯s ritual chamber, she had drained the resources of the settlement once again, and given that the same could potentially happen in the future, the two advisors of Ghost Reef were promoting a shift in their priorities in order to recruit the Tempest Fleet first, piece by piece, as soon as the mana was available, to prevent it from being wasted. The navy was, afterall, their primary force of security until the army was made whole.


    In this case, Coop was happy to be the bearer of good news, sharing with his advisors the easy dismissal Lyriel had given when he complained that she kept draining their mana reserves. ¡°The Avatar said that the settlement¡¯s resources will be refreshed when the upgrade goes through, so recruit the fleet, and continue with the ship building. We¡¯ll bring the phantoms back right after we upgrade when we receive the influx of resources.¡±


    Kayla beamed at the idea of completely returning the Tempest Fleet. She had been patient while the settlement grew, but to her, the pirates were family and they were on the verge of finally reuniting. She couldn¡¯t wait to have them all back under her command.


    Marcus pinched his chin as he considered the Avatar¡¯s apparent cavalier attitude toward consumption of settlement mana, a resource that, to them, seemed critical for their development. ¡°If we¡¯re to assume that she isn¡¯t actively trying to sabotage us, I would venture a guess that the settlement will become more efficient in its mana accumulation as the assimilation continues. She didn¡¯t expect to arrive so early after all; maybe it¡¯s normally not an issue if the timeline isn¡¯t pushed forward by whatever Earth has going on.¡±


    Coop couldn¡¯t find any reason to disagree with his assessment. ¡°It seems like she has her own clear motivation to oppose mana. I think that as long as her interests happen to align with ours, we can trust that she actually means to help.¡±


    Jones interjected, before they could move on to other topics. ¡°If it¡¯s alright, could I be brought up to speed with regard to this Avatar? It seemed like you were being roped into something quite grand at the end of her visit.¡±


    Coop nodded in the affirmative, not worried about letting all of his companions in on the details, and agreeing that her final message was leading, to say the least. Most of the details would impact them all equally.


    Marcus glanced at Coop, always eager for more information. ¡°What else did she say?¡±


    Coop took his time and shared every detail that he could remember from his conversation with Lyriel. Jones helpfully inserted some particulars as he saw them. It worked out nicely as the senior caretaker was more unbiased than any of the residents of Ghost Reef when it came to the alien visitor. He hadn¡¯t experienced her haughty attitude directly, and only observed when she finally revealed some of her true colors.


    ¡°She admitted to being an exile of the galactic community. As one of the few survivors of a previous Eradication Protocol and failed assimilation, she said they are branded by the judgment of mana and seek out potential allies that will also be marked, like us, in order to bolster themselves and find a way to better balance the control mana has with the system.¡± Coop summarized after going through the specifics with Jones¡¯s help. ¡°Then, she offered to provide a key the next time we meet, that would, and I quote, ¡®unshackle us all.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s progress, I guess.¡± Camila commented after the group silently took in Coop¡¯s explanation. ¡°At least, you have something to look forward to.¡± She gauged the confidence of Coop and Jones. Coop shrugged.


    ¡°Does that mean there were other planets with civilizations? Entire societies, maybe even more advanced than ours, that were wiped out completely?¡± Charlie worried. ¡°These exiles are just the ones that survived?¡±


    ¡°Seems that way.¡± Coop conceded. ¡°Sounds like there¡¯s quite the filter to enter the galactic community, and they aren¡¯t even aware of it.¡± He tilted his head toward their alien companion.


    Balor seemed completely lost, having the tables turned with regard to system knowledge as he listened into the conversation. The aliens rarely bothered discussing the details of the system, just accepting its presence the same way Coop accepted the sun rising. Coop suspected that humans would be looked at as blasphemers by many factions just for their curiosity.


    The rest of the group readily believed the fact that Lyriel had exaggerated her level of influence and was really a survivor on the edge of the galactic community. There was an obvious disparity between creating the system itself, and slumming it on Earth with warnings and proposals. From their perspective, the system actually still appeared to be the authority between the two vague, uncontrolled entities, but everything was still on the rails. If the system¡¯s restrictions started breaking down, all bets were off.


    Coop had an unasked question that he knew no one would be able to answer. If mana¡¯s singular purpose was to eliminate potential threats from popping up in the infinite cosmos, what was the system¡¯s purpose? Lyriel believed it had been built as a counter to mana¡¯s oppression, but her group still seemed to be guessing, albeit with slightly more information than anyone else.


    From Coop¡¯s perspective, in the beginnings of an assimilation, the whole process seemed more like an indoctrination into the galactic community that the system had established using mana as its framework. The factions jockeyed for position within the community, subjugating the new arrivals, using the mechanisms that the system provided after being uplifted to their positions from nothing. Was it a genuine attempt to escape mana¡¯s limitations? It could just as easily be something like controlled opposition, or even a long term farming plan that would never be redeemed with the original creators absent. Coop frowned at himself, wondering if the suspicions he had for the Avatar had simply shifted to the system. There wasn¡¯t anything he could do about any of that, so he wouldn¡¯t worry about it.


    After most of them were on the same page, they brought Jones further up to speed, describing the Avatar¡¯s first visit and explaining the judgment of mana, their failing assimilation, the Eradication Protocol, and the circumstances that led to the encounter at the end of the siege, including the first Icon of Mana and how it appeared.


    ¡°And that¡¯s when Coop tried to punch her lights out.¡± Camila helpfully added, punctuating the objective descriptions as they were presented with a highlight when they ultimately reached the point of the Avatar¡¯s arrival.


    Jones frowned at Coop, like he had been raised better than to try sucker punching a guest to his island. Coop raised his hands. ¡°It was just a lot of fighting up to that point. I didn¡¯t want anyone poking more holes into the fort¡± He tried to appeal to Jones¡¯s particular sensibilities.


    Instead of admonishing him verbally, Jones gave his early assessment. ¡°It sounds like you should go ahead and establish this pseudo faction. The portions of her story that remained consistent seem to indicate that it isn¡¯t meant as a trap, but actually something borne out of desperation. Waiting years would only do more harm than good.¡±


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Actually, that¡¯s where it gets even more interesting.¡± Coop revealed, excited to add to the twists. He pulled out the Purification Chip and the red disc glittered in the light of the atrium. No one reacted with much surprise. Balor squinted at it with no particular recognition in his eyes, but doing his best to understand what simple buff chip had deserved such a theatrical reveal. At most it was a bit early for them to have one in their possession, but it wasn¡¯t completely outside the realm of possibilities. With Coop¡¯s other hand, like he was completing a magic trick, he displayed the Faction Founding Chip with a flourish and the blue disc similarly caught the light that streamed into the citadel.


    Before he could say, ¡°Ta-da!¡± a loud thump interrupted his grand presentation. Balor dropped to the floor, landing straight on his butt with enough force to shake the solid stones of the citadel. The sight of the Faction Founding Chip was as unexpected as Coop thought. The aliens really admired the structural existence of factions; they were like the physical embodiment of the gods they worshiped for providing them the mana and the system, creating a way to directly interact with the entities as they imagined them. Even the factionless recognized and respected what factions meant to the galactic community even if they wanted to escape the bindings of their leadership.


    Everyone¡¯s attention was torn away from Coop as they checked on Balor, who remained seated while he struggled to come to terms with the baby planet he was on already on the verge of establishing a faction. The process was mythologized such that they never expected to be able to witness it themselves and the implications were vast, in a galactic sense.


    Coop cleared his throat, presenting the red disc first. ¡°So, anyway, this is the Purification Chip she was talking about using to alter the mana within our claimed territory,¡± he lifted the blue disc. ¡°And this is the Faction Founding Chip that she obviously didn¡¯t think we had any chance of getting, not in a hundred years, and not in a thousand.¡± He gestured toward Balor¡¯s reaction as proof that it wasn¡¯t a farfetched assessment from the powers that be. Balor watched with his eyes wide, clearly contemplating his place in the universe as Coop put the discs away.


    Jones was quick on the uptake. ¡°I see,¡± he muttered before summarizing what he understood. ¡°So you didn¡¯t fully trust the Avatar at the start, and somehow received a potential ace that you kept up your sleeve.¡± He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ¡°You thought you might need to make a choice, but now that you¡¯ve received more information from her, you have a better idea of what you want to do?¡±


    ¡°I think your original thought was right. Waiting to use the Purification Chip is too much of a gamble. We can¡¯t risk walking into a real Eradication Protocol and being wiped out while we had a potential defense stashed away in my pocket.¡± Coop explained his reasoning, not that it had changed much from the beginning. He felt like it was less likely to be some kind of trick after his last more sincere conversation with the Avatar, so his risk assessment leaned even further toward applying the chip. The fact that Jones, of all people, agreed, was even better.


    ¡°As for the Faction Founding Chip, I expect it will have its own complications, while the benefits might be a bit too hard for us to make proper use of in the short term. From what I understand, we would have access to more system sponsored events, without the threat of annihilation, while also being exposed to the rest of the factions, whatever that would entail. We¡¯ve got events and opportunities right here at home, so I don¡¯t see the benefits of giving up our focus on survival.¡± Coop was prepared to stash the Faction Chip in his back pocket. He was pretty confident that the only reason they had it was because the rewards of the siege event bugged out and defaulted to giving them the maximum possible reward, meant for the end of the assimilation if it would be given at all.


    Marcus raised a hand for an opportunity to give his input. ¡°We don¡¯t need to overcomplicate things any further than they already are: you don¡¯t need to wait with the Purification Chip. I¡¯ve collected votes from the residents, and heeding the Avatar¡¯s warning and establishing a faction had the overwhelming majority. Over 90% of residents were in support, even before these revelations. If you¡¯re in favor of using it, just do it. With the actual faction stuff, I say we ignore it until our survival is secured.¡±


    Coop nodded, glad to know that most people were on board without him needing to do anything special. It made him more confident in his own decision knowing he wasn¡¯t alone, especially when they would all be impacted by the choice.


    ¡°The only counter points came from those worried about a shift in our priorities if we had control of our own faction, as if we would target world domination like so many of the others.¡± Marcus elaborated. ¡°Most of those would be satisfied as long as Coop became whatever the equivalent of Champion would be, since they trust your demeanor enough to not be concerned about an over ambitious warlord taking over.¡±


    ¡°My demeanor?¡± Coop mouthed before he shrugged, not sure how he should take the evaluation, but choosing to be fine with it. He couldn¡¯t imagine a scenario where he became what they feared anyway. He wasn¡¯t interested in conquest or politics, just relaxing on the beach and grinding to make the vacations possible.


    Balor had been watching the exchange from the floor, still a bit wild in the eyes, but he had something to add, clearing his throat and grumbling as he claimed his turn. ¡°Listen here, you lot. I don¡¯t really know what you all are talking about exactly, and I may be a simple elemental at the end of the day, but I got the gist; you have it on good authority that you¡¯re facing some big challenges in the future, bigger than the planetary sponsor.¡±


    He grunted as he stood up and planted his feet while he set his shoulders back, reminding them all that he was a formidable warrior with thousands of levels of experience and not just the stonemason they had come to know. ¡°If your assimilation is doomed to fail, establish your faction before the system makes it official.¡± He stated decisively. ¡°I¡¯ll need some time to prepare things.¡±


    Coop frowned as he parsed the stonemason¡¯s declaration. Balor was already walking through the huddle to leave the citadel in the direction of his workshop. ¡°Hey, wait a sec Balor! What do you mean ¡®prepare¡¯?¡±


    The stonemason stopped to elaborate for Coop. ¡°We may all be factionless. Well, most of us that you¡¯ve recruited, but we aren¡¯t all independent due to the same circumstances. Almost universally, escaping a faction is an incredible challenge that requires decades of dedicated planning and preparation, then even more time properly escaping, with many battles in between. My situation was basically the opposite. I was chased out of my faction, forced into retirement because of choices I made to ensure I could work with my hands for a long time that went against my faction¡¯s worn path.¡± He looked at the palm of his stone hand and slowly formed a rock fist. ¡°I am going to discuss the idea of our little haven becoming a faction capital with the other factionless, because I expect that not all of them will be satisfied with the developments that drove you to this point. They will all have difficult choices to make as well.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯d change any of our policies.¡± Coop pointed out. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in changing our priorities.¡± He hadn¡¯t considered that factionless contracted residents might be so opposed to factions that they would refuse to continue operating within Ghost Reef, but was that really the issue?


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯ve already proven to be a suitable Champion. That¡¯s not the problem, though.¡± Balor looked around at the settlement behind them. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t come as a surprise that working an assimilation is typically considered an undesirable contract. Sure, there is opportunity to level professions, but many of the other benefits will never be realized, and even those limited bonuses are conditional on luck. Luck of being contracted to a settlement that will survive at all, luck that the settlement will be prosperous, and of course luck that the assimilation succeeds in joining the community. Any contracted resident has already accepted their prospects. In that sense, this Ghost Reef has already been a resounding success.¡±


    Balor paused and asked Coop a pointed question, as if it hadn¡¯t occurred to him that the Champion didn¡¯t know something so basic within the galactic community. ¡°What do you think happens to us contractors when an assimilation fails?¡±


    ¡°Uh, you get sent back?¡± Coop answered, unsure even though he thought it was obvious.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Balor confirmed, glad that at least that much was understood. ¡°But we are not bouncing down the side of a mountain, we can make our own arrangements if we know ahead of time. It¡¯s not just about a new faction being formed, which you are not ready for, it¡¯s that the assimilation will fail.¡± Balor proclaimed. ¡°I¡¯ll be talking to the others first.¡± He nodded firmly and continued out of the citadel.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop grunted as they watched the stonemason leave.


    It didn¡¯t seem like anything with the faction was actually that urgent, but it seemed like Balor wanted to get his own plans in motion before the humans did anything. Whatever it was, he deemed it important enough for him to abandon his guided tour. Coop was sure he would get the details from him another time, when the stonemason wasn¡¯t all worked up after seeing the Faction Founding Chip. As far as he was concerned, it seemed like Balor wanted to ease the other contracted residents into the situation. He hadn¡¯t really considered that as he worked to turn the settlement into a sanctuary for Earth, the contracted residents were growing equally attached.


    ¡°Well, I guess we¡¯ll establish the faction before the assimilation officially fails.¡± Coop didn¡¯t mind deferring to Balor on that particular decision. ¡°I was thinking we could even do it afterwards, since it isn¡¯t tied to an assimilation, only our survival, but let¡¯s just put it to the back of the queue for now. If he says we¡¯re not ready, we¡¯re not ready.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait until Ghost Reef is properly repaired and we¡¯ve had a chance to upgrade, at least.¡± Marcus helpfully suggested. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to keep on top of whatever our stonemason is cooking up.¡±

 Chapter 131: The Lighthouse

    After Balor departed the civilization shard¡¯s atrium in the center of the citadel, hastily making off to prepare for Earth¡¯s failing assimilation, Coop checked on his companions. Looking around, he felt like he was the only one even remotely alarmed by each bit of additional information they gathered. He expected at least a few of them to be falling down a rabbit hole, imagining the possibilities and implications with two different unchecked entities governing the universe. Normally, he thought he was the steady one, taking things one step at a time, but everyone else was the picture of indifference this time around. Coop shook his head to himself, worried about what the apocalypse had done to his friends¡¯ psychology, and what it had done to his own.


    Kayla was casually polishing the hilt of her sword with the edge of her waistband and Camila and Charlie were quietly joking about something else entirely. Coop glanced at Jones, hoping to find a reasonable reaction, but even the senior caretaker avoided being overwhelmed by the revelations he had received all at once. Instead, the old man was carefully observing the stone construction of the citadel, evidently getting used to his new abilities in the meantime.


    Coop nodded, deciding that he was the weirdo for even considering galactic existential threats, truly ancient conflicts, and gray goo, when the day-to-day was already plenty to occupy their focus. In any case, he was sure that he would have plenty of time for idle thoughts during his next grind session. Obviously, even for him, his next grind session took precedence over figuring out their place in the universe. That was another topic he would have to leave for others with more expertise.


    Marcus jotted down some notes to remind himself to follow up with Balor like he was making sure a shopping list included milk and bread. Coop got the impression the Viceroy believed that whatever the stonemason worked up would be diplomatic in nature and therefore wasn¡¯t something that the Champion would be particularly involved with. That was fine with both of them.


    Since everyone was more or less waiting for Coop, he nodded to himself and got moving. ¡°What do you say we get this Purification Chip installed?¡± He proposed as he approached the civilization shard, breaking the calm that had claimed everyone else to focus on the next step forward.


    ¡°About time.¡± Camila taunted playfully before being lightly shoved by Charlie. Jones smirked at the exchange between the girls, obviously glad that Coop had ended up with worthy companions that could both advise him and keep him grounded.


    Coop placed the small red disc on the ground underneath the floating red crystal, where a berm had been cut through the stone floor of the citadel, housing the shard, and stepped away. He expected a grand occurrence to initiate the new development. They hadn¡¯t forgotten the epic reveal of the phantoms when he completed the quest to retrieve the Spectral Relic.


    Nothing happened for a moment even though he had done just what Lyriel had instructed. Coop clicked his teeth, disappointed that his expectations were never met when it came to their developments, but before he lost hope, the civilization shard subtly hummed with energy, gradually escalating until it was clear that some power was at play.


    ¡°Here we go.¡± He breathed, feeling a little giddiness despite constantly being let down.


    The red disc hovered off the ground toward the bottom tip of the shard, as if it was drawn by a magnet, buzzing with unseen energy. The disc started to rotate, slowly increasing speed until it started to gently glow, matching the shard¡¯s ever present red aura and eventually exceeding it with its own vivid color. The disc was a blur of speed and light after just a few more seconds.


    The illumination continued to escalate, along with the buzzing, until it was difficult to endure. Coop squinted and clenched his jaw, as the light and sound grew beyond uncomfortable levels, but as soon as it reached the point that Coop was avoiding looking at it directly, the light abruptly cut off and the sound stopped. Coop¡¯s eyes took a moment to adjust from the sharp color back to the regular ambient light. He blinked a few times to speed up the process and observe what had happened.


    The final result was a simple, opaque band of solid red, ringing the lower tip of the civilization shard. Coop thought it was a bit disappointing after all, but that was typical of literally every development the system provided, so why not with the pseudo-system objects as well. Another moment passed where nothing happened.


    Coop shrugged. He was ready to call it. They had accessorized the shard with a cheap band of colored jewelry, and that was it. Coop thought the process was done. ¡°Well-¡± He began to express his thoughts to his companions before the shard shot a red beam straight up through the carefully crafted skylight in the citadel, interrupting him with a burst of energy. He could feel heat on his skin as the new vivid red light extended into the sky, like he was standing just slightly too close to a heat lamp.


    A system prompt appeared, unbidden, in the center of his vision asking for him to declare the name of the faction. Coop ignored it for a moment, but realized it demanded his immediate attention. The prompt burned? Coop went cross eyed as he read the message and had no way to minimize it or interact with it other than to do what it said.


    ¡°Argh! Marcus! What should the name be?¡± He asked a bit desperately, as having the message so prominently displayed in his line of sight was quickly becoming more uncomfortable. It felt like having a pair of huge eyelashes on top of his retinas while his eyes were being forced open.


    ¡°Gah! Even blinking doesn¡¯t help.¡± Coop complained. He rubbed his watering eyes with his knuckles, feeling the agitation grow, while cursing the Avatar under his breath. This was clearly not a proper prompt created by the system. These exiles were definitely not as sophisticated as whoever established the system in the first place, and their hacked together tools left a lot to be desired. The system never left him feeling like it was physically present, but this prompt was rapidly becoming agony.


    Marcus took his time, not understanding the rush, as he flipped through some more notes. Clearing his throat he started reading like they were just having a casual meeting in the Clumsy Shark, oblivious to Coop¡¯s suffering. ¡°The top suggestion was The Unchosen, but there was no clear majority. Some of the others included The Factionless, The Human Alliance¡­¡± He trailed off as he listed one-off suggestions and Coop struggled to focus.


    ¡°What about The Lighthouse?¡± Jones intuitively suggested, catching on to the underlying purpose of the faction even quicker than the rest had. The faction was a simple extension of Ghost Reef, a place where they intended to build a sanctuary, to offer refuge to those metaphorically lost at sea. It was perfect.


    While the rest casually discussed the options, adding their own and not recognizing Coop¡¯s tortured expression, Coop submitted The Lighthouse as the faction name and was rid of the prompt once and for all. The beam shooting into the sky ceased just as abruptly as it had begun, but Coop exhaled a huge sigh of relief at not having to interact with the message any further. The feeling of having grains of sand pressed against his eyeballs couldn¡¯t have been worse.


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s done.¡± Coop breathed, happy with the result despite the difficulties. The Lighthouse encapsulated their vision for Ghost Reef, which was to become a beacon of security for those who sought it out.


    He waited for another prompt, or some sort of confirmation, but once again, nothing came. ¡°Now what?¡± He asked, looking around at his companions. Charlie and Camila had taken a seat on the stone benches that lined the perimeter of the atrium section of the citadel, spectating from a distance to avoid more surprise displays. Kayla and Jones were watching Coop while Marcus continued to gaze at his notes. It seemed like no one had any answers, so Coop accessed the civilization shard to see if he had new menus.


    As soon as he put his hand closer, to interact with the shard, the air rippled as a pulse was emitted in all directions from the crystal. ¡°What the heck? Why is this so janky?¡± Coop grumbled. If they hadn¡¯t already figured out that the Avatar of the System wasn¡¯t really a goddess, they would have been able to put it together after seeing her so-called ¡®gifts¡¯ in action.


    The pulse of energy flew across the interior of the fort and beyond the walls, warping their vision like they were viewing the edge of the wave through a magnifying glass. The wave continued gliding up into the air, and presumably penetrated below ground as it encompassed the entire territory of the settlement. It was a bit reminiscent of the application of the Spectral Relic when the bonus reward yielded all of the phantoms after a blast of ghostly energy encompassed the settlement, so at least that much was familiar.


    After the pulse fully engulfed Ghost Reef, for a passing second, everything pixelated. The air, the clouds, the walls, and the people themselves all warped, first as large blurry blocks, then gaining more definition as the pixels became smaller and smaller before returning back to normal. If anyone was prone to conspiracy theories, Coop was sure they would be on board with the entire apocalypse being a simulation after seeing reality pixelate before their eyes.


    A notification was pushed to all of the residents of Ghost Reef, including Coop. He checked the contents, expecting the grand announcement of their faction being born.


    [The Lighthouse has claimed Ghost Reef]


    Coop read the message twice. ¡°That¡¯s certainly an announcement.¡± He muttered to himself. Hopefully, when they established the real thing it would both be a smoother experience as well as an appropriately impressive initiation. He accessed the civilization shard, yet again, checking for new content.


    This time, he wasn¡¯t interrupted by delayed reactions, and he was able to discover that there was a new tab dedicated to the faction. He accessed it with a mental nudge and found a whole series of blank buttons with only a single one with a proper label, one that was titled ¡®Members.¡¯


    ¡°Well, alright.¡± He acknowledged as he made sense of the negative space in the menus. It was becoming clear that the Purification Chip really only did one thing. The Avatar hadn¡¯t lied about what it would do, but so much was missing, it was obviously not a true faction. Instead, they had established the barebones skeleton of a faction. It was an imitation that could at least influence its territory and accomplish the only purpose of the chip.


    A single bonus was applied passively to any territory the faction claimed, like an aura emitted from the civilization shard. It was simply called Purified, and it claimed to accomplish what the Avatar had promised, preventing the judgment of mana. The settlement¡¯s territory became a pocket that was separated from the rest of the world, magically, if clearly not physically. Really, settlement territory already did that, but the Purification Chip added another layer. Coop realized it was also similar to the isolated regions that created Mana Wells, like the world of mana was being carved up into different zones as mana fully activated.


    The menu also revealed that their faction was alone. Coop reasoned that it was a bit like being on a private network. Only a real faction, established by the system directly, would allow them to properly connect to the wider community. In the meantime, they were basically in an isolated testing environment. That was good enough for him, and if Balor¡¯s warnings were anything to go by, it was better that way. The stonemason stated that they weren¡¯t ready to be exposed to the rest of the galactic community, and Coop believed him.


    Coop selected the Members button and found three more sub-categories. Permanent Members, Preliminary Members, and Nonmember Affiliates. He selected the first option to view the Permanent Members.


    [Founder - Coop]


    ¡°Yep. I guess that¡¯s what I expected.¡± He mumbled before he looked closer as to what was the difference between the member sub-categories.


    Permanent Members had a binding contract with the faction. Coop reviewed the default terms and scowled at the one-sided restrictions. He immediately made a few adjustments as he scanned the pledges, changing the commitment of membership from ¡®in perpetuity extending to offspring¡¯ to ¡®voluntary,¡¯ and the mandatory tribute from 90% to 0%.


    There were about 20 other mandatory bonds that he switched to voluntary, as he realized they could regulate seemingly all aspects of a faction member¡¯s life. If people were born into these contracts, he understood why there was little incentive to make them attractive enough that someone would choose to agree to them, but it was way too much. Coop had no interest in taking that kind of control over anyone and his changes turned the faction into something a lot more like a clan with purely optional contributions and participation. He felt a lot better with it organized in that way.


    When Coop checked the next group, Preliminary Members, it was just an empty list. The sub-category was meant for people who weren¡¯t under contract yet, but had some other agreement that would feed them into the faction. Anyone who was sponsored during an assimilation fell into this group, potentially falling under contract once their planet joined the galactic community, assuming that the assimilation went well. In the meantime, they weren¡¯t even considered people yet, more like the unborn of permanent members. It didn¡¯t seem like the factions banked on gaining significant numbers through the process, instead he thought the whole sponsorship scenario was entirely meant to be a territory grab for the faction itself. Claiming the locals was a side bonus at best.


    The last group, the Nonmember Affiliates, was actually populated with a long list of names. They were all of the people associated with the faction in some other way, in this case, it was basically everyone who was a resident of territory claimed by the faction. The list included the contracted residents, the phantoms, and even the human and animal residents that were members of other factions.


    There wasn¡¯t much else for him to play with inside of the menus, but Camila hopped up from her seat beside Charlie and accessed the shard herself. After a few seconds, Coop got another prompt asking him if he would like to review an application for joining The Lighthouse. Thankfully, it didn¡¯t burn. He accepted, reluctantly, already seeing something he needed to delegate. There was no way he wanted to be the one recruiting and reviewing applications for their faction. At least the notice came with an unsuspecting volunteer. He received a new visual with a series of stats and other information.


    A 3-dimensional representation of Camila spun in his vision. It seemed like it was a perfectly accurate model, like he was looking at the paperdoll of a character in a video game. It displayed some details, like her level, class, and profession, physical stats including height and weight, faction affiliations, which included The Endless Empire and several others he didn¡¯t recognize that must have been the sponsors of other residents, and her settlement residency.


    Camila elbowed him, suspicious of his blank look as he wondered about the data that the system seemed to collect. Between the phantoms and their real histories to their physical forms, it seemed like it simply recorded everything that existed, whether it was active or not. It seemed like a lot.


    ¡°Well?¡± She waited and he accepted her application. The contract was executed and he agreed. It was Camila¡¯s turn to stare into space with a blank look.


    ¡°Hang on, let me review this.¡± Camila mumbled as she started carefully analyzing the terms.


    Coop stood for a while before sitting down and chatting with Charlie, making fun of lawyers until Camila eventually agreed to the contract. After a thorough review, she appeared happy with the terms that Coop had already adjusted. She became the first to join the faction.

 Chapter 132: Ghost Reef Reunion

    Coop launched a heavy spear into the air and counted silently while it flew toward the sky, shrinking with the distance until it seemed like nothing more than a matchstick. He had already returned to the Primal Kite grind, happy to keep it going now that he had a decent way to hunt the monsters. After Balor bailed on his tour, he had the rest of the day free, so he settled onto the sandbar when it was still early in the afternoon. This time, he only had an audience of one human observing his throws.


    ¡°Hm. That one was far too long.¡± Jones pointed out from a half submerged lounge chair, taking the role of judge from the pair of girls. Despite living on a tropical island, it was the first time Coop had seen the old man get his feet wet.


    ¡°I know, I couldn¡¯t help myself that time.¡± Coop admitted. It was hard to find the right balance of arc and weight with all of the varying distances, and sometimes he just wanted to let it rip. Finesse wasn¡¯t exactly Coop¡¯s primary focus. Most of the time he was forcing himself to be as strong or as fast as possible to match up with ever increasing threats. It was a weakness that Ledwidge had already identified for him. "It was still pretty close.¡± He argued, knowing that he could have launched the spear even higher if he let himself.


    Charlie and Camila were busy with other tasks, and couldn¡¯t lend their expert eyes and fastidious scoring criteria to Coop¡¯s grind. Jones¡¯s patient and much gentler guidance was filling the absence. The girls were busy recruiting for the faction. Camila was given the job of reviewing applications as the first member, after Coop had promoted her to an Officer position. Her first order of business was recruiting Elder Olani to be the sleuth that the old gossip was born to be.


    The faction had default ranks to begin with, including Chosen, but that was reserved for sponsorships. The ones who were joining were simply Initiates for a trial period until they became Members. Coop was the Founder. The ranks could be changed, with roles designated and responsibilities altered, but they would worry about that before the real faction was formed. Every few minutes, Coop received a notification letting him know that another of their residents had become an Initiate of The Lighthouse. It seemed like everyone who was factionless was finding an official home, in the eyes of the system. They were welcome to stay factionless residents of Ghost Reef if they so desired.


    The old man had joined Coop in the shallows, planning on catching up on all the details of the happenings around the island chain while he was in his curse induced coma. The fort¡¯s guided tour was temporarily put on hold until Balor was ready for it to resume, but Jones only needed a passing glance to see what the problems were. The senior caretaker was much more optimistic about the fort¡¯s prognosis when compared to the alien contractor.


    Coop cast Legacy of the Mists and a shirtless spearman with a smooth conical helmet leapt from the mists a quarter of a mile in the distance, near the edge of his Fog of War domain, demolishing a Primal Kite when it attempted to ambush the intruder. Sand and water cascaded around the phantom as it assessed the damage.


    ¡°Sumerian.¡± Jones observed, somehow recognizing the equipment of the spearman, even in the distant shallows, like the old archaeologist was participating in some kind of gameshow. The spearman disappeared while Coop¡¯s heavy ethereal spear solidified in his hand after wrecking his own target.


    An agitated meow brought Jones¡¯s attention back to Jett, who was cradled in his lap, waiting for the pets that had paused when he spotted another historical phantasm.


    ¡°Whoops, sorry little lady.¡± Jones apologized kindly as he rubbed his finger and thumb in front of both her ears. She shut her eyes in contentment, flattening her ears to help him reach the best spots. The real island reunion had finally taken place when the senior lighthouse keeper noticed her peer walking through the settlement. It still boggled Coop¡¯s mind that the pair had been on the island for something like 25 years together.


    ¡°Are you sure I don¡¯t need to join the faction?¡± Jones reiterated, not for the first time. He was still a member of Collegia Universal, his original sponsor.


    ¡°You heard the lady. It¡¯s all about the territory and the mana inside it.¡± Coop threw his spear again, targeting a Kite that had spawned a bit closer to the center of the sand bar. He grunted with the effort of trying to get the perfect arc, enough strength to launch the heavy weapon, but not too much to overdo it.


    After Coop¡¯s spear throw, he watched it while he continued sharing his theories. ¡°I think the idea is that we expand our territory as much as possible, creating a buffer between our shelter and the Icons of Mana and their armies or whatever. Then, hopefully, we hold out long enough for these exiles to extract us after the planetary shield goes away at the end of the assimilation period. We¡¯ll have failed mana¡¯s assessment, but survived.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll join anyway.¡± Jones decided, not so confident in the Avatar. ¡°I don¡¯t like how little guidance they give. The orientation was so much more efficient, freely giving the information and advice they had available. It may have been unreliable, but at least it was honest.¡±


    Coop shrugged. ¡°I doubt all the factions were as forthcoming.¡± Coop pointed out, feeling like Collegia Universal was certainly one of the better factions in that sense. ¡°Considering the chaos it would create if they articulated the dangers to everyone, I think I sorta get it. Imagine a planet-wide, life or death, game of king of the hill inside our settlement.¡± He shuddered at the idea. ¡°Everyone would want to stake out positions as close to the shard as possible. It¡¯s definitely better if we have a chance to move on our own terms.¡±


    ¡°I got the impression that they either have no intention, or lack the capacity to actually rescue many survivors.¡± Jones noted, further fueling the nightmare scenario that Coop was envisioning. That would only amplify the desperation people would feel to stake a claim inside their territory.


    At this point, he thought the limitations Lyriel had revealed were a function of the exiles¡¯ limited resources. Jones seemed to be approaching a similar conclusion, but one that was even more extreme that what Coop envisioned.


    As the heavy ethereal spear slammed into another Primal Kite, Coop glanced back at Jones. ¡°What makes you think that?¡±


    ¡°Hmm..¡± Jones hummed, as if he wondered why himself. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s the way their faction relays their message, the deceptions, and the particularities necessary to initiate contact in the first place. It all reeks of desperation. They¡¯re only seeking out specific groups of standouts who were able to defeat an Icon of Mana, and defeat it blind to the threat it represents.¡± He paused for a moment as he rubbed Jett¡¯s chin before he resumed his thought. ¡°I doubt anyone on Earth would have received a warning if you hadn¡¯t been able to defeat the first Icon. They would have left us to die. Help is only for those that can help them.¡±


    ¡°I just thought she was shady.¡± Coop admitted, not having articulated anything beyond his instinctive impression. Even with all the different voices around the settlement, he hadn¡¯t heard anyone articulate the same thoughts as Jones, though no one else had the additional context provided by witnessing the second visit. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re back old man.¡±


    Jones chuckled. ¡°Glad to be back.¡±


    ¡°So what¡¯s with the Cursed title?¡± Coop decided it was time to address some of the elephants on the island.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jones hesitated as he reread the description. ¡°The title was rewarded for resisting a potent curse. It claims to increase my resistance to future curses while granting me some of the left over power of the one I overcame. I assume that¡¯s where the extra levels came from.¡± He looked up at Coop, appraising him. ¡°I guess I should have known you¡¯d be able to read auras like that by now, it just feels like I wasn¡¯t gone for very long. One minute I was touring the fort and the next I was staring into a bright light, strapped to a gurney.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t dream or anything?¡± Coop wondered, imagining how jarring it would be to find himself in the same situation, and admittedly, considering if it would be worth it for a swing at another title.


    ¡°Nothing. It was like I blinked and it all happened.¡± He chuckled at himself causing Jett to watch his hand to make sure he didn¡¯t start slacking. ¡°Maybe not a blink. More like a cat nap.¡±


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    Coop threw another spear, still waiting for his mana to recover enough to summon another Legacy of the Mists phantasm. ¡°And the bloodstone human thing?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea.¡± Jones confessed. ¡°The system isn¡¯t quite so helpful in distributing information when you want it. My status doesn¡¯t have any obvious changes, though I have the physical ones as proof that something happened.¡± He elevated his forearm, with the red stripes climbing toward his rolled-up  sleeves. ¡°I did appear to have some sort of new, enhanced connection to the fort, like I could actually detect the mana flowing through the stones, but I¡¯ll need some time to explore those feelings. I¡¯m assuming the changes will influence my future skill choices at the very least.¡± Jones returned his full attention to Jett while Coop resummoned his spear and threw it again.


    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Jones continued, as if he remembered something important. ¡°I didn¡¯t get to choose anything for reaching level 25. I suppose the affinity and racial evolution were the result, but it seems strange that I had no control. I feel like I was robbed of a skill.¡±


    Coop frowned at the revelation. He knew Jones was lower level before the events with Kevin the Hammer¡¯s crew, but he couldn¡¯t remember exactly where the caretaker had ended up. All the talk of mana mutants and Icons made him uneasy about outside factors manipulating them.


    ¡°Are you still on the human leaderboards?¡± Coop considered the other ramifications of Jones¡¯s evolution by relating them to what he paid the most attention to. ¡°The phantoms are Spectral Humans, but they don¡¯t appear on there at all.¡±


    Jones took a second to check, raising his eyebrows as he was apparently surprised by what he saw. ¡°I am indeed. I see you¡¯ve been busier than I expected as well. What in the world have you been up to? You¡¯re more than 40 levels ahead of our diligent Charlie!¡± He shook his head. ¡°Not to mention the rest of the planet.¡±


    Coop shrugged as he resummoned his spear, going through the motions like an automaton designed to grind. ¡°A little of this, and a little of that.¡± He stated as he threw his conjured weapon into the air. When the spear landed, he cast Legacy of the Mists, having recovered the rest of the mana necessary with his Reaper title¡¯s ¡®on kill¡¯ recovery.


    ¡°I can see that.¡± Jones accepted the response with an eyebrow raised.


    ¡°I suppose you don¡¯t switch between leaderboards, even if you have a racial evolution.¡± Coop idly observed.


    The trio continued as they were for some time, with Coop grinding and Jett receiving enough attention from Jones to keep her satisfied. Eventually, Coop swapped in for Jones, petting Jett and keeping her out of the water so that the old man could try his hand at defeating a Primal Kite.


    ¡°To your left, about 25 yards out.¡± Coop guided him with Jett held over his shoulder. ¡°A little more left.¡± He had Jones adjust.


    When the Primal Kite erupted from its ambush spot, a boulder grew from Jones¡¯s outstretched hand and hurtled through the air until it smashed into the monster¡¯s metallic body. The boulder demolished the metallic scales and continued until it splashed into the water another 20 yards in the distance, barely losing momentum after colliding with the Kite. A trail of the monster¡¯s mana smoke lingered like a vapor trail chasing a miniaturized meteor.


    ¡°Oh, wow!¡± Jones seemed impressed with his own ability, appraising his hands as if he saw them in a new light.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Coop asked, excited to learn about new skills, even if they weren¡¯t his own.


    Jones was all smiles as he returned to the lounge chair, reclaiming Jett before he started explaining. ¡°Well, it seems like I¡¯ll need to adjust my future stat distribution.¡±


    Coop was on pins and needles, as he waited for the reasoning. Was it a stat conversion? ¡°Really? Why? Is it something amazing?¡± He was considering so many different possibilities.


    ¡°First of all, my spell formed the projectile significantly faster than it should have. I was planning on firing a simple bullet, not a boulder. Second, it didn¡¯t cost any mana at all, but it cost my life instead. And finally, when my spell dealt damage, I immediately recovered a portion of the damage as health.¡± Jones explained before pausing as he reconsidered everything he had observed with the single attack. ¡°I believe the damage was amplified as well.¡± He concluded.


    Coop nodded along, already planning how he would incorporate such abilities into his own build, not that he had the option. ¡°Life leech and spell amplification? I¡¯m actually so jealous. We¡¯re gonna need to have you power leveled. I¡¯m gonna put Shane¡¯s party on it, they¡¯ll have you hunting shrimp in the mana well in no time.¡±


    Jones still wasn¡¯t that enthusiastic about leveling, preferring to focus on his archaeology profession, but given the state of the fort, he probably recognized the necessity for the members of Ghost Reef to prepare themselves as much as possible. ¡°I suppose that I¡¯ll go along. I believe I can help repair the fort as well.¡±


    ¡°Aw, it¡¯s like I¡¯m witnessing the birth of another powerhouse, but don¡¯t overdo it.¡± Coop warned as he aimed another spear. The grind couldn¡¯t stop for too long. He¡¯d only received one profession level during the day¡¯s session.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been doing it since before you were born.¡± Jones pointed out, reminding Coop which caretaker was senior.


    Hours went by with Coop defeating Primal Kites with aerial bombardments while Jones exhausted his curiosity regarding the islands. Balor and Charlie had been ready to explain the state of the fort and the events surrounding it, but Coop was the one that could tell him about the island itself.


    ¡°The burrowing owls moved into the sand that collected on the northwestern wall.¡± Coop explained.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s good that the work orders to remove the debris from the walls were never approved.¡± Jones admitted.


    Coop shrugged as he watched a spear land with an enormous splash, but minimal sand disturbance from a new spin he was experimenting with. ¡°I thought they would move back to the dunes by now, but they seem happy up there. I think they might have managed to dig into the actual fort though. Pretty sure the sand filtration system will be compromised at least.¡± Coop continued. ¡°The pigs also seem satisfied to swim around in the moat and wallow in the western canal instead of returning to their island.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe the size of that one, you called him the Eater of Worlds?¡± Jones asked, putting some respect on the pig¡¯s title.


    ¡°He¡¯s a strong fighter too. Honestly, most of the animals that rose to prominence seem crazy. I mean, look at Jett; she could probably still whip me into shape if she wanted to.¡± Coop paused his next throw to glance at the cat, making sure he was still on her good side.


    ¡°I saw her paw print.¡± Jones chuckled. ¡°What has Coop been feeding you?¡± He cooed at the cat.


    Coop shook his head and threw his spear. ¡°There¡¯s also the bat colony that was established in the northern wall. I had no idea there were so many, but they haven''t come back, and I dunno what to do about it.¡± Coop was bothered with problems that fell more into his responsibilities as junior caretaker than Champion.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it,¡± Jones promised, ¡°I can try out my new powers while I fix up a real roost for them.¡± He nodded to himself as he made his own plans. ¡°Yes, there will be a proper bat cave when the repairs are complete. I¡¯ll even set something up so our giant friend will have an easier time coming and going.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell Balor.¡± Coop warned. ¡°He¡¯ll be extremely upset if the fort isn¡¯t returned to its pre-mana glory.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about our friend, a few mugs of Desmond¡¯s beer and I¡¯ll have him fully on board.¡± Jones guaranteed.


    Coop continued regaling Jones with the efforts they had taken to rehabilitate the beaches, dunes, and scrubland. Jones confessed that it already looked healthier than before. If they hadn¡¯t explained to him the battles that had taken place, he wouldn¡¯t have guessed any harm had come to the dunes. Of course, the fort still bore the scars that proved the stories weren¡¯t fabricated.


    ¡°Where does all of that leave me? Should I work as one of Balor¡¯s laborers?¡± Jones wondered.


    ¡°Whatever you want. I¡¯ll still make you Viceroy.¡± Coop promised.


    ¡°No, no, I think your first advisor will be better for that role.¡± Jones firmly declined. ¡°It sounds like that position will have a lot more to worry about than one forgotten old fort.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll put you back to work whether you like it or not. You can be some kind of domestic advisor. We can even kick out the bird mayor if he doesn¡¯t like it.¡± Coop stated. ¡°Every resident already knows it''s your house, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve reminded them a thousand times already. And you¡¯ll love the phantoms, they¡¯ll be able to answer questions you probably never thought you¡¯d have answered.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Jones asked with a smile on his face.


    ¡°They all have one thing in common with you.¡±


    ¡°This better not be a way for you to call me old.¡±


    ¡°No, old man, they¡¯re all connected to Ghost Reef, like you.¡±

 Chapter 133: Caturday

    Jett stirred awake sometime in the afternoon, warm and comfortably embraced by thick blankets. Her personal schedule wouldn¡¯t be dictated by minor details like the sunrise; rest was much too important. She was surrounded by her attendant¡¯s pillows, embedded in the center of the mattress. A big stretch almost lured her back to sleep, but she was disciplined enough to only fall into that temptation once or twice a day. If she slept any longer on this particular afternoon, she might miss her first meal. Food was certainly not an insignificant thing.


    The horror of missing a meal had her fully roused and laser focused, ready to start her rounds. She delicately hopped off the mattress to the wooden floor, with a gentle pitter patter of each paw, and squeezed into the darkness beneath the bed. In the crook of the wall, underneath the headboard, she stepped into the darkest of the shadows. For a fleeting moment, she was embraced by a perfect void of complete darkness and absolute silence. With a second step, she reappeared beneath the bar of the Clumsy Shark, in a corner specifically reserved for her Shadow Gate. It was the first portal that she installed upon receiving the skill, more than a month prior.


    When she emerged from the cabinet, a bowl was already laid out for her on a padded tray at the end of the bar top. Some of the new attendants were significantly more diligent than #1, but she recognized that he always did his best. Jett was generous enough to appreciate the effort. She only needed to be pampered most of the time and his labors had been satisfactory up to this point.


    She noted the tiny blonde human, doing her best to remain undetected within the camouflage of decorative curtains along the wall adjacent to the bar, but Jett instantly identified her steady breathing with her triangulating ears. Otherwise, Jett pretended not to notice, rewarding the child¡¯s genuine efforts. She really was a generous cat.


    Instead, she silently hopped up to the bar and enjoyed her breakfast while she planned her visits for the day. There were so many that needed her attention within her territory, but she had to leave enough time for her patrols afterwards. Those that she skipped would need to be patient until their turn arrived.


    The little human crept along the floor. She was on her hands and knees, carefully selecting where to place her limbs to avoid alerting the cat by inadvertently pressing on a creaky floorboard. She wanted to sneakily touch Jett¡¯s tail while the cat lapped at the meal, but in the instant before her fingers reached her black fur, Jett¡¯s tail swung out of the way.


    ¡°Aww..¡± The blonde human pouted, realizing she hadn¡¯t had a chance from the start. The game was over and the human consoled herself by petting Jett¡¯s coat for a moment. ¡°Nice kitty,¡± She cooed, before she recovered her morale and chose her next target. She went to try stealthily ambushing the demon waitress, sliding between booths to await an ambush opportunity. Even Jett had no hope of accomplishing such an ambitious task, but the child was earnestly practicing. Jett approved.


    She continued her meal while subtly observing the residents. The bowl of food gave Jett several buffs, improving her resource recovery bonuses temporarily while also extending her rested buffs from a high-quality sleep. While she ate, the handsome bartender came out and took his turn stroking her fur, adding yet another boost to her stacked well-groomed bonus.


    Her first attendant had begun his day earlier than normal, so she knew something was in the works, but she had her own responsibilities to tend to. He was a busy human, but he left the nightly patrols to her, and she had to prepare for keeping her territory secure. She supposed it was their territory now, not just hers. Not that it made any practical difference.


    After she finished eating, she took another Shadow Gate. This one was hidden beneath a decorative shelf that held a thick hanging fabric away from the corner of the tavern. The gap between the wall and the hanging rug was only wide enough for a cat to slip into. The rest of the visitors to the tavern would never notice the narrow empty space.


    Jett reappeared inside an unused cauldron that was tipped over, nestled on its side, and filled with folded blankets to create a small cathouse. She left the comfortable space dedicated specifically to her and entered a room filled with a slightly bitter chemical haze from bubbling kettles sitting upon open flames. Her whiskers tingled pleasantly, but the sensation made her want to wash her face.


    She meowed to announce her presence, but only once as befitting her standing. An amorphous blob solidified from bits spread across the room, forming a transparent humanoid that revealed a toothless smile directed toward Jett.


    ¡°It¡¯s so wonderful for you to visit again, Lady Jett.¡± Sojjah, the alchemist politely greeted the cat. ¡°Please, enjoy this tribute.¡± She placed a ceramic saucer on the ground with a single cube shaped treat in the center.


    Jett sniffed it and decided it was suitable. Upon biting into it, she found that it was wonderfully chewy. Each bite revealed more nuance to the taste and delightfully provoked her teeth as they sank into the inviting texture. The alchemist was certainly a worthy attendant for presenting her with such a thing.


    Sojjah bubbled with happiness as Jett clearly enjoyed her gift. ¡°I spent all week working on that one. If it¡¯s good enough, I will continue expanding the taste profile and have a stock of them reserved for you at all times.¡±


    Jett meowed in response, deciding she might make this particular stop more frequently. The alchemist nodded before she splashed across her workshop, igniting a series of cauldrons to begin preparations for more of the cat treats. Jett rarely had the need to check her status, letting her presence speak for itself, but she recognized the physical effects of a significant boost to her attributes after enjoying the treat. She licked her paws and prepared for the next visit, taking a moment to admire the increased gracefulness of her own movement. Her Agility was ascending to new heights.


    Sojjah watched proudly, providing some commentary on the effect. ¡°The duration of the buff should be increased by double this time. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t also improve the efficacy of the buff without asking the Champion to gather Legendary materials. I hope it is good enough for the time being.¡± Sojjah explained regretfully.


    Jett purred, perfectly happy with a simple, tasty treat. The other benefits beyond taste were unnecessary in her mind, not that she couldn¡¯t enjoy them as well.


    She took her leave, stepping through a second Gate cloistered within a nook in the wall, shielded by crates full of finger-sized glass tubes. As she left, she belatedly noted the absence of the Elder with her gnarled staff. Her nails ached to scratch it some more, but she would have her satisfaction in her next destination.


    When she reappeared, she was beneath a tent of fabrics. She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her nose against the edges, delightfully rubbing her cheeks all the way to the base of her whiskers until she revealed an opening. She took her time finding the right spot as she enjoyed the feeling of the smooth layers of cloth against her fur. Once she fully emerged, her coat was fully fluffed up, and another bonus was added to her status.


    ¡°Welcome, Lady Feline, so nice to see you this week. What can I do for you?¡± Erasimus Doomthread asked, waiting for her to appear. He was ever the diligent attendant, she didn¡¯t even need to meow for him to notice she had entered his shop, despite her absolute silence. He had an uncanny ability to always be ready to receive her.


    In response to his question, Jett kneaded her claws against the floor. He nodded in understanding and took mere seconds to retrieve a pad and place it on the ground. Jett moved to offering and spent a good few minutes sharpening her claws, doing her best to gently rip and tear the fabric, but it was magically able to withstand their extraordinarily sharpness, providing just enough resistance to leave her satisfied. Her shoulders rotated back and forth as she worked each and every nail through the mat.


    ¡°The new scratchpads use some extremely rare materials, including a pure manaweave that would never be possible outside of an assimilation. I¡¯m sure it will be up to your standards.¡± The clothier boasted. ¡°Thanks to an unexpected windfall from the Champion, I can keep a supply of the absolute highest quality available for you at all times. He¡¯s surprisingly generous with the residents, paying fair prices despite his authority. He must be influenced by your modest generosity.¡± Erasimus continued, praising her for raising her first attendant appropriately.


    Jett silently agreed, squeezing her eyes shut as she concentrated on her claws. Her first attendant was also generous with the cat treats and petting, so it stood to reason he would be generous elsewhere.


    When she finished with her manicure, she had received multiple more buffs and bonuses through her sharpness affinity. She hopped onto his counter and pushed through even more fabrics that separated the desk from the wall. She was greeted by another Shadow Gate, hidden behind rolls and rolls of cloth. Before she left, she curled into a ball for a quick nap amongst the soft bedding, preparing for the rest of her rounds.


    When Jett woke, feeling refreshed, a step through the Gate took her to the shadows beneath the exterior eaves of the tavern, where she could overlook the shiny crystal and its protective stone playground. She made sure everything continued to be acceptable before she moved on.


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    Her rounds were thrown off completely when she spotted attendant #2. He had fully recovered from his illness, finally. She knew he was her oldest friend, so she was glad. It took her first attendant long enough to get the job done, but at least he delivered eventually. She stepped through the Shadow Gate beneath the chimney and appeared in the rafters of the citadel. From there, she meowed and jumped down into the newly recovered attendants arms. He was suitably delighted.


    ¡°There¡¯s our senior lighthouse keeper!¡± His voice came happily. ¡°Have you been taking care of the fort for me as well?¡± He asked facetiously. Of course she was. She pressed her paw against his chin as he cradled her.


    Her two attendants properly entertained her, carrying her out into the shallows of the surrounding ocean, but preventing her from getting her feet wet. Once they were sufficiently in the water, they let her bask in the warm sun while being pet the appropriately extravagant amount, making up for lost time. They discussed things that didn¡¯t overly concern her or that she was already aware of as they prepared her second attendant for resuming his duties in the territory.


    Jett¡¯s first attendant kept throwing toys that made her want to reach out and cut them down. She held back from batting them out of the sky since he was clearly taking care of his own responsibilities. He didn¡¯t interfere while she did hers, so she let him continue. Jett let her patrols be delayed for the special occasion, but when they carried her back to the settlement and parted ways, she went to work.


    She dipped into a shadow underneath the stoop of the stonemason and reappeared in the northern most room of the fort¡¯s stone basement. Her rounds were done, so the hunt was on. Her claws itched to tear into something, over a dozen buffs still lingering in her status, but her darkness senses told her the rooms were clear of invaders.


    However, when it came to exterminating pests, she was the ultimate. Unwilling to rely entirely on remote sensing, she physically checked each space, bouncing through a series of Shadow Gates. 10 rooms were cleared, then 20, 50, 100, she kept going until she confirmed the north was clear of invaders.


    She checked the southern basement, her oldest hunting grounds, as far as mana was concerned, and found nothing in any of the rooms except broken stones, the damp, and more darkness. The Excavators, mindless as they were, still didn¡¯t dare reenter the southern basement after she had thoroughly hunted them for the first month. She wouldn¡¯t be surprised if their numbers simply never recovered to the point that they could push into the fortress again.


    Jett took a break to clean her tail. Finding the results of her fort patrol acceptable, if a bit calm. Pest free as it was meant to be. She had to decide on her next destination.


    As the fort became more secure, she had been expanding her territory in two directions. One addition was through incorporating the second island. The first trip had been a challenge to her sensibilities, requiring her to get her feet wet and sandy. It was something she didn¡¯t wish to repeat, but her Gates prevented such a miserable experience from occurring a second time. The smelly pigs generally had the place under control, and she was waiting for the largest to give her a ride to the third island. The big pig was diligent about his own series of wallows, so she wasn¡¯t left with urgent matters on his island, nor anywhere in the waters between.


    The other direction her territory was expanding was through the underground, beneath the fort. She decided she would head deeper tonight.


    Satisfied with her bath, she took one of her newer Gates, emerging in the darkness at the edge of a distant cavern, one that no humans had come close to reaching yet. She slipped through the murky gloom, silent and on the hunt. It only took a few chambers before she found some prey.


    [Elite Ruin Excavator (Level 64)]


    Weaklings, unfortunately. Hardly worth dulling her claws for, but her duty was hers alone.


    A thousand elites had formed a swarm, embedding themselves in concentric traps in the ceiling, designed to overwhelm their targets. It might work if they had any opportunity to detect her, but she was indistinguishable in the darkness. The terrain demanded attention on the floor as it was full of rocky boulders, earthen pits, and cracks with no clear bottom, but she knew what to do. The monsters depended on trickery as they hid among splits in the stone cap of the chamber, seeking unaware victims.


    If she had been counting, she would realize she had already defeated over a hundred thousand Excavators on her own, effectively completing 10 entire Slayer titles if they were repeatable. She was the world¡¯s preeminent expert on defeating the monsters. They had been her primary enemy, as they had the audacity to try and set up near her territory and even encroach it. They had once had a satisfying crunch when she cracked their shells as she toyed with them, but they weren¡¯t much fun anymore.


    Jett diced the ones on the ceiling, carving the stone itself to get to their hidden burrows, and used her shadows to crush the ones that dropped down in a panic, recognizing that the swarm was under attack, but unable to perceive the intruder. The darkness was her domain, they were nothing but imitators, confused about their strengths and destined to fall beneath her majesty.


    [You defeated Elite Ruin Excavator (Level 66)]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    Even a single level was a surprise, but she supposed it was because they were the larger, crispier version of her foes. When her task was finished, she strode through the darkness, chewing contentedly on the final prey¡¯s leg until it dissipated into smoke. She was completely at home as she slowly expanded her territory to the next, wide open cavern.


    The edges of the area were covered in unnatural shallow recesses, masking their presence with irregular shadows. There was already no light this deep within the twisting caves beneath the fort, but in the pockets of absolute darkness, Jett detected a rare treat.


    There were aggressive pack monsters that only appeared where the darkness lingered, as if they dragged it along and cultivated it themselves. In other words, this was a perfect location for another Shadow Gate, thanks to their contribution. She had to expend a significant amount of mana, and put her skill on a long cooldown to create one, but as long as the portals had darkness to feed off of, they never expired. She hadn¡¯t had any disappear since she was careful when choosing the locations to establish a Gate.


    Her basic claw attacks conserved her mana as she sliced the creatures into pieces, ripping and slicing the air, leaving narrow stripes in the earthen walls where she went just a little too far. Halfway through, she leveled again and she received an unusual notification, it was too soon to naturally level, so she paused for a moment to clean her elbow while she observed the cause. The neighboring monsters weren¡¯t even aware of her presence, despite the defeat of hundreds of their pack. They remained in their pits, unaware of the predator in their midst.


    [You defeated Primal Fiend (Level 87)]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Primal Fiends V]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Slayer title upgraded!]


    Jett was almost satisfied. However, this pack was a bit too boring. Instead of continuing as she was, she approached the next monster and stood directly behind it, stalking her prey and pushing the limits of her stealth against its senses. She was forced to press down on its tail before the monster noticed her, but when it did it made a racket, struggling to ascertain her. She disappeared as it spun to attack her, reappearing where it had been facing previously, and ending it with a casual swipe.


    But allowing the monster to detect her presence had accomplished what she desired. The rest of the pack became a chaotic and violent mess upon hearing the disturbance in an adjacent nook. It wasn¡¯t exactly the fear she hoped to inspire, but it was something. If she couldn¡¯t play with her food, what was even the point?


    She finished off the rest of the pack with them aware of her presence, but unable to pinpoint her location. She swatted at them gently, without her claws, giving them hints that confused them before she finished them off. Jett was casually strolling through the chaos of hundreds of monsters rampaging in a panic, smoothly utilizing the shadows as if they were an invisibility cloak with grace that befitted her position and investment into Agility.


    When she was completely done, she finally accepted the Slayer IV title¡¯s Agility bonus, stacking the Primal Fiends with the Ruin Excavators, Ancient Defenders, and Ancient Prowlers. Her satisfaction was interrupted by the clangor of obnoxious shrieks that typically heralded one of her subordinates. She pressed her ears against her head and couched low on the ground, remaining still, just in case she decided to spring an ambush and teach one of them a valuable lesson in manners.


    A few moments later and the air was disturbed by the batting of a thousand leathery wings, led by a single enormous bat. They had been practicing their coordinated maneuvers in the dark caverns, exploring even further than she did, though they were mostly performing reconnaissance rather than securing territory. They really didn¡¯t understand the value of silence, constantly squeaking as they flew. This time, she let them go, and they never noticed they had been within her reach.


    Instead, she chose a spot in the inky darkness to create a Gate, far enough out of the way that nothing would ever discover its location. Then, with three steps, she passed through three Gates, arriving in the town hall.


    The big bird left a meal for her to enjoy, so she enjoyed another bowl at the center podium of the auditorium, then another two Gates and she was emerging from the shadows adjacent to the lighthouse¡¯s front door.


    It was an acceptable night. Jett slipped through the front door and yawned. Gently padding her way through the living area, she rubbed her cheek all the way down to her shoulder against the top of the sleeping dog¡¯s head while he ¡®protected¡¯ the first floor. His attentiveness left something to be desired, but he made up for it in enthusiasm, much like her first attendant. Even Jett recognized a good boy. As long as he remembered her lessons, he could stay.


    She stepped behind the couch and slipped through another Gate, reappearing beneath the lightroom. She hopped the last few steps and slid onto her back in the beacon¡¯s room and batted the small bird¡¯s tail, unwinding after a pleasant hunt. The bird danced back and forth, enjoying the playtime as much as she did, gently cooing when the tail was captured and chirping in celebration when Jett, rarely, failed to score a hit. The tiny bird had been diligently fabricating an interesting spectral magical defense around the lighthouse after she had completed her nest. Jett approved.


    When Jett was satisfied, and the horizon was hinting at the approach of dawn, she headed back downstairs. She carefully chose her spot in the bed, ready to sleep the start of the day away.


    Her first attendant slept deeply, and she watched to make sure he wasn¡¯t having any more nightmares. It seemed like the responsibility of being her first attendant sometimes left him with anxious dreams. She would sleep close to reassure him, just in case, and only partially because she enjoyed the warmth.

 Chapter 134: Hog Hobnob

    Coop left the sleeping cat sprawled in his bed and slowly shook his head. If he wasn¡¯t already desensitized by Jett¡¯s sleeping habits, he would have been worried that she was dead, laid out on her back with her legs splayed out as if rigor mortis was setting in. By now, he understood that she was a deep sleeper despite what he assumed were leisurely days lazing about the settlement. For his part, he was more or less the same, so her habits were at least relatable.


    Outside, it was an unusually overcast day on Ghost Reef. The clouds weren¡¯t the dark gray that threatened storms, so rain didn¡¯t seem to be on the forecast, but there were carpets of fluffy white shapes crowding each other and blocking the blue sky, leaving the islands in a perpetual shadow of filtered sunlight. Coop and Sunny went through their routine, this time enjoying a jog along the perimeter road of the northern half of the courtyard. It was a bit like running through a friendly neighborhood, with residents starting their days and stopping the pair for brief exchanges of greetings and friendly waves.


    There were dozens of new service buildings among the previous, familiar crafters. Marcus had been filling out the gaps in their human expertise with basic alien contracts that complimented the prior purchases. Coop wasn¡¯t sure what all of them were, but the Druid Circle was obvious enough, as it was essentially an organized grove of alien trees in the middle of a block, with blue and yellow leaves decorating black interwoven branches, and the artisan jewelcrafter had a large white replica gemstone mounted above the entrance to their shop, catching the percolating light that filtered through the clouds. The settlement had the capacity to sustain a much larger population than ever before, and even after they returned the phantoms they would have room for more residents. At this point in the assimilation, Coop had to assume most would be coming from other struggling settlements as the population consolidated within the surviving safe territories.


    The breakfast meeting with Marcus was expanded to include Shane and Arthur, fresh from their two day adventure in the Mana Well. The gloom that had hung over the highest level party in the settlement had disappeared, swept away by their gains in the leveling zone. Coop inspected the pair¡¯s auras, almost as excited to see their progress as he was when he checked his own.


    [Human (Level 73)]


    [Vitality Channeler (Acumen)]


    [Dynamism]


    [Human (Level 72)]


    [Bloodseeker]


    ¡°Nice.¡± Coop commented as he joined their table. ¡°What¡¯s that? Seven levels in two days? I¡¯m assuming you guys feel better about your prospects.¡± He didn¡¯t comment on the fact that every time he inspected Arthur¡¯s aura, he received less information than the previous time. The man valued his secrets.


    Arthur nodded once in greeting while Shane responded. ¡°Much better.¡± He confirmed. ¡°But we¡¯re going to need to set up a rotation to keep the top level under control. Just one party is not enough, even if it¡¯s around the clock coverage.¡±


    ¡°We were already starting to facilitate hunting parties and guided grind zones. Wouldn¡¯t it be easy to expand them to the Coral Forest?¡± Coop wondered, watching with hungry eyes as Desmond brought the breakfast of the day. That the sight of a meal still made his mouth water was a testament to his hearty appetite. Mana was messing with their anatomy so that hunger was a figment of his own imagination, but he still felt it.


    Marcus didn¡¯t seem enthused about sending residents into the well when he answered. ¡°Maybe in the long run we¡¯ll be able to send them down, but for now the adventure groups aren¡¯t prepared for the challenges that Shane and Arthur described. Personally, I wouldn¡¯t want to do it.¡± He admitted. ¡°The Primal Constructs have reached a level of familiarity for the residents, but powerful mutant shrimp will be a harder sell, and not something we should force. The residents are still coalescing around the idea of the Adventurer Guild in the first place.¡±


    Both Shane and Arthur seemed to agree, but Coop was disappointed that they thought more people wouldn¡¯t take the opportunity to progress even faster. They had already done so well through the siege, they should have more confidence in themselves.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a numbers issue.¡± Arthur pointed out, identifying Coop¡¯s wordless discontent. ¡°Only a portion of the residents will have the capability to push at an even more rapid pace, and there are only so many residents. It isn¡¯t to say they are giving up, just that not everyone is quite so daring.¡±


    Coop begrudgingly accepted the explanation. It wasn¡¯t like he had forgotten that they had a limited population of residents. ¡°We could always just pull back.¡± He suggested. ¡°Take control of a smaller area that better matches our capacity.¡± Even he had to admit defeat when he had initially wished to claim the entire coral colony, settling with only clearing the upper levels before he returned to the surface.


    Shane nodded along. ¡°That¡¯s more or less what we were thinking. As we level up, we can cycle through different sections of that coral colony, letting some of them mature over time, and giving us a wider range of level targets. We might need to call you in to wipe them out before we get to the point that we can sustain the hunting grounds ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem.¡± Coop readily confirmed he could swing down. ¡°I¡¯m gonna check out the next levels at some point, I can always take care of it on the way.¡±


    ¡°Even at the impressive rate that the denizens of the mana well grow, it will be quite a while before it becomes necessary to supplement our culling.¡± Arthur noted, making sure Coop didn¡¯t interrupt his own progress on their behalf.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Coop put his spoon down. ¡°You¡¯ve become that much more confident compared to the depressed party from a few days ago?¡± Coop paused his eating to ask, amused that they were already dissuading him from aiding their progress after clinging to the idea of being carried by him like a liferaft.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Arthur stated matter-of-factly. ¡°It was a real relief when we confirmed that it wouldn¡¯t be necessary to scramble while being further left behind. We¡¯re taking our position in Ghost Reef seriously, and if we can¡¯t set a decent example, it would be more than disappointing.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m happy for you guys.¡± Coop affirmed. ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll be able to power level others down there?¡±


    Shane and Arthur exchanged a glance before Shane explained their hesitation. ¡°Only if they are ranged with magic damage. The claw swipes are absolutely brutal. It would be unnecessarily risky for any archetypes that need to get close, and overly difficult for physical damage dealers to contribute without a proper experience sharing system in place.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± Coop stifled a grumble. ¡°That¡¯s pretty limiting, but for now I am just thinking about one person in particular.¡± Coop admitted.


    Arthur glanced at Marcus and Marcus put his hands up. ¡°Not me. I don¡¯t want anything to do with those monsters and I¡¯m getting plenty of profession levels at the moment. He¡¯s talking about Jones.¡± Coop nodded, agreeing. Marcus would be following a more standard package for leveling, one that focused on the Primal Constructs for the familiarity of the other residents.


    ¡°We can do that.¡± Shane verified, confident in the singular task. ¡°We¡¯re taking a few days before we return, so we don¡¯t miss this beach bash you got people worked up about, but the plan is to set up shorter runs. A single cycle, then back out.¡± Shane explained. ¡°We need to refine the trail in and out before it¡¯ll work the way we hope, but it should end up being a daily task that doesn¡¯t pull us from our other duties.¡±


    ¡°Perfect.¡± Coop approved, loving the initiative to seek out efficiency in grinding. ¡°It¡¯s gonna be all hands on deck for the Big Beach Bash Bonanza anyway.¡± Coop conceded. His advisors just shared skeptical glances at each other, still not fully understanding their Champion¡¯s emphasis on the leisure activity.


    Coop left them questioning his motives, finishing his breakfast and heading to see Garod, the master blacksmith. His advisors would come to their own understanding. It¡¯s not like it was complicated. People worked hard, not just during the siege event, but before that, to survive up to that point, and afterwards to repair and rebuild. They deserved the leisure time, apocalypse or not.


    Standing at the threshold of the tavern, he glanced around the fort. It ended up being a pleasant day, thanks to the clouds shielding them from the rays of the sun. There were more than the usual amount of people out and about, browsing shops and sipping coffees beneath blooming orchids and gently swaying palm fronds. Coop took in the sights as his feet found the gray stone street.


    As he entered the courtyard he peeked through the large gap between the coffee shop and the bakery. Noticing some aggressive movement in the corner of his eye that drew his attention, Coop jogged across the road, ready to cast Retribution and arm himself if a monster had penetrated the courtyard. Other residents were occupying benches, not overly concerned, but there were also a handful of people observing the scene from a distance. If they hadn¡¯t made a move, it could be dangerous enough to require the Champion¡¯s attention, but he had no idea what could have penetrated deep into their territory without causing more commotion.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Coop slid his way between some of the spectators and was confronted with a stranger sight than he expected. Vronk, the ogre-like baker, was apparently play-wrestling with the Eater of Worlds. They faced off and Vronk let himself be bowled over after a frollicking charge from the enormous, squealing pig, despite his theoretical four digit level advantage. Not to mention his system contract¡¯s restrictions.


    ¡°Gahaha!¡± The ogre giddily bellowed as the giant wild pig rolled on top of him like he was a particularly appealing mud pit.


    Once the ogre was pinned, the smaller pigs rushed in and swarmed Vronk while he lay prone in the grass, as if they were employing coordinated tactics to take down difficult foes. He was apparently delighted by the smothering embrace of more than a dozen pigs, and it was entertaining for the residents who laughed along with him.


    ¡°Do they do this a lot?¡± Coop asked one of the other residents, baffled that he hadn¡¯t noticed it before.


    ¡°At least every few days.¡± He received as a response. ¡°Usually after they return from wherever they go to hunt. For him, it¡¯s like playing with a pack of puppies. Look! Watch the little ones try to flank him!¡±


    The pigs really did swarm the ogre from his blindspots with a pincer movement that had Coop nodding. ¡°I had no idea.¡± He admitted, then he paused as he registered the rest of the statement. ¡°Wait, the pigs hunt?¡± Coop thought they just swam around, ate, and slept. The Eater of Worlds would have been an obvious absence, but ever since they invited him to the fort during the siege, Coop believed he had been retired, much like Jett.


    ¡°Every once in a while.¡± The resident confirmed as they smiled at the ogre¡¯s antics, paying more attention to the wrestling than to Coop¡¯s confusion. They pointed and laughed as one of the smaller pigs tried pulling the Eater by the tail, a treacherous act as he joined the ogre¡¯s side, but budging the much larger pig was an impossible goal for the little one.


    Coop used Presence of Mind to check the pigs himself, curious if the Eater had been maintaining his progress.


    [Gluttonous Wild Pig (Level 78)]


    [Eater of Worlds (Body)]


    [Chosen of the Shepherds of the Lost (Slayer)]


    [Wild Pig (Level 15)]


    [Tusk Warrior (Body)]


    [Wild Pig (Level 14)]


    [Druid Gorger (Body)]


    [Wild Pig (Level 17)]


    [Beachtrotter (Body)]


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Coop muttered, not so much surprised by the Eater¡¯s progress as much as the rest.


    The Unchosen pigs were leveling now? Coop¡¯s forehead was wrinkled in confusion, and not just at the fact that they were all investing into Body despite a variety of classes. At first, Coop was sincerely bewildered, asking himself what the revelation that the regular animals suddenly started leveling could mean. He wondered if the Eater of Worlds had something to do with it. He appeared to have a faction that would be dedicated to such a thing. Why now, though?


    As usual, Coop slowly worked through his jumbled thoughts, and came to what for a moment felt like a profound realization, then became embarrassing. He was Unchosen, and he had been leveling this whole time. Didn¡¯t that mean the pigs always had the ability, but maybe not the opportunity or the inclination?


    He rubbed his fingers through his eyebrows while he whispered, ¡°I¡¯m the same as the regular piggies¡­¡±


    He wouldn¡¯t fault them if they needed some extra time to come to terms with the changes in their lives. They were wild animals, he had no idea how they made decisions. He imagined it was more than instincts as they had to be able to consider risks and rewards, weighing advantages and disadvantages at some level of consciousness.


    Coop imagined himself as a pig, happily swimming in the ocean every day. Then one day, meteors came and one of the herd became an absolute unit, a beast who utilized his new found power to make sure the days spent splashing around in the water continued uninterrupted. Coop would have been happy to let the good times roll. But the siege event was too much to be sheltered from. He shook his head, finding it too easy to put himself in their shoes. Or hooves?


    In any case, it seemed like there was more potential hidden in the Unchosen than he had anticipated. There were so many birds and fish that he had dismissed as innocent manaless creatures caught up in the assimilation. And sharks! He couldn¡¯t forget the sharks.


    He was also reminded of the coral in the mana well, exposed to unusually high amounts of mana, and how the tiny invertebrates had already appeared to adapt in a way that had him questioning how rapidly natural selection was taking place. Could those marine invertebrates actually be using the system to manipulate mana? Could they have been Unchosen this whole time? As he understood it, a coral head was formed as a colony of many genetically identical polyps, so maybe it required a colony species when it came to microorganisms.


    ¡°Bah!¡± Coop waved the hand that had been pulling his eyebrows to shoo the thoughts away, sounding more like Balor than the Champion of Ghost Reef. It didn¡¯t matter to him what the biological limitations for species becoming Chosen was, but it did confuse him. When he had a chance, he would ask Camila to see if the pigs and other animals wanted to join their faction, if they even could agree to the contract.


    He walked to the smith deep in his own thoughts, periodically shaking his head at the piggy progress. It was surprisingly traumatizing as he remembered all the random Chosen animals that had put him to shame in the early days; there was even a damn barnacle on the oil rig with levels. The competition for natural resources, pre-mana, had primed wild animals to be ready for the combat necessary to advance. Compared to someone like Coop, who had lived a life of creature comforts, they were born warriors. Now he had to worry about Unchosen animals that had graciously given him a multiple month head start before they started leveling, like they needed the handicap for their competition. After he was done with Garod, the Primal Kites were going to help soothe his frustration.


    The little bell rang as Coop entered the shop, sounding a gentle chime that alerted the smith that he had a customer. Coop put his confusion to rest and concentrated on the present. As usual, it smelled like coal and fire while Garod labored in the workshop. The blacksmith¡¯s hammer rang from the back a few more times before the diminutive alien checked his visitor.


    ¡°Champion! Changed your mind about craftin¡¯ with the relic, did ya?¡¯¡± Garod pinned his ears back with his goggles, particularly excited with his current customer. ¡°I¡¯ll admit, I¡¯ve been dreamin¡¯ about using it ever since you brought it out.¡± He rubbed his double-thumbed hands together, then wiped soot on his brown leather coveralls as he felt the grime.


    ¡°Not exactly.¡± Coop tried letting him down easy. ¡°I¡¯ve got another project I¡¯m hoping you can take the lead on.¡±


    Garod tried to hide his disappointment at being turned down yet again. ¡°Well, if it¡¯s comin¡¯ from you, it¡¯s bound to be interesting.¡± He admitted, like it would be a consolation prize.


    Coop pulled out the Bloodstone Relic. It was a different Unique than the one Garod had been dreaming about, but it had the impact Coop was looking for. The crystal-like rock swirled with black and red on the inside, and tiny flecks of smoke occasionally popped into existence on its exterior, matching the colors as they floated in the air before fizzling out.


    ¡°By the Maker! Another one so soon!¡± Garod¡¯s oversized eyes shot up to Coop¡¯s face, then back to the relic, then back again. He coughed and cleared his throat. ¡°I mean, I never doubted you would find another.¡± He tried to correct his reaction, to avoid offending the Champion that was rapidly becoming his favorite person in the galaxy.


    Coop handed it over and the smith cradled it like the relic was the most precious, delicate egg he had ever beheld. ¡°I want you to craft a caster weapon.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but you realize this is quite the rare combination. It really won¡¯t work for almost any specific affinities.¡± Garod winced as he pointed out the flaw in Coop¡¯s idea, not that he didn¡¯t want to do it, but that he wanted to make sure he could deliver a satisfying result.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem, I have someone specific in mind.¡± It looked like Jones would be the first to receive a unique item from Coop. Just the luck of the draw, he thought.


    Garod nodded, still entranced by the relic. ¡°What kinda weapon do ya¡¯ want?¡± He asked, absently.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a gift for an old friend, so I¡¯ve got something in mind if it¡¯s possible.¡± Coop explained what he was thinking to the smith who nodded along, not finding any problems.


    ¡°What about the array?¡± Garod queried. Coop summoned a handful of treasures he had looted from the mana well, all glowing with energy. Garod nodded, slightly less impressed as he shifted them around and specifically selected ones he deemed good enough for a masterwork. ¡°And the Legendary materials?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got several varieties, but I don¡¯t know which ones would be best.¡± Coop admitted, hesitating before he started making a pile.


    ¡°There¡¯s several directions you could take¡­ Is your friend more of a damage dealer or support, more direct magic or affliction type?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Coop scanned his materials and thought maybe it would be better to get Jones involved in his gift after all. ¡°I think he¡¯ll be a direct damage dealer that focuses on the stone part while benefiting from the blood part himself.¡±


    Garod nodded. ¡°Destruction Gems with some kind of dense modifier then.¡± Garod suggested.


    Coop selected a Sturdy Destruction Gem that he had received from the Ancient Devourer Field Boss and offered it to the smith.


    ¡°That¡¯ll do.¡± Garod didn¡¯t say anything else as he gathered the materials against his chest and carefully hauled them past his counter and into the back.


    Coop waited a moment for him to come back out, but the hammering sounds started and he realized the smith had forgotten about his customer in his excitement to play with the rare materials. Hopefully, the result would be what he ordered.


    Coop left the shop and frowned as he realized he hadn¡¯t even found out what it would cost him or when it would be ready.

 Chapter 135: Party Prep

    Coop¡¯s routine was interrupted even before it started. Jett was gone before he woke up and none of his companions were interested in joining him, not even Sunny! Inside the fort, The Clumsy Shark was closed to customers, and everyone was busy diligently preparing, from the contracted residents closing their shops to complete commissions, to the phantoms and the residents applying new professions or old skills to work on last-minute projects. Everyone was filling a role. Everyone except Coop.


    The Champion was repeatedly shooed away from the open air kitchens that had spawned in the grassy area behind the cafe and Vronk¡¯s bakery. An assortment of enticing smells drifted across the fortress, but Coop wasn¡¯t allowed to offer his taste testing services or sous chef expertise. The residential apartments overlooked hundreds of tents, like there was some kind of food festival setting up in the open grassy areas of the courtyard. The area hadn¡¯t been developed because it was demarcated for future residential development or greenspace and Marcus was deciding whether or not to use system construction or human development based on the options offered after the next settlement upgrade.


    Citizens, human and phantom, were hustling back and forth with massive crates of ingredients, while others mixed them in enormous specially purchased cauldrons, wearing aprons and not just a few chef hats. Apparently, several residents had taken cooking related professions and used their windfalls from the siege event to commission profession specific gear with unique bonuses. Overnight, the Ghost Reef atmosphere had shifted from one that concentrated on class levels to one that honed profession levels with equal seriousness.


    Coop wanted to help, but everyone he spoke to insisted that they had it under control, and some even suggested the Champion stick to his own lane, which the consensus agreed was grinding monsters.


    ¡°The skills are transferable.¡± Coop insisted to Emmanuel, who had been conscripted into protecting the workers from any busybodies, which seemed to be Coop and a few curious Chosen animals, all attracted by the delicious aromas.


    ¡°Of course they are.¡± Emmanuel gladly agreed. ¡°Still can¡¯t let you in there, though.¡± His perfunctory followup statement came dryly.


    As they approached the first big party, they were all working hard to complete last minute preparations. Laurie¡¯s wedding planner friend had coordinated the entire settlement into a frenzy, and they still had time before the event. A party with around 8,000 guests was a massive undertaking and required significant preparations. It was only now that they bubbled up to the surface. Orders and preliminary setup for the materials they would need for the physical venue as well as the ingredients for the food had taken place over the last two weeks while Coop had still been on vacation, casually grinding monsters while catching up with various residents.


    Coop was naturally attracted to the flurry of activity, but when he tried to sneak his way into the process for the third time, he received a ladle to the forehead as his comeuppance. The ladle was fine and the message was received.


    Coop wandered toward the entrance of the fort, where another batch of assiduous workers were hammering and sawing. The woodworkers were busy creating foldable picnic benches, enough for thousands to be seated, since they planned on hosting the entire set of returned phantoms. They also had no need for Coop¡¯s interference, even when he offered his prodigious strength for hauling materials.


    Hana¡¯s father, the principal of the new school, was among those sweating in the sun as they labored on the seating. ¡°Nuh uh!¡± He warned as Coop moseyed in his direction, waving a single finger at him. ¡°We¡¯ve got it all handled.¡± He promised and pointed to the stacked piles of completed and folded tables lined up against the fort¡¯s inner wall. Balor¡¯s deep laugh followed as Coop left with his tail between his legs.


    The completed party materials were neatly stacked around the edges of the repaired iron gate, all along the interior walls. There weren¡¯t only tables ready to go, but there were also hundreds of kegs filling the shaded interior patios. Brewbot was gingerly adding another one before the robot resident returned to the brewery with a quick bow, acknowledging Coop but too busy to chat.


    Instead of lingering on the fringes of the settlement¡¯s activity, he mistjumped up to the ramparts, where the only other groups of excluded residents were busy patrolling, on guard duty. The phantoms nodded at him and a few smirked, knowing what Coop had been up to as they observed from their perches among the battlements. At this point, they had all been equipped with the Ghost Reef Standard Issue gear. The armory was so full of the slick gear, they almost had enough to completely regear the entire phantom army as soon as they returned.


    ¡°How¡¯s it looking?¡± Coop asked, trying to make some casual conversation with the professional looking phantoms that lazed against the stone edges keeping an eye out.


    ¡°All clear, Champ.¡± One of them responded casually as they watched the horizon.


    ¡°The pirates do most of the work anyway.¡± Another observed, gesturing toward a ship navigating in the distance, well beyond the reef. ¡°We just keep an eye out for anything that slips through, and listen for messages.¡±


    The Tempest Fleet was back to its full historical capacity with the last two corvettes being spawned by Captain Kayla, or really Admiral Kayla as far as the system was concerned. She had applied her newer advisor authority to grab them each as soon as they had the mana to do so. Coop hadn¡¯t checked the new ships out, but he knew their names were All That Glitters, and Reef Hunter. He was willing to bet that each had a quirky captain with uniquely customized weapons, otherwise they wouldn¡¯t fit in with the rest of the fleet¡¯s crews. Coop thought it was fifty fifty if they would be silent types.


    Those weren¡¯t the only new additions either. They also added another boat through the Shipwright, which had successfully recreated the special features of the ghost ships, injecting the ship with spectral mana that drained the settlement as the resource slowly accumulated in their stores. A new phantom captain had been selected by the rest of the pirate leaders and a skeleton crew assigned until they received more members from the returners.


    The pirates would eventually need to expand their numbers beyond the original fleet, as they added more ships to their collection, and from what Coop understood, they were debating between recruiting regular humans or transfering phantom soldiers. There were arguments to be made for either, with humans being more flexible and the phantoms'' ability to properly bind to the ships still up in the air but also having more in common with the other spectral humans, including the teleportation and ability to come back.


    A second ship frame was being put under the same process, which they expected to finish before the settlement upgrade occurred, though the hull would also need to have the process done upon its woodwork afterwards. Then a captain would be selected and their preferred armaments would have to go through a third spectral injection process. They wouldn¡¯t make ships quickly, but they could still make them, and they would have all the benefits of spectral mana. The factionless alien was happy to work with the pirates to create their preferred designs. Apparently, most factions had their own characteristics applied to their ships, so it was fitting to develop new features for what was becoming a new faction.


    The navy was progressing steadily, even at roughly half capacity for the pirates. The two new ship summonings bolstered their crew numbers to nearly the previous levels from before the siege, though the individual crews were still missing many members and they were spread across even more ships.


    The navy was led by the flagship galleon, The Eye of the Storm, still captained by Kayla herself, seeming like a floating fortress. The rest of the fleet was composed of four corvettes, each with their own unique armaments: The Fearless, Sea Burial, All That Glitters, and Reef Hunter, the almost cute in comparison, non-ghost ship Windchaser, gifted by Camila and Charlie, and the newly introduced double-masted ship dubbed Ghosts in the System. Most of the dozen salvaged sailboats that had survived thus far had been temporarily abandoned until there were more pirates to sail them. They were, at best, local patrollers that lacked the adaptability that came from mana¡¯s influence, unfit for combat, and more suited for taxiing people and supplies between islands within the chain.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Windchaser was still on the scouting mission, led by Amanda and Mikey B, as they sought out the location of the Chakyum character. Whether they had a settlement or just a hideout, he was sure the Outrider would find some clues and give Coop a direction to begin his quest. As her skills developed, she was able to claim more abilities that helped her specialize in searching, rather than strictly combat, and she was already equipped with abilities that allowed her to detect settlement territory, even going back to when she arrived on Ghost Reef.


    Chakyum had knocked on Ghost Reef¡¯s door after the siege event highlighted their settlement on the global stage, but in doing so, they had put themselves on Ghost Reef¡¯s radar, and not in a good way. She¡¯d find them and Coop would return the favor.


    The rest of the ships were cycling along the horizon, completely encircling the chain of islands that delineated Ghost Reef, well-beyond the settlement¡¯s actual territory. They were spaced out so that they were nearly equidistant from each other. Only one ship sat in the port.


    ¡°Why are they all out at once?¡± Coop wondered, it seemed like a lot more of them were on duty than necessary.


    ¡°The two new crews were level one, so they¡¯re getting experience.¡± The phantom explained easily, reminding Coop about how the phantoms actually leveled.


    ¡°That makes sense.¡± Coop nodded, approving of the pirates¡¯ version of grinding.


    The pirates that had never been respawned in the first place had never gotten a chance to gain experience, so they would naturally be at level one. The phantoms that had been defeated early on, and resurrected, had also come back at level one, but it was before they had started training, so it wasn¡¯t clear if they had lost experience or if they just hadn¡¯t accumulated any yet. They would have to wait a few more days to see if the phantoms that came back were around level 75, back at the start, or anywhere in between. As long as they came back, it was fine with Coop.


    Coop strolled along the ramparts, impressed that they had cleaned up so well. There were still gaps where the breaches hadn¡¯t been completely refilled, but scaffolding and flat boards provided walkways and the ledges weren¡¯t so far apart that he couldn¡¯t leap across, even if he couldn¡¯t mistjump across the entire fort. With Jones back, the repairs were in full swing. The outer walls were the first to be sealed, securing the fort once again. Coop expected the interiors and rooftops to be fully completed within days of the phantoms returning. Ghost Reef would be back to 100% in terms of personnel, equipment, and structure after the settlement upgrade.


    Coop would still have to mistjump to reach the northern half, which he did in order to visit the burrowing owls. The fact that they remained on the wall was a surprise as the animals¡¯ preferred habitat was on the fully repaired dunes. They could have just as easily returned.


    Before he greeted the birds, there was some commotion below. Garod was forced by other contracted residents to stop working on a project in his shop in order to help them finalize their preparations for the party. Garod wasn¡¯t quiet about his complaints. Even the contracted residents were heavily involved in the party preparations thanks to the diligent coordination between the other citizens.


    Coop squatted near the owl burrow and peeked into the dark recess. It seemed significantly larger than the original on the beach. The owls had upgraded to a mansion. Perhaps that was why they opted to stay. The nest was carefully cordoned off, warding away curious humans, and the roof was wide enough that there were no problems steering clear of the owls for anyone on patrol.


    The Chosen owl hopped out and chirped at him, saying hello, Coop assumed.


    ¡°Hey little buddy,¡± Coop said. ¡°You guys aren¡¯t gonna move back to the beach?¡± He didn¡¯t really expect an answer. When he spoke to the animals he was mostly doing it for his own benefit, though they seemed to understand quite a bit more than would be expected ever since the assimilation.


    The bird just cocked its head to the side in a way that was typical of owls, then its feathers fluffed up, turning the whole bird into a downy blob. It seemed comfortable.


    Coop glanced into the darkness of the burrow, wanting to check the rest of the family for more Unchosen levelers. While he did spot two dozen yellow eyes peering back at him, a quick inspection revealed that none had started getting any experience, remaining unleveled.


    Coop shrugged. ¡°You know, the pig herd started leveling at some point recently. What¡¯s up with that?¡±


    The bird just gazed back at Coop quizzically. Then, after it seemed to consider something for a few seconds, let out a screech that was loud enough to send Coop off balance.


    ¡°Dang, that was loud.¡± He muttered at the bird, rubbing his ear with a pinky, but the animals just ignored him. The smaller ones in the burrow were all peeking their heads out of the darkness, shoving each other out of the way for a better perspective, staring in the same direction as the Chosen owl. Coop followed their eyes and spotted another owl darting across the fort, from the direction of the mangroves.


    It swooped and landed with three large hops forward before joining the Chosen owl as if it had been summoned. The birds all chittered at each other for a moment before they calmed down and the two larger owls stood side-by-side, staring at Coop. The smaller ones were receding back into the burrow, becoming nothing but glowing eyes once again.


    ¡°What?¡± Coop asked. He inspected the Chosen owl to see how much he had progressed since the early stages of the siege. He was about to ask about the fruit bats when he realized both of the owls in front of him had levels.


    [Burrowing Owl (Level 76)]


    [Windripper (Agility)]


    [Chosen of the Birds of Prey]


    [Athene (Raptor)]


    [Burrowing Owl (Level 43)]


    [Stormwing (Acumen)]


    ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Coop whispered. He was ninety nine percent sure that there had only been one owl with levels the last time he checked, but physically they were very difficult to tell apart. He would have noticed if he spotted an Unchosen animal with Presence of Mind though. ¡°Would you look at that?¡± He muttered. ¡°Such quick progress, too.¡± The Chosen owl had his feathers all puffed up again, sitting proudly.


    Coop hadn¡¯t given the wild animals enough credit when he assumed they couldn¡¯t level. If he had been alone on the island, without Jones, and still Unchosen, how long would it have taken him to figure out he could level and get magic powers? It wasn¡¯t like he would have needed to hunt in order to survive, and even if he did, would he have killed something that yielded experience? There would have been a long period before he stumbled upon the system, and he probably would have been killed first. He liked to think he was smarter than at least some animals, but he still doubted he would have uncovered the system on his own.


    The only humans he was sure couldn¡¯t gain experience were the children. Olani¡¯s grandkids hadn¡¯t been shy about trying, but they hadn¡¯t had any luck yet. He was coming around to the idea that animals might be in a similar situation as humans, where they had the capacity, but not necessarily the opportunity.


    They also leveled really fast. But he didn¡¯t think it was an inherent trait that was benefiting them more than humans. He thought it might actually be the same reason some of them weren¡¯t leveling at all. Basically, because of the pressures on their survival even before the assimilation, they relied on their lived experiences and instincts to succeed. An alien robot would probably not be an appealing target for a predator, most of the time, anyway.


    Specific circumstances might change the evaluation, like if the mechanical invaders were encroaching on the predator¡¯s nest, or like in Jett¡¯s case, the predator was already a dedicated and territorial pest controller. Coop guessed that in most situations, these animals were just way more accustomed to hunting and killing without tools than the vast majority of humans, so the ones that were made aware of the situation were quick to power up, which fed back into their success, continuing to push them forward.


    The fact that more animals were leveling up just seemed like an inevitability, assuming they had the capacity for it and they survived long enough in the first place. ¡®Adapt to survive¡¯ had been the name of the game for as long as Earth had life at all.


    ¡°Are the fruit bats gonna come back?¡± Coop wondered, thinking about how the vast majority of them were Unchosen, and that they also might have a difficult time getting experience at the start. As far as he knew their diet was entirely fruits and flowers, so why would they get into a fight with an Ancient Defender?


    Both owls spun their heads almost directly behind them to look where Coop had indicated, but neither responded when they turned back.


    Coop shrugged. ¡°If you see them, let them know we¡¯ll have a spot for them again soon.¡± He doubted the message could be delivered, but it was worth a try.


    Instead of lingering around the interior of the fort, where he had become temporarily unwelcomed, he self-exiled himself to the sandbar, and continued his Primal Kite grind. It wasn¡¯t long before he received another level and entered the final stage of the Slayer quest. He had been nearly there after catching up with Jones.


    [You defeated Primal Kite (Level 21)]


    [+19 Basic Credits]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Primal Kites IV]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Defeat Primal Kites IV (0/11111)]


    The rest of the day, he chipped away at the 11,111 total. The mana cost of Legacy of the Mists was coming down, at 470 per phantasm, but it would be a while before he considered it affordable.


    That just meant he needed to grind more.

 Chapter 136: Reinforcements II

    Coop woke up early, not feeling particularly rested, but ready to go regardless. They had finally reached Day 64. Mentally, he was out of sorts as his nerves oscillated somewhere between excited and anxious for the settlement upgrade. They would finally replenish Ghost Reef¡¯s mana reserves after the siege, and that meant they could call for reinforcements and return the phantoms. There were several points of concern when it came to how the phantoms would come back, but as long as the same people returned, Coop wasn¡¯t particularly worried about any penalties they might receive. They could work through any difficulties together.


    Even Sunny was caught by surprise when Coop jogged down the spiraling stairs of the lighthouse and stood in the living room, vigilant enough to head into battle, in spite of the early morning hour. Sunny scrambled from underneath the coffee table, paws sliding against the floor as he tried to match the Champion¡¯s energy.


    Sunny had never failed to anticipate Coop¡¯s arrival, bouncing on his front paws with his tail wagging so hard his entire body wiggled back and forth when Coop¡¯s footsteps reached the ground floor. But today, he had to struggle to catch up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, bud.¡± Coop encouraged him, holding the door open for them both.


    Coop led the way outside, beating the sun¡¯s climb over the edge of the horizon by at least an hour. He didn¡¯t hurry as he followed the stone path north across the island, knowing he was only rushing to wait. Every few dozen yards, a stack of ten folded tables had been staged next to a bundle of other materials. The residents would set them up once they roused for the day, as the planned celebration would begin later in the morning. It was long overdue, commemorating the original residents who took a potentially fatal chance in joining an unknown settlement as well as Ghost Reef¡¯s victory during the siege event.


    Coop continued all the way to the fort, passing the phantom guards waiting in the darkness with a quick, ¡°Good morning.¡± He didn¡¯t stop until he was next to the civilization shard. Accessing the menus, he double checked to see the incremental progress, confirming that it wasn¡¯t determined by the day, but there was still plenty of time. The quest to upgrade the settlement from a Village to a Town had 5:23:14 to count down. Just a few more hours of stability before it was ready.


    ¡°No one will mess with us before then.¡± Coop nodded to himself as he wishfully manifested a smooth final stretch. If even the envoy had failed to introduce instability, he expected them to be fine for the last hours.


    Some of his anxiety was relieved as he chuckled at the system¡¯s settlement designations. Looking at the quest reminded him that they were going from a Village to a Town. He believed they had already progressed beyond a simple town by leaps and bounds, but that¡¯s what they were on the verge of upgrading into, according to the system. Maybe if the considerations were based entirely on population it made some sense, but he had to imagine the major population centers going through the same stages at roughly the same speed were experiencing some appellative dissonance.


    The optional quest was complete, with the Effigy of Constructs Trophy mounted on an interior ledge of the stone citadel that protected the shard. Whatever bonus it would provide would trigger along with the settlement upgrade. It was a creepy thing, which was appropriate considering the siege boss that had rewarded it. He was glad the colors hadn¡¯t aimed for realism, instead appearing as if it was an ivory sculpture created for someone to decorate with eclectic taste.


    Balor had cleverly installed nooks and spaces into the elevated interior of the citadel for the future treasures acquired by Ghost Reef. For now, they were hidden crannies for Jett to explore. The settlement essentially had an empty trophy case in the form of vaulted shelves. They could both prominently display their conquests in a centralized location while also keeping them protected in the event of a last stand. The Spectral Relic was a unique instance that both the stonemason and the settlement¡¯s advisors agreed shouldn¡¯t be tampered with. Coop suspected at least a small part of their collective opinion was based on a desire to avoid stepping on Jett¡¯s toes. Even if she had expanded her exploration across the fort, she still held the lighthouse in special regard.


    From what Coop understood, the Spectral Relic had already provided its upgrade to the fort and its continued presence wasn¡¯t necessary for the settlement to empower the phantoms or the territory¡¯s mana itself. They wouldn¡¯t lose the Shipwright¡¯s newfound ability to construct more ghost ships, and the crafters would still be able to create specialized items like Erasimus¡¯s Spectral Under Armor, even if the relic was disturbed. The rewards that manipulated the settlement¡¯s mana composition had been from the system itself and now emanated from the civilization shard, like the Purified buff that the Purification Chip had given the settlement. Still, he followed their lead and left the relic alone.


    Coop settled into one of the smooth stone benches that faced the shard, happy to spend some time in the atrium of the citadel. It had real zen vibes with the vegetation blooming on the edges, the cool breeze slipping through cleverly placed gaps, the intricate swirling stone work patterned on the floor, and the gently glowing crystal in the center. He wanted to upgrade the settlement the second the opportunity arose, so he waited and enjoyed the early morning ambience of Ghost Reef¡¯s central courtyard with the sun slowly joining him. It took a while before the bright light snuck above the fort walls, and when it did, the light immediately rushed into the crystal, through carefully angled slits, refracting all across the interior of the citadel like a ruby kaleidoscope.


    Sunny came and went, excited by every person that strolled past. Coop was eventually joined by more residents. Marcus came early, anticipating Coop¡¯s actions, and Shane¡¯s party filtered in, one at a time, afterwards. Charlie and Camila took a seat on the bench with Coop, initiating a hushed conversation with Jones, while others mingled like they were at some kind of ribbon cutting ceremony. Coop kept one eye on the timer.


    As the sun rose higher in the sky and the day flourished, Kayla dragged him into conversations, and he found himself surrounded by dozens of other residents, all equally excited and nervous as they waited for the same thing as him. It seemed like the entire settlement was more in tune than he expected. Rather than simply being dragged along, the residents were active participants in the developments around Ghost Reef.


    By the time he parked himself by the shard, with more than 10 minutes remaining on the countdown, there were hundreds of people waiting in the shade along the main street, on benches and leaning against the service buildings, chatting in small groups, sipping coffees and snacking on alien croissants. The crowd was composed of every surviving member of the settlement. They all wanted to be there to welcome the phantoms home. They hadn¡¯t been together for long, but they had fought side by side through what was the most harrowing experience just about any of them had ever experienced, and many of them owed their survival to the phantoms¡¯ sacrifices.


    In the late morning, Coop was finally able to complete the quest and Ghost Reef was officially upgraded to a town. The 22 days of settlement had lapsed, the siege boss trophy was collected for the bonus quest, and he spent the, at this point, insignificant 150,000 basic credits to complete the quest. Before he checked any of his notifications or sought out new options in the menus of the civilization shard, he mentally navigated to the army and resurrected the phantoms.


    ¡°There we go.¡± Coop stated, letting out a breath he hadn¡¯t realized he had been holding, relieved that the button had finally worked.


    A pulse of ghostly green energy silently expanded from the shard, quickly dissipating as if nothing happened, even though it drained most of the freshly filled settlement reserves. The preliminary action that triggered the rest. Coop stepped back as the shard hummed and the air vibrated while the gentle glow swiftly ignited until it was a bright white that came from all directions, engulfing the entire fort in its light. There was no looking away. Coop had to squeeze his eyes shut until he could watch the illumination dim through his eyelids. When it was done, there was a new crowd outside of the citadel.


    Coop walked toward the bridge, leaving the fortified construction to welcome the phantoms, an excited smile on his face. Jones was healed, the settlement upgraded, and the phantoms were back.


    The new arrivals were checking their own limbs and looking around, as expected of people suddenly returned to existence, but Coop quickly noticed something was off. The phantoms filled the entire market avenue, along the canal from the east and west, exactly how they had the first time around, except this time, they were on both sides of the canal in equal numbers.


    Coop scanned the newcomers, trying to spot Rear Admiral Gideon in particular. It didn¡¯t take long for the leader to make his presence known. The crowd parted while they were still getting their bearings as Gideon marched through the center, toward the shard.


    ¡°Champion Coop.¡± He stopped and stood ramrod straight, delivering an excessively serious salute.


    Coop just smiled at the action. It was the same thing he had done when he arrived the first time. At the very least, it felt like a confirmation that he was the same person as before, personality-wise.


    ¡°Are you whole?¡± Coop carefully asked, not entirely sure how to phrase the question.


    ¡°It appears the only consequence was a loss of experience.¡± Gideon responded, only partially confident, possibly disappointed in the personal failure to have received any penalty at all.


    Coop applied Presence of Mind, inspecting Gideon and a few other phantoms and wraiths in his vicinity.


    [Spectral Human (Level 1)]


    [Harrier (Mind)]


    [Phantom of Ghost Reef]


    [Ethereal (Dauntless)]


    [Spectral Human (Level 1)]


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    [Avenger (Body)]


    [Phantom of Ghost Reef]


    [Spirit (Dauntless)]


    [Spectral Human (Level 1)]


    [Ghostly Tormentor (Agility)]


    [Wraith of Ghost Reef]


    [Incorporeal (Dauntless)]


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Coop hummed. They had been reduced all the way to level one. That was pretty rough, but compared to actual death? Coop nodded, accepting the change. He¡¯d gladly trade his own experience for a second chance if it ever came down to it.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem.¡± Coop promised, unable to contain his smile any longer. ¡°We¡¯ll get you caught up in no time. Ledwidge has been dying to get you all properly trained anyway.¡± Gideon bowed his head respectfully in response.


    ¡°What about your memories?¡± Coop wondered, still worrying about things.


    ¡°I remember the first 10 waves of the siege.¡± Gideon confirmed to Coop¡¯s relief. ¡°I suppose we won?¡±


    Coop laughed. ¡°Yes, we won. Welcome back.¡± He said, clapping Gideon on the shoulder.


    The residents and phantoms that had remained behind Coop, waiting for the Champion to verify the situation, cheered. The survivors rushed into the crowd to find their friends and comrades in arms and Kayla shouted for the pirates that she would have cleaning hulls until they reacquired all the experience they wasted by dying.


    It was a bit of a chaotic reunion, but Coop stayed by Gideon and waved a hand toward all of the phantoms. ¡°Aren¡¯t there more of you now?¡± He questioned curiously, raising his voice to be heard over the shouts and relieved exaltations.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The Rear Admiral confirmed. ¡°There are 10,000 phantoms and 5,000 wraiths now. Our forces have doubled.¡± Gideon explained matter-of-factly.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop muttered. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°The settlement has been upgraded.¡± Gideon answered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, clearly assuming the Champion was testing his faculties with the query, just like with their first encounter. Coop hadn¡¯t expected more phantoms, though. It made sense, given they were tied to Ghost Reef. He would need to remember to check for reinforcements the next time they upgraded.


    ¡°You still have your classes and titles? What about skills?¡± Coop continued, curious about their situation.


    ¡°Everything is as it was at the time of my defeat, only my experience has been reset.¡± Gideon answered patiently.


    ¡°Hm.¡± Coop mumbled, thinking about how they could take advantage of their second chance. Would they be able to farm additional skills? He thought it was more likely that they wouldn¡¯t get a selection at the normal level thresholds. No new skills until they surpassed their previous level.


    ¡°Wait, what about your attributes?¡± Coop wondered.


    ¡°The ones granted for levels are gone, the ones granted by skills or applied by titles remain.¡± Gideon explained.


    So, they were extremely overpowered level ones. They could even look at it like a stat reset. All in all, not the most punishing situation that Coop could have imagined.


    Shane and Arthur appeared while Coop considered the impact of the growing defensive army and their second go at leveling. ¡°Welcome back, Gideon.¡± Shane grasped Gideon¡¯s forearm as they shook arms in greeting and the two exchanged some brief explanations regarding how the rest of the siege went.


    Marcus had climbed onto the deck of the coffee shop and started banging a pot with a wooden spoon as he shouted for people to make their way out the main gate. They wanted to get the party started. Barely anyone paid him any mind, but those that started moving were enough to encourage the others to follow. Coop sent Gideon to join the makeshift advisory council on their way to the festivities.


    Coop returned to the citadel, intending to check his notifications before he went to the beach himself, but he found Jones looking a bit shell-shocked. ¡°You alright?¡± Coop checked in.


    ¡°Never thought I¡¯d see the fort so full.¡± Jones admitted. ¡°It¡¯s a bit overwhelming.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me!¡± Coop readily agreed with a laugh as he put his hand on the old man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Just wait a little bit, it becomes the most normal thing in the world to have them around so fast it¡¯s even more surprising.¡± Coop nodded as he watched the parade head toward the beach. ¡°It felt empty without them.¡±


    ¡°And they¡¯re all real people from the area?¡± Jones still had some doubts.


    ¡°It seems like it.¡± Coop answered, waving his hand toward the ghosts. ¡°Gideon was in the area around civil war times, but there¡¯s all sorts. The pirates are all from the same period as they were one big fleet, but the rest of the phantoms are a big mix. I¡¯m pretty sure a bunch of them predate the fort.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if I can do interviews.¡± Jones contemplated, already excited by the possibility, but hesitant to make such a request.


    Coop snorted. ¡°Jones. You¡¯re the boss, you can make them all write autobiographies and submit them to you personally.¡± Jones was obviously skeptical, but Coop wouldn¡¯t let go that the fort was the old man¡¯s house, as much as the lighthouse was Jett¡¯s.


    Coop sent Jones to wander along with the flow of the crowd while Coop checked his notifications. He was already interested in the next upgrade. He couldn¡¯t help but be curious about how large the phantom army could become, or if it would continue to grow at all. Was it even fair for such an early upgrade bonus to continue scaling? Not that he would complain.


    [Quest Complete! Upgrade Village to Town]


    [+4 Mana Pylon (Resource)]


    [Champion title upgraded!]


    [You have a new quest!]


    ¡°Sweet deal.¡± He mumbled to himself, checking the title first.


    The Champion III title had been applying +25 to all stats, and the upgrade to Champion IV pushed the bonus up to +50. Without his passive bonuses influencing the totals, it was a solid 150 more stats than before. A significant boost even at Coop¡¯s current level.


    Completing the quest rewarded the settlement with several more advisor slots, with additional designations, a second subordinate shard slot, new mana pylons, and a free recruitable guard captain. First things first, he¡¯d make the advisor positions official and they¡¯d have appropriate access to the shard¡¯s privileges.


    Next, he checked the quest: Upgrade Town to City. The objective was another seemingly simple request, and the optional task was almost identical to the main objective, but simple didn¡¯t mean easy in this case. All it required was establishing a subordinate settlement and the optional quest required the subordinate settlement to reach a specific population at the time of the upgrade: one hundred thousand residents.


    Coop shook his head, a bit worried about the settlements being pitted against each other by quest objectives as they reached the Town stage. Hopefully, the territory grabs at the start of the assimilation had calmed and people would be more willing to work together toward their common goal of survival now that shards had been claimed and settlements developed. Surely, the siege event would have been a wake up call as to their common foe, and they would understand that they didn¡¯t really need to continue upgrading all of the settlements forever. Right?


    ¡°It¡¯s not naive to be hopeful.¡± Coop reassured himself, doubting groups of people would stop fighting on their own, especially after already making enemies with each other. In any case, he put the idea of upgrading the settlement again to the side and checked the settlement leaderboards instead.


    Day 64


    <ol>


    <li> Yucatan</li>


    <li> Silvervalley</li>


    <li> Can Gio</li>


    <li> Lekawa</li>


    <li> Englischer Garten</li>


    <li> Nyiragongo</li>


    <li> Glenveagh</li>


    <li> Wakatobi</li>


    <li> Ordesa</li>


    <li> Zahamena</li>


    </ol>


    Ghost Reef was ranked 27. They¡¯d actually slid backwards by a few positions, down from the 23rd spot more than a month earlier, despite so many settlements losing their civilization shards completely. Coop knew it was because they had to wait extra days thanks to the siege occupying them for its entire duration while others had breaks in between waves, allowing their countdowns to move quicker than in his settlement. The Ghost Reef upgrade had been late when compared to the frontrunners.


    The top 10 was almost completely different, mostly filled with settlements he hadn¡¯t noticed before. They were almost certainly the already successful settlements that had received a x5 multiplier during the siege and therefore had the opportunity to get the most recent upgrade the earliest. Only a few had been in the top 10 at all previously, and Silvervalley had been the consistent number one, finally surpassed for the first time.


    The settlement ranks seemed to have too many variables to really compare progress directly. The individual scores made more sense: highest level up top with the first to reach a level keeping the first spot in the case of a tie. Settlements seemed to be measured first by the stage, then by the resident population, with security, territory area, power levels, system services, and who knows what else factoring in. If it wasn¡¯t for the time limitations on several of the upgrades, he wouldn¡¯t even know if they were at the same stage.


    He scrolled further through the list, confirming that many of the familiar settlements remained, just at slightly lower positions. Neon Park, Gangcheon, and Shinjuku Gardens were all in the early twenties. There were a total of 275 settlements remaining, and Empress City was dead last. Coop shook his head, wondering what the heck was going on over there.


    Finally, he double-checked the quest rewards, making sure nothing was missing. The reward for the optional portion of the quest was the Guard Captain slot, but he couldn¡¯t help but immediately feel a bit disappointed that it hadn¡¯t jumped out as an extravagant upgrade to the settlement. Instead of something grand, like an army of ghosts, he had received something more akin to an advisor slot. The regular upgrade had provided something more interesting in the Mana Pylons. They could be used to expand the settlement¡¯s territory or for establishing outposts that would be under the umbrella of the civilization shard.


    While Coop wasn¡¯t particularly impressed, they did remind him to check the shard to view the updated territory before he joined the party.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Coop mumbled after he accessed the overhead view of their holdings. ¡°That¡¯s a lot.¡±


    It looked like all of the islands in the Ghost Reef chain were now within their range, along with all of the reefs that extended into the ocean. Coop had trouble understanding why the expansion had been so dramatic. They were only a Town, but he guessed their territory extended 20 miles across. It had been significantly smaller before.


    ¡°Good thing the siege came first.¡± Coop observed, imagining how many more waves they might have needed to fend off if their territory had already expanded so extensively.


    The only other thing that jumped out at him was that they had also been given a free service building: the Pylon Matrix. It would allow them to construct more Pylons, but Coop didn¡¯t even know what he would do with the four he received. It wasn¡¯t like there was land for them to claim anywhere near their current territory.


    There were actually a ton of new options in the management and build menus, but he¡¯d delayed himself from the party enough already. He¡¯d christen new advisors in the extra slots and let them handle the rest. He practically skipped his way up the main street to catch up with everyone else.

 Chapter 137: Beach Bash

    When Coop finally left the empty fort, having delayed his exit long enough for most of the residents to parade through the main gate, the beach party was kicking off.


    The picnic tables that had been staged in the morning were now set up, lining both sides of the main trail. The seating extended from the crossroads, just south of the moat bridge, all the way to the lighthouse on the other end of the island. The tables then continued east from the shadow of the lighthouse, following the path as it approached the mangrove forest, fully wrapping both beaches of the main island.


    The sandy beaches and all of the tables were already packed with happy revelers as they joined their previous companions, and caught each other up on the events of the last few weeks, or recapped the entire assimilation for newcomers. While Coop and the others had waited by the civilization shard, others had staged the venue with the help of the contracted residents who had left their shops closed for the occasion.


    The party preparations had been extensive, taking the greater part of two weeks, but they still had only planned for a maximum of around 8,000 people. With twice as many phantoms returning, thanks to the settlement upgrading to a Town, the total population of Ghost Reef had ballooned to over 15,000. They were slightly over capacity, to say the least.


    The surprise additions hadn¡¯t done anything to damper the atmosphere, though. If anything, the excitement had only increased. They weren¡¯t only celebrating the return of comrades-at-arms, but also welcoming new members to the settlement, and the shouts of jubilation, followed by cheers confirmed the joyous reception they received as the phantoms found their places among the rest.


    Music was already starting with a band playing on a slightly elevated stage that had been placed where Coop first engaged the Icon of Mana, with their backs to the cordoned off, night time specific, Ancient Prowler hunting ground. A miniature volunteer concert began and residents danced in the scrubland while others at the tables watched and had a good time eating and laughing, but the band was only entertainment for a small part of the island.


    Nets had been set up further along, and volleyballs bounced back and forth as people started casual games with small groups of spectators keeping score. Others played with actual frisbees in the open space, which seemed like a lot more fun and a lot less dangerous than throwing Coop¡¯s shield around. Simple party games, like horseshoes and cornhole, were being claimed by the new arrivals. The residents were seizing the opportunity to put aside their worries and enjoy a real day off on an island paradise. The shining sun and the sparkling shallow sea made the perfect backdrop for a proper getaway.


    Between the swiftly filled picnic benches, posts had been installed, and thin sheets partially see-through gossamer fabric rippled in the gentle breeze, providing some relief from the direct sunlight for those that desired shade, with a style that really exposed the planners expertise in weddings. Strips of white fairy lights were strung between the posts as well, but in the middle of the day, underneath the tropical sun, the illumination wasn''t necessary. The party was just getting started, though.


    Each picnic table had multiple bowls and plates set out with pitchers and grills on standby. It was like a self-serve buffet for those who were seated, and the food was being claimed with some urgency. Coop thought it was lucky that people didn¡¯t need to eat, or they might have had a problem with not having enough to satisfy everyone.


    Classic crowd-pleasers, like chips and dip, were the staple of each table, though the chips were an assortment of rainbow colors and the salsa almost certainly alien, at least it was seasoned for human standards. It was a surprise when it was actually spicy, apparently some phantoms had been hard at work cultivating habaneros for the occasion. Plenty of residents opted for the less challenging cheesy dips instead.


    Small sandwiches formed elaborate pyramids that quickly shrank as people consumed them one at a time. Chilled bowls of fruit, skewered on sticks, were present as well, with the fruit being at least partially familiar. Pineapple, papaya, mango, watermelon, and strawberries were recognizable, others, not so much, but still visually appealing with bright purples leaves, translucent blue cubes, and vivid green berries in the mix.


    For beverages they had a massive number of options, but Coop could easily break them down into three categories. Lemonade with floating slices and unmelting ice, a few cold beer options waiting in ice buckets, and an absolute ton of colorful cocktails. It seemed like they would be conducting a mass experiment, testing the limits of mana¡¯s ability to prevent hangovers. Drinking on a tropical beach all day would certainly put any doubts to rest as to the efficacy of mana, if they woke up the next day at all.


    Balor sat with Jones and Olani, at one of the first tables, pounding mugs back and laughing bombastically just like they had in the earliest days, though now they were surrounded by way more friends. Coop heard passing conversations where phantoms regaled the newcomers with overly dramatized depictions of the battles during the siege. Derek had already gathered a crowd, claiming a cocktail bar near the crossroads for himself, where he was sensationalizing his own contributions to the settlement while strumming his guitar to punctuate the events. Coop bypassed them to continue further along the trail.


    There were hundreds of small round grills being manned by various volunteers, each cooking meats that Coop didn¡¯t recognize, though they had hamburger and hotdog buns at the ready and they all smelled delicious. It seemed like the Ranch and the various farmers had been the earliest to receive huge commissions for the beach bash bonanza, and they had provided all sorts of ingredients, including alien meats.


    Desmond and Maeve took orders, despite being off-duty, cooking and delivering mystery meat burgers with a practiced efficiency that came natural to the demonic pair. They had at least a little bit of experience in that particular arena.


    ¡°Ya¡¯ll need to relax.¡± Coop suggested as he joined the tavern keepers, offering to take over for Desmond, reaching for his utensils.


    ¡°There¡¯ll be plenty of time for that, after people have eaten their fill.¡± Desmond rejected his offer, claiming his rightful position creating meals with the clack of a pair of tongs in Coop¡¯s direction. ¡°Let us have our fun.¡± The demon demanded. Coop shrugged and moved on, letting them do what they enjoyed.


    There were also special meals, cooked by the regular human residents or individual phantoms. They didn¡¯t have the means to mass produce, but instead created enough for a dozen people at a time.


    Multiple ceviches competed with each other to see which would disappear first and one of the monstrous pots had made it to the beach, filled with an authentic creole gumbo. The phantom that presented it, described it as the recipe that had been passed down through generations, but in this case, it was cooked up by the original creator. Buckets of fried meat tenders that looked all the world like chicken joined fried lobster, popcorn shrimp, and hush puppies for the taking. Other tables had platters covered in croquettas, empanadas, and papas rellenas being doled out by some of the rejuvenated grannies that had joined Ghost Reef from the mainland. They encouraged every person around them to eat their fill, and it took an impossible person to decline.


    Desserts used mana to survive the heat, but that didn¡¯t stop plenty of people from making sure they would be alright and ¡®rescuing¡¯ them by eating them first. Key lime pies, homemade ice cream cones, and multicolored fruit popsicles were balanced on trays, near the rest of the food. Coop grabbed an ice cream cone from a rack strapped to the back of an Ancient Defender that tirelessly patrolled its spawn area, making it the perfect butler-style serving staff.


    On his way down the beach, licking the smooth vanilla ice cream, he watched Emmanuel high step in waist deep water in short briefs with Madison in a bright red two-piece bathing suit on his shoulders, looking like a pair of swimwear models. Emmanuel feinted like he was going to toss Madison into the water off his shoulders and she was quick to object.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± She shouted, hanging onto his shiny bald head for dear life, with her voice carrying across the water to the shore. Emmanuel bluffed a second time and her angel wings flickered to life before fading as she kept her balance and scolded him for teasing her.


    Erasimus had clearly been making a killing, selling bathing suits to all the residents and phantoms. The western beach had been transformed into a spring break advertisement and Coop was sure the eastern beach was the same.


    Even Vronk was splashing in the water in a bathing suit rather than a baker¡¯s coat. Coop was amused that the pigs were flying, but it was actually the ogre launching them into the air, letting them splash in the shallows where they immediately swam back for another turn. The pigs were only interrupted when Elly or Olani¡¯s grandkids took their turns.


    Hundreds of others were floating around the reef on their backs, racing each other, or lounging on the sandbars in circles, enjoying the company. Coop didn¡¯t think they could have a settlement-wide party like this if the population grew too much further. The island was crowded as it was. Next time, he¡¯d make sure they better incorporated the fort in the festivities. This time, it was strictly a beach party.


    The pirate ships lucky enough to avoid being on patrol had arranged themselves near the shore. They connected an elevated boardwalk of planks between the ships, and pairs of pirates, one from each crew, were taking turns wrestling until one of them fell off and hit the water. When one fell, another would rush into his place, challenging the winner until only one remained from either ship.


    The rest of the pirates were hanging on the edges of the railing, and in the rigging, shouting and jeering as they placed bets and won or lost in rapid succession. Some of the phantoms were jumping from the opposite sides of the ships, already defeated in the wrestling tournament and having some other competition that had a winner determined by the cheers of residents watching from the water and the shouts of the on-duty phantoms on the walls of the fort.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Coop carefully went around a series of sand castles that gradually evolved into extremely impressive sculptures as magic clearly got involved until he made it to his favorite palm tree. At least, it was a normal-sized palm tree in the location that had his favorite before. It may have needed a reincarnation from Ixia just like the phantoms after the siege.


    ¡°Coop!¡± Charlie exclaimed, spotting him first. She waved him over to the edge of the water where she laid on her back and Camila on her front, sunbathing with their feet in the water.


    He joined them, wearing his Under Armor as a bathing suit, and sat in the shady sand underneath the palm fronds behind them. Camila was in a black bikini, confidently showing off her tan, and Charlie wore a contrasting white one-piece that had cut outs on the sides, revealing an even collection of freckles wherever her skin was exposed.


    ¡°About time you did something to encourage people to the beach.¡± Camila commented, before she took a long sip from a straw embedded in the top of a coconut. Coop could easily smell the rum and he wondered just how much coconut was in there. ¡°You should make this a weekly thing.¡± She stated with her eyes barely above the sun glasses perched on her nose.


    ¡°Weekly?¡± Coop laughed. ¡°I really don¡¯t think this could be recreated in a week.¡±


    Camila raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯d be surprised. A lot of the groundwork has already been laid out now.¡± She gestured across the shoreline. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate the appeal of these beaches.¡±


    Coop shrugged. ¡°They don¡¯t need my permission to throw a party, as long as they clean up after themselves.¡±


    Camila nodded and put her coconut drink to the side to fix her hair. ¡°Just got a profession level.¡± She pointed out to Charlie with a smirk.


    Charlie propped herself on her elbows and leveled a withering look at Camila, clearly annoyed. Then she turned her focus behind her, to Coop, instead. ¡°Coop. Hurry up and build my library.¡± She demanded in an uncharacteristically assertive voice.


    Coop put his hands up. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, tell Marcus!¡± Coop tried to shift the responsibility of Charlie¡¯s demand away from himself, with Camila giggling at them both.


    They were interrupted by the spectacle of Sunny zooming along the shoreline, splashing through the shallow water as he raced a group of phantoms with all the seriousness of a greyhound chasing a rabbit, easily leaving them behind even as they used their teleports. Coop sat in the sand, feeling like they had it made. If they were going to go through an apocalypse, this was definitely the way to do it.


    Someone was even using their skills to recreate beach balls, tossing them into groups who bounced them around. Coop gently batted one back up the beach when it made its way toward them.


    ¡°Hey boss, want a beer?¡± Buck stopped by, extending a bottle for Coop to take. Buck was wearing an unbuttoned flower print shirt and white board shorts, genuinely looking ready for a booze cruise.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Coop took the drink and cracked it open. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± He asked the big man after taking a sip.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to have the reminder to take a real break.¡± Buck admitted, sliding his palm along the top of his buzzed head. ¡°We¡¯ve been dragging other people into our experiments, testing different affinities, but it seems like we only learn more things we can¡¯t do, instead of what we can.¡±


    ¡°Well, you are delving into the unknown.¡± Coop pointed out. He wasn¡¯t really expecting them to completely solve mana¡¯s tech interference.


    ¡°True.¡± Buck agreed, taking a sip of his own drink and sitting next to Coop in the sand.


    ¡°But, you are going to get us proper air conditioning before summer, right?¡± Camila made it sound like a bit more than a request.


    Buck just chuckled. ¡°Something like that. We¡¯ve completely given up on electricity, for now, though. Maybe when we have a better understanding we¡¯ll revisit the idea. We¡¯re basically trying to find mana-based alternatives for individual components to more complicated things. The crafters have had some insight on how to craft what we need, using magical materials to make the parts we¡¯ve broken down to the basics.¡± Buck tried to keep it simple. ¡°We¡¯re essentially copying the known crafting processes for magical equipment: using reagent materials, mana catalysts, and affinities to make a part, then we¡¯re planning on trying jewels for an array to sync them up into machines.¡±


    Coop thought it was a good idea to start with what they knew worked, and see if they could manipulate the end result into more conventional tech. Coop¡¯s own Under Armor was proof that the factions had been able to get a lot of functionality out of the existing crafting processes.


    Buck continued. ¡°Them aliens think we¡¯re absolutely crazy. We¡¯ve broken down what we want out of the AC into four components. Y¡¯know: condenser, evaporator, compressor¡­¡± He trailed off as he realized his audience didn¡¯t actually know how air conditioning worked. ¡°Anyway, according to them, each individual part will be worth more than a legendary weapon, and we¡¯re doing it purely for unnecessary comfort. It ain¡¯t like any of us will get heat stroke with mana keeping us going.¡±


    ¡°But if that works, the idea can be applied to other stuff too, right?¡± Coop tentatively confirmed.


    ¡°Pretty much.¡± Buck agreed. ¡°Just not everything. And the aliens already have much cheaper, simpler alternatives a lot of the time. They could pop an array onto a box that makes things freeze inside, instead of us making a refrigerator, but we¡¯re still testing what can and can¡¯t be replicated. Tiny was still hoping it would be as easy as replacing chemical, thermal, and electrical power sources with mana, but that¡¯s too simple. In some cases it will temporarily imitate what we want, like with the fairy lights, but each of the bulbs will run out of mana and need to be manually replenished in about a day.¡±


    ¡°You boys made those?¡± Camila asked.


    ¡°Sure did.¡± Buck stated proudly.


    ¡°They¡¯re cute.¡± Charlie added. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see them at night.¡±


    ¡°It should be a nice effect. Marcus is gonna have us make some bigger, dimmer ones for the fort¡¯s main street if they work alright.¡± Buck continued. ¡°Someone¡¯ll have to charge ¡®em regularly.¡±


    The chiming of a warning bell from the fort¡¯s wall interrupted their conversation. The music quieted and Coop hopped onto his feet, scanning the horizon.


    ¡°One ship.¡± Buck mumbled from his seated spot in the sand, but Coop didn¡¯t see anything.


    ¡°Mhmm.¡± Camila responded with a quiet confirmation, still lounging on her stomach, flicking her feet back and forth as they waited for more chimes. Another pair of bells rang. ¡°Friendly.¡± Camila declared, while Coop swiveled to find what they were seeing. ¡°Must be the Windchaser, back already.¡±


    ¡°Where is it?¡± Coop asked, still not seeing any ships.


    ¡°Dunno, that¡¯s just what the message was.¡± Camila responded with a light chuckle as she watched Coop¡¯s confusion.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Charlie stopped them as the music started back up. ¡°No one has taught you the codes yet?¡± She asked Coop with a bit of pity in her voice.


    ¡°What codes?¡± He wondered, feeling left out.


    ¡°The pirates had a system to communicate between ships that they adapted to the whole fort. The bells are giving specific information and instructions.¡± Charlie explained, pointing to one of the ghost ships that was suddenly leaving port at full speed, straight across the shallow reefs.


    ¡°How has no one told me? I thought they were just making noise to get our attention?¡± Coop was confused. It had been a little while since he was this far behind on something, but he remembered discovering Jett¡¯s level for the first time and was feeling a similar type of way.


    Camila had a mischievous smirk on her face. ¡°Actually, we all get together when you¡¯re busy and share information between ourselves, on purpose. Need to have some advantage over our weapon of mass destruction.¡±


    He knew she was just playing with him, but he remained flabbergasted at the plot that had been right under his nose. He looked at Charlie hoping she would deny it.


    She looked at her feet and dug her heels into the wet sand as she pulled her knees closer. ¡°Well, sometimes when you start grinding, everyone knows you¡¯ll be gone for eight or twelve hours, at a minimum, and there have been a few town hall meetings during those times.¡± She admitted quietly.


    ¡°Wow.¡± Coop muttered, looking at Buck, wondering how deep this betrayal went.


    ¡°I just want you to be at the top of the leaderboards, no need for you to be there for the nitty gritty.¡± Buck stated, unapologetically.


    He didn¡¯t actually mind in general, that was the point of all of his delegations. ¡°Someone definitely should have taught me the codes, though.¡± He muttered.


    A few minutes of Camila¡¯s teasing later, and Mikey B and Amanda were leaping into the shallow water from the ghost ship that had retrieved them while Windchaser made its way along the channel back into port.


    ¡°Yo, yo!¡± Mikey shouted as he waded the last few yards toward the beach near the port. ¡°Who started the party without me? Beer me!¡± Someone immediately tossed him a beer from the beach with a clean arc that shot from a crowd. He caught it, opened it, and started chugging in one smooth motion.


    Meanwhile, Amanda spotted Coop further down the beach and dragged Mikey to the small group after he absorbed enough cheers from the residents.


    ¡°Damn! There¡¯s a lot of people here, huh?¡± Mikey commented, eyes wide at the crowds.


    ¡°New phantoms.¡± Coop offered the explanation.


    ¡°Cool.¡± Mikey nodded as his eyes wandered. ¡°Mandy, we need to get you a stringy bathing suit, stat.¡± He decided. She elbowed him.


    ¡°Welcome back.¡± Coop said, surprised to see them given their mission to find Chakyum¡¯s headquarters. It hadn¡¯t even been a week.


    ¡°Thanks, Coop.¡± Amanda responded for them both. ¡°We found the source of our unfortunate guest, but it isn¡¯t really good news.¡± Coop immediately suspected it would be difficult to reach, remote, and otherwise a pain to confront them.


    ¡°He came from a port in unclaimed territory, made a straight line toward us, so it wasn¡¯t hard to find, and we confirmed the slips for the three fishing boats. There was a settlement close enough for my skills to detect. Based on the fact that there weren¡¯t any others, we suspect it to be the Yucatan settlement.¡± Amanda explained. ¡°We explored part of the perimeter, but it¡¯s protected by thick jungles and quite a few monsters.¡±


    Mikey chimed in. ¡°It¡¯s huge, man, and a bit of a misnomer. Really, it¡¯s more Guatemala than anything if Mandy¡¯s triangulation is right. I guess they get away with it by being at the base of the Yucatan peninsula, but still.¡± He put his hands up like the name was unnecessarily vague.


    Amanda continued. ¡°We didn¡¯t enter their territory, just in case they had some way of detecting our presence, but the shard was at least 100 miles from the edge, probably more. They aren¡¯t on the coast at all, and if their territory reaches any water, they¡¯re closer to the Pacific than to either the Gulf or the Caribbean Sea, so we can confirm it was no accident they came here specifically.¡±


    Coop took in the information while Camila engaged with them, getting more details while sharing what they had missed with the faction¡¯s formation and inviting them to join when they had a chance.


    While Coop hoped Chakyum would just be a rogue group operating from within the number one settlement in the world, he had to consider the possibility that they were in charge of the settlement itself. Was he ready to confront a force with that much potential?


    Honestly, yes. He thought he was ready.

 Chapter 138: Vacations End

    After Amanda and Mikey arrived, the various advisors of Ghost Reef made their way through the crowds to Coop¡¯s hangout spot. Each of them decided they should get the scouts¡¯ intel as soon as possible, just in case urgent action needed to be taken. They really took their responsibilities seriously.


    The beach party raged on while Coop was pulled into the spontaneous council meeting. Normally, he wasn¡¯t present for such things, but it just happened to form around him while he was essentially minding his own business. Buck had the good sense of bowing out, joining Mikey and Amanda as they went to find more drinks after their scouting report was entirely relayed.


    The fact that the oathsworn interloper had come from the settlement currently ranked first was met with mixed reactions among the advisors.


    ¡°This is perfect!¡± Kayla declared with an excited smile spread across her face and Sharkbait looming behind her. ¡°We can kick them off their pedestal and prove we aren¡¯t to be messed with.¡± She smashed her first into her other palm and her first mate huffed, possibly in agreement, but only his captain would know for sure. ¡°For all we know, we¡¯ll usurp their spot at the top if we destroy them, then others will really think twice about raiding us.¡±


    ¡°Now, hang on,¡± Marcus interrupted before she really got riled up. ¡°There¡¯s no real proof that we would need to engage with the Yucatan settlement at all. It seems more likely, to me, that this Chakyum is operating from the outside, especially with how cagey his envoy was.¡± Marcus argued, advocating for a diplomatic approach, naturally. ¡°It¡¯s certainly a large settlement to be ranked first, with a huge population to expand their territory over hundreds of miles, it wouldn¡¯t be hard for them to have blind spots underneath their noses.¡±


    ¡°The envoy wouldn¡¯t have been shy about threatening us with the might of a top ranked settlement. He threatened us in so many other ways.¡± Arthur added, at least agreeing that they didn¡¯t need to jump straight to armed conflict with the most formidable foe they could find. ¡°We might need to make contact on the inside before coming to any conclusions. Even if we can¡¯t organize a joint effort, it would be an opportunity to gather some valuable information before action is taken.¡±


    Shane fixed his hair and grumbled quietly before speaking up. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be comfortable committing a large enough force to assault them either, even if we could. Ghost Reef would be left vulnerable to them and to anyone else with bad intentions, some ambition, and lucky timing.¡± Shane pointed out, weighing in for the more diplomatic approach. ¡°Almost all of our tactical advantages come from our defensible location. We lose too much if we leave the islands behind.¡±


    Gideon nodded, agreeing as he assessed the fresh phantoms. ¡°The army personnel may have been replenished, but we are in need of time to gather experience. The settlement would be overly exposed if we committed to an attack. Only those who survived the siege are prepared to contribute to a defense. The rest of us need to train hard to catch back up.¡±


    It was Olani, standing at Jones¡¯s side, who offered the obvious solution. ¡°Just send Coop.¡± She stated firmly, leaning both hands and her chin on the end of her gnarled driftwood staff.


    The group looked at him, almost as though they hadn¡¯t realized he was there. He just shrugged. Of course his plan had been to go by himself, but he was letting them work out the details. He figured, collectively, Ghost Reef would be fine without him, but he wouldn¡¯t oppose some company. Obviously, he¡¯d need a ride at the very minimum.


    Marcus frowned. ¡°His last diplomatic effort didn¡¯t exactly go to plan.¡±


    ¡°But, it worked out for our purposes, and it proved he can somewhat fill either role, depending on the circumstances.¡± Arthur pointed out, not for the first time making a results-based determination. ¡°Got ourselves a decent first advisor as a bonus.¡±


    Marcus chuckled a bit bitterly at the compliment. ¡°Don¡¯t forget the bard that came along. I think it may have been a wash.¡± He sighed heavily. ¡°I can concede that it¡¯s not like we did much better with the envoy¡¯s visit.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d take our Champion against anyone.¡± Kayla chimed in with a firm nod, advocating for throwing Coop to the wolves without hesitation.


    Coop looked at Jones, naturally looking for advice from the original advisor. Jones cleared his throat, taking a turn, despite being dragged to the group by Olani, at Coop¡¯s subtle prompting. ¡°No half-measures. They already know where we are, so if there ends up being a fight, as Coop is the Champion, we should consider it war and act accordingly.¡±


    Shane didn¡¯t disagree, though he offered more food for thought. ¡°We would still need to make contingencies. No matter how well it goes, or what relation Chakyum has with Yucatan, there will be fall out.¡±


    The group settled into a brief silence, considering how to divide their forces and the best ways to apply their resources in preparation for potential war with a formidable opponent. Coop wondered if it was so different from what they were already doing. They currently had the planet-wide war with the Primal Constructs that had already ramped up. The real difference would have to be in his own behavior. He sighed, just wishing he could grind monsters and have more low-key beach parties, instead of being dragged into what he saw as side conflicts with humans.


    ¡°Well,¡± He broke the silence. ¡°I guess, since you¡¯re all here, it¡¯s a good time to share the next settlement upgrade quest, and the rewards from the previous objectives.¡± Coop took the opportunity to take center stage of the little meeting.


    He extracted a mana pylon from his spatial storage. Surprisingly, it looked identical to the civilization shard, except it was miniaturized. It was only about the size of a partially deflated basketball, but it glowed all the same, something like a crystallized lava lamp. ¡°We got these things from completing the quest, called mana pylons. I guess they emit settlement mana to increase our territory or establish outposts. I got four, but we also have a free service building that can produce more.¡± Shane and Gideon immediately started whispering about the implications they would have for the army of phantoms, it obviously gave them a way to project force that was unavailable before.


    ¡°The quest and the bonus quest also yielded the ability to recruit a guard captain, more advisor slots, and an additional subordinate shard slot.¡± Coop wasn¡¯t sure how useful most of the rewards would actually be. ¡°I¡¯ll leave recruiting the guard captain to Shane and Gideon. I suppose they would become an underling of some sort, but I don¡¯t know if he¡¯ll throw off the structure you guys have already developed.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be a problem.¡± Shane promised, confirming that they would gladly recruit the alien.


    Coop accepted his declaration and moved on. ¡°Obviously, I¡¯ll make everyone here an advisor, but we¡¯ll actually have a few empty spots even after you¡¯re all official. So, I dunno, keep an eye out for areas that need more attention and we can get someone else to take on some responsibilities.¡± A few of them nodded, apparently already having some suggestions for later.


    ¡°Then, there¡¯s the additional subordinate slot. Faction capitals have no limit on subordinates, and I guess technically Ghost Reef is a faction capital now, even if the faction isn¡¯t official yet. The janky chip we used to get started only came with limited features other than the purification aura, so maybe we should hold off on using up our subordinate slots until we know for sure what the limitations are.¡±


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°Gets the roster started at least.¡± Olani grumbled, being the one who was interacting with the newest, partially functional system the most, as she led the recruitment efforts from behind the scenes, letting Camila be the public face after Coop volunteered her for the job.


    Coop continued by explaining the new quest. ¡°But, to upgrade the settlement again, we need to claim a subordinate settlement, and the optional objective adds the stipulation that the subordinate has to have a population greater than 100 thousand.¡±


    Kayla barked a laugh. ¡°Well then! I guess that settles it. Their fates were sealed the moment they established a settlement neighboring ours.¡± She pointed at Coop. ¡°Pop one of those pylons down near them and we can have a proper siege ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t solve our issues at home.¡± Marcus pointed out. ¡°We also don¡¯t need to engage in a war in order to claim a subordinate. I¡¯m sure a negotiation would be better. Especially if we want to keep what we claim.¡± Marcus nodded to himself. ¡°I¡¯m going to explore the new services we have access to after the upgrade. There¡¯s probably more we can utilize before we dive in. There¡¯s definitely something to make up for any shortfalls we would be left with if we sent expeditions.¡±


    The other advisors appeared to agree with tabling the decision for the moment, but Coop stopped them before leaving, ready to share his own plan first.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna finish another Slayer quest, then I¡¯ll have Kayla drop me off over there so that I can poke around. I think I¡¯ll use one of these pylons to make a safe port for us. We can either have an outpost or establish a shipping lane, depending on how things go.¡± He shrugged again, feeling like his plan would be to just go with the flow once he was in the right place. ¡°We don¡¯t need to overthink things, right?¡± He looked around at the too serious faces. ¡°Try to enjoy the party in the meantime.¡± He suggested, unsure if they were all capable of doing such a thing.


    ¡°I¡¯m just gonna check really quickly to see if there are buildings that add functionality like the Admiralty did. Plus there¡¯s the apartment upgrades and potential defenses that could change our calculus.¡± Marcus continued to excuse himself. ¡°I¡¯ll be back before you know it.¡±


    ¡°The fact that we haven¡¯t had any further contact suggests that the envoy hasn¡¯t been missed.¡± Arthur observed as they watched Marcus head back up the beach. ¡°We should still be vigilant, given that the largest settlement is involved, one way or another. The last thing we should allow is being caught by surprise. By them, or anyone else looking to snag a subordinate settlement.¡±


    As the group of advisors dispersed, now a bit preoccupied with more potential conflicts on the horizon, Coop settled back into the sand. His plans hadn¡¯t really changed at all. He just had the direction he needed to go in order to settle things.


    First, he¡¯d finish with the Primal Kites. Then, he would be within spitting distance of another skill choice, so he¡¯d grab that, cross another threshold in power, and head out. Hopefully, there would be new Primal Construct variants over there for him to grind while he scoped the situation, and if everything turned out to be a misunderstanding, all the better. A little bit of travel wouldn¡¯t get in the way of his progression. It might even become an opportunity to diversify his targets. If he could add a few more Slayer titles that he wouldn¡¯t have had access to otherwise, he¡¯d call it a win.


    ¡°You thinking of grinding right now?¡± Camila asked, suddenly, as she peered at his face from underneath her sunglasses. She squinted at him suspiciously.


    ¡°What?¡± Coop had been imagining the perfect archetype for him to grind in a jungle, but was struggling to come up with one given that the environment would play a huge role. ¡°Why¡¯d you ask that?¡±


    Charlie gave him a side eye from over her shoulder. ¡°You get a stupid look on your face when you daydream about hunting.¡± They were teaming up on him.


    ¡°No way.¡± Coop shook his head, denying everything. But, the two girls just looked at each other knowingly.


    The party continued right through the afternoon and into the evening. People exhausted themselves in the initial burst of excitement and some gradually moved back into the fort, diminishing the crowds bit by bit. Quite a few ended up setting up seats on the roof of the fort, overlooking the beach or watching the ocean on the other sides with the best vantage point they could find. Others relaxed on the beach or at the picnic tables, watching the sun paint the sky in vivid, fiery colors as the sunset claimed the horizon. Dispersing the population made everything more comfortable.


    The fairy lights illuminated the path once darkness gradually claimed the sky, like a strip of floating stars, twinkling just above their heads. The Cleary brothers had clearly demonstrated that humanity could adapt, even with mana¡¯s interference.


    Most of the food was gone, and the limited leftovers were being swiftly consumed. The sport activities had all but ceased and the music had calmed down while the sun set. Most people were simply lounging, letting the relaxed atmosphere wash over them, whether they were on the walls of the fort, at the picnic tables, in the sand, or in the water.


    As night covered the island, the pirate ships arranged themselves off both beaches and started launching specially designed cannon shots that burst in the air in colorful designs, directly above the island. Some burst into patterns, while others shot across the sky, leaving a trail of sparkling color as they repeatedly burst, causing the spectators to gasp and point.


    At first it was a bit disconcerting to have magical explosions being fired from cannons across the night sky, but the spectacular displays won people over. Even Sunny, who Coop would have expected to be a nervous wreck at the sound of the fireworks, was appreciatively watching the sky, not showing any fear at all.


    The grand finale of the firework display was an eruption of sound and color, painting the island in vivid pinks, greens, and dazzling blues with deep booms that rumbled in Coop¡¯s chest and echoed off the fort.


    It started with a single loud bang that was nothing more than a huge air burst of fire, but it was followed by dozens of sparkling fountains. Then the shaped cannon shots began and they saw patterns that were unique to each cannonball, designed by the pirate who fired them, showing snowflakes, smiling faces, hearts, flowers, and not just a few skulls and crossbones taking over the sky. Those were then followed by larger fireworks that competed with each other in size and color and kept escalating until they culminated in another singular explosion of flames that lit the island as if it was day time for a full 30 seconds while people cheered.


    After the fireworks, a series of bonfires were lit and the s¡¯mores were revealed. None of the ingredients were what would be expected, but they got the job done, and the imitation treats ended up being a hit for aliens and humans alike.


    Coop sat in the sand, Sunny asleep under his feet, with a faux marshmallow on the end of a stick, being kissed by flames, while Charlie chomped on hers, getting smears of chocolate on her cheeks.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna go with you.¡± Camila declared from the other side of Charlie, bringing up the future central american expedition. They may not have been a part of the little council meeting, but they had listened in since it took place right next to them. Charlie¡¯s eyes caught the flickering light¡¯s reflection as she peered at Coop to gauge his reaction.


    ¡°You think it¡¯s a good idea?¡± He asked. He wasn¡¯t sure himself. There were too many ways to look at it. Charlie flipped her gaze back to the other side, to watch Camila.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Camila declared. ¡°We watch each others¡¯ backs anyway.¡± Charlie nodded as she agreed with the sentiment.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Coop wasn¡¯t about to start telling people what to do, and that was doubly true when it came to someone like Camila, who wouldn¡¯t listen anyway. ¡°We probably shouldn¡¯t bring too many more, or we¡¯ll be taking all of Ghost Reef¡¯s power houses.¡±


    Camila snorted. ¡°Please,¡± She said dismissively. ¡°We all know the cat will take good care of the settlement.¡± She pointed out, only half joking.


    Cleanup was slated for the next day, and there were a ton of people who had decided the beach was where they would sleep for the night, beneath the stars, with the gentle waves guiding their dreams. All in all, despite the excess of guests, the party had been a massive success. Brewbot had to be the MVP, producing enough alcohol to satisfy even the unexpected phantom surge, but the first effort of pirate fireworks had been a surprising hit, especially among the animals and aliens who had never been able to appreciate such a display before, either due to fear and misunderstanding, or a simple lack of recreational explosives.


    Coop was full, satisfied, comfortable, with good company present. He scratched Sunny¡¯s ears and thought he couldn¡¯t ask for more.

 Chapter 139: Networking

    Sometimes Alex Nova missed sleeping, but on a comfortable night like this, he was perfectly content to enjoy the midnight ambience. The cool breeze flowed across the shallow sea of wheat, sending rippling waves across the surface. His windswept blonde hair followed suit. If he closed his eyes and used his imagination, the gentle rustling of the leaves and shoots almost sounded like the ocean caressing a beach. He grasped at the mental image of a pleasant vacation while he relaxed. The temperature tended to fluctuate between comfortable, if a little chilly, to freezing, this early in the year. Tonight was just right.


    It was a nice time to be off shift. The Hatfields were making sure the wild Primal Golems on the edges of their territory didn¡¯t keep growing into elites, so he was free to take a breather from the constant combat that had been thrust upon his remote community. It had taken a while for some of the neighbors to come around to the new reality, hiding out in their basements or bunkers by themselves, fearing the end of the world, but the siege event had brought all two dozen families together in order to survive. All the families that hadn¡¯t made a run for it, anyway.


    Alex sat at the edge of the main field, chewing on a stem, with his butt in the dirt, muddying his dusty jeans while he gazed across the property. It would have been a good crop, planted in the fall, if the apocalypse hadn¡¯t come. The plants were still in the early stages of growth, but they were almost uniformly over a foot tall. He wondered what would come of them after mana changed the natural order. They had been completely neglected compared to the care his family would have shown if not for the constant stream of monster raids keeping them busy.


    His was a huge family farm, as were most of the neighbors, though the majority of them focused on livestock, leaving his family¡¯s wheat fields as an island between pastures. Some of the largest ranchers in the country were nearby, with herds upwards of twenty thousand heads of cattle. There were more than 5,000 cows per person in his settlement, but the system made the rules that said they counted, not him.


    He sighed as he leaned back, interlocking his fingers behind his head, to stare up at the broad night sky. The stars were crystal clear, even compared to the pre-mana times. It wasn¡¯t like there was any light pollution, other than an army of fireflies flitting through the air, but whatever the aliens did made it feel like he was looking at the Milky Way through a magnifying glass. He wondered what was actually out there.


    He nearly jumped out of his skin when the tornado siren¡¯s wail crashed the calm night, completely overpowering the crickets and the rustling leaves. The piercing two-toned scream startled him right up to his feet, loud as it was to overpower wind and rain that weren¡¯t currently present.


    The last time they used the sirens had been the beginning of a desperate fight with a monstrous creature that killed a dozen men before it went down. He wasn¡¯t likely to forget the first encounter with a Field Boss, especially not with the permanent reminder in the form of a title: Dauntless VIII. The whole settlement got it just a week after the siege event ended, meaning there had been other huge monsters out there even before theirs.


    He grabbed his raggedy old baseball cap off the ground, slapping it against his thigh to get the dirt off, and sprinted toward the homestead, saving his abilities for the unknown emergency. As he ran up toward the barn, he prayed it wouldn¡¯t be a repeat of that previous fight. Maybe just a horde of elites would be alright. Alex thought those were the secret to maintaining a spot on the leaderboards.


    ¡°Alex!¡± A shout from the loft of the barn snapped him back to attention.


    ¡°What is it, Ma?¡± He responded urgently. Glancing up to her and 15 of his siblings, cousins, nieces, and nephews, who were helping keep watch from the top floor.


    ¡°We got a real fast mover coming in from the East! Shiny like a dang disco ball!¡± She yelled from her perch overlooking the flat plains that extended all the way to the horizon in every direction. ¡°It¡¯s goin¡¯ right down the middle of the territory, already past the first three boundaries! The Johnsons barely moved before it got past ¡®em and the Hatfields didn¡¯t even notice it! You better get over there or you¡¯ll miss it!¡±


    Alex took action right away, the urgency made clear. Alex¡¯s skin lit up as he empowered himself with three skills, all essence infusions that buffed him in various ways, the primary one, Reckless Haste, quadrupled his Agility and Acumen, putting his quickness up to levels that nothing had been able to match just yet. Dirt and pebbles hovered off the ground around his feet as his aura¡¯s power grew immensely and he turned to go.


    Seconds later, Alex was standing in the center of US-54, the main road that cut through their territory, yellow energy leaking from his skin, lighting up the night as it rose straight up like he was covered in liquid flames. He had barely settled his feet before he saw why the sirens had put them on high alert.


    Something was skipping across the ground, sending solid streams of chrome in front that it used to sling itself forward. It was maintaining its momentum with each pull, giving it an extremely high rate of speed. On either side of the highway, it was leaving a wake dozens of feet wide in the windswept grasses where the toppled wooden electrical poles had been resting, neglected for months.


    As soon as the UFO flung itself up into the air to cross into the inner sanctum of their territory, marked by a simple cattle gate that was uselessly propped up, across the road, the crack of the Grady family patriarch¡¯s ability-enhanced rifle rang through the night. They didn¡¯t do warning shots around there.


    A rectangular sheet of shiny silver instantly formed on the flank of the approaching thing, catching the projectile like bullet-proof armor plating, and only partially slowing the main body as it flew forward. The only momentum lost was from a delay in launching another chrome thread to pull itself ahead, but it quickly adjusted, clearly intent on reaching its destination. Unfortunately, it seemed like it was on a mission to penetrate their settlement¡¯s territory and Alex would be the last line of defense.


    Alex activated two more essence infusions, launching debris into the air all around his body as the pavement cracked from the pressure of his aura, powering himself up as far as he could, changing the color of his energy flames from yellow to a fluctuating series of gold and red. He prepared to make his own body the final barrier. Flowfire would give him escalating true damage for each strike he landed and Power Begets Power boosted his Strength and Intelligence to ridiculous levels that combined with each other. His mana drain was at its maximum, so he was on a short timer, but he was fully empowered as he matched his target¡¯s charge with his own leap up and forward, leaving deep divots in the road as he pushed off.


    He left a streak of glowing energy behind as he shot through the air, one arm cocked back and the other held out in front as he prepared to punch the intruder with all his might.


    Before he made it, he was blinded by a sudden bright light sheet that appeared directly in his path. He punched his clenched fist through, shattering the shield into tiny bits, only to find another directly behind it. His shoulder met the second like he was breaking a door down, his forehead slammed through a third with a vicious headbutt, but the fourth stopped him with a thud that left a human-sized dent in its center.


    As he fell back toward the ground, he was able to see that six more plates of armor were ready to stop his progress if he had been able to continue. A rifle shot was intercepted by yet another of the bright walls spawning with the speed of light as he watched.


    He twisted so that he would land on his feet, and jump back into the fight, but as soon as he hit the ground, a glowing cage landed around him, slamming into the ground with earth shattering force as if it had fallen from space. Alex tried breaking through the solid glowing bars, but without any leverage, even his enhancements weren¡¯t enough to escape.


    He gripped the bars, with his bare hands, ignoring the possibility that they would harm him, and roared as he tried to bend his way out of the makeshift cell. His family was counting on him, they all were. The bars didn¡¯t budge as he ran out of breath and his infusions started flicking off, his mana completely spent already. He felt despair.


    ¡°You done, man?¡± A relaxed girl¡¯s voice interrupted his final heaving efforts.


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    Another rifle shot snapped through the air and another plate of light appeared out of nowhere, blocking it. The girl that had effortlessly captured Alex shifted to his side, putting him in between herself and the Grady family¡¯s water tower, where the shots kept coming from.


    ¡°He¡¯s not gonna shoot you, is he?¡± She idly wondered, considering if her human shield would hold up.


    ¡°You¡¯re a human? Who are you?¡± Alex asked, frustrated that he was defeated so easily despite being the strongest person within at least 750 miles in every direction, at least that anyone knew of. He belatedly inspected her.


    [Human (Level 79)]


    [Active Solidlight Aura Suppression]


    She was eight levels higher than him, putting her near the top 10, but with his infusions he should have easily overpowered her like he did every invader he had met. At least she wasn¡¯t a monster or an alien, though she was strange enough to seem alien to the good folks in his territory.


    The girl had long white hair tied in a ponytail that caught the moonlight in a way that made it seem metallic. It was more or less the same color as her shields, bars, and grappling hooks, but without the glowing illumination. She didn¡¯t look like she was from around there at all.


    The glowing visor that covered her face vanished, and she revealed a friendly face. ¡°I¡¯m Platinum.¡± She held both hands up to her shoulders showing peace signs. ¡°I come in peace!¡± She said in a dramatic voice, then chuckled at herself, not taking their defenses very seriously. She¡¯d blown right past them all anyway.


    She did get serious after a moment, looking at Alex in his light cage. ¡°Is this Ghost Reef?¡± She wondered, looking hopeful enough that he felt bad for her.


    ¡°Ghost Reef?¡± He repeated. ¡°From the event leaderboards?¡± Alex shook his head slowly, more confused than before. ¡°Lady, this is Kansas. You know what a reef is, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah! Damnit!¡± Platinum yelled at the sky with clear aggravation, stomping her foot against the cracked pavement. ¡°Thought this was Colorado already. You know how long this trip has been? I¡¯m exhausted. Everything is bigger and there¡¯s freakin¡¯ nothing out here, it¡¯s literally been a thousand miles before I found another human, and it¡¯s a bunch of hicks with guns.¡± She pinched her nose. ¡°How typical. An entire week with nothing but monsters! Freaking flyover country.¡± She ranted.


    ¡°Hey, now. At least we ain¡¯t Oklahoma.¡± Alex interrupted her, feeling some pride in his home. What was left of it anyway.


    ¡°Hah!¡± She laughed and Alex smiled along with her, feeling better about his chances of living if she was happy. When she was done, she got serious again and moved closer to his cage. ¡°So do you know where Ghost Reef is?¡± She switched back to her bizarre line of questioning.


    ¡°I imagine we¡¯d know about it if it was anywhere ¡®round here.¡± Alex stated confidently. ¡°You could probably ask someone in General McCallister¡¯s HQ, but that''s still a ways to go.¡±


    She made another face, scrunching up her nose. ¡°Who is out here calling themselves a General? They actually important, or some pumped up chump?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s alright I guess, but he¡¯s never been out here. He¡¯s the first leader of the Pacific Republic and Governor of Silvervalley. Technically, they¡¯ve included us as a fringe territory or somethin,¡¯ they¡¯re starting to send scouts to check up on us every once in a while, but they have like half a dozen other settlements closer to them. Then there¡¯s the Cascadia Alliance they¡¯re coordinating with, that¡¯s another several. I reckon we¡¯re not that important in the grand scheme.¡±


    Platinum looked at him like she was mad at the news. ¡°Pacific Republic, Cascadia Alliance.¡± She whispered under her breath like she was committing them to memory.


    Then she spoke up again. ¡°Silvervalley is near? No kidding?¡± He just nodded. ¡°Man, Neon will be mad if I don¡¯t stop by and give the ¡®let¡¯s get in touch'' message. I¡¯m supposed to make friends with all the Champions, but I just want to go back to my couch and there¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to a dozen different places.¡± Platinum visibly weighed her responsibilities with her desire to go home.


    ¡°Uh, we can be friends if you let me outta here.¡± Alex tried his luck. His may have been a tiny settlement in the heartland, but it counted for something.


    ¡°Oh, my bad, you¡¯re a Champion?¡± She leaned closer as if there would be a nametag or something else to give his status away. He gulped and nodded, a bit nervous about revealing it to someone so strong. She waved and the cage disappeared like it never existed. ¡°You guys attacked me first, so you know, bygones or whatever. No need for war and all that.¡± Platinum casually dismissed further conflict.


    Alex sighed in relief, then looked at her like she was crazy. They might be hardy folk, but he wasn¡¯t about to escalate a misunderstanding into war. The fact that she was so flippant about him made him suspicious of her backing. Alex waved his Ma to let her know it was alright, and they could call off the defense and the sirens finally stopped.


    ¡°That¡¯s better.¡± She nodded before she offered her hand and cleared her throat. ¡°Neon Park extends its greetings, we are factionless and hope that our settlements can coexist peacefully. We are grateful for the opportunity to make connections and if you need any help, please do not hesitate to ask.¡± She recited as he shook her hand.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Alex was surprised how her demeanor changed. ¡°Uh, thanks, we¡¯re good.¡± He hadn¡¯t had any opportunities to brush up on formal etiquette. ¡°Where¡¯s Neon Park?¡± He asked, at least recognizing it from the leaderboards and even more happy to avoid escalating any conflicts with one of the top settlements on Earth.


    Platinum smiled, abandoning the temporarily official aura. ¡°New York City.¡±


    Alex whistled. ¡°No kidding? That¡¯s damn far.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s farther now, the dang Mississippi is more of an inland sea, it¡¯s so wide. Wasted a few dies trying to find a decent spot to cross. Please tell me Silvervalley is right around the corner.¡± She pleaded. ¡°I¡¯ve been dreading what the Rockies might have turned into.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± He tried to soften the blow, knowing the Rockies would be a challenge. ¡°You¡¯re a little more than halfway, I guess.¡±


    Platinum cursed in a way that would have had his family send him right to church.


    Alex ignored it and tried relaying what the PR messengers had told them. ¡°Silvervalley is supposed to be near the new coast, what would have been between Los Angeles and Las Vegas before, you know, the world changed.¡±


    Platinum just nodded, having traveled across more of it than probably anyone else.


    Alex continued relaying what information he had. ¡°It seems some military folk maintained their structure and took to the task of coordinating and settling all the fighting in the start. The Pacific Republic has a whole chain of settlements going up New California from Silvervalley, along a bunch of National Forests, then Cascadia goes all the way up to Alaska.¡±


    ¡°Too far.¡± Platinum groaned.


    He could only shrug. ¡°Apparently, what used to be Arizona and New Mexico has a twin tribal settlement closer to here, on the way to the Grand Canyon, but they weren¡¯t a part of that whole coalition ¡®cause of pre-mana stuff, and there¡¯s a few more settlements down along the Mexican coast that did join, but Silvervalley would be closer cause you¡¯d have to go around anyways.¡±


    ¡°How much closer is that twin settlement?¡± She asked, trying to find a lifesaver to cling to.


    ¡°Maybe half again? You¡¯d have to take a roundabout path, west and then south. I was told to absolutely not go near Texas under any circumstances, like not even go south from here cause we¡¯re already too close.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Why not?¡± Platinum wondered.


    ¡°They just called it a fallen zone, guess the humans wiped themselves out and now the monsters have an enormous stronghold. Something like that. The rumors were that it extended all the way to the east, but no one has gone that far to check. Whole American South is potentially a fallen zone according to their reports.¡±


    Platinum shook her head before stomping a foot against the pavement and sliding it against the gravel. ¡°This sucks!¡± She declared after taking a moment to imagine her route. ¡°Fallen zone? I have to at least take a look before I visit this General character.¡± Platinum shook her head. ¡°Neon knew this would happen. This was his plan, to trick me into networking for him. That devious jerk. I shoulda traded tasks before leaving.¡±


    Alex just had his palms up, hoping that he didn¡¯t catch any of this Neon person¡¯s heat. ¡°If you want to rest, we¡¯ve got room in the prepper shelters. We used most of our settlement funds to make them nice and shielded. We can swap stories before you go on your way.¡±


    ¡°I could use a break. You guys used up a bunch of my solidlights.¡± She agreed and he led her to the settlement proper, humble as it was.


    ¡°You think those Pacific whatevers will shoot at me too?¡± She asked as they walked, wondering how to approach Silvervalley.


    ¡°Maybe if you come in hot like that.¡± He admitted. ¡°Apparently there was a whole bunch of fighting right up to the siege event, but the shared defense brought them together enough to start sending scouts to places like this.¡± She nodded along, memorizing as much as possible while grumbling about having to work so hard.


    It wouldn¡¯t take long before everyone else gathered to see what all the fuss was about. Word traveled fast around there. Alex was gonna have a real hard time explaining that their UFO was just a city girl, and that she had kicked his ass.

 Chapter 140: Ships in the Night

    The beach bash bonanza wound down late into the night, and most everyone on Ghost Reef had retired after a long day in the sun, drinking, eating, and otherwise partying. Whether they ended up passing out on the beach or returning to their beds, they were all heading for a satisfied night¡¯s sleep.


    The bonfires were nothing but embers, crackling with the ocean breeze, and surrounded by snoring revelers. Coop was on his back, laying in a bed of sand. He was watching the twinkling stars through the handful of wispy smoke trails crossing the sky from the dying bonfires and just letting his mind relax. Camila and Charlie were having a whispered conversation nearby and Sunny was already snoring with his head across Coop¡¯s stomach.


    He took the quiet opportunity to thoroughly catch up on his status.


    [Status]


    HP - 10290/10290


    MP - 19080/19080


    Class - Revenant (Level 123)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 104)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 75 (+1908)


    Agility - 75 (+954)


    Body - 75 (+954)


    Mind - 1590 (+318)


    Intelligence - 75 (+1908)


    Acumen - 75


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion III, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper, Slayer IV, Dauntless, Stacked, Defiant, Siegebreaker


    Skills (Active) - Retribution+, Salvation, Presence of Mind, Fog of War


    Skills (Passive) - Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (17/50), Defeat Ancient Devourers III (0/250), Defeat Primal Serpents III (0/250), Defeat Primal Kites V (3103/11111), Upgrade Town to City


    Basic Credits - 4,024,324


    Other than increasing his Champion title, his primary gains had been made through raw levels. In six days his class went up by five levels and his profession by six. He wondered if any of the contracted residents would be able to share any more nuanced information regarding rates of leveling. The factions had basically only informed their Chosen of what to expect based on the first 30 days, when orientations were ongoing, because that was when they had to weigh the costs and benefits of paying to keep their Chosen or returning them to the assimilation. The one level per day they espoused seemed like a rule of thumb that wouldn¡¯t really have longevity, even under normal circumstances.


    ¡°Do they even have thumbs?¡± Coop mumbled to himself as he considered who had even come up with the generalizations in the first place.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Camila hummed, but Coop shook his head, letting her know he was talking to himself. She just shook her head and returned her attention to Charlie.


    Coop let his idle thoughts continue, wondering about variations of mana between planets themselves. Maybe different planets just found a balance in their ley lines sooner or later than others, bringing mana concentrations up to standards at different rates. They couldn¡¯t all be the same, and it only took a passing glance at the leaderboards to know that he wasn¡¯t the only individual exceeding standard predictions, even if he was an extreme outlier.


    Then there were all the animals. He gently rubbed behind Sunny¡¯s ears. Even the retriever, who had only started leveling almost a month into the assimilation, was beating the one level a day rule. For the most part, everything around the factions was hyper focused on humans, but there were so many animals showing themselves to be similarly capable of gathering experience. He wouldn¡¯t be surprised if out in the wilds, where monsters were supposedly growing unimpeded, there were animals that were equally competing for dominance. A wild animal outside of settlement territory was almost certainly being put at odds with Primal Constructs, and if the Unchosen creatures around Ghost Reef were anything to go by, they had at least as much potential as any human on Earth.


    Coop entertained the idea that Primal Constructs, like all the other factions, were too focused on humanity, but he moved on from the thought pretty quickly. The Primal Constructs concentrated on the civilization shards, not on humans or anyone in particular. In a roundabout way, the result was similar, since animals were more likely to simply ignore settlements themselves, unlike their human counterparts.


    Admittedly, his own growth had slowed slightly, after leaping ahead in the mana well, but that could be attributed to the lull that his Slayer title grinds put him through when he was in the last stage of a quest chain. Then there was the Champion title which had gone from +25 to all stats to +50, improving its total by 150 total attributes before considering his Mind passives. His gains weren''t anything to be ashamed of, but the threat of the unknown kept him on his toes. Eventually, he would need to start comparing his power levels to those outside of the assimilation, and at that point he would use the contracted residents as a baseline.


    He checked the leaderboards, thinking that he would be making another push as soon as the post-siege vacation came to a close and he had the opportunity to demolish some new Slayer chains on foreign shores.


    Day 64


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Coop (Level 123)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Charlie Seraphin (Level 83)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Ix-Hau (Level 83)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Camila Alvarez (Level 81)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Xba-Hau (Level 81)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Cole Walker(Level 81)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Ashton Cliff (Level 81)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Kinaktok (Level 80)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Sangilak (Level 80)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Victor Burke (Level 79)</li>


    </ol>


    ¡°Nice.¡± Coop nodded approvingly. ¡°Camila, can¡¯t you go get a couple levels real quick?¡± He suggested, interrupting their conversation yet again.


    ¡°Let me go in order. I¡¯m getting some of those Slayer titles too.¡± She insisted before turning back to Charlie who gave Coop an amused smile. The girls had a little rivalry where Charlie was winning in terms of class progression, but Camila was way ahead in profession levels.


    Coop shrugged at Camila¡¯s lack of urgency, imagining Ghost Reef taking over the top three and feeling quite happy about it. Maybe he should be encouraging Shane¡¯s party to get back into the mana well. Shane and Arthur in particular weren¡¯t too far outside of the top 10, nothing a week or two inside the well wouldn¡¯t be enough to overcome.


    Only a single pair of the Hau people were in the top 10, but given their experience with Ich-Hau, he suspected that they could make large leaps whenever they felt like it. At least, it seemed safer to assume they could until he better understood what they were even doing. He considered whether or not his level lead would hold up at all. Did it even matter? His stats were the key, and between his passives, his titles, and his profession, he essentially had a massive hidden multiplier to his level. If someone thought they could challenge him by leaping forward with hollow levels, they would be in for a pretty devastating surprise.


    No, he didn¡¯t really feel the need to worry about the humans on the leaderboard when it came to actual conflict, even if they had cheap ways to match his publicly listed power level, he was well beyond even that. The actual threats weren¡¯t on the human only leaderboard. They would be accumulating power quietly, like the monsters in the mana well. He would aim to match the stats of opponents with thousands of levels rather than those trying to catch up.


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    Then there was the Eradication Protocol, when the judgment of mana would be upon them. Icons of Mana would establish themselves where they could actively grow armies instead of how the rest of the monsters were passively accumulating levels. They would leap forward in a way that demanded humans prepare ahead of time or be left behind.


    In a way, the current state of the assimilation was the calm before the storm, but he thought even the Icons of Mana would be limited by the upper bounds of mana concentration. Coop was already beyond system limitations if the siege event was anything to go by, so who was to say whether or not he could break the expectations of mana itself. It wasn¡¯t like he was a simple monster, restricted by local mana concentrations as he passively made power gains.


    If he had his way, he would stick around Ghost Reef, grinding his own levels while cheerleading for everyone else, making sure they could also stand on their own. Hopefully, it was only a matter of time before he could do just that. As long as threats to the settlement were making themselves known, he would just have to go out of his way to nip them in the bud, but how many could there really be? He shook his head and glanced around the beach, smirking to himself at passed out phantoms, resting their heads on picnic tables, and residents snoring in the sand.


    Coop thought this was the best way to experience an apocalypse. He wished the joyful atmosphere would never end. He thought there was a chance he could actually do it; carve out a sanctuary where people could escape the threats of monsters and aliens and safely reach their full potential so that those same threats wouldn¡¯t be as dangerous to them under any other circumstances.


    For a few moments he considered if they had already succeeded, given the recent atmosphere around Ghost Reef after catapulting forward thanks to their unusual siege event. At least he considered their premature victory until the warning bells started ringing from the fort¡¯s walls. He sighed to himself. The potential dangers were always lurking, even when he was ready for a good night¡¯s sleep after a perfect day.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Coop asked the girls.


    ¡°One ship.¡± Charlie translated for him, sitting up and sounding groggy as she had been ready to doze off. When several more bells chimed, she looked at Camila, confused, but suddenly appearing wide awake, as if she had just received bad news.


    ¡°What?¡± Coop asked, as both girls roused themselves, brushing the sand off as they stood. Other people around the beach were doing the same, settling into safety routines that had been drilled by their immediate supervisors after being organized by the more diligent leaders of the settlement.


    ¡°One ship and an army.¡± Camila relayed. ¡°Or something like that.¡± She hedged. ¡°It doesn¡¯t really make sense, but the watch commander is putting the whole navy in the water and calling for the cannons to be manned.¡±


    That was enough for Coop. If they had a fight on their hands, he would be the first one to dive in. He could at least do that much as the Champion of the settlement, and as strong as he was compared to everyone else. He was glad Jones had made him become the Champion now, recognizing that his role was the simplest of all. Pursue strength to avoid being easily killed, even as the threats constantly escalated, so that the settlement wouldn¡¯t be in danger of being lost to rival groups.


    As the trio hustled to the port, the girls continued to go over the messages. It sounded like Sea Burial was shadowing a single potential enemy ship, but it described it as an army, directly north of the settlement. The message had to be relayed across more than 12 miles, which the girls believed was the cause of confusion. In any case, the fort was put on full alert, with all of the leveled phantoms gearing up for battle, equipping the Ghost Reef Standard Issue, while the new arrivals stayed with the resurrected phantoms on standby within the protection of the walls where they could provide support without being exposed. The pirates were taking nearly the whole fleet to investigate, trusting in their maneuverability to keep the freshly resurrected pirates from too much danger. For the navy, when they gauged power and readiness, it was more about the ships than the individual crew members.


    Coop, Camila, and Charlie joined the Eye of the Storm while other residents hopped aboard the corvettes, adding their strength to the freshly returned level one crew members. The residents donned the settlement¡¯s new armor, including Charlie and Camila, making them seem like elites among the mishmash of pirate styles that the crews maintained. Of the residents, only Coop stuck with his own gear.


    The flagship guided the fleet around the fort, picking up speed as they rotated north from the port on the southwest wall, leaving the weathered stone fortress behind as a flurry of activity took hold of the walls. Coop stood on the forecastle deck, along with Captain Kayla as they watched the dark horizon ahead. Charlie took center stage as she created an enormous tailwind that flowed across the entire fleet, putting them on a pace that would have rivaled modern boats as they sliced across the water.


    The sea was rough enough for white caps to appear on every third wave, but the pirate ships cheated with their ghostly properties, keeping the ride fast and smooth inside their territory. Under the cloak of night, the black sails made the ships nearly impossible to see, like giant shadows against the dark ocean and starry night sky. Only the bows cutting through the water, leaving white splashes, gave them away to those who looked close enough.


    They caught up with Sea Burial in less than 20 minutes. One look and Coop knew exactly what had caused the slightly confused messages. In the distance, to the north, a massive structure was facing west northwest, easily large enough to contain an entire army. The pirates had kept their distance, using the camouflage of darkness to remain undetected, but there was no hiding what they had spotted.


    An enormous ship, listing slightly to its starboard side, looking for all intents and purposes like it had been abandoned, was blocking the horizon. If it wasn¡¯t for the hundreds of torches lighting up the sides, seemingly identical to the one that Derek had grabbed when they escaped from the mainland, it could have been mistaken for a derelict. The ship may not have power, but someone had done their best to light it up with a glow that turned the sides into billboards that were impossible to miss. They certainly had no intention of going unnoticed.


    However, while the residents of Ghost Reef unraveled the sight, more lights flashed, contrasting with the golden glow as spells were cast, creating brief spectacles around the ship. Random projectiles were flung harmlessly into the water, with high arcs in all directions, as if they had missed their intended targets. Even from the great distance they left between the pirate ships and their quarry, Coop could sporadically hear frantic shouts of battle. Occasional fiery explosions lit tiny portions around the bow of the ship, looking like nothing more than firecrackers popping along the bulk, despite each blast being large enough to fill a room.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Kayla whispered as if she was coming to terms with something. ¡°Didn¡¯t really think those were actually seaworthy.¡± She admitted. One of the cruise ships that had been moored in the Endless Empire¡¯s port apparently made a break for it and ended up near their island, despite the vastness of the ocean for them to sail.


    Charlie vocalized all of their confusion. ¡°What¡¯s the Empire doing out here?¡±


    One of the pirates from Sea Burial teleported to the Eye of the Storm while they considered the possibilities of some kind of assault. Charlie suggested that they had continued their naval scouting missions from earlier in the assimilation, but changed their methodology of casting a wide net to a singular hook. The huge ship could hold a lot more personnel than Kevin the Hammer¡¯s squad had in the beginning.


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Kayla demanded as the pirate joined them.


    ¡°We spotted her a good 15 miles to the east, impossible to miss. They were lacking control and were firing abilities off the rear to keep moving, but you wouldn¡¯t believe the momentum of that thing, it just goes where it wants to. We thought they would just drift by, so we stayed in the shadows, just to make sure, but they struck something that halted their momentum. Can¡¯t be land, even as big as that thing is, the sea is deeper. They¡¯ve been fighting ever since they stopped.¡± He paused as a blue flare shot up into the sky, lighting up the pink and blue water slides on the cruise ship¡¯s uppermost deck, then popped into a shower of glittering sparks not completely unlike the fireworks they had enjoyed earlier in the night.


    The pirate quickly continued. ¡°Cap¡¯ estimated they had more than 5,000 on board, but the action has been concentrated on the other side. No idea what they¡¯re up against or how many they got fightin¡¯, but they seem to be losing.¡±


    They all watched as one of the lifeboats, large enough for 500 people, escaped the rigging that held it in place with a series of loud snaps and freefell for a few seconds from the port side. The violent splash as it reached the surface of the ocean climbed multiple storeys up the ship. The lifeboat bobbed in the water, empty, until it stabilized.


    The gargantuan propeller was slowly rising from the surface of the ocean and more of the dull red painted hull was being exposed to the night air as the ship rolled further on its side. It seemed like the cruise ship was being slowly torn apart and would be sinking soon.


    ¡°Up to you, Champ.¡± Kayla stated, deferring to Coop before giving any orders. ¡°We could just pretend like we didn¡¯t see nothin¡¯ or we could pile on and make sure they get what¡¯s coming. These people weren¡¯t so keen on you last time we met.¡± She correctly pointed out.


    Coop frowned. ¡°No.¡± He shook his head. ¡°We should rescue them. I¡¯ll head on board myself, find out why they¡¯re fighting and give people the choice to evacuate. You just pull people from the water and stay clear of the ship itself.¡±


    Kayla smirked and shook her head at him. ¡°That¡¯s our Champ.¡± She turned to Sharkbait and bowed her head.


    A second later, the bells were tolling, openly announcing their presence as orders were relayed across the fleet. Another second and the pirate ships that had been concealed in the darkness were lighting up the sea with torches all along the ship rigging.


    The pirate queen put her palms out. ¡°I knew you¡¯d decide something like that. We¡¯ll be the beacon for any of them smart enough to seek it out.¡± She flicked her fingers toward the sinking cruise ship. ¡°Go do your thing.¡±

 Chapter 141: Legend of the Nomad

    The entire galleon lurched as Coop launched his spear from the bow. The spear raced over the sea, invisible against the dark backdrop of the night, but with the sound of it tearing through the air making it obvious that something was moving fast, but only after it had already passed.


    Coop timed his mistjump so that the spear didn¡¯t accidentally blow a hole through the cruise ship, aiming to teleport above the open rear deck instead, where, in past times, vacationers would have enjoyed relaxing by pools and hot tubs with tropical drinks and music playing. This was meant to be a scouting and potential rescue mission, so he didn¡¯t need to jump in with guns blazing.


    From his perspective, the world transformed into monochromatic mists as time slowed and he was dragged toward the missile. The black sea melted into the black sky, but the horizon was illuminated by the white glow of mists as his teleport shoved him through space. After only a few seconds, the spear was firmly held in his hand while he fell from forty feet above a partially emptied pool in the cruise ship¡¯s central gallery. He fell between more than a dozen deck balconies on either side that overlooked what was essentially a mall full of lounge areas.


    When he landed, one of his feet and his other knee crashed through the synthetic teak decking, adjacent to the pool, cracking the planks with enough force to alert anyone nearby of his abrupt arrival. He held his shield protectively, anticipating an attack. The spear that brought him to the cruise ship was held tightly in his hand as he prepared to retaliate. Coop was completely surrounded.


    Rather than attacks, gasps and mumbling came from all directions as Coop found himself encircled by people, wearing dirt-stained clothes, huddled against each other as they balanced against the ship¡¯s one sided tilt. There were groups of hundreds of people leaning against each other, watching from each of the upper decks, hanging onto railings, and otherwise looking more like stowaways that had squeezed into whatever space they could find than a potential fighting force.


    It was clear that none of them had any inclination to fight, so Coop relaxed before he scared them any further, yanking his foot out of the hole he created in the floor and standing up straight. He almost demanded to be taken to their leader, but caught himself from sounding like he came from another planet. Instead, in his hesitation, he started to recognize the mumbling for actual words as a consensus slowly built among the witnesses of his arrival. Using his aura, he thoroughly scanned the crowd, discovering that none of them were far above level 25 and many were as low as level 10. These people didn¡¯t have much chance of survival on their own.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Nomad!¡± Someone whispered clearly, hissing louder than the rest of the murmuring, as if they had a revelation. ¡°The Nomad!¡± Another repeated from behind Coop as they arrived at the same conclusion. ¡°No, the Nomad is seven feet tall and music plays wherever he goes.¡± Someone adamantly disagreed. ¡°The Nomad carries a glowing sword and has angel wings.¡± Another added, but the rabble¡¯s excitement started to build, and Coop had no idea what was going on. ¡°The Nomad! It must be!¡± The voices were coming from all around and people started a slow surge toward him, like they were desperately parched and he held water. ¡°Nomad!¡±


    ¡°Hold on.¡± Coop demanded, raising his arms, still holding his ethereal equipment, to ward them off, and to his surprise, they all stopped. The whispering about how the Nomad was there on the boat and that they had a chance after all continued, unabated. They questioned each other as to where he had come from, how he had found them, and on and on, but they all kept their voices low, as if they didn¡¯t want to disturb him directly.


    Coop pointed at a middle-aged man who had clear eyes as he stood in front of two children and their parents, pressed against some railing at the head of the mostly empty, tilted pool. He was level 26, among the highest in the crowd. ¡°You.¡± Coop got his attention. The man pointed at himself and Coop nodded. ¡°Tell me who you all are and what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Uh,¡± He looked around and others nodded at him encouragingly whispering for him to speak with a cascade of support. ¡°We were residents of Empress City.¡± He began, taking courage from the crowd. ¡°The revolutionary army took us in and protected us during the siege event. A few days ago, once it became clear they were losing the civil war, they evacuated us and prepared to make their last stand.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Coop wondered, temporarily forgetting his mission as he faced a curious situation. These people weren¡¯t fighters at all. They were more like refugees.


    ¡°To find safety!¡± Someone shouted from an upper deck balcony, high above Coop. ¡°To find the Nomad! He¡¯ll save us!¡± Someone else shouted from the opposite side and dozens more agreed from all around. ¡°He saved all those other people! He¡¯ll help us!¡±


    Coop realized just how many people were watching him as he glanced toward the raised voices. Every deck had people clustered against each other, doing their best to balance against the angle of the leaning ship. An explosion rocked the ship, but they just held on, waiting to see what would happen.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about a Nomad, but if you need rescue,¡± Coop angled his thumb behind him, to where the Tempest Fleet was closing in, lit against the dark horizon with small torches in their rigging, ¡°Ghost Reef is here.¡±


    ¡°Ghost Reef!¡± Someone exclaimed. ¡°The Nomad is from Ghost Reef?¡± He heard others ask. ¡°The subcommander was right!¡± The whispers built up again. ¡°We can evacuate,¡± someone decided and others agreed. ¡°Let the children use the lifeboats.¡±


    ¡°Take him to Javier!¡± A voice shouted from out of sight, on the bottom deck, before anyone had begun to take action. Even more voices chimed in. ¡°Show him the way!¡± ¡°Tell Captain Javi we can evacuate!¡±


    The man that Coop had singled out nodded to himself, like he was gathering more courage through the voices. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    He turned and started walking. The crowd shifted and made space, shoving deck chairs and umbrellas into pools and hot tubs to get them out of the way, spontaneously creating a lane. The man kept moving forward, and the crowd formed the path so that he didn¡¯t need to slow down.


    ¡°Follow him!¡± The crowd encouraged, as Coop hesitated, still putting the pieces together to figure out what they were going on about with this Nomad character.


    Coop had to jog through the narrow path that the people had made in order to catch up with his guide. The man was running, waving his arms to either side, by the time Coop caught up, shouting, ¡°The Nomad is here! Make way! The Nomad is here!¡± The people looked exhausted and stressed, but they reacted instantly with the mention of the Nomad, perking up and quickly making room as if they all knew exactly where he needed to go. The whispering followed them as they moved. ¡°The Nomad is real?¡± Someone asked as they went by. ¡°That¡¯s him? I thought it was just a story.¡± Another voice wondered.


    As they went, the crowds eventually thinned out, and the sounds of battle grew increasingly close, if sporadic. Coop realized that all of the people had gathered as far away from the fighting as they could. They ended up squeezing into the rear and middle of the cruise ship, avoiding the sides as much as was feasible.


    Along the way, his guide led him into the dim interior corridors of the ship. Coop followed through carpeted hallways, wide enough for a crowd, like a central concourse that branched toward venues, spas, and restaurants, with large paintings framed on each side, mostly of the enormous ship itself. They were the only ones moving through.


    Coop still had his shield and spear equipped as he jogged after the middle-aged man. They made their way into a grand hall, designed to accommodate masses of tourists, then through a series of luxurious ballrooms decorated with different themes, each more lavish than the last. All of the furniture was piled into the side of the boat that was angled down. The disarray combined with the darkness left a strangely deserted impression, like they were moving through some kind of gargantuan haunted house.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Coop continued to follow as they ran up a spiraling set of stairs in what must have been the center of the ship. Marble busts remained on the fancy black bannister railing with nametags of the captains they represented and a giant crystal chandelier leaned into one side of the stairs from above, resting the hanging crystals against the stairs as the ship kept listing to the starboard side. It glittered in filtered moonlight from caved in portions above and blast holes pockmarked along the sides. Coop and the man made their way toward the top of the ship.


    The man rounded a corner, breathing heavily, before the top, into a hall that was marked private, gliding on the carpet. Something crashed through the wall with a burst of sound, adding another hole, ripping the detailed wallpaper and revealing solid steel walls, warped and twisted around the tear that had formed. The man yelped as he was lifted into the air for a moment, knocked off his feet, backwards behind Coop.


    Coop pierced the tentacle with his spear, reacting to the wall crashing into them as if it was an attack, but the prehensile surface continued straight through the opposite wall. They hadn¡¯t been targeted in the first place. Whatever it was had simply been crashing through the ship. Presence of Mind failed to reveal any information.


    Coop quick swapped to his war fork and cleaved straight through the green limb with the outer edge as it continued to extend through the holes it had created on either side of the hallway. One portion quickly retracted while the other fell to the ground, hanging limp through its exit. The man looked up at him with wide eyes, gasping in shock.


    ¡°Is that what you¡¯ve been fighting?¡± Coop asked, pointing the prongs of his weapon toward the dismembered portion lying inert across part of the hallway. He thought he recognized it, but they were more than 50 miles from where he had seen something similar, and they were so far above the surface of the ocean on the huge ship, he doubted it could be what he was thinking.


    The man nodded sheepishly, still with his wild eyes. ¡°Sea monster.¡± He declared with a slightly crazed voice.


    Coop nudged the torn limb with his foot, comparing it with his memory. This was much too large, five feet wide, and surprisingly sharp at the edges, but it had a flattened leaf-like structure that was familiar enough. ¡°Seaweed, actually.¡± Coop observed.


    It had been a while since he encountered the unusual enemy, back when he was on his way to the oil rig on the yet to be named Windchaser, but he wouldn¡¯t forget how it grasped the ship and stalled them out until he was able to cut them free so that Charlie could slip them out of its range. It had been the one time he engaged with something that he believed was not an animal or a monster, so it was unlikely he would forget. He poked at it with his war fork, wondering if the seaweed had been expanding its domain this whole time. His guide just looked confused at Coop¡¯s correction.


    ¡°The tentacles snared the ship and started pulling it down. Captain Javier took anyone that was willing to fight while the rest of us fled to the back.¡± The man explained, still staring at the dismembered portion.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry, then.¡± Coop helped the man up, unable to ignore how far the ship was leaning. He was getting worried it would roll while they were still trying to navigate the interior and he didn¡¯t want to end up in the deep, dark water with the aggressive seaweed. The ship seemed big enough that only the front half was within range of the enemy, but that would probably change if they sank.


    They rushed through another set of doors and found themselves in a stark, utilitarian hallway, clearly not meant for the general public. A black rubberized lane on the steel floor allowed them to move efficiently despite the unnaturally angled halls. There were holes punched through the austere surfaces as they passed, with more blades of seaweed still present in a few of them, rigid as they were pulled taut, creating barriers. Coop led the way, cutting through where it was necessary, and kicked through the final door.


    They had arrived at the bridge of the cruise ship and were greeted with a rush of salty air. The wide glass windows, wrapping the entire captain¡¯s headquarters on three sides, were smashed a hundred times over, exposing the large room to the night. Large piles of seaweed blades were scattered across the edges of the room, where they had been chopped off, but the room was entirely devoid of other signs of life. When Coop glanced through the windows on the right side of the bridge, he could only see the darkness of the ocean and the occasional white capped wave, while the left side revealed the starry night sky.


    ¡°Crap.¡± The man that had guided him the entire way mumbled with discontent. ¡°This is where the leaders were supposed to be.¡±


    They both watched as giant seaweed blades flailed in the sky in front of them, whipping through the air near the front of the ship. Spells were being tossed through the air at the tentacle-like limbs, but most missed, flying harmlessly in high arcs toward the sea, looking like bottle rockets as the distance grew. Shouts echoed as the battles raged all around the bow of the ship.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Nomad. I can¡¯t take you further.¡± The man stated, unwilling to enter the battlefield.


    ¡°This is far enough.¡± Coop assured him with some false confidence. ¡°I¡¯ll take it from here.¡±


    The man nodded and ran back the way they had come, planning on evacuating the cruise ship as soon as he returned to the rear deck. Coop stepped forward, peering above the lower threshold of the broken windows, his eyes following the seaweed blades down.


    Below the bridge, on each side, almost a dozen terraced decks ended with open balconies. Each one was occupied by groups of people who were in desperate battles with blades of seaweed. Some of them were holding their own against one or two by teaming up, but others were being overrun as multiple seaweed blades flanked them, tearing through walls where they hadn¡¯t expected to be confronted. He watched as a blade bowled over an entire squad like they were unable to provide any resistance at all, then latched onto a massive column that held separated decks, coiling around multiple times.


    The seaweed didn¡¯t actually seem to be targeting the combatants in particular. It was simply reaching out and grabbing at everything it could anchor itself to. Most of the time, that was parts of the ship. Railings were wrapped up, and giant chunks of the ship were looped by seaweed, as if the blades of seaweed were green laces holding a giant shoe together.


    At the bottom, on the bow, engaging with the source of the seaweed were some familiar enemies. Ones that Coop never expected to see again, and didn¡¯t have any particular desire to engage with at all.


    They were facing off with a gigantic brownish red crab that was clinging to the starboard bow of the ship, exposing its tan underside to their attacks as they tried to prevent it from boarding. If they had any actual impact on the crab¡¯s attempt to climb aboard, it was hard to tell. Any damage they dealt appeared to be totally insignificant.


    The crab was so large, it was the actual cause of the ship¡¯s tilt. Its oversized, black tipped, pale pink claw was clinging to the side of the ship, pinching massive gouges through the steel, springing enormous leaks in the hull, while four legs struggled to hoist the rest of its body out of the water, scraping across the bow in search of leverage. Each time it heaved itself up, the boat listed and water rushed across the lower deck. After each attempt to climb aboard, the ship sat a bit lower in the ocean.


    Its other claw was tiny in comparison to the main grabber. It splashed in and out of the water while it tried to swim with the rest of its legs to propel its carapace above the edge. Coop estimated the cruise ship to be over 1,200 feet long, and that meant that by his judgment, the crab was at least a ridiculous 200 feet wide.


    The seaweed was growing out of its back, with long jointed rhizomes creeping through the crab¡¯s outer carapace in a thousand places, like gnarled white roots. Each blade whipped around on its own, seemingly in an effort to stop the ship and let the crab climb on top. The lamina were like grasping vines being used to grapple the crab¡¯s target, and in this case, that was the ship itself.


    Coop tried inspecting its aura, acknowledging that he was probably too far, but the crab was clearly something special. He was surprised to receive information across the distance anyway.


    [Mercenary Stone Crab (Level 152)]


    [Abyssal Sporomancer (Mind)]


    [Collector (Covetous)]


    ¡°Would you look at that?¡± Coop raised his eyebrows as he observed the incredible progress of yet another animal.


    Coop swapped his war fork for a heavy spear, giving it enough density to hopefully knock the crab loose if not destroy it outright. He decided if he was going to enter this fight at all, he might as well introduce himself by taking out the biggest, baddest dude on the battlefield. He would deal with the rest after showing himself not to be trifled with, whether they considered him this Nomad or not. It was a page straight out of Captain Kayla¡¯s playbook.

 Chapter 142: Unpleasant Reunions

    Coop¡¯s brisk footsteps crunched as he stepped through shattered glass and dismembered seaweed leaves. The bridge of the cruise ship had clearly seen some fighting, but the center of the conflict had shifted entirely to the bow before Coop arrived. The seaweed had ambushed the ship while it drifted through the deep ocean, surprising the passengers and getting a firm hold on the vessel before they had a chance to prevent it. That left the Empire¡¯s refugees fighting a losing battle where they were outmatched and outmaneuvered by the Unchosen crab.


    Coop hurried, climbing through the broken windows of the ship¡¯s bridge, outside, to the ledge overlooking the bow of the ship. As soon as he was clear of the threshold, he planted his foot, already winding up as he burst into the open air, and hissed with effort as he squeezed his abs, twisted his hips, and rotated his shoulders, generating power from his legs all the way through his body. He launched his opening salvo, heaving it almost straight up with gusto. The heavy spear flew into the night sky while his follow through took him all the way to the edge of the narrow space.


    He was nearly at the top of the cruise ship, in the relative center, above and behind the battle between the strangers that had arrived with the ship and the lashing blades of seaweed. They were doing their best to stand up to the grasping vines, but it only took a quick glance to realize they were severely outclassed. The passengers of the ship wouldn¡¯t be able to extricate themselves from the clinging seaweed with how slowly they fought back. The ship had lost all of its momentum long before Coop arrived, so it had no chance of breaking through.


    The groups of fighters tried to work together, but a handful of humans with inadequate levels and limited combat experience struggled against just one or two seaweed blades. If the seaweed was specifically out for blood, they would have been slaughtered, but other than incidental strikes, it only continued to seek purchase on the ship. They fought to dislodge it more than anything else, hacking at rooted leaves with poor quality weapons or depleting their mana with weak spells that only occasionally dealt visible damage if they struck at all.


    Coop had well over ten thousand repetitions with high arcing throws after hunting the Primal Kites on the Ghost Reef sandbars, so it wasn¡¯t a problem to immediately judge the distance and get underneath the toss. There was no chance he would miss a target that was 200 feet wide, stationary as the ship was, with the combatants at an impasse. The fact the crab was in a position that would prevent any collateral damage, hanging off the side, was icing on the cake.


    The spear shot into the night sky, disappearing as it rose through the wispy clouds among the twinkling stars. The only evidence of the missile¡¯s passing were the rings it formed in the clouds as the backdraft punched through, but no one was looking up at the moment.


    Coop wasn¡¯t worried about dealing the minimum amount of damage necessary to defeat a regular, level 20 Primal Kite in order to keep his grind time efficient, so he had really launched his weapon. Maybe he underestimated his own Strength a bit, because it would be a while before the heavy spear came back down, judging by its momentum. It was the first time had a full send on a heavy spear throw, so even he was a bit surprised by the result. In the meantime, he started hopping down ledges, holding only his shield, planning on making his arrival known.


    A blade of seaweed, almost as wide as he was tall, tried to snatch his legs while he dropped, but Coop twisted his torso and batted it away with the edge of his round shield. His Strength was enough to redirect the leaf, if not outright destroy it.


    ¡°On your left!¡± He called out before he landed among the first group of random people fighting on the uppermost open air balcony. The scattered debris of destroyed lounge chairs joined several gaping holes from where seaweed had bored through surfaces. Only one of the combatants had the awareness to even turn at Coop¡¯s warning, but Coop landed in time. He bashed the tip of another blade of seaweed away from the group¡¯s unprotected blindspot on their left flank as it arose from beneath the terraced balcony.


    ¡°There are rescue boats at the back of the ship. You can evacuate.¡± Coop announced in the temporary lull he had created as the fighters turned to him in surprise. Then, he managed to sever a few seaweed blades that were pulled taut against the ship, despite the edge of his shield not being particularly sharp, clearing out their balcony so they would at least be somewhat free to move around. He only spent a few more seconds before he moved down to the next level.


    ¡°Who the hell was that? Did he only have a shield?¡± He heard someone question over the shouts and clamor of fighting on the levels below, but Coop was already among the next group.


    As he went from balcony to balcony, spreading the message that help had arrived and providing some relief to the struggling volunteer fighters, he left them slightly stunned at how easily he countered the seaweed blades. They slowly started to regroup, getting a chance to organize against the onslaught of unthinking vine-like attacks, thanks to his efforts. They were still engaged with more blades of seaweed, but their morale clearly jumped when Coop provided even a small amount of aid, turning the tide of what was a clearly losing battle in saving the ship to a temporary stalemate. The knowledge that evacuation was possible definitely helped.


    Coop thought the ship was completely compromised by the crab¡¯s assault. The back left of the ship was lifted up into the air while the front was pressed all the way down to the surface of the ocean. The way the hull groaned against its own weight made Coop nervous, anticipating a catastrophic failure, but he was at least confident in his own ability to simply mistjump out of the potential wreck. He doubted there was a captain that would be willing to go down with the ship in this case, but Coop would prefer to avoid swimming in potentially dangerous waters if possible.


    When he reached the main deck, each group of the overwhelmed fighters above him had snagged a foothold against the seaweed and had mostly clear routes to escape back through the ship when they were ready. Most of them stuck around for a short time before getting a better look at the state of the ship and deciding it was time to evacuate.


    It was only the last group, engaging with the crab itself, that continued to struggle the most. Coop ignored them for the moment, briefly searching the bow for something that he believed would be useful, given the crab¡¯s location.


    His search only took another few seconds before he found what he was looking for. There was a solid sliding deck hatch underneath a secure housing, embedded near the center of the forecastle deck, separate from the publicly accessible bow railing. Coop hummed as he assessed the damage. The windlass chamber had several leaves of seaweed wrapped around the portion that bulged from the interior, but it was a formidable structure as it needed to hold the hydraulic winch for a pair of 20 ton anchors, one for each side of the ship. Coop leapt forward and started bashing through the seaweed with his shield, waiting for his spear to land before he considered summoning a bladed weapon to make the job quicker.


    When a blade of seaweed snared his free arm, pulling him off-balance, he paused his excavation to brace himself, gritting his teeth and flexing his entangled arm as he smashed his shield against the entangling leaf until he was free again. He was strong enough to withstand an individual leaf of seaweed just by physically resisting.


    Coop spared a glance for the small group doing their best to dislodge the crab from the side of the bow. They were mostly targeting the overgrown claw that anchored the crab¡¯s body to the ship. Slashing flames met the wet crab¡¯s carapace, causing some steam but no obvious harm while wrist blades and a thick short sword clanged against the tip of the claw, lighting up the area with sparks, but failing to impair the grip.


    The next time a blade of seaweed targeted Coop, he didn¡¯t cease his digging. He just cast Legacy of the Mists and a phantasmal shieldbearer appeared on his flank, shield held forward, catching the tip of the oversized leaf with a comfortable stance that made it seem like the ghost had been jousting with seaweed strikes forever. Coop concentrated on doing two things at once: dislodging seaweed while using Legacy to protect himself and avoid interruption.


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    It wasn¡¯t much longer before the crab was suddenly blasted from above with a crack and a crunch that was so loud, it must have been heard by the Tempest Fleet. The spear returned from its arcing trip into the sky with vigor. It was moving exceptionally fast as gravity returned his weapon. Notably, his throw had been wide right of dead center, but the crab was so large it was still struck, which worked in his favor.


    The heavy spear smashed through heaps of seaweed that rose above the crab, creating a tunnel through the tangled layers, practically vaporizing the ones struck with its tip, before it collided with the carapace with so much force the crab basically disappeared into the water. One moment it was there, clawing onto the deck, and the next its body was gone with a splash that swamped the ship, bowling over the group that were doing their best to prevent it from climbing aboard, sending them against the inner railing that separated the trench, where Coop was, from the bow. The ship itself partially righted itself and Coop barely kept his balance, hanging onto the edge of the windlass chamber in the middle of the bow with sea water splashing over him.


    The enormous black-tipped claw hung from where it had pinched onto the corner of the hull and the gunwale, but it had been cleanly severed from the rest of the crab¡¯s now missing body. The pincers didn¡¯t release even after the crab was gone.


    For a second, Coop thought the straightforward job was done, and he¡¯d have to start the more difficult part in dealing with the humans. Frowning, he hesitated as the ship¡¯s bow was pulled even further into the water, rather than returning to level, sending waves up to his knees and the crab fighters sliding closer to the edge, shouting in dismay, while the back of the ship rose even higher in the air than it had been before. The ship creaked dangerously and the last of the grouped volunteer fighters fled from the balconies to avoid falling down to the bow.


    Coop realized the seaweed was still present, gripping the ship desperately, pulled taut as the crab refused to give up on its quarry. Coop summoned his sword and cut his way through the rest of the seaweed blocking his path to the anchor windlass.


    Once he was inside, with water cascading past him, deeper into the ship, he simply smashed the heavy duty machinery, having no idea what any of it did. His efforts were first rewarded with loud clanging as enormous chains shifted inside their lockers and lost their grips. The banging sounds gradually increased in frequency as the massive anchors pulled and the links broke free. Coop had to back out, avoiding the smoke, steam, and eventual friction fire of the uncontrolled fall of both anchors. Coop clenched his jaw as the clanging of the massive high-strength steel drowned out any other sounds.


    One of the anchors, or maybe just the chain, must have connected with the submerged crab and its entangling seaweed, because all at once, the seaweed that had woven itself into the structure of the ship snapped like a series of frayed ropes. The broken bases were pulled into the water fast enough to tear strips of steel from the ship as they went.


    The ship, now released of its heavy burden on the front, broke. The rear crashed into the water like a melting glacier calving, sending enormous plumes of water in all directions, and the bow tore clean off, separating from the keel that remained with the rest of the ship. The front rolled, sending Coop and the three fighters that had engaged the crab, into the water, underneath the bow.


    Coop scanned for more seaweed submerged in the water, but found none. He dismissed his weapons, perfectly comfortable with swimming with his weightless armor, but he grabbed the heavy tower shield that had immediately started sinking near him, dragging one of the fighters along with it. The shield had long creased blemishes in the center, where it had been folded and warped, then pounded back into its original shape with some manual effort.


    He swam with the man in tow, until they rounded the edge of the bow, and returned to the surface. Coop had to get around the gigantic dismembered claw before he could climb onto the edge himself.


    The front piece of the ship hadn¡¯t sunk yet. It merely rolled in the water after the burden on one side was released and it lost the stability of the rest of the ship to secure it. The other two combatants had already pulled themselves onto the red painted hull beneath the broken spine where the keel was previously attached, drenched, and at least partially in shock, using the crab claw as leverage to avoid sliding back in.


    Coop tossed his burden up beyond them, like he was a wet sack, and hauled himself out of the water. He climbed to his feet, carefully balancing along a ridge on the hull, summoned his war fork, and pointed the weapon at the trio as they splayed themselves out on the slippery surface, doing their best to catch their breath between violent hacks.


    ¡°Alright guys.¡± Coop tried getting their attention. Only one was alert enough to turn his head as he tried to breathe.


    ¡°What, exactly, are you doing here?¡± Coop asked the clearheaded one, not even remotely taxed after a single spear throw, some seaweed cutting, and a little dip in the warm water. Presence of Mind confirmed his targets as they coughed sea water out of their lungs, exhausted, and appearing lucky to be alive.


    [Human (Level 52)]


    [Flame Knight (Body)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Ember (Challenger)]


    [Human (Level 48)]


    [Blade Tyrant (Strength)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [Slashing (Challenger)]


    [Human (Level 51)]


    [Secutor (Strength)]


    [Chosen of the Endless Empire]


    [(Challenger)]


    The Flame Knight was the only one to react, raising his hands as he sat up, surrendering, and not for the first time, as he stared at the end of Coop¡¯s weapon and understood that Coop wasn¡¯t happy to see them. ¡°Wait, wait. Hobbs sent us!¡± He sputtered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who that is.¡± Coop pointed out, confident that he would remember such a name and wondering if this was some kind of ploy. He was trying to decide what to do with these guys. He¡¯d already spared them once, but he didn¡¯t think he should give them another chance after they appeared to have been sniffing around his settlement.


    ¡°Jackson Hobbs!¡± The Flame Knight shared a full name, but Coop¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change. ¡°Subcommander Jackson?¡± The man kept trying, but without any recognition on Coop¡¯s end, he continued anyway. ¡°He told us to give you a message if we found you, said you would help.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t owe anyone in Empress City anything.¡± Coop declared, keeping his weapon ready. He¡¯d retrieved Charlie¡¯s family and neighbors, extended the invitation to others, and already brought the takers to Ghost Reef. By now, they were as tied to his settlement as he was. Ghost Reef¡¯s doors were open, but he didn¡¯t see himself obligated to retrieve the unwilling.


    As he stared the trio down, with the Flame Knight the only one sufficiently recovered to speak, a loud grinding sound overwhelmed them, followed by the whooshing of air and water being forced through gaps, and thick steel groaning. The back of the ship began to submerge, shooting spouts of water into the air.


    ¡°Oh my god!¡± The Flame Knight despaired as he knelt and faced the rest of the ship. ¡°All the people!¡±


    The ship spluttered as air escaped passages before sinking into the depths, broken end first. The enormous propeller was last, but even after the ship¡¯s bulk was under, the water churned as air rushed to the surface.


    The Flame Knight twisted toward Coop. ¡°You¡¯ve gotta help them!¡±


    Coop waved the prongs of his war fork back toward the chaotic water and the Flame Knight looked back. The Tempest Fleet was lighting up the ocean on the other side of the churn, pushing away the darkness. Thick clouds slowly rotated above them as some kind of pressure system, created by Charlie, forced the white capped waves of the open sea to be as still as glass around the ships. They looked like a sculpture of boats resting on a smooth table.


    Four orange colored lifeboats, as large as the corvettes, were present, tied to the sailing ships, and all three of the fishing trawlers, left by the envoy of Chakyum, had joined Kayla¡¯s pirates to load people up. Only a handful of the modern sailboats had survived, but even they were loaded up, including the catamaran that Coop had escaped on once before. The pirate ships were clearly packed to the brim. There were only about a dozen people in the water, being pulled out as the latest arrivals, those who were fighting the seaweed to the end, had jumped hundreds of feet into the water when the ship took its last gasp. Coop thought it was a good thing they were enhanced by mana, or that would have been a hard fall to survive.


    The Flame Knight joined the other two, laying back on the hull of the bow, exhaling in relief.


    Coop stepped forward, and prodded him with the blades of the war fork. ¡°You better start explaining.¡±

 Chapter 143: Chaos Theory

    The Flame Knight finally had a chance to properly introduce himself as the Captain Javier previously mentioned by the refugees, after Coop goaded him into an explanation for their presence. Evidently, he had been entrusted with leadership over their evacuation from Empress City, employing one of the cruise ships that had provided housing for those who left the City¡¯s outer ring.


    Coop had to interrupt him multiple times until they ended up starting from the beginning, since every time the Chosen of the Empire started to tell his story, Coop needed him to back up even further. Coop lacked critical context for what was going on in Empress City, so they wound up all the way back to the aftermath of his escape.


    ¡°You started the revolution.¡± Javier stated conclusively, finally culminating his backtracking with an unexpected declaration.


    ¡°I, what?¡± Coop still didn¡¯t understand, but they were already at the actual start of the story, so he couldn¡¯t force him to rewind any further. He was pretty sure he hadn¡¯t done anything of the sort.


    ¡°You freed Jackson Hobbs from the Empire¡¯s prison. He founded a new division for the CRA and declared a secession from Empress City, annexing the port and the coast, all the way south, to Crane Point, to join the settlement you were representing.¡± Javier continued, almost as confused that Coop didn¡¯t already know the result of his interference.


    ¡°Man, what the hell are you talking about?¡± Coop wasn¡¯t sure if his incredulous feelings were appropriate, given that he had in fact killed some prominent people in the Empire, but he remained skeptical, to say the least.


    ¡°Well, at first, we didn¡¯t know what your settlement was called, or even your name, but you caused a bunch of rumors to spread among the citizens.¡± The Blade Tyrant nodded along while the Secutor just stayed flat on his back with his shield underneath him, staring at the sky, taking deep breaths after nearly sinking to the bottom of the ocean. ¡°The people took to calling you the Nomad from the Conch Republic. They told stories about how you came to the Empire¡¯s house and flicked their nose, then rode off into the sunset with those who dared to listen. Far too many people have personal anecdotes about how you interacted with them, inviting them to come along. They kick themselves for not listening.¡±


    Coop just grimaced at him while he continued. While he had tried to engage with some people, it was becoming obvious that everything about his visit to Empress City was exaggerated to an unrecognizable level. The rumor mill had worked overtime to create a mythological figure.


    ¡°The word spread around the city that there was an opportunity to leave, but at the time, no one believed there was a greater local power than the Endless Empire, so they didn¡¯t take it, choosing to stick with the security they felt they already had. Everyone else who had made a break for it had died to monsters or to patrols. It wasn¡¯t until after the Empire failed to stop you that people realized the opportunity they missed, and then even more so when it came out that the names of some who left with you were in the siege event leaderboards.¡± The Flame Knight did his best to explain the general landscape that had led to the situation they had ended up with.


    Coop interrupted him, yet again. ¡°Alright, it might be possible that some small things had greater ripples, but I¡¯m not forgetting that you all are members of the Empire and the last time we interacted wasn¡¯t exactly friendly. Even if what you¡¯re saying is true, you were on the other side.¡±


    The Blade Tyrant spoke up for the first time. ¡°We defected.¡± He obviously wanted to make it clear, putting respect on Coop¡¯s level.


    Javier nodded. ¡°Yes, we defected. After you showed us mercy and happened to eliminate most of our chain of command, we had our eyes opened to the fact that conditions didn¡¯t need to be as bad as they were, end of the world or not. The people in leadership positions used the apocalypse to seize power and deliberately kept people down for their own gain. If our supposed allies knew exactly how you had escaped us, they would have executed us for our failure, without question, but you, an enemy, hadn¡¯t been as willing to kill us when you had every right to.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t there still four of you?¡± Coop double checked.


    ¡°Carl is dead.¡± The Blade Tyrant clarified. Coop assumed that was the Honan Cavalier that he remembered trying to bind him in their fight.


    Javier nodded. ¡°He disagreed with the rest of us when we decided to leave and stayed with the Empire.¡± He expanded. ¡°Tried to turn us in to gain favor for himself which forced us to leave early, even before the siege event began. Got himself killed trying to curry favor with the Empire¡¯s leadership.¡±


    ¡°So, you guys turned into freedom fighters instead of just escaping?¡± Coop asked, still feeling like there was a gap from point A to point B.


    ¡°Before the siege, Jackson was already networking in the outer ring. He got in touch with us even before we had a chance to decide what to do, whether we would hide out, take our chances in the wilds, or something else. Jackson was executing plans from the start. During the siege, he made his presence known, rising to prominence, offering protection when the Empire refused to secure the outer ring from invaders. We were a part of that, helping fight the wave along with others that he had recruited.¡± The Flame Knight paused to catch his breath, frantic as he was to explain the situation to Coop.


    ¡°We still barely made it. When people were given the ultimatum to fully submit to the Empire or perish, our success offered them a third option.¡± Javier looked nervously at the Blade Tyrant who shook his head before Javier continued with what made him uncomfortable.


    Javier sighed before he kept going. ¡°Jackson, he, uh, maybe leveraged his connection to the Nomad to establish credibility as well. Even the army claims to be a part of the CRA, the Conch Republic Army, and the land claims were based on all the rumors around the Nomad¡¯s visit. There were a thousand people in Peacock Park before they moved to the port. But, that¡¯s how we ended up flipping sides before the civil war started. We knew you were the one behind the Nomad stories and were hoping to join your side.¡±


    Coop just shook his head. He had to appreciate the unlikely cascade of events he had unknowingly set off, but surely if it hadn¡¯t been him, something else would have started the chain reaction at some other point. He had just created a convenient figure for this Jackson guy to base his revolution around. Coop was thinking about the ramifications of defeating the Field Boss for Empress City, wondering if that was what really changed their fates. Would Empress City even have existed long enough for a civil war if he hadn¡¯t visited?


    ¡°What the heck are the odds?¡± Coop muttered rhetorically. He supposed the Empire had conveniently placed some particularly important political figures in one place. Madison, the Chosen Sage of the Merciful, Emmanuel, the supposed leader of a rebel group organizing in the suburbs, Marcus, a politician who was agitating for a change in their tyrannical structure, Coop, a potential ambassador of an unknown settlement, and this Jackson who was itching to fight a revolution. ¡°Not my fault.¡± Coop spoke under his breath. ¡°That¡¯s gotta be on the Empire.¡±


    The three former Chosen of the Empire stayed quiet while Coop tried to run through his options. He was definitely throwing these three guys to Arthur, and the rest of Ghost Reef would have to work through the rest of the refugees. The settlement almost certainly didn¡¯t have the housing to accept the massive influx all at once, but Marcus had been planning to handle more people, exploring upgrades right after they leveled the city after anticipating them for weeks. They¡¯d have to see how many they were willing to take and test their readiness to do so at the same time. Maybe Marcus would surprise him.


    A lone pirate was slowly paddling a single row boat across the open water, approaching the partially submerged bow that Coop and the others resided on, bobbing listlessly in the ocean, buoyed by the crab claw at the edge. Coop waited for him to get closer, still making his decision while expecting an update on the status of their rescue effort. He assumed it had all gone well.


    ¡°And how did you all end up here, specifically?¡± Coop asked, wondering about the cruise ship that just happened to be bypassing his island chain.


    ¡°Well, we were trying to reach Ghost Reef, searching for safety for the civilians. I¡¯m a captain in the Conch Republic Army, you see, and the people have trust in us to keep them safe, but that seamonster grabbed us. Jackson sent us to be the escort, in particular, since we¡¯re the only other ones with an actual connection with you, sort of a hail mary on his part.¡± Javier summarized for Coop, admitting his role in the situation. Coop just grunted.


    Combined with the envoy, it was pretty obvious that more people would be seeking them out, for one reason or another. Ghost Reef wasn¡¯t much of a secret and neither was he. It didn¡¯t take a detective to connect them anymore, especially not after the settlement event announced the winners to the world.


    ¡°Ahoy!¡± The pirate shouted as he got closer, lifting his tricorn hat to wave it at Coop. ¡°Everything alright, boss?¡± He asked with a casual indifference that fit the Ghost Reef attitude perfectly. The pirate used one of his oars to brace against the outer edge of the giant claw and avoid getting too close. He propped his feet up on the gunwale and waited for direction.


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    ¡°Just trying to decide what to do with these three.¡± Coop explained why he hadn¡¯t mistjumped back to the Eye of the Storm with a casual gesture across his semi-prisoners. It seemed like he was holding up the residents'' return.


    ¡°I can take ¡®em to a boat, unless you intend to leave ¡®em here.¡± The pirate offered, causing the Flame Knight and Blade Tyrant to look at each other anxiously.


    Coop shrugged. ¡°Will you be okay by yourself? They haven¡¯t earned any trust just yet.¡±


    ¡°¡®Aye, boss. An old seadog like me can handle some soggy level 50s without lifting a finger.¡± The pirate promised, grinning dangerously, revealing missing teeth in the moonlight while six muscled ghost arms faded into existence from his back before disappearing again. Coop used Presence of Mind just to make sure his confidence wasn¡¯t misplaced.


    [Spectral Human (Level 78)]


    [Aether Soul (Acumen)]


    [Phantom of Ghost Reef]


    [Elysian (Defiant)]


    Coop had momentarily forgotten that the settlement upgrade also increased the level cap on Ghost Reef¡¯s phantoms. Yet another bonus for the shard¡¯s progress. Apparently, they were already getting more levels, thanks to all the night¡¯s activity. Comparatively, the Empire¡¯s Chosen were fatigued, weakened, undergeared, and much lower level. It was a good enough situation for Coop, so he swapped to his spear to make his exit.


    ¡°Tell him!¡± The Secutor finally spoke with a hoarse voice after coughing up so much seawater and calming himself down after facing the depths of the ocean in full armor, realizing that Coop was leaving.


    ¡°Oh!¡± The Flame Knight was startled. ¡°Jackson sent us with a message to deliver to you if we found you.¡±


    Coop waited, only a little impatiently. ¡°Well, what is it?¡±


    ¡°He said that something heinous is going to happen and you might feel responsible if you don¡¯t come put a stop to it.¡± He showed Coop the palms of his hands as Coop scowled. ¡°Those were his exact words. He really emphasized the word heinous.¡±


    Coop remembered that those were his own words of warning to the prisoner that provided their distraction when they escaped, at least confirming that Jackson had been that guy. ¡°What¡¯s that about?¡± Coop wondered. Was he saying Coop owed him one for the distraction? Or was he really asking for help to prevent some nasty situation?


    ¡°The last major development before we evacuated was that The Endless Empire had signed an official treaty with The Sapphire Armada. That¡¯s what prompted us to leave.¡± Javier did his best to catch Coop up.


    ¡°What is The Sapphire Armada?¡± Coop asked, honestly getting tired of having to.


    ¡°The faction running the naval settlement in Orlando that penned the Empire in. The thought among the CRA was that they would attack us from the sea while the Empire pinned us against the coast, so we had to evacuate before it started.¡± Javier promptly explained. ¡°Spies claimed that the Champion of Empress City had come to some agreement that sold out the city in order to maintain his own position. Empress City would become a subordinate and abandon the Empire so that the Champion could remain Champion.¡±


    ¡°Why is Orlando a naval city?¡± Coop didn¡¯t think his geography was that bad, but he was pretty sure Orlando wasn¡¯t directly on the coast.


    ¡°Oh, uh, Florida is basically an island now and Orlando is the only artificial connection to the rest of the continent, like that cartoon with Bugs Bunny sawing off the state, but sort of at an angle where the panhandle stayed attached.¡± Javier trailed off as he took in Coop¡¯s expression.


    ¡°Make sure you explain all this to my advisors.¡± Coop told him, as he imagined just what a mess the world really was in. So much for hoping people would come together in the face of their common enemy.


    He threw his spear across the open ocean, leaving the flipped bow of the cruise ship bobbing in the water. He was aiming to land back where he started, on the forecastle deck of the Eye of the Storm. As his spear flew, he got the attention of the Flame Knight, maintaining eye contact for a moment. ¡°Behave yourselves.¡± He warned, before he burst into mists and teleported back to his allies.


    A second later he was back on the flagship, landing relatively softly on the worn wooden planks. At least he didn¡¯t cause any damage.


    ¡°I trust everything went well.¡± Captain Kayla stated as soon as he landed on the deck. It had been kept clear of any refugees as they expected him to come back. Charlie stood on the bow, with both hands raised in the air like she was physically handling the atmosphere with Camila at her side.


    ¡°Good enough.¡± Coop confirmed.


    ¡°We got everybody!¡± Charlie exclaimed, happy with their efforts. ¡°They¡¯ve been talking about seaweed sea monsters and a Nomad. Was it the same seaweed that attacked us?¡± She wondered from the front, already putting things together despite the change in locale.


    ¡°The seaweed was growing from the back of a really big crab.¡± Coop paused before he shrugged, feeling like his explanation didn¡¯t really do it justice, but the world was pretty weird now, so he was sure they could imagine it.


    ¡°That was real?¡± Charlie still seemed surprised, but Camila pointed to the only floating piece of the cruise ship, which was still braced by an enormous claw, visible even from the distance, and Charlie evaluated it carefully.


    ¡°About that,¡± Captain Kayla began, ¡°Sharkbait has a request for you. Could we haul that claw back? He thinks we should have another feast.¡±


    Coop scrunched his face again, not sure if he wanted to eat such an obvious mutation, especially from an animal that was advanced enough to embrace mana and level the way the crab had. It was too much like eating an arm in his mind. ¡°Really?¡± He asked, and Kayla just nodded seriously. Coop sighed. ¡°I guess, but maybe have someone take a look at it first to make sure eating it won¡¯t have side effects.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Sharkbait will be so happy too.¡± She promised, beaming at delivering for her first mate. He didn¡¯t seem like the type to make many requests, so when he did, it was notable.


    ¡°So, what took you so long?¡± Camila finally asked, gesturing back to the row boat that was slowly hauling the three Chosen toward the lights surrounding the fleet.


    ¡°That¡¯s most of the party that tried to stop us from escaping Empress City.¡± Coop stated. ¡°Had a few questions for them.¡±


    ¡°What the hell are they doing here?¡± Camila frowned, having more or less the same reaction that Coop did.


    ¡°Exactly what I wanted to know.¡± Coop concurred before he went into the explanation. ¡°Long story short, those three claim to have defected from the Empire and joined a revolution. They came looking for Ghost Reef and ¡®the Nomad.¡¯ It sounds like they are anticipating the Empire and another settlement coming to try and crush their uprising and are hoping to get some help while evacuating people.¡±


    ¡°But, what¡¯s the Nomad?¡± Charlie asked, carefully letting the regular atmosphere retake the zone she had control of, making sure it was gradual enough not to create a chaotic churn of wind and waves.


    ¡°Me, I guess? Maybe all of us combined?¡± Coop answered, scratching his sideburn as he thought about it, still not entirely convinced of the story he was told.


    Camila snorted, but Coop couldn¡¯t amend his answer. ¡°You serious? These people have been muttering about the Nomad like it¡¯s the tooth fairy or something.¡±


    Coop just shrugged again. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like they had a lot of public, open resistance to the Empire¡¯s strong-arming once they got settled in, and I guess we made a bit of a scene on our way out. Remember Charlie¡¯s hurricane?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Charlie mumbled, embarrassed that her contribution was so memorable.


    Kayla guffawed, the exact opposite reaction as Charlie. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s hilarious! They used Coop¡¯s little visit to create a myth to rally people around. You¡¯ve certainly got a good instinct for leaving an impression.¡± She looked at Coop and gave him an assessing look. ¡°So, what are you gonna do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather mind my own business and make sure Ghost Reef is up to the task of providing a sanctuary for people like these.¡± He admitted, gesturing to the ships full of tired, but hopeful people. ¡°But, they¡¯re specifically looking for my help. I guess that makes it a little different.¡±


    ¡°We can go directly from here. Beat the blockade.¡± Kayla suggested as she eyeballed her crew priming them for orders.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather go back, regroup with everyone, and decide what posture to take with their advice before jumping in.¡± Coop figured they could make up for any lost time with the speed of their ships, and he¡¯d rather know what he was going to do before he walked into the middle of a civil war.


    ¡°As you command.¡± Kayla acquiesced with a mostly serious expression, before she ordered the pirates into motion, getting the fleet headed back to the settlement in a quick demonstration of surprising discipline. Coop was pretty sure they were subtly warning the refugees not to try anything through a show of competence. The refugees might outnumber them, but they didn¡¯t have nearly the same level of experience as the pirates.


    Kayla left some kind of magical anchored buoy with the intention of coming back to plunder the wrecked cruise ship with pirate divers. She stated that no good pirate would leave loot behind and further justified her plans by pointing out they could double check for survivors.


    ¡°You know there¡¯s a giant crab still down there?¡± Coop tried warning her.


    Kayla just gestured at the enormous claw, still pinching a small portion of the bow that the pirates had cut through, being dragged behind The Fearless. ¡°It¡¯s quite literally disarmed at the moment. It¡¯ll be fine. No problems, guaranteed.¡± She winked.

 Chapter 144: Welcoming Committee

    Back in Ghost Reef, the entire settlement stood at full alert. The phantom soldiers that stayed behind had received some partial information when the fishing boats were retrieved by the pirates, but they were left not knowing whether or not they would end up with a fight on their hands.


    The truth was that even though they had been reinforced with significant numbers, the vast majority of the population had no levels. If it came to a fight with a proper army, they were in for a challenge with so few adequately leveled defenders, but their experience in the siege left them resolute. They anticipated how the few hundred level 75 phantoms would face off with potentially thousands of challengers and didn¡¯t shy away, but there was a palpable wave of relief as the Tempest Fleet returned, sending them messages for what to expect. Instead of a fight, they had refugees.


    As the ships sailed toward the reefs, the marshaling in the fort shifted posture, from digging in for a serious fight, to offering hospitality to guests. The transition was fast, and the bells rang enthusiastically as the residents left a skeleton crew with the cannons so the rest could join the welcoming committee for the newcomers outside of the fort¡¯s walls.


    ¡°They¡¯re getting ready to receive guests outside of the fort.¡± Camila interpreted the tolling responses from the fort¡¯s walls, for Coop¡¯s benefit. He was trying to figure out the codes himself, but it all sounded like noise with multiple messages being communicated simultaneously.


    Marcus had been preparing for exactly the kind of situation they now faced, one where Ghost Reef would have an enormous influx of people. In fact, he had been hoping for an opportunity to recruit ever since he took the advisor role and realized how sparse the settlement actually was. Coop had warned them that they didn¡¯t have room to take on freeloaders, but the actual number of residents managing to hang onto a civilization shard was a shock. He had been pushing Coop to proactively recruit ever since the siege ended. To satisfy his yearning to grow the population, he had developed a system with Shane for onboarding citizens and they trained others to conduct the procedures that they collectively came up with. Ghost Reef had already been primed to grow.


    There was an interview and application process in place, with a crew of 50 residents and phantoms trained to guide newcomers through their options: whether they simply needed aid, shelter, or if they were looking to relocate permanently. Obviously, anyone that intended to stay would be more thoroughly vetted before having access to all of the benefits of the settlement, but the intention was to provide safety for those who came, and enticement for those who were unsure if they would like to settle in.


    On the ships, the refugees were awed by the spectacle of entering Ghost Reef¡¯s territory at night, with the subtle wisps of spectral mana flowing through the sky, leaving streaks of turquoise down to the surface of the sea, continuing underwater along the emerging shoals. No one expected to witness auroras around the tropical island, so when they did, it was a surprise delight. After living in the dirt around the airport in Empress City, the contrast was substantial.


    Despite being a massive crowd, the people they had pulled off the cruise ship were unusually subdued, at least for what Coop would expect from such large numbers of people gathered in one place. The trauma of the apocalypse quelled their ability to feel genuine excitement. Their experience told them it was dangerous to be too optimistic, but that didn¡¯t stop whispers and mutterings of the overblown Nomad and his fictional Conch Republic settlement.


    ¡°Mostly fictional.¡± Coop mumbled to himself to Camila¡¯s amusement as they overheard the conversations. The rebels had actually pegged Ghost Reef¡¯s location with surprising accuracy, but he blamed the leaderboards for putting it out there as an option. It was his own fault not changing the name, making it even easier for locals to triangulate their location, but ultimately, he wanted people to come. The settlement was fulfilling its purpose in that sense.


    As the fleet reached the port, the Empress City refugees slowly made their way off the boats and onto the island, being directed by phantoms to take seats at the picnic tables that remained from the beach bash. The posts with gossamer fabric were still up, with fairy lights glowing invitingly between them. Some of the bonfires had been reignited as if to welcome the newcomers with flickering lights.


    ¡°What is this?¡± They asked each other. ¡°Did they know we were coming?¡± He heard them try to explain the fact that there was already more than enough space laid out for them.


    ¡°Just a coincidence.¡± Coop answered the ones that were walking past him on the docks, but they barely acknowledged his attempt to minimize the preparations.


    Phantom soldiers were scattered along the path, wearing the Ghost Reef Standard Issue equipment in the more casual mode, directing people to have a seat and otherwise ready to keep the peace. None of the newcomers resisted the shouted instructions and the tables were filling as they moved toward the lighthouse. The whole procession was more like a group of polite tourists following a guided tour, doing their best to respect the local customs.


    Marcus stood on the stage that had been used to play music previously, raising his voice to welcome everyone to Ghost Reef and explain that it was a place of sanctuary, that they would be conducting interviews with each person to make sure it remained a safe place, and asking for their patience while they got everyone settled in. His messages weren¡¯t met with any objections.


    Coop was impressed by the mobilization. He had already witnessed the residents of the fort come together for combat multiple times, to recover and repair after the siege, and once for the party, but he hadn¡¯t expected them to be so prepared for a relief effort. If he was being honest, he still viewed most of the residents as something like refugees themselves, people he had needed to rescue and protect despite their accomplishments. They were obviously more than up to the task of extending their hands to others.


    While he was proud to see it, Coop was once again feeling like his skills were a bit one-dimensional. He did one thing really well, grind monsters, but beyond that, it seemed like everyone else was capable of making more dynamic contributions. He shrugged to himself, not exactly mad about it. Really, he thought he should feel lucky to have found competent people to fill the gaps in his attention. The fact that they were on the same page with regard to how Ghost Reef should respond to situations was the biggest blessing, and he could at least take partial credit for pushing them in that direction from the start. His general attitude had set the example for others to follow when disorder reigned.


    From the docks, he watched as Shane¡¯s party, Gibson¡¯s party, Madison, and Emmanuel came out of the fort along with more and more people as they sought ways to help. Coop made his own way to the crossroads, seeing people move with purpose, receiving their guests, and guiding them along the beaches. Madison, in particular, asserted herself, snatching the lead from anyone else that thought they might take it, in order to provide medical checks starting with the first person at the first table. Coop chuckled that even Marcus¡¯s organization would be forced to make way for the Sage of Ghost Reef, lest she topple the whole thing over in order to do her selected job.


    Her glowing wings emerged when she checked the third person, and the gasps of the refugees hushed any of the growing conversations. Coop heard some of the newcomers question whether or not she was actually the Nomad, or maybe it was Emmanuel, who stood behind her. The overexaggerated legends that had been doing the rounds were already being further confused.


    The last people to leave the ships, besides the pirates, were the trio of Chosen that Coop had separated from the rest. Coop waved at Arthur to get his attention, then pointed one, two, and three. Arthur got the message, tapping Shane before he smoothly flitted to the trio¡¯s side and guided them on their own, toward the Admiralty, to do his own interview with his party as backup. Charlie and Camila joined Charlie¡¯s parents as they worked their way through the tables, providing friendly conversation while Madison made sure they were healthy with Emmanuel protectively escorting them.


    When Marcus was done conveying his messages to the crowd that walked along the stone path, he hopped off the stage and jogged over to Coop.


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    ¡°Good job, Coop.¡± Marcus praised him right away, patting his shoulder, even though Coop was just watching from the crossroads. ¡°We¡¯ll get these people situated in no time, and they¡¯ll be helping the settlement just as fast.¡±


    Coop nodded, not sure if he deserved any accolades in this particular event. ¡°Are we going to have enough room?¡±


    ¡°We already do. I upgraded the apartments as soon as we got word. The upgrades quadrupled the number of units in each building, and I built over 50 more buildings. The residential perimeter road is full on both the northern and southern halves of the courtyard.¡± Marcus excitedly explained. ¡°These people are from Empress City, right?¡±


    ¡°They are, and that other guy that was in the jail with you sent a message along with them, that I need to go stop something bad from happening.¡± Coop answered, letting his agitation show.


    Marcus nodded, his expression growing steely. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He stated, gesturing toward the Eye of the Storm, as if he would be coming along.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you busy?¡± Coop asked, glancing across the island, full of new people being greeted by residents and phantoms underneath the gentle golden glow of the fairy lights.


    Marcus followed his eyes and downplayed his concern. ¡°My work is done. For something like this, it¡¯s all planning and training that needs to be completed first. Laying the groundwork for procedures and all of that. Now, it¡¯s up to everyone else to execute.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s let everyone have a chance to get information from the messengers first.¡± Coop suggested, surprised by his first advisor¡¯s zeal to head back to the mainland with such little information. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be more hesitant about responding to such a summons. It sounds like it¡¯s a civil war over there.¡±


    While Coop gestured that they move toward the Admiralty, to join Shane¡¯s party, Marcus explained his prompt decision. ¡°It was my home too, you know, and I expected something like this to happen eventually. The people who took leadership of Empress City were barreling towards turning the settlement into a failed state by definition, and Jackson Hobbs and I both saw it coming, though we disagreed on how to fix it. If he¡¯s asking for help, I think we should go simply because his end goals were at least as respectable as mine.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even realize you knew him like that.¡± Coop admitted as he waved for Kayla to join them in the building from her ship, grabbed Jones from the crossroads, and had Marcus send a messenger wraith to summon Gideon. He figured it would be best to have more advisors hear the story from the source.


    ¡°We were both imprisoned for undermining the organization of Empress City, and spent some time in that cell together.¡± Marcus finished as they entered the double doors of the Admiralty building. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say we were friends, but I understood where he was coming from. The fact that he didn¡¯t get himself killed right away tells me someone more refined gave him some good advice that he wouldn¡¯t take from me.¡±


    Coop and Marcus stood on a plush carpet in the entrance of the Admiralty. The walls surrounding the entrance were covered with fancy embroideries decorating the spaces in between reliefs. Kayla and Jones arrived shortly after. Javier and his two companions were sitting on the edge of a bench on the side of the main foyer, beneath a recess that housed the bust of an unknown human person, with Arthur standing in front of them. Shane and the rest of his party were some distance away, looking appropriately intimidating while letting Arthur take the lead in getting to know the defected Chosen. Coop and the other advisors joined Shane.


    Arthur selected the Secutor, and took him into a small meeting room. ¡°This won¡¯t take long.¡± Arthur was gently explaining, like a kindly grandpa. ¡°As I understand it, time may be of the essence, so we¡¯ll just go through the basics.¡±


    It only took about five minutes with each of the Chosen for Arthur to confirm their stories. ¡°They don¡¯t appear to be fabricating their stories, and unless they were misled themselves, I see no reason to dismiss the intel they have provided.¡± The Intelligence advisor reported after he gave a rundown of the necessary bits for the benefit of the rest. Arthur would have further conversations to evaluate the trio of Chosen after the advisors of Ghost Reef decided what to do with the information.


    The last to arrive, Gideon, was the first to provide perspective. ¡°The Sapphire Armada is the real threat. Empress City¡¯s attention is occupied by domestic matters, but this Armada has been free to gather their strength. They are already capitalizing, positioning themselves to upgrade their settlement by claiming Empress City as a subordinate. The fact that they appear to be a nautical nation only compounds the fact that we should be considerate of their existence. We are surely in their crosshairs already.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s also the matter of these refugees. There is a possibility their appearance is merely to let our guard down. We will be severely outnumbered if they are meant to be an initial invasion force.¡± He continued, cognizant of the fact that the majority of Ghost Reef¡¯s population were at or near level one for the time being.


    Kayla shook her head. ¡°Nah, those are genuine refugees. I don¡¯t think anyone could manufacture the scenario we spotted at sea, and they were as good as dead without us.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Still a possibility of saboteurs among them, though.¡±


    ¡°Either way, I don¡¯t think it would be prudent to over commit our forces for Empress City.¡± Gideon reinforced his position.


    ¡°Just send my fleet.¡± Kayla suggested confidently. ¡°I¡¯d put my crews up against any fresh armada on Earth. As long as we control the sea, we¡¯ll be safe.¡±


    Jones provided his idea, piggy-backing off of Kayla. ¡°Perhaps we could send the fleet just to evacuate these rebels, before the blockade arrives.¡±


    ¡°I doubt they would be willing to abandon the settlement they are fighting for.¡± Marcus argued. ¡°Let¡¯s just say their leader is an enthusiastic revolutionary figure. And even if they were willing to retreat, we may end up having to make multiple trips to move all of their people. Being caught halfway through an evacuation might be the only way our Captain Kayla would be at a disadvantage.¡± He glanced at the pirate queen who just shrugged, not ready to concede their superiority even in that scenario, but not dismissing it either.


    ¡°There¡¯s also the matter with the Yucatan settlement.¡± Arthur reminded them. ¡°The risks we understood with them are only magnified with the existence of another settlement to be wary of.¡± Arthur glanced at Coop. ¡°I believe we already arrived at the solution of sending our Champion to settle things at a time like this.¡± Kayla chuckled in amusement.


    ¡°If you go soon enough, there¡¯s a good chance you could take Empress City before this armada even arrives.¡± Shane suggested, completely onboard. ¡°Send Coop with Kayla. They can remain flexible enough to retreat if we need to alter our plans and commit to a more extensive campaign.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going too.¡± Marcus declared, settling the matter of whether or not they would toss Coop out there. ¡°Jones can keep an eye on the fort and if we are integrating new territory, I¡¯d like to be there to negotiate conditions with the rebels.¡±


    Outside of a few considering expressions, Marcus didn¡¯t get any pushback from the others.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get our invaluable little Aeromancer.¡± Kayla stated before heading out of the Admiralty, preparing to maximize their speed.


    Coop nodded, somehow a little surprised by the result of their meeting. He really expected they would lean toward diplomacy first, but it was becoming more and more apparent that he was the primary advocate for a pure turtle strategy in Ghost Reef. His advisors saw the big picture even more clearly than he did.


    ¡°So, if the Sapphire Armada is already there, should I just blast ¡®em?¡± He wondered, considering they didn¡¯t necessarily have any conflict with them yet.


    Marcus was already nodding as Shane answered. ¡°If they are already there, suppressing the rebels, it means they¡¯ve aligned with the Endless Empire. Regardless of the hierarchy between the two, we have to assume the Empire¡¯s position towards you will become the Sapphire Armada¡¯s. Not to mention, us sending any response at all at this stage is inherently aligning us with the rebels.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to war.¡± Jones made the mission clear, giving Coop a look that said not to mess around as his fingers absently traced the glowing veins on his forearm.


    Coop recognized his feelings, that the Empire hadn¡¯t been charitable when they cursed him, and Coop shouldn¡¯t expect anything different. Coop still hesitated, not completely willing to throw his weight around with people who might not know what they¡¯re getting themselves into, but he wouldn¡¯t take any half-measures, in this case. He clenched his jaw and met Jones¡¯s gaze, silently accepting his advice and finding the resolve he would need for what came next. ¡°Keep an eye on things while I¡¯m gone.¡±

 Chapter 145: Conflict Resolution

    Dawn was breaking as Coop¡¯s party sailed toward the mainland. The sun was casting bright streaks of light across the ocean that glittered at the peak of each consecutive wave. Coop did his best to appreciate the serene scene, though his focus was on what would follow.


    Captain Kayla had taken over Charon¡¯s Sea Burial instead of taking her flagship, valuing the speed of the corvette over the power of the galleon for this particular mission. They weren¡¯t seeking a naval battle even if there was a possibility of encountering enemy ships. Sharkbait remained at the fort, taking charge of the Eye of the Storm in Kayla¡¯s absence. Marcus, Charlie, and Camila were the only other additions to the regular crew of phantom pirates accompanying Coop on the trip.


    Charlie was fully concentrating on weaving her abilities, like she was building an entire storm, but she was siphoning the wind out from in front of them and cycling it back into place from behind. The result was Sea Burial practically skipping across the sparkling waves as they shot along the ocean. An unbroken chain of repeated powerful gusts filled the sails as Charlie displayed her growing mastery. The combined speed of the faster ship along with Charlie¡¯s contribution meant that the short distance to the mainland would be crossed in no time at all compared to the cruise ship''s multi-day journey.


    A few hours at sea and they could already see the mainland on the horizon. They slowed their approach by having Charlie take a break and recover, not wanting to stumble into an enemy fleet unprepared. They tacked so that they could make an escape if necessary, but there were no signs of any other ships in the water. Only Sea Burial occupied the coastal seas. They made their way along the coast, heading toward the main port of Empress City as the last remnants of night were lost in the face of the rising sun, turning the sky a deep ominous red marred by scattered orange bands.


    They didn¡¯t bother with stealth, but Kayla did call for a full stop once they got close enough to see that Empress City¡¯s port was a hive of activity. While there was no blockade and no sign of the Sapphire Armada in the waters, there was clearly significant fighting on the largest man-made islands that made up the shipping section of the port. Smoke was rising into the air, obstructing their view of the sunrise with towering clouds of black and gray as fires raged. The billowing silhouettes danced against the rapidly brightening backdrop, contrasting the glowing sun with their sinister forms that magnified the red sunrise.


    ¡°We¡¯ll set up at the end of the same pier as last time.¡± Kayla announced, taking responsibility for the ship. ¡°If this other fleet arrives, we¡¯ll retreat to the open ocean and wait at Crane Point once we¡¯re clear. I¡¯ll leave it up to you when to meet us there, but that will be our rendezvous point once again.¡±


    Coop agreed with a nod, squeezing his spear as he resolved himself to do what needed to be done. Ending the Endless Empire would certainly have him kill on a scale that hadn¡¯t been necessary before. If they were still fighting on behalf of the Empire at this stage, he wouldn¡¯t have any real opportunity to go easy on them. If they wanted him to spare them, they would need to make that choice on their own.


    ¡°Good luck, Coop.¡± Charlie spoke quickly, sounding at least as anxious as he was, if not moreso.


    ¡°We¡¯ll make contact with Jackson as soon as we can.¡± Marcus promised as the trio of him, Camila, and Charlie prepared to disembark at the port, looking like a squad of special operatives in their matching Ghost Reef equipment.


    ¡°Be careful.¡± Coop warned them, not wanting them to risk anything more than absolutely necessary when it came time to the fighting. The way he saw it, he would be enough. He would never delegate this one responsibility as Champion, even if he continued to find it uncomfortable, or maybe even because he found it uncomfortable.


    He took a deep breath and launched his spear, letting it fly over Port Front Park, slightly away from the fighting, closer to the remains of the warehouse district that existed between Empress City¡¯s airport and the ocean. The no man¡¯s land between the two forces¡¯ bases.


    They had briefly discussed how Coop should approach in order to swiftly end the conflict, with the first suggestion that he head straight for the airport and let Charlie slow the Empire¡¯s assault down with her storms. If he tried to claim the civilization shard, they were sure that the Champion of Empress City would pull his forces back in order to defend his seat of power. The problem was that they didn¡¯t actually know where the shard was hidden. The paranoia to keep it hidden at the expense of the residents paid off for the Empire¡¯s Champion in that small way.


    Marcus didn¡¯t have any personal knowledge of the leader of the settlement. He only knew of the man¡¯s nasty reputation. Most of the interactions in the jail fell under Rod¡¯s supervision, the Viceroy¡¯s purview, but there was still plenty of information they could surmise based on his rule of the city.


    He was an uncharismatic tyrant that was only in power thanks to the initial knowledge granted by the Endless Empire and a willingness to behave ruthlessly before most others wrapped their heads around the situation. After seizing power he strong-armed others into supporting him by using the faction''s authority as leverage. His style of leadership was essentially the exact opposite of Coop¡¯s lackadaisical management where Coop concentrated on empowering others around him. This tyrannical approach inevitably led to dissent and resistance.


    Even in the beginning, the Empire¡¯s Champion was barely clinging to his position. It wasn¡¯t clear whether he understood his precarious situation or if he was just that distrustful, but either way, he isolated himself from the rest of the settlement in his secure central compound, surrounded by guards and agreeable advisors, and was never seen among the residents. At the very least, he seemed to innately fear others, believing they would have the same twisted thought processes as him, someone who wouldn¡¯t hesitate before resorting to violence for their own gain.


    Those who openly challenged the leadership structure in Empress City were silenced, no matter how they advocated for that change. Marcus considered himself lucky to have drawn a following when he petitioned for enacting votes, otherwise he expected he would have been quietly killed instead of publicly arrested. It was too hard to believe that only a few political dissidents existed to then be thrown into the jail when considering the dissatisfaction that permeated the city. The fate of others was almost certainly much worse.


    In the end, the Chosen Champion¡¯s mistrust left Coop and his companions without a clear idea of where the civilization shard was hidden, other than somewhere in the airport. If the two forces weren¡¯t already engaged in conflict, Coop would have sought the shard out, opting for the potentially less violent solution, but he didn¡¯t want to waste time while the rebels were fighting for their lives. Instead, he was aiming to flank the Empire while the girls went to the rebels¡¯ defense.


    When he mistjumped, he landed on the wide flat roof of an industrial storage facility, two or three storeys tall, bordering the highway that cut an elevated path toward the port. It was one of the few structures left standing. His eyes followed the highway, and its series of ramshackle obstacles. The fighting had taken place across dozens of makeshift barriers, leaving debris scattered across the entire length. The rebels had erected temporary lines of cars and concrete half-walls that appeared to have only temporarily slowed the Empire as they pressed in the direction of the port. The makeshift barriers didn¡¯t hold against the surge forward, and were left scarred by signs of violent struggle. Beneath the highway, rubble occupied most of the space, turning the city blocks into urban ruins, full of dark corners and cover that would make it an incredible challenge to avoid ambushes.


    Coop spotted the first signs of life at the end of the highway, where the offramps began splitting to the different sections of the three-island port. Beyond, fires were actively roaring. The park containing the pier where they had escaped in the past was neglected by both forces.


    Another mistjump gave him a better vantage point, on top of a boat storage facility, so that he could see past the end of the road, still behind the backs of the Empire¡¯s split forces. They were assaulting the rebels on two clear fronts, fully committed with few auxiliary forces at the rear. The Empire appeared to have been organized into smaller groups of soldiers that coalesced into a larger mass to leverage their superior numbers, equipment, and experience. They simply applied brute force to have their way against the rebels in a battle of attrition. Coop would need to engage a mass of soldiers if he wanted to halt their progress on at least one of the islands.


    He briefly entertained the idea of a sneaky approach, assassinating the leaders to try and throw the rest of the army into chaos, but he dismissed the idea with one look at the bodies that the Empire had left in their wake. Bloodied and mangled dead were piled against the barricades on both sides of the road. It didn¡¯t seem like they cared whether the victims had belonged to the Empire or not. There was no regard for the dead.


    It was clear that the rebels had attempted to hold the Empire back from attacking from the main thoroughfare with each of their own blockades, but were ultimately overrun. Those who were too slow to retreat weren¡¯t shown any mercy, but they hadn¡¯t gone down without a fight. Coop had no idea what the numbers of each force looked like at the start, but the Empire had certainly managed to keep a large portion of their already massive army through the assimilation.


    A pair of the Empire¡¯s Chosen, joking and laughing as they worked, were dragging another body by the legs to be haphazardly dumped out of the way, lingering far behind the rest of the army, ignored by the other troops while they completed an unpopular chore. Groups of soldiers were waiting along the highway, preparing to take their turn pushing the rebels, and in the meantime, they were making sure the exit ramps were completely clear, ensuring that the split armies would be able to reinforce each other by crossing the highway.


    Coop¡¯s spear pierced straight through the soldier on the left, with no warning aside from the rushing of the wind.


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    ¡°Wha-¡± The other started as the weight of the body suddenly shifted to him alone, pulling him off-balance, but an ethereal sword cut him off as Coop stepped through the mists behind the first target to execute the second.


    Coop was already frustrated with the whole situation at the start, but his agitation was building. He swapped back to his spear and aimed for what appeared to be the center of the frontline fighting, on the northernmost section of the port, ready to end the conflict once and for all. As he stepped forward, spear cocked back, bloodied fingers weakly brushed his ankle, startling him out of his throwing motion. Shifting out of the way, he looked down with a bitter realization. The dead body that was being dragged wasn¡¯t dead.


    ¡°...Nomad?¡± The glassy-eyed man lightly coughed before a deep exhalation marked the end of his life.


    Coop winced, dropping to one knee and trying to get the man to drink one of Olani¡¯s health tinctures. The random man was already gone and Coop was growing even more disgusted with the entire scenario with every moment. He was absolutely sure that he preferred to be far removed from anything like this and the fact that he was dragged into the middle of it made his blood boil. That it was happening at all was already bad enough. The reality of an apocalypse was a nightmare.


    Coop restarted his throwing motion, heading for the portion of the port that had the thickest smoke in the north. He wasn¡¯t going to let the Endless Empire continue to exist on Earth, tainted as their Chosen were by egotistical delusions and prideful aspirations. It was too much of a risk to Ghost Reef to allow them to persist after he and his people stepped into the middle of their war.


    When he exited the monochromatic world of mists, he entered hell. Fires burned all along the port island, spouting thick black smoke that created a haze thick enough to sting his eyes. He could taste the blood in the air as embers drifted onto his armor.


    The fighting had clearly been going on for a long time. The rebels had been slowly ceding ground, using their long series of complicated structural barriers to establish new battle lines each time they were forced backwards. They really had nowhere to retreat to once they reached the port, so they had shifted to fighting to the death, and the evidence of their commitment was apparent. They had spent weeks building obstacles, anticipating the ultimate push from the Empire, knowing exactly what doomed fate awaited them from the start.


    For the most part, it didn¡¯t seem like there were many people who had the firepower to blast through concrete barricades or the stacked metal shipping containers that had been previously occupied like apartments by the rebels. That didn¡¯t stop the Empire¡¯s overwhelming numbers from slowly pushing forward. Somehow, the two sides had settled on what amounted to brutal trench warfare along the relatively narrow avenue of the highway and then the port islands after the warehouse district had proven itself to be too much of a no man¡¯s land to properly push through. The result was the rebels being cornered.


    Coop¡¯s massive Fog of War put a temporary pause on the fight, creating a solid barrier between the two sides. He pumped more than half of his nearly 20,000 mana into the channel, allowing the misty domain to expand until it encroached on both forces. He was claiming the battlefield for himself and himself alone.


    The rebels immediately fell back to their next line of defense, a row of shipping containers buttressed by a massive toppled over crane. It would have been a worthy obstacle for a paintball match, but Coop thought it was woefully lacking for the life or death battle they were in.


    The lull on the Empire¡¯s side was brief, halted by shouts to keep attacking even as the fog rolled toward them. If they stayed, they would be caught in his domain, but the discipline of the Empire¡¯s Chosen remained shoddy at best. They lobbed a few sad spells and ranged attacks into the fog but ultimately fell back to avoid being engulfed in the inscrutable mists, disregarding their comrades to make sure they individually stayed relatively safe.


    Coop just let the fog continue to spread toward the Empire, walking slowly with it as he carefully selected his first target, avoiding the many bodies that lay scattered across the ground. Presence of Mind painted him a bleak picture of the carnage that had taken place already.


    To the south, on the center island of the port, where the cruise ships and tourist amenities were situated, a single tornado had spawned despite the clear morning. The tornado itself was full of lightning, repeatedly striking out in violent bursts. The middle island was effectively cut in half as the second flank of the war met the legendary Aeromancer. The lightning tornado moved forward faster than Coop¡¯s fog, and thanks to its intimidation factor, the Empire willingly gave way, retreating all the way up the exit ramps and back onto the highway with scattered shouts to retreat.


    ¡°Back!¡± A voice cut above the rest on Coop¡¯s side as they witnessed the massive retreat of their allies, and Coop followed the sound. ¡°Pull back to the highway! Hold the ramp! We¡¯ll regroup with the Supreme Commander before we make the final push!¡± His message was transmitted through the troops, but Coop honed in on the original instructor.


    Coop spotted a squat man dressed like a general from a banana republic, with a too small black beret that must have belonged to someone else before it was reclaimed, and dozens of medals and ribbons decorating a red sash across his chest. He was specifically guarded by several shielded Chosen who should have been on the front line, with their empowered protective equipment. They were warily watching the fog while walking backwards at the rear of the others who had simply turned to run.


    Coop tossed his shield straight up, planted his foot, and led with his free arm as he pitched his spear in the direction of the priority target. Coop thought the beret-wearing man must be an idiot to openly advertise that he was in charge while in front of his opponents. The medals may as well have been a bullseye and the shouted orders a spotlight for someone like Coop.


    The ethereal spear blasted out of the fog without any forewarning, leaving a thick trail of mist that made it seem like the domain itself was reaching out with needle to poke at the enemy army. The spear exploded a magical barrier that appeared to be built out of octagonal cells, snapped through one of the tower shields that was held protectively in front by a bodyguard, then flew straight through the man that held it. The spear¡¯s split second trajectory might have seemed slightly off target until Coop manifested from the mists while the spear dissipated, adjacent to the squat man, and swept his sword through the neck of the general, then vanished into the mists as he mistjumped back to his tossed shield.


    The few that witnessed a ghost suddenly appear next to their leader, behead him, then vanish just as quickly, broke into a full run. The army abandoned any semblance of a controlled retreat as fear gripped them, spreading through their ranks. Their panic was enough for the rest of the army to follow, running up the highway¡¯s exit, scrapping their organization in favor of escaping the gradual press of fog.


    Coop¡¯s spear shot out of the fog once again, this time with an extremely high arc, sending another trail of mists up into the air like a rocket launch. The rebels on the ocean side of the fog were able to follow the projectile as it reached the early morning clouds, then sank back to the ground almost lazily, picking up speed until they weren¡¯t sure if they were imagining the blurred shape was the same object. Once the fog blocked their vision of the spear, they knew it landed by the sound of destruction that echoed across the port.


    It was only 30 seconds before it landed among the crowd of Chosen rushing back up the offramp, but it smashed through the ramp like a meteor, detonating the pavement. The road, designed for a constant flow of heavy duty shipping, collapsed into a wide crater that had split the elevated road and continued into the ground, establishing a sinkhole that was immediately filled with a surge of sea water. Coop¡¯s bunker buster of a spear had cut the path of retreat.


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    The rebels watched in fearful awe as the fog appeared to have launched a missile into their enemies, then lit up as if the fog itself had leveled up. The dread that the fog would turn on them next was palpable, but for now it just kept drifting away. The movement was painfully slow, but they would only corner themselves if they ran. They only had the ocean at their backs.


    Coop clamped down on his thoughts, dragging himself through the mists after another, regular, spear throw cleaved through the Empire¡¯s disarrayed army, leaving his Fog of War behind. His actions were mechanical, trained by hundreds of thousands of engagements with far more difficult monsters. His opponents this time were just that: simple monsters. Presence of Mind revealed a disparity in their levels, where some of them had managed to essentially power level themselves into the 60s and low 70s by killing their fellow humans. These were the ones that he caught, those who had tasted the experience gains that could be had through murder, and over extended themselves in search of more.


    The Chosen that had been cut off were bloodthirsty and happy to have a clear target instead of mists and ghosts, but they found Coop to be an impossible target. He dodged and blocked their aggressive swings and practically absorbed spells, seemingly unaffected. Coop¡¯s counter attacks, on the other hand, were executed with finality. The Empire¡¯s army didn¡¯t have much time to regret their enthusiasm for a solid target as Legacy of the Mists brought the ghosts that they had feared in the first place right into their midst.


    The Ancient Prowlers were more coordinated than the Empire¡¯s Chosen. They were more dangerous too, even if they were much lower level. When a blast of orange magic damage caught Coop across the torso, it barely registered, but a Prowler would have left him with a stacking debuff that he would need to be aware of, even if the attack barely did damage. Any scratches the Chosen managed to land were less than negligible, erased by his Reaper title as he returned the favors a thousand fold. Coop¡¯s shield barely vibrated as he deflected the most powerful attacks that the Empire could bring to bear and his magic defenses made dodging the ominous bone spells and elemental blasts unnecessary, even if he stepped aside anyway.


    His ethereal swordsmanship had him dancing through the tail end of their army, the ones who were cut off from the highway by his spear¡¯s destruction of the ramp, those who were too dedicated or too vicious to leave the frontline in time to escape. They should have surrendered, but they were too far gone to even consider it as an option. They were the highest levels in the region, or so they believed, so they saw no reason to retreat at the first sight of his fog.


    Coop kicked a man off the end of his spear, cast Legacy of the Mists to shield his flank from someone trying to get into his blindspot, letting the phantasm catch the blow, then counter-attack with a deadly thrust. He followed up by throwing his spear through another challenger before letting the dust settle. When he stood alone, before the highway¡¯s destroyed ramp and beneath a spotlight of another few levels gained fading into the morning light, he just felt disgust.


    Most of them barely breached half his level, most were closer to a third, and his stat stacking only multiplied that gap to the point of absurdity. Even the levels he gained were minimal, and other than dropping points into Mind, he ignored the notifications. Coop tossed his shield up over the edge of the highway and mistjumped to the road, feeling a bit like he was having out-of-body experience, disassociating with his own actions.


    The Empire had managed to regroup a few hundred yards further down, amassing their squads while reusing the obstacles that the rebels had established. He stood alone on his side. The ones that managed to retreat from him joined the rest, more than a quarter mile down the highway, where they seemed intent on rallying. Coop thought they should keep running.


    They seemed to think it was a good idea to concentrate their strength into one place. They were idiots. There were a massive number of Chosen left, easily more than 30,000 total, but they funneled themselves into the relatively narrow road that they had used to reach the port in their final push, extending toward the edge of the airport in massive columns like it was some kind of military parade. It made sense for the rebels to try and turn the highway into a chokepoint, since they were potentially outnumbered and outgunned in the first place, but for the Empire it wasn¡¯t playing to their advantage.


    Coop spat on the ground, trying to get rid of the bad taste in his mouth.

 Chapter 146: Chosen Champion

    Supreme Champion Jerry the First was positively giddy with excitement. The victory he anticipated was almost within his grasp, and with it, he knew his position within the Sapphire Armada would be secured. This would be his gift to what would become his new faction. A settlement as a tithe. Then he would have the leverage to keep climbing. The Endless Empire was no longer useful to him, so he was perfectly willing to trade up. Accepting the offer to align with the Armada was the logical choice. Loyalty was something for the dimwitted.


    The lightning tornado that had interrupted the final assault had been an unexpected development, but just as the rest of the rebel efforts, it merely delayed the inevitable. It further cemented the idea that they had been involved in breaking their leader out of jail, but Jerry didn¡¯t find the sequel as awe inspiring as the unexpected hurricane that engulfed the airport. Some of his best soldiers could scrape together theatrical abilities every once in a while as well, though the tornado had annihilated the hailstorm that one of his promising captains summoned to counter it. It was just another small embarrassment from one of his underlings in a long series of such disappointments.


    The Chosen of the Empire maintained both a numerical and a material advantage with the clearly established enemy. As long as he kept his forces together, he would prevent the rebels¡¯ initial guerilla tactics from being effective. Forcing them into standing toe-to-toe with his superior force, or simply cede their base, scattering them to the wind, had been the adjustment they needed to grasp victory. Trying to root them out of the decimated warehouses had proven to cost far too much.


    He had no idea how the insurgents concocted such a dramatic area skill, but it was too little, too late. A temporary, last minute reprieve was all that they could buy with their efforts. They remained cornered inside of the port, and the storm was rapidly fading while he allowed his battalions a short rest. If he was lucky, the traitorous rebels would feel emboldened enough to meet them on the open highway again where they would be more easily steamrolled by his troops.


    The remaining Chosen of the Empire were being forged into his personal army through the constant series of battles since the end of the siege event. Fighting against their brothers who had abandoned them for the doomed revolution only pushed them further into Jerry¡¯s grasp. The rebels represented a baptism for those who would become truly loyal to him, and him alone. In that sense, he owed the revolution gratitude, they did him a favor, discarding the chaff that had accumulated beneath him and honing what remained.


    Jerry almost pitied the Sapphire Armada, for they would be welcoming a Trojan Horse into their midst. They thought they would get a subordinate settlement in Empress City, submissive to their authority, but Jerry wouldn¡¯t be content with them as his master. He couldn¡¯t help but giggle at how well things were going. Nothing would stop his rise.


    The sound of a distant, muffled explosion, followed by muttering among his troops brought his attention away from his plans for the future, back to the present. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Jerry asked, as the smile slid off his face.


    His expression transformed to his more typical scowl as his new Viceroy¡¯s battalions appeared on their side of the highway, as expected, but in an all out retreat, practically tripping over themselves to run and join Jerry¡¯s resting squads. His generals should have led a controlled retreat to hold the end of the highway as he had ordered ahead of time. Jerry raised an eyebrow as he failed to spot his advisor among the fleeing troops and the army was notably smaller than expected, as if they had been cut in half. The rebels shouldn¡¯t have been capable of reducing them so drastically given how the rest of the campaign had progressed.


    ¡°How many are missing?¡± He asked as the exit ramp emptied completely and the remnants put distance between themselves and the battlefield, racing to join Jerry¡¯s forces as if they were chased by invisible monsters, hot on their heels. They had completely abandoned their own formation even though the weeks of fighting the rebels had been a lesson in the advantages of coordination.


    ¡°Hard to say, Supreme Champion, but it looks like they were beaten quite badly.¡± His scout advisor answered. Jerry hadn¡¯t learned his name yet, but he had some uses, mostly when it came to identifying enemies from a distance. ¡°The Viceroy is not among them.¡± The scout finished.


    Jerry rolled his eyes. Viceroys died so much, it was almost as if the position itself made them incompetent. When his eyes returned to the road, he noticed a single man standing still in the distance, near the end of the highway, far behind his fleeing troops. One glance told him he wasn¡¯t one of theirs. ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± He asked. It seemed like Jerry only blinked and the warrior suddenly appeared. Was that who the legion was fleeing from? Preposterous.


    ¡°Hm.¡± The scout advisor squinted, then seemed to swallow his tongue after he triggered his skill, bemused by what he saw.


    ¡°Spit it out!¡± Jerry demanded impatiently.


    ¡°Ultimate Insight says he is an Unchosen Champion, but it fails to give a proper designation of his stats. He could have a high magic defense preventing the skill from working properly.¡± The scout revealed.


    ¡°Unchosen Champion?¡± Jerry scoffed, imagining that his pathetic second legion had fled from an opponent that wasn¡¯t even worth a third-rate faction¡¯s sponsorship. The enemy just stood there, almost half a mile away, in the center of a multi lane highway, with black smoke billowing across the sky and a fading tornado behind him.


    ¡°But something isn¡¯t quite right. I believe he also has an unsanctioned faction.¡± The scout couldn¡¯t decipher his own skills. Jerry couldn''t expect much from people in general, so his scout displaying his ineptitude was expected. They always disappointed him.


    However, a Champion appearing at this stage could only be a boon. Jerry wouldn¡¯t miss an opportunity to obtain a backup civilization shard if it was going to come gift wrapped at a time like this. He was particularly amused by the idea that this could be the Champion of Ghost Reef, the timing of his appearance would be hilarious. Ever since they had topped the event leaderboards, he had been hearing whispers about the settlement along with the fact that it was potentially nearby. He could only hope the rumors would come true.


    ¡°Follow me!¡± He ordered, and his first legion roused themselves. The second legion regrouped behind, joining the tail. Jerry suddenly saw a chance to leap ahead in his plans.


    ¡°If you want something done right¡­¡± He told himself. It wasn¡¯t like he would allow someone else to become Champion unless he personally selected them, so he would be the one to kill this man.


    He stepped forward, ready to claim his bounty. Jerry wasn¡¯t concerned about high magic defense because his main opener, Cosmic Journey, was completely irresistible. At best, high defense would lower the duration of its effect, but they would still have to travel the cosmos to return their consciousness to their body, and he only needed a second to send a void spark through a heart.


    He would send this upstart on a Cosmic Journey, defeat him, then have his army finish off the rebel stronghold. That would put himself in the absolute ideal position as he negotiated his way up the Sapphire Armada¡¯s ranks. He would certainly gain significant leverage with two shards under his control. He might even demand they become his subordinate instead. Why shouldn¡¯t he?


    He strode forward, confident in the cheat-like abilities that had dominated everyone around him. Not even the most highly invested Chosen had been able to withstand his crowd control, special equipment included, and the rest of his assault was devastating if undefended.


    Ever since he started applying his personal touch, things had escalated in his favor. When he relied too much on others, it seemed like there was a constant slide into more and more problems. The Endless Empire, Rod, the system services, his advisors, his Viceroys, even his own family; they had all inevitably let him down, both in his previous life and this one. Now his fate was in his own hands. Thanks to mana, he was in control.


    As he moved forward, with his army at his back, maintaining the distance he had established, his opponent did the same. The confidence that this gladiator displayed was misplaced, but amusing. There was no chance of the rebels flanking. There wasn¡¯t enough cover to mask such a maneuver in the ruins of the city district. This was the beginning of the end for them.


    Even from the vast distance between them, Jerry could see that the gladiator¡¯s skin was stained with blood, though his armor was untarnished. Jerry suspected that he was delirious with injuries, approaching an army the way he was, all by his lonesome. He obviously didn¡¯t know what he was getting himself into, and before he knew it, he would be in range of Jerry¡¯s combination skills. Jerry would show him the difference between a Chosen Champion and whatever dregs he came from.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Jerry had risen to the top 100 of the global rankings. Killing rebels was a lucrative experience farm. He was sure that even those that stayed ahead of him would fall beneath the pressure of his Void skills if it came to a duel. He relished the thought.


    The gladiator was cocking his spear back, with his gleaming round shield held out in front. Jerry wondered why? Some kind of attempt at intimidation? Jerry¡¯s army was still almost half a mile away from the exit ramps, far enough to have plenty of time to retaliate if the rebels mounted a counter-attack, but much too far to be at risk of being caught by surprise.


    A split-second later and Jerry instinctually tried stumbling out of the way as the air rippled around the approaching missile, creating blurred rings that erupted in its trail. The spear shot forward with unbelievable speed as it left the gladiator¡¯s hand, flying like a laser directly at Jerry¡¯s chest. Jerry barely had time to flinch.


    But the spear stopped as it was grabbed by an incorporeal fist, with the rest of the gladiator''s arm manifesting behind the clenched fist. The gladiator was suddenly standing 10 feet away, bursting out of nothing but mist with no prior warning. Jerry practically choked in surprise as he was blasted by the air that whirled with the spear, deafened by the roaring of a rumbling boom that chased in the missile¡¯s wake, and was confronted by furious, completely bloodshot eyes, focused directly into his own.


    An aura hit him like a truck, feeling physically heavy, as the warrior leveled a silent, but unmistakable threat that was enough to freeze his veins. The crushing presence made Jerry feel genuine fear for the first time he could ever remember, as if he wasn¡¯t facing a man at all. This was an amalgamation of nightmares and lethality.


    A split second after the spear left the gladiator¡¯s hand at the start of its flight, Jerry finally coughed from his initial shock of the weapon shooting like a missile along the highway, but for some reason, blood escaped his throat, splattering on the pavement. He looked down and saw the same spear that the gladiator was still holding, the one that had caused him to shrink into his own mind, except the tip was mirrored, extending two feet through his chest, impaling him from the back. As he watched the spear drip with his own blood, it burst into mists, like he was living a bad dream haunted by the gladiator.


    He collapsed, feebly struggling in his last moments to make sense of what was happening, wondering if his spell had even activated.


    ¡ª


    Coop felt a moment of vertigo that made his stomach flip, but otherwise only caused a slight hitch in his step. He immediately blamed all of the unbridled violence and the fact that he had over done it with his opener.


    The way the man had stepped forward, ahead of the army with confidence that resonated between himself and the rest of the troops, left Coop with the impression that he was some kind of serious elite. Coop had employed some of his trickiness in the initial engagement, anticipating a challenge. Using himself as a decoy, he applied a full pressure wave of his aura with Presence of Mind as a distraction, while getting close enough to go for the kill with Legacy of the Mists without waiting for Fog of War to increase his phantasm summon range.


    He was too far away to inspect his opponent''s aura before Coop initiated the fight, so he went with a full package of skills, fully prepared to follow up with a combination of quickswaps and phantasms. The result of the leadoff had been overwhelming, with barely anyone in the Empire¡¯s army even reacting in the time that it took Coop to defeat the first.


    Coop looked up at the legions of Chosen. They hadn¡¯t lost the will to fight, but at least a few looked appropriately terrified, thanks to Presence of Mind washing over them as well. Witnessing the phantasm easily dispatch the guy they had sent out first had doused some of their bloodthirst. A few of those who had already retreated from Coop¡¯s Fog of War slowly backed away, but most were emboldened by their superior numbers, and felt confident in their chances.


    The truth was that thousands of people situated on both sides of a highway forced them into long columns that obstructed their views. A majority of them had no idea what was happening in front. They wanted to kill the rebels and were confused at the hold up. Coop had no chance of intimidating them into surrender.


    The ones who did only see a single enemy weren¡¯t overly discouraged. They shouted provocations at each other while cursing Coop, the rebels, and the Nomad, and all of that fed the columns, reigniting their bloodlust. It wasn¡¯t training or camaraderie that kept them cohesive, but something more base. They had a murderous mob mentality. Their ire was temporarily directed solely at Coop, though he doubted his death would be enough to satiate them.


    Despite being an undisciplined force, they still had enough coordination to mostly fall into their party roles, with heavily armored tanks making up the front line and glass cannon ranged attackers in the interior. He wished they would just run away, but when a wall of shields started pressing forward, encroaching on his position while he shifted to avoid slow moving projectiles, he clenched his teeth and wound up another spear throw, stepping over his first victim¡¯s body.


    His spear crashed through three adjacent tower shield carrying warriors, and he mistjumped into their midst. Thrusting his spear into the first downed tank, and twirling with his war fork to cleave the other two newly exposed fighters. He made rapid progress beyond their frontline, using their own mass to shield himself from more than a dozen opponents at a time. They fought between burned out cars, barely more than engine blocks and frames, next to toppled truck trailers that had been dragged into the median, stepping over charred tires and along broken billboards with scraps of colorful advertising left between scorch marks.


    Quickswapping between his weapons exploited his flexibility when compared to any of the individual opponents who found themselves facing him down in brief duels that never ended well, for them, anyway. Even their highest levels, farmed from defeating humans, were no match for Coop¡¯s accumulated battle experience.


    Bones snapped when his whirling bo staff smacked against exposed limbs, too slow to maneuver out of the way. Armor was crushed when his morning star¡¯s meteoric slams shook the highway, treating heavy tower shields as if they were made of aluminum. Blood rained on the pavement when his glaive sliced the air, leaving gruesome trails through the crowd.


    Coop¡¯s phantasms were equally varied, leaping through the mists all around him, crashing down from impossible angles, ignoring waist-high obstacles as they appeared further up in the air with leaping thrusts and crashing attacks. He spent his mana as fast as it was recovered, and his opponents yielded much more mana than his typical grind targets. Ancient warriors hammered unwitting Chosen from their flanks and the gleaming ghosts of knights chopped through bodies before dissipating back into mists.


    By the time Coop was ready to cast another Fog of War it was clear that it wouldn¡¯t be necessary, so he stuck with spending his mana on phantasms. Compared to the encounter with the Primal Construct¡¯s elite squads, the humans were far, far behind. The chaos compounded on itself. Coop¡¯s phantasms and his own mobility resulted in the Chosen of the Endless Empire killing themselves at a rate that rivaled or even exceeded Coop¡¯s potency. Friendly fire had been almost non-existent when the Primal Constructs took shots at the evasive Champion, as they always seemed to angle their shots high or low, but the humans paid no heed to the trajectory of their projectiles, or even their bladed weapons.


    When Coop utilized his ethereal swordsmanship, turning himself into an ephemeral target wasn¡¯t the only result. Wild sword swings sliced into the backs of their allies, cutting each other down as they whiffed Coop, before being burned by uncontrolled spells peppering the general vicinity of Coop, failing to account for his mobility. Even the phantasms inspired overreactions, as ranged attackers slammed the dissipated mists with area skills, only catching their allies in deadly spells as they literally chased ghosts.


    Coop imagined he was an unfeeling specter as he killed them, wishing it were true as he stifled the sinking feeling in his chest. He was constantly moving forward where his opponents extended along the highway, killing as he went. Each Chosen¡¯s death made him angrier and angrier until he could barely hear his ragged breathing over the high-pitched ringing that gritting his teeth was causing in his ears.


    The ringing only stopped when a short spike and a hook clattered against the pavement as a Chosen threw his weapons on the ground, putting his hands up. Coop ignored him and continued with the slaughter around him instead. A roar came from behind, as the rebels rushed onto the highway, still some distance away, but making their presence known with desperate battlecries.


    Once the first guy surrendered, others started to do the same, sometimes silently, but most of the time begging him for mercy. Those who still hadn¡¯t witnessed their opponent at least heeded the sight of their allies giving up, and the presence of the incoming army led to more and more throwing down their weapons with nothing more than a look. Coop let them, but when a few broke off to run toward the airport, Coop was quick to mistjump all the way in front of them, changing the battlefield so that he was corralling the vestiges of what had once been an army and was now being reduced to a confused crowd. Coop didn¡¯t spare them any words, but the message was clear enough. They wouldn¡¯t escape. A few continued to fight, but it was clear that the tide had completely turned against those that had been enthusiastic about the slaughter.


    The melee simply petered out. There was no grand finale, the fighting just slowed down until the only ones left on the highway were Coop, rebels, or surrendered Chosen of the Empire. Everyone still looking for a fight had been cut down by Coop and his phantasms. The rest had lost the will to fight with shocking speed. The Endless Empire¡¯s Chosen had been completely defeated.


    By the time Coop was back at the front of the Empire¡¯s columns, searching for any challenger and finding none willing. Coop found himself face-to-face with an even more ragtag group of blood-soaked and exhausted combatants. They all backed away from him as he assessed them with the same aggressive appraisal as he did the Empire¡¯s soldiers. Some of them had Empire equipment on, but most were dressed in pre-mana clothes, torn and dirtied after months of apocalyptic living, with equally unimpressive, improvised weapons.


    A vaguely familiar face broke through the crowd, ready to engage Coop in what he assumed was a friendly reunion. ¡°The Nomad!¡± He raised his voice, drawing the attention of anyone within earshot, making sure everyone associated the whispered stories with Coop¡¯s timely appearance.


    Coop closed the distance with a few steady steps and the man who Coop had released from prison walked forward with both of his arms out, like he was meeting an old friend. His eyes bugged out when they got close enough for Coop to grab him by the throat with a blood covered hand and lift him off his feet, dangling him in the air.


    ¡°Who the hell do you think you are?¡± Coop demanded, feeling his veins burn as the smoldering rage that had been building within him with every kill reached a crescendo.

 Chapter 147: Mindbender

    Coop seriously considered resuming the slaughter. His frustration had settled on Subcommander Jackson Hobbs, and he barely held back from pummeling him. The end result would inevitably be a battle with the rebels as well. Coop would win, there was little doubt, especially after Presence of Mind revealed their most powerful individual was weaker than the phantoms back home and already firmly within his grip.


    [Human (Level 70)]


    [Wild Mage (Intelligence)]


    [Red (Challenger)]


    Coop was breathing through his teeth as he considered exactly why the situation frustrated him so thoroughly. It wasn¡¯t that he fundamentally didn¡¯t want to kill, because, while true, he had already been forced to accept the horror of taking lives. During an apocalyptic situation, it seemed inevitable if he wanted to maintain his own agency. It also wasn¡¯t that people were dying, generally, because people were dying somewhere, constantly. It was far beyond the scope of his existence to take responsibility for everyone else¡¯s actions, so he wasn¡¯t taking that burden on his shoulders either.


    There wasn¡¯t even a good reason to blame himself for the chain of events that had led to the conflict specifically in Empress City. The one at the root of the problem was their distrustful Champion, and by proxy, the alien factions that were treating Earth as a planet-wide territory grab.


    ¡°That¡¯s the Nomad?¡± The rebels whispered to each other. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    The rebels shifted nervously as they looked at each other, trying to figure out what to do. They were torn between the duty to protect their leader and the hopes they had put on the Nomad. The revolution¡¯s leader had derived his original credibility through his connection with the mythical Nomad, declared that Coop was their savior, the very mythological figure he had built up, and now found himself desperately tapping at Coop¡¯s forearm, begging for release.


    Coop glared at Jackson¡¯s watering, fear-filled eyes, and came to his conclusion for what was so difficult to accept. People were essentially dying in his name, seemingly on his behalf, and they had done so at Jackson¡¯s behest. It all felt unnecessarily manipulative. Coop narrowed his eyes and Jackson¡¯s grew wider.


    They had been fighting to the death when they could have walked away. Ghost Reef would have taken them in, just like the last minute refugees they had sent on the cruise ship, who proved that it had been an option the whole time. Coop would have happily protected them, and done what he could to enable them to progress themselves. There must have been a better way.


    He didn¡¯t like that this Jackson Hobbs guy then had the gall to summon Coop, like he was in his personal army, or a trump card he could play after he had made a mess. The enthusiastic prisoner had provided a distraction when they escaped the Empire¡¯s jail, but Coop would hardly even count that as a favor, self-serving as it was, and considering Coop had done much more in breaking the soul tethers and opening the cells.


    ¡°I warned you to not do anything that made me come back.¡± Coop raised his other arm and gestured behind him, to the highway full of death and destruction, still crowded with surrendered, and terrified people. ¡°I warned you. Didn¡¯t I?¡± Jackson did his best to nod, obviously remembering Coop¡¯s words even better than Coop did, having used them to send a message that forced Coop to come and deal with his problems.


    Coop released his grip on Jackson¡¯s neck, dropping him to the ground. Jackson landed on his butt and immediately started massaging his neck. Coop bit his tongue as he tried to calm himself down. The revolutionary leader seemed to have understood that he needed to rethink his role, and whatever limited relationship he had with Coop.


    ¡°Hey! What¡¯s going on here?!¡± A voice yelped as a woman pushed her way through the muttering, confused rebels. ¡°What is this?¡± She demanded, looking from Coop to the obviously defeated Jackson.


    Only Coop¡¯s eyes shifted, as he sought the newcomer out of the crowd. Once people recognized her, they had dutifully made more room, and Marcus, Charlie, and Camila followed behind her as she pressed forward, right up to Coop. Marcus dipped his head, acknowledging Coop and obviously prepared to back him up no matter what actions he took. Only Charlie looked particularly concerned, while Camila was clenching her fists, ready to fight at the slightest provocation from any of the rebels.


    The woman tore her stare away from Coop and turned to Marcus, upset. ¡°You said you were here to help! Why-¡±


    ¡°Have we not?¡± Marcus cut her off with a quick flip of his hand before she could continue. ¡°Perhaps you misunderstood our respective positions. We certainly aren¡¯t subservient to you, no matter what fantasies you built up before. We¡¯re merely cleaning up your mess. You would do well to remember that.¡± Marcus looked over at Coop and extended his hand toward the airport, indicating they should continue.


    Coop didn¡¯t think the job was done either. He still needed to take care of Empress City itself, and he didn¡¯t want to make his friends fight any more than they already had. He nodded, happy that they were on the same page when it came to the rebels, even without needing to communicate. He wasn¡¯t even sure if he could properly articulate his frustration anyway. He turned around and started walking along the highway, avoiding the scattered debris and bypassing the surrendered Chosen of the Empire.


    ¡°Hey! Wait!¡± The woman knelt next to Jackson as the subcommander waved at her to calm down, but she still shouted after Coop. ¡°Wait, Nomad!¡± She continued, while she helped Jackson back to his feet and pulled him along, still trying to get Coop¡¯s attention.


    He ignored her, checking his neglected notifications as he walked away instead. Marcus, Camila, and Charlie caught up to him, flanking him as they marched through the debris. Coop shook his head at the quantity of messages he had received during the fighting.


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Skill options available.]


    [You defeated a Champion - Civilization Shard claim priority enabled.]


    ¡­


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    Coop ignored everything for a moment as he discovered he had defeated the Empress City Champion at some point in the battle. He shook his head at himself, wondering how he hadn¡¯t even noticed the guy that had been plaguing the city for so long. There hadn¡¯t really been a single standout opponent in the entire fight. The thought made the damage to his consciousness worse. He grunted as he distracted himself with the notification.


    The civilization shard wouldn¡¯t allow anyone except Coop or his advisors to claim it for a period of time. It seemed analogous to if he had challenged the shard himself, with length based on the stage of the settlement¡¯s upgrades.


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Coop reflected quietly, hoping that there wouldn¡¯t be much resistance left. Similar to when the shards were challenged, the residents should have received a notification that the Champion had been defeated. Hopefully, that would be enough to prevent them from continuing to fight.


    ¡°What¡¯s good?¡± Camila wondered from his shoulder.


    ¡°The Empress City Champion is dead and I have a priority claim.¡± Coop explained, trying to keep the feelings that lingered from leaking into his voice.


    ¡°That is good!¡± Marcus agreed enthusiastically. ¡°Since you¡¯re already a Champion, you should have the opportunity to select who takes over.¡± Marcus made a face as he made a quick decision. ¡°Listen, about that,¡± He hesitated, having cooked up his endorsements previously and having to adjust on the fly.


    ¡°Before I saw your confrontation with Jackson, I thought he would be the best choice to get the city stable.¡± Marcus noncommittally suggested, trying to gauge Coop¡¯s animosity.


    After all of the killing, Coop wasn¡¯t in the best mental state, wanting to slip into old habits, feeling mentally drained, but he focused on the idea of making Jackson the Champion and found himself largely indifferent. If it became a problem both he and Jackson knew what the end result would look like. He doubted Jackson had any interest in provoking Coop if he could help it.


    Coop wasn¡¯t completely sold, though. Preferably, he would begin a working relationship with someone in a completely different manner. He wanted to know Marcus¡¯s thought process. ¡°Why not some diplomat that you¡¯ve been training? Someone we definitely know we can trust.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well, I think bringing in what amounts to an outsider would put the people who fought this whole time on edge. They already have a pretty distinct revolutionary spirit. If we gave them a reason to feel slighted, I have no doubt they would direct that toward us rather quickly.¡± Marcus argued. ¡°They already look to Jackson for leadership and he¡¯s at least as familiar to us as anyone else that meets that criteria. He¡¯s the highest level in the rebel army, his heart is in the right place in terms of aiding people, and his fiance is something like the brains behind him. He¡¯d make a good Champion, as long as he has some suitable guidance.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°That lady was his fiance?¡± Coop asked, confirming the relationship.


    ¡°Yes, Commander Fabiana. She¡¯s actually the one who organized the whole revolution from the start.¡± Marcus responded as he continued his musings. ¡°It seems like it would be best to have the Champion be something of a leveling meathead to avoid losing the shard to challengers, and let someone like his fiance actually run the settlement.¡± Camila snorted, elbowing Coop, and Marcus paused.


    ¡°Meathead, huh?¡± Coop questioned with a raised eyebrow, noting that Camila was trying to make sure he didn¡¯t fold in on himself, easily recognizing Coop¡¯s inner discomfort. He appreciated her intuition, but he thought he was in better shape than he had been in the past.


    Marcus raised his hands. ¡°I just meant, fundamentally, that¡¯s the best arrangement for maintaining a settlement, right? That¡¯s more or less what the factions intended, though the individual actors don¡¯t always understand their role. You might not be a meathead, but your basic function in Ghost Reef is to be so strong no one can challenge your position, for all of our sakes. Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean you have no say in policy, just that you have advisors who concentrate their attention on those things on your behalf, with your guidance of course.¡±


    ¡°Relax, man. We¡¯re just joking around.¡± Coop consoled him, not actually disputing anything he had said. It was more or less the arrangement Coop viewed they had, anyway.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Marcus sighed. ¡°To be honest, it feels like a lot is happening all of a sudden, I¡¯m worried about keeping up, and I sort of feel responsible for this whole mess.¡± Coop was surprised that Marcus felt like he deserved the blame as well.


    ¡°You boys are too far from the beach.¡± Camila interrupted their accountability game before it started. ¡°Just keep looking forward.¡± She suggested, gesturing toward the airport.


    There wasn¡¯t much to see. The warehouses in the zone between the port and the warehouse were largely burned or otherwise wrecked, and even from a distance, it was clear that the outer perimeter of the airport had been completely overrun and abandoned.


    Coop suspected the damage to the airport was from the siege event, he doubted the rebels had started the fighting that close to the shard, but the end result was that the outer ring, formerly filled to the brim with ramshackle huts, had been leveled. The inner circle around the airport was instead surrounded by barren dirt fields that were crammed full of discarded metal and other debris that had been previously used to create the structures.


    Coop belatedly realized that the sun was already sinking in the sky as the afternoon waned. He weirdly had no idea where the day went but also felt like it was the longest day of his life. Coop shook his head and returned to his notifications.


    Another look at all of the level up messages had Coop curse at his progress. Feeling revulsion all over again as he was confronted by the sheer scale of destruction he had brought. The worst part was that after counting the levels, he felt like he should have been rewarded even more. Eleven levels wasn¡¯t worth the losses. He supposed that he needed to concede that the increased experience requirements to reach his level really were escalating. The level gap between himself and everyone else was making its presence felt in a tangible way. He had been enjoying too many special circumstances, letting him continue at a pace that was unreasonable, with guaranteed levels from quests and major opportunities from special monsters.


    He opened up his skill selection choices and counted the number of options. The first round of the Mistwalker path had offered 21 skills. This time, he received 15. There was no point dwelling on his selection, knowing what he wanted to take ahead of time, and not in the mood to make longer term plans. He selected the Acumen passive, Clarity of Purpose, and accepted it.


    ¡°Make deliverance swift.¡±


    Clarity of Purpose added almost 1,000 stats to his effective total, in the form of bonus Acumen. Now that he had a skill that actually had some scaling with Acumen, it would have some impact other than making his status look prettier. The passive skill added one Acumen for every two points of Mind, just like Adamance did for Body and Practical Application did for Agility.


    Also, like the Agility and Body passives, it applied a secondary bonus in exchange for a less efficient passive conversion. He found it to be more similar to Practical Application, giving a small bonus that could potentially stack into something valuable, but not particularly impressive at first. Where Practical Application lowered his mana costs by one mana at a time, over the course of thousands of repetitions it obviously added up, Clarity of Purpose would allow his damaging abilities to ignore a minor portion of his current target¡¯s defenses each time he landed a blow.


    The actual bonus would ignore between one and five percent total defense, varying based on the efficacy of his attack. It would apply the result like a permanent debuff to his target that stacked with each hit. There were a handful of bosses, such as both of the Icons of Mana, who would have had their defenses shredded as they tanked attacks from Coop¡¯s hits, but it wasn¡¯t something that would help him in his grinding, since it only applied to each individual monster, and he hadn¡¯t encountered a grinding target that took more than a few blows once he figured out a method to defeat them. He thought it was too bad that it wouldn¡¯t be a global affliction that allowed his allies to do additional damage as well, or at least one that helped him against an entire series of the same variants.


    On the bright side, he could also attack significantly faster with the phantasms essentially being an attack speed multiplier to his own efforts. The fact that it ignored ¡®defenses¡¯ and not something more specific, like ¡®armor,¡¯ implied that it was effectively a multiplier, which could be huge. Anything that could withstand his initial bursts would be disappointed to find their defenses being ignored as time went on, and Coop wasn¡¯t the type of fighter that could be easily swept away, with his tanky skirmishing foundation. It was a fitting secondary effect from the Revenant class.


    He checked his status to find some solace in his new stats.


    [Status]


    HP - 10620/10620


    MP - 16281/19740


    Class - Revenant (Level 134)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 104)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 75 (+1974)


    Agility - 75 (+987)


    Body - 75 (+987)


    Mind - 1645 (+329)


    Intelligence - 75 (+1974)


    Acumen - 75 (+987)


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion III, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper, Slayer IV, Dauntless, Stacked, Defiant, Siegebreaker, Mindbender


    Skills (Active) - Retribution+, Salvation, Presence of Mind, Fog of War


    Skills (Passive) - Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension, Clarity of Purpose


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (17/50), Defeat Ancient Devourers III (0/250), Defeat Primal Serpents III (0/250), Defeat Primal Kites V (3103/11111), Upgrade Town to City


    Basic Credits - 4,024,324


    He couldn¡¯t feel good about the huge leap in levels. The cost wasn¡¯t something he would be willing to pay under different circumstances, but progress was progress. At least it felt like his attribute list was finally filled. The gap that the Acumen line left when the attribute had no bonus stats was ultimately gone.


    Before he dismissed his status, he realized he had a new title, Mindbender, as well. Double checking his notifications, he could see it was granted after he selected his new passive skill. Mindbender was awarded for collecting five Mind related Revenant passive skills.


    ¡°Okay, here we go.¡± Coop nodded to himself as he investigated what the very specific sounding title would yield.


    The title provided ¡®Mind bonus elasticity,¡¯ where, depending on his ¡®state of mind,¡¯ the bonuses from unused stats would be incorporated into the ones under demand.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop felt like he needed to experiment right away.


    He stopped walking and his companions stopped with him, confused as Coop had become immersed in his own notifications and status, but letting him work through it, since it wasn¡¯t the first time they had witnessed the type of situation. Coop¡¯s glazed over eyes as he read system notices in his vision was a frequent occurrence.


    Coop tried a simple test. Keeping his status screen open, he put the palms of both his hands together in front of his stomach and squeezed them against each other. Nothing happened at first, but he kept pressing, escalating the force until he was clenching his teeth and shaking with effort. His companions observed with various levels of confusion, amusement, and concern.


    As he watched his attributes, they remained unchanged until he knew he was pushing his limit, feeling beads of sweat form on his forehead and giving himself a headache from the effort messing with his blood pressure. Finally, his bonus Strength went from +1974 to +1975, then +1976. The numbers started going up faster and faster until the last digit was a blur. At the same time his Intelligence bonus was shrinking at the exact same speed. He¡¯d walked right into a way for the system to make fun of him.


    Coop kept going until his Strength bonus was climbing over 3,000 and both Intelligence and Acumen were shrinking below 900. When he finally released the pressure, all of his stats returned to normal in an instant.


    ¡°Holy crap.¡± Coop muttered as he released the pressure and immediately saw stars as his head spun.


    For a long time, Coop had viewed the primary advantage of his Revenant class as the flexibility it provided. Whether it was through the expansive assortments of things like weapons, the attribute stacking that he had latched onto, or the variety of skills offered at the start. Mindbender was the quintessential illustration of that flexibility.


    Depending on how smart and reactive the adjustments were, pushing his limits could take on a completely different meaning. Could he actually control it? Did it work on individual repetitions, like if he was slamming his weapons against something? How would he get it to apply to the magic based attributes? He felt like he needed to stop everything he was doing to go grind and see if he had any sway at all. He subconsciously swapped to his morning star, wanting to continue experimenting with the Strength bonus since he found it to be the most straightforward of the stats.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, Coop?¡± Camila finally chimed in, bringing his thoughts back.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Coop coughed as he shook off the distraction. ¡°Got a new skill and a title that seems like it could be kind of ridiculous.¡± Coop answered, still considering different ways to test it.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Marcus started. ¡°Why don¡¯t we finish with the task at hand.¡± He gestured behind them, pointing with his chin. ¡°It seems Commander Fabiana and Subcommander Jackson will be joining us momentarily.¡±

 Chapter 148: Subordinate Settlement

    ¡°Nomad! Wait!¡± Fabiana called out from behind the group while picking her way through ruined concrete barriers and stepping over burned tires.


    Coop, Marcus, Camila, and Charlie were already standing still after Coop paused to test his new title, so they waited for the insistent Commander. The rest of the rebel army appeared to be moving slowly, lagging behind as they collected the prisoners and cleared some of the debris to give better access between the airport and shipping port. The Endless Empire¡¯s Chosen didn¡¯t put up any more resistance, finding themselves both defeated and nearly evenly numbered for the first time since the assimilation began. Coop thought the role reversal would be a decent wakeup call for those who had grown accustomed to the situation as it had been.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Fabiana spoke as she finally caught up, with Jackson looking spent as he followed along a few steps after her. Whether Jackson¡¯s attitude change was from the weeks of constant fighting finally catching up to him or if it was from being confronted with Coop¡¯s frustration wasn¡¯t clear, but at least he was properly contrite.


    ¡°Listen, I want to apologize.¡± Fabiana spoke confidently, meeting Coop¡¯s gaze with her own. ¡°You should know that it was my idea to leverage your brief visit, not Jackson¡¯s. The rumors about you were already spreading all over the city, and I saw it as an opening to rally people under a single banner. I understand that we ended up putting much too large a burden on you, and I¡¯m sorry for that.¡± Fabiana finished, not entirely getting the point.


    Coop took her words seriously, but he still felt like they only acknowledged half of the problem. The bottom line was that he wouldn¡¯t have cared about rallying people around a fictional version of himself, if they had done so with the purpose of saving them instead of conscripting them into a war. He just didn¡¯t agree with their priorities.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, too.¡± Coop stated, putting his frustration aside and nodding at Jackson. ¡°I trust that you had good intentions, thanks to Marcus vouching for you.¡± Jackson bowed his head.


    ¡°But the Empire needed to be put down.¡± Fabiana stated emphatically, unwilling to leave any doubt upon their position.


    ¡°Probably.¡± Coop shrugged. ¡°I think they were failing on their own, but if they needed a little push, were random unleveled citizens the best people for the job?¡±


    Marcus cleared his throat to jump into the conversation. ¡°What would have happened if, instead of fighting, you rallied the people to evacuate Empress City and come to Ghost Reef? The cruise ship full of people you eventually sent shows you had the capacity to do so. If you weren¡¯t sure we would take you, despite the accurate rumors of the ¡®Nomad¡¯ specifically inviting people that you yourselves helpfully spread, you could have sent a smaller group first to confirm. We would even have helped transport people with our own fleet.¡±


    Marcus didn¡¯t give her time to respond, continuing with his thoughts. ¡°Your cause was righteous, given what became of the Endless Empire¡¯s Chosen, but if you are going to become Champion and Viceroy of Empress City, you¡¯re going to need to do a better job considering the lives of the people entrusting them to you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still offering the position? I thought it would be off the table after¡­¡± She gestured at Coop.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to need to understand how we¡¯ve been doing things, and confirm that you can align with us properly. Throwing away lives is certainly not something we approve of.¡± Marcus informed her.


    She nodded along as they reached the demolished outer ring of the airport. One thing was clear; she was willing to take responsibility for the surviving rebels. Coop thought that was a start.


    ¡°How many of your people are left?¡± Marcus continued to assess the scenario.


    Jackson was the one that spoke up. ¡°Should be a bit over 26,000, plus the ones we sent on the cruise ship.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother counting them. They won¡¯t be coming back.¡± Marcus declared emotionlessly.


    ¡°What?¡± Jackson sputtered, suddenly looking scared all over again, as if Ghost Reef would be executing the rest of them after all. Coop kept a close eye on him.


    ¡°I mean, given the choice between Ghost Reef and Empress City, no one in their right mind would choose to come here.¡± Marcus clarified. ¡°I suspect the majority of them will be moving into their apartments today and starting their job hunts.¡±


    Jackson and Fabiana looked at each other with some confusion, apparently unable to envision a settlement that hadn¡¯t been crippled by internal strife and poor management. Coop couldn¡¯t blame them as he assessed the airport.


    Empress City itself was basically deserted. The outer perimeter wall, full of wrecked cars that had been meticulously piled, was nowhere to be seen. The shacks that had been home to so many were flattened all the way to the edge of the inner ring. The inner wall had no signs of life, even if it was still standing as a barrier between the city and the airport. The group walked right up to the nearest gate and Coop prepared to smash through with his still equipped morning star before they were interrupted.


    ¡°Jenny?¡± A voice called from the edge of the wall. ¡°Holy crap! It¡¯s Jenny! I was so worried about you! It¡¯s been a long time right?¡± A guard popped his head up over the edge and glanced at Camila, then everyone else before he ducked back down after spotting the approaching rebel army, escorting their prisoners through the former outer ring. ¡°Ah, did you join the rebels? That makes sense. Let me get the gate for you.¡± The man called out from behind the fortifications.


    Coop looked at the rest of the group quizzically. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    Camila rolled her eyes. ¡°This is Jim, he¡¯s the one that let us in last time.¡±


    The double metal panel gate slowly swung open and a lone guard stood against one edge. He addressed them before they could ask any questions, showing his palms. ¡°So, the rest of the garrisoned battalions fled as soon as the Champion died, they all headed north to regroup with our new allies. The wilds have become too dangerous for regular scouting parties, so I don¡¯t know how many of them will make it.¡± Jim the guard casually explained. ¡°Everyone who stayed wishes to surrender, and as the ones tasked with protecting the headquarters, we didn¡¯t actually participate in any of the fighting. If you could take that into consideration as you decide on fitting punishments, that would be great.¡±


    He finally turned to Camila, coughed once, and stepped forward. ¡°Jenny, would you go on a date with me?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no.¡± Coop whispered, suddenly feeling awkward enough to push away the rest of his agitations.


    ¡°Sorry, Jim, kinda busy with the apocalypse these days. Plus, you¡¯re probably gonna be some kind of prisoner for a while.¡± Camila let him down a lot nicer than Coop expected. ¡°Also, my name isn¡¯t Jenny.¡± She concluded. Coop winced, but was sort of impressed by the guy for taking his shot, even at a time like this.


    ¡°Right.¡± Marcus didn¡¯t let anyone else say anything. ¡°Do you see that too?¡± He asked Coop, who glanced over and realized they could detect the civilization shard as if they already owned it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Coop stated with a nod, urging them all forward.


    As they followed one of the runways toward the terminals in the airport, Coop¡¯s attention was piqued by the glowing tip of the jail, rising slightly above the top floors of the parking garage. It was covered in flowing red and purple mana, generating a shield that reminded him of the service buildings back home during the siege.


    The rebel army prodded the captured Chosen of the Empire into the inner ring and started to fan out, claiming the territory for themselves. When Coop¡¯s group arrived at one of the entrances of the airport there were thousands more Chosen inside, ready to surrender.


    Coop just stood in the doorway. ¡°Alright, come on out and line up!¡± Coop shouted, letting Presence of Mind wash over the area. Their levels were unimpressive, almost all were around level 30. Considering most of them had returned from the Endless Empire¡¯s orientation around level 25, they hadn¡¯t made much progress at all, even after the siege event. He was actually disgusted by their lack of progress.


    ¡°Fabiana, could you take the lead on organizing all the prisoners?¡± Coop didn¡¯t wait for a response, turning to his more trusted companions right away. ¡°Camila, could you make sure they don¡¯t start executing people?¡± Fabiana¡¯s expression went from accepting the responsibility to slightly offended, but she didn¡¯t offer any argument.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure everyone gets some advocacy.¡± Camila declared, happy for a huge opportunity to level her profession. ¡°C¡¯mon Charlie, let¡¯s make sure they know that Ghost Reef powerhouses are the real deal. That¡¯ll keep ¡®em from getting any nasty ideas.¡±


    ¡°Marcus and I will get Jackson set up at the shard.¡± Coop finished. Only Jim looked unsure about what to do, hesitating as he watched the women leave. ¡°You can join the prisoners right away, or you can come with us and tell us the state of things before joining the prisoners. Your choice.¡± Coop stated, getting his attention away from Fabiana and the girls who were guiding the prisoners from the airport back toward the rebel army like the Empire¡¯s Chosen were a flock of lost sheep.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try to be helpful.¡± Jim conceded, joining them in order to try and earn brownie points.


    Coop and Marcus led the way through the airport, seeing that the shard was on an upper level. Coop doubted the paranoid Champion would have had it far from his lair, so he expected to find it near some of the more luxurious accommodations in the private areas of the airport.


    ¡°Where are we going to move it?¡± Marcus asked as they passed empty terminals. ¡°People are going to need to access the shard to quit the Empire and to get their professions.¡±


    ¡°Jeez,¡± Coop muttered. ¡°I forgot they don¡¯t even have professions.¡± He shook his head in disappointment. Keeping them weak was definitely a major contributor to their failure. It made it so that no matter what happened, they were screwed in the long run.


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    ¡°The airport is a pretty nice spot for a settlement, and the main pick up and drop off area has a fancy waiting area that could both be accessible and fortified for the shard¡¯s placement.¡± Marcus mused, already planning another city. ¡°I wonder if we can get Balor over here to work some of his magic.¡±


    ¡°We could always get another Stonemason for this place.¡± Coop suggested, not wanting to lend their first contracted resident out so easily.


    Jackson spoke up for the first time. ¡°What about the port? We picked it in the first place because we thought it would be more convenient to be closer to Ghost Reef.¡±


    Marcus wasn¡¯t particularly enthused by the idea. ¡°If we utilize the highway, it will still be almost as convenient. We can set up housing and services along and underneath the highway, turning it into a main artery for the city. I suspect the port will evolve into a bustling connection and the airport can be a fortified government center.¡± Marcus continued as they walked up a second set of escalators. ¡°The ocean will be the main barrier regardless of an extra mile between shards.¡±


    ¡°I dunno, man,¡± Coop wanted them to consider something else. ¡°A linear city? That might suck. I think concentrating everything in one or the other would almost certainly be better.¡±


    When they reached the top of the escalators, their little dispute was interrupted. A seven foot tall, pastel purple lady stood with a lifeless body cradled in her arms.


    ¡°Uh oh.¡± Jackson muttered, glancing at Marcus who looked suitably terrified. This was another awkward reunion no one had really been expecting.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time, Champion!¡± She shouted as her eyes locked with Coop¡¯s, letting her hoarse voice echo through the empty airport. She was clearly angry at something, and her demeanor made it seem like it was Coop. Coop used Presence of Mind to inspect her, not expecting much.


    [Prison Warden (Level ??)]


    [(Strength)]


    [Steward of The Endless Empire]


    ¡°What¡¯s about time?¡± Coop stood his ground, despite knowing that even with his formidable power, the contracted residents weren¡¯t something he was ready to confront. He would just need to hope the system did its job if it came to blows, and did it before he was demolished. Marcus and Jackson shifted behind him, as if there was any chance he could offer protection. Jim was just frozen in the back, completely out of the loop.


    ¡°About time you took over this miserable settlement!¡± She elaborated, still shouting. When Coop looked at her confused, trying to figure out why she would have expected that to happen in the first place, she continued, a bit more conversationally. ¡°You fool. Did you really think you escaped my prison so easily? Of course I let you go. The Chosen Champion was a bust.¡± She practically spat.


    She leveled her gaze back at them, appearing disappointed. ¡°You never noticed that service buildings have significant structural protection? You may have been strong enough to escape your cell, but the walls are a completely different matter.¡± She pointed at Jackson from underneath the knees of the body she gently held. ¡°That weakling would never make it through a blast shield, even with a thousand years to try, and you still wouldn¡¯t make it through me.¡± She boasted, referring to Coop as she recognized his growth and didn¡¯t find it intimidating in the slightest.


    ¡°Why would you do that?¡± Coop couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°This assignment is not one of honor, but I do not wish to return. When this shard is destroyed, my contract will be concluded. I expected you to take over immediately. It was a miracle that this Empress City lasted as long as it did.¡± The prison warden elaborated.


    ¡°I, uh¡­¡± Coop hadn¡¯t even considered that the contracted residents would transfer along with the settlement, though it was obvious.


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste more time! You need to find someone that can cure the blood curse.¡± She continued. ¡°This man needs help, before the curse corrupts him.¡±


    ¡°We can do that.¡± Marcus spoke up. ¡°But, who is that?¡±


    ¡°He is a beautiful warrior who does not deserve the dishonor of a blood curse corrupting his mana. Look at his scars.¡± She shifted so they could better see his bare chest. He was just an older looking guy with a pained expression on his face, but he was in good shape and did have quite a few long scars criss-crossing his skin. ¡°They have been using my prison to hold the cursed ones. All of the rest were emptied out to fill the army and are either dead or outside of the territory according to my ledgers.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Coop looked at Marcus who didn¡¯t look like he¡¯d object, looking more confused than anything. ¡°We can do that actually, we already cured it once. How many more are there?¡±


    ¡°106 in total, but almost all are already dishonored.¡± She answered while staring at the man in her arms.


    ¡°Madison is going to be so mad.¡± Coop mumbled as he shook his head. ¡°Look, uh, what should I call you?¡±


    ¡°My name is Eleza.¡± The prison warden finally gave him a name.


    ¡°Right, Eleza. I¡¯m Coop.¡± She nodded. ¡°We already have a healer and a clinic from the Merciful, but it¡¯s at my settlement. Can you get all those people ready to be transported? How much time do we have?¡±


    ¡°They will all fight off the curse in the end, but they will be permanently corrupted if it is not soon enough. For most it is too late, but the last few still have some time before their mana is altered. This one and his companions at least.¡± Eleza explained, sounding like she wanted to save a sick puppy.


    ¡°Alright. Will you get him and his companions ready to be moved? We¡¯ll have to come back for the rest afterwards.¡± Coop decided they could try to rush and help the few Eleza saw as uncorrupted first. They would have to send another ship for the rest.


    ¡°It will be done, Champion Coop.¡± The prison warden agreed before she jumped over the railing, down to the lower floor, then did the same until she was on the ground, heading toward the prison.


    ¡°Right.¡± Coop looked at the other equally confused faces of his companions. ¡°Takes all kinds, I guess.¡±


    They weren¡¯t interrupted again before they reached the civilization shard after passing through a demolished lounge that had quite a few suspicious stains on the carpet. The shard was hidden away inside of an employee break room, next to a smashed vending machine and dwarfing a simple gray-blue sofa that had never been comfortable for anyone, before or after the start of the assimilation. The only light in the enclosed room was emanated by the glowing red crystalline structure.


    ¡°How¡¯d they get it in here?¡± Jackson wondered, staring at the shard. He had never seen one before, but he was right about it being out of place. It was so big it went from the floor to the ceiling, too large to fit through the doorway.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop wondered himself. ¡°I have no idea.¡± He chuckled at Jackson. ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to figure out how to get it out I guess.¡±


    Coop accessed the shard and received a prompt that stated he was already a Champion and he could abandon his other shard for this one or he could claim it as a subordinate shard and assign someone else to become Champion. His assignment options included everyone that was an advisor to him already, even the ones that had remained on Ghost Reef, and Jackson since he was close enough by proximity.


    ¡°Marcus, what does it say if you try?¡± He asked.


    Marcus touched it before responding. ¡°I can claim it as a subordinate shard and become a Champion or assign the position to Jackson.¡±


    ¡°Cool. Go ahead and do it.¡± Coop was glad that the official advisors had enough authority to do things like this. It really lifted a burden off of his shoulders to know that he wasn¡¯t personally expected to handle every little thing. The advisor system was convenient to such an extent, he could imagine other Champions becoming too lazy to do anything themselves. For Coop, it just meant he was mostly free to concentrate on grinding.


    After a few moments, Jackson looked at them. ¡°That¡¯s it? Now what?¡±


    Coop just laughed, glad he wasn¡¯t the only one that thought the system needed to do a better job with formal ceremonies. ¡°Give it a sec, I think something will happen with our barely functioning faction.¡±


    ¡°You have a faction?¡± Jackson frowned. ¡°We were under the impression you were¡­ independent.¡± He rather carefully admitted, not wanting to offend them at this stage.


    ¡°It¡¯s a human faction, we founded it.¡± Coop briefly shared, shrugging.


    After a few more awkward moments, a pulse burst from the shard and filled the breakroom, passed through the walls, and warped their vision in a way that made Coop feel cross-eyed. After several seconds that Coop assumed gave the pulse enough time to extend to the edges of the settlement¡¯s territory, everything pixelated, before slowly returning back to normal just like back on Ghost Reef.


    A notification was pushed to all of the residents of Empress City and everyone in the faction, including Coop.


    [The Lighthouse has claimed Empress City]


    Coop gave a monotone ¡°Yay,¡± and confirmed that the Purification Chip continued to work as the Avatar of the System advertised, providing them with the buff that was meant to protect them from the judgment of mana. Its effectiveness was still to be determined, but he still had hope that it would do something worthwhile.


    ¡°What the hell was all of that?¡± Jackson asked after witnessing the impact of applying the buff to the settlement¡¯s territory, looking at Coop and Marcus like they were crazy.


    ¡°Man, that¡¯s a long story.¡± Coop shook his head. ¡°Marcus! I¡¯ll leave the explanation of all the mana and system stuff to you. You can give Jackson a tutorial on the shard, unless you want to include Fabiana at the same time.¡±


    ¡°Sure, if you¡¯re on your way back down, send Fabiana up. We¡¯ll work on figuring out how to move this thing in the meantime.¡± Marcus agreed. ¡°Jim, I¡¯m gonna need you to tell me everything about how things were organized around here.¡±


    ¡°Make him quit the Empire first, maybe let him grab a profession. Actually, Jackson, can you tell me how many residents Empress City has?¡± Coop paused on his way out, pointing at the shard.


    After a short pause while Jackson navigated menus for the first time, he responded. ¡°87,203. Wait. It¡¯s ticking down as I look at it.¡±


    Coop glanced at Marcus, both noting that it was too low to complete the optional quest objective for Ghost Reef. ¡°Jim, how many people would you say made a run for it?¡±


    ¡°Almost 10,000.¡± He responded confidently.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably a combination of them and the ones you sent to Ghost Reef losing their status as residents for one reason or another.¡± Coop figured. ¡°Marcus, doesn¡¯t that leave a lot of Empire people, compared to the rebels? Won¡¯t that be a problem?¡±


    Marcus tapped his chin for a moment. ¡°Honestly, if this was before the assimilation I would say it was a big problem for a peaceful transfer of power after a bout of violent unrest. But, I think we can work through it, and I mean literally work, we¡¯ll make sure they¡¯re too busy to think about it at first. We just have to decide what and where to build.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget about the prison. Even if it can¡¯t hold them, maybe we can put them on probation or something.¡± Coop hoped it would work out. ¡°What do you think, Jim?¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t have any problems from the ones that were in the airport, they had to openly refuse to fight. The leaders called them reserve units, but that was to hide how many resisted orders. Even among the ones willing to fight, there¡¯s really no love for the Empire outside of a few freaks scattered around. I imagine most of them died for the cause, but I¡¯m still not gonna vouch for anyone that was actually fighting.¡± He admitted, causing the rest to settle in thought.


    It wasn¡¯t exactly a full vote of confidence, especially since that was a large number of people to consider, with all the ones who surrendered on the highway. Jackson and Fabiana would probably have their hands full trying to reconcile the two groups.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t start building without me.¡± Coop commanded, wanting to be a part of the planning at least.


    Marcus didn¡¯t take him seriously, waving him away dismissively, and reminding him to send Fabiana, but Coop knew he was the one with the credits. Marcus would come crawling for his wallet when they started deciding on system services. Coop left them measuring the shard and the doorway with their arms. A tried and true method that had resulted in the best Ghost Reef constructions.

 Chapter 149: Grind Therapy

    The airport¡¯s wide corridors had been engulfed by darkness as the evening settled in. The extraordinarily tall windows once provided excellent viewing of what was a bustling taxiway for passenger planes. Instead, they only displayed a thick, cloudy evening with the barest hints of daylight seeping through a lingering haze as Coop passed the transparent panes.


    In the distance, along the inner ring¡¯s still intact wall, torches were pinpricks of light surrounded by large orange halos as rebels took up the watch, preparing for the night. Coop suspected that the overcast weather was a direct result of the smoke that had accumulated during the conflict between the Endless Empire and the revolutionaries. Now that the fighting had ceased, hopefully the ocean breezes would be enough to carry the smothering reminder of the violence away. He hoped they would be able to move on as quickly as possible.


    Coop took his time as he moved through the dark, peering into every nook and cranny that he passed, searching for lingering Chosen while engaging Presence of Mind to detect auras. He wouldn¡¯t put it past some obsessive fanatic to maintain their affiliation with the Endless Empire and try to infiltrate the transferred settlement on their behalf, but the airport terminals were devoid of life. If any of them planned to play hero for the Empire, they weren¡¯t aiming to slip into the midst of the new tenants by hiding behind enemy lines. Coop frowned as he considered that he probably already killed the most likely candidates to take on such a task out on the highway.


    Even the fact that Coop didn¡¯t find anyone hiding in the recesses frustrated him. He¡¯d been trying to return to his normal self, outwardly projecting his acceptance of the situation, but he felt like he had some pent up energy. He shook his head at himself. Frankly, he still felt bitter and irritable about the savagery he had taken part in. After he had been forced to temper his emotions to avoid completely raining on the revolution¡¯s parade, in the quiet solitude that the corridors provided, he had a chance to reflect on the incongruity of the desire to take out his frustrations through even more violence when that was at least partially the cause of his distress in the first place.


    It was good that there weren¡¯t any of the Empire¡¯s Chosen slinking around the interior of the airport, for his sake almost as much as theirs. Camila was probably right about him being too far from the beach; he was missing the sense of stability he derived from Ghost Reef, from having a routine that included regular sleep and food, and his own form of grinding meditation, all keeping him grounded. He stretched his neck in an effort to relieve the tension, but it wouldn¡¯t go away completely without more time.


    ¡°It is what it is.¡± He muttered to the empty shadows, trusting that he was stronger than he had been before.


    When he reached the series of perimeter security checkpoints that isolated the terminals he stopped and began channeling a thin, almost invisible Fog of War that would fill the interior of the airport. Standing still with his eyes closed, but with his status open, he tried to put himself into a state of calmness, like he was actually meditating. Slow deep breaths accompanied by deliberate relaxation of his muscles, starting from his toes, moving up his legs, all the way up his whole body until he was loosening the scowl that had been embedded on his face since frustration and fury had embroiled his emotional state.


    Even though he was trying to manipulate his bonus stats with Mindbending, he immediately came to the conclusion that it wouldn¡¯t be so easy to properly manage his state of mind. It seemed like something that would only happen when he was less conscious of his desire for altering his stats. His channel completed before his bonus stats could reveal any of their flexibility. It would certainly take more than a whim to influence the mental stats. When he hit upon a sudden triumphant discovery, they typically came when he was completely focused in a fight, and most of the time he was desperate to make something specific happen. Overthinking almost seemed detrimental. The earliest example came when he revealed his ability to mistjump, but even properly coordinating with his phantasms had been under similar circumstances.


    ¡°I can¡¯t force it.¡± Coop conceded to himself as he let the Fog of War sweep over his senses through Presence of Mind. He¡¯d find an opportunity to grind monsters and that¡¯s when he¡¯d better explore his abilities.


    The main, open sections of the airport were almost completely empty. Almost, because he detected a quiet stalker, slowly weaving between baggage scanners before moseying into the interior of the last one in a row of a dozen, within what seemed like a forgotten corner of the once bustling security checkpoint. It definitely wasn¡¯t human, as it moved on all fours with a lumbering gait and had a fuzzy tail. Coop was pretty sure that there was a chubby cat sneaking around the airport. Of course, Coop detoured to say hello.


    Coop jogged over to the security checkpoint before slowing down and approaching the last x-ray scanning machine. He gently flipped the protective rubber cover away from the entrance to the little hideout in an effort to avoid scaring the resident. When he stuck his face in front of the opening to see the kitty, he jumped backwards as it stood up on its hindlegs, leaning backwards inside of its tunnel, against some abandoned luggage. It was trying to make itself seem larger and more intimidating, and let out a deep growl, followed by a bark and even more raspy growls.


    ¡°Whoa!¡± Coop reacted to the growls with surprise.


    Coop was definitely mistaken. That was no cat. He shook his head and slid the rubber cover out of the way again, just enough to take another peek. Another look confirmed that the occupant was a raccoon that had made itself a den between discarded piles of clothes and torn suitcases that had been lodged in the machine. Coop used Presence of Mind while trying to sooth the startled occupant.


    [Raccoon (Level 62)]


    [Bandit Trickster (Mind)]


    [Shadow]


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, little guy.¡± Coop whispered, trying not to scare it any further. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure no one bothers your spot.¡± He promised. ¡°Just be nice to the other residents, alright?¡±


    The fact that the raccoon had already made itself comfortable inside the airport, right underneath the Empire¡¯s noses, told Coop that it would probably be fine. The Chosen of the Empire were uncomfortable with Sunny having any levels at all, but this raccoon already overleveled the vast majority of people in Empress City. It must have been roaming around discreetly for quite a while because they certainly wouldn¡¯t have allowed it to exist so deep within their territory.


    Before leaving, Coop rearranged the line barriers, making a perimeter around the occupied luggage scanner so that the raccoon¡¯s den wouldn¡¯t be disturbed. He¡¯d just trust the animal to keep on surviving, and he¡¯d make sure the new people in charge understood Ghost Reef¡¯s and now The Lighthouse¡¯s stance on openly offering refuge to others, even to animals.


    Coop hadn¡¯t found any more signs of life in the airport so he was ready to leave it behind. Once he made it outside, he took stock of the crowds that had formed along the runways within the inner portion of the expansive settlement. There were definitely a lot of people. The prisoners were separated into groups that each accounted for far more people than all of Ghost Reef, including the phantoms, by themselves.


    Commander Fabiana had organized the rebel army, giving them some more direction in the meantime, now that their primary purpose had been fulfilled and the Endless Empire was effectively defeated. The people who had been fighting the Empire weren¡¯t a disciplined and coordinated group of professionals, but rather a volunteer army of aggrieved citizens. Coop wasn¡¯t sure if they would even stay as a fighting force, but for now, they listened to the Commander of the revolution.


    She displayed her leadership abilities, already getting them organized. Most were relieved from responsibilities, being granted a break after the fighting, while two groups remained on duty. They weren¡¯t ready to celebrate a total victory, since there was still the unlikely, but non-zero threat of the Chosen of the Empire who had fled the airport regrouping and counter-attacking, and more importantly, the Sapphire Armada could still make an appearance, though if they were, they would be far too late to make any meaningful contributions to the status of the Empire. That didn¡¯t mean they wouldn¡¯t try to claim the civilization shard for themselves. The shards and the settlement territory they established were the real prize after all.


    One group of rebels acted as guards, occupying the platforms on the inside of the walled ring, dutifully peering into the rest of the city from across the dirt filled debris fields on the outside. Their torches identified the perimeter through the haze, leaving a warm glow all the way around the horizon from the interior of the airport. The other group stood guard over lines of seated prisoners, making sure they didn¡¯t try anything. That¡¯s where he spotted Charlie, Camila, and Fabiana. Coop moved to join them.


    As Coop approached, he overheard Camila laying down the law as Fabiana listened carefully. Apparently, he wouldn¡¯t need to emphasize how he wanted to establish their territory as a sanctuary. Camila had been up to the task after the residents of Empress City received the notice that The Lighthouse had claimed the settlement.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Fabiana spotted Coop and greeted him first. ¡°So, your lieutenants tell me you found a way to make a faction.¡± She remarked as he arrived. The rebels remained residents of Empress City, so they had received the notice that the faction had claimed the settlement. ¡°Are we being enlisted?¡± She asked with a raised eyebrow. Coop caught the implication that it might be pretty hypocritical of him to take offense to her methods of revolution if he was just going to press them into his own force, but that was obviously not what he intended to do.


    Coop shook his head. ¡°No. We¡¯re not making anyone join or anything like that.¡± He scratched his cheek, considering how to explain the situation with the Purification Chip. ¡°It¡¯s probably a good idea to stay in our territory, though. Basically, we were informed that the assimilation isn¡¯t just a welcoming party for our planet joining the galactic community.¡± Fabiana scoffed at the idea of it being a party with all of the strife they had already gone through. ¡°It¡¯s also a test to see if we¡¯re allowed to exist at all. Based on our technological development, we aren¡¯t passing, and failure means eradication.¡±


    Fabiana narrowed her eyes skeptically. ¡°That sounds a bit unbelievable, even given aliens and their magic, and¡­ well, everything else.¡±


    Coop shrugged. ¡°Marcus is getting Jackson up to speed and wants you to join. He¡¯ll have to explain all the mana and system business anyway. They¡¯re in a breakroom behind a wrecked captain¡¯s lounge on the top floor, in the middle of the structure.¡±


    ¡°I know the place.¡± Fabiana scowled. ¡°I was brought to see the Champion and his Viceroy once, right after they relocated the shard from the park to the airport. Figured that¡¯s where we would need to finish them off back then.¡± She spat, having held a long grudge against the Empire since she had evidently been involved even before they claimed the shard.


    ¡°Are these people gonna be alright?¡± Coop wondered, gesturing between the guards and the surrendered prisoners.


    ¡°Miss Camila already made it clear there wouldn¡¯t be any executions, though I don¡¯t know how you expect us to keep them all placid.¡± She waved at the seated Chosen. ¡°In case you didn¡¯t notice; there¡¯s still more of them than us. I expect them to feel brave over time, especially after you¡¯re gone. You obviously don¡¯t intend to stay.¡±


    Coop pointed at the parking garages, with the prison tower hidden in the center. ¡°Run them through the prison and let the warden do her thing. I bet there¡¯s all sorts of features that the Empire wasn¡¯t tapping into. I¡¯m sure you can sort them out with the warden¡¯s help.¡± Coop looked around at the Chosen, not particularly impressed by anything about them. ¡°Really, if anyone wants to leave, you can just let them. Honestly, most of them have already fallen behind the monsters¡¯ leveling curve, so they¡¯re hardly a threat to us. Not to mention the ones that refused to fight in the first place shouldn¡¯t become a threat. Maybe if you give them the choice to stay, they¡¯ll be more inclined to play nice.¡±


    Fabiana glanced at the prisoners and didn¡¯t disagree. Without a mob at their backs, they were a pretty sad bunch. She called a few of the rebels over and started organizing groups to be taken to the prison before she headed into the airport herself.


    ¡°So, what do you think?¡± Coop asked the girls, just wanting their general thoughts on Empress City.


    Camila was shaking her head. ¡°Place is still a dump. It¡¯s not even big enough to complete our bonus objective. Really didn¡¯t think it could get more disappointing, but here we are.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s actually pretty close to 100k, but even if we combined both settlements we¡¯d be short after the numbers settle, and that¡¯s including the phantoms. Marcus was practically drooling as he imagined turning it into a city full of convenience though.¡± Coop pointed out. ¡°He probably sees it as a blank canvas, a clean slate, where he can put all his idealistic ideas in place. I think he¡¯s going to try to smooth over all of the hostilities by getting them to work together building it.¡± He shrugged again. ¡°What about you, Charlie?¡±


    Camila and Coop looked over at Charlie expectantly. While she was always quiet, she had been unusually timid ever since they started fighting on the mainland. Charlie was staring at her feet, letting her hair cover her face.


    ¡°Charlie? You alright?¡± Coop asked, realizing something was wrong when a single drop of water escaped her hair and landed in the dirt.


    She finally looked up and her freckled face was stained with tears. She sniffled once before she shook her head, tousling her already messy hair. Camila was at her side even before Coop moved.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Charlie mumbled. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to make a big deal out of it.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Camila asked gently, though it seemed like she would immediately murder whatever upset Charlie, whether it was alive or not.


    ¡°We killed a lot of people.¡± She uttered quietly, as if saying it out loud made it more true. ¡°I killed a lot of people.¡±


    Coop nodded in understanding, slightly embarrassed by his self-centered reaction to the carnage that they all had a large part in. Of course he wasn¡¯t the only one bothered by the violence, but he had been entirely focused on managing his own feelings.


    ¡°Today was the first time I killed anyone.¡± Charlie whispered before she choked back a sob. ¡°It¡¯s like it wasn¡¯t real before. I wish I could go home, but there¡¯s no going back.¡±


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s alright, Charlie. Things will get better.¡± Camila consoled her.


    Coop sighed before he decided what to do. ¡°Come on you two.¡± Coop ordered as he started walking away from the buildings, toward the city.


    Camila had already started apologizing to Charlie, as she had been working hard during the entire assimilation to shield the mousy girl from the worst parts of the apocalypse. She paused to glare at Coop, as if he was being insensitive. ¡°Where are you going?¡± She demanded.


    ¡°The three of us are gonna go back to that golf course and blow off some steam. I¡¯ve been feeling completely out of sorts myself.¡± Coop encouraged them to follow. ¡°I bet you two can finish that Slayer grind with all the growth you¡¯ve had.¡± He directed them in the general direction where he remembered the main spawn of Primal Trackers to be. If he was lucky, he¡¯d find the Field Boss too.


    Camila was doubtful. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem healthy.¡±


    Coop put his palms out. ¡°Probably not. But it¡¯s kind of productive and it¡¯ll be distracting.¡±


    He grabbed the shoulder of one of the rebels and gave him an order as well. ¡°Would you go find the Commander and Subcommander and let them know we went to a golf course that¡¯s, uh,¡± Coop sort of pointed vaguely in the right direction. ¡°It¡¯s on a state road on the way out of the city.¡±


    ¡°The Halloway Club?¡± The man asked, then elaborated when Coop didn¡¯t have an answer. ¡°Sorta looks like an old European estate?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one.¡± Coop confirmed, remembering that it seemed like a villa, and impressed that the guy knew it.


    ¡°Nice. I used to be a member. Played the course regularly. You''re gonna play a few rounds?¡± The man queried conversationally, as if the assimilation was a complete after thought.


    ¡°Something like that. It was full of monsters last time I was here.¡± Coop explained.


    The man nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll let Commander Fabiana know.¡±


    As the trio left the airport, Coop kept an eye out for more random people hiding out in the city. It had seemed desolate before, but he thought it had really been abandoned after the siege event tore through. It took a bit of weaving through neighborhoods before they found the correct road, but once they found it, they easily retraced the path that Buck had shown him in the first place.


    They skipped the club house and headed straight for the first hole. Coop did the honors and destroyed the first pack after quickly inspecting them. They had continued to level, but were only in the lower 50s. It was a far cry from their status when they had their early Field Boss. They had been exceeding most other monsters¡¯ level, turning the fairways of the golf course into an open air dungeon. Coop checked his notifications to confirm his quest credit.


    [You defeated Primal Tracker (Level 55)]


    [+57 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Blight Fang (Uncommon)]


    [Fortune Seeker (18/50)]


    Coop didn¡¯t think Fortune Seeker was actually meant to be completed. Wasn¡¯t the requirement of defeating 50 unique regular monsters completely unreasonable? He couldn¡¯t even imagine a reward that would make it worth it. Hopefully, he would complete it without going too far out of his way while he hunted monster variants for their Slayer quests.


    Coop looked at the girls expectantly, then he pointed toward the first fairway, dimly lit by the moonlight after night had overcome the evening. ¡°Have at it!¡± He was acting like he had brought them to an amusement park, and both of the girls had taken stances like teenagers that were too cool to have fun.


    ¡°Marcus is only gonna be busy for so long, then we¡¯ll have to go back and get into all the boring administration stuff to make sure the two settlements are properly connected. That means you¡¯re on a time limit to get your Slayer titles. Let¡¯s see how badass you guys are now.¡± Coop tried encouraging them.


    ¡°Are you just going to watch?¡± Camila wondered skeptically, knowing Coop¡¯s inclinations.


    ¡°Yep.¡± Coop confirmed. ¡°Unless the Field Boss is back. I¡¯ll take care of that. Everything else is up to you.¡±


    Camila sighed, apparently giving in to Coop¡¯s idea. ¡°Alright.¡± She turned to Charlie. ¡°You remember when we first fought these things?¡± She waited for Charlie to nod. ¡°Let¡¯s do the same thing, but I¡¯m gonna group up a whole bunch of them. Put your storm in front of the green.¡±

 Chapter 150: South Pole

    The golf course had gone through some changes since the previous time Coop had visited. The fairways were only a little thick, probably displaying even less growth than would have been expected in the pre-mana times, but the grasses that made up the rough were completely out of control. They had grown so tall, they struggled to bear their own weight, leaning their tips out across the sky, above the fairway, more akin to stalks of bamboo than blades of grass. Both edges formed half-tunnels with verdant roofs that didn¡¯t quite reach the middle. The Primal Trackers lounged in the darkened borders or roamed across the open middle, still as densely populated as they had been the first time.


    Coop wasn¡¯t physically fighting, but it was struggling with an internal battle. He was trying every mindfulness technique he had ever been made aware of, whether it was focusing on his breathing or stretching. The entire time he had his status open, but he never saw his bonuses fluctuate. He did manage to relieve some of his stress and anxieties. The pressures that slowly built in the back of his mind without him even realizing it were eased as he relaxed in the lush grassy environment as it was being cleared by Charlie¡¯s miniature tornadoes.


    The girls worked out their specific tactics and expanded their pulls until they were comfortable moving deeper into the golf course. They carefully made progress, sticking to the early holes while refining their preferences. It turned out to be a good exercise as it really did distract Charlie.


    Camila and Charlie made an incredible pair. They were so coordinated, Coop thought they could challenge the apparent telepathic connection he had with his phantasms. Most of the credit needed to go to Camila, who was a natural at anticipating the Aeromancer¡¯s actions and liberally applying her enhanced speediness to be in the right places at the right times. Of course, Charlie providing consistency is what established the groundwork for the Interceptor to work with.


    ¡°How do you stay so calm all the time?¡± Charlie eventually asked Coop as they moved to the next tee boxes, pushing further into increased monster densities as the girls'' comfort levels rose.


    Coop thought it was a surprising question, considering how he was constantly fighting his nerves, feeling anxieties, agitation, or restlessness, and otherwise struggling with confronting difficult choices. ¡°I¡¯m stressed all the time.¡± He admitted.


    ¡°Really? I thought I had you figured out by now. Aren¡¯t you happy most of the time these days?¡± Charlie wondered. ¡°You always seem satisfied when you¡¯re around the fort, especially compared to before.¡±


    Coop shrugged. ¡°I am, but remember when you first moved into Ghost Reef?¡± Charlie nodded as she glanced over at him. ¡°I still feel the same way, that a bunch of different factors came together to give us an opportunity to progress. The shard being on an isolated island with a defensive fort and so many monster variants all combined to give us advantages that we should leverage to help others. Ever since this whole assimilation started I¡¯ve been slowly taking on more responsibilities. Most of the time, I don¡¯t even want them, but I¡¯ll keep doing my best to make at least some positive contributions. That way when people need it, we can help.¡±


    ¡°But how do you know if you¡¯re doing that, making positive contributions?¡± Charlie questioned, obviously feeling doubt about her own actions and role in defeating the Endless Empire¡¯s Chosen.


    ¡°We can only do our best and trust the people around us.¡± Coop put his hand on her shoulder and she looked back up at him. ¡°If we hadn¡¯t settled things between the Empire, the result would have only been worse in the long run. What you did was to help me, so if there was a mistake, it¡¯s my fault. I¡¯ll try to make up for it in the future.¡± Charlie just gave him a half-hearted smile.


    ¡°But also, if we¡¯re ever considered heroes I get all the credit.¡± Coop declared. ¡°It¡¯s only fair.¡± When she smirked at his proposition, he feigned offense. ¡°Hey, at least I¡¯m shouldering the burdens too, I definitely could have shoved those off onto someone else.¡±


    While the girls got on with the next monster pull, Coop stood on the side, like he was their caddy. After a night of experimentation, he put aside Mindbending and summoned a phantasm. When the ghost appeared, the quantity of mists was abnormally high. Usually, they burst out of mists that barely engulfed their bodies and immediately dissipated, but this time, the mists lingered on the ground, spilling out like dry ice had been released by popping an oversized water balloon.


    The ghost itself was equipped with a distinctly red wrapped cloth. It covered one shoulder and was cinched by a tight belt at his waist. His head was protected by a blue conical helmet that was ornamented with a gold rim and a single gold drop on the peak. There was way more color in the spearman¡¯s clothes, but he was still transparent enough to see the green grass on the other side of him. Even his skin was a warm tan as opposed to being the typical colorless ghost.


    The spearman stood by Coop, observing the golf course as if it was an ancient battlefield. He certainly looked completely out of place at the top of the tee box, but Coop did as well, like he was an extra in a gladiator movie in between scenes. Coop wondered if the substance bonus provided by Acumen had given him a more robust summon and the colors were the indication. After a few seconds, Coop raised his eyebrows in anticipation, waiting for the ghost to burst into another surge of mists. Nothing happened for 10 seconds and Coop started nodding in satisfaction. Substance increased their duration. He suspected that would be the case, but he also expected there to be more to it, since if it was going to increase duration, it probably would have said duration.


    Eventually, the phantasmal spearman glanced over at Coop, like he was bored.


    ¡°Uh, sorry.¡± Coop fumbled an apology. ¡°I wanted to see what ¡®substance¡¯ did.¡± The ghost just looked away, still appearing bored, making no effort to communicate while scanning the fairway.


    Coop was getting worried. They just stood side by side awkwardly, or at least Coop felt awkward. Should he try having a one-sided conversation? The ghost would probably disappear in the middle of it, and that might even be worse. What if the same summon came back in the future and remembered? Coop¡¯s head snapped toward the ghost as he had another thought. What if he had a permanent summon? How would he get rid of it? The quick movement drew the phantasm¡¯s attention, but it just looked at Coop, nonplussed.


    ¡°So, uh. Where are you from?¡± Coop asked innocently and the phantasm exploded into mists. ¡°Oh, thank goodness.¡± Coop breathed a dramatic sigh of relief.


    It had only been about 45 seconds, but Coop had managed to make it uncomfortable. Charlie¡¯s tornado was ripping apart hundreds of gathered Primal Trackers, making the tall grass whip the blades into knots, and Camila stood protectively near her side. Coop considered the implications of Legacy of the Mist¡¯s change. Almost 1,000 Acumen gave him 45 seconds with a summon. If it had lasted much longer, Coop was going to have trouble considering the differences between a summoned phantasm and a resurrected phantom.


    Almost a minute in a battle was basically an eternity. Coop chuckled to himself as he considered his insane stats and that these phantasmal summons matched them point for point. The mana cost of casting Legacy of the Mists was down to 466 as well. Practical Application was making a decent dent in the original cost. With his current mana pool, nearly 20,000, he could summon 42 phantasms at once. Call it 20 to maintain one of his very first personal rules, to always be considerate of his Mind over Matter buffer and keep half of his mana available for supplementing his health.


    Coop walked across the fairway to join the girls at the next hole, still coming to terms with what his build was becoming. He could already stand up to an admittedly weak army, but he might end up being able to summon one as well.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡ª


    Matthew struggled to catch his breath. He tried to slowly count down from ten, just like his therapist taught him, squeezing his eyes shut, but only made it to seven before he lost track of what he was doing. A simple glance over the edge of his hole, at the cracks in the solid glacier, were enough to make him wish he had evacuated with the others.


    ¡°I¡¯m such an idiot.¡± He cried as he slid back down and tried to steady his breathing.


    The ice sheet was one and a half miles thick, but the enormous, wyvern-shaped mechanical alien had clawed its way through, all the way to the surface. Matthew imagined that it was ravenous, hibernating underneath for millions of years, and only emerged in order to feast on his bones. He shuddered as he thought he heard the snapping of its jaws.


    He dug himself deeper into the snow and shivered, and not because of the ultra-cold temperature. The cold didn¡¯t even bother him anymore. Aside from a constant debilitating debuff and occasionally having to break through a frozen layer of ice that formed on the outside of his clothes, it was fine. His hair broke like icicles until he was mostly bald, but health wise it was okay. It seemed like humans had evolved to better tolerate extremes when the apocalypse came. No, it wasn¡¯t the cold that made him shake. He shuddered at the thought of being torn limb from limb to feed the monster as its metal talons broke him into tiny morsels, breaking his bones and using them like toothpicks.


    ¡°Matt! Matt? you okay, man?¡± Mika¡¯s voice finally brought him out of his cascading panic. The Finnish man shook his arm, reaching into Matthew¡¯s hole to check on him. He was still speaking his native language, but miraculously, or just magically, he was understandable. ¡°Look! It¡¯s dead! Check your notifications!¡±


    Matthew did as he was told. He was just an intern at the research base, and it had only been a month where he was still getting comfortable when mana crashed down on the planet and ripped reality apart. Mika was a senior from some other base that had opted to stay and observe the topics of his research.


    [You defeated Field Boss: Primal Beast (Level 85)]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    ¡­


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [You have acquired a new title!]


    ¡°What?¡± Matthew gaped at all the level up messages. He counted them, finally making it past ten in his breathing exercises as he realized he nearly doubled his level in the single battle.


    He looked at Mika, who beamed with pride as he obviously leveled at least as many times. Thankfully, neither of the pair had seen much combat since the Emperor and all the Kings arrived. A blessing since the monsters kept getting stronger. Without them, they would have been overwhelmed for sure.


    Before the double question mark Field Boss appeared, he had moved closer to investigate the cracking, inadvertently putting himself on the frontline. He should have known better, but it was so unusual for anything to get past the sentinels and breach the perimeter, he never expected to find a threat.


    Matthew only managed to use two skills, desperately slinging spells at the monster, for all the good his level 11 abilities could do, as he panicked and dove for cover. The monster was completely unbothered, choosing to charge past, toward the mass of potential victims, but he still received participation credit for the kill.


    Matthew fastidiously checked the title, having received some before. One for surviving an extended period in an extreme environment and another for having a single affliction last more than 1,111 hours without falling off. The new title was even bigger than those two.


    Dauntless XXVIII - Twenty-Eighth Raid to Defeat a Field Boss.


    +30% damage dealt to bosses.


    He blinked the frost from his eyeballs and looked back at Mika, wondering what this meant. The man just laughed through his overgrown and snow collecting beard.


    ¡°You see what this means?¡± Mika prompted. The man couldn¡¯t stop trying to teach. ¡°They all received it! I saw it with my own eyes, so many of them leveled at the same time! It practically blinded me! The visibility and the snow be damned!¡±


    Matthew had never seen Mika this exuberant. He was always friendly and cheerful, apparently living up to the regional stereotype of his home, but even his enthusiasm didn¡¯t clarify what he was talking about. His blank look eventually led the man to explain better.


    Dragging Matthew out of his emergency hole, Mika cast his hand across the horizon. ¡°Identify one, and tell me its level.¡±


    Matthew obeyed, casting Identify on the nearest, smaller example.


    [Chinstrap Penguin (Level 6)]


    ¡°Level 6.¡± Matthew reported.


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Mika confirmed, way too excited about the revelation, in Matthew¡¯s opinion. Matthew¡¯s confused expression caused another response. ¡°Identify another!¡±


    Matthew selected one with an orange plume, and cast Identify.


    [Macaroni Penguin (Level 7)]


    ¡°Level 7.¡± Matthew shared, still unsure, but surprised he randomly selected two that were in the process of leveling.


    ¡°Yes! Now, do you see?¡± Mika smiled encouragingly, before he finally stated his conclusion. ¡°The Emperor has his army!¡±


    Matthew unconsciously turned toward the one they called The Emperor. Naturally, it was just another emperor penguin, but it was impossible to lose in the crowd. Most of the penguins were level 0 when identified. Only a tiny portion appeared to have adapted to mana, and all of those were obvious with their mutations and double question marks for levels. They spent all their time protecting the rest, fighting the Primal Beasts in a wide perimeter that allowed the rest of the multi-species mega-colony to remain unharassed. The Emperor was the most prominent example of the special ones, having already grown over forty feet tall.


    Mika had trekked across the continent in the first weeks of the apocalypse, abandoning the security of a civilization shard, leaving it to his colleagues in order to follow a pair of large penguin colonies as they migrated toward the South Pole. It was a complete break from the penguin¡¯s normal patterns of behavior and he had to know where they were going. The man just loved penguins.


    After he arrived, along with so many other penguin colonies, from every direction, he shared information with the occupants of the research base where Matthew was interning. Nearly the entire remaining population of scientists and researchers opted to evacuate and regroup at the shard. They were led by a pair of scientists who claimed to be Chosen and were desperate to find a settlement. Once Mika revealed that such a migration was possible, the rest went along. The example was set, but Matthew was too scared to leave, especially after the first few days had cut their population in half with monsters revealing themselves to be far more dangerous than the cold.


    Now, it was just him and Mika. The two humans and what Mika estimated to be over 10,000,000 penguins of nine different species.


    ¡°Come on! I¡¯m going to suggest we head to a civilization shard! We can hunt down more bosses as we go!¡± Mika tried to pull Matthew completely out of his snow hole.


    ¡°How are you going to do that? They¡¯re penguins!¡± Matthew argued, reminding him of the language barrier.


    ¡°They understand! I think. Probably!¡± Mika answered as he pulled them both toward the Emperor, who sat surrounded by millions of other penguins, not all of which had the decency to be sensibly sized. Some even burned with flames, or hovered slightly off the ground, or shot across the snow on their bellies with speed that should have been illegal.


    ¡°We were in the top 30 groups to defeat a Field Boss, that means there are more of them out there! The world needs us!¡± Mika continued.


    ¡°Maybe the world should come here instead?¡± Matthew flippantly suggested as he reluctantly made his way through the mega-colony, careful not to disturb the wild animals with the ability to kill him with magic powers.


    ¡°Hah! That¡¯s a good idea!¡± Mika agreed. ¡°We¡¯ll have to go convince them! Shouldn¡¯t be too hard. What could be safer than being surrounded by penguins!¡±


    Matthew whimpered, wishing he could dive back into his hole.

 Chapter 151: Keystone Species

    Coop was taking time to decompress while the girls cleared the golf course one fairway at a time. Finding a way to distract Charlie from her lingering thoughts of the previous battle had actually been the distraction he needed for himself. While the girls fought monsters, Coop explored his abilities. The pair made quick work of hundreds of Primal Trackers with each of their engagements once they established their strategy.


    While Coop was impressed by the efficacy of their massive pulls, he was absolutely not willing to exchange his consistent grinding style for one that had requirements for downtime.


    ¡°No chance.¡± He mumbled to himself as he considered the trade off.


    The Coral Forest had completely rid him of any inclination for that sort of bargain. In the girls¡¯ case, the downtime allowed them to constantly provide feedback to one another, or otherwise entertain themselves with small breaks, while iterating on their tactics. However, Coop was a solo grinder and the mandatory breaks in between pulls didn¡¯t take long to become more of a mental challenge than the actual fighting. He felt like momentum was too important for his own state of mind, and on some level, the repetition was what he subconsciously latched onto. When he fought, he chased the feeling of being in the zone which was further heightened by the guidance given by his Haunted title. The girls had developed their own cadence.


    Camila expertly corralled the wolf-like monster packs, dodging their attacks and preventing them from establishing a consistent battle-line. They wanted to encircle her and allow their formations to aid them in striking out, but she was too spry, gracefully weaving through gaps between parties that even Coop barely spotted. She maintained a steady perimeter around them instead of the other way around, forcing all of the aggressively pursuing packs into a centralized cluster where Charlie¡¯s tornadoes would inevitably spawn. From outside the crowd, Camila was able to use her perfect counters to prevent any stragglers from escaping, living up to her class name by intercepting them as they endeavored to avoid the tearing storms.


    Charlie¡¯s abilities had developed such that her Aeromancer spells, which normally had fixed formation times in exchange for absolutely no cast time, were still able to establish deadly atmospheric disturbances at a much faster pace than when she first received her skills. Practice had given her better insights into manipulating the wind to both conserve her own resources while more efficiently summoning storms. She wasn¡¯t just shoving the wind around, but actually working with the geography and recognizing the local weather in order to cooperate with the natural patterns instead of blasting her way through heavy expenditures of mana. A gust of wind would kick start an attack or a steady breeze would become the foundation of a ramping pressure. Her cast time was unchanged, but she had enhanced her speed all the same. He suspected that she was maintaining smaller formations, creating them when they were convenient, then stacking slightly larger ones, utilizing each previous entity as a building block to boost the next until she reached her desired result. She moved like a conductor directing an orchestra of wind.


    Coop admired the improvements that both of the girls had slowly incorporated into their fighting-styles, and he was slightly jealous how they had formed such a tight pair that could work together so smoothly. For his part, though, he wasn¡¯t just watching them fight. He spent almost every minute with a new ghostly companion.


    None of the phantasms communicated with him, but he strongly suspected that they understood him. Maybe it was intuition based on his experience with his Haunted title, or perhaps due to his many animal acquaintances, but he was under the impression that even if they comprehended nothing else, they still grasped his words, and more importantly, his intentions.


    The fact that the phantasms appeared to have some comprehension went against how Coop recognized the limitations on ¡®minions¡¯ as designated by the system. It was even a bit disconcerting at first, considering they would simply cease to exist after a matter of seconds, returning to the mists. Coop rationalized the peculiarities by remembering that even though they were minions, they were summoned by him specifically. The phantasms had a special connection to him. He figured most minions needed the ability to interact with their summoner on some level. If the minions started having conversations with either of the girls, then his thin level of understanding would go out the window. Thankfully, nothing of the sort had happened yet.


    Charlie summoned a slightly different tornado to finish off the eighth hole¡¯s final group of Primal Trackers. The girls were having no trouble clearing the monsters, even in the densest portion of their spawn area. The Trackers had nearly doubled in level since the girls had faced off against them to complete the first few stages of the Slayer quest chain, but that was nothing compared to what the girls had become. Coop doubted there were many challenges that they would need his help with anymore, at least when it came to the Primal Constructs.


    The new tornado was a narrow, stringy thing, but significantly taller than most of her more efficient tornadoes, reaching all the way into the fluffy clouds of the bright blue sky. Instead of being a solid funnel of wind, it was a crooked dagger that Charlie was able to shift, giving her more precise lines of attack. The tighter circulation increased the velocity of the wind, but also seemed to lower the duration of the formation. She wasn¡¯t letting the fights drag on, though. In addition to tearing gales, she had launched blades of water before she started manipulating the wind, and those blades were being wielded by gusts that were reaching out and mowing down the Primal Trackers that were putting every effort into avoiding being swept up by the storm.


    The limited initial coverage from the thinner tornado was more than made up for with the deadly striking power of her normally slow moving water blades, and of course, Camila was supremely reliable in filling in the gaps. When one of the Primal Trackers was bisected with an even cleaner cut than what Coop¡¯s bladed weapons could produce, he angled his head, impressed by the water¡¯s edge.


    ¡°Charlie¡¯s skills are pretty brutal.¡± Coop observed speaking to the ghostly sentinel that stood at his side. He saw its eyes shift toward him before returning its attention to the tall grasses on the opposite side of the fairway without any change in its expression.


    Coop had previously considered Charlie¡¯s skill set to be primarily focused on area crowd control. The addition of her lightning affinity had been a massive jump in her lethality, but the experimentation during the siege event, where her winds had become a deadly base for others¡¯ skills, had opened her mind up to even more possibilities. If she had the mana to spare, she didn¡¯t need anyone else to create a deadly blender. Charlie had been forced to grow even beyond what earned her Aeromancer class¡¯s legendary respect from the Endless Empire.


    With the last set of monsters clear, Coop joined the girls as they found the path to the tee box of the next hole. It was the same hole that he had found the first Field Boss, Andamarius. He was hoping it had respawned, especially since his Scavenging had leveled up to the point that he could acquire Unique items when he defeated bosses. The golf course remained outside of the settlement territory of Empress City thanks to the Empire¡¯s utter failure to acquire upgrades and properly develop. That meant there was as good a chance as any to find another Field Boss.


    ¡°If there¡¯s a boss, it isn¡¯t going anywhere.¡± Camila observed as Coop eagerly led the way, impatient to see what they would find. ¡°Who else would be killing them around here? The Empire would probably have lost half of its army trying, and the resistance didn¡¯t have anyone to spare.¡±


    ¡°You never know.¡± Coop still thought there could be groups out there that were specializing in boss hunting, though he had no evidence to back up his claim. Some of those that maintained their positions on the leaderboards would certainly have the capacity to take on a Field Boss if they had proper support. If he wasn¡¯t so attached to Ghost Reef he thought he could probably follow that route for levels himself.


    The cart path was still paved with smooth concrete, but both sides had grass so tall they intertwined directly above the path. They were walking through a green tunnel with streams of sunlight breaking through the leafy blades above. Yellow and orange butterflies flew between the towering blades, from one side to the other as the trio passed. The grass seemed happy to continue to grow up toward the sky rather than across the pavement, but that might have been due to a constant stream of Primal Trackers migrating through the golf course and into the city.


    When they broke out of the lush passageway, back into the sunlight, the ninth hole appeared just as Coop remembered it. Devoid of Primal Trackers, with a massive desolate space in the central area of the fairway where blight had turned the grass brown and the dirt to dust. He expected the grass to have recovered, at least, especially with mana present. He found it a bit strange that it was pretty much the same after so much time.


    Near the edge of the brown deadened area was a large muddy crater filled with rain water where the Field Boss had been defeated by Coop so many days ago. Dirt had been pushed up, creating a dry rim around most of the hole that reminded him of a giant anthill. Coop¡¯s shoulders sagged as they didn¡¯t find any boss waiting for them nearby. He was dreaming of Andamarius lounging in the middle of the fairway, just waiting for a challenger like Coop to come along, but that obviously wasn¡¯t the case.


    ¡°Sorry, Coop.¡± Camila consoled him with a pat on the shoulder. ¡°Looks like our grind continues. We¡¯re almost done with the fourth stage, though. Just a few more big groups.¡± She took the lead toward the green, planning on repeating Coop¡¯s pattern from when he chased the Slayer title, concentrating on the middle holes where the respawns were the densest in order to speed up their progress.


    ¡°Isn''t it kinda weird that there aren¡¯t even elites?¡± Charlie pondered. ¡°Everything we¡¯ve learned about mana concentrations would indicate that this should be a spot where monsters developed faster, but this area is completely empty.¡±


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Camila wasn¡¯t concerned. ¡°Maybe the mana flow, or whatever, shifted.¡± She turned to Coop. ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll find a Field Boss somewhere nearby.¡± She suggested optimistically.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think mana is supposed to be like the weather.¡± Charlie continued as she followed Camila, with Coop by her side. ¡°I think it¡¯s supposed to be more like the ocean, with major currents and stuff like that. They wouldn¡¯t just change. That¡¯s what Shalatha says anyway.¡±


    ¡°Maybe there are tides, then?¡± Camila offered, unconcerned with getting bogged down in the details.


    Coop was just placing all of his hopes on the mana well. His opinion on hunting Field Bosses had flipped with his inability to figure out their spawn patterns. Tracking down bosses in the world, while considering the evolution of settlement territories, would be such a drag, he didn¡¯t want anything to do with it. He was reconsidering his priorities for when he eventually did start branching out on adventures. Before he was thinking he would prioritize collecting the necessary materials to slowly equip as many people as possible in the absolute best gear that the grandmasters could craft, but if the bosses were this sporadic, he would revert back to ranking his Slayer title grinds at the top of his agenda.


    He was absently gazing into the muddy pond that had formed in the middle of the fairway, like a poorly planned water hazard, as the three of them strolled through the grass and made their way to the green. It really was more of a pond than the site of a detonation. He wondered if it had always been as large as it was, considering the bus-sized field boss could have drowned inside of it. There were even tadpoles and what appeared to be small fish turning the crater into their home.


    ¡°Where¡¯d those even come from?¡± He wondered out loud. It wasn¡¯t like the little lake was connected to any other bodies of water. Charlie started to answer, but she was interrupted.


    A deep, breathy hiss, like air being pushed through a wide open duct, brought their attention back toward the rough. Camila gasped, caught by surprise, just as Coop spotted a portion of the tall grass that had been pressed down by frequent passage of something large. Very large. Something that had been traveling to and from the crater with enough regularity to turn the overgrown grass into a smooth bed that lay flat against the ground.


    Even before Coop could react, Camila stepped forward, toward the grassy trail and lifted her fists protectively, like she was suddenly ready to box. Judging by her stance, she wasn¡¯t convinced her perfect counter would be enough to stop whatever she had spotted. Then he saw it as well, and he understood her doubt.


    Emerging from the tall grass was an enormous, broad, dark green snout that was slightly ajar, revealing dozens of teeth, each the length of Coop¡¯s forearm. Coop immediately recognized a dinosaur, just from seeing the mouth, thanks to a natural childhood obsession. How would Camila counter a set of jaws snapping shut?


    He cast Legacy of the Mists, sending a shieldbearer phantasm to catch the ambusher and replace Camila as its target, utilizing Presence of Mind to see what they had walked into at the same time as he provided the summoned minion with his intent: defend and distract.


    [American Alligator (Level 122)]


    [Apex Predator (Body)]


    [Primordial (Dauntless)]


    Before the phantasm burst out of the mists, Camila stepped forward unhesitatingly. Her fist connected underneath the bottom of the jaw with an uppercut that shifted her own body out of the way more than it slowed the forward charge of the huge reptilian monster. The creature had come from their left, and Camila moved herself to the opposite side from Coop and Charlie, further toward the green.


    The alligator was massive, but still smaller than the Field Boss they had expected to find. Where Andamarius was actually the size of a bus, the alligator was more like an unreasonably large pick-up truck, and it stood just as tall. Camila had been forced to uppercut the creature as its stature held it that far above her head.


    Charlie launched herself high into the air with a gust of wind that whipped up dust while Camila somersaulted to her feet. Coop leapt forward, with his shield and spear leading the way, like he was charging into a battlefield. He could feel the wind pressing down on him as Charlie liberally spent her mana, temporarily flying high above the ground. It felt like he was running underneath a rocket engine. The pond was suddenly full of waves that threatened to spill over the rim.


    Charlie hovered in the air with both arms held out from her sides, with both wrists curled up toward the sky, with her fingers bent into rigid formations. Her hair was whipping in the air, while also slowly rising. The air crackled.


    The alligator twisted its neck in order to turn its jaw on its side. The phantasm that Coop had summoned directly in front of it connected with its own tower shield, smashing the oversized protective equipment against the tip of the alligator¡¯s snout. The phantasm thrust its spear forward in order to counter attack, aiming it down the throat, but the alligator¡¯s jaw slammed shut with a snap. The abruptness of the attack was shocking, sending a wave of pressure across the fairway and causing the grass to bend on both sides.


    Mists leaked from between its teeth as it returned its head to its natural orientation just in time for Coop¡¯s spear to jab it in the side, driving through the thick skin at the base of its neck, leaving a gaping wound. Coop yanked his spear out, prepared to thrust again and noted that the wound didn¡¯t bleed the way he expected. In fact, there was no blood at all, as if he had merely pierced armor rather than any flesh. A phantasm burst out of the mists above Coop, even while he was retracting his spear, following up with a precise combination blow, seeking to deal magic damage when physical might not be ideal.


    The phantasm lunged and stabbed with its own ghostly replica of Coop¡¯s spear, landing what would have been a devastating blow against the mana well¡¯s first boss, but the alligator essentially shrugged it off, proving itself to be a proper tank. The phantasm landed next to Coop, having dealt as little damage as he had with its own attack. The reptile whipped its head toward Coop in response to the dual blows while simultaneously adding a skill that emanated from its body in waves.


    Dark brown pulses of muddy energy radiated from the alligator¡¯s body and Coop found himself afflicted by some sort of crowd control. He could still move, but it was like he had his attention forcefully applied to the gator¡¯s eyes. It was like an unspoken challenge that he hadn¡¯t been able to resist, even with his completely ridiculous magic defense, though it may not have been an attack exactly, more like a taunt. He was staring into the reptilian eyes when the alligator¡¯s jaw sought to swipe his body, with teeth bared.


    Coop met the challenge with his shield, raising it and smashing it forward. When the shield and teeth met, Coop¡¯s feet were driven into the ground, leaving divots through the slightly overgrown fairway and deep into the dirt, but he had easily been strong enough to counter the alligator¡¯s power.


    A tooth flew from the creature¡¯s mouth, up and behind Coop, the phantasm stabbed at the roof of the alligator¡¯s mouth, and at the same time the sound of Camila¡¯s Perfect Counter rang out. The satisfying ring of a metal bat dinging a baseball for a home run was actually Camila¡¯s fist catching the tail as it whipped toward her when the gator attacked Coop.


    The combination of Coop¡¯s shield bash, the phantasm¡¯s attack, and Camila¡¯s counter lifted the animal into the air in spite of its bulk. It looked like it would land on its side, as it spun counter-clockwise, not agile enough to correct its orientation and lacking the physical attributes that would help, given its relatively stubby legs compared to its thick body.


    Its back right leg was the first to touch the ground, kicking up clods of dirt and grass as it barely scraped the surface with webbed claws. Coop prepared to follow up, seizing the momentum in the fight when it was presented as had become natural in so many other conflicts. But before he attacked again, a blinding light exploded through the gator¡¯s back, dead center, where the armored scales were the largest.


    A massive pillar of lightning, looking more like a spike of blindingly white energy, smashed into the alligator, causing its muscles to immediately seize up and forcing its landing to be even more awkward than it would have been otherwise. Coop stumbled backwards, deafened by the thunder, with his phantasm turning back into mists. The alligator¡¯s back had arched, jaw snapped shut, and all four legs splayed out rigidly as it was flung a dozen feet up into the air.


    When it landed with a crash, it was still stiffened. Steam and smoke radiated from the skin of the alligator, floating up into the sky. Finally able to tear his eyes away from the gator¡¯s eyes, Coop belatedly noticed that they were cast in deep shadows, almost as dark as night, as a huge thunder cloud pressed down above them, seeming to be far too low. The cloud was already disappearing, losing its density like cotton candy dropped into water. As the light of day returned, he realized Charlie was falling.


    Dropping his spear, he shifted to the side and managed to catch Charlie with one arm. A split second later Camila was there. ¡°I¡¯ve got her.¡± Camila stated in a muffled voice that barely registered as a whisper after the thunder had deafened them. Coop passed the Aeromancer over, eyes reverting back to the alligator.


    Resummoning his spear to his hand, he stepped toward the animal knowing it was still alive, but unsure if it wanted to continue to fight. The alligator was clearly hurt, dazed from the massive amount of electricity that had just run through its body. It dragged itself across the fairway and slid into the muddy crater, seeking refuge inside the small body of water that it had created.


    Now Coop understood that the crater had become a gator hole, which explained the slightly different appearance from what he remembered. The animal had altered it to be more comfortable, establishing a tiny refuge of its own. Judging by its Dauntless title, it had been responsible for defeating the Field Boss at least once. Coop suspected that it easily had a Slayer title from chomping on Primal Trackers, given its extraordinary level. In order to gain that much experience from lower level monsters, it must have been busy. He thought it was interesting that the Primal Trackers applied a debuff that let them pursue a fight while the alligator had an ability that taunted things into fighting it. The animal hadn¡¯t taken a class that ran from fights, making it a natural counter to the Trackers main gimmick.


    Coop cautiously approached the edge of the pond, letting a thin Fog of War cover the surface, as he respected the ability of the alligator when it came to ambushes after it caught them by surprise once.


    ¡°You alright in there?¡± Coop tried talking to it. ¡°Can you even hear underwater?¡± He wondered aloud, but Fog of War answered his question when the tiny fish scattered away from the surface, leaving ripples across the top of the water. The pair of reptilian eyes that breached the surface and locked onto Coop were evidence that it was aware of his presence. The gator continued hiding its bulk in the muddy water, but it stared straight at Coop, from the other side of the pond.


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to fight.¡± Coop tried negotiating, imagining that the alligator was feeling properly contrite after biting off more than it could chew.

 Chapter 152: Dragonrider

    ¡°Are you really sure this is okay?¡± Charlie¡¯s voice was carefully controlled, clearly a bit disconcerted with the situation she found herself in after she regained consciousness. She didn¡¯t want to escalate any problems by raising her voice in a way that might cause surprise, though her urgent tone got the message across.


    She had partially recovered after draining most of her mana with her ultimate attack, but she was still weakened, sounding groggy in addition to her obvious concern. She and Madison had decided to diagnose the impact of overloading mana as Mana Sickness, though the system hadn¡¯t given it any designation. While only certain skills could push anyone beyond their limit, it seemed like a few specific classes were more susceptible. Perhaps it was due to those classes receiving skills that went beyond what a low level caster could handle.


    Camila and Charlie probably wouldn¡¯t be able to continue grinding for a day or two, at least not safely, after Charlie went all out with her abilities. If another emergency situation reared its head, they would be lacking too many of her skills to feel comfortable handling it, so they were putting a pause on the Primal Tracker Slayer quests. Coop was more disappointed that their grind was ending prematurely than they were.


    After a pause, Coop answered her question from over his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s fine. She knows we just wanted to fight the Primal Trackers. It was all a big misunderstanding.¡± Coop reassured her. He sounded confident to his own ear, but he was keeping a close eye on their new friend, just in case.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t understand how we ended up doing all this.¡± Charlie waved one of her hands with confusion, the other one was tightly gripped on a makeshift saddle horn.


    ¡°He just walked up to it and had a little chat.¡± Camila explained with a chuckle, though she was almost 20 feet away and the sound she made was at least a little more nervous than amused. It was uncharacteristic compared to the image of perfect confidence Camila typically presented.


    Coop went ahead and elaborated, waving his loot as he spoke like the pointer stick of a class lecturer. ¡°Well, I tried to explain the whole situation with the assimilation, the Primal Constructs invading, and also with mana and the Eradication Protocol, and I think we both came to an understanding. We have a common enemy and it would be a decent idea to work together and even help each other.¡± Coop shrugged. ¡°At least that¡¯s what I understood. She isn¡¯t very talkative.¡± He turned and looked at Charlie, who was sitting on the alligator¡¯s back as they slowly walked down the center of the state road that led back to the city.


    She looked absolutely terrified, but she held onto the ridge of scales to prevent herself from falling off. The gait of an alligator was slightly different than most animals used for transportation, with lots of side to side motion to compensate for the stubby legs.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s crazy, but also why am I on her back?¡± Charlie nervously asked, trying to get to the root of the matter.


    Coop scratched his ear as he started to explain. ¡°I ended up telling her about professions and the extra stats they give. Which then led to inviting her to the civilization shard to see if she wanted to get one. All these animals are so strong, but for the most part they don¡¯t have any interaction with settlements.¡± Coop continued. ¡°And you¡¯re on her back ¡®cause I wanted to keep my hands free, just in case¡­ well, you know.¡± Coop gestured to the gator with the tooth. The gator seemed to respond by releasing warm air with a heavy breath.


    Charlie didn¡¯t seem satisfied with his explanation, so she turned to her most reliable friend instead. ¡°Camila? Why?¡± She desperately continued, pitch rising to cartoonish levels, not accepting that Camila would have abandoned her the same way.


    ¡°I, uh, wanted my hands free, too. You know, for the same reason.¡± Camila had to raise her voice a bit to be heard as she shifted closer to 25 feet away as she finished.


    Charlie choked back more grumbling as she rushed through a few more stages of grief, forced into temporary acceptance by the circumstances.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Coop repeated. ¡°She doesn¡¯t mind.¡± He patted the gator on the side of the neck, though he didn¡¯t receive any feedback from the animal. ¡°At this rate, we should make it back before dark at least.¡± He guessed, gazing up at the sky. He hadn¡¯t realized how slow alligators were. They seemed pretty fast when they were charging forward or in the water, but those bursts of galloping speed were short-lived. They were walking at a very leisurely pace, but he wasn¡¯t quite willing to hurry them along.


    Coop frowned imagining how natural the beast was in the water. ¡°Too bad we can¡¯t take her home with us.¡± He glanced back over his shoulder and both girls were looking at him like he had lost his mind completely. ¡°I mean she¡¯s an alligator, I don¡¯t think they like salt water that much.¡± He explained, ignoring what had earned him their stares. ¡°Besides, she already has a home that she obviously worked hard to claim. She had to defeat a Field Boss after all. She has the title.¡± He pointed out. ¡°I imagine that was a tough fight.¡± The bus-sized mechanical wolf with its constant howls and a truck-sized alligator would have been a clash of titans. He would have liked to see it, but only if he was far enough away to avoid both of their area skills.


    ¡°Really? It has titles?¡± Charlie asked, unable to see the same information that Presence of Mind revealed for Coop. ¡°So, she¡¯s like Jett?¡±


    ¡°Maybe we¡¯re all like Jett.¡± Coop mused, but Charlie just looked at him skeptically, unhappy to not get what seemed like a serious answer.


    Coop was serious, though, and he tried to explain his reasoning. ¡°Think about it, if they have mana, they probably have those basic skills we all started with: Identify and Common Language. If they¡¯re leveling, they might be able to understand us.¡± The girls looked at the alligator, which didn¡¯t provide any feedback one way or another.


    Coop kept going with his theories. ¡°It¡¯s probably weird to suddenly understand communication like that. Immediately before the assimilation they didn¡¯t even have the conceptual idea of language, right? The whole apocalypse was confusing enough for us humans, and we had it explained, more or less. I imagine they¡¯re confused and doing their best to survive the way they always have.¡°


    ¡°Hm.¡± Camila thought about it for a moment before reacting. ¡°That unexpectedly makes some sense, I guess.¡± She admitted, reevaluating the alligator, but not moving any closer. ¡°But, what about all of the Chosen animals? They don¡¯t really seem to behave much differently from before. Shouldn¡¯t there be Champions and, like, animal settlements? They would have received the same faction orientations as us, right?¡±


    ¡°I suppose some of them had it explained to them in a more structured way, like you guys did with the Empire, but not many.¡± Coop suggested. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it seem like the whole assimilation was weirdly fixated on humans? The Empire didn¡¯t sponsor any animals, right? What percentage of people do you think were offered sponsorships?¡±


    Camila answered. ¡°I heard from one of Gibson¡¯s people that his faction guessed over 90% of people were offered sponsorships. Only those with exceptionally low potential or in extremely isolated places would be ignored, since the name of the game is establishing the settlements and surviving.¡±


    ¡°So, what about all of the animals?¡± Coop kept up his line of questioning. ¡°There are a lot of them, after all. How many were Chosen?¡±


    Camila looked unsure. ¡°I dunno. Definitely less. Probably less than 1%? It¡¯s rare to even see one leveling at all, and it seems like a coin flip if they were Chosen or not.¡±


    Coop nodded along. ¡°Only a few specialized factions bothered with animals. And now that we know that mana and the system are two separate entities, with the factions essentially flying blind, I think we can explain some of the weirdness in our assimilation compared to what the factions expected. They are almost completely tunnel visioned on humans, applying their own specific experiences to Earth, but the system doesn¡¯t seem to care about the difference between me and our new friend.¡± He gestured toward the gator. ¡°And mana probably doesn¡¯t care about any of us at all.¡±


    ¡°Is that why Ghost Reef got a civilization shard?¡± Charlie wondered. ¡°They were supposed to end up in places with high density in order to seed population centers, but one landed on a remote island with two people on it. Maybe the system considered all the animals on the reefs.¡±


    ¡°Could be.¡± Coop thought it was a reasonable analysis. ¡°If that¡¯s what happened, I imagine a lot of the shards were lost when they landed among a herd of unchosen reindeer or something else that just left it alone. I bet more than half of them would have ended up in the ocean.¡± Coop frowned as he considered the system¡¯s motivations. ¡°The system doesn¡¯t do a great job uplifting species, does it?¡±


    The rest of the walk was mostly done in quiet contemplation. Coop thought about how Balor described his own species being inducted into the galactic community. By human standards, there was no life on their planet, but the system uplifted unthinking rocks that were minding their own business creating geometric patterns. Of course they would look at the system like it was a god. Coop was willing to bet that the vast majority of the galactic community would have similarly humble origin stories. The system would definitely seem like a force of benevolence from their perspective.


    It took the group almost three times as long to complete the return trip back to the airport. The alligator¡¯s pace was consistent, but slow. They moved through the relatively rural outerlimits of the city before finding empty suburbs and half-destroyed strip malls. Eventually, the offices around downtown made their presence known, crowding the sides of the roads with their multi-storey constructions opposite inadequate sidewalks that were being broken down by weeds. Clumps of muhly grasses had grown three to four feet tall already, reclaiming their places within the concrete footprint that had displaced them as cities developed.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    When the airport¡¯s dirt-filled outer fields came into view, it was late into the night. They had only spent a single day away, but Coop considered the trip a success, since the goal was to distract Charlie with his own unhealthy coping mechanisms and give her a chance to get her head straight. It appeared to have worked. She was definitely preoccupied with thoughts of the system, mana, shards, factions, and of course, the giant alligator she was riding.


    The airport was busy, despite the late hour. Unlike Ghost Reef, the residents of Empress City had never had any pressure to establish routines. They didn¡¯t sleep or eat, and only those that were pressed into service kept any schedule at all, and it was centered around patrols and guard duties.


    Now, there were groups of people, holding torches, as they appeared to be divvying up what was previously the outer ring. It seemed like Marcus and the new leadership of Empress City had already reached the planning phase of development. He thought it would take longer given how much larger the efforts would need to be when compared to Ghost Reef. It didn¡¯t take long for his group¡¯s return to be noticed as evidenced by shouts of alarm.


    ¡°Oops.¡± Coop muttered as he watched the people abandon whatever they were working on to sprint back toward the intact wall of the inner ring.


    ¡°I mean, what did you expect to happen?¡± Camila queried, pointing at the giant alligator like the only people who were behaving to its presence in an appropriate manner were those that were running away.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go ahead and give them a little warning? Maybe find Marcus and make sure everything is going well.¡± Coop suggested.


    Camila shook her head and went forward. Coop just looked back at the gator and encouraged it to keep going. He didn¡¯t want to make it wait and already knew that it moved slow enough that Camila would have plenty of time to convince Empress City to roll the red carpet out for their guest of honor.


    When they approached the nearest gate, Marcus was there to greet them. Him and literally thousands of people. Marcus started in the center of the open gate, but immediately shifted to one side as he witnessed the gator¡¯s form for himself.


    Coop had been under the impression that he had already observed the majority of Empress City¡¯s population, but it became abundantly clear that he had not. The fighting had taken place between thousands, but their numbers had been masked by being split multiple times for the different port islands, and then funneled into the highway. When they first claimed the civilization shard, he hadn¡¯t appreciated how many people were simply lingering on the outskirts, or otherwise avoiding the commotion, who had now joined the crowd, seeing a chance for a new beginning.


    Coop had only actually seen between 20 and 30 thousand before. The airport now had nearly 80,000 people openly gathered along runways and around the walls, forming long lines, and setting up what were essentially camps as they were brought up to speed.


    ¡°I see you made a friend.¡± Marcus called out, sounding a bit like a parent trying to gauge whether or not their child thought they would be able to keep a stray animal that they brought home.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Coop responded happily, not resisting the childlike joy he had with his new companion. ¡°Wanted to get her a profession.¡± He clarified as he led the way toward the gate.


    ¡°There¡¯s quite a line for the shard, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll mind if your friend cuts to the front.¡± Marcus explained as he fell in on Coop¡¯s side. Specifically, the outside, away from the alligator¡¯s snout.


    ¡°So,¡± Coop started, ¡°How¡¯s it going? Any problems?¡±


    ¡°A few, but much less than expected.¡± Marcus began. He clearly had a lot to say. ¡°First, the prison has a maximum capacity of 1,000. We¡¯re pretty much already there. Essentially, anyone who had any form of leadership position within the Endless Empire has been incarcerated. It was easy to find them, since just about everyone else pointed them out. None of them tried to hide it, either. If they wanted to resist they would have fled the city before we took over.¡±


    ¡°What are we going to do with them?¡± Coop was concerned about starting the new direction of the settlement in a way that might taint its future prospects.


    ¡°We¡¯ve offered them a choice to either accept exile from the settlement or wait until there is some justice system in place to put them on trial for their crimes. The same deal was given to anyone that participated in the Empire¡¯s campaign. We only had about 20 people take us up on the offer to leave. The rest stayed put.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± Coop was surprised, given that there were so many people.


    Marcus nodded and Coop noticed he had bags under his eyes. It seemed like the Viceroy had been working hard. ¡°I should say that the first thing we established was the situation with the Eradication Protocol, which was Fabiana¡¯s idea. We showed them that there is a greater threat, and that we shouldn¡¯t be fighting each other, but rather establishing strongholds for what is coming in the future. It seems the message of impending doom was received rather brightly.¡±


    Coop nodded. ¡°That¡¯s essentially how I made friends with the gator.¡± He glanced over and noted how the citizens of Empress City made sure to give the animal a wide berth, though they were pointing and whispering to each other.


    He overheard some of their whispered conversations while Marcus paused. ¡°That¡¯s one of Ghost Reef¡¯s Dragonriders!¡± Someone excitedly announced, referring to Charlie riding on the back of the gator. Coop was immediately confused.


    Another seemed to agree. ¡°I heard that¡¯s what happened to the previous Champion. He got eaten in one chomp.¡± He stated solemnly. ¡°Good riddance.¡±


    ¡°No way! It was the Nomad! He beheaded him after the Champion took one look at the dragons and tried to run away!¡± A lady disagreed, further fueling the speculation.


    Coop didn¡¯t know how they were going to keep anything straight with all the rumors that the place seemed to generate. He looked back up at Charlie, who was petrified by the attention she was receiving. She was doing her best to seem in control of the situation while hiding behind her bangs. In retrospect, he probably should have helped her down before they entered the city.


    Marcus continued with his assessment of Empress City. ¡°None of the residents on either side had any long term plans. The very idea of looking forward had essentially been beaten out of them by the conditions established by the top brass. But as a consequence, they were surprisingly agreeable to adopting ours.¡±


    ¡°Are they actually going to be able to cooperate, though?¡± Coop wondered, skeptical that the resistance and the Empire could go from trying to kill each other to best buddies in a matter of days. It actually seemed completely ridiculous, and he made it clear to Marcus that¡¯s what he thought.


    ¡°There¡¯s a chance.¡± Marcus stated, though he also didn¡¯t sound totally convinced. ¡°For one, the entire assimilation, the apocalypse, mana, and magic, made everything a lot of them were doing seem unreal. I get the impression that even the people physically fighting, felt like they were playing a video game, or doing one of those battle reenactments you might find at a renaissance fair. They just never got their bearings set and were swept up by the factions themselves. Not that it¡¯s an excuse, but at least there are mitigating circumstances that all sides can agree played a major factor. I¡¯m sure you noticed how they were like a stone rolling down a hill.¡±


    ¡°I did, actually. Thought it was some kind of mob mentality.¡± Coop remembered how he thought he would need to kill them all, then when someone finally surrendered, so many others were willing to do the same, like the tides changed and they were all swept along.


    Marcus nodded. ¡°Something like that. Then, the prison actually really came through in terms of enforcement. There is a punishment and discipline scoresheet that the warden can keep; it automatically tracks merits and demerits for residents of the city. All of the Empire¡¯s soldiers, the ones who actually fought, will need to cooperate and essentially work off their crimes. They could just leave, but if there is one thing most everyone is convinced of, it¡¯s that being within settlement territory is critical, and we only piled on by revealing the Eradication Protocol.¡±


    He pointed toward the parking garages that encircled the dungeon tower. ¡°That¡¯s the line for people voluntarily submitting for the program.¡±


    Coop raised his eyebrows as the group of people queued in a line that ran up and down each of the garages, until they spilled out into the pick-up and drop-off area. It included thousands of people. ¡°You¡¯re using the honor system?¡±


    ¡°More or less. I¡¯m a bit nervous about it, but we didn¡¯t have any control over the warden¡¯s scoresheet, or how it would determine what was a merit and a demerit. It¡¯s all a part of the service building, and unfortunately it¡¯s one from the Endless Empire.¡± Marcus rubbed the back of his neck with one hand as he recalled the rules. ¡°They get merits for proper service toward the settlement and demerits for many detrimental actions, like property or personnel damage. If someone correctly reports someone else, they will receive a merit, and a demerit if they falsely accuse another.¡± He sighed. ¡°It¡¯s all a bit too invasive, if you ask me, but Fabiana believes it is something that will slowly phase out as the population intermingles. It isn¡¯t like there are ancient feuds that will linger as they work together.¡±


    Marcus put two fingers up. ¡°I can see it going one of two ways. Either the merit system encourages people to work together in building the city, just like Ghost Reef, but in a tangible way, or the demerit system causes a whole new set of issues where no one trusts each other.¡± He put his fingers down. ¡°Jackson and Fabiana have already instructed all of their captains to keep a close eye on the atmosphere of the settlement as it develops, and Eleza was made aware of our concerns. She promised that it would not become a problem, but I doubt she can accurately assess humans just yet.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about leaving the prison warden in charge of that much, especially now that he believed the contracted residents could be insubordinate in various ways. ¡°It might be good for some of us to at least keep an eye on the process.¡± He suggested.


    Marcus agreed. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re going to establish a unified justice system as soon as possible. It¡¯ll provide some supervision for the whole thing. I really hope this will just be a transitionary period that converts into something we can be proud of.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to stay involved.¡± Coop thought it was good that they weren¡¯t too far away.


    ¡°The other thing is that we need credits.¡± Marcus pointed out, at least partially embarrassed.


    ¡°I knew it!¡± Coop laughed. ¡°How much?¡±


    ¡°Well, I suggested we concentrate on establishing the essentials for people to live actual normal lives. People need something to contribute to, ways to better themselves, leisure activities, and rest. So, we created a city-planning department where construction projects will be approved and organized, an adventurer¡¯s guild branch to form hunting parties, outlined a dining district that will be at least partially initiated by contracted residents, and lots and lots of apartments.¡± Marcus explained. ¡°We only had enough for some of the services that will generate necessary building materials, one restaurant¡­¡±


    ¡°How much, Marcus?¡± Coop asked again, amused by how his advisor was dancing around it.


    ¡°Housing alone will be close to 1,000,000 basic credits, and that¡¯s if we make sure each room of each apartment unit is filled individually instead of letting them occupy entire units.¡± Marcus finally admitted.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Coop accepted the damage. ¡°As long as you turn this place into an actual city, as opposed to whatever the heck it was before, that¡¯s not a problem.¡±

 Chapter 153: CIty-Building

    The alligator reached the entrance of the airport without incident. They certainly drew attention on the way, but every single person kept a respectful distance, not willing to test the newly minted Dragonrider or the Nomad. The residents of Empress City had already received the preliminary guidelines that had served Ghost Reef and knew the expectations when it came to tolerance of wildlife, but the alligator was the first example for exactly how much the ballgame had changed. It only took one look to decide that they¡¯d prefer to be allies. If anyone harbored doubts for treating animals as equals, they were quashed by the majestic specimen in front of them.


    Marcus and Jackson had managed to navigate the shard from the isolated break room all the way to the passenger entrance of the airport. The front of the airport was a grand construction with a cathedral glass roof that easily eclipsed 50 feet above their heads. It was criss-crossed by curved metal beams that decorated the ceiling, and extended all the way over the drop-off area. Large circular planters contained slightly overgrown shrubs that spilled over their edges with small palm trees situated in the center of each, but it was otherwise a completely unobstructed sunroom-like area.


    The wide open space curved around the central waiting area with a dozen wide doorways leading into the airport terminals on the inside and multiple lanes of empty roads on the outside. Beyond the roads, there were broad pathways that led to the various parking garages from a centralized courtyard. Each of the pathways had a unique designation, like Flamingo, Tarpon, and amusingly Alligator, to help travelers remember which garage housed their vehicles. A corresponding pedestrian bridge, decorated with the associated animal, led over what was once a highly trafficked place full of waiting vehicles and hurried visitors.


    The residents of Empress City fully replaced the missing vacationers and had formed a relatively orderly line that extended down the roads, away from the garages, in order to queue up for access to the shard. The crowds in and around the parking garages made a completely separate group, lining up to visit the jail instead, and they had naturally avoided mixing up to lessen the confusion. The droning of hundreds of conversations hushed with the arrival of the beast, but the alligator paid the sudden attention no heed, diligently following Coop as he went straight to the shard.


    Almost everyone present was in the process of leaving the Endless Empire and selecting professions or registering with the warden. Jackson and a handful of others stood near the shard, providing direction to anyone that needed it and advice if they so desired. Throughout the day that Coop and the girls had been at the golf course, only about half of the residents had completed the first task, and they were the ones being organized by Fabiana and Marcus in planning out the city.


    When the alligator approached, there wasn¡¯t a single peep of complaint that it was skipping the line. Charlie and her mount were natural VIPs. The animal simply nudged the shard with the tip of her snout and stood perfectly still for about 30 seconds before turning and moseying back the way she came. Jackson didn¡¯t even comment before he started waving the next few people forward while keeping a wary eye on the animal.


    Coop addressed Jackson instead, curious about the impact the alligator had on the settlement before they had arrived. ¡°Have you noticed less Primal Trackers roaming around the city?¡±


    Jackson was surprised to be called out, distracted by the alligator, but he swung his attention toward Coop. ¡°Primal Trackers? Ever since the wave of them during the event, there have been noticeably less. Still some, but not enough to become a problem. They mostly come from the north and south these days.¡±


    Coop nodded. ¡°Probably because of that one.¡± He suggested with a thumb toward the alligator. ¡°You should probably figure out all of their spawn zones and have people get levels around there.¡±


    Jackson absently ducked his head. ¡°I believe the people forming the adventurer¡¯s guild branch will be prioritizing that after the battlefields are cleaned up. Marcus made sure we would have a method to get people leveling and warned us about leaving the monsters to develop on their own.¡±


    ¡°You better make sure to level too.¡± Coop suggested as he backed away, catching up with the slow retreat of the alligator. ¡°Don¡¯t let anyone catch up!¡± He shouted over his shoulder. Jackson gulped as he received his assignment.


    ¡°All done?¡± Coop asked the gator once he was back by its side, but it simply continued retracing its steps. ¡°Right.¡± Coop shrugged. ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll escort you back out.¡±


    Charlie may as well have been a statue as she remained in place all the way back through the inner gate. Before they parted ways with the alligator, Coop reiterated the importance of the settlement¡¯s territory and reminded the animal that if she needed to seek refuge before the settlement expanded all the way to the golf course, she would be welcomed inside the airport.


    As with most of the other animals that he tried to have a conversation with, he had to assume that she received the message. At least with the animals of Ghost Reef, his assumptions had been mostly met, but what did he know?


    Coop made Charlie hop off as they entered the outer ring, catching her as she quickly removed herself from the alligator¡¯s back. It took a moment for Charlie to get her legs under her, like she had been at sea for too long, but she didn¡¯t have any more complaints about the ride. Coop thought she had ended up having fun right up until the entire population of Empress City took interest in her. Thousands of stares had probably brought her anxiety levels to their peak, but she had put on a good show.


    They rejoined Marcus, Camila, and Fabiana back near the main entrance of the airport. The area was already becoming a central hub for the city with the shard in full view of everyone. By way of greeting, Coop transferred one million credits to Fabiana. She did her best to seem unimpressed by the sudden windfall, but the way she squeezed her lips together failed to uphold the stoicism she was aiming for.


    ¡°Alright. So, tell me the plan.¡± Coop prompted. He was also excited to get back to some city-building as Ghost Reef¡¯s footprint had been pretty well established. Empress City was a blank canvas.


    Fabiana was glad to share what Marcus and her group of trusted captains had decided on. ¡°To start with, the goal is to begin reestablishing a community. Marcus here had plenty of insight on what to prioritize, given the fact that most of our needs for survival are met with mana. Even though there are plenty of buildings in the city that can be reclaimed, we¡¯ll be building extensive housing in the safest place first. Afterwards, we¡¯ll let the residents fill in services through the city-planning department. The rest of the city will be reclaimed and repurposed over time.¡±


    Marcus nodded along, before he gave her a request. ¡°Could you wait a few minutes before you get started? I¡¯d like to get a good vantage point so that we can watch.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourselves.¡± Fabiana responded.


    Marcus hurried Coop, Camila, and Charlie back into the airport. The corridors were still dark, but they weren¡¯t as empty as before. A handful of residents had returned and made themselves comfortable here and there. It was a bit similar to how it had been when the Empire was in control, except the atmosphere was notably different, more casual, with less sense of impending discipline if they looked at the wrong person the wrong way. Coop spotted some smiles and heard some scattered laughter as the relief that things were changing slowly set in. It might end up being a long process, but at least they seemed to be getting the first step in the right direction.


    Coop¡¯s group made their way back to the series of escalators that would take them to the lounge and eventually the break room that contained the shard previously, but bypassed going up. Marcus led them in a different direction, remaining on the ground floor until they were outside, on the opposite side of the airport. ¡°This is how we got the shard outside.¡± He pointed out, showing how there was roof access to the entire airport on the commercial side. He continued leading them toward the tallest point of the entire airfield.


    The air traffic control tower stood by itself, at the end of a series of flattened metal hangars, tall enough to oversee the entire inner and outer rings of the airport. It had a single story base building on one side that they entered before finding their way up to the top.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised the Empire didn¡¯t use this as their base.¡± Camila noted as she observed the panoramic perspective.


    ¡°Apparently, they were. They divided up the responsibility to some domestic corrections advisor, and this was his office.¡± Marcus pointed out. ¡°One of the ones that fled when the Champion was defeated.¡±


    Coop grunted, feeling like he should have guessed they would use the perch for guarding against its own population. ¡°So how did you guys decide to layout the city?¡± Coop questioned. ¡°Not a linear thing, I hope.¡±


    ¡°No, no, we decided against that. I think it would have been fine, like the main street back home, with the settlement expanding around it, but they figured they would rather focus on one easily defensible position to start with to avoid spreading themselves thin.¡± Marcus gestured toward the highway.


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    The wide road drove straight to the port, but when it reached the outer ring of the airport it curved, giving the extended facilities a wide berth, wrapping the dirt fields before leading in the other three cardinal directions after clearing the airfield¡¯s perimeter. There were dozens of fires burning up and down the road on the oceanside, clearly visible in the night.


    Marcus recognized Coop¡¯s questioning expression and answered without prompting. ¡°They¡¯re making funeral pyres, and cleaning up the path to the port first. It¡¯ll become a memorial road when they¡¯re ready. Probably best not to shove a bunch of housing along the place where they fought and bled with and against each other.¡±


    Charlie frowned as she inherently agreed, but Coop was distracted by the view. As his eyes followed the highway¡¯s northern route toward the horizon, he was mesmerized by the evolution of the landscape. From their elevated perspective, the moonlight was enough to clearly reveal the changes that had occurred with the introduction of mana.


    Rather than suburbs and strip malls expanding beyond the horizon as the city¡¯s development spread along the coast and into the interior of the state, his eyes were met with a sea of green. Small islands of concrete remained, but for the most part sawgrass prairie had engulfed the less developed areas in the interior. Marshes existed where parking lots once dominated while flocks of wading birds were white and pink specks against the green and brown backdrop. Along the coast, mangroves had swallowed docks and marinas, creating a dark green barrier along the ocean that provided contour from their perspective. Every few miles, the grasses and mangroves converged, forming natural fingers of vegetation that reconnected the Everglades with the ocean.


    Coop took a moment to be impressed before he brought his attention back to the layout of Empress City, looking down at the airport¡¯s abandoned planes. ¡°So, is it gonna be a radial city, like Ghost Reef?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly. To begin with, the city will be aligned with the runways.¡± Marcus pointed to the long straight paths that occupied much of the inner ring.


    From their perspective in the control tower, there were five main runways. Two were parallel to each other to their north, one was at a 45 degree angle, extending from one end of the closer parallel lane, forming the angle at the end, and another two were parallel to the south, on the opposite side of the airport terminals, forming another connection with the angled road. From above, they looked like a mirrored letter ¡®Z¡¯ with the airport¡¯s main building to its right.


    In between the main thoroughfares, there were dozens of lesser roads that were intersecting with each other, leading to and from the terminals at the airport and the runways. Those smaller paths connected to each of the main roads in ten different places. Coop only knew about airports in passing, but he imagined that these were taxiways as well as service roads.


    While his eyes followed the complicated patterns, an apartment building started forming near the crook of the intersecting runways on the north side. It had been placed slightly away from the edge of the road, which made Coop question the location.


    ¡°Did they miss the edge?¡± Coop contemplated as the building formed a foundation, then rapidly grew, starting with the inner walls, until the outer walls caught up. The windows were the last to form. The top down perspective afforded by the shard made exact placement extraordinarily easy, so he found it hard to believe its position was an accident.


    ¡°They¡¯re going to put local services on the outside of the roads, and also down the middle, and offset the apartment buildings to leave room.¡± Marcus confirmed that the location was intentional. ¡°Since everything is going to need to be within walking distance, the idea is that they will set up smaller, mixed neighborhoods that overlap with each other. If they tried to make a residential district, it probably would just take up the entire airport and spill out into the city, which would make getting to anything else wildly inconvenient.¡±


    Marcus shook his head. ¡°Seriously, the amount of space they¡¯ll need just for housing without upgrades is ridiculous. It really put into perspective how lucky Ghost Reef was to start small and slowly expand. Cities absolutely needed to utilize the preexisting structures, if they wanted to maintain their populations, unlike what Empress City did.¡±


    Coop just added it as yet another reason that Ghost Reef had lucked into avoiding certain problems, which in turn created different ones. The advantage was that they had been able to grow the physical settlement with their population, and properly plan their development, but the disadvantage had been actually finding new residents essentially required them to poach from others.


    If Empress City hadn¡¯t been as incompetently run as it was, they would have been hard-pressed to convince anyone to join their fledgling settlement. Why would anyone leave the safety of numbers if there hadn¡¯t been other more pressing concerns with the management of the city? Even then, it seemed like most of the people who had heard Coop¡¯s offer to join his settlement had been willing to ignore it until it was far too late.


    Given enough time, even if Ghost Reef survived without any influx of recruits, Empress City probably would have swallowed them up, with an enormous population and settlement upgrades stretching their territory until it was a regional power. Instead, the territory that it covered was even less than his tiny island¡¯s.


    The group watched as apartment buildings popped up one at a time, always with a slight gap in between as Fabiana and Jackson carefully identified the appropriate locations. Occasionally, a different type of building would appear, along the thickest runways, adding a tavern or some other food related construction.


    ¡°What about a Market?¡± Coop thought back to when they first recruited contracted residents, and how most of them had made the specific request. Empress City had several potential options for a nice market street.


    ¡°They¡¯re concentrating on dining venues that won¡¯t need one. When they¡¯re ready, they want to put it inside the terminals of the airport.¡± Marcus answered.


    Coop was surprised, but after a moment, thought that made sense. Airports were already designed to allow lots of people to pass through and typically had all sorts of shops along the sides. They would end up with something like an indoor mall. Looking back, the tavern, the bakery, and even the brewery hadn¡¯t needed the market to begin sales. It was only the services that were more closely aligned with crafting that arrived with a building designed as workshops that would rely on the market to sell their wares to residents.


    The buildings kept popping up with a regular cadence, and Coop was finally getting a better idea of the scale of the airport. One side of one runway had enough room for 25 apartment buildings while leaving enough space for each one to essentially be its own miniature block. Since the numbers were easy enough, Coop started doing the math while they watched one building after another construct itself from the ground up. If they put 50 apartments per main runway, and there were five to start with, that only left them with 250 apartments. Each apartment had 12 units, and each unit had six rooms and a common area, but there were almost 100,000 people. The numbers didn¡¯t add up, even if there were two or three people per room.


    ¡°Marcus, aren¡¯t they going to need a lot more?¡± Coop asked.


    ¡°Definitely. This is just the start of the settlement. Remember they can still use the airport as they were before, and they are intending to reclaim the outer ring next. People who want to build their own places are already claiming spots while the layout is outlined. And on top of all that, they¡¯re going to recruit contracted residents to reinforce and rejuvenate the city, but they need to upgrade the settlement a few more times first. The problem is that they need to do all 22 days of stability, and it started when Jackson became Champion.¡±


    ¡°Oof.¡± Camila grunted. None of them wanted to relive the wait that Ghost Reef had gone through, remembering the siege had extended the time for them.


    ¡°Afterwards, they intend to invest in system defenses. I told them about the things we were able to purchase before we came over here.¡± Marcus finished, satisfied that he had covered all the bases with Empress City, applying the lessons learned back home to give them a clear direction to take their settlement.


    As the sun started rising above the horizon, Coop felt like it was approaching their time return. ¡°We should head back soon, right? I want to finish hunting the Kites before I go check out the Yucatan.¡±


    Marcus clearly wanted to stay. ¡°Maybe one more day? I want to see how they decide to utilize the memorial road. They were still considering a secondary hub on each of the port islands, but decided to put a pin on the decision until after they settled in. Some of the rebels even stayed behind to maintain the makeshift headquarters they had been using.¡±


    ¡°I mean, I can leave on my own. You can stay and supervise for a while and the girls can finish their Slayer grind if they stay a few more days. We also have those blood cursed people, and we don¡¯t know how long it will take for Madison to prepare another ritual.¡± Coop reminded them. ¡°I can go back and get that stuff started, and have the pirates set up a regular schedule to ferry back and forth.¡±


    ¡°Actually, mom was already prepared for another ritual before we left.¡± Charlie spoke up. ¡°When she took her break, she ended up spending most of her time back in the ritual chamber fixing the damage you did to her work. She complained about you damaging the siphon every time we had dinner.¡±


    ¡°What? How was that my fault? There was an Icon of Mana trying to crawl into our settlement.¡± Coop tried defending himself.


    ¡°You should have been strong enough to smack it before it clawed up her patterns, Mr. Champion.¡± Camila jokingly suggested, but Coop took it a little seriously. He always needed to be a little bit stronger.


    ¡°All the more reason for me to get back and add a Slayer title.¡± He mumbled.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go back together.¡± Camila promised. ¡°If you have a pirate ship ferrying people back and forth, it¡¯ll be easy enough for us to come back and finish our quests later.¡±


    Marcus, having ignored the direction of the conversation, interrupted them. ¡°Something is wrong. They stopped building. They have almost 100 apartments to go and they should have more than enough funds.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go check it out.¡± Coop offered.


    Back at the civilization shard, they found Jackson and Fabiana discussing the result of their expenditures. They had a simple signup prepared for people who wished to have a room assigned to them. Surprisingly, most people were indifferent, but Coop and Marcus both expected that to change once they got back into the mindset of being a regular human instead of some kind of sleepless and satiated mana creature.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Marcus asked the Empress City Viceroy.


    ¡°Ran out of mana.¡± She pointed out.


    ¡°Ah, you should construct a mana mill.¡± Marcus suggested before he turned to Coop. ¡°See that? We definitely would have run into problems if we had needed to construct more at once.¡±


    Coop shrugged. ¡°I figured that was the case. When Balor was teaching the Cleary brothers about the cannons he basically said that they would cost mana as well. Same for basically everything he was reinforcing.¡± He turned to Fabiana. ¡°It¡¯s annoyingly slow to regenerate. That mana mill is probably a good idea.¡±

 Chapter 154: Relatives

    Coop was standing out in the open, exposed without his ethereal equipment, wearing nothing but his under armor. Behind him, serving as his backdrop, there was a wingless plane fuselage still connected to a partially collapsed jet bridge, sitting on large flattened tires. The derelict was providing the nearest but limited shade. Coop had moved out of the way, toward the side of the airport terminals with the least activity, so that he could be hosed down, like he was some kind of muddy dog that wouldn¡¯t be allowed inside until he was properly cleaned. Rather than grooming, it was more like he was a little kid playing among lawn sprinklers as evidenced by his giggling.


    The warm water was a relief compared to the hot sun beating down on his shoulders and the heat radiating from the paved ground. The airport really lacked proper vegetation. All of the black tarmac of the intersecting runways magnified the warmth far beyond comfortable levels. In Coop¡¯s opinion, Empress City needed a proper landscaper as soon as possible, before the residents had to suffer through the actual summer heat without the ocean breeze to provide relief. No wonder people had been miserable in the settlement. Being uncomfortable would have that effect on Coop as well.


    After working through the morning and well into the day, hauling construction materials for the residents of Empress City, he ended up covered in sweat, dirt, and dust. He had even received a new affliction for a short period, called Overheating, that reduced all of his stats by 10% and added a minor HP drain until it expired. The affliction dropped off as soon as he took a break, and the drain on his health hadn¡¯t been able to overcome his passive regeneration, but it was still a clear indicator that he was overdoing it. A simple dip into the canals at the golf course had given him some small solace after all of the fighting, but it didn¡¯t compare to a proper shower. When it was break time at the airport, Charlie had been forced to take charge.


    The Aeromancer had established her light healing rain with the intention of dousing Coop and letting him rinse off, but it really only managed to moisten his skin. No matter how much Coop encouraged her, she wasn¡¯t willing to try one of her water blades, even if he blocked it with his shield, to see if it would splash, because she was scared that she would actually hurt him. Not even suggesting she aim for less vital areas was enough to convince her to give it a shot.


    The pair managed to attract attention to themselves as they faced the dilemma of cleansing Coop together, with Coop trying to hype her up into launching more spells at him. It didn¡¯t take long before random residents of Empress City had taken notice and joined in on the fun. Most were merely spectating the so-called legendary Nomad from the shade as he was splashed with water from various magical abilities.


    ¡°C¡¯mon! Is that all you¡¯ve got?¡± He taunted after a level 36 Blue Mage blasted him with a skill that summoned a person-sized tidal wave that rushed forward from her raised hand. He flicked his dripping hair out of his eyes and gestured with both hands for her to bring it on.


    ¡°I¡¯m out of mana!¡± She complained with a disappointed laugh. The gathered crowd jeered at the latest individual to tap out while the next person tagged in.


    A level 32 Hydropriest who channeled a jet of water from both hands enthusiastically took his turn. Coop laughed as a stream of water splashed against him, quickly turning around and spreading his arms so that it would collide with his back before it lost pressure. The residents had turned Coop¡¯s rinsing into a game with his continued encouragement. They were essentially practicing with their abilities, not trying to hurt him, but learning to control some of their skills.


    At least with water, it was all fun and games. Coop could probably do the same with other elements, given the level disparity and his formidable magic defense, but being doused with flames wouldn¡¯t be nearly as delightful. In his opinion, they already had too much fear of him, and seeing him walk through flames or lightning would just compound the issue. They¡¯d lived under leaders who relied on fear for too long already. Coop was inadvertently offering the opposite, introducing them to his own casual management style with his antics. As the founder of The Lighthouse faction, he was essentially the definitive ambassador, and they would be living within his territory, so his example would be noteworthy.


    The fact that the atmosphere was so light-hearted was a welcome surprise to him. On some level, he knew it was his own influence permeating to those playing along, but it wasn¡¯t something he had been consciously pursuing. His actions were a lot more selfish than that, where he simply wanted to have his own positive experiences and he was in a position that he couldn¡¯t really be stopped from being unserious. The fact that others saw his sometimes whimsical behavior as an opportunity to join in was a simple bonus, or at most a side effect. Then the additional consequence that it alleviated some of their stress was essentially a happy accident. He was just the one to break the ice.


    Turning what should have been a quick rinse into a carnival game dunk tank hadn¡¯t been planned. If it was, they could have sold tickets, but instead they had ended up with a small crowd of people who were taking their own breaks from a day and a half of picking up the pieces of their settlement. Coop respected that these people were oddly resilient despite expectations. They had to be. They made it through the apocalypse despite not being able to take their fates into their own hands prior to that point. They kept riding the scenarios out, dealing with the changing developments with a quiet, dogged persistence that overcame their traumas. It seemed like a few recognized the extra chance they were being given by the sweeping changes that were taking place and they were embracing the shift.


    The settlement of Empress City was still laying out its foundation, but the shape was already becoming clear. Coop had ended up helping residents as they concentrated on establishing a whole series of large administrative buildings along the roads that led into the pickup and drop off area of the airport, where the civilization shard was situated.


    The buildings were the first manual builds of the new settlement. After their shacks and huts had been destroyed, a few were intent on creating much longer lasting structures, especially since they didn¡¯t have to scavenge scrap materials and could instead use the mana generated materials from the first service buildings. They were already coordinating proper builds, planning amongst themselves as they volunteered to construct projects correctly using untapped pre-mana expertise. Rock and stone, unfamiliar wood, lumber, tile, shingles, iron, and alien steel, along with tools, were all being staged as the different, freshly established groups claimed the places of their future headquarters.


    Coop wasn¡¯t sure who had specifically come up with the idea, but smaller organizations had formed almost immediately after being given access to the shard. Profession related guilds were forming. They were the ones who were focused on building their headquarters along the centralized hub of the settlement. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild concept from Ghost Reef, outlined by Marcus, had set off a chain reaction where others wanted to have the same kind of associations that it would provide.


    They were struggling to move the materials and get started, still adapting to a lack of machinery, so Coop volunteered himself as a pack animal. He quickly established that he could haul more than enough for everyone. So, he ended up spending the entire morning moving enough construction materials to build two dozen livery halls, by himself, to the amusement of onlookers while others decided on how to proceed with building. With a settlement the size of Empress City, there were people of all walks of life, with experience to match, who were available to contribute. Unlike Ghost Reef, they had construction superintendents, foremans, and project managers making sure that the settlement would get off on the right foot.


    In the meantime, the freshly forming guilds were actively recruiting new members. They were soliciting those still in line, waiting to receive their professions, by offering cooperative training, support, and the camaraderie that had been completely absent in the previous iteration of Empress City. It seemed like, for every crafting or gathering profession, there would be a guild. There was no scavenging specific guild forming, but the Guild of Foragers was a healthy size and seemed to be cornering the type of professions that Scavenging would fall under. Even Coop considered signing up for the benefits they promised.


    While Coop carried massive piles of solid materials, Marcus was doing his best to help Fabiana establish rules for what would inevitably become a powerful group of collective voices in the city. In order to be properly recognized, the Guilds would need to submit themselves to a series of guidelines that would prevent abuses toward members and non-members alike, and clearly establish that the primary goals were to be beneficial to the settlement and its residents. Rather than competitive, they were being steered toward being entirely cooperative right from their inception.


    One example that was already being bandied about was that all of the profession specific guild members would automatically register with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, establishing a duty to continue leveling for the shared benefit of strengthening the settlement. Coop thought it was a good way to incentivize leveling aside from the general expectation that had worked on the residents of Ghost Reef. He laid out the path, but other than that, leveling was purely voluntary back home.


    Seeing the threats that they would be facing, such as through the siege event, was generally enough incentive for a small settlement where no one could shirk their responsibilities. In a much larger settlement, they had already proven it possible to let others take the brunt of the damage, letting simple luck carry them through each day. The rising leaders of Empress City would be attempting to stamp that attitude out with their fresh start.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Marcus seemed excited to have a council of unions and had already been developing rules for their own internal elections, overseen and authenticated by the city¡¯s leadership as well as the rest of the council members. It was all way too much civics for Coop. He was glad to stick with grinding and the occasional series of manual labor tasks, even if he was interested in seeing what the results would turn up. Marcus displayed a professionalism that generated his own groupies among the residents of Empress City. They were eager to find ways to contribute on a diplomatic or administrative level and bring his vision to life. Coop¡¯s influence was purely through vibes, but the odd combination between the Champion and the Viceroy seemed like a potent one for encouraging hope and action.


    ¡°Alright ladies! Show¡¯s over!¡± Camila shouted, breaking up the circus that had formed around Coop¡¯s dunk tank where everyone was a winner.


    Several people booed at Camila but they slowly drifted away, heading back to work for the most part, laughing at the antics they had witnessed. Coop noted that several headed toward the new apartments and the dining options that had popped up among them. He wasn¡¯t above checking out the Clumsy Shark¡¯s peers, but the reminder of the venue back home was enough for him to shift his priorities.


    ¡°Are we ready to go?¡± Coop wondered, approaching Camila and Charlie as he shook off the moisture. He was feeling eager to get back to his own grind sessions. Providing simple assistance was all well and good, but he had other threats constantly lingering in the back of his mind, worrying him such that he didn¡¯t want to allow his own progress to stall.


    ¡°Miss Camila!¡± An unfamiliar voice shouted, interrupting her response before she could vocalize it. ¡°Mr. Coop!¡± The young man added as he worked his way against the flow of the dispersing crowd and rushed up toward Coop and the two girls. ¡°Please come quick, Mr. Marcus, Commander Fabiana, and Subcommander Jackson need you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± Coop prompted, losing his nonchalance in an instant. The urgency of their messenger was enough to have him ready for battle, like a switch flipped that he wasn¡¯t aware he had.


    ¡°They just told me to bring you right away!¡± The messenger exclaimed. ¡°There were some injured people at one of the north gates, but they are really high level and they are asking about Ghost Reef.¡±


    Coop nodded, casting Salvation to reequip his gladiator armor, and summoning his spear. ¡°Which gate?¡± He asked as his gear solidified.


    The messenger pointed and Coop launched his spear like a javelin thrower. One mistjump covered half of the airport, placing him near the inside of the gate that had been indicated. After another moment he identified Marcus, Jackson, and Fabiana. As he approached his advisor, Camila joined him, utilizing her own skills to cross the distance. Charlie and the messenger would take a bit longer as they were traveling without abusing abilities.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Coop queried Marcus, but he got his answer in the form of a shout from outside the gate.


    ¡°Listen! We just want some information. If you don¡¯t open up, I¡¯m gonna huff and I¡¯m gonna puff, and I¡¯m gonna blow this gate down!¡± A man with a distinct accent yelled, sounding less agitated and more arrogant and mischievous, as if he was enjoying himself too much to hide a smile.


    Marcus responded to Coop anyway. ¡°There are three level 75 ish people outside. Two women who are pretty severely injured and that pushy guy. They are looking for Ghost Reef and seem to suspect that this is it, even though the guards told them it wasn¡¯t. They¡¯re making a big enough stink that the guards came looking for Jackson for help.¡± Marcus put his hands out, not sure what to do about the threats, leaving it to Coop.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see what they want.¡± Coop decided and walked up the steps to the top of the inside wall, which had a makeshift catwalk to give guards a vantage to the outside.


    He took a look over the top edge of the scrap metal barrier and hesitated. Rather than feel intimidated by their posture, he was intimidated by their looks. Each of the strangers was more beautiful than the last. Coop felt himself stop and glance back at Camila who had followed him up, as he subconsciously associated the strangers¡¯ beauty with her own. She was also looking outside, scowling at the other people.


    ¡°Oh, crap.¡± He heard her whisper to herself.


    Coop raised an eyebrow and inspected the trio of strangers, unsure of what they had found, but staying guarded due to Camila¡¯s reaction.


    [Human (Level 77)]


    [Streetsweeper (Strength)]


    [Steadfast (Slugger)]


    [Human (Level 75)]


    [Shadowdancer (Agility)]


    [Darkness (Chosen)]


    [Human (Level 75)]


    [Evoker (Intelligence)]


    [Arcane (Nimble)]


    ¡°Cici!¡± The undeniably handsome Shadowdancer in the center of the strangers exclaimed, moving even closer to the wall.


    The Shadowdancer¡¯s slender jaw was covered with thick stubble, which was the only indication that he had been roughing it at all. There were no other signs of unintended dishevelment on his person. He looked up to where Camila had appeared on the top of the wall, and with a little flick of his head, his black hair rearranged itself in a way that would take hours to recreate intentionally. The man¡¯s dark red shirt had one or two extra buttons undone from the top and both of his sleeves were rolled up his tanned forearms as he waved to get the other two strangers¡¯ attention on Camila. The clearly injured Streetsweeper was practically carrying the Evoker, who was the worst off of the bunch, but the man wasn¡¯t visibly injured at all.


    Coop vaulted over the wall and landed in the man¡¯s way, preventing him from approaching the rather feeble physical defenses of Empress City. The Shadowdancer was visibly dissatisfied, but ignored the interruption.


    ¡°What are you doing here, Carlos?¡± Camila demanded from above.


    ¡°Aw, don¡¯t be like that.¡± Carlos whined back at her, ignoring Coop as he tried sidestepping around him.


    When Coop matched his movement, the Shadowdancer glanced at him directly, like he was taking notice of a bug for the first time. Then, he activated a skill that caused him to shrink into his shadow and disappear, like he clipped through the earth. Coop followed his aura, having so much practice reflexively incorporating Presence of Mind thanks to the synergy with Fog of War.


    The man¡¯s aura jumped into Coop¡¯s own shadow, behind him. Coop spun around and snatched the back of the man¡¯s collar as soon as he reappeared, tossing him back toward the two women so he could keep them all in one place.


    Carlos grunted as he slid in the dirt of the outer ring, right up to the feet of the other two women. ¡°What the hell?¡± He muttered as he scrambled back to his feet, like he was ready to fight.


    The Streetsweeper grabbed his shoulder, stopping him from doing anything else without a word or so much as a change in expression. She stood with perfect poise, but she had a torn cloth wrapped around her head that partially obstructed one eye. The white cloth was stained with blood on the right side of her forehead down to her eyebrow. Her dark, wavy hair was trimmed short, barely covering her ears and with the tips of her bangs curving to her cheekbones. Her left arm was held gently in a makeshift sling above a miniature baseball bat that was hanging through a belt loop at her hip. The Evoker steadied herself against her back, wincing with every shift as one of her legs seemed broken. A splint made of sticks was all that immobilized the limb. The Streetsweeper¡¯s other arm held the Shadowdancer tight enough for him to wince.


    ¡°Ay! Alright, Gabby! I won¡¯t! I get it!¡± Carlos complained with a pout as he tried to shift his whole body out of her grip, unsuccessfully.


    ¡°Inspect him.¡± The Streetsweeper ordered before she made eye contact with Coop, raising her voice to address him. ¡°Sorry about him, I hope you can forgive his impertinence.¡±


    Coop shrugged. ¡°No harm, no foul.¡±


    Camila hopped down during their little exchange, appearing next to Coop and put a soothing hand on his forearm. ¡°It¡¯s alright, they¡¯re part of my family.¡± She reassured him as she hopped forward and embraced the Streetsweeper in a tight hug after bypassing Carlos.


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Carlos declared. ¡°Who¡¯s this guy, Cici? You got a boyfriend and didn¡¯t even tell us?¡± He asked while Camila hugged the Evoker, then held her at arm¡¯s length, expressing concern over her injuries.


    Instead of responding, she gave him a kiss on the cheek as she dodged and moved back to Coop¡¯s side to introduce the trio from his shoulder. She indicated the Streetsweeper. ¡°That¡¯s my cousin Gabriela.¡± The woman tilted her head slightly, expression remaining as neutral as it had been ever since he first saw her. Camila gestured to the Evoker. ¡°That¡¯s Tia Sofia.¡± The woman gave a little wave causing her to hop and brace against Gabriela again. ¡°And the loudmouth is another cousin, Carlos.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m the favorite cousin.¡± Carlos boasted. ¡°Now, who¡¯s this guy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Coop.¡± Coop greeted them with a warm smile. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± The women gave him friendly smiles in return, as if his name confirmed their suspicions, but Carlos crossed his arms suspiciously.


    ¡°Are you guys alright?¡± Camila asked, referring to the obvious injuries.


    Gabriela bowed her head one time. ¡°We just need some rest, but first what we came for.¡± She looks at Camila with a serious expression that was only slightly different from her previous stoicism. ¡°Tita would like for you to come home.¡±


    ¡°Of course she does.¡± Camila sighed, already exasperated. ¡°She actually sent you all the way down here just for that?¡± She clicked her tongue against her teeth. ¡°And look what happened!¡±


    ¡°Not just here!¡± Carlos piled on, apparently aligning more with Camila¡¯s stance than the others¡¯. ¡°We were going to have to go to Australia next, assuming Platinum didn¡¯t find you in Colorado first.¡± Carlos turned back to the women with his hands on his hips, puffing himself up. ¡°Do you think we beat Platinum? If we did, she owes me a date.¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t agree to that.¡± Gabriela clarified in a tone that made it seem unequivocal. ¡°Besides, she obviously has a thing for Neon, but now isn¡¯t the time or place.¡±


    Coop interjected before the little family reunion continued. ¡°Why don¡¯t you come inside? We can find somewhere comfortable for you guys to start resting.¡± He suggested, waving at Marcus for the gate to be opened.


    ¡°Come on, we¡¯ll sit down and talk.¡± Camila waved them along.

 Chapter 155: The Largest Fleet

    Empress City¡¯s northernmost inner gate consisted of sections of a chain link fence that were wrapped around panes of tarnished industrial flooring and the hoods of a few discarded cars. The artless construction was rather apocalyptic, really giving off the feel of a scraped together defense, but it got the job done. The outer wall effectively separated the large and previously empty inner portion of the airport from what had been the crowded outer ring. It rolled open on a pair of pallet jacks that were only accessible from the inside, leaving narrow tracks in the dirt. As the metal gate lurched open, Coop gestured for Camila¡¯s extended family to come inside.


    He had a bunch of questions, but didn¡¯t want to jump right into them before they had a chance to reconcile with Camila, who they had clearly gone through an ordeal to reach, judging by their physical states. Once they found a place for them to rest, he would find out all he could. Hopefully, they would have news about other monster variants for him to grind, but he¡¯d take information on other settlements back to his advisors if that¡¯s what they shared.


    None of the three newcomers made any effort to come inside, though. Coop put his hand down when he realized they weren¡¯t accepting his invitation. The redneck engineering of the door shouldn¡¯t have been enough to discourage anyone from the accommodations. The scrap wall wasn¡¯t so much intimidating as it was desperate, but the scale was pretty impressive from Coop¡¯s perspective.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid we might not have time to relax.¡± Gabriela spoke up, having a pressing message to share first. ¡°This isn¡¯t Ghost Reef, is it?¡±


    Coop shook his head, frowning in confusion. ¡°No, this is Empress City. You could say it¡¯s under the protection of Ghost Reef.¡±


    ¡°So, you are from Ghost Reef, correct?¡± Gabriela sought clarification. ¡°We made some assumptions based on the event scoreboards and concluded that Camila had been staying there. Of course we took note of all the top performers.¡± Gabriela continued, at least answering one of Coop¡¯s preliminary questions, though he could have guessed that the siege event exposed Ghost Reef to literally everyone in the world by that point.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Coop played along, wondering what she was getting at.


    ¡°Listen.¡± She cut to the chase, realizing that the situation might be more urgent than they expected. ¡°Ghost Reef is under attack.¡±


    ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± Coop questioned, glancing at Camila who was looking unsettled. Gabriela¡¯s words carried enough credibility in Camila¡¯s eyes to have Coop believe them as well.


    ¡°On our way here, after we barely made it through the wild areas, we discovered that the Florida peninsula had been severed by the ocean. The only obvious way across, other than swimming to land beyond the horizon, was through a rather large settlement. It was certainly larger than this one, and it was built in the center of a long bridge that connected to the rest of the country. We were in bad shape at the time and didn¡¯t want to risk the swim, so we requested aid. They responded by attacking us.¡±


    ¡°They messed around and found out.¡± Carlos added pridefully, having no love for the ones that attacked them.


    Gabriela continued without comment. ¡°We defeated the initial efforts, then led the rest back into the wild. From the ones that pursued us, we learned that they were on the verge of launching a massive assault with essentially their entire fighting population. The reason they attacked us was to prevent information from leaking out, just in case we were affiliated with their target, who they revealed to be Ghost Reef when we pressed.¡± She stated neutrally, but Coop felt they had been brutal when necessary.


    ¡°Ironic, right?¡± Carlos pointed out. ¡°By trying to stop us, they ended up exposing their goals. We would have been none the wiser if they lent us some beds and let us go on our way.¡±


    ¡°They should have launched their attack four days ago and the ones we interrogated boasted that they had thousands of ships that would empower them to conquer the world¡¯s oceans.¡± Gabriela concluded.


    ¡°I wanted to hang around and take a shot at their civilization shard while the bulk of them were gone, in retaliation, but finding Cici was our first priority.¡± Carlos shared. ¡°If their attack was as large as they claimed, their settlement should be relatively exposed.¡±


    ¡°They were quite proud.¡± Sofia contributed, speaking with a kind, gentle voice that contrasted with the fact that they had just explained how they fought to get to Empress City.


    Coop nodded as he decided what to do. ¡°Alright.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°Thanks for the warning.¡± Coop turned toward the gate again, finding Marcus. ¡°Did you get all that?¡± When his advisor bowed his head with a serious look on his face, Coop started walking. ¡°I¡¯m heading back.¡±


    ¡°The Sapphire Armada was on the move after all. Looks like they divided up what they assumed would be the spoils with the previous Champion. He got to keep his settlement as their subordinate and they would claim ours. They might not have arrived yet.¡± Marcus suggested hopefully as he fell in with Coop.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they went faster than Camila¡¯s injured family on foot.¡± Coop suggested. He had to imagine the terrain was difficult, considering it was unclaimed territory, and judging by what lay beyond the golf course, had been reclaimed by the Everglades. Not to mention they had been moving at a diminished capacity.


    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re plenty fast.¡± Carlos pointed out as he appeared from Marcus¡¯s shadow. ¡°Gabriela just had to carry Aunty Sofia on her back.¡± He tilted his head to where she was doing just that, flanked by Camila and joined by Charlie who had arrived at the tail end of Gabriela¡¯s ominous heads-up.


    As they moved past the gate, Jackson spoke up. ¡°We can come too.¡± Following the group as they moved briskly, leaving the gate and angling so that they would arrive on the highway that led to the port. ¡°We have a few fighters that can help. If there¡¯s that many ships, you might need it.¡±


    Fabiana joined in. ¡°You would have been with your settlement if it wasn¡¯t for us expecting them to come here.¡± She admitted. ¡°Let us send our most experienced people.¡±


    Coop shook his head. ¡°No, you need to stay and make sure that Empress City works out. The wounds from all your fighting won¡¯t be healed just because we showed up and threw some credits at the problem. In the worst case scenario we might be forced to come here for shelter and I¡¯d rather not have to break up another civil war if that happens.¡±


    Coop shrugged to himself. ¡°I can¡¯t really imagine Ghost Reef actually being in trouble. Between Shane and Gideon, and all the experience gained during the siege, I think the Sapphire Armada chose the absolute worst possible target to attack. We don¡¯t need to panic.¡± He glanced at Marcus. ¡°I should be there anyway, as Champion, but you can stay here and keep helping get their feet underneath them.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense. It¡¯s my fault we didn¡¯t leave even sooner. I¡¯m coming too.¡± Marcus declared, not bothering to hide his own frustrations.


    Coop turned to the girls, but before he said anything, Camila gave him a pointed look. ¡°Don¡¯t even offer. We can come back for the Slayer quest any time, especially after the pirates set up a regular ferry. It¡¯ll barely be a simple commute to get back and forth.¡±


    ¡°What about your family?¡± Coop asked. ¡°Madison could heal them, but maybe they should stay away from any fighting until then.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re fine to enter battle.¡± Gabriela stated, expressionless as ever, with Sofia giving a thumbs up from over her shoulder, letting the tip of her thumb spark with dazzling energy as she smiled.


    ¡°We¡¯ll show you how it¡¯s done, Mr. Bigshot.¡± Carlos promised with uncanny shadows gently caressing his features even under the bright sun.


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    Gabriela¡¯s eyebrows twitched, almost forming a scowl for a fraction of a second. ¡°Please, forgive him. He probably doesn¡¯t remember that Coop was the name of the individual that scored higher than our entire settlement during the siege event. I¡¯d hate for you to need to remind him.¡±


    ¡°C¡¯mon, Gabby, that¡¯s just ¡®cause we didn¡¯t have more stuff to fight, sharing with everyone else handicapped us.¡± Carlos disputed her admonishment as they all followed along with Coop.


    Gabriela pointed out that he hadn¡¯t even outscored Platinum, who was in the same settlement as they were, but Carlos argued that she was a special case. The cousins rehashed what seemed like familiar discussions.


    Camila gestured like there was no stopping them from coming anyway. ¡°It¡¯ll be good to let them see Ghost Reef or we¡¯ll constantly have them coming to check on me.¡±


    ¡°Actually, where are they from, exactly?¡± Marcus wondered, finding some potential diplomacy to distract himself from what was surely an oncoming conflict, which he was never a fan of.


    ¡°New York City.¡± Camila stated. ¡°You couldn¡¯t tell from the accent?¡± She looked bewildered.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to assume, with the mixture of accents.¡± Marcus explained with a hand wave. ¡°What settlement is that?¡± He asked as his eyes unfocused while he checked the settlement leaderboards.


    Camila got Sofia¡¯s attention and relayed the question. Sofia was happy to answer, ignoring the ongoing debate between the cousins. ¡°Neon Park. It¡¯s named after the gentleman who claimed the shard. Nice boy.¡± She added helpfully. ¡°It started as a small portion of New York City and has grown much more. After the last upgrade, the territory extends over a hundred miles in each direction, until it bumps into our neighbors in Boston and near Philadelphia.¡±


    ¡°That many cities survived?¡± Marcus wondered, excited for more information.


    ¡°Neon did some excellent negotiating in the earliest days, even before the Chosen started their coordinated strategies, which basically made an alliance that prevented any other groups from muscling their way in. It helped that the population of Neon Park was multiple times larger than any of the other settlements right from the start. The civilization shard just happened to be right in a park inside the city while the other settlements were all on the edges in nature preserves and things like that, where less people lived, making their footprint smaller.¡± Sofia chatted away while riding Gabriela, piggy-back style. Gabriela continued scolding Carlos into submission.


    ¡°How did you end up all beat up?¡± Coop asked. The confident trio of travelers should have been up to the task when faced with just about anything the assimilation would throw at them.


    ¡°A large portion of the trip was through completely untouched wilds, where monsters and Field Bosses had been roaming around unchallenged for who knows how long.¡± Sofia explained. ¡°There were some scary monsters inside that had even warped the atmosphere, or that had set traps, and things like that. We spent most of the time just doing our best to escape. I wouldn¡¯t recommend the route we took to anyone. The entire southern portion was completely Primal Construct territory, right up until the coast where Florida is disconnected.¡±


    As Sofia regaled them with the narrow escapes they had gone through, Coop paid close attention. It didn¡¯t seem like there were an enormous number of monster variants, but there were a few and there were certainly bosses. He suspected that some of them had formed Hives and whatever open-air dungeons came next.


    Even though it seemed like she was discouraging them from testing their mettle in the region north of the Orlando settlement that the Sapphire Armada called home, Coop wasn¡¯t getting the same message. Every danger she suggested was hidden in the woods, hills, and mountains ended up sounding like challenges that Coop would want to explore. The problem was that he was getting pulled back and forth by the responsibilities he had already accepted to make sure Ghost Reef and his companions were safe. First the Endless Empire, then the Sapphire Armada, and of course there was Chakyum in the Yucatan that demanded his attention.


    ¡°Looks like the vacation really is over.¡± Coop mumbled as they walked along what would become Empress City¡¯s Memorial Highway.


    The highway that had contained so much death and destruction was already cleaned up. The future adventurer¡¯s of Empress City had diligently worked for the last few days, clearing the debris and laying the dead to rest. It was the sort of task that Coop would have lingered on for weeks or months if it had been more directly connected to Ghost Reef, but the residents of Empress City were already taking a big step forward. It wasn¡¯t the first time he felt like he needed to give them credit for a subtle resilience that was different from the stubborn fortitude he had seen grow in Ghost Reef. It was different, but it was encouraging in its own way.


    When they arrived at the pier that extended from Port Front Park, where Admiral Kayla had been waiting, they found her lounging on top of the railing of Sea Burial, with Charon standing at parade rest next to her. There were strangers hanging around the end of the jetty, sitting on rocks having conversations with the pirate crew. Some residents of Empress City, who had joined the resistance, hadn¡¯t returned to the airport, but had decided to create homesteads in the port, becoming the preliminary settlers of the other end of the Memorial Highway. Apparently, they had been receiving tips from the pirates regarding what they would need to reestablish the port as a functioning feature and were intent on being the connection that Ghost Reef would have with the mainland. Coop wasn¡¯t sure if it still counted as the mainland, given that the peninsula had become a large island itself.


    ¡°There¡¯s our Champion.¡± Kayla observed, sliding her legs off the top of the railing to lean forward. ¡°Are you bringing along even more injured people?¡± She asked as she got a good look at the state of Gabriela and Sofia. ¡°You know the Doc is gonna be mad, but at least these ones are conscious.¡±


    Coop hopped onto the edge of the ship and pulled himself up, skipping the gangplank. ¡°That Sapphire Armada we were keeping an eye out for seems to have attacked Ghost Reef directly.¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡± Kayla¡¯s mood shifted like the tide reversing directions. ¡°Let¡¯s get going then. We can¡¯t let Sharkbait take the glory all by himself.¡± Charon relayed the information to the crew in simple terms that undermined the urgency of the situation, but the pirates were accustomed to their captain and it was only moments before they were preparing for a speedy trip.


    Once everyone else had boarded, they cast off. Charlie headed for the helm where she started working her magic so that they would be able to arrive as quickly as possible. Camila naturally joined her side and Gabriela, Sofia, and Carlos found themselves doing their best to stay out of the way as the crew went to work.


    The residents of Empress City that had been hanging out with the pirates waved them goodbye. It was a bit of an anticlimactic exit from the new settlement, and Coop hoped it wouldn¡¯t have any negative influence on the mood of the fledgling city, but as far as he was concerned, Ghost Reef had to take priority. Jackson and Fabiana would need to keep it together with the help of the new guilds in the meantime.


    After Coop and Marcus brought Kayla and Charon up to speed, sharing exactly what Camila¡¯s family had relayed about the Sapphire Armada they considered the different possibilities in order to plan how to engage.


    ¡°Thousands of ships?¡± Kayla ended up clarifying. ¡°That¡¯s really quite a claim.¡± Charon nodded solemnly next to her. ¡°The largest fleets were 20 or 30 ships back when we were sailing the seas. Thousands is a number that you could only reach if you combined every ship in the absolute largest trading companies across every ocean. Are we sure that isn¡¯t an extreme exaggeration?¡±


    Coop couldn¡¯t answer with certainty. ¡°It¡¯s information that has been passed through like 5 different people at this point, but given that there are aliens and magic involved, I don¡¯t think we can dismiss it as impossible.¡±


    ¡°I suppose if their goal is to control the entire planet¡¯s oceans, that¡¯s about what it would take.¡± Kayla muttered. She looked at Charon who simply nodded, taking the exact same position of confidant that Sharkbait normally held.


    The gold bangles on her wrist rattled as she tapped at the hilt of her cutlass. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, we should expect to find the fort under siege. Sharkbait and the other captains would have made an effort to keep our path clear, preventing a full blockade, but against that many ships they would have needed to fall back to incorporate the fort in their defenses.¡± Kayla frowned as she allowed her expertise to guide her imagination of the situation.


    ¡°We are only one ship, but this is unconditionally the best ship to harass a blockade.¡± Kayla concluded. ¡°Charon¡¯s ballista and the speed of the corvette, not to mention the Aeromancer, should make us unmatched. Alternatively, we can make a break for the fort and focus on unleashing our abilities along with our allies. It would work best if we decided right away so that we could take advantage of any element of surprise.¡±


    ¡°Before we left, one of the last purchases I made was on a mana shield.¡± Marcus added. ¡°I expected it would be quite the surprise when it was first discovered, but the mana cost was said to be extremely high. In any case, it promised to block all sorts of attacks, much like the Envoy¡¯s proximity shield, except it was based around our walls. That, combined with the fort itself, should make withstanding a human siege much more likely.¡±


    ¡°Good call.¡± Coop acknowledged. ¡°I haven¡¯t received any notifications that the shard has been challenged, so all signs indicate that they haven¡¯t made it through the various defenses we accumulated.¡±


    Coop considered the options that Kayla laid out. ¡°I¡¯m inclined to suggest we take it slow, I reckon I can sink some ships with my spear and we have a range advantage over most conventional opponents. A thousand ships could just be a thousand spear throws, and I was looking forward to throwing 10,000 to finish my next grind.¡± Coop summoned his spear subconsciously, feeling the mists solidify for reassurance. ¡°I can also teleport to the island and let you guys play it safe and stay at range if we lose the opportunity to actually run the blockade.¡±


    ¡°Fine by me.¡± Kayla agreed. ¡°We¡¯ll open up seeking to sink some ships.¡± Charon bowed his head and moved to inform his crew. ¡°More ghosts for Ghost Reef.¡± She grinned.

 Chapter 156: Domestic Dispute

    As they sailed toward Ghost Reef, leaving the mainland behind, the passengers fell into an uneasy silence. It was the second time many of them were effectively riding off into the sunset as they left Empress City, but the outlooks of where they were going and where they were coming from had flipped between trips. Coop reassured himself that it was easily within his own power to influence their futures before they deteriorated into the realm of unacceptability.


    Coop slid his hand against the damp bow railing, splashed by sea water as the ship carried them forward, and calmed his own thoughts while he gazed toward the horizon. Coop surprised himself as he reflected on his own lack of hesitance when it came to defending the settlement, even with the knowledge that he would need to continue taking lives. In the back of his mind, he was slightly perturbed by how comfortable he was growing with the new order of things, but if there was anyone that could benefit from a bit more callousness, he expected he would be one of the top contenders. It was a fact, at least on Earth, that survival was often a life or death competition. As humans, they simply weren¡¯t removed from the struggle any longer.


    Observing his companions, he watched Charlie lean against Camila as they sat on the worn wooden deck, finding a comfortable spot that also wasn¡¯t in the way of the sailors. They had their backs against the railing, adjacent to the ship¡¯s wheel, where Charon was silently steering. The fact that they were charging into another struggle so soon was obviously weighing heavily on Charlie¡¯s mind. That she wielded more power than so many others meant that she was feeling the burden of responsibility as well, much like Coop did. It was written across her face. She was quietly working through her emotions as she resolved to not let anything happen to her own family while remaining accountable to her own morals. Coop knew it would be a difficult balancing act. It was one that he constantly felt lingering in the back of his mind.


    Whatever progress they had made with Coop¡¯s distraction tactic of grinding a Slayer title had gone out the window when they learned that Ghost Reef was under attack. Charlie was struggling with the morality of killing, anticipating more situations where it became necessary for her to become an arbiter over others¡¯ lives, and she didn¡¯t have the time to come to her own terms like Coop had hoped. He related to the pressure she was feeling, as he had been thrust into the same state all the way back on the oil rig. He was determined to relieve as much of the pressure from her as he could. That was another important facet of his role as Champion, but also as her friend.


    Sea Burial had made rapid progress across the sea, leaving Empress City¡¯s port and approaching Ghost Reef as the day wound down. Admiral Kayla had them reduce their speed so that they wouldn¡¯t stumble into any Sapphire Armada sentries as they drew closer. They would time their arrival so that they could take advantage of approaching under the cloak of darkness. The pirate ship¡¯s black sails would be effective camouflage for a stealthy approach in the night. Without the need for Charlie¡¯s masterfully wielded gusts, she was left as a mere passenger along with Coop and the others who weren¡¯t a part of the crew.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with them?¡± Carlos poked Coop, gesturing toward Charlie and Camila. The pair had effectively claimed a quiet spot in the middle of the ship for themselves. Even the least socially aware would avoid interrupting their sober seclusion as Camila silently supported Charlie.


    Coop raised an eyebrow. ¡°They just found out the home they¡¯ve been working to help create is under attack and they¡¯re coming to terms with the fact that they¡¯ll likely have to kill people to defend it.¡± He idly explained.


    ¡°Hm.¡± Carlos murmured. ¡°What¡¯s the big deal? It¡¯s kill or be killed now that the factions came to town.¡± He revealed his simplistic world view. ¡°No one¡¯s gonna threaten me or mine.¡± He declared his own willingness to fight.


    Coop frowned as he exhaled, finding himself agreeing up to a point. From a practical point of view, the problem was that killing would ultimately hurt their own chances of survival. ¡°It¡¯s not really that simple.¡± He started.


    ¡°Sure it is.¡± Carlos firmly interrupted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, friends of Camila¡¯s count.¡± He added, with a reassuring slap on Coop¡¯s back. ¡°Dunno how she ended up so soft, though.¡± He mumbled.


    ¡°I mean, it¡¯s more than just the factions.¡± Coop began, realizing that he would need to figure out a way to explain the situation with mana and the system to others in a concise way, especially if he was going to recruit for their own faction. He decided to try summarizing what he learned from the Avatar, deferring to her experience in revealing the information to others. ¡°Mana isn¡¯t magic, it¡¯s a weapon that searches for, and cripples, technology to prevent future threats from developing across the universe. If it determines there could be a potential threat if left alone, it raises armies to eradicate the offending species. Apparently, humans are next up for eradication.¡±


    Carlos just stared at Coop with a blank look before he blinked and slowly scratched the stubble on his chin as if he was trying to decide if Coop was full of it or if there was something else wrong with him.


    Coop shrugged. ¡°Basically, fighting each other is detrimental to all of our survival.¡± He added in an effort to clarify the seriousness of his declaration. ¡°Once enough mana has activated, we¡¯ll all end up on the same side.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Carlos agreed unconvincingly. ¡°You should probably tell all that to Gabby. In the meantime, I¡¯m gonna stick with what I was doing before, just doing my best to survive with the people I care about.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± Coop concurred, waving off his own warning with an indifferent motion. ¡°But mana canceling the assimilation to kill us all sometime in the future is something to keep in mind.¡±


    Carlos nodded slowly, eyes squinting slightly in suspicion. Coop got the impression he thought he was dealing with a crazy person on the train, but at the moment, he had more pressing concerns. A few firm thumps knocked against the boat as the ship¡¯s hull collided with something in the water. Coop was leaning over the railing and squinting into the dark water even before Kayla joined them.


    ¡°We¡¯re getting close.¡± She relayed, beckoning Coop to give his attention further out in front where scattered pockets of debris floated in the water. ¡°Looks like there was fighting all the way out here. We are still outside of the settlement¡¯s territory by a good 10 miles, but the Tempest Fleet intended to keep the lane clear for us to return as predicted.¡± She pointed at what was unmistakably a portion of decking, but made of a material that could have only come from a system service, with a texture more like pumice than any tree or metal Coop was familiar with. ¡°Looks like the Sapphire Armada took some early losses.¡± She stated, not hiding the pride she felt for her crew.


    As they sailed forward into the darkness, Coop felt like it was agonizingly slow, but they were being vigilant, seeking out any scout vessels that may have been waiting for them. They didn¡¯t find anything other than an increasing density of debris floating on the surface of the black sea, scorched and warped from what he imagined were explosive detonations. The Tempest Fleet hadn¡¯t ceded the space without a clear struggle that resulted in an absurd amount of ship destruction. Coop thought he might even be able to run across the surface of the ocean as packed as it was with ship materials, assuming they were buoyant enough to support his weight as he leapt between bits of flotsam.


    ¡°Look!¡± A pirate hissed from his perch in the rigging of their sails. ¡°There!¡± He kept his voice down but clearly enunciated with enough urgency to get others¡¯ attention. Coop followed his pointed finger and spotted a ship in the distance, still far enough to seem like a blurry speck, but dimly lit with some onboard illumination that gave its position away.


    Kayla extended a telescopic brass spyglass as she stood at his side and peered into the darkness toward their first point of contact. While she carefully assessed the distance, she gave Charon a series of hand signals from over her left shoulder that led to him steering the ship in a northerly angle so that they would bypass the other ship by a wide margin. She then spent another minute scanning the rest of the horizon. Once she was satisfied with their new bearing she condensed her spyglass and turned to Coop. ¡°Think you can hit that from here?¡± She gestured toward the first dot on the horizon.


    Coop shook his head. Without any particular landmarks to judge the distance, he wasn¡¯t exactly sure how far away it was in the first place. Maybe he could get the distance if he took a running start and really heaved his spear, but it was well-beyond what he considered his limit when also considering accuracy.


    The pirate queen nodded as if she didn¡¯t expect him to be able to either. ¡°We¡¯ll get into range of the ballista artillery first and coordinate our opening salvo and combine our firepower. I expect we will be seeing more of those ships by then.¡± She gestured toward the rest of the horizon where she had used her spyglass to observe.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Kayla was proven correct after barely two minutes when Coop spotted another dimly illuminated ship south of the first one. First, there were two, then two dozen, then Coop lost count. There were hundreds of ships in a loose formation that created a perimeter around Ghost Reef, but the first one had been the closest. As the numbers became daunting, they also got a better look at what they were dealing with. Curiously, the enemy ships had no sails. Rather than a wind powered vessel, like those designed by the pirates of Ghost Reef, the Orlando settlement had been crafting what definitely seemed like an alien design with some alternative propulsion. Coop guessed these were specific to the Sapphire Armada¡¯s faction services.


    The enemy vessels were shaped like paper boats, with both the front and the back pointing high into the air and a central triangular shaped structure in the middle. The rest of the ship seemed to sit deep in the water, like it was on the verge of sinking, but judging by the rest of them, that was just how they floated. They were semi-submersible naval vessels with open tops.


    ¡°Ugly.¡± Charon commented as they got a better look at the ships, breaking his more typical silence. Judging by the expressions of the pirates, they didn¡¯t approve of the alien design.


    Ghost Reef was still not visible, but Coop recognized the familiar green glow of spectral mana flowing through their territory once they were closer. The Sapphire Armada had established a blockade after all, one that ringed the settlement¡¯s territory at the border between it and the untamed sea.


    Sea Burial was barely entering its maximum range, and Coop was preparing with his spear when some of the flotsam in the sea reacted to their presence like a proximity mine. A screaming gout of ruby red sparks shot into the night sky, loud enough to wake the dead and bright enough to completely reveal their ship. The sparks continued to glow as they drifted and clung to any surface they touched. Their ship was highlighted in red as the trap¡¯s siren faded.


    The enemy vessels slowly rotated toward them and started plowing through the water once they faced the correct direction. Coop had the impression that they accelerated at an unnatural speed and moved like pack animals. The central triangular structures in the ships seemed like dorsal fins and whatever was propelling them had to be underwater and was likely provided by mana.


    Kayla scowled at the red glowing trap that they had set off, using the toe of her heeled boot to try and smother some that had stuck to the deck, finding it stuck to the leather just as easily. ¡°Well, that¡¯s new.¡± She grumbled, disappointed in herself for not taking into account alien countermeasures that none of them had ever witnessed before. She turned to the crew of pirates who had all already taken battlestations and waited patiently for direction. ¡°Send them to the depths.¡± She commanded.


    With her quiet order, the ballista fired an enormous bolt. A solid thump of wood and the rattling of iron overwhelmed the waves being split by the hull, as the mechanism sent the projectile through the darkness. Coop planted his foot and threw his spear at a different vessel, joining the opening salvo with a line drive that he expected to pierce the hull of the second ship. The pirates yelled threats at their enemies while Charon pulled the ship¡¯s wheel to keep the enemies in range of the port side cannons, putting them on a perpendicular path to the edge of the blockade. They weren¡¯t heading directly toward Ghost Reef any longer, and would end up circling their destination at best.


    The ballista bolt splintered into pieces when it smashed into an energy shield that protected the first ship. Coop¡¯s spear bounced harmlessly off a similar protective barrier as it reached the second ship, plunging into the dark water with a dramatic splash, but no clear damage. Coop¡¯s target slowed down, falling into a vague flying V formation that left the pirates with one single target.


    ¡°Keep firing!¡± Kayla shouted, pulling her sword out and pointing it at the Sapphire Armada¡¯s nearest ship. ¡°Look at the debris in the sea! Those shields aren¡¯t impenetrable!¡±


    Coop followed her directions even though they weren¡¯t necessarily meant for him, resummoning his spear and blasting it at the first ship, joining the ballista in concentrating their fire. His second line drive tore through the air before it was once again repelled. The second ballista bolt was similarly deflected after colliding with the invisible barrier.


    The semi-submersibles were closing the distance while Sea Burial strafed to their north side. The port-side cannons fired next, drowning out the pirates¡¯ shouts as the enemy ships entered their range. Ten cannon balls flew at the closest ship, splattering the energy shield with each shot. The shield rippled as if it was turning liquid under the pressure of the heavy projectiles, but it still prevented any from reaching the vessel itself. A handful of pirates stood against the rails to cast their own spells, but none of them reached the destructive power of any of the siege equipment. The bolts of energy and blasts of elements were deflected or absorbed by the front of the protective barrier.


    Their first pursuer slowed down, in an effort to let the second vessel take point, probably to allow its shield to recuperate, but Coop had already lobbed his freshly summoned spear. Despite putting as much Strength into the throw as he could, its shallow arc would barely reach the ship. The high-pressure spear was so unnaturally heavy that even he couldn¡¯t manage a perfect arc, but his target¡¯s forward momentum narrowly placed it within range. When the spear collided with the shield it exploded like a bomb, sending mana-based shrapnel in all directions before the shards dissipated into smoke after bouncing off the neighboring ships¡¯ shields.


    At first, it didn¡¯t seem like it had any more impact than the previous attempts since the ship itself remained untouched. However, the shield illuminated the dark sea with a chilling blue light, escalating like a reactor going critical, revealing itself to be shaped like a pyramid around the exterior of the low-sitting boat. A cascading surge of the blue light fully encompassed the ship with a brief flash, then coalesced in a single point at the apex of the central pyramid. When the wave of light reached directly above the structure in the center, a beam went straight down, into the ship, and it exploded like a boiler having a catastrophic failure.


    The first vessel combusted into blue fire for a split second, with only a flash of bright light that left the illusion of a strange mushroom cloud burned onto their retinas. Even before Coop¡¯s eyes readjusted to the darkness, they could hear the sounds of more debris splashing into the ocean. The pirates cheered as they confirmed the fallibility of their targets, aiming their attacks at the second ship with even more vigor.


    The cannons erupted with another bombardment as Charon readjusted their direction, and Coop resummoned his destroyed weapon. Sea Burial was now heading further away from Ghost Reef, avoiding a closer confrontation with the Sapphire Armada¡¯s pyramid ships. The explosion of the first one had drawn the attention of significantly more, and to Coop¡¯s eye, there was a carpet of gently illuminated vessels making their way toward the disturbance.


    With a closer look, they could see that the ships were relatively small. They weren¡¯t even the size of the Tempest Fleet¡¯s corvettes, which had 50-man crews. The difference was in their architecture, where the pyramid ships were built like a tub. They reminded Coop of the landing craft used for unloading troops for amphibious assaults.


    The Sapphire Armada intended to rely on their defensive mana shield, rotating their ships so that none would be overwhelmed, but they hadn¡¯t expected Coop¡¯s level of firepower. The vessels hadn¡¯t revealed any offensive capabilities, and Coop wouldn¡¯t put it past them to have none on the ship at all, relying on their crews instead. It wouldn¡¯t be the first time he witnessed a faction emphasizing tactics with logic that Coop didn¡¯t immediately follow.


    With the destruction of the first ship, the rest of their pursuers were playing it safer, rotating their point ships after just one or two attacks and crowding out further strikes. Coop wasn¡¯t bothered, but breaking the line of sight between Sea Burial and her targets was enough to prevent the ballista or the cannons from following up on weakened shields. Coop switched his focus to high arcing attacks with dense spears, slamming straight down from above, in an effort to follow cannon barrages before the shields had a chance to rejuvenate. The ships couldn¡¯t hide in the herd when the strikes came straight down.


    ¡°Hold up!¡± Carlos shouted, jumping onto the railing next to Charon, interrupting the crew in the middle of a battle. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the next one, just quit your attacks for a minute.¡± He demanded with a smile that oozed confidence.


    The crew looked to Kayla before they stopped anything, but she seemed to admire the audacity of the Shadowdancer¡¯s promise and gave a subtle nod that had the next cannon barrage delayed and the ballista swiveling as it followed their target without firing. Carlos bowed his head, then let himself fall backwards, off the railing, toward the hard deck, almost like he had fainted. Instead of crashing against the wooden boards, he disappeared into his moonlight shadow.


    A moment later, the nearest pyramid ship had growing shadow tendrils extending from its interior, into the air, then wrapping the ship in a swirling mass of darkness, pulling the enemy into a gloomy embrace. The shadows obscured the entire ship until it was impossible to perceive its form. As quickly as the darkness had gathered around the dimly lit ship, they were even faster to disappear, but once they were gone, the ship had deteriorated until it barely qualified as scrap.


    Carlos climbed out of Camila¡¯s shadow, back on Sea Burial, and immediately leveled up. ¡°How was that, Cici? Impressed?¡±


    ¡°Do it again?¡± Camila immediately suggested. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of ships.¡± She pointed out, encouraging him to continue with only a hint of sarcasm.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna leave the rest to you guys.¡± Carlos generously offered, obviously tapping out due to his own limitations.


    There were still nearly a hundred ships that had broken off from the blockade in order to chase the red glow that coated their corvette. Sea Burial was both faster and had more firepower than each of the individual pyramid ships, but they would still be overwhelmed if they were forced to engage them all at once. Picking the pyramid ships off one after another wouldn¡¯t be feasible given the amount of reinforcements available and the time it would take. They could flee at any point, but they were there to help Ghost Reef, so leaving wasn¡¯t an option they would entertain. They¡¯d need to try some new tactics.

 Chapter 157: Sea Devils

    Coop positioned himself among the cannons on the port side of Sea Burial, nearest to the pursuing ships of the Sapphire Armada. The pyramid ships doggedly hunted the faster corvette, maintaining a formation that thrust a single ship in front with the intention of rotating it among the others if its shields started to diminish. The Sapphire Armada anticipated a tech advantage over any opponents, given their strategy of rushing settlement and naval advancements rather than early expansion. Their schemes wouldn¡¯t be as effective when the protective shields could be overwhelmed by the firepower of their enemies.


    Their tactics only left a single ship exposed at a time as they charged toward their prey. The Sapphire Armada appeared to be willing to sacrifice in the name of their goals. Ghost Reef might be the only place on the planet that could overcome their early naval superiority. Coop wasn¡¯t confident whether or not it was a sound idea for them to try and eliminate the Armada¡¯s potential rival so early. Certainly, he had no intention of bowing to their efforts.


    From the side of the ship, Coop squeezed his eyes shut and concentrated on a controlled channel of Fog of War. Rather than continue to keep their maximum distance and whittle away at the chasing ships, the pirate crew was slowing down in order to let Coop¡¯s abilities coalesce around them. If they didn¡¯t change tactics, the pyramid ships would continue to occupy their time when they wanted to reunite with their allies in the settlement as soon as possible.


    The purpose of his Fog of War would be to establish as large a domain as possible, enveloping the open sea and providing their own soft shield. Coop¡¯s intent wasn¡¯t to create a completely obscuring fog, as that would negatively impact his allies and quickly drain his mana pool while reducing the potential coverage of his area skill. They were dealing with ship combat and ranges that exceeded his normal hand-to-hand engagements. Consequently, he wanted to make sure his domain engulfed a large enough area in order to compensate for the situation. Something akin to his Primal Kite field would be more appropriate in terms of size, but it needed to also have more volume to encompass the enemy vessels. Sacrificing the density of his domain would be necessary to ensure it maintained a size that would be functional.


    Even with his significant investment in Mind, he remained conscientious of his limited resources. The high mana cost of Legacy of the Mists had been a firm reminder of the restrictions when he was inside of the Coral Forest, but resource management wasn¡¯t the only rationale for carefully casting his skill. Another reason he wasn¡¯t just dumping his mana into creating an enormous fog bank was that he was also hoping that Mindbender would kick in and give him a boost to one of the stats that influenced the power of Fog of War. Any of the casting related attributes would be a boon.


    He hadn¡¯t successfully applied Mindbender to any attributes other than Strength, but Coop consoled himself by blaming a lack of practice. After Ledwidge had made them aware of mental blocks on properly utilizing their stats, he had made a deliberate effort during the siege event to access more of the Strength he had accumulated The results had been apparent over the course of the event, as he elevated his abilities from struggling with the first Field Boss that appeared to smashing the final Siege Boss that the Primal Constructs sent. His capacity only grew afterwards as he explored his limitations in Emmanuel¡¯s Gravity Gym. Basically, Strength was straightforward and a well-practiced path for him, but the other stats lagged behind due to fundamental restrictions brought on by their individual natures.


    Fog swirled around his hands and climbed a few inches across the deck of the ship as soon as he began channeling, smearing the ghost ship with even more spectral shadows. The movement of the ship meant that he was leaving streaks of mist to his left, which followed along with their slow wake in the dark sea. Sea Burial was still illuminated by the red glowing sparks from the trap that gave them away in the first place, and that red light was scattered into his fog, revealing the voluminous conjure to everyone that looked. The fog billowed all around Coop¡¯s position, pushing out into the sea as it spilled off of the decks like gaseous crimson waterfalls.


    When Mindbender kicked in, reducing his Strength and contributing the equivalent to his Intelligence for the first time, his fog started to change density. His mists thickened gradually as his Intelligence increased, and the fog bank he was generating became more voluminous. Sea Burial was leaving a streak of red smoke that if Coop was chasing, he would be hesitant to enter. Coop adjusted his control, letting his skill take more and more of his mana, in an attempt to push it further beyond the side of the ship and deny the chance for their pursuers to choose not to be engulfed in his domain by applying evasive maneuvers.


    The pyramid ships were like torpedoes, charging through the surface of the water in a direct line toward their target. If they had better command of their direction, they would be trying to cut off their trajectory, but some limitation kept them in a constant state of making small adjustments rather than predictive maneuvers, like they lacked the typical tools of navigation humans expected to find in proper transportation. Their limitations meant that if Coop¡¯s domain extended far enough into the ocean, he could have them driving themselves directly into the fog. They seemed to be spurred on by the lessened speed of Sea Burial, rushing forward and shrinking the gap, like a pack of hounds detecting the end of their chase. For the first time, the ships were near enough to reveal their contents: troops lined along the edges of the ships as if they stood in a trench, prepared to blast anyone that entered no man¡¯s land.


    The enemy ships drew close enough to start hurling spells toward them. The first efforts landed harmlessly in the ocean between them, but the pirates were forced to apply their own spells defensively, smashing firebolts with water beams and scattering tiny projectiles with wind blasts, letting them splash into the sea like a burst of rain. The gloom of the fog spreading along the ocean in the darkness was broken by the blasts of spells and illumination of mana scattering within the mists.


    Coop paid no heed to his normal, self-imposed, restrictions in order to maintain some mana in reserve for Mind over Matter. In this case, he was entirely focused on establishing his domain over a large enough area of the sea that he could take control of their skirmish. 20,000 mana combined with over 2,000 effective Intelligence to start with, before his attributes started climbing, allowed him to form a cloud that covered the ocean. Rather than a thin layer of mists along the surface like the ones he had utilized while grinding Primal Kites, he was creating a billowing column, highlighted primarily by the dark red flares. The formation almost seemed like the smoke from a wild fire during a windy sunset as it spread along the ocean.


    When the first pyramid ship finally drifted into the edge of his domain, Coop¡¯s eyes snapped open and he confirmed that the protective energy shields had done nothing to diminish his fog. His mists were merely a small obstruction, not even thick enough to truly block their vision beyond limiting their sight to silhouettes. By itself, it wasn¡¯t much of a threat, but Coop had already discovered so many synergies, it would be a mistake to ignore the danger, and it was a mistake they had willingly made.


    As he heard one of the invaders curse at what they believed was a smoke screen through Presence of Mind, he cast Legacy of the Mists, concluding the Fog of War channel, with the intent of striking a decisive blow from within their defenses. A ghostly spearman burst out of the fog, thrusting his spectral weapon into the cursing sailor, transforming his words into a shocked exhalation. Coop observed through Presence of Mind as the Sapphire Armada¡¯s Chosen took action while the Legacy summon added more mists to their deck with his presence.


    The enemy soldiers had been watching the pursuit of Sea Burial, attacking if they thought they had the range, but the deathrattle of one of their comrades dragged their attention back to their own ship. They all saw a leather-clad spearman¡¯s misty silhouette as he yanked the end of his spear out of their comrade and let the body drop. From their perspective, they had no idea where he came from, and couldn¡¯t tell that he was more of a ghost than a man. The mists obfuscated enough details to add to the chaos even when Coop hadn¡¯t established a thick enough layer to strangle their senses. Instead of a sensory deprivation chamber, the fog was at the level of a horror movie.


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    ¡°We¡¯ve been boarded!¡± The alarmed shouts began. ¡°To arms!¡±


    They rallied themselves against the intruder. Only a handful remained stationary, those who were touching the central pyramid as if they were empowering the shield with their own energy, or otherwise guiding the ship. From the rest of the soldiers¡¯ rapid response, Coop gathered that they believed the phantasm was a pirate. The Tempest Fleet had evidently discovered that their own spectral teleports bypassed the shields before Sea Burial arrived, and the Sapphire Armada had grown wary of such assaults. They didn¡¯t realize that the phantasm was 50 levels higher than the pirates they had engaged with previously.


    An effort to counter attack was deflected by the spearman¡¯s leather and wood shield with a muffled clang, and the counter attack was devastating, piercing two attackers at once. The phantasm utilized expert techniques to engage in a melee with dozens of troops at once. When the phantasm was nearly ambushed by the blind rush of another soldier from behind, Coop cast Legacy of the Mists a second time. The additional phantasm caught the rusher by surprise, stabbing them through the stomach with a low spear thrust as it stepped through the fog.


    The second phantasm was a tall woman with a winged helmet, polished armor, and a gleaming kite shield that contrasted the leathers of the first, but they worked together to cut through the Chosen. They hadn¡¯t anticipated being boarded without a ship in closer proximity and were more concerned with launching ranged attacks at their prey. The rapidly escalating melee caused confusion to grow among the Sapphire Armada¡¯s troops as they were forced to turn their attention within.


    When the second pyramid ship entered Coop¡¯s domain, it simultaneously received the same treatment. The phantasms refunded enough mana through his Reaper title to replenish their forces as needed, resulting in a compounding threat that quickly overwhelmed the soldiers. Phantasms boarded the ships and revealed themselves to be extraordinary combatants when they were able to engage for longer than a single attack. The combination of skill with overwhelming stats meant that even the most well-prepared enemies were doomed.


    Before long, the pursuit had stalled out. A dozen ships floated listlessly in Coop¡¯s light fog, clogging the ocean like abandoned bumper cars. Sea Burial had breathing room while it lobbed the longer ranged attacks over the traffic jam. The oars came out and the pirates started a steady beat on a deep bassy drum below deck as they turned 90 degrees to face Ghost Reef directly.


    ¡°Steady forward.¡± Kayla gave another quiet order once they faced Ghost Reef again and the beat of the drum started escalating with additional flourishes.


    They weren¡¯t going to waste any more time with the blockade, knowing that the pyramid ships were at least partially responsible for stalling reinforcements to the fort. If they had been a threat to the fort, engaging with them further could have made sense, lessening the burden on the island, but the ships were clearly not built for ranged combat. In that sense, the enemy ships had briefly succeeded in stalling the reinforcements, but as they rowed forward, through Coop¡¯s fog, they intended to turn the pursuit around. Other than the sounds of the ocean¡¯s waves and the beat of their ominous drum growing steadily louder, the battlefield quieted. From the perspective of the pyramid ships, the skirmish appeared to have ended, with their prey escaping inside of the red fog, but the drum¡¯s rhythm was like a heartbeat growing in intensity from beyond the defeated ships.


    Coop¡¯s heavy spear crashed into one of the waiting ships that had the sense to stop before entering the swirling fog as it rolled with the swells of the ocean. The direct hit from above caused yet another spectacular explosion as the spear reached terminal velocity on its way down, destroying the silence along with the central vessel after a long trip through the sky. The explosion lit up the neighboring ships, revealing their pyramid shaped energy shields in the darkness while Sea Burial split the gap, blasting out of the fog as they rowed hard through the sea. The ghostly corvette was already in the opening before the debris had fallen from the sky, trailing red mist as it went.


    Both sides of cannons added to the menacing drum chorus, hammering the surviving ships adjacent to Coop¡¯s victim with a full barrage that deafened ears that had adjusted to the quiet. Their pyramid shields rippled with energy while the troops countered with their own spells. The attacks struck the spectral wood of the ghost ship, setting small fires that pirates rushed to put out, but otherwise failed to slow the corvette¡¯s blitz. The pirate ship took superficial damage that would easily be repaired once they were home. Camila and Gabby found themselves punting small level 50 shadowy minions back into the sea as they spawned on the deck, but otherwise the pirates were barely distracted by the assault.


    The Sapphire Armada¡¯s troops were significantly higher level than the Endless Empire¡¯s army, but compared to the pirates of Ghost Reef, they were still far behind. They were all leveled in the 50s and 60s, but the pirates were pushing 80, along with individuals like Charlie and Camila, and that wasn¡¯t even taking into consideration the enormous gap between them and Coop¡¯s phantasms. His ghosts were essentially raid bosses compared to the human attackers. Raid Bosses with enormous levels of skill. Coop had the passing idea that Ghost Reef was being targeted specifically for that reason, as if it was an opportunity for them to leapfrog the rest of the world if they could just farm the residents for experience. He was sure it would be a part of a sophisticated enemy¡¯s tactical planning, but nurturing such ambition would end up being their biggest mistake.


    One of the pyramid ships that had been blasted by a barrage of cannons was struck again while the shield continued to ripple and Sea Burial pushed passed. An orange spike, ringed with a series of electric yellow halos appeared from above and stabbed down, much like one of Coop¡¯s spears. Instead of arriving with velocity built from altitude, the energy spike manifested directly over the shield with a flash and accelerated as if attracted by a magnet. It collided with the top of the shield, leading to yet another brilliant flash of blue energy as the ship was destroyed in a cataclysmic explosion.


    Camila¡¯s Aunt, the Evoker, had added her contribution once they were within range, though, like Carlos, she was done after just a single attack. The Neon Park visitors seemed enormously powerful, with spectacular abilities that had obviously never been tested for endurance the way the siege had tested Ghost Reef.


    Charlie¡¯s gusts of wind cleared the lane of debris and shoved the remaining ships out from in front as Sea Burial utilized the strength of the pirates on the oars to rush the gap, splitting the pyramid ships¡¯ loose formation in half. The enemy vessels had either slowed to a stop if they were already close, or were in the process of overshooting their target as they rushed to join the battle. The ghost ship was able to take advantage of their poor footing, splitting the seam and coming out behind what had been meant to keep them away. They rushed toward the shallow reef, where the semi-submersible ships would have no hope of following, only barely grazed by quick ranged attacks as they passed by.


    The ballista continued to hammer the ships as they did their best to rotate and follow, but the corvette was faster, had a running head start, and the pyramid ships lacked the agility to match them. For a few minutes the gap widened, and it seemed like they had easily breached the ill-formed blockade, but on the horizon, right at the edge of the shallow reefs, as close to the fort as possible, a series of much larger ships were exchanging a chaotic bombardment with the fort itself. In the darkness, the siege ships looked like a city''s skyline beneath a thunderstorm, each the size of a city block, lit by flashes of light from explosions. They were tall and awkward, accommodating large tubes that were reminiscent of Gromokan¡¯s mortars that had devastated the fort¡¯s walls during the siege. Coop winced at the memory.


    The battleships also sat low in the water, but they were extremely large compared to the swarming pyramid ships. There were only about a dozen on the east side of the fort, spaced out along what they could see of the reef, but each one was two or three times the size of the already large flagship of the Tempest Fleet. They were proper siege ships.


    The pirates didn¡¯t slow the beat of their drums and the oars kept up with the pace, propelling them over the swells of the dark sea. Without enemies harassing them, Charlie was able to focus her wind gusts into the sails, providing them with unmatched acceleration. It didn¡¯t take long before the pyramid ships were returning to mere specks of dim light, but this time on the opposite horizon, behind them.


    Compared to Camila¡¯s family, Charlie was revealing the difference between their battle philosophies. As long as Charlie didn¡¯t go all out with one of her lightning strikes, she would be able to contribute for hours. It only took one look at the timid Aeromancer to see that she intended to endure whatever it took to repel the invaders, having arrived at her own personal decision to accept the responsibilities that came with a prominent role in Ghost Reef.

 Chapter 158: Safe Harbor

    Sea Burial continued to accelerate through the deep, dark ocean, skipping across the choppy waves as they raced for the reef. The massive siege ships loomed ahead of them, blocking their perspective of the fort, though they all knew exactly where it was. They aimed for the space between the bulky ships of the Sapphire Armada. They didn¡¯t have time to slow down and reassess their strategy knowing that the pyramid ships were chasing their flank, even if the pursuers were much slower than the pirate ship. They would be hemmed in if they hesitated.


    Coop held his breath as they drew closer, anticipating being forced into another fight. He was planning on boarding the larger vessels if it came to a battle, but they shot through the void between the massive ships, unnoticed. Their enemies were oblivious to their flank, trusting the swarm of pyramid ships to prevent anything from approaching along with the discouragement factor of their bulk to intimidate anyone else. They were fixated on the fort in front of them. Luckily, even if the assimilation had pushed them into focusing on their navy, they weren¡¯t actually experienced sailors yet. Two months wasn¡¯t enough time to turn a regular population into proper seafarers. A lifetime of experience at sea meant that Ghost Reef¡¯s navy still held some advantage.


    On the other side of the blockade, the crew of pirates were greeted with the sight of a massive naval bombardment. The battleships were so large, they had screened them from the actual battle until they were suddenly in the thick of it.


    Three deep thumps cascaded from the nearest battleship, one after the other, as mortars launched a barrage high into the sky from the tubes in the top of the ship. Waves broke against the reef, generated by the bobbing of the enormous structure. If it wasn¡¯t for the projectiles streaking blue flames through the air, Coop¡¯s eyes wouldn¡¯t have been able to follow them. They flew high enough to be mistaken for shooting stars before crashing back down toward the fort.


    The air was thick with black smoke, and massive projectiles were being flung back and forth while smaller missiles whistled through the night. Most of the largest munitions exploded in huge airbursts like blooming flowers before colliding with either the fort or the ships, sending shell fragments in all directions that splashed into the shallow waters, or bounced harmlessly against defensive structures, but the ones that did reach their targets were deflected by what were becoming familiar energy shields.


    The battleships had a series of multiple pyramid shaped protective shields that lit up whenever they caught arcing cannon fire or spells that were cast from the fort¡¯s walls. The fort, on the other hand, had a single shield that seemed to be embedded into the stone, causing the structure itself to light up with waves of energy whenever one of the mortars connected. Above the wall, a transparent, ghostly green shell-shaped mana shield extended over the courtyard. Whenever the shield was struck by a mortar, an individual scute would light up an even brighter green before fading back to transparency after taking the hit, leaving the subtle outline floating in above. It looked like a massive ethereal sea turtle shell was sitting on top of the fort¡¯s walls with the head facing the main entrance to the south and the edges protectively covering the walls.


    Along the edge of the shallows, three of the enormous battleships were under varying degrees of distress. The worst off was toward the south, offshore where the coast was consumed by the mangrove forest. The battleship had a gaping hole in its hull that split its scorched bulk into two halves. It only remained connected due to drifting into the water that was shallow enough for it to rest on the bottom, otherwise, it was a complete loss. The other two maintained their buoyancy, but one was listing hard enough that every third wave was able to splash water over the rim above its main deck, slowly filling the deep tub with water. Neither seemed to have the ability to move on their own. It was only a matter of time before they joined the first ship in being a total loss. The Armada was taking heavy losses in their siege of the fort, already contributing to the reef¡¯s collection of shipwrecks.


    The cannon portals in the fort were firing at will, launching their payloads in high arcing shots that could only barely reach the ships that were mortaring the walls. During the siege, none of the cannons had such a range, but the progression of the phantom cannoneers gave them just enough distance to counter-attack. It was easily double the previous maximum range they had displayed against the Primal Constructs. However, it wasn¡¯t the cannons that were causing most of the Sapphire Armada¡¯s distress, but rather the individual spells that were also crossing the air.


    Glowing beams of energy were being fired like railguns where archers employed advanced abilities to snipe at the ships whenever their shields appeared to be weakening. Otherwise, magma balls, frostbolts, and chaos orbs were revealing ranges that were impossible in the months previous. Ghost Reef¡¯s residents hadn¡¯t been progressing thoughtlessly. Their builds had been molded by their experiences during the siege event, and now they combined stamina with range, incorporating Ghost Reef itself into their tactics. Coop had believed the Sapphire Armada had made a mistake in targeting their settlement, but he had actually underestimated the difficulties they would face. He had thought it was simply a matter of levels and experience that would give them trouble, but it was also a mismatch in tactics.


    Ice smashed into the mortars, high in the air, sending sparkling snowflakes in all directions as some of the spellcasters concentrated on defensive contributions. A coordinated volley of dozens of spells were launched together from the north. Some of the preliminary attacks blasted through the air, exploding after flying in line drives across the shallow sea where they once fought Gaol the Unveiled Blade, but most arced through the black smokey clouds with trajectories that pushed their range to the absolute maximum. A blood red meteor, easily the size of a house, joined them from almost directly above, as if it was falling directly from outer space. Coop gaped when the cascade of spells smashed into one of the battleships, directly north of the fort, revealing its pyramid shaped shields as they were overwhelmed by the barrage. The ship erupted when the meteor landed, flashing with searing blue light as it was destroyed by the cooperative attacks. The battleship broke into multiple pieces with all but the pointed bow sinking into the depths. The lone monument to what was a huge ship propped itself up against the edge of the shallow reef, adding another ornamental wreck.


    On the other side, the troops of the Sapphire Armada couldn¡¯t do anything but spectate the battle, manning what siege weapons were available on the battleships. None of them had abilities that could turn their bows into railguns or their projectile spells into trebuchet shots. They needed to be much closer before they could offer even their simplest individual attacks.


    ¡°Brace! Brace!¡± A pirate lieutenant shouted, and the passengers of Sea Burial gripped ropes, railings, and each other as the ship crashed through sheets of debris after a car-sized projectile airburst in front of them.


    Missiles crashed into the water all across the ocean, but Sea Burial didn¡¯t have time to be cautious. If they lingered, they could become the perfect target for the Armada¡¯s sailors: exposed and close. They continued their rush across the shallows, utilizing the spectral properties of the ship to guarantee they weren¡¯t followed. Attacks flew through the air, but they were almost universally aimed with higher arcs, covering the distance of the reef with higher trajectories than the occupants needed to worry about. Instead, shrapnel and falling debris were the danger they braced for. It only took seconds before they were out of range of the individual sailors, but that didn¡¯t put them in the clear. As they went, Coop heard distinct cracks as the nearest battleship employed smaller cannons. To his ear, they sounded like semi-automatic rifles, but the projectiles that chased them were clearly visible with much lower velocity than actual bullets.


    Kayla was the first to apply her abilities in order to prevent them from being struck directly. Purple tentacles climbed from the reef in the ship¡¯s wake, and slapped at the baseball-sized cannonballs. Each tentacle that struck a projectile was destroyed, but they accomplished their task, taking the projectile with them, back into the water. The rest of the pirate casters sent their own barriers toward their rear until the projectiles stopped being fired.


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    One near miss resulted in a counter attack when Gabby wielded her miniature baseball bat, swinging with only her uninjured arm to return the projectile. In the moment, Coop was reminded of Camila¡¯s perfect counters and he was surprised by the similarity. The counter pierced through the shield of the nearest battleship, but it didn¡¯t result in a cascading explosion. Instead, the missile smashed into the hull of the ship, physically collapsing the exterior skin and rocking the enormous ship like it had been struck by a battering ram. The battleship didn¡¯t fire anything else directly at the ghost ship.


    It was a tense few minutes where they traversed what had become a true no man¡¯s land between the sieging battleships and the old stone fort. Residents of Ghost Reef waved them forward from the tops of the walls, unconcerned with the massive projectiles crashing into the turtle shell mana dome that protected them. When Sea Burial splashed both sides of the canal, cutting across the moat, through the calm water, and entering the courtyard, the sounds of battle somehow felt distant.


    The atmosphere within the fort was in complete contrast to the chaotic siege that was taking place outside. The first incongruity that Coop noticed was the music. Derek was sitting in the middle of the bridge as Sea Burial plowed through the calm water of the canal, utilizing the pirates on the oars to slow to a stop before they collided with any of the other ships that had sheltered in the safety of the fort.


    The Virtuoso was strumming away, surrounded by a handful of phantoms while he applied his boons to the entire fort at once. Coop received three small buffs: one that increased his ability resource efficiency by a flat amount, another that increased his resource recovery by a single digit percentage, and a third that boosted magic power for thirty seconds at a time, all on top of the Purified Buff that was present at all times within Lighthouse territory. The other buffs were being repeatedly refreshed while Derek played his songs. It wasn¡¯t so long ago that his range was only the size of the main room of the Clumsy Shark, but even he had focused his build¡¯s evolution to benefit Ghost Reef. Derek was pretty self-interested at best, but even he sought to protect his home.


    Coop was the first to leap off the side of the ship, dragging a rope along with him to help slow the boat down. Most of the Tempest Fleet was present on one side of the bridge or the other. The Fearless was half submerged, braced with ropes and chains affixed to cleats that were embedded into the stone walkway. A crew of pirates were using buckets to bail water from the deck while others dove into the canal with tools held in their teeth and materials in their arms as they patched the damage with quick, temporary repairs. The Eye of the Storm sat perpendicular to the opposite entrance of the canal, where the pigs normally swam, firing volley after volley of cannons to the point that a steady stream of hot gray smoke was emanating from the cannon vents.


    The pirates started disembarking as well, following Coop with ropes, jumping onto the northern market avenue. Once the ship was secured, they followed Admiral Kayla as she marched toward The Eye of the Storm, obviously intent on having her first mate bring her up to speed so that she could take command. Charon silently nodded to Coop as he joined the crew moving to the flagship. Only a handful of pirates stayed on Sea Burial, assessing the damage from their run through the battle and starting repairs to prepare for more.


    The rest of the fort was just as bewildering as the atmosphere. Coop secured his line and looked around. Other than the walls and the canal, where individuals were engaged in battle, it was like nothing special was going on outside. There were even groups of residents sitting on benches, drinking coffee as they casually discussed the invasion with a handful of the refugees that arrived on the cruise ship. The newcomers had completed the onboarding processes, but it was too soon for them to have found their places within the settlement.


    ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Carlos spoke up as he glanced between the informal settlement and the battlefield outside the canal after climbing off the ship himself. ¡°I expected to be greeted like liberating heroes, but they didn¡¯t need us here at all?¡± He asked Gabby as he helped her onto shore, who in contrast to her expected stoicism, also looked confused. They flinched when a series of six mortars were deflected by the top of the shield¡¯s mana dome, exposing three of the turtle shield¡¯s scutes, but Ghost Reef¡¯s residents didn¡¯t even acknowledge the attack.


    The interior of the fort¡¯s walls had been redecorated with the Cleary brothers¡¯ fairy lights, casting gentle light on the perimeter road and all the open portals like they were having an informal backyard party. The entire perimeter was lined with the Beach Bash picnic tables, mirroring the new apartment buildings and smaller service buildings that fully encompassed both halves of the courtyard. Most of the tables were occupied by phantoms, but there were a larger portion of human residents than expected scattered among them, snacking on food as they also discussed shift changes with the refugees. The newcomers almost seemed like interns or trainees as they were mentored by those who had been in Ghost Reef for longer. They were reassured by the general calm of the previous residents.


    Hanging from the side of The Clumsy Shark was a massive new ornament, braced by dozens of ropes and partially obstructing the merchant road. The hollowed out stone crab claw had been suspended against the sturdy building, like a prized catch. It seemed like the passengers of Sea Burial had missed the second feast, but at least the newest refugees appeared to have had their welcome party before the Armada¡¯s siege began. The enormous trophy was so out of proportion, Coop would have believed it to be fake if he hadn¡¯t seen the original crab with his own eyes.


    The bells tolled while Coop observed the situation, and most of the phantom soldiers hopped up from the picnic tables, entering the fort¡¯s walls with stern looks of determination. They gave off an air of professionalism that could only come from a combination of confidence and experience. After most of the tables had cleared out, slightly tired seeming phantoms exited the stone walls, refilling the gaps. Many of them sat on the picnic tables to relax, but others headed further into the settlement toward the crafting services or the tavern. A few even remained on the top of the walls, moving to the interior edge to let their replacements takeover while they watched, pointing out perceived weaknesses and offering suggestions while promoting continuity in their counter-assaults.


    Shane was among those who were shifting off the walls and Coop hustled to get caught up with his advisor once he spotted him on the main road. Coop was feeling both confused but satisfied with the state of the fort. He had never really doubted that Ghost Reef would be comfortable resisting another siege, but even he hadn¡¯t expected them to be quite this relaxed. Should regular people really be able to evolve into professional soldiers in just a few months or had it been due to the circumstances applied to Ghost Reef? The phantoms provided experience, the assimilation added necessity, and the fort supplied the opportunity.


    When the rest of the passengers of the newly arrived corvette disembarked, Coop asked Camila and Charlie to take responsibility for getting all of the injured to the medical center and convincing Madison to heal them up. Camila¡¯s family had lingering debuffs from injuries that were preventing them from recovering fully, but there were also the three victims of the blood curse that would need the Sage¡¯s attention. After they were set up, Charlie would be taking a prominent role in the defense, as she had during the siege event.


    ¡°Welcome back.¡± Shane tilted his head slightly as Marcus joined them as the girls headed for the medical center with Camila¡¯s family. Coop watched over Shane¡¯s shoulder as a pair of bullet-shaped flaming stones were launched by the Admiralty¡¯s trebuchets. They streaked across the night sky, creating wide streaks of light in the smoky air. Coop couldn¡¯t see where they would land, but judging by their arcs, they were launched at a greater distance than anything else he had seen around the battlefield.


    ¡°Guess we¡¯re a bit late.¡± Coop conceded, finally convinced that Ghost Reef had fully stabilized itself in the face of another invasion.

 Chapter 159: Animated Protector

    Shane transformed into his battle commander mode while Coop¡¯s small group had gone to Empress City on the mainland. The Endless Empire had done well to identify Shane as a candidate for leadership as proven by the way he had already stepped up for Ghost Reef multiple times. Coop was glad that they hadn¡¯t flagged Shane for Champion of their first settlement, though he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the faction intended to hand the reins of their future claims to him and others who had been considered elites. Their loss was Ghost Reef¡¯s gain.


    The unassuming plumber who begrudgingly took the lead of his five man party was gone. He had been replaced by the confident tactical commander that marshaled the 15,000 person fighting force that rose up to defend the fort, forged by the siege event into determined and unyielding defenders. He joined Coop and Marcus, ready to explain the lay of the land, eyes clear and alert despite what had inescapably been multiple days of sustained combat. There were few that could match Shane¡¯s endurance, even among those who had experienced Ghost Reef¡¯s siege. Coop might be the only one, really.


    Coop frowned, disappointed that he hadn¡¯t been there when the settlement might have needed him. Seeing the earliest recruits of the settlement working hard made him self-conscious of his lack of contribution. He had carefully delegated most of his responsibilities to his advisors and residents, but the few obligations he felt he couldn¡¯t give away remained foremost in his mind. Physically defending their territory, and the residents themselves, was firmly at the top of his list. Even if the current circumstances seemed handled, the fact that he was absent stuck in his craw, like he was a deadbeat Champion.


    ¡°I should have been here.¡± Coop decided, imagining himself becoming a spoiled prince who reaped all of the benefits of a successful kingdom without doing any of the work when it came down to it.


    ¡°No.¡± Shane firmly denied Coop¡¯s conclusion. ¡°If we needed you, we would have used one of the new features in the civilization shard to alert you.¡±


    ¡°You can do that?¡± Coop wondered. He hadn¡¯t had a chance to explore the civilization shard after the recent upgrade beyond a brief visit ensuring that his advisors were official before they left.


    Shane nodded as he continued with his evaluation. ¡°What we actually need is to make sure you are empowered to continue pursuing opportunities. For our sake and for your own. You should take this situation as proof that you are free to seek out advantages wherever you can find them. That way, when we really do need you, you are fully prepared. We might be ahead of the curve, generally, but as long as you¡¯re the frontrunner we have a significant edge over any threats.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re here now.¡± Marcus pointed out, shaking his head at Coop¡¯s weird sense of responsibility that obviously contradicted but overruled his general reluctance to fight. ¡°How long have they been sieging the fort?¡±


    ¡°They arrived only a few hours after you left. It was good you got out before then.¡± Shane began. ¡°The pirates spotted them way out at sea, easily more than 3,000 ships in total, including the capital ship and 200 battleships. They came straight for us, clearly intent on attacking from the start. The troop tubs tried to form an initial perimeter that the navy spent a full day and night engaging with outside of the settlement¡¯s territory. Sharkbait pulled back once the battleships slipped in behind them and started attacking the fort directly.¡±


    Marcus nodded, putting the pieces together. ¡°It seems the Endless Empire made a deal to try and save themselves, offering us up to the Sapphire Armada in exchange for some cooperation. Without needing to worry about their flank, they were able to press the rebels with their full force, but that shift is what got us involved at all.¡±


    ¡°We all received the notification that you were successful in claiming Empress City for The Lighthouse. Are we ready for another settlement upgrade already?¡± Shane wondered a bit optimistically, apparently looking for more tactical advantages wherever he could find them.


    ¡°Not quite.¡± Marcus answered, breaking the bad news somberly. ¡°Their population is below 100,000.¡±


    ¡°That low?¡± Shane asked with some surprise as he learned the city¡¯s population had been decimated in just a few months. He just shook his head sadly as Coop and Marcus confirmed it. ¡°I thought they might have had more given the numbers they started with and compared with what the Sapphire Armada rallied to attack us.¡±


    ¡°How many do you think the Armada brought?¡± Coop ventured, not happy to confirm that it was considerable.


    ¡°Judging by their troop transports, and extrapolating quite a bit, they brought something like 200,000. Could be more, but they will struggle to properly coordinate that many across the island chain.¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡± Coop grumbled at the mobilization for their little island. ¡°That¡¯s insane.¡±


    ¡°It is.¡± Shane agreed. ¡°Let¡¯s get up on the wall and I¡¯ll show you.¡± Shane turned and led the way toward the main entrance of the fort.


    Before they moved more than a few steps, a commotion erupted at the rear of the Clumsy Shark, in what was effectively an alleyway between the Brewbot¡¯s Brewery and the Tavern. Coop¡¯s ethereal spear was already cocked back by the time it registered that Arthur had appeared and apparently assassinated an intruder, using one of his blood arrows as a dagger. The older gentleman waved his fingers over his shoulder, sending hand signals to unseen allies, and a small squad of three phantoms dropped their camouflage, revealing themselves to have secured both ends of the alley. A pair of them quickly dragged the victim¡¯s body away.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Coop had already grown comfortable with the idea that they were safe inside the walls, but the sense of security was dispelled by the quiet violence appearing so close.


    Arthur tilted his head as he approached the group. ¡°Sappers.¡± He offered the simple statement as an explanation.


    ¡°They¡¯re infiltrating the fort?¡± Coop asked, applying a bit more concentration on Presence of Mind, but not sensing anything unusual. There were a ton of new people between the cruise ship refugees and the freshly spawned phantoms, but no one seemed suspicious to his subconscious.


    ¡°They¡¯ve been trying to sneak inside. The shield only prevents attacks. People are unaffected, but they generally struggle to get past the soldiers within the walls. It seems like stealth is heavily dependent on levels and attributes and to that end they are at a significant disadvantage.¡± Arthur stated matter-of-factly as he used a small cloth to clean his arrow.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been tracking the ones that make it through the perimeter, spying on their movements to determine their goals. So far, they haven¡¯t done much of anything but wander around before trying to leave. Simple reconnaissance.¡± Arthur seemed disappointed by their efforts. Then he pointed out the loose herd of pigs that were enthusiastically sniffing around the perimeter road like they were hunting for truffles, apparently tracking intruders. ¡°We¡¯ve got some powerful gimmicks ourselves. There¡¯s no need to worry.¡± Arthur made another quick gesture and another trio of phantoms shifted from a corner of the citadel and moved up the main street before sliding behind the bakery.


    Coop continued to lean on Presence of Mind, but he didn¡¯t detect anything exceedingly out of place, ignoring the bombardment lighting up the shield scutes above their heads. The fact that they weren¡¯t dealing with simple Marauding Prowlers this time was clear enough. Humans would be more unpredictable than the Primal Constructs, but the residents were calm and collected, trusting each other and their defenses. Arthur appeared to have already established his counterintelligence spy corps and was deftly applying tricks of the trade to impede the amateurish efforts of the Sapphire Armada.


    ¡°It seems like things really are under control?¡± Marcus ventured while they followed Shane passed the citadel. Coop watched behind them as another enormous blood red meteor crashed through the clouds accompanied by a coordinated volley of spells being launched by the residents. There was no blue flash this time, but he could imagine that one of the battleships was panicking beneath the pressure.


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    ¡°We are in excellent shape, but I should apologize. The defensive shield requires an enormous amount of mana. In order to maintain it, we drained all of the settlement¡¯s credits to construct eight more Mana Mills and upgrade them all to Mana Siphons.¡± Shane explained with a slightly worried expression.


    ¡°All of them?¡± Marcus was aghast.


    ¡°Were they expensive?¡± Coop was perfectly happy for the expenditure, given the ridiculous security the turtle shell shield appeared to be providing. He would have made the same purchase in a heartbeat.


    It seemed like the previous settlement upgrade advanced the tech level of the system services quite significantly. They were finally to the point where the actual function of the services was impressive rather than simply convenient, even compared to human technology. As far as he knew, Earth didn¡¯t have force fields before mana arrived.


    ¡°The upgrades were staggeringly expensive. We upgraded all nine Mana Mills for one million credits each.¡± Shane elaborated as he pointed out a pair of new buildings at each cardinal direction within the fort¡¯s walls.


    Coop blew air out through his teeth, mostly because he was surprised that the settlement had managed to generate that many credits. The combination of the market and the direct sales to the contracted residents was far more lucrative than he had anticipated. The Rare materials he had put up for sale had gone a long way. At the rate they had accumulated so many credits, he doubted he would need to keep fronting them money. The siege had been ludicrously profitable when considering the continued ripple effects.


    ¡°Even with that level of investment, mana is still being drained from the total. The Mana Siphon upgrade to the Mana Mills increased their productivity by something like 20 times, but the shield is just that demanding. Gideon believes they will run out of ships before we run out of fuel for the shield, but we¡¯re keeping a close eye on it while being careful with our other expenditures.¡± He gestured back toward the canal, The Fearless, and the other pirate ships. ¡°The cost of firing the cannons are negligible since most of the mana comes from the individual manning the equipment, but replacing our fleet or the phantoms will be too expensive with the shield simultaneously taking damage.¡±


    Shane gestured for them to follow him toward the stairs that led to the battlements above the front gate. Two of the new Mana Siphons appeared on either side of the main gate, protected on the inside of the wall, buttressing the corners. In contrast to the blocky Mana Mills, they only used the mill as a base, upgrading the mobile portion into a seemingly more advanced tower. Extruding from the top were narrow pillars with bulbous tips that appeared to be emitting flowing energy directly into the air where the mana dome extended. Coop wondered if he would find something similar at the bottom of the mana well.


    ¡°Why is it a turtle?¡± Coop asked out of curiosity.


    ¡°Local influence is our best guess.¡± Shane didn¡¯t sound sure, but Coop thought that made enough sense. Several of the islands within their territory were prolific turtle nesting grounds during the right season.


    Shane bypassed the new constructions to lead them up to the top of the wall. Arthur bid them farewell, returning to his duties as an interior defender, silently slipping between the quarry and the stonemason.


    The interior of the fort was quiet, with phantoms waiting at each doorway, in what Coop assumed was a defensive formation that would make it difficult to sneak through the darker interiors. When they reached the top, they were provided with another perspective of the air bursts of cannon fire, mortars, trebuchets, and spells. Coop was distracted by the constant stream of explosions as projectiles collided with each other, but when he tore his attention away, Shane was already greeting Gideon.


    Javier, the Flame Knight was there as well, standing in front of an empty, abnormally large suit of black metal armor, apparently doing his best to make a good name for himself and contribute to the defense of the settlement. When Javier noticed Coop, he seemed apologetic, like the Sapphire Armada¡¯s appearance was partially their fault, but that wasn¡¯t really the case. They would have attacked Ghost Reef either way and they hadn¡¯t committed so much to saving the rebellion that they ended up exposed.


    Coop was put on alert for a second time when the empty suit of armor shifted, facing him directly as if an invisible giant wore the metal plating.


    [Guard Captain (Level ??)]


    [Animated Protector (Mind)]


    [Guardian of Ghost Reef]


    [Spectral (Haunted)]


    ¡°Greetings, Champion. Viceroy.¡± A deep voice echoed from the empty helmet. Coop felt like he was hearing a disembodied voice being spoken through a tin can.


    ¡°Uh?¡± Coop hesitated as he peered up into the empty space behind the visor. The animated armor stood almost nine feet tall and still seemed bulky. Marcus stumbled behind Coop at the jerky movement of the armor, just as surprised and hoping the Champion would be able to protect him.


    ¡°Oh! Right.¡± Shane started, realizing introductions were in order. ¡°Coop, Marcus, this is Captain Alaric. We thought the Guard Captain would be another contracted resident, but it turned out to be more like the phantoms, though he doesn¡¯t have any history on Earth the way they did.¡±


    Coop paused for a moment before he shrugged. They already had ghost pirates and phantom soldiers, why not add some haunted armor? The fact that he couldn¡¯t see the Guard Captain¡¯s level was interesting, but even more so was the Haunted title. Coop could guess that it had inherited traits directly from the settlement, but his understanding of the title was that it went way beyond the limitations of their territory.


    ¡°I am assessing the defenses of the settlement.¡± The living armor announced while Coop considered its aura.


    ¡°Okay¡­ What¡¯s the verdict so far?¡± Coop wondered, expecting something positive considering how well they were handling the Sapphire Armada¡¯s all-out assault with much fewer numbers.


    ¡°Overall: adequate.¡± The Guard Captain declared.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it, I guess.¡± Coop bobbed his head noncommittally, adequate defenses certainly meant good enough to survive. ¡°What¡¯s your level?¡±


    ¡°Level 500 is the current maximum for this unit. Further settlement progression will result in immediate increases.¡± The voice responded from inside the helmet.


    ¡°Man, that¡¯s massive.¡± Coop turned to his military advisors. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you sent this guy to clean up?¡±


    ¡°We planned to have him lead the counter-assault.¡± Shane responded before he pointed into the distance, beyond the Coral Forest Mana Well where a stream of pyramid ships were breaking their formations in order to beach themselves in the shallow water near one of the more distant islands in Ghost Reef¡¯s chain, one that was closer to the deep water without a barrier reef. Behind the smaller ships, even further in the distance, was an absolutely gargantuan flagship, one that made the already huge battleships look small. The capital ship wasn¡¯t exactly as large as a cruise ship, but it was tall enough to rival even those megaships.


    ¡°It looks like the Sapphire Armada recognizes that a simple naval blockade and siege will not be enough to crack our fortifications. They attempted to send troops across the reef itself, but there was no way for them to traverse the open ground, through the shallows, right beneath our walls. Our scouts have indicated that they are massing troops on the more distant islands instead.¡± Shane pointed out.


    Gideon chimed in as he watched the horizon with a grim look on his face. ¡°They will have numbers that would rival one of the waves during the siege, but they are more coordinated than the mindless monsters and have the potential of more tools. They are committed to taking our settlement. I fear the battle will degenerate into a bloody finale before they are defeated.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with the big ship? Think I can stop this whole thing if I sink it?¡± Coop asked, earning him a surprised look, but no comment, from the Flame Knight.


    Shane shook his head. ¡°We don¡¯t think so¡­ Even if you could get close enough, they¡¯re already committed to an all-out attack.¡±


    Coop squeezed his spear and squinted into the darkness, judging the distance. ¡°I could get close enough.¡± If he launched his spear high enough above the ship, he expected that the shield wouldn¡¯t physically prevent him from landing.


    ¡°Let¡¯s make sure their assault fails first.¡± Shane suggested, obviously wanting to lean on Coop¡¯s abilities for what would be the largest threat to the security of the fort.


    Gideon nodded in agreement, explaining their plan. ¡°We¡¯ve already prepared the 300 highest level phantom soldiers and have been holding them in reserve inside the fort¡¯s walls. If spies have managed to infiltrate us undetected, they won¡¯t be aware of that particular squad. As soon as we detect the Armada¡¯s troops making their move, we¡¯ll meet them in the field with Captain Alaric taking charge.¡± The phantom leader pointed to the east beach. ¡°We¡¯ll strike at their forces while they are most exposed, wading across the channel between the islands without the cover provided by their capital ship before falling back to the walls. The key will be destroying any potential siege engines before they have the chance to establish themselves.¡±


    As they considered their immediate future, the horizon was periodically lit with flames as the Sapphire Armada torched their own landing craft. The sacrifices were proof of Gideon¡¯s words. They were committed to their assault.

 Chapter 160: Guardians of Ghost Reef

    The Sapphire Armada continued their bombardment of Ghost Reef through the night. The Armada tried to keep the pressure on the fort even as the number of their battleships diminished. The blockade started to fall apart with the smaller ships parading toward the furthest island to discharge the troops they carried. Both forces were conserving their strength in anticipation of a major engagement. Even though Shane and Gideon wished to keep Coop in reserve, along with the hidden group of phantoms, Coop remained on the walls. He felt like he had been absent long enough.


    Coop finally began contributing to the defense with high arcing spear throws, joining some of the coordinated attacks with his own version of the devastating meteors, but as the night went on, the fighting slowed. The Sapphire Armada had nearly finished gathering their forces on the other end of the island chain, and as they did, they fully abandoned the blockade of the fortress. Only the battleships remained, but even the siege ships¡¯ numbers had been cut in half thanks to the coordinated strikes launched by Ghost Reef¡¯s defenders.


    Jones had been in charge of the northern wall¡¯s defense, leading the most devastating attacks with his own powerful spells. As the siege evolved, he rotated along the walls and Coop added his firepower to the old caretaker''s tactics. The additional damage provided by the ethereal spears resulted in a few more defeated battleships, but Jones was clearly pushing himself to his own limits.


    ¡°Take it easy old man.¡± Elder Olani continually advised as Jones prepared yet another cascade of spells with a long countdown from ten to help with the timing of variable abilities with different velocities and cast times. She had been supporting Jones with her own runic spells as the old caretaker applied his lifepool in empowering his bloodstone meteors to the absolute maximum that his stats would allow.


    ¡°I am only going as far as necessary.¡± Jones argued stubbornly as he braced himself against the ramparts, weakened from another meteor. He was wielding the Unique tier weapon that Coop had commissioned from Garod. ¡°I¡¯d have to be fully incapacitated to let anyone else chip away at the fortress without retaliating.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll put yourself into another coma if you don¡¯t take enough breaks.¡± Olani pointed out. The fact that Jones utilized his health pool as fuel for his spells meant that he was under a different type of strain than most other casters. During the siege, dealing with mana had resulted in exhaustion for the casters, both mental and physical. Jones was going even further, repeatedly putting himself on the verge of death to cast his spells with the maximum potency that his body would allow. The strain was magnified by the expense.


    The arguments between the pair went round and round while Coop listened in, waiting for his spear to crash into a shield before he resummoned the ethereal weapon for another throw. Coop had to insist on the old man taking a short break when he first started throwing his spears, but Jones was back at it after a quick meal. Inspecting Jones, it was clear that the man had already taken on quite a bit of responsibility.


    [Bloodstone Human (Level 54)]


    [Bronarch Mountain Adept (Intelligence)]


    [Chosen of Collegia Universal]


    [Stone, Blood (Cursed)]


    Jones was catching up with some of the other residents who had been able to gather experience during the entire siege. At the very least, the old man would already match up favorably with most of their potential adversaries. Coop was impressed and moderately perturbed by the fervor his friend displayed in the settlement¡¯s defense. It was a bit more intense than the steady defiance Coop had cultivated, but it was getting the job done. Coop hadn¡¯t expected the scholarly caretaker to become quite so bloodthirsty.


    As for his gear, the master smith had delivered exactly what Coop had hoped for when it came to the Unique weapon that was crafted for Jones. It was a solid black cane with a three-pillar brass handle. The black walking stick portion had small veins of blood red marbling that reminded Coop of rare ore veins embedded deep into volcanic rock. They subtly pulsed with energy and really glowed when Jones channeled through the weapon. From what Coop understood, the Unique Cane added additional multipliers to Jones¡¯s already multiplied spells. Stacking multipliers turned his already enhanced spells into truly potent strikes. The combination of Jones¡¯s evolution and an exceptionally powerful item had created yet another powerhouse in Ghost Reef.


    Jones had been quick to point out that Coop owed Garod 500,000 basic credits for the commission¡¯s completion. Coop was going to try and negotiate some sort of repeat customer discount as he planned for more projects. The blacksmith could at least grant him some kind of rewards card if Coop was going to keep providing Unique materials. If possible, Coop would provide the entire fort with Unique gear.


    As Jones wielded the cane, he used it as a focus for his spells, raising it into the air as his meteors formed. One of the features of his new weapon allowed him to remotely conjure the bloodstone projectiles. In order to attack the battleships, he was actually creating the huge stones high up in the sky and letting them fall. The result was the uncanny scene of a red hot meteor crashing through the atmosphere, dragging the smoke and clouds down with it before it smashed into the pyramid shields that protected the enemy ships. The red rocks exploded into boulder sized ejecta that splashed into the neighboring shields like an avalanche of solid blood-red glowing stone.


    Elder Olani finally got her wish for Jones to take an actual extended break when Charlie parked herself in the center of the fort and shut down the siege completely. At first it only seemed like the wind was slightly picking up, with choppy waves forming around the reef, but the simple breeze wasn¡¯t content to remain muted. The gradual agitation of the calm weather was merely a precursor to what was coming. As the weather formation built right before their eyes, the residents of Ghost Reef wisely took precautions. The breeze became winds and culminated with gusts blasted across the shallows. Eventually, the true face of Charlie¡¯s storm appeared, creating a ring of whipping winds that dragged the shrapnel from airbursts and turned them into something akin to horizontally flying hail.


    The battleships were forced to endure a mandatory ceasefire as they battened down the hatches and braced themselves against sustained hurricane strength winds. More than one of the damaged ships ended up having minor leaks exacerbated by the force of the wind and waves, and if they couldn¡¯t flee out to sea, found themselves swamped against the reef or sinking into the depths beyond. The Aeromancer drove the remaining battleships away as the night waned, giving the fort some proper relief and allowing the settlement¡¯s mana to be fully recovered by the mana siphons.


    When there was only a hint that dawn would be arriving, the scouts notified them that the gathering troops on the other end of the island chain were beginning to move. The Sapphire Armada had set fire to their own ships as they were emptied. Jones was the one to indicate that burning the ships was the ultimate commitment to their conquest. They cut off their own retreat.


    ¡°There¡¯s only one way this ends.¡± Jones concluded, looking at Coop seriously.


    Inside the fort, the defensive posture shifted in anticipation of a closer battle with the off-duty fighters reinforcing the southern wall and casters seizing the opportunity to recharge their firepower. Coop joined the reserve phantoms along with the Guard Captain and prepared to cross Rock Key to strike at their enemies before they reached the fort.


    Coop stood alone at the main gate for a moment while waiting for the lingering winds to completely die down. Once it was suitably calm all across the island, a tidal wave of fog climbed from the moat and spread along the dunes, ominously drifting southward.


    ¡ª


    Paola had gone from manager of 20 staff at a churrascaria to manager of a 200 person platoon in the Sapphire Armada. While others had languished with the arrival of mana, she had moved up in the world.


    ¡°From the front of the house to the tip of the spear.¡± She smirked to herself as she led her soldiers through an unmaintained coconut palm grove. The strange storm had only lasted half the night, but it had been miserable. The sand blasted them as they arranged their platoons with a grating persistence that drove them to get this over with. The storm was a nightmare that added hours to their preparations, but they were still making their move near the planned time. The Wind Buffet affliction they had all received wouldn¡¯t fall off for hours more, but the siege for Ghost Reef had already gone on for too long. It was high time they crushed the tiny but dogged resistance. The ships that their alien sponsors had promised would be decisive had been a disappointment, but their plans hadn¡¯t been so limited as to rely on a single strategy to do all the heavy lifting.


    Her platoon crunched through the dried fronds that covered the ground, and the troops occasionally tripped over loose coconuts, but they hadn¡¯t met any real resistance besides the weather and a few too many Primal Constructs. Thousands of Sapphire Armada soldiers were at her back, making up the rest of the company, and tens of thousands more formed the army, but her platoon led the way. The defenders of Ghost Reef seemed too scared to leave the walls of their fortress, with good reason. They would be outnumbered hundreds of times if their intel was correct, and Ghost Reef¡¯s defenses had proven themselves to be extraordinarily robust, providing an equalizer her leaders hadn¡¯t anticipated.


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    The Armada¡¯s original plan was a simple naval bombardment. Pound their fortress to dust with unmatched firepower and defeat the residents from a range that would be unanswerable, then sweep through with their troops to claim the rubble. However, Ghost Reef had answered with a robust resistance. The tiny island settlement had even more range and firepower than their fleet, but there wasn¡¯t anything the defenders could do about being outnumbered.


    Off to her right, a group leveled up after defeating yet another Ancient Piercer, lighting up the palm grove. The islands were full of vicious monsters to the point that she hoped the Champion and the advisors were reconsidering their plan of fully relocating their capital. Sure, as they conquered the seas, an island made sense to be their faction¡¯s headquarters, but their current city, Neptune¡¯s Bridge, was already well established. The fact that it could be attacked over land wasn¡¯t as significant a flaw as the Champion made it out to be. Really, the worst part was that they had their own powerful Constructs nearby, trapping them within their walls, but this place was obviously no different. She believed they were overreacting when it came to the threat that the Primal Constructs presented to their north and once they claimed the southern settlement they wouldn¡¯t need to worry so much about their backs. Ghost Reef would be better as an outpost, in her view. She would be sure to express her perspective after they claimed the civilization shard. She may not have been afforded the entire picture as a simple troop manager, but she could still share her opinion.


    When she escaped the treeline, the eastern sky was subtly illuminated by the impending dawn. The additional light revealed an uncanny fog that completely blanketed the largest island in the chain. She paused and held a hand up for her platoon to halt, a gesture that was repeated as each individual received the message. They stood all along the shore, examining the mists for any signs of danger, but all they perceived was a lackadaisical drift as it gradually spilled across the shallow water that separated the two islands.


    ¡°Weird that the storm didn¡¯t blow away the fog.¡± Scout Silva observed. ¡°Seems unnatural.¡±


    Paola agreed with a nod. There was plenty of unnatural weather going around on this island. ¡°Can you sense anything inside?¡±


    Her scout continued to peer into the fog for several moments before slowly shaking his head, slightly disappointed. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Manager Paola, what¡¯s the hold up?¡± An impatient voice called out from behind, not bothering to stay quiet enough to avoid being overheard. The other platoons were right on their heels and they were more than eager to claim victory in their first major campaign.


    ¡°Have a look, Manager Kang.¡± She responded flatly, unhappy with the consistently rude colleague.


    He stepped through the treeline, standing at her side before he frowned. ¡°Some morning fog after a storm blew through?¡± He was quick to scoff, gesturing for his own platoon to take the lead. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have volunteered if you didn¡¯t have the heart to lead the way.¡± He admonished her. He was still upset that he hadn¡¯t been awarded a higher rank from the start.


    As his troops bypassed her own, he pointed at the tip of the lighthouse off to their left, barely visible above the tall sheet of fog. ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯ll get lost.¡±


    She shuddered at her attention being forced on the lighthouse. They didn¡¯t dare get near it. After the first battleship that tried to attack the lighthouse was annihilated they were ordered to steer clear. Many had witnessed the result of the assault and the description had spread through the entire Armada. First a series of ghostly wings wrapped the tower, protecting it from the Sapphire Artillery with spectral feathers, then the night itself formed a vaguely cat-shaped shadow that stomped the offending ship into the depths. The shields didn¡¯t even explode, the enormous ship and its entire crew were just gone, swallowed by the abyss. They expected the lighthouse to be some kind of dungeon that was protected by the system itself, in other words, it was something they would only explore after conquering the island.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take it from here, Manager Paola.¡± Kang declared. He left her on the shore, marching into the water and approaching the fog, following his platoon.


    Paola watched as Kang and his 200 troops waded into the thigh high water and gradually transformed into silhouettes as the fog accepted them. Nothing happened. Manager Kang disappeared along with the rest. She gestured for her own platoon to follow. The fog wasn¡¯t that dense, it just seemed to cover a large area that made it look thicker from the outside.


    She splashed into the warm tropical water, but froze when she was only ankle deep. She watched the water ahead as a concentrated cloud of crimson drifted in the current. As it was swept away, it diffused through the water in a swirl of color that quickly disappeared like a drop of food coloring in a bathtub.


    ¡°Wait!¡± She halted her platoon for a second time. ¡°Manager Kang?¡± She called into the fog, but the sound dampening of the shifting mist became apparent. She felt like she was shouting into a pillow. She tried one more time, louder. There was no response. She looked back and realized that the entire Sapphire Armada had gathered on the shore behind, extending into the palm grove as far as she could see in the dim light. The flames and black smoke of their burning transport ships lingered in the distance, the credit for the sacrificial ships would be granted by their faction construction yard for free rebuilds and the less committed wouldn¡¯t be tempted to turn back, but now she was the one feeling like having an out would have been nice.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t detect anything in the fog at all, not even Manager Kang¡¯s platoon.¡± Her scout informed her.


    ¡°There¡¯s something in there.¡± She proclaimed, turning back to look closer, though she couldn¡¯t detect anything either. The amount of blood to temporarily stain the ocean meant that Kang¡¯s entire platoon would have been wiped out.


    She squeezed her jaw, making a hard decision before she pulled out her bow. ¡°Bows!¡± She ordered and her entire platoon equipped themselves with their secondary weapons. ¡°Fire!¡± She shouted and they let a volley of arrows fly deep into the mists. The missiles arced into the fog, but once again, nothing happened.


    Paola felt like a fool in front of the rest of the platoons, but she didn¡¯t dare rush into the fog. She had been on enough caravans to recognize what was potentially dangerous. It was the level of caution that had allowed her to survive when monsters tried to ambush them in the untamed areas between Neptune¡¯s Bridge and Empress City.


    Other managers with ranged secondaries joined her and contributed their own volleys. 5,000 troops launched arrows into the mists from the edge of the island. The fog simply absorbed the arrows, there were no shouts of pain or any other feedback that would indicate they struck true. The other managers quickly discouraged her hesitance after not perceiving any results. They didn¡¯t want to waste their arrows on ghosts before they even reached the fortress.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing in there, Manager Paola. You¡¯re letting fear cloud your senses.¡± Another manager scolded her. ¡°We should move in.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s all go at once.¡± She suggested, preferring to rely on safety in numbers even if it meant sacrificing some of her glory. Between the initial platoons, they would already outnumber the population of Ghost Reef¡¯s fighters by ten times.


    ¡°As you wish.¡± The other platoon managers agreed, happy to increase their share of credit.


    The managers ordered a slow march forward, with primary weapons ready. The rest of the troops continued to stream through the palm grove in a parade that stretched across multiple islands.


    ¡°Are you sure about letting them join us?¡± Scout Silva asked from her side. He was obviously disappointed that they wouldn¡¯t lead the way after all. They were joined by a dozen platoons. ¡°It¡¯s probably just some fog covering the channel. Manager Kang might already be engaging the wall, laughing at us for wasting arrows on the beach.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t get a bad feeling from those mists?¡± She asked, bewildered that she was the only one feeling so suspicious.


    His facial expression was an admission that he was definitely uncomfortable, but it wasn¡¯t enough to discourage him from contributing to their victory. ¡°Ghost Reef lives up to its name, but now is the time to be bold.¡±


    She knew he was right, and she felt more confident now that they were safely among thousands of other soldiers. Her hesitance had let 10,000 soldiers from the rest of the company join her platoon¡¯s rear, but that still put them far in the frontline. Maybe they wouldn¡¯t be the tip, but they were still in the head of the spear. She encouraged her platoon to march forward.


    The fog welcomed them with silence. Looking backwards, she could already see that they were deep inside the mists, but nothing had happened so much as their senses were diminished. The forms of the palms had already disappeared, leaving them in a world of gray from their waists up. The fog was thicker than she predicted once she found herself in its midst.


    They worked their way through the water as it became uncomfortably deep, slowing their progress down until they were bunched up with those ahead. She finally spotted an enemy when it was far too late. An assassin dressed in black from head to toe, including a full helmet and dual matching swords, blades charcoal gray and outlined with pitch black, already dripping with blood, beheaded Scout Silva before he could register that he was under attack. Silva had the highest level of aura based perception in her entire platoon and he had been taken while completely unaware.


    Paola didn¡¯t blink, but the assassin vanished into the mists with only the subtle sound of air displacing and turbulence in the fog as it refilled the absence. She stumbled backwards with a tinge of aquamarine remaining in her eyes as she had briefly witnessed the light catch some highlights on the enemy¡¯s armor. Silva¡¯s body splashed into the water and she realized the rest of the platoon was meeting a similar fate. They were being slaughtered by what must have been a hundred, no, a thousand enemies. The other platoons had already met their doom, running into a meat grinder that easily defeated thousands before she had even realized they were under attack. Blinded and deafened by the fog, they were being cut down by teleporting executioners.


    The warning she meant to shout never came as a suit of armor eschewed the subtlety of the assassinations, splashing forward and towering over her at nine feet tall, making the waist deep water seem barely knee deep instead. The suit itself seemed to be filled with fog and it announced its intention with a tinny, metallic, but bassy voice.


    ¡°Threat Analysis: Minimal. Neutralization: In Progress.¡± A heavy spiked flail smashed into her before she could raise her own blade in defense.

 Chapter 161: High Ground

    Guard Captain Alaric led the 300 phantoms in holding the shallow water against the Sapphire Armada¡¯s ground assault. The channel of water proved to be a valuable obstacle that burdened their enemies far more than the phantoms. Beyond Coop¡¯s contribution with Fog of War, he didn¡¯t actually need to participate in the initial defense. The phantoms had spread themselves along shallows, challenging any of the Armada¡¯s troops who crossed into the deepest parts of the channel. Each phantom incorporated well-drilled techniques unique to their classes, but they always leaned heavily on their ethereal nature. The effortless teleports were a constant, no matter their individual archetype, and in this setting, the extraordinary mobility by itself was devastating to their enemies.


    On the other side, the Sapphire Armada¡¯s assault was broken up into independently operating squads which cooperated amongst each other. Within the squads they still fell into the typical party format that the factions promoted, but Coop approved of at least partially eschewing the standard formula. Even if it didn¡¯t do them much good when they challenged Ghost Reef, the additional organization had been enough to clearly elevate their settlement over the Endless Empire¡¯s undisciplined tactics.


    Each of the Armada¡¯s squads had some form of specialization, usually tied to secondary weapons that had been distributed to each soldier. Some of them fell back onto range tactics, but there were some that leaned on tankiness or had a higher concentration of casters and even a few that were designed to support other large groups. None of them matched up favorably with the phantoms, no matter what the individuals of each squad focused on, since the phantoms had been forced to adapt to combat with a wide variety of enemies. Between the Elite Primal Construct variants and the different Field Bosses, they had already seen most of the tactics that the squads displayed.


    The phantoms were equipped with the Ghost Reef Standard Issue gear which was giving them an overwhelming advantage in perception over the enemy combatants while inside the Fog of War. Where the Sapphire Armada¡¯s troops were partially blind, deafened, and isolated by Coop¡¯s slowly drifting, misty domain, the phantom shock troops had completely uninhibited senses. The more expensive features of the armor were working perfectly, proving the additional material cost to be absolutely worth the expense. The night¡¯s efficacy tests had revealed the limitations of the features within the helmets and Coop was able to hit just the right density to hinder their enemies while letting his allies have free rein on the battlefield. Obviously, he could make the Fog of War significantly thicker, putting them all into a world that seemed to collapse into a sensory deprivation chamber, but even as it was, the domain was still dense enough to limit perception to a bubble that only extended a maximum of 10 yards around anyone trapped inside. It was enough to prevent the Armada from properly appreciating the threat hidden within, even if some of them had their initial suspicions.


    The advantage given by the phantoms¡¯ perception was only multiplied by the exceptional stats of the equipment itself. Garod had promised that what they crafted would be among the best, if not the actual top of the line of gear on the entire planet, and the contracted residents of Ghost Reef had delivered. The phantoms had an extraordinary gear advantage over the invaders on top of the environmental high ground being intensified by Coop¡¯s Fog of War. The Armada¡¯s troops were equipped in faction gear, but as explained by the master smith, mass produced gear was typically made cheaply with less potent materials. Relative to the phantoms¡¯ opponents, the defenders of Ghost Reef were significantly better off.


    Then, on top of material advantages, the phantoms were also around 20 levels higher than the invaders at a minimum. Unlike the Endless Empire¡¯s Chosen, who had a handful of extremely high performers relative to the rest, thanks to constant battles with Jackson and Fabiana¡¯s revolutionary army and their own variable enthusiasm, the Sapphire Armada¡¯s Chosen were much more uniform in terms of levels. They had also been skirmishing with the Endless Empire to maintain their territorial control, but the Empire hadn¡¯t been sending fighters to do their scouting, so the Armada lacked individual standouts. Instead they revealed the development that a structured and organized settlement might have retained while battling constant sources of Primal Constructs.


    It was clear that most of the levels that the Sapphire Armada enjoyed had come from engaging with monsters and consistently rotating their soldiers in their effort to isolate the Empire. Given the information that had been provided by Camila¡¯s family, Coop suspected that the dangerous untamed areas north of the Orlando settlement had been a source of valuable experience. He had to wonder if part of their desperate ploy to commit so single-mindedly to taking over Ghost Reef was a reaction to the escalating dangers of the wilderness at their border and their inability to keep it under control. If the region was challenging enough that the spillover pushed them to level faster, they might have at least some of the advantages that Ghost Reef had enjoyed when it came to monster zones. Alternatively, every settlement might have had similar advantages, but not every settlement was in a position to leverage them, even being pushed out if they couldn¡¯t keep up with the ambient development of the monsters as seemed to be the case with the Armada.


    In any case, fighting monsters had been the source of the Sapphire Armada¡¯s more consistent levels, leaving many of them in the high 50s and low 60s at this point of the assimilation. The fact that it had been two months since the start meant that they were doing a decent job keeping up with the expected leveling curve, at least the one that the factions had been so confident in. Unfortunately for them, Ghost Reef¡¯s defenders had already achieved that level of progress practically a month prior, while the siege was ongoing. In half the time, the siege event had catapulted every resident of the settlement to what the Sapphire Armada achieved, and then continued for what Coop assumed were about seven extra waves, sending them to new heights that even the diligent progress of a relatively successful settlement hadn¡¯t caught up with just yet.


    Even worse for their would-be conquerors was that they weren¡¯t facing just anyone from Ghost Reef. The 300 hand-picked phantom soldiers were essentially the elites of an already elite group. Everyone in Coop¡¯s settlement had been forced into hard-won progression, embracing the challenge and riding the momentum even afterwards, but the ones engaging with the Sapphire Armada were the few that had survived the entire siege event, from start to end, including facing off against the much more organized and potent Primal Construct battalion and helping finish off the world¡¯s first Icon of Mana. They were all level 75 before the event had ended, and now that their level cap had been extended even further, they were at a minimum in the 80s or 90s, and they were still climbing rapidly with all the experience gained as they cut down their enemies in their duty to defend the settlement.


    Actively participating in the defense was a much faster experience farm when compared to the training they underwent with Ledwidge. For the phantoms, the difference was between hands-on practical experience and learning something in theory, unlike their human counterparts who had to accumulate mana rather than concentrate on refinement. The phantoms would level up while defending the fort even if their opponents were level one, but that also meant they couldn¡¯t grind the same way Coop did, forced instead to undergo training to progress.


    Beyond the gear, perception, battle experience, and raw level advantages, the defenders had also selected the absolute best possible battleground to leverage their position. The individual Chosen of the Sapphire Armada were stuck wading through water that reached their thighs or even all the way up to their waists, restricting their movement completely as they navigated the foggy world of Coop¡¯s domain. The phantom soldiers had a teleport that prevented their movements from being hampered by the sea whatsoever. Only the Guard Captain physically pushed through the water, lacking his own teleport but making up for it with unbridled power and his extreme size.


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    Coop observed from nearly a hundred yards up the beach as the phantoms cut down scores of the hapless invaders in the water, letting the current carry the bodies out of the way for the next set of challengers. The phantoms were periodically leveling up as they fought, providing a burst of light from within the fog each time one of them reached a new threshold. Coop was also receiving experience just for providing Fog of War, but his leveling had tapered off quite a bit, even when it came to human enemies. He hated to look at the invasion like an experience farm, but even in that sense it was disappointing. He couldn¡¯t even look towards the ancillary benefits of conflict with other settlements.


    Guard Captain Alaric was the only one who wouldn¡¯t gain any experience at all, but he was already level 500. Coop may have felt a bit redundant given the overwhelming success the phantom soldiers were sustaining, but he had a sneaking suspicion that Guard Captain¡¯s presence alone would have been a significant hindrance on the success of an invasion. He didn¡¯t appear to have the kind of abilities that would support his defeat of an army by himself, but his durability would transform him into a capable guardian that slowed a shard¡¯s claim for some time regardless. Given that a challenger would need to maintain control of the civilization shard for an extended period of time if they didn¡¯t defeat the Champion, they would be forced to deal with the overleveled protector in the meantime. Alaric would make a perfect sentry if Coop was away from the settlement for long periods of time. It would take a particularly high level of coordination, in addition to experience, to properly deal with him. In the chaos of battle, Coop couldn¡¯t imagine any of the groups he had encountered pulling it off.


    However, the security provided by the unreasonably high level guardian wasn¡¯t completely reassuring. Coop had two reasons to be concerned. First was that the system thought it was reasonable to award a settlement with such a ridiculous defender at this point in the assimilation. He had to ask himself what that meant for the challenges going forward. The second was when he put himself in the shoes of someone taking a settlement rather than defending one. For example, what if the Endless Empire had a level 500 waiting for him when he entered the inner ring of Empress City¡¯s airport?


    It had been a while since Coop considered what his stats would look like if he had been stuck accumulating them without the benefit of his Revenant passive skills, but given that he was pushing 8,000 total attributes, he wasn¡¯t sure if he should be that concerned. Between his passive skills, his Slayer titles, his profession, and his equipment, he had to be getting to the point where he was a force to be reckoned with, even compared to the aliens. Of course, the contracted residents weren¡¯t restricted to just their class level either, but still, Coop had to acknowledge his advancement was getting extreme. The snowballing would continue.


    More importantly, in order to receive the Guard Captain, the Champion of a settlement needed to defeat a Siege Boss before they upgraded to the Town level. How many Siege Bosses had been killed, or rather, how many had even spawned at this point in the assimilation? It took the special circumstances of Ghost Reef¡¯s extended Siege Event to spawn the first. Coop suspected that none of the other frontrunners, in terms of settlements, had the opportunity to complete the bonus objective before upgrading. The Guard Captain was meant to be a reward for the settlements that were slower to level, like a catch up mechanic for those hanging on while the assimilation developed further. If a settlement was struggling to advance to the point that Siege Bosses were more frequent while they tried to evolve from a Village to a Town, they probably deserved the bonus defender. Presumably, the Chosen fighting in that assimilation¡¯s timeline would also be higher level to match. Coop had to wonder whether they could gauge their assimilation¡¯s progress based on the system¡¯s standard rewards. Perhaps they weren¡¯t expected to see Siege Bosses for 500 days and therefore the first settlement Guard Captains wouldn¡¯t come until they weren¡¯t unreasonably leveled.


    ¡°Lucky us.¡± Coop mumbled under his breath, as he let Presence of Mind sweep his senses. He could only conclude that Earth¡¯s assimilation was a bit accelerated compared to what was anticipated. In any case, as long as they could survive, they would benefit from later rewards coming early.


    Alaric was wielding a heavy, twin, spike ball flail. The second spike ball made the weapon exponentially more unwieldy, but the new Guardian of Ghost Reef had no trouble bringing both of them to bear, whirling them like a pair of helicopter blades, rotating in opposite directions through the mists before crushing his targets as he loomed over them. The haunted armor applied the weapon with a proficiency that Coop would only be comfortable comparing with his own limbs. It made him just a little bit self-conscious of his own limited experimentation with a flail, but also more sure that he shouldn¡¯t bother with the particular weapon variant.


    As the morning waned, the initial groups of the Sapphire Armada¡¯s troops had been wiped out, but the rest of the army continued to trudge forward, seeming to be almost infinite. In the light of day, Coop¡¯s Fog of War was suspicious enough for the bulk of the army to call a halt to its advancement and reconsider their approach. It took the Sapphire Armada a long time, but they eventually realized that entering the fog was a deadly mistake that they shouldn¡¯t repeat.


    When the Armada set up with ranged squads along the opposite shore of the channel and started throwing explosive magics blindly into the depths of Coop¡¯s domain, the phantoms prepared for the second phase of their defense. The fog was the thinnest at the edges, but it had drifted all the way to the palm grove on the opposite shore of the channel by the time the fighting evolved to the next stage.


    Still within the mists, the phantoms spread themselves evenly, claiming sections of the domain that they would be responsible for keeping clear. The phantoms each had their own classes and abilities, with preferred weapon sets crafted by Garod, but by this point it was obvious that they were all dangerously potent. Swords were the most common choice, but there was a range from small gleaming daggers all the way to heavy two-handed hammers for the melee fighters, and some interesting foci for the casters who had unanimously opted to evolve their builds into something more akin to battlemages. Where the human resident casters of Ghost Reef had adapted to maximize their range to the fullest in order to better utilize the fort, the phantoms had embraced their role as frontline skirmishers. In a way, they were inadvertently following in Coop¡¯s footsteps.


    With a single metallic order from Guard Captain Alaric initiating their counter assault, the phantoms steadily marched forward, pushing through the water while still hidden in the fog, holding back on their teleports until they revealed themselves to the Armada.


    From the Armada¡¯s perspective, the swirling fog first began revealing blobs of denser shadows that gradually took the form of silhouettes. Then, at the edge of Coop¡¯s domain, the phantoms all emerged in unison, seeming more like special operatives in their black leathers and charcoal gray matte armors, trailing wisps of foggy smoke from their sealed masks and wielded weapons. They could have been mistaken for space-age bounty hunters breaching an airlock if not for the tropical setting and medieval weapons.


    It was the first look that the invading troops received of their opponents. A volley of magic flew across the remaining gap in response as the Armada¡¯s troops finally found visible targets, but the phantoms had already closed the distance. The phantoms teleported as one, with a series of thumps when the air was displaced by their movement. They cut down the ranged casters that had drifted into the front in their efforts to blast the misty domain. Few in the Armada had the reactions necessary to respond to the sudden gap close, and the phantoms took advantage of their unreadiness.


    The assault only lasted seconds, but sharp blades and heavy blunted weapons made quick work of those within range. Explosions of magic left craters beneath the coconut palms, wiping out groups of the would-be conquerors and leaving single phantoms in the freshly emptied space. After the entire frontline of more than a thousand troops were wiped out, leaving those at the edge of the treeline as witnesses, the phantoms teleported back into the fog, disappearing even more rapidly than they had appeared.

 Chapter 162: Hold the Line

    The defenders of Ghost Reef had finally revealed themselves to the Sapphire Armada¡¯s troops with a devastating counter assault. The quick maneuver from the edge of the mists had been as much for intimidation as it was reducing the Sapphire Armada¡¯s troops. Between the formidable appearance of the phantoms, fully equipped in dark armor like space age shock troops, and their inexplicable movement enabled by their ethereal nature, they hoped to discourage the assault. The fog was obvious, but what lurked inside had been more of a mystery than a threat. The phantoms themselves flipped the dynamic, showing what a menace they would represent if the invasion continued.


    Depending on how the enemies reacted, the phantoms had several different contingencies planned. In the ideal scenario, the invaders would turn around and leave, but it was clear that had never really been an option. Once they burned their own ships they had sealed their fates. There would be no retreat.


    The phantoms, on the other hand, still had plenty of alternatives. They could maintain the current battlefield in an effort to continue utilizing the advantages granted by the channel running between the islands, they could retreat further into the mists and continue to harass the enemy as they ceded ground while relying on the strengths of Fog of War to maintain their concealment, or they could return to the fort and regroup with the rest of the residents, buckling down for a final showdown in a practiced formation with more support from the settlement. Ultimately, it was a decision being left to the Guard Captain, who would yield to Coop should he seek a specific approach.


    There was also the decision for when Coop would join the fight, which would naturally be up to his own discretion. He might still lack the area coverage of someone like Charlie when it came to his damaging abilities, but he was still a proven force when it came to skirmishing, even against large numbers like those presented by the Sapphire Armada. They might be the largest individual force anyone had witnessed, but their numbers paled in comparison to the waves of the siege. It had been a considerable concession for Coop to not lead the charge in the beginning, but judging by the current state of the battle, Coop thought it was about time he provided more than some support for the phantoms through Fog of War.


    The Sapphire Armada responded to the phantom counter assault by abandoning what organization their parade had maintained. Squad leaders encouraged a pursuit of the phantoms, believing their retreat to have been a necessity based on ability limitations. They rushed forward, over the bodies of their defeated comrades littered across the shoreline as they chased after the first visible appearance of their enemies. The initial groups had obviously been soundly defeated, but they remained convinced in their superiority. They were finally realizing just how devastating the defense had been since the squads that were now engaged in the fighting hadn¡¯t been destined to lead the assault. They expected their overwhelming numbers to be able to crush the few guerilla fighters leveraging the mists.


    At most, the defenders of Ghost Reef had only reduced the Armada¡¯s numbers by 10% with the initial ploy, passively swallowing up the invaders with the fog as they crossed the channel, but from the perspective of the Armada, that represented 20 times what they expected the entire population of the settlement would be. While their calculations were dated, it had still been an even smaller number of defenders holding them off. Unfortunately for them, underestimating their enemy was a mistake they wouldn¡¯t be allowed to continue making.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to get involved.¡± Coop informed Alaric with his ethereal spear and shield already equipped.


    ¡°Yes, Champion. As you wish.¡± The Guard Captain responded in his echoing metallic voice, recalculating what his orders would be based on Coop¡¯s actions.


    Alaric had been directed to lead the phantoms with the goal of zero friendly casualties and was therefore making sure they remained in position to retreat or aid anyone who was injured. Their posture was largely passive, primarily focused on seizing every advantage at once to minimize their own risk. It had been effective while the Sapphire Armada¡¯s army inched forward, but Coop wanted to relieve some of the pressure as the invaders pushed forward with more specific intent.


    As the Armada¡¯s troops rushed into the water, the frontrunner held a sword above his head when he entered the mists. He high-stepped through the water, scowl clearly etched into his face as readied himself to bring the edge down on any phantom that appeared in his range. He wanted to kill, but his fervor wasn¡¯t enough to see the spear coming. It launched him backwards, off his feet, and carried his body into the crowd behind, back toward the shore line. The spear continued until it was deep in the coconut palm grove¡¯s interior, a hundred yards inland, introducing the middle of the army to the fighting while they continued to approach. The missile would have continued if not for its hasty resummoning. Instead of tearing a line all the way to the third island in the chain, the ethereal spear melted away, transforming to mists as it returned to the foggy domain and into Coop¡¯s waiting grip.


    Coop only threw the missile once more before he swapped to another weapon. Wielding his glaive, he remained behind the phantoms while Guard Captain Alaric shifted from his side, claiming his own avenue for combat. They had moved back onto the dry sand on the main island, letting the Armada¡¯s troops cover the channel between islands and begin approaching the shore. As the frontline shifted, Coop finally started bringing chaos.


    Phantasmal Glaiviers erupted from their own pockets of mists, splashing into the shallow water on the opposite side of the channel. A new frontline was suddenly established as they cut through unsuspecting soldiers who believed they were far from the first wave. With the enemy appearing within their ranks and the additional disorientation from the Fog of War, the invaders were turned around, finding themselves charging into their allies before being cut down by the ruthless ghosts who haunted the mists. The rest of the Sapphire Armada¡¯s column hesitated as the fighting erupted at their side, anticipating that the same could happen to them at any second and writing off their allies that had rushed ahead, into the fog as if they had already been killed.


    The phantoms marched forward from their side of the channel, engaging with the first few waves of invaders that had taken the lead in the shallow water at the edge of the beach. The enemy soldiers were cut off in the channel as the frontline abruptly jumped behind them where the Phantasmal Glaiviers fought, but thanks to the fog, they had no idea that their reinforcements had already stopped. Coop stepped forward and added his own presence with Guard Captain Alaric sliding further toward one of the wings. As the invaders finally approached the dry sand of Ghost Reef¡¯s main island, they were challenged by Coop and the overleveled phantoms, waiting with their weapons held ready.


    Not discouraged, the Armada¡¯s troops shouted battlecries as they charged with their weapons at the ready only to find themselves completely mismatched. Coop swept away three soldiers at once with a single horizontal swing of his reliable glaive, then he thrust forward, catching the next small group unprepared as they were still watching the backs of the soldiers in front of them. The whirling edge of the blade at the end of Coop¡¯s polearm left trails of mist in the slightly less dense domain, transforming his appearance to be as ghostly as the phantoms themselves. He flipped his grip and sliced up in a rapid vertical swing that undercut a shield¡¯s guard, then flipped it again, chopping straight down, finishing the first parties before they could react. The shallow water parted as the blade of the ethereal glaive reached the surface. The wet sand was revealed for a moment before fog and water rushed to fill the gap.


    The soldiers could see that he was just a single individual, and it would take more than a surprise attack to discourage their charge, especially since they believed they had a whole army at their backs. They wouldn¡¯t get the chance to come to the realization that they had been cut off by the three dozen phantasms on the other side of the channel.


    From ten yards away, one of the soldiers tried to pierce Coop with a quickly fired arrow, in an effort to catch him off guard, but she couldn¡¯t have expected Coop¡¯s connection with the fog. There was no way he would be caught unaware with the interplay between Fog of War and Presence of Mind. Instead of being pierced through the heart by the jagged head of the arrow as it zipped through the thin mists, Coop sliced the shaft in half with a smooth flick of his glaive. The two halves bounce off of his ethereal armor. The graceful defensive motion hardly interrupted his flurry of swings as he parried a two-handed axe and let his blade slide down the shaft before darting the edge to the side and dropping yet another invader.


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    He backhanded a soldier at his side without turning his head, then spun with his glaive at water level, defeating another before the first had splashed into the water. Coop swapped to his trident while still spinning and continued the rotation to throw the summoned weapon at the archer before they had even retrieved a second arrow.


    In 30 seconds Coop had defeated three parties, but he made a new discovery in the process. Swapping weapons had come so naturally to him, he hadn¡¯t even considered if it would have other ramifications with the evolution of his build, but when he dismissed his glaive to bring out the trident, all of the phantasms had immediately disappeared in bursts of mists. They were bound to the specific weapon he used while he summoned them, not to just any weapon he had. He would need to balance the utility of his quick swaps with the support of the phantasms, but it wouldn¡¯t discourage him from using them as temporary spells just like he had when their duration was mere seconds anyway. It just added to the reasons to try and get their mana cost down as much as possible.


    He frowned as the trident solidified back into his hands. The phantasms had done their job despite being dismissed early, causing havoc and hesitation in the middle of the army while the forward groups were sliced from the rest and left to fend for themselves. He and the phantoms still had to finish them off or risk ceding ground too soon, but their tactics had succeeded thus far.


    When the next party engaged with Coop, he employed the superior range of the trident, snatching a sword in between the prongs before twisting with all the strength his forearms could muster, tearing the weapon out of his opponents hands. He stepped forward to finish his disarmed enemy off before throwing the trident into a caster who had settled at the edge of what he thought would be Coop¡¯s vision in the fog, not recognizing that Coop saw them all from the moment they stepped into the edge of his domain.


    Coop bent his knees as if to pounce while he stood in the wet sand with the waves barely up to his ankles. His left forearm was elevated in front of his chin and he aimed his closed right fist above even before his ethereal sword and shield solidified from the mists into his waiting grip. At this point Retribution and Salvation came instinctively with barely a thought toward what he was doing.


    He caught a pair of the invaders exchanging a glance at the summoned weapons and used the momentary lapse as a starter pistol for his leap forward. He crossed a dozen feet in an instant, leaving a burst of wet sand flying into the fog with his movement. The sword whipped through the air just far enough for the sharp tip to barely reach his target''s neck before even his eyes flicked back at Coop¡¯s rush forward. Coop released the sword as the blunt edge of his shield caught the other in the chin as the Chosen soldiers barely recognized the danger they had put themselves in by taking their eyes off their opponent.


    Coop vanished as he relocated to the handle of his flipped sword, up above, in order to bypass a net of flames summoned by a caster who hadn¡¯t lost his focus. From the air, Coop brought the sword down into a stumbling halberd wielder, who had lost track of Coop with the first mistjump, then Coop ended the spellcaster as he splashed back to the ground.


    Before there was another lapse in fighting, Coop had defeated ten additional parties in similar fashion. He saw no reason to hold back on his abilities while he fought under the cover of the fog.


    Taking note of the edge of his domain, it seemed like the sudden disappearance of the phantasms had been just as confusing as their sudden appearance, if not more so. The area where the phantasms had fought only covered a small sliver of the Sapphire Armada¡¯s width, but the entire bulk of their army had paused as they made an effort to find their opponents while anticipating more ambushes. Meanwhile, another 10% of their army had been lost in the mists.


    Guard Captain Alaric returned to Coop¡¯s side and the phantoms took their places along the shoreline as they finished with their battles, watching to see what the army would do next. Other than scattered ranged abilities that were easily sidestepped or blocked, the Armada¡¯s field commanders hadn¡¯t made a decision.


    ¡°Kinda like the waves of a siege.¡± Coop mumbled, getting Alaric¡¯s attention.


    ¡°These are waves of a siege.¡± The metallic voice pointed out.


    Coop blew air out of his nose, making tiny swirls in the magical mist. ¡°Nah. A wave should last three days at least.¡±


    Alaric¡¯s helmet faced Coop before facing forward again. ¡°By that metric, the Sapphire Armada¡¯s Chosen army will produce between 10% and 30% of a wave.¡±


    ¡°Seems that way.¡± Coop agreed with the guardian as the newest addition to the settlement took the Champion just a little too literally.


    Coop assessed the phantoms, allowing Presence of Mind to do the observations. None were seriously injured, though a handful of the 300 had taken some hits. The worst was a phantom that had broken a finger in the previous engagement, but she simply grasped her slender staff with the other hand. If not for the tough armored gloves of the standard issue armor she might have lost her whole hand, though he suspected that wouldn¡¯t have been enough to slow her down.


    Outside of a few scrapes and minor injuries among the phantoms, the defenders of Ghost Reef were fully prepared to continue. They hadn¡¯t ceded an inch of ground. There wasn¡¯t even a single drop of blood on the dry sand of Rock Key. All of the fighting had been contained to the channel between the islands and the flowing current had reset the battlefield while they waited for the next attempt by the Sapphire Armada. The phantoms were primed for an extended battle, but the Armada had yet to deliver.


    They waited, peering into the mists while Coop tracked the invaders, swapping to his spear. The Armada¡¯s troops appeared to be searching for an alternate approach, but why should he give them time to organize? He let a heavy spear fly into the air and waited for it to come crashing down.


    Interestingly, the Armada shied away from the side of the beach that was closer to the lighthouse and they tried pushing into the mangrove forest instead, moving quickly to avoid the ethereal mortars that had begun landing in their midst. They continued to maintain their squad based structure, and at first, only a few entered the swamp, testing the area before the rest of the army shifted from the planned channel crossing, erecting shields that turned out to be completely ineffective against Coop¡¯s spears, though they provided some protection from the phantoms¡¯ ranged attacks. Coop targeted the shields specifically.


    The mangroves represented the thickest barrier in Ghost Reef, protecting the rest of the island from the effects of wind and wave erosion even more effectively than the fortress walls. After the assimilation, they actually extended beyond the limits of Rock Key, effectively expanding the island¡¯s footprint by reclaiming parts of the submerged area with the crawling mangrove roots.


    Coop¡¯s fog had infiltrated part of the mangrove forest, closest to the rest of the beach and the dunes, but if the Armada managed to get to the outside of the trees, they would escape the edges of his domain. While they might round the edge of his mists, they would still need to navigate the mangrove forest from one end to the other. It would require a journey further than even Coop had ever explored.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the Sapphire Armada¡¯s soldiers to return to the beach in a rush, already abandoning the idea of traversing the marshy habitat. The Primal Serpents were a formidable enemy in the best of times, utilizing the shallow waters to ambush their prey while being attracted by any disturbance in the water. The thin mists that reached the marsh environment made their limited profiles even more difficult to ascertain and the Armada didn¡¯t want anything to do with a swarm of aggressive monsters while also dealing with the extremely difficult muck that practically cemented them in place. Even without the Serpents, it would take them far too long to make any real progress through the habitat, allowing Ghost Reef¡¯s defenders to adjust their strategy if the invaders fully committed. Coop thought a battle within the mangrove forest would be even more in the phantoms¡¯ favor.


    The squads that had entered the mangrove forest were back to the shallows within minutes, admittedly with a dozen fewer members each. The Sapphire Armada was back to square one. Coop¡¯s misty domain had shrunk over time, but without a proper accounting of the volume, no one would be able to notice outside of himself. From the Armada¡¯s perspective, the domain might have even expanded, since he was allowing it to slowly drift into the coconut palm groves of the Pig¡¯s Island. If they didn¡¯t make any adjustments, he would be ramping the assaults up as well.

 Chapter 163: Trench Warfare

    Between the guardians of Ghost Reef and The Sapphire Armada¡¯s invasion force, the latter were the first to falter. Coop and the phantoms were barely getting started, fully prepared to launch an extended campaign in the defense of their settlement, but the invaders hesitated before continuing their efforts to assault the mysterious fog. From their perspective, Coop¡¯s Fog of War blanketed the entire main island of Ghost Reef, obfuscating the entire landmass, presenting their opponents with an unconditional advantage. Casting spells into the massive domain was ineffective and attempting to traverse through the mists had resulted in no progress whatsoever. It seemed as though the invaders in charge had come to the conclusion that continuing to assault the fog was a losing proposition.


    Searching for methods of circumventing the fog pushed the forward squads to the east end of the channel and into the mangrove forest instead. It didn¡¯t take long before the Armada fully abandoned the idea of breaching the island through the murky forest as well, finding the marshy ecosystem even more daunting than the channel between the two islands. The mangrove forest, with its natural obstacles, exacerbated by the influence of the assimilation had them reeling. That left them trying a third option, wading through the shallows, far off the western shore, away from the lighthouse, so that they would hopefully wrap around and emerge on the western beach of Rock Key. Admittedly, Coop also believed it was their best shot, but if wading across the reef right up to the fort would have worked in the first place, they wouldn¡¯t have needed to unload the troop transports on the opposite end of the island chain. Even before Coop had arrived, the defenders of Ghost Reef had repelled the invaders when they tried to navigate across the reefs to assault the fortress.


    The constant wavering of the Sapphire Armada¡¯s invading force had resulted in stalling the squads that followed behind the initial groups. While the forward attackers poked and prodded at the main island of Ghost Reef, finding setbacks at every turn, the rest were stuck waiting for new developments to make room for their march. Those that couldn¡¯t witness the forward assaults rehashed the same mistakes as the initial squads, pressing further into the fog than they should and half-heartedly testing the mangroves, or they followed their predecessors as they waded out to the reef. In the meantime, others had begun fortifying the second island while those even further behind settled in for a longer conflict between two maritime powerhouses. The assault was transforming from an exercise in overwhelming a smaller settlement with their massive numbers to an extended campaign where they had to fight for every inch gained. They should have known it wouldn¡¯t be so easy to sweep the fortified enemy away when the naval bombardment had failed to crack the defensive measures of the small island settlement, but they had fully committed when they launched their massive armada from their home port.


    At first, as the squads waded into the ocean while seeking an alternative to crossing the channel into the mists or fighting through the mangroves, they probably believed that their maneuver would be a successful one. Coop¡¯s fog didn¡¯t actually extend all the way to the fort any longer. It was now concentrated on the channel between islands and both of their shores as it had been drifting south for the duration of the conflict. From offshore, the invaders could see that they had an opportunity to bypass the misty domain with a wide detour. But nothing on Ghost Reef would be easy for enemies of the settlement.


    The first problem appeared when the Primal Kites started ambushing them. While the Constructs weren¡¯t strong enough to defeat more than one person at best, the fact that the troops were constantly being bombarded from underground killed any momentum they had gained from adjusting their strategy. The sandbars they were using to navigate the reef were full of the annoying ambushers and they had no method of detecting the monsters before they were upon them. The soldiers had suitable numbers to overwhelm the individual Kites, preventing the creatures¡¯ dodges from becoming truly dangerous, but that didn¡¯t prevent the monsters from taking a few shots with their magical ranged attacks and leaving the fighters with preliminary injuries before even reaching their true opponents on the walls of the fortress. The eruptions of sand and water were enough to kill their morale as they had no way of telling if it was a deadly explosion or the beginning of a short monster encounter.


    Ancient Piercers had already done a number on their initial assault, but at least the massive enemies were visible among the trees, giving the soldiers a chance to organize and face down the regular, if abnormally high level monsters. The Sapphire Armada had some experience facing down powerful monsters, but the straightforward battles with upfront monsters were in short supply on Ghost Reef. The Rippers had also made an appearance, crashing into the invaders from above, using their horrible lashing tongues to drag themselves onto individual victims when they least expected it. Then, the mangrove forest turned out to be teeming with Primal Serpents, cruising beneath the surface of the water and aggressively pursuing those who splashed too near their spawn areas. After all of that, the Primal Kites attacked them from underground as well. They were being assaulted from the trees above, from underground, underwater, and everything in between. Even without Coop¡¯s Fog of War allowing him to listen in on their grumbling, it was clear that they had already had enough of Ghost Reef, finding the natives of the tropical paradise shockingly inhospitable.


    And that was just the monsters. Coop¡¯s spears continued to crash into them from above, exploding onto the sandbar like missiles, forcing the soldiers to split their attention from the submerged ground to the skies, as if knowing the projectiles were coming made any difference. The spears traveled at excessive speeds, breaking the spotters¡¯ vision by flying above the clouds before shooting straight down. From below, they could only hope to spot the needle-like point seconds before it landed. The rush of wind as the tip of the spear tore the air and the thump of the wet sand being pierced beneath the waves was a periodic and traumatic occurrence.


    Before they escaped the edges of Coop¡¯s Fog of War, the phantoms had recycled some of their squad-based tactics from the siege. They formed groups of 20 and raided the flanks of the Armada¡¯s army, teleporting in, dropping a coordinated strike of point blank area attacks in their midst, then teleporting back into the mists. The rapid strikes never gave the invaders a chance to organize proper counter attacks and the flexible nature of the phantoms¡¯ movement abilities meant that the rapid assaults could happen almost anywhere. More than a dozen of the raids could occur simultaneously, creating havoc among the Armada¡¯s troops.


    Changing their position so that the mists were no longer between them and the settlement also exposed the invasion to the naval defenses of the fortress walls, but without the ability to use their planned countermeasures. Wading through the ocean, they had no cover. Trebuchets and cannons blasted them from hundreds of yards away, destroying feeble personally summoned shields with ease. The extreme range of the casters and archers meant that the Armada¡¯s troops were completely exposed without their own navy to run interference.


    Once another artificial storm started brewing, unnaturally isolating itself directly in their path while blasting the ocean with jagged lightning bolts that blinded them with flashes and caused their hair to stand on end even at a distance, the squads that had taken the initiative to lead the army into the ocean were turning to retreat. The entire campaign had turned into a nightmare. Others who would take their place in the front didn¡¯t even bother, already exposed to the dangers of the island and not willing to take their chances. In comparison to the rest of Ghost Reef, the coconut palm grove with its charging Ancient Piercers and wispy mists actually seemed like the safest place.


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    Of course, they had dallied in Coop¡¯s territory for far too long. A full day of their 200,000 troops being chipped away as they tried to reorganize their assault meant that their numbers were being diminished. Night was approaching, and Coop¡¯s Fog of War had continued its steady progress until the second island was now within his domain as well. Streams of moonlight flickering between palm fronds highlighted the thickening mists until the Armada¡¯s squads were having trouble coordinating with each other.


    In their final ploy, the soldiers attempted to transform the second island into a stronghold. A forward base to withstand the abnormal resistance presented by Ghost Reef. They erected the siege equipment they had planned to use once they were in range of the fortress, but instead placed it all along the rows of coconut palms. Layered shields buzzed into existence and large alien slingshots were assembled within the protective wards while the soldiers used abilities to dig trenches in the sandy ground.


    The Sapphire Armada¡¯s ground assault had been reduced to roughly half its original size and it seemed like they were abandoning their original goal of conquest in favor of surviving as long as possible. While a cornered enemy would be a dangerous one, Coop and the phantoms weren¡¯t worried. In fact, the Armada was digging their heels in the worst place possible. Fog of War had crept across the island long before they completed their stronghold. It was a simple matter to bring the fight to them. At best, the invading squads had only isolated themselves into individual pockets that would be outnumbered by a coordinated strike of all of the phantoms at once.


    Coop liberally used Legacy of the Mists and his phantasms tore through the enemy forces, truly haunting the island under the darkness of night, spawning from all directions and turning the Armada around without a clear frontline to concentrate on. The mists drifted in waves that belied their density, tricking the Armada¡¯s soldiers into thinking they were on the edges of the foggy domain when they were right in its midst. As bursts of mists revealed ancient warriors twice their level and with many times more attributes, they fragmented into tiny holds only occasionally reinforced by the rest of the army that traversed the island chain as those on the outside of the domain continued to stream inside.


    The phantoms also entered the battle, following the lead of Coop¡¯s Legacy ability, but retaining the perimeter rather than causing the same chaos as the ghosts. The fort was always at their backs, preventing any chance push from getting through their defense. They diligently swept sections of the hastily built stronghold, tearing down unused armaments and destroying the giant gears that encircled orbs and manually generated the blue layered shields. They were clearing the island, pushing the army back one section at a time. While the invaders were chasing their tails in the night, the phantoms destroyed the primary threat that the invasion had brought. The siege equipment was the first to go. After the largest weapons were gone, the fortress would be uncontestable.


    Once the priority threat was dealt with, the phantoms were forced to clear the island trench by trench, but the primary battle was essentially over. The Armada had broken in the face of Ghost Reef¡¯s natural defenses almost as much as the efforts of the residents.


    ¡°Champion.¡± Alaric¡¯s tinny voice spoke as they finished clearing a half finished bunker that had been dug deep into the sand and approached yet another siege shield. The barriers buzzed with energy, but only presented a strange tingling sensation, like his whole body was polarized, when they walked through them. So far, every mana shield he could remember encountering had really been a proximity shield instead of a true barrier, preventing projectiles but not personnel from passing through the perimeter.


    ¡°Yes, Captain?¡± Coop prompted distractedly after summoning another pair of phantasms to flank a phalanx of soldiers that protected a nearby sandy bunker, awaiting a handful of phantoms that had snuck behind enemy lines and prodded at the entrance within the billowing mists.


    With Presence of Mind he watched them leap through a mana shield and catch the squad by surprise, deep within the invading force and away from the perimeter. The Armada still hadn¡¯t adjusted to the fact that the phantasms could appear anywhere within the mists. He was sure the fact that the phantoms could personally teleport compounded their confusion, and made it much more difficult to decipher the skills of those that the soldiers faced. Within the mists, the phantasms were indistinguishable from the ethereal residents. Really, only their ancient equipment gave them away, but anyone close enough to decipher such details had bigger problems to deal with, mostly involving survival.


    ¡°The enemy capital ship is returning to the edge of the shallows near the last island.¡± Alaric stated calmly, though Coop had no idea how he would know. He wondered if the Guard Captain had some connection with the entire settlement¡¯s territory or if his aura abilities were just that advanced.


    ¡°I guess they¡¯re ready to call it quits. They¡¯re preparing for a retreat?¡± Coop wondered absently as he monitored his phantasms to see if he needed to create reinforcements anywhere. In the back of his mind, he was marveling at the discipline the Armada maintained. He had expected more appeals to accept their surrender, but they had yet to reach that point. The only explanation he had was that they were failing to take a proper accounting of their enemy thanks to the ethereal nature of the battles and the obfuscation of the battlefield.


    ¡°I suggest you take the ship.¡± The Guard Captain proposed. ¡°The phantoms can handle the remnants of the invasion, especially now that their offensive has been completely broken. The enemy Champion is among those on board.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Coop raised his eyebrows.


    Another Champion appearing was a surprise and something of an opportunity. He could completely remove the Sapphire Armada from Earth, though he wasn¡¯t sure if he really needed to be quite so ruthless with an already defeated enemy. He had half a mind to let them retreat, calling for his forces to dissolve back into the mists and return to the fort, but the Armada had gone too far in invading Ghost Reef¡¯s territory. If the conflict had played out in a different manner, and Ghost Reef was on the verge of complete defeat, he was confident that they wouldn¡¯t take it easy on them. Jones had advised that they were well passed half measures, and Coop accepted that fact. Besides, even if Coop took over their flagship, that didn¡¯t mean negotiations would be off the table. He would just have an even better starting position if that¡¯s where they ended up. Marcus would be so proud of his fledgling political instincts.


    ¡°A complete defeat is the only way to ensure you are not leaving a weakened enemy an opportunity to come back stronger.¡± Alaric continued, espousing a familiar opinion when it came to these conflicts as Coop made his decision.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take their boat and present it as a gift to our Pirate Admiral. I wonder what she¡¯ll do with it.¡± Coop expected Kayla to tear it apart in disgust, but maybe they would learn something from the alien ship.


    He swapped to his shield and spear and a dozen phantasms disappeared leaving their opponents spinning around in confusion while wondering where the next attack would come from. Stepping heavily in the sand to plant his foot, he launched his ethereal weapon into the air. The spear flew through the night sky, invisible even to those who were watching closely for the missiles, anticipating the destruction they brought when they came down.


    ¡°Take it slow and make sure we don¡¯t lose any phantoms. We¡¯re still aiming for a flawless victory.¡± Coop directed the Guard Captain while the spear continued its trajectory.


    ¡°As you wish, Champion.¡± Alaric responded with an emotionless metallic rumble.


    Coop mistjumped while the spear was still high in the air, easily clear of the battlefield, far above the third and fourth islands. For a second, he was high in the night sky, higher than he had ever been. Looking down, the Ghost Reef island chain extended beneath him, like a broken chain curving westward. In the distance beyond the reef, the enormous ship loomed in the darkness, surrounded by a handful of the damaged battleships. He tightened his torso and leveraged his overwhelming attributes to throw the spear while he was still in the air with just his upper body strength, aiming directly for the main ship.

 Chapter 164: Duel of Champions

    Coop let himself drop through the transparent protective shield from directly above. The enemy flagship had taken a distant position beyond the end of the Ghost Reef island chain, threatening his settlement with its continued presence. They had every opportunity to retreat, call off their invasion, or otherwise give up in the days that their assault had been resisted, but the Sapphire Armada still lingered. The Armada had been bombarding the settlement for the better part of a week and they had been taking a beating that entire time. How many chances did they need? They¡¯d had enough.


    Coop braced himself as he shot through the air. Not so long ago, falling from such a height would have been terminal, but this time he was mostly worried about the stability of his landing zone. While he was aiming to create a ruckus, he didn¡¯t want to shoot straight through the massive ship and end up swimming in the deep dark ocean.


    Luckily, the ship was sturdy enough to withstand his landing. When Coop smashed into the alien decking, the surface flexed under the pressure like a spring floor designed for gymnastics. Coop somersaulted forward and returned to his feet without an issue. The tingling sensation from passing through the shield spread from his toes to his teeth and was stronger than he anticipated, but he attributed the resistance to the speed of his arrival. The smaller shields he had already experienced back on the pig¡¯s island were presumably weaker than the one they used to protect their entire flagship.


    Coop wiggled his fingers on each hand to bring back the feeling before gripping his armaments and seeking a target. His shield and spear were held ready, but none of the invaders were present to witness his arrival and receive him.


    ¡°So much for shock and awe.¡± He mumbled, almost feeling disappointed that his sudden appearance hadn¡¯t sparked any amazed reactions. He was a bit spoiled by the Endless Empire. It was almost like the flagship had been abandoned. Coop thought that maybe it was even a bit too quiet. He didn¡¯t let his guard down while he scanned the interior.


    The elevated perimeter of the ship was a solid wall of the same material as the deck, making it seem like he was standing in the middle of a stadium that had been constructed out of a mold. The edges had been filled with flat layered platforms, almost like massive scaffolding that grew from the surface of the alien material.


    Rather than a standard boat, the Sapphire Armada¡¯s flagship was fitted as though it was intended to be a mobile city with a large public space in the central areas. In a way, it was something like a modern aircraft carrier, but it had traded in the flight deck for a sunken place-of-arms. The outer edges were clearly below sea-level and were lined with four storeys of the wall-less platform buildings, like someone had mostly completed construction of enough dormitories for an army but neglected to complete the exteriors, and they were staggered with shorter structures forming giant steps such that the roofs were open balconies for the upper level.


    A series of cylindrical structures interrupted the open space in the center, forming something of a spine that was embedded into the deck of the ship. They could have been the smokestacks of a steamship, but rather than emitting clouds, each one was illuminated with a gentle blue glow at its tip. Additional points of light were spaced out around the perimeter of the ship, forming a blue constellation that appeared to power the ship¡¯s shields.


    Coop wasn¡¯t sure if it was lucky that the parade grounds were empty, considering he was actively looking for a fight, but there was a severe lack of soldiers present for him to engage. He had to assume that the massive ship was intended to transport whatever was left of the Armada¡¯s assault force after their assumed victory. Clearly, they didn¡¯t intend to bring everyone home, regardless of the outcome in their siege of Ghost Reef. Destroying their own transport ships had made that much obvious, and the flagship itself wouldn¡¯t be able to hold the bulk of the Armada¡¯s soldiers.


    Coop prepared himself for a mission that was more like quietly clearing out one of the platforms of the oil rig rather than the all-out skirmish he had originally anticipated. Utilizing Presence of Mind, he confirmed he was truly alone. Aside from a pocket that was completely absent of mana behind him, the atmosphere was normal. Fog of War wasn¡¯t an option since the phantoms were continuing their guerilla campaign back on the island. It would take hours for the domain to naturally dissipate, so Coop had time before he needed to return and support his comrades.


    The tallest layer of the ship, a stack of the open platforms at the rear of the ship, seemed like a suitable destination, so he shifted to get moving. However, as soon as he took a step on the deck, an alarm began to chirp a warning. If there was any crew left, they would know that he was there. Rather than a piercing alarm, the sound was more akin to a crosswalk signal, if a bit alien. Additionally, Coop was spotlighted in a glow that seemed to emanate from the ship¡¯s towering facilities, like a dozen spotlights had triangulated on his position.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop grunted in surprise. ¡°No room for subterfuge, I guess.¡± Coop noted to himself. He felt like he was standing in the center of a theater¡¯s stage, preparing to recite a soliloquy as the rest of the ship remained in darkness.


    A flash of light from above had Coop instinctually dodging. A blue lash smashed into the deck where he had been standing. Rather than cutting through the surface it appeared to be absorbed by the ship, dissipating along the surface in a wave.


    Coop quickly tracked the attack¡¯s trajectory and spotted the culprit. Against the backdrop of the darkened sky, a woman had leapt from the tallest cylindrical structure, clearly in pursuit of the intruder on her ship. Long streamers of blue energy trailed behind her back, extending across the upper sections of the ship like tentacles of mana, connecting the constellation that he had observed initially. The web of mana connected her with points all along the edges of the massive flagship.


    In response to the warm welcome, Coop threw his own spear, planting his foot with enough force to cause the deck to flex as it had when he first landed. His pursuer had no way to dodge while in midair and took the spear to the torso, but it was deflected by a mana shield just like the ones that protected the pyramid ships before. A ripple bent the limited moonlight as the ship¡¯s entire shield struggled under the pressure, apparently protecting his attacker. As he resummoned his weapon, he inspected her aura.


    [Human (Level 84)]


    [Mirym Enchantrix (Intelligence)]


    [Chosen of the Sapphire Armada]


    [Siphon, Torrent (Champion)]


    When she landed on the deck a circular blue rune appeared beneath her feet, humming with energy. Neon blue highlights erupted from the lines of the alien scripts. Her hair and loose clothing hovered like she was standing on top of an exhaust vent, lit by the neon blue underlights emitted by the rune. Instead of air escaping, it was clearly accumulated mana that whirled around her. Coop could feel it.


    At first the rune only glowed brightly, a few feet in diameter with complicated alien symbols burning all along the edges beneath her stance. It quickly faded to a dimmer, darker blue and the streaks of neon that rose into the air dulled, without completely disappearing. Before it completely diminished, another rune expanded in an even larger ring beyond the edges of the first, glowing just as brightly. The second rune was six feet across and even more complex than the previous. As the second rune faded a third rune appeared and the cascade continued, accelerating as it went, until the entire ship was glowing with tiny scribbles on every surface, centered on the woman who had arrived. Coop had no choice but to stand within the lustrous patterns, but they didn¡¯t react to his presence.


    Her eyes were glowing with similar blue energy and Coop found himself a bit uncomfortable matching her intensity. The web of mana streams continued to connect her to the edges of the ship, like a dazzling web with her at the center, pulsed with mana. While Coop was highlighted by spotlights, she seemed to be illuminated just a bit more with her vehemence.


    Coop shrugged, and gave her a chance. ¡°I¡¯m here to accept your surrender.¡±


    The Enchantrix smiled at him, but her eyes were sinister. ¡°You¡¯ve made a mistake.¡± She stated through her grin. ¡°Champion¡­¡± She added with a bit too much hunger in her voice.


    Coop squinted at her, wondering if she was deranged. Had she not been following the progress of the Armada¡¯s siege? ¡°You¡¯re the ones who made a mistake. Attacking us was never going to work out.¡±


    She continued smiling. ¡°On the contrary, all we need to do is defeat the Champion. It isn¡¯t over until one of us falls and I have the advantage. We all know this.¡± She stated, spreading her arms as if they had an audience. ¡°You will be the one to determine the victor.¡±


    Coop stopped holding his aura back, and spun his resummoned spear with a flourish toward her. ¡°The last person that wanted a duel ended up regretting it. Briefly.¡±


    Her smile shrank and her glowing eyes grew slightly wider as the pressure of his titles washed over the ship, but her posture didn¡¯t change. ¡°A duel? How quaint. Did you think we would come without preparing counter measures for the strongest being on Earth?¡±


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    ¡°Strongest human.¡± Coop corrected proudly.


    She just snorted, and a cloud of blue mana exited her nostrils like she was some kind of dragon. Coop wondered if he could do that with his mists as he prepared for the fight.


    ¡°You could still have your troops retreat.¡± Coop offered, though he had already taken a combat stance with the bottom half of his face behind his shield. If he was honest with himself, he was a bit curious as to what they had prepared. Powering up a lower level with the ship¡¯s shields? There was no way that would be enough to take him on. The difference between them was too great, but with Presence of Mind, he could see that she had no back up nearby. Only the streams of energy connecting her provided any support.


    She just laughed in response. ¡°That¡¯s not how this whole contest works. Conflict will occur regardless. Only those who fight will be the ones to inherit Earth at the end.¡±


    Coop sighed, feeling a wave of fatigue he hadn¡¯t expected. ¡°The planet is a big place, I¡¯m sure we could just mind our own business.¡±


    She laughed again, sounding even more amused than the first time. ¡°We are but minnows dancing in front of sharks, our survival is up to them.¡± The smile disappeared from her face completely and the blue light in her eyes erupted into miniature flames that rose beyond her eyebrows. ¡°Come Champion, let¡¯s see who will claim this planet.¡±


    Coop shot forward, blasting a hole into the flexible deck as layers folded on themselves in his wake, despite its previously verified toughness. The destruction ruined the ring of runes that had extended beneath his feet. He lunged straight at his opponent, trusting his stats more than any other detail. If they had special defenses prepared, he would crush them, and if they had countermeasures, he would withstand them.


    The gap between the two Champions closed instantaneously. His spear thrust straight forward combining his Strength with his Agility as he leveraged his momentum into his strike. Behind him, each layer of runes exploded like he had stepped on a landmine, releasing blue mana as if it was napalm. He had simply blown past them.


    The Enchantrix was completely unable to react to Coop¡¯s speed, practically frozen with how much slower she was compared to Coop¡¯s uncoiling attack. But, to Coop¡¯s surprise, when his spear point would have collided with her neck, it was instead met with an unmovable shield.


    Mana exploded in all directions, but Coop was unable to add any follow-through to his attack, despite all of his accumulated power. His muscles ached in a way that reminded him of being blocked by the Avatar of the System herself, but his form didn¡¯t falter. He hadn¡¯t held back in any way. It was a strike meant to end the fight before it really even started, but it seemed like they actually had been prepared. He¡¯d give the Sapphire Armada that much credit at least.


    One of the streams of energy that connected the Enchantrix to the external empowerment of the ship popped like a chain of firecrackers speeding up a string. Coop watched the avalanche of blue sparks in the corner of his eye as they traced the beam until it reached the top of one of the cylindrical structures that ran down the spine of the ship. A single burst of blue flames erupted at the end, a fraction of a second after Coop landed his strike, like something spontaneously combusted. The top of the structure lost its blue light and the Enchantrix was down one connection, whatever they did, but she had about two dozen more.


    The Enchantrix had a new expression on her face, one that could have been awe if not for the sinister way the edge of her lips twitched upwards, she almost looked like she would try mocking him, but Coop¡¯s followup attack was already connecting. A second explosion of mana erupted at the base of her neck, flying out behind her, but Coop¡¯s spear didn¡¯t cause any obvious damage. The second attack failed to elicit another chain reaction down any of the streams of energy, though they all lit up the night with their glassy blue illumination. The third in his triple thrust had the same limited impact as the second and the sky was covered by an electric blue spider web that began to feel oppressive.


    Coop slid backwards, slightly out of range as whips of liquid mana lashed at his own neck. One of them snapped in the air where he had been, splashing clear water in all directions while a second smashed into the ground, absorbing into the deck and reigniting a rune, and a third flicked toward his new position.


    Coop caught the spiked ends with his shield. To his surprise, the force of the blow caused him to stagger backwards with a grunt. He raised his eyebrows as he realized she was much stronger than he had guessed. That wasn¡¯t the power of someone 50 levels beneath him. The matchup was closer to even.


    As he slid into the fifth ring of runes, a liquid crystal box sprung into existence around him, blurring his vision from within the rune prison. The Enchantrix hovered towards him, as if she was being guided by the strings of mana that connected to her body. Coop could see that she was much slower than he was, as she wound up with her right arm to attack him with her water whips while he was trapped in the rune¡¯s walls. Before she could lash at him, he stomped his foot into the ground, blasting a hole in the deck and destroying the neon blue activated rune. The cage shattered like a sheet of ice.


    Coop was lunging forward again, speartip steady as he aimed to repeat his first attack in the form of a counter that interrupted his opponent¡¯s assault. She didn¡¯t flinch, opting to trade blows rather than brace herself. Coop¡¯s spear smashed into her torso, creating another mana explosion that drove her down to the ground.


    To his surprise, the whip still thrashed against his extended arm, drawing three clear lines deep into his flesh down from his shoulder almost to his elbow. He blew air out of his nose as he stepped forward, acknowledging that she had managed to do more damage than expected. All the more reason for him to not hold back.


    She was already back to hovering slightly off the ground, this time gliding backwards, away from him to try and leverage her water whip¡¯s superior range. Coop threw his spear instead of chasing her, letting it fly just past her shoulder before he mistjumped to her side. Instead of using the edge of his weapon, he bashed her with his shield, choosing to put her off balance while his warhammer manifested in his other hand.


    Before she had finished reeling from the shield blow, he brought the end of the relatively small hammer down in an overhand blow. A flat energy shield appeared, catching the blow six inches before it reached her, unlike his spear blows that had been right at her skin. It rippled like he smashed an impossibly viscous sheet of water, giving her a chance to twist and rake him with a wild swing of her other whip. The horizontal slashes gouged his protected abs with his ethereal armor preventing the attack from drawing blood, though he still received an unusual amount of damage.


    Her other arm followed suit, but he comfortably ducked underneath the wild blow and swung his hammer with a side arm blow aiming for her knee. Another liquid shield appeared before his blow landed. Coop could feel the heat rising off his neck as his frustration built. A lower level challenger that was tougher than he was and almost as strong? He was silently scolding himself for becoming too comfortable. In the middle of the fight, he felt the desire to go grind.


    He swept at her ankles with his shield, releasing his grip and letting it slide through the neon blue runes, but she avoided the low telegraphed attack, falling into his trap as he brought the nasty end of his hammer to her chin in an uppercut that had him leaping off the ground as well. When it collided with her chin, another explosion of blue mana burst into the air and a second stream of explosions destroyed one of the beams that appeared to be empowering the Enchantrix. That was two down.


    The blow lifted her further in the air so that she would fall onto her back. Coop mistjumped to his sliding shield and brought his hammer down into her torso as he rose to his feet and before she hit the floor. The hammer blow destroyed another beam and smashed her into the deck with a yelp of surprise. It didn¡¯t seem like he was hurting her at all, but a third beam was severed as a blue flame exploded near the end of the ship.


    She jerked back up into the air, rushing out of the human-sized indentation in the deck before he could pin her down. Her whips flailed around her, wildly striking at him repeatedly, but they were nothing compared to the Construct arms wielded by the first Icon of Mana. He easily side-stepped the uncontrolled attacks, leaping over one after ducking another, throwing his shield forward to block a forward attack while he was in the air, then diving between a pair that came from above and underneath the gap his shield created before he mistjumped to his flung hammer.


    He didn¡¯t know what mechanic she was using to be so strong, but he would test its limits. What kind of stamina would she have while wielding such power? He wondered.


    When he caught up with her, his ethereal bo staff whipped through the air, smashing one liquid mana shield after another with cracking sounds that snapped through the night air. The only interruption to the whooshing blows came when he opted to dodge her whip attacks. They bit at his limbs like snakes, and he accepted many of the strikes, only avoiding being wrapped up or slowed down, trusting his attributes to be enough to withstand glancing blows.


    The next time he found himself inside of a rune prison he swapped to his morning star and smashed through the wall. She hadn¡¯t rushed forward while he was trapped, instead making distance, but Coop steadily stomped after her. A second rune prison barely slowed him down, using his shoulder to plow through. He caught her with his first Legacy of the Mists cast, having saved it to catch her by surprise. She hadn¡¯t expected the phantasm appearing above and behind her while Coop chased after her with a strictly melee weapon. The phantasm smashed her to her knees right in front of Coop who was already bringing his morning star down like a sledgehammer, anticipating the combination move to deliver.


    A liquid mana shield appeared before he struck her, but the protective barrier exploded from the effort of blocking his smash, and Coop was already bringing the morning star down again, using the recoil of the barriers to reset his attack. Another barrier exploded and another flame erupted.


    The Enchantrix tried trading blows, expecting to out sustain Coop with her barriers, but he didn¡¯t let up. ¡°Die already!¡± She shouted as she raked Coop with her whips and he smashed another shield.


    He destroyed barrier after barrier and with each strike his Strength increased. Mindbender was kicking in, piling his ridiculous stats into Strength alone. 2,000 Strength with one blow, and a shield smashed into glittering fragments. 2,500 Strength with the next, and the shield was nothing but dust. On and on until he was bringing his morning star down with 6,000 Strength and smashing the Enchantrix with the followthrough after disintegrating the mana shields with each blow. Each attack resulted in a smashed barrier and another spontaneous blue flame somewhere on the flagship.


    After two dozen bursts of sapphire energy all around the ship, the Enchantrix herself simply exploded. The same blue flames that had been erupting in various places on the perimeter of the ship launched Coop backwards until he was sliding through the ruined blue formations of spent runes.


    [You defeated a Champion - Civilization Shard claim priority enabled.]

 Chapter 165: Tribute

    Coop only spent a moment on his back, staring up at the starlight as it twinkled in the clear night sky. The shockwave had sent him sliding along the deck of the Sapphire Armada¡¯s flagship, but it hadn¡¯t dealt any damage. The blue flame might have singed his eyebrows a bit, but when it came to magic damage he was truly a juggernaut.


    ¡°Magic defense is too good.¡± He acknowledged with only the stars left to listen.


    Admittedly, he had been slowly becoming more exposed to various abilities that were more like hybrid attacks. His own Legacy of the Mists was the most obvious example where physical stats were dealing magic damage, but many of his companions had their own similar mechanics. The Armada¡¯s Champion had magical water whips that dealt physical damage. It was probably only a matter of time before he felt the sting of some dual damage attacks again. However, it wasn¡¯t like his physical defense was that far behind the extremes that his magic defense reached. Plus, he had multiple layers of additional protections, so he would be ready.


    As Coop sat up the mental exhaustion really set in. He was tired. Physically, he was scraped up, but the real drain on his personal battery was due to the type of opponents he was facing. He just wanted a nice long grind session with monsters, but it didn¡¯t seem like overcoming human nature would be easy or convenient. It was like he had a third resource bar that was diminished every time he had to kill another person.


    He sighed as he returned to his feet and assessed the physical damage left on his body. Other than the stinging cuts on his arms and legs, he really was fine, though his health pool was lower than it had been in ages. Physically, he looked like he had drunkenly stumbled through patches of thorn bushes with all the cuts he had accumulated wherever his skin was exposed, but he¡¯d heal up in no time. He didn¡¯t even have any lingering negative afflictions.


    The enemy Champion had managed to chip away at his health pool until it was depleted to below half even with the massive level difference between them. Obviously, the empowerment brought by the web of mana had drastically improved the Enchantrix¡¯s status. Judging by the way the Champion of the Sapphire Armada had burst into mana when she was eventually defeated, Coop suspected that the other bursts of blue flames that had occurred around the ship had been individuals lending their own power. All of the settlement¡¯s elites had congregated in one place for their final gambit. They had really pushed themselves to rise to Coop¡¯s level and had ultimately fallen far short.


    Coop shook his head, feeling disappointed with the result, despite his victory. The Sapphire Armada had been an organized and formidable force. They could have been valuable allies if they hadn¡¯t been sold on the battle royale-esque premise of the assimilation. Compared to the Endless Empire¡¯s incompetence, there really was a drastic difference in capability.


    Plus, beyond the fact that they had demonstrated valuable proficiency, he felt like he had been brought down a peg, adding to his feelings of dissatisfaction. If he was going to need to fight, he wanted to be able to overwhelm his opponents rather than scrape by. Obviously, he wasn¡¯t done progressing. He wasn¡¯t as overpowered as he thought, if there were still countermeasures that could be taken by regular humans to rise to his level. He needed to keep going.


    The Armada¡¯s flagship was completely silent after the defeat of the Champion. There was no sign of remaining energy around the ship, even in the exterior shields. Evidently, they didn¡¯t leave anything on the table in their effort to kill him. The gentle blue glows that signified the shields were active had faded, and other than the ocean breeze slipping between the empty platforms that rose above the edge of the ship, only Coop¡¯s footsteps disturbed the silence. Even the body of the Champion had disappeared, vaporized in the blue flame burst. The enormous flagship was just a large piece of debris floating beyond the edge of the island chain¡¯s barrier reef. He would leave it up to the pirates to determine whether or not there was anything to scavenge.


    All in all, the Sapphire Armada had been soundly defeated. Coop decided he would rinse off before returning to the phantoms. The remnants of the invasion force would be cleaned up in short order and despite the Armada¡¯s best efforts, all they had managed to do was deliver more shipwrecks around Ghost Reef and cause some insignificant damage to Coop himself.


    ¡°Shame¡­¡± He mumbled to himself, still lingering on the losses even if they were standing in opposition to Ghost Reef. Coop cracked his back and rotated his right shoulder before summoning his spear, preparing to bring his allies across the finish line before dawn broke.


    ¡°What¡¯s a shame?¡± A voice interrupted his motion. ¡°You won fair and square.¡± Coop spun, pushing Presence of Mind to its maximum as he faced a mystery person who had managed to sneak up on him.


    [Human (Level 64)]


    [Zone Suppressor (Intelligence)]


    [Chosen of the Sapphire Armada]


    ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s pretty amazing you took on the combined strength of the entire elite conclave. They should have reached upwards of 2,000 levels worth of power if you just add them up.¡± The voice continued dispassionately, hardly expressing any actual admiration.


    A teenage girl that was dressed in the Sapphire Armada¡¯s equipment had appeared. She tapped at a tablet that seemed to have three-dimensional figures displayed, glowing with blue animations that reflected off of her oversized round glasses. Rather than facing him, she was observing the display on the device from less than 10 feet away. Coop squinted, suspicious at her apparent distraction as if it was a ploy to have him lower his defense, but he had his shield and spear ready in the instant that she made her presence known. He didn¡¯t make the first move, though. Perhaps she was preparing to attack him, but she was also just a child.


    When she realized the tip of his spear was aimed straight at her, she finally shifted her focus toward him. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± She slowly elevated one hand forward, still cradling the tablet with her other, like she was suddenly faced with taming a lion. ¡°I¡¯m not going to fight anymore. I was just in charge of the barriers anyway. I doubt I could do any real damage to you as a purely support build.¡±


    ¡°When did you get there?¡± Coop demanded. The Sapphire Armada had revealed that he had become a bit too comfortable in several different areas now. He had been too confident in his detection abilities if this girl was able to sneak up on him, just as he had also believed that no humans could match his fighting power. The only part of his confidence that hadn¡¯t been shaken was in the abilities that the residents of Ghost Reef had developed. At least they had proven to be steadfast defenders that didn¡¯t necessarily need him to babysit all the time.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been here the whole time¡­¡± She spoke slowly, like she didn¡¯t want to surprise him. She let go of the tablet and it disappeared in a puff of mana, exposing her other palm to show her capitulation.  ¡°I only revealed myself to present the unconditional surrender of Neptune¡¯s Bridge.¡± She explained. ¡°Now that Champion Miriam and all of the other elites have been defeated, I am the leader of the settlement.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Coop wondered, not lowering his weapons while concentrating on Presence of Mind, just in case there were more people lurking in the vicinity.


    ¡°Ahem!¡± She cleared her throat unnecessarily, sounding like a kid imitating an adult as they prepared for a speech. ¡°I am Viceroy Hali of Neptune¡¯s Bridge, Chosen of the Sapphire Armada.¡± She stated confidently, nodding to herself once after her declaration before adjusting her glasses.


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    ¡°But, you¡¯re just a kid.¡± The fact that she was level 64 had barely registered to Coop. None of the kids around Ghost Reef had been able to get any experience, even when they tried, and it didn¡¯t take more than a glance at the girl to see that she belonged in school with them.


    She frowned at his observation. ¡°I¡¯m 16. And in case you haven¡¯t noticed, mana came to Earth and changed some things. I¡¯m just as capable as any adult.¡± She rolled her eyes before she flicked her wrist which summoned her tablet again. Apparently, she deemed Coop to be unthreatening afterall and she returned her stare back to her tablet and began tapping away as if his lack of confidence in her had made him unworthy of her full attention.


    Coop thought about apologizing, but before he made up his mind, a classic treasure chest appeared in front of his feet, in between the pair, with a puff of blue mana. He took a hesitant step back, imagining classing RPG monsters with lots of teeth. It was a wooden trunk that would have been perfectly at home aboard The Eye of the Storm, but it had come out of nowhere and he was still within what he considered enemy territory, considering their organization had been robust enough to maintain leadership even at the final stage.


    Viceroy Hali, the high schooler, watched Coop¡¯s reaction as she continued. ¡°This is our war chest, presented as tribute to our conqueror. We hope that you will accept this in exchange for sparing the lives of the surviving members of our faction and allowing them to live within yours. Anyone capable of defeating the Sapphire Armada on Earth will be a force to be reckoned with in the future.¡± When Coop didn¡¯t move or say anything in response, she looked away from watching lines of script pass by on the inside of her glasses and shifted her stare toward Coop. ¡°Open it.¡± She suggested a bit demandingly.


    Coop looked at the chest, then back at her. He didn¡¯t detect anything unusual about the chest other than the fact that it had appeared out of thin air. ¡°Could be a trap.¡± He muttered in response to the demanding teenager.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a trap.¡± She sighed, growing exasperated with all of his caution. ¡°Are you gonna accept our surrender or not?¡±


    ¡°If anyone surrenders, I¡¯ll accept it, but you¡¯re the only one here.¡± Coop¡¯s eyes darted left and right suspiciously before resettling on the girl. ¡°You¡¯re the only one here, right?¡± He hadn¡¯t been able to detect anyone else, but he felt the need to be cautious after being humbled.


    ¡°Yes, everyone else blew up.¡± She confirmed. ¡°And everyone else will have surrendered when Champion Miriam was defeated. It¡¯s good that you¡¯ll accept our surrender.¡± Her shoulders sagged with relief.


    ¡°If you were going to try to be reasonable about all of this, why didn¡¯t you just negotiate with us in the first place?¡± Coop demanded, frustrated that it seemed like they could have dealt with the Sapphire Armada without getting straight into the fighting.


    ¡°Obviously, we still wanted to win the assimilation. Our sponsors advised us on the rules of the game and put us on what would have been a winning strategy as long as we dominated the seas.¡± She tapped away at her tablet like Coop wasn¡¯t worth her undivided attention. ¡°Plus, our original settlement is in a bad position. If there¡¯s another siege event we will be overrun for sure, so we needed to relocate to a more strategic place. Ghost Reef would have made an even better stronghold for us to withstand the Primal Constructs and we would have taken out our primary competition in claiming it in the first place.¡±


    Coop just grunted, not feeling up to the explanation required to reveal the Eradication Protocol and how their priorities were necessarily different. ¡°What was your plan if I didn¡¯t accept your surrender?¡± He asked instead.


    She smirked. ¡°I would have disappeared right before your eyes and returned to Neptune¡¯s Bridge to plan our defense with the help of our new allies. Once we regathered enough strength we would return better prepared for what we would face.¡± She pressed her pointer finger directly into the center of the tablet and she did in fact vanish from his sight. Coop blinked and squinted, but she was gone. Hali the former Viceroy had a perfect invisibility.


    Except she had made a mistake in demonstrating her abilities right in front of him. Rather than detecting her aura in the same manner as he used Presence of Mind to track the cloaked Ancient Prowlers, or even the shadowy transfer skill that Camila¡¯s cousin, Carlos, implemented, Coop was able to detect the absence of any aura. It was almost as though her cloak was too perfect, creating a void in space. Mana was flowing everywhere, except for where she was suppressing it around herself. She really had been shadowing him the entire time that he spent on the flagship.


    When his eyes locked onto her position, she remained still for a moment before slipping sideways. He continued to focus on her, tracking her position with a hunter¡¯s gaze as she tried to shrink away, evidently testing him and finding the result uncomfortable.


    When Hali reappeared, it was pretty clear that she realized she wouldn¡¯t have an easy time sneaking away from Coop. ¡°So, are you going to open the chest or what?¡± She demanded, unmistakably trying to change the subject, while nervously fixing her hair.


    Coop ignored the treasure chest, more curious about the Sapphire Armada¡¯s attitude considering the girl in front of him was the de facto leader. ¡°If you were counting on the Endless Empire being your new allies, they¡¯re already gone.¡±


    She sighed. ¡°So it¡¯s a total defeat. I hope you will allow the residents of Neptune¡¯s Bridge to settle into Ghost Reef in that case.¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± Coop refused. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being kind of chummy with someone that wiped out your elites?¡± Coop questioned.


    She crossed her arms and frowned. ¡°It was always a possibility and you¡¯ve got a really nice city with a bunch of happy people, so I figure you¡¯re probably alright. But why not let us settle in? We¡¯ll accept becoming an underclass if that¡¯s what you want. We¡¯d sign whatever system contract you draw up. I already saw the inside of your settlement when I scouted it, and while there might not be room, we can easily make shelters outside of the walls of your fort.¡±


    Coop shook his head, raising a hand to get her to stop. ¡°There¡¯s way too many of you, and you attacked us. It was a completely unprovoked battle. Really, you¡¯re lucky we don¡¯t execute you all.¡±


    Hali obviously wasn¡¯t ready to give up, continuing to frown at Coop like a spoiled child. ¡°We can start a small settlement on the farthest island! You¡¯ll barely even know we¡¯re there.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m gonna send you all back.¡± Coop declared.


    ¡°What about Empress City? You took it over? Let us go there.¡± She tried, sounding a bit more desperate in the face of Coop¡¯s adamance.


    Coop just kept shaking his head. ¡°They have their own issues to smooth over, I definitely can¡¯t throw however many new people into that situation. How many people do you have left?¡±


    She tapped at her tablet before responding. ¡°There are 68,452 soldiers left among the assault platoons, 312,691 residents back in Neptune¡¯s Bridge, one member of the conclave. That¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s a lot.¡± Coop remarked, tilting his head and nodding. ¡°That settles it then, we¡¯ll claim your settlement as Ghost Reef¡¯s subordinate when we send you back.¡±


    Hali uncrossed her arms and balled her fists at her sides ¡°Ugh. Don¡¯t you listen? It won¡¯t work. That settlement really is doomed. The Primal Constructs have completely taken over the region to the north of its borders. Powerful elites encroach on the territory daily. With the territory expansion from upgrades, the number of elites will wipe it out in the next siege. The people there need to be evacuated.¡±


    Coop ignored her gestures and made his own evaluation. ¡°That sounds great, I¡¯ll send some people to fortify it. I look forward to exploring that elite region myself.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll die. I¡¯m the only one that could travel into it anymore, and it was already becoming more dangerous before the siege event even began. Now, I wouldn¡¯t even risk a scouting mission.¡± She stomped forward and opened up the chest herself. ¡°Look, just identify this stuff and reconsider. There should be plenty to support accepting us into Ghost Reef.¡±


    Coop finally followed her directions and raised his eyebrows at the stuff they had offered up. Almost 4,000,000 Basic Credits, thousands of Sapphire Armada gear sets, nearly 1,000 mana tokens for the sacrificed ships, and a Unique Relic called the Tear of the Sea.


    ¡°See? That should be plenty to allow us to stay. Right?¡± She implored.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty good,¡± Coop admitted. ¡°But no.¡±

 Chapter 166: Diverging Paths

    When Hali offered the Sapphire Armada¡¯s unconditional surrender, Coop held reservations. He couldn¡¯t help but feel skeptical toward her self-professed authority. Coop may have been the Champion of Ghost Reef, but he didn¡¯t think he would be able to offer his residents¡¯ complete surrender after convincing them to fight for a specific purpose. The human residents fought with their own personal motivations driving them. At most, Coop emphasized the features of the island settlement that were worth defending given the scenarios of the assimilation. The phantoms were another matter altogether. He doubted they would ever consider submitting to an opponent as an option at all.


    Coop wasn¡¯t in the business of enforcing such strict discipline on those around him, though they were influenced by his behavior all the same, he still wouldn¡¯t expect them to lay down their arms if his resolve flipped so quickly. He imagined the vast majority of his comrades would fight to the death to defend the settlement after everything they had been through, even if Coop advocated for surrender, and no matter what she said, Hali was just a kid. Could this girl really claim to have so much authority?


    Coop was proven to be overly pessimistic toward Hali. Apparently, her bratty attitude was backed by actual power and respect. Upon the defeat of the Armada¡¯s Champion, the soldiers within the invasion force had promptly thrown down their weapons and ceased fighting, openly accepting their loss with a level of discipline that continued to surprise Coop.


    The assimilation had barely begun, in the grand scheme of things, and yet, the Sapphire Armada had managed to instill a shocking level of trust among its members. If they hadn¡¯t aimed to take down Ghost Reef first, he really believed they had a chance to be an influential force within the competition between settlements. The whole scenario surrounding the Sapphire Armada¡¯s settlement would have been a shame if the assimilation was really the only threat to humanity. They had managed to establish a force with the kind of dedication that had only been demonstrated by the phantoms themselves.


    Guard Captain Alaric and the 300 phantoms honored the attempt at surrender by ceasing their hostilities as soon as the invading soldiers threw down their weapons. Naturally, Ghost Reef¡¯s residents had inherited Coop¡¯s general hesitance to kill, so they gladly held back on further bloodshed and accepted the reprieve in fighting, abrupt as it was. Their primary goal was the defense of the fort, and with the threat of the invaders openly withdrawn, there was no more need for their immediate elimination.


    The fact that there were only 300 phantoms hidden within Coop¡¯s Fog of War put them in an awkward spot. How could they be expected to take control of almost 70,000 surrendered combatants? If the roles were reversed, the residents of Ghost Reef would take any opportunity to turn the tables. With those considerations, before the fog dissipated and the defenders revealed themselves, they sent messengers to call for reinforcements from the fort.


    The Armada¡¯s troops waited patiently in the fog even without any form of contact from the opposing force, fully submitting themselves to the victors. The fact that they weren¡¯t still being killed by the guerilla tactics that the phantoms had adopted meant that their gestures of surrender had at least been noticed. Certainly, there were a few silent prayers being sent, but otherwise, they sat tight while the victors judged them.


    By the time dawn was breaking, Ghost Reef had mobilized as many residents as they could comfortably spare, presenting a united front so that the massive number of captives wouldn¡¯t get any ideas about how much they outnumbered their guards. They didn¡¯t need to worry too much. The phantoms that had been most involved in the defense had all eclipsed level 110 and if anyone in the Sapphire Armada identified them, they would only see question marks. The imposing presence of numerous overwhelming individuals reinforced the invaders¡¯ submission.


    The lower level members of Ghost Reef remained at a distance, far enough away that they couldn¡¯t be identified by anyone without specific skills, but the fact that there were more than 15,000 phantoms and 5,000 human residents of Ghost Reef was already an unexpected surprise for their would-be invaders. Crowds that large were difficult to comprehend and the Sapphire Armada had only anticipated meeting a force of less than 1,000 individuals since they had concentrated on the results of the siege event for their intelligence gathering. The Armada hadn¡¯t accounted for the reinforcements Ghost Reef had collected in the weeks after the siege. Instead of finding a depleted settlement, ripe for conquering, they found a fortified city bolstered by highly motivated reinforcements. The only spy able to successfully infiltrate the fort¡¯s walls and return safely was Hali, and by the time she had gathered enough information to show that they were misinformed to the state of Ghost Reef they had already committed to the ground assault.


    While the residents of Ghost Reef organized another major undertaking, receiving prisoners rather than new residents, Arthur spent quite a bit of time with Hali. The Ghost Reef intelligence advisor wanted answers regarding her abilities. Coop expected them to have a hostile relationship. They gave off completely opposite first impressions. Arthur was a prim and proper older man, always properly groomed with ramrod straight posture and a polite but formal way of speaking while the young girl lacked any sense of etiquette. Of course they ended up quickly finding common ground with Arthur doting on her like she was a long lost grandchild. They ended up exchanging trade secrets rather than conducting an interrogation.


    The Armada¡¯s soldiers were checked on by the reception committees that had onboarded the refugees, though those same volunteers were mostly high-leveled fighters with experience in the settlement that went back to before the siege. The role wasn¡¯t entirely different, only requiring a small adjustment in tone when they demanded answers rather than requested cooperation.


    ¡°Now, you youngsters better behave yourselves.¡± Edith, the Dreadnought, warned groups of the Armada that remained seated, separated from their weapons. She may have looked and sounded like a kindly old lady, with her hair in tight white curls and her friendly demeanor, but the spiked pauldrons and black metal gauntlets on her selected armor told a different story, and that wasn¡¯t mentioning the fact that she was higher level than any of the soldiers. She was just one example of the residents who had all been elevated to powerhouses when compared to the rest of the assimilation.


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± The Armada¡¯s troops responded as she passed them by before they whispered about exactly what they had gotten themselves into when they attacked Ghost Reef. Even the grandmas had fearsome auras.


    The vast majority of the residents and phantoms were equipped in the Ghost Reef Standard Issue armor, the forms of which had been glimpsed by the troops of the Armada in all the fighting. They had already developed a healthy fear of the black leather and charcoal metals, so there weren¡¯t any incidents involving last minute resistance while the situation became more organized. For all they knew, the entire defensive force had been present during the fighting. The surrendered troops didn¡¯t want to risk provoking the bloodlust they had experienced within the Fog of War.


    Coop only made a brief appearance, introducing Marcus and the other advisors to Viceroy Hali and giving his opinion before going off on his own again. Marcus assured the Champion that they could actually make room even for this many additions, further fueling Hali¡¯s insistent protests and earning him some looks of encouragement from a few of the other advisors, but Coop wasn¡¯t ready to forgive anyone that would attack the sanctuary they created. The Sapphire Armada had done things in the wrong order, as far as he was concerned, and trust wouldn¡¯t be so easily given, nor would forgiveness be offered without proper commiseration. The fact that they were looking for safety was understandable, but the fact that they had tried to steal it away rather than cooperate would require special consideration. Coop had already resolved himself to not allow them to stay within Ghost Reef to the point that he had been willing to kill them. Returning any of them alive was already a generous compromise.


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    Coop went on to reject alternative ideas for what to do with them, like sending them to Empress City. The newly acquired sister settlement already had their own issues to work through, piling on tens of thousands of newcomers representing an entirely new force was unacceptable, so Coop advocated for finding a way to get them back to their original settlement.


    Ghost Reef would be claiming Neptune¡¯s Bridge as another subordinate settlement anyway. The fact that the conquered city would qualify for the settlement upgrade¡¯s bonus objective was further incentive to make it happen, and if they claimed it, they intended on finding a way to defend it. Coop left his advisors to figure out the details, but he made his intentions clear. The Lighthouse would be claiming what remained of the Floridian peninsula. The former members of the Sapphire Armada would need to take the time necessary to integrate into the growing coalition of settlements under the control of The Lighthouse before being welcomed in any other territories. Rather than allow them to move into Ghost Reef, Coop wanted to find a way to reinforce their settlement first and let natural migration occur much later.


    Coop shared the war chest with his advisors, allowing the settlement to accept the funds, providing the mana tokens to Admiral Kayla and suggesting she find a way to bolster the Tempest Fleet with the free constructions. The equipment wouldn¡¯t be particularly useful as it was a clear downgrade to even the cheapest sets crafted by Ghost Reef¡¯s crafters, so the haul would be sold for scrap on the internal market. He kept the Unique relic, Tear of the Sea, for future crafting commissions. Before he left, he also transferred all but one of the Mana Pylons to Marcus, suggesting they try filling the space between Empress City and Neptune¡¯s Bridge with their territory. Coop was already planning for splitting up as there were just too many objectives for him to pursue on his own.


    The members of Ghost Reef had several different missions pulling them all in different directions. Jones and Elder Olani would stay in Ghost Reef where Rear Admiral Gideon and all of the phantoms would be focused on quickly getting their own levels up to par. They would be training with Ledwidge and continuing to defend the settlement.


    All of the newest residents who had arrived on the cruise ship from Empress City were also being incorporated into the organized leveling programs that guided them through monster zones. It would be especially tricky, since there were only enough monsters for dozens of people to grind at a time, but there were more than 5,000 people primed to fight. The fact that they had already experienced a battle from within the walls of the fort and they had been shadowing those who had experienced the siege event meant that they had witnessed the undeniable necessity of developing some of their own skills. Most of the original residents who had come from the mainland were already leading by example, providing the same guidance they had received during the siege event. The Cleary brothers and Derek of all people were taking responsibility for maintaining the entrance of the Coral Forest with the most experienced residents and phantoms expected to utilize the grinding zone when they were available.


    Emmanuel and Madison would have their hands full with curing those from Empress City that were infected with the blood curse. After the Siege Boss had been defeated during Jones¡¯s ritual, they had been assured that the same struggle wouldn¡¯t occur again, but just in case, they would be starting right away, before Coop was off the island, so that he would be within shouting distance if they summoned another demon Icon from hell. Otherwise, Emmanuel would have more than enough fighting power to defeat cursed manifestations.


    Admiral Kayla and the Tempest Fleet were put in charge of expanding the transportation network. Initially, it was meant to just connect Empress City with Ghost Reef, but now they would be looking at incorporating the much more distant Neptune¡¯s Bridge. While they were at it, they intended to establish the oil rig as an outpost, using one of the Mana Pylons to turn it into a safe harbor and rest stop for longer trips into the Gulf or between Ghost Reef and their newest settlement. The lower level crews would be getting plenty of opportunity to catch their levels up, and knowing that the current cap was 500 meant that even the most experienced sailors had plenty of room to grow.


    In order to accomplish the fleet¡¯s mission, the pirates needed more ships, which the tokens would hopefully provide, though the process of inundating the ships with spectral mana would continue to be the limiting factor on their expansion. They would also be limited by the need to find proper crews, but that was where the former members of the naval empire that the Sapphire Armada represented would come in. They could earn themselves a position in the expanding coalition with service in the navy. It would be a good way to generate trust and Ghost Reef already had programs that would help with training, should they need it, with the construction of the Admiralty. Assuming there weren¡¯t any problems claiming Neptune¡¯s Bridge, the navy would be able to establish a program that could bolster their numbers as well as integrate the newest additions. The Sapphire Armada¡¯s sailors might be some of the only humans that could match the fervent loyalty of the phantoms, as long as it was aimed in the same direction. They had a promising future if they were patient enough to earn trust.


    Gibson¡¯s party would be escorting a large group of Marcus¡¯s diplomats to Empress City, then the experienced combat party would slowly push north, exploring the wilds. They would be establishing a land connection between the two settlements on the mainland, as well as testing the Mana Pylons for their range and efficacy. Rather than clear the entire width of the peninsula, they would create a linear path to begin with. If Hali was up for it, she would be organizing the same process from the North. The Sapphire Armada had already established several routes to Empress City with their caravans, but they had never intended on clearing a path. They didn¡¯t want to make it easy for potential rivals to approach their settlement by land and they were concentrated entirely on the sea for themselves.


    Shane¡¯s party would be responsible for escorting Hali and the first groups of the Sapphire Armada¡¯s assault force back to Neptune¡¯s Bridge. There, they would be claiming the settlement in the name of Ghost Reef and The Lighthouse before they would concentrate on developing the defenses such that the residents would be more confident in their security.


    That all left the most complicated of the missions. Charlie and Camila had intended to go with Coop to the Yucatan, but the additional wrinkle provided by Camila¡¯s family members meant that they would be separating from Coop after all. Given the urgency of the situation with the Eradication Protocol looming and the relative organization of Neon Park, they wanted to get the information distributed as soon as possible. Therefore, Charlie and Camila would be returning with Carlos, Gabby, and Sofia. They would be going with Marcus and another group of his trainees, first to Neptune¡¯s Bridge, then all the way to Neon Park by sea, avoiding the dangerous land route that multiple separate groups had now warned about.


    Coop would be heading to the Yucatan Peninsula, along with Amanda and Mikey B to establish their port and a regular boat route while Coop worked his way through the jungle to investigate the top ranked settlement and its connection to Chakyum.


    Coop left the residents in a flurry of activity as various groups organized themselves, preparing for their own expeditions or taking on responsibilities back home. The Sapphire Armada¡¯s troops were slowly informed of their place within the growing faction. While they let the news settle Coop waded out to the sandbar, spear already in hand, as he had unfinished business with the Primal Kites.

 Chapter 167: Call of the Void

    ¡°Is he gonna be alright?¡± Marcus vocalized what the majority of Ghost Reef¡¯s advisors were silently wondering.


    ¡°Maybe we started leaning on him too much.¡± Shane suggested quietly. ¡°Between the Endless Empire and the Sapphire Armada, how many people did he have to kill? We know he was in an uncomfortable spot using his strength like that.¡± The battle commander fixed his hair as he worried. ¡°If he had ever been fine with killing people, I can guarantee that we would be dead given the circumstances around our arrival.¡± He looked at Arthur who simply nodded, agreeing with his assessment.


    Given Kevin the Hammer¡¯s attempt to take the shard, cursing Jones in the process, Shane¡¯s entire party could have been seen as guilty by association by anyone less generous than Coop, which, realistically, would be just about any other Champion in the world. They were all lucky, in their own ways.


    Marcus rubbed his chin. ¡°I bet we could find a therapist among the new residents, maybe get him to talk about it.¡±


    ¡°You guys haven¡¯t been paying attention.¡± Camila interrupted, sounding a bit frustrating at them for vocalizing their doubts around Coop. ¡°Grinding is basically therapy for Coop, he¡¯ll be fine. Just give him a chance to organize his thoughts.¡± She suggested. ¡°I¡¯d be more worried if he was moping around again; that¡¯s when we should worry. Instead, he¡¯s working hard to get stronger for all of our sakes. I think he¡¯s shouldering the responsibility really well, considering everything. If anything, he¡¯s grown a lot at this point.¡±


    Charlie frowned as she thought about how the last week had played out. Charlie thought it felt like the assimilation had strapped them all into an unpredictable rollercoaster. Maybe after the last few events Ghost Reef had crested one of the peaks, and was in for more rapid changes. They¡¯d really been having a smooth ride compared to what others appeared to have been experiencing, outside of the siege event, of course. If anything, she agreed with Camila. Coop was keeping everything together far better than she could have. In Empress City, she was the one that had him worried.


    In the distance, her mother¡¯s angel wings lit up as she visited one of the camps nearest to where the Ancient Prowlers spawned. Apparently, some of the Sapphire Armada¡¯s soldiers needed to personally discover why the area was restricted at night, but they were strong enough to avoid casualties as long as they disengaged from the monster zone. Madison was healing their injuries.


    After the invaders had thrown down their weapons and Coop returned from defeating the Sapphire Armada¡¯s Champion, letting them all know what he thought needed to be done, he had immediately gone off on another grind session. Coop¡¯s Fog of War had engulfed the entirety of the western reef, blanketing the sandbars in a thicker mist than normal. Charlie and Camila wouldn¡¯t have been able to join him to rate his spear throws since their vision wouldn¡¯t extend more than a few feet from within the fog, even if they had the time beyond their own responsibilities. Coop¡¯s intimidating domain spoke to the fact that the Champion was seeking some time alone. If it wasn¡¯t for the occasional spear flying into the sky, they wouldn¡¯t have had any proof that he was even inside.


    After the first day, the domain simply dissipated. For a few hours the settlement was in a silent panic because Coop hadn¡¯t returned to the fort and wasn¡¯t in the lighthouse. It wasn¡¯t until the phantoms found the interior of the Mangrove Forest completely engulfed in another massive Fog of War that they figured out he had simply migrated his grind spot to the next logical place. They pieced together that he had completed the Primal Kite¡¯s Slayer quest chain and had moved on to the next set of quests that he had in his sights. That he hadn¡¯t even stopped to eat in the Clumsy Shark in between sessions was yet another peculiar move from the Champion that had the advisors collectively grow more worried.


    Charlie scratched Sunny¡¯s ears as she looked around at the others¡¯ faces. They were clearly just as concerned as she was about Coop¡¯s behavior. It wasn¡¯t that it was unusual for him to become immersed in grinding monsters, but the fact that he hadn¡¯t stopped to eat or sleep for multiple days even after multiple grueling battles was atypical. The residents had followed his lead, establishing comfortable routines that provided solace and stability in an unknown future, but now Coop was breaking his own patterns.


    After Coop had dropped Hali off, introducing her as the Armada¡¯s leader, and expressed the need to complete multiple tasks at once, necessitating them splitting up, he had marched right off the beach, out into the ocean, and jumped back into combat. He was close enough to step in if the Sapphire Armada¡¯s former army got any ideas, but the fog isolated him while everyone else made their preparations, and really, the fog itself was enough to prevent the soldiers from trying anything. She knew the last minute grinding was Coop¡¯s way of preparing for his own trip, but even she expected him to take some leisure time first. Especially when they considered that he would most likely be kept busy whenever he went on his expedition.


    Charlie stood among the ramparts with Marcus, Shane, Arthur, and Camila. Beneath them, the surrendered troops extended along the main trail starting beyond the moat outside the southern gate of the fortress, extending to Coop¡¯s lighthouse and beyond, to the next island. They had set up camps that were observed by pairs of phantoms. Luckily, the outsiders had behaved themselves so far, apparently making an effort to prove they would cooperate in a bid to be given permission to stay. Unfortunately for them, Coop had already decided they wouldn¡¯t be allowed to remain on the island. Coop didn¡¯t make many firm declarations in general. It wasn¡¯t really his leadership style, but the fact that the Sapphire Armada¡¯s people weren¡¯t welcome had been one, and Ghost Reef¡¯s residents respected him enough to go along with just about anything he was that obstinate about.


    Coop being that adamant about the defeated soldiers being kicked out of Ghost Reef, despite Marcus¡¯s assurance that they would have the room, especially as the settlement expanded underground, had confused Charlie at first. Coop seemed like the kind of person that would welcome literally anyone, offering a chance to people that others would think undeserving. The fact that he had drawn a line confused her for a while, but she thought she understood where he was coming from after thinking about it.


    She had needed reassurance herself, multiple times, about their actions and whether or not they were proper or justified. His argument had always been that they had a responsibility to help people due to the benefits they had been provided by Ghost Reef. He wanted to extend a helping hand to anyone that needed it and thought that gathering strength to create a sanctuary was the way to do it. The Sapphire Armada represented a faction that challenged the principles that had been the source of his resolve.


    She decided to speak up, providing her insight to the other advisors. ¡°I think he¡¯s just upset that the Sapphire Armada forced us into a fight. They obviously believe that they need to flee from their settlement and establish themselves elsewhere for their own safety, and Coop always says his goal with Ghost Reef has been to offer sanctuary to people in that exact situation. But they jumped straight to conquest without even bothering to determine if we would help.¡± She trailed off at the attentive stares from the other advisors.


    Camila put her hand on Charlie¡¯s shoulder. ¡°See? Just give him a cha-¡± Camila¡¯s contribution was interrupted by a flash of yellow light centered on the Mangrove Forest. A blast of lightning had snapped down from the clear sky, striking deep within the mangroves.


    Charlie could feel electricity making her skin itch. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was due to her new path making her more in tune to such a phenomenon, but a glance at the others¡¯ reactions provided the answer. They all felt it. An oppressive power had appeared on Ghost Reef, different from anything they had faced before. When she turned to the source of the provocation she was stunned. Even Camila was speechless as they all gazed upon something supernatural.


    It was an electric titan. An enormous being constructed out of transparent yellow energy that sparked and crackled as it grew among the gigantic mangroves. The ephemeral shape could almost be called a coincidence, except that the threads of lightning kept reinforcing the outline. Only its torso extended beyond the earth, as if its legs were embedded in the ground, but its head and shoulders were able to clear the tallest trees by a wide margin. As more lightning danced into the sky, the full features of the muscular god became more obvious, traced by channels of plasma that pulsed to life and faded before repeating, creating a stop-motion vision of its movement.


    Deep laughter bellowed from the chiseled form of the giant, rolling across the island like thunder. It raised its right arm, revealing a spear in the vague shape of a spiked lightning bolt. The giant jabbed the spear into the sky, warping the air high in the sky beneath the clouds. The tip of the spear ignited in impossibly bright light as the excited laughter continued. Thousands of lightning bolts rained into the Mangrove Forest, all originating from the tip of the spear. The bolts seemed tiny and insignificant compared to the titan, but each one left a crack in the sky, too bright for Charlie¡¯s eyes to follow, as they danced into the mangrove forest. If she didn¡¯t know any better, she would think that the lightning bolts were seeking out targets, hundreds at a time, all across the mangrove habitat. She had to become a conduit before such a thing was possible with her skills.


    The barrage unleashed thousands of lightning bolts that were accompanied by the constant laughter that drowned out the warning of the alarm bells and the terrified shrieks of the surrendered Sapphire Armada troops. Those who were nearest to the mangroves fled while the rest huddled together in fear, but the titanic manifestation never wavered in its attention on the mangroves.


    Once the lightning storm ceased, the titan flipped his lightning bolt spear and slammed it into the ground at an invisible foe, sending a shockwave that exploded beyond the forest, blasting out into the ocean in one direction and slamming into the fortress in the other, carrying leaves and debris as it moved. The people on the beach were toppled over, blinded by the dust storm that followed. The fort¡¯s walls held strong, though those who stood on the battlements stumbled when the shockwave reached their positions.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Charlie squeezed her eyes shut to avoid the sand that had been lifted in the air while chasing the shockwave. A series of notifications popped up while she braced herself.


    [The Apparition of the Greater Lighting Lord Recognizes You]


    [The Apparition of the Greater Lighting Lord Approves of Your Path]


    [The Apparition of the Greater Lighting Lord Grants You The Benediction of Lightning]


    [You have acquired a new title!]


    ¡°Huh?¡± Charlie muttered.


    Charlie checked her titles, keeping her eyes squeezed shut as she was stunned and scared after feeling the awareness of something she didn¡¯t understand. Just what had she gotten the attention of?


    The new title was called ¡®Favored¡¯ and stated that it was a gift bestowed by the manifestation of a powerful entity. The system described the title as variable, depending on the entity itself. In her case, it claimed that lightning flowed in her veins, granting her better control over one of her main mana affinities.


    ¡°Eh?!¡± Charlie squeaked, still confused, opening her eyes to find the rest of the spectators stunned into silence.


    ¡°Was that¡­ Zeus?¡± Shane asked from his hunched over position, peeking above the ramparts, and breaking the silence that encompassed the island while sounding just as bewildered as Charlie felt.


    ¡°Hm.¡± Arthur grunted as he stared across the dunes, standing straight as he dusted his shoulders off. ¡°Could have been Jupiter just as easily.¡± He raised an eyebrow, seeming to approve of the display of power. ¡°I wonder what that kid is up to.¡±


    ¡ª


    Coop stirred himself back to consciousness, dreaming that he tripped and flailing his limbs as if he would fall and needed to catch himself. Instead, he found himself sprawled out on the edge of a large root with both of his legs submerged in the swampy water of the Mangrove Forest, dangling on either side of the limb. He coughed twice and a small puff of smoke escaped his lungs. His ethereal spear remained clenched in one hand, charred as if it had become an overused lightning rod, and his armor had been completely destroyed.


    When he sat up, the pressure in his head made him grumble in pain. ¡°Ugh.¡± He reached up and tenderly rubbed his temples. ¡°How long was I out?¡± He mumbled to himself, choking on the words as his dry throat stifled his voice.


    It had been three or four days of steady grinding. When he saw how close he was to another skill choice after defeating the Sapphire Armada and gaining more than a dozen levels, he became determined to push until he cracked level 150. Completing the Primal Kite Slayer quest chain wouldn¡¯t be enough, but another few levels from defeating Ancient Devourers and Primal Serpents would elevate him across the next threshold. It had become a race against time, as he needed to be ready as soon as possible, given the threats to Ghost Reef that continued to linger elsewhere in the world.


    When he received the skill options, his choice had already been made. Coop wanted to take the upgrade to the Salvation skill, Inheritance of the Mists, which would give him the ability to call upon an apparition for aid. Salvation was the other half of his original build, allowing him to summon his ethereal armor, where Retribution was the ability that gave him access to the weapons.


    The other upgrade skill, Legacy of the Mists, which was attached to Retribution, had already completely changed the dynamic of his class. No longer was he merely a durable skirmisher, but now he had an entirely new set of capable, magic attacking companions in the phantasms when he incorporated Legacy in combat. The versatility of his build was multiplied by their presence.


    The first round of the Mistwalker path had offered 21 skills, which he used to acquire Legacy. The second time, he received 15 choices and he took the Acumen passive skill, Clarity of Purpose, which also added the Mindbender title. This time he had 10 skills to choose from and he upgraded his second original skill. His next few choices would finally be new abilities.


    When he used Inheritance of the Mists for the first time, he had nearly been overwhelmed. The phantasms summoned by Legacy of the Mists were clearly simple minions that, at best, represented some weapon master from the past, dug up from collective human history. However, the apparition that haunted Coop when he used Inheritance was a more sophisticated entity, one that was both more powerful and far more autonomous. Upon its formation, it had communicated from within Coop¡¯s mind with joyous exuberance at being manifested into reality, but also with threats and agitation at Coop¡¯s limited development. The Lightning Lord had viewed Coop as weak and had a potent desire to anchor itself into existence.


    Coop was bewildered by the experience. With the phantasms, he understood their presence as representative recordings of past warriors, provided by the system. They could have been real people, or at least they were imitations of experts with some historical accuracy. Jones had been able to pick out their eras by assessing their equipment. The fact that mana had been around since the dawn of human history meant that he thought it made sense as a real possibility.


    However, the apparition summoned by Inheritance of the Mists had claimed to be a god. Coop thought, rather than a depiction of a real person, Inheritance brought cultural fictions to life. The Greater Lightning Lord was a fitting first experience because Coop could make the easy connection to it being a facsimile of Zeus.


    Coop groaned as he sat up and slid his ankles out of the muddy water. While he had expected Salvation¡¯s upgrade to be similarly game changing, when compared to Legacy of the Mists, it had still been completely overwhelming. The Lightning Lord had burned through Coop¡¯s available mana with a single boost ability that increased his size, then went ahead and consumed Coop¡¯s health to power a second skill that chained lightning, as if to prove a point, all while demanding that Coop gather more resources for him or perish. Coop shook his head at the memory of the voice echoing in his head. Checking his status, he truly understood how close he had been to dying, but he really couldn¡¯t help but look forward to what else the skill could do. Hopefully, the next entity would be more gracious. Just in case, he resolved to hold back on further experimentation until he was a bit stronger.


    [Status]


    HP - 578/13320


    MP - 11/25140


    Class - Revenant (Level 156)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 112)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 75 (+2514)


    Agility - 75 (+1257)


    Body - 75 (+1257)


    Mind - 2095 (+419)


    Intelligence - 75 (+2514)


    Acumen - 75 (+1257)


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion III, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper, Slayer VII, Dauntless, Stacked, Defiant, Siegebreaker, Mindbender


    Skills (Active) - Invocation, Presence of Mind, Fog of War


    Skills (Passive) - Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension, Clarity of Purpose


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (18/50), Upgrade Town to City


    Basic Credits - 3,240,850


    Coop shook his head, realizing that the Lightning Lord seemed content to drive Coop to death, as long as he had a chance to flex his presence on reality. He suspected that the skill cut itself off before he actually died, but it still drove him to the edge. Inheritance of the Mists left him in a precarious state, but at least it hadn¡¯t finished him off.


    ¡°What a way to go.¡± Coop chuckled to himself before wincing. It felt like his insides were absolutely cooked.


    The cost of Inheritance was extraordinarily high. The skill was clearly meant to be a proper ultimate ability, akin to some of the abilities that only a few of his companion¡¯s had displayed. Madison with her Celestial Chime, Charlie with her Lightning Conduit, and Jett with her Darkness Form. Now Coop had something with properly escalating power. The call to tap into that power was strong, even if it meant he would essentially be leaping off the edge of a building in order to utilize it. He scratched the back of his head as he considered whether or not it might actually be too much for him. Judging by his state, it might be.


    In fact, the afflictions Inheritance had applied continued to linger. The first debuff it applied was a stacking affliction that was wryly called ¡®Haunted,¡¯ just like his title, except this was a stacking debuff that reserved 1% of his mana pool for each application. Inheritance of the Mists immediately applied 50 stacks when he cast the spell, cutting his mana pool in half with no way to recover it until the skill ran out and the debuffs expired. They had no timer, but would disappear as his mana recovered, effectively putting his mana pool in debt until he had rejuvenated mana with interest. The second debuff was called ¡®Delusion,¡¯ and it simply prevented him from casting Inheritance repeatedly.


    His stats continued to grow in a monstrous way, especially after gaining so many class levels, 10 profession levels, and completing three more Slayer quest chains: one for each of the Kites, Devourers, and Serpents. Coop giggled to himself now that his Mind stat had eclipsed 2,500 by itself. It was a huge number. The progress was a small salve for the mental sting of the last few battles.


    Retribution and Salvation had also combined into a new skill, called Invocation, which provided its own description that Coop thought was suspiciously foreboding. ¡°Call the Void and the Void will call back.¡±  While the skill didn¡¯t necessarily do anything new, all of the features and upgrades of the previous skills were included. His ethereal weapons and armor appeared to work the same way, except he had even more freedom from some of the earlier restrictions that had guided his progression in the first place. He would certainly have more toys to play with in the future as even his baseline skills continued to evolve.


    Before Coop returned to his feet, he was surprised by Jett jumping onto his shoulder, careful not to use her nails while balancing against the side of his head. Coop couldn¡¯t believe that she had gone into the Mangrove Forest on her own. It was definitely not her favorite environment.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯m going.¡± Coop agreed. ¡°First a shower, then I¡¯m gonna sleep. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll visit everyone and head out on another adventure.¡± Coop scratched Jett¡¯s face. ¡°Are you gonna miss me?¡± He cooed as he followed the root path back toward the dunes.

 Chapter 168: The Kitawa Sisters

    Seki Kitawa kept his head down and listened. He was uncomfortable sitting on his knees, directly on the floor, but he wasn¡¯t someone that would draw attention with complaints. No, Seki had adapted to his life by shrinking away from the spotlight. Each of his older sisters took a different path to navigate their complicated family, but keeping his head down was his own. In comparison to his subdued approach, his eldest sister had been forced to embrace the focus of their elders while his middle sister rebelled against the pressure to meet expectations.


    For Seki, being the forgotten youngest child was his ideal. He was content to simply listen, as he was once again. Hiding behind a mop of combed black hair, he tried to catch snippets of the conversation that was occurring between his eldest sister and his uncle. If only the middle sister would be quiet so he could hear. Without moving his head, he glanced at her from the corner of his eye.


    Rather than sitting on her knees, his middle sister sat with one knee bent and the other stretched out into the middle of the hallway, with no consideration for how anyone would pass, leaning her back against a wooden post. ¡°This is a waste of time.¡± She grumbled, not really looking for a response. Her bright pink pigtails and black makeup clashed with the monotone traditional clothes that they were both forced to wear while within the family compound. She had refused to remove the steel and black piercings that decorated her ears, nose, and lip, and wore her regular clothes underneath. Her punk aesthetic really was out of place among the tatami floors and ornate wooden ranma panels above the sliding fusuma doors. At least she had left her combat boots at the entrance. He would feel bad for the attendants that would have tried to get her to cooperate if she had insisted on keeping them.


    His extended family had enjoyed generations of success, bringing wealth and prominence to their name that required careful management. Before the assimilation, his father had been the head of the family while his mother worked as the president of their corporate holdings. They were both highly focused people who Seki believed would have been ideally suited for leading the family through the current turbulent times. Surely, they wouldn¡¯t be in their current predicament if they had their wise leadership present.


    When they had their first child, a daughter, they had raised her with the express purpose of turning her into their successor. Reina Kitawa had risen to the occasion, unbending beneath the spotlight, growing from the ideal child to the heir apparent. She was sent to the most expensive private schools where she blossomed into a star thanks to her diligence. She was perfect in every way, becoming class president, valedictorian, club captain, and achieving every scholastic accolade available. If she wasn¡¯t so patient and kind she would have been easy to hate. She had been on track to complete her college program a year early and begin working within the family business before mana arrived and disrupted her life plan.


    Even her fiance, who had been arranged by their families, was perfect. An allstar athlete with an easy smile who was also the valedictorian of his own school and the heir of his own family¡¯s business, he nearly matched up with Reina. At least he came as close as humanly possible. Like Reina, people couldn¡¯t help but like him as well.


    It was completely impossible for Akari Kitawa, the second daughter, to live up to the ideal that Reina had established. She wilted under the combined pressure of their parents¡¯ expectations, rebelling to the point that she had been expelled from two different schools before begrudgingly graduating from a third. Akari hadn¡¯t gone to college after graduating the year before mana arrived, delaying their parents¡¯ plan and instead finding an equally delinquent boyfriend. Her routine was centered around disappearing for weeks at a time until she would show up again after running out of money.


    Really, Seki was thankful for both of his older sisters and their completely opposite attitudes. If it wasn¡¯t for their ability to occupy their parents¡¯ attention, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to live his own preferred life. He was only 14 years old, with four years separating each sibling, but he had been able to avoid the same concentrated mindfulness that had driven his sisters to their extremes. As long as he maintained decent enough grades to stay under the radar, he could have continued to pursue his interests while letting his parents prepare Reina for the future while doing their best to keep track of Akari.


    Unfortunately, they were gone. Both of the siblings¡¯ parents were killed as the first monsters revealed themselves. They barely had time to mourn. His father¡¯s younger brother, a man of contradictions, had taken over the organization, and together, the family had claimed the civilization shard. In the time since, they had established one of the world¡¯s most powerful settlements, largely on the backs of Reina and Akari who had grown into what were essentially superheroes.


    Seki suspected the settlement would be one of the most organized on the planet, thanks to some of the more traditional values instilled in the population and the previous respect their family had engendered. He hadn¡¯t believed the possibility at first, but he and his sisters had made some friends that brought news of other places. The struggles they described were beyond his imagination. Almost all of the violence around Tokyo had been humans fighting monsters, but it sounded like the political machinations that had been occurring behind the scenes had translated to violence elsewhere. They were lucky to have avoided such strife locally.


    Those foreign friends were the subject of the meeting between his eldest sister and his uncle. Seki recognized the issue, but he still thought it was stupid. Their uncle¡¯s position wasn¡¯t as secure as it would have been for either of the siblings¡¯ parents. He was threatened in particular by the group of Chosen who had arrived at the start of the siege and proven themselves to exceed the strength of all but the most powerful members of the settlement. They had demanded a peaceful handover of the Champion status, but had been rebuffed and had instead been biding their time, making allies and negotiating deals while others focused on survival. As he understood it, the same type of conflict had occurred elsewhere, and had quickly devolved into conflict. The combined power of Seki¡¯s party was too much for them to dare try anything beyond threatening violence, but they had finally found a method that could give them leverage.


    The truth was that with the three siblings cooperating, they were unstoppable in combat. Reina had taken responsibility for the siblings immediately after their parents died, proving herself to be even better at considering their feelings than anyone else had ever been. She had experienced the same pressures as them and was uniquely situated to relate. Previously, the sisters had something of an antagonistic rivalry, but the truth was they loved and respected each other for the choices each had made. Reina thought Akari brave and fiercely independent while Akari saw Reina as impossibly strong and dependable. In a way, Seki was the odd one out, but he was the one that had arranged their party. He wouldn¡¯t admit it, but he had guided them using strategies meant for turn-based role playing games, but they had given him the respect to listen to his ideas, something he hadn¡¯t expected.


    Seki had made Reina their main dps carry based on the fact that she was the only one with any sort of formal combat training, though it was a traditional sword-based ceremonial practice. She wielded an enormous nodachi as long as she was tall that she reinforced with exotic mana, turning the long blade into a weapon of enormous magic damage. The sword had already proven itself by splitting everything up to Raid Bosses in half with dramatic sweeping strikes that had earned many accolades.


    Not to be outdone, Akari had developed into their offensive support and sub-dps, debuffing their targets and headhunting weakened foes while dual wielding a katana and wakizashi. She was concentrating on quick critical attacks and high mobility to smoothly navigate battlefields. Seki had imagined her as more of an assassin, but she was even flashier than Reina, probably due to some lingering feelings of inadequacy. Both Reina and Akari were equally strong and were recognized as a pair more than anything.


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    They didn¡¯t fight alone though, as Seki had coordinated their entire party. Reina¡¯s fiance was their support and buffer, investing entirely into defensive magic and various reactive shields that allowed him to protect the sisters from the midline. They had equipped him in the approximation of a western knight with an enormous shiny shield and matching straight sword. He embodied the stereotypical honor-based role of a supportive paladin and frankly his shining personality made it all the more fitting. Naturally, he had many fans.


    Akari¡¯s boyfriend, on the other hand, continued to look like a delinquent wielding a metal baseball bat, inseparable from his black jacket with a personal emblem embroidered onto the back. He was a second offensive support and sub-dps, just like Akari, but he was invested into ranged abilities, keeping the party structure balanced. He stayed with Reina¡¯s fiance and though he would never admit it, his baseball bat was really more like a wand that allowed him to conjure ranged attacks from safety making him a sort of affliction mage that applied damage over time with baseball shaped spells.


    Seki was left in the back until he received his class, but for the time being, he was essentially the party¡¯s commander. The party was already balanced without him, but they lacked a true healer. If he had the option, he would take it, but the particular archetype seemed exceedingly rare.


    As he considered how he would best contribute to the party, the tone of the voices in the room changed as the discussion was finally concluded. The decorated door slid open and Reina stepped through the threshold.


    Akari was quick to her feet. ¡°So? How¡¯d it go?¡±


    Seki didn¡¯t need his eldest sister to answer as he also rose off the ground. Their uncle was doing his best to catch up with Reina, causing his graying hair to become disheveled while he shuffled his feet. It was obvious that he had believed he could manipulate the usurped heir apparent, but she had proven true to her principles.


    ¡°It is exile.¡± Reina responded calmly. She stood with perfect poise, not even a single strand of her long dark hair out of place, despite the complete change that her life¡¯s trajectory had undergone in recent times.


    ¡°Told ya¡¯.¡± Akari stated dryly. ¡°The bastard only ever cared about himself.¡± She spun and offered to lead the way back out. ¡°Let¡¯s ditch this joint.¡±


    ¡°Wait! Reina!¡± Their uncle shouted as he caught up. Seki thought that forcing Reina to sit at the other end of the massive recessed table as some kind of power move had been an amusing mistake, causing the old man to cover unnecessary ground as she walked out.


    Reina turned and gave him a respectful bow that caused Akari to make a disgusted sound with her teeth. ¡°Goodbye, uncle. Best wishes to you and the family.¡±


    ¡°Reina-¡± He started, but was interrupted by Akari¡¯s raised hand, pointing directly between his eyes.


    ¡°Back off, old man.¡± She stated, not bothering to hide the threat she presented.


    ¡°You¡­ You¡¯ve always been a pain, Akari, an embarrassing stain on the main family.¡± He spat, growing red in the face.


    Akari just laughed as she followed after Reina. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ll finally be rid of me.¡± She lifted her hand over her shoulder and flipped him off.


    Seki was left alone with his uncle for a moment. The old man just looked at him, but obviously didn¡¯t have anything to say. Seki would have been surprised if his uncle even recognized him as family. He followed after his sisters without a word.


    The meeting had been about accepting foreigners into the settlement¡¯s territory. Seki¡¯s party had discovered a large group and openly offered them aid before ultimately becoming friends. The rest of the world seemed like a violent cauldron and they merely sought safety from monsters and people alike. However, the influx of some extremely powerful individuals had thrown off the strange equilibrium of strength among the factions chasing power within Shinjuku Gardens. Despite the settlement¡¯s stability, they weren¡¯t interested in offering aid without demanding personal benefits from them. Reina in particular was disappointed with the opposition and made it known. Instead of compromising with one of the stars of the settlement, the family had tried to reel her in to appease the other groups, threatening her position to force her hand and hopefully manipulate her into utilizing the newcomers for their own games. In the end, Reina was calling their bluff.


    Outside of the family compound, they reunited with the rest of the party and headed for the port. ¡°How did it go?¡± Reina¡¯s fiance asked.


    ¡°Either I accept my place as a mindless sword or I have no place.¡± Reina responded in the calm monotone voice that had people assuming she was cold before they got to know her.


    Akari¡¯s boyfriend spat on the sidewalk. ¡°Ya¡¯ll sure we don¡¯t just crack their heads and take over?¡±


    ¡°Stability is important for the residents.¡± Reina responded, not shying away from killing as much as she concentrated on the consequences. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t be the ones to start down that path.¡±


    Akari¡¯s boyfriend grunted and put his arm around Akari¡¯s shoulders, gave her a kiss on the cheek and took his place in the back. They were leaving the settlement and making a bit of a show of it. Both sisters marching down the middle of the street immediately drew the attention of the residents.


    People cheered for them, recognizing the heroes who had already defeated countless monsters and assuming they were simply going on another hunting expedition to defeat greater threats that no one else dared to challenge. Not every face was friendly, many of the Chosen still harbored a desire to be rid of the Unchosen faction that had organized the settlement on the backs of the Akari sisters. Seki expected they might have a chance sooner than they expected.


    ¡°Show us the Gaze of the Waning Moon!¡± A spectator shouted, hoping to witness the signature attack of Reina Kitawa.


    ¡°Akari! Over here! We¡¯re your biggest fans!¡± A group yelled. ¡°The Blossoming Blood Moon is the best!¡±


    Reina simply bowed her head politely whenever she returned a look with one of her fans and Akari bounced side to side from the middle of the street, waving, high-fiving, laughing, and pointing. The settlement would survive without them, at least as long as the situation continued to escalate in a predictable manner. There were 25 million residents in Shinjuku Gardens and they were all united in their desire for the settlement to survive. Even if there were countless groups who wished to be the ones at the top, they would all come together if necessary. It was the only settlement in Japan and its territory would eventually encompass the entire landmass, already covering nearly half, centered on Tokyo.


    Originally, they had believed they had experienced the worst of the assimilation, losing so many people to the invaders in the early days as remote settlement shards were destroyed, but they now understood the situation was even more precarious for many others. The members of the Kitawa party each had their own reasons for being willing to leave their home behind, but one of the obvious reasons was to gather even more strength in order to save lives. This was a big sticking point for them with the leaders of the settlement, who were embracing the insular attitudes of most of their history.


    By the time they marched the three miles to the port, their exit had turned into a festival-like parade. The Kitawa sisters were essentially idols that represented the settlement¡¯s strength, as they maintained their positions on the global leaderboards while keeping the citizens safe.


    At the docks, old merchant ships were waiting for them. Hai Yun and Irina were the main cause of discomfort among the leaders of the settlement, as both of them represented power that rivaled the sisters. After the party boarded, Reina turned back to the onlookers and bowed respectfully.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Hai Yun apologized, feeling guilty for being the catalyst for the events that led to the split.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. This result was inevitable given the isolationist policies that are being embraced.¡± Reina responded cooly. ¡°It is natural for the strong to continue quelling dangers even if it takes them on a journey.¡± She smiled sadly. ¡°First, we¡¯ll clear the Mount Fuji Mana Well. Then, we¡¯ll go to the next place. Together.¡±

 Chapter 169: New Lands

    Coop leapt from the deck of Windchaser and landed in the clear shallow waters off the shore of Belize. A pair of needlefish fled with the waves to escape his sudden presence, but he paid them no mind. He was focused on the shoreline as he pushed through the water until he was stepping through the edge of a thick treeline. He did his best to be swift, but a few days at sea had left his legs a bit wobbly. Still, other than the fish and a group of unchosen olive-throated parakeets, who chirped at him for his disturbance from their perches in the leafy canopy, he went unnoticed.


    Since Coop wanted to remain circumspect for his initial investigation of the Yucatan settlement, he had requested a destination that was well outside of the civilization shard¡¯s territory. The pirates were extremely familiar with the area, as it had been a major haven for buccaneers who set up camps while plundering Spanish settlements all along the coast. The nearby atolls and reefs had proven invaluable for those trying to avoid capture by the colonial powers.


    The area wasn¡¯t actually the stomping grounds of the Tempest Fleet specifically, but they had awareness of The Baymen who were the local pirate authority of the time and recognized the area despite the centuries that had passed since their last visit. Coop had the impression that even though it wasn¡¯t the Tempest Fleet¡¯s turf, the pirates of the period were more fluid with their movements. Crews were also less static than he imagined, swapping ships and disembarking whenever a location met their fancy. It was rare to have as loyal a following as Kayla did, but even the Tempest Fleet was adding new faces to replace those who sought what could essentially be seen as a vacation.


    The pirates chose to take Coop to the north of Belize, near the border of Mexico, where a protected bay had been a frequent protected stopping point for various crews. They had selected a known neutral location that pirates had used to trade and recruit back in the day. Coop disembarked by himself, leaving Mikey B and Amanda with Sharkbait as they quietly drifted away from the shore. Coop would give them a signal using his ethereal spear once he determined that Corozal would be a safe enough place for the ship to make port. The plan was for them to make a temporary camp before committing to the location to get a feel for the area and its monsters. If it was suitable, they would begin a taxi service, much like what Empress City and Neptune¡¯s Bridge would be receiving, connecting the outpost to the network of territories centered around Ghost Reef. Rather than simply waiting for Coop, the support group would busy themselves by coordinating with the rest of the fleet and relaying messages back to the main settlement regarding the status of the newly claimed territory.


    By Amanda¡¯s calculations, Corozal would be over 200 miles away from where she detected the civilization shard. If necessary, they could cut that distance in half by moving to the southern tip of Belize, but Coop preferred to err on the safer side that avoided premature detection. Even though he knew he was signing himself up for a challenging journey through mountainous jungle, they were also looking for a decent place to establish a permanent outpost.


    He had only kept a single mana pylon for himself, and even though they could construct additional pylons back home, he didn¡¯t have any inclination to waste one by placing it too close to another growing settlement. Corozal was in a middle point that he considered distant enough from the Yucatan shard to be safe from interference: far enough to have time to establish itself before the larger settlement expanded, but close enough to serve as a launching point for his expeditions. If they ended up with more mana pylons, Cancun would be next, allowing Ghost Reef to take the Yucatan peninsula away from the Yucatan settlement, giving his island settlement a foothold on another landmass should they desire it.


    Coop watched as Windchaser headed back into the Corozal Bay, standing among thick mangroves at the edge of what was really only a small town before the assimilation. He cracked his neck, shook his shoulders, and readied himself for combat before slipping deeper among the leaves. Invaders, high level animals, enemy Chosen, he¡¯d face them as they came, one fight at a time. With a brief nod to himself, he started traversing through the stubby mangrove coastline, keeping his eyes open, listening for anything out of place in the jungle ambience. Realistically, his regular senses wouldn¡¯t be able to compare with Presence of Mind, but he watched all the same.


    Casting Invocation, his ethereal sword and shield manifested in his hands with haste that greatly exceeded his previous experience. He took a second to admire the responsiveness of the mists as they hardened into his familiar equipment. When Invocation had merged Retribution and Salvation, it also improved their abilities to summon weapons and armor. His equipment felt more robust, and he had to wonder if they had increased stats after his last skill upgrade. They already scaled with his personal growth, but there was no rule that said they couldn¡¯t improve themselves as well. To have them also push forward, better taking advantage of his stats, would compound the benefits of all of his new Slayer titles. After the Sapphire Armada presented a surprising challenge to his own progress, he welcomed any opportunities to leap forward yet again.


    It was only around 300 hundred feet before he would arrive at the dirt road that encompassed the perimeter of the town, but the vegetation would make it a challenge to travel directly. His shorter ethereal sword would be preferable for the time being, compared to most of his polearms, though he doubted anything would be waiting in the short section of forest that he would pass through. The thin strip  he was cutting through would certainly minimize the opportunity for a chance encounter.


    He was forced to duck and sidestep long branches that struggled to elevate their leaves, reaching for sunlight or rooting into the leafy dirt ground. He considered using his sword like a machete, clearing a path, but decided to take his time, staying relatively quiet until he became familiar with the potential enemies of the region. For all he knew, his next Slayer title target would already be nearby.


    ¡°Fingers crossed.¡± He whispered to himself, though he knew better than to get too distracted from his main mission. Finding Chakyum.


    He didn¡¯t even make it 20 feet through the brush before he was attacked. A creature that had been lodged among the branches of the canopy attempted to snatch Coop¡¯s head, striking directly at him from above, and forcing him to eat his words. If it wasn¡¯t for Presence of Mind giving him a window to react, he would have been caught by surprise in spite of remaining alert for exactly such a trap. His regular senses weren¡¯t enough to detect the monster¡¯s ambush point, distracted as he was keeping track of his own footing and all of the thin twigs that threatened his eyes. It wasn¡¯t easy trying to avoid tripping on the rocky ground or getting caught by the twisting roots and dodging all of the branches scraping toward his face. He couldn¡¯t pay enough attention to the area above his head.


    Coop caught the gaping maw of the snake-like Primal Construct against the outer portion of his round shield with a ringing clang of metal on metal. Rather than a familiar jaw, the assault had come from a mouth that opened like a three-pronged claw, each with a single nail shaped fang in the center, cruelly angled inwards like the barb on a fish hook that didn¡¯t intend to let its victims escape.


    Coop¡¯s Agility allowed him to react at ridiculous speeds and it combined with his constantly building combat experience which prevented him from wasting movements. Even before he had a chance to properly inspect the monster¡¯s aura, Coop countered with a sweeping flourish of his sword, seeking to behead the offender with a practiced reaction that was almost completely unconscious.


    While the edge of his shortsword connected just above the elongated snake head, the monster managed to twist itself partially out of the way, displaying a contortionist-like ability to flex and bend. Rather than beheading the monster, the head went with the momentum of his sword and avoided being completely severed. The edge of the mist constructed sword was extraordinarily sharp, but the monster was obviously a step above the regular invaders that Coop engaged within settlement territory.


    However, given that the monster had engaged Coop in the thick forest environment, just being pushed by the edge of Coop¡¯s sword wasn¡¯t the salvation that it might have been looking for. Coop¡¯s followthrough smashed the neck of the creature into the trunk of an adjacent mahogany tree, pinning it where it couldn¡¯t continue to escape the deadly blade. The monster¡¯s clever dodge bought it barely a split second of life before it ended up being beheaded two feet beyond the initial strike. The lopped off head stuck to the trunk as Coop yanked his sword back, pulling a chunk of bark with it and causing loose branches to bounce to the ground.


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    Coop didn¡¯t have a chance to reflect on the new enemy, as he was forced to dodge backwards. He pushed himself into the branches of a flowering bush and disturbed a swarm of tiny white gnats that rose into the air like a cloud. A second snake attempted the same exact ambush as the first, smashing into the damp ground, snatching a pile of leaves and dirt instead of Coop¡¯s flesh. Coop scrunched his face, blowing air out of his nose to fend off the bugs as he repeated his counter attack, this time attacking the snake head-on, giving it no opportunity to noodle its way around his sword, slashing his sword from the ground up. The tip cut through the ground, sending a spray of wet loamy dirt before he connected with the metal monster. The monster¡¯s face was split in half, adding a fourth plane to its alien mouth.


    At first he thought he was engaging with a swarm of monsters, like he had stumbled into a nest of snakes, but following the narrow body up into the canopy, Coop finally made note of the actual monster.


    [Elite Ruin Nebula (Level 151)]


    [(Agility)]


    [Minion of the Primal Constructs]


    Coop raised his eyebrows even as he stepped into his compressed spear throw. An ethereal spear solidified just in time to blast into the canopy and detonate the offending monster while half a dozen more of the snake claws extended toward him. The snakes weren¡¯t individuals, but limbs extending from a writhing mass. His spear annihilated the central nucleus of the new monster and continued up through the canopy until it erupted into the open air above the forest and Coop resummoned it back to his hand.


    Coop was surprised by the level of the monster, but he had to consider the fact that he was far from any dedicated settlements. These were the monsters that had been largely undisturbed in their pursuit of progress, with no civilization shards taming the flow of mana and minimal, if any contact from humans. He supposed high level elites were to be expected, but he was still impressed.


    ¡°Gonna take more than an elite though.¡± Coop asserted, while doing his best to maneuver his spear among all the branches while using his shield to fan away the bugs that he had attracted. If the monsters were going to be out of range, he¡¯d need to keep his most reliable ranged weapon handy, even if it made traversing through the thin slice of forest more difficult.


    He kept moving forward, paying closer attention to the canopy, seeking out the tangled mass that represented his first hostile encounter. The Primal Construct had been something like spanish moss made of dozens of the snapping three-hinged snake heads that had attacked him twice. The center had been a dark knotted mass, engulfed in shadow, surrounded by the many limbs, as it engulfed branches and slowly migrated from tree to tree within the canopy.


    It was good that he kept an eye above, because in the 300 feet he needed to cross to reach the town, he discovered ten more of the elite monsters. Their levels mostly varied around 90 with the first being the only one near 150, but the density of them was a bit ridiculous. Unfortunately, none of them had been normal variants that would allow him to start the Slayer quest chain that he craved, but the density of invaders was still noteworthy, presenting potential opportunities for experience gains, scavenging levels, and credit farming, though the terrain was not conducive to efficient grinding.


    The branches he had to navigate through forced him to adapt multiple times before he settled on a kit that would be most convenient. Rather than trying to continue throwing his spear through the thick branches, he had dismissed his shield, resummoned his short sword, and leaned on Legacy of the Mists to defeat the elevated monsters. Carrying a normal spear in the underbrush was too much of an annoyance, so he settled for something less imposing and seemingly more appropriate for the environment. Without Fog of War, the phantoms were at their more limited range, but they still exceeded the reach of the monsters, and their repeated use would help grant him the mana cost reduction provided by his Agility granting passive skill, Practical Application.


    Each of the enemies were defeated by a single phantasm that leapt out of the mists from above and utilized an overhand chop to slice through the center of the monster. The red light eye was located on the top of the central nucleus of the creature, obstructed by the limbs below, but Coop was pretty far beyond requiring weak points to defeat Primal Constructs.


    Even with his adjustments, Coop felt slightly pressed by the challenge presented in the natural environment combined with elite monsters. The small journey gave him slightly more respect for the baseline dangers outside of the influence of civilization shards. It was no wonder that settlements were considered mandatory for their survival by the factions. Constantly being alert for monsters that could potentially match those that occupied a mana well while just trying to exist would chip away at anyone¡¯s mental state, and that was if they were even strong enough to keep up in the first place. Humans were resilient, but Coop couldn¡¯t imagine many being able to survive in the wilderness for long.


    When he emerged from the forest he was surprised to find that the road maintained its form despite thick brush overlapping its edges. Rather than becoming completely overgrown like the vegetation in sections of Ghost Reef or eroding away like the foundations of Empress City, Corozal just looked slightly neglected, like the population had only recently evacuated in preparation for a storm. The landscaping was seemingly under control, if influenced by mana in other ways. Then again, for all he knew, slightly neglected was just what the road looked like even before mana came and the town may not have gone through many changes at all.


    Coop took a few moments to stare down the road in both directions, seeking any signs of habitation, but he saw none. He already suspected that the areas in between settlement territory would be empty of people, but he still expected to find either more undisturbed monsters that had opportunities to level to extremes or wild animals that were unintentionally grinding on those very same monsters.


    Given that the coast was clear, Coop started to make his way down the road. He¡¯d check out the center of the town while remaining adjacent to the bay and make an initial assessment if it was worthy of becoming Ghost Reef¡¯s first outpost along with Mikey B and Amanda. The sea wall that ran down one side of the road guided his route from the outskirts to the interior. The waves incessantly splashed against the sea wall¡¯s exterior, but only occasionally exceeded the barrier. The waves kept him company with a steady rhythm. Groups of brown pelicans swam around in the water, following along with Coop, and a handful of turkey vultures circled high overhead, looking like dark specks riding the air currents. He idly wondered if they were watching him back, waiting to see if he would become a meal.


    Other than birds and fish who had yet to receive any levels, Coop didn¡¯t detect anything out of the ordinary with Presence of Mind. He thought it was quite strange that the monsters had remained beyond the perimeter of the town. It wasn¡¯t like the Primal Constructs respected the limits of the previous civilization. He supposed the tangled mass that the Ruin Nebulas appeared to be would prefer to remain among the thick branches of the forests, but that didn¡¯t completely negate their ability to cross open spaces.


    Coop kept exploring, keeping an eye on the empty structures on the opposite side of the road as he traced the seawall. The buildings were mostly open in design, providing wall-less seating areas to take advantage of the sea breeze. He walked beneath scattered palm trees and patchy grass on the seaside trail and imagined turning it into another settlement. While he could appreciate the coastal vibe, he had to admit he preferred Ghost Reef¡¯s more familiar beaches, and not only because the monsters were relatively harmless compared to what he had already discovered in Belize.


    As he considered his preferences, he finally spotted something that gave him pause. A body was lying in the distance on a short pier, motionless, still a few hundred more meters away. It looked like a man was laid out, flat on his back, with one leg casually bent. A fishing rod was propped up underneath his armpit, leaning against his raised knee, and a scraggly straw hat covered his face as if it had tipped off of his head when the brim touched the concrete floor. Coop concentrated on Presence of Mind, crouching to reduce his profile so that he could sneak closer and identify the man before he himself was detected, but as soon as Coop¡¯s weight shifted, the world literally flipped upside down.


    Coop was yanked into the air by a snare that pulled him so hard it knocked the breath out of his lungs after slamming his head against the ground. A thin, nearly invisible string had wrapped around his ankle, and in an instant, dragged him until he was hanging beneath the crown of a tall palm tree.


    Contorting his torso so that he could glance at the man, Coop saw the man sit up and twist to look toward the commotion. Once he spotted Coop, he grabbed his hat in his hand and stumbled to his feet while holding it against his chest. The man abandoned his fishing rod and rushed into the town clearly intent on warning others of an intruder.

 Chapter 170: Ensnared

    Coop was hanging upside down, held up by a nearly invisible string that wrapped around one of his ankles. Rubbing the back of his head with one hand, he resummoned his dropped sword into his other, angry that he had been ensnared by a trap and frustrated that he hadn¡¯t even been able to hang onto his weapon when caught by surprise. He had no idea what kind of monster, human or alien, had set such a strong snare, but he didn¡¯t like that he hadn¡¯t been able to react to an ambush, no matter the source. It wasn¡¯t like he was growing complacent, but he had been forced to rely on his stats more often than not, regardless of how careful he was trying to be. Coop felt like he was identifying another gap in his build, but this time it was his own limited experience instead of a missing skill. Whether it was wisdom or luck that led him to make some of his early choices, it was his followthrough that had pushed him forward. He needed to keep developing if he wanted to succeed, even if it was in areas outside of his class.


    With a situp and flick of his arm, his resummoned ethereal sword slashed across the nearly invisible thread that had sneakily looped around his ankle and dragged him into the air. When the edge of his sword sliced the thread, the trap refused to actually break. Coop frowned, the inkling that the thread wasn¡¯t normal jumping to the forefront of his mind. Coop did another hanging situp and really put his Strength into severing the line, but he only showered himself in sparks as the thread refused to be severed.


    ¡°Fine.¡± Coop spat, not willing to be defeated by such a simple contraption.


    He dropped his sword and mistjumped, but instead of entering the monochromatic world of mists, the reverse of what he intended occurred, with the sword returning to his hand as if he resummoned it. Confused, he tried a second time. Coop felt his panic rising as he stared at his ankle from his hanging position.


    The string itself reminded him of the Puppeteer from so long ago, and he felt himself frown as he made the connection with one of his first enemies. The association with someone that had been antagonistic from the start had Coop¡¯s mind racing. Was it possible that he had stumbled into one of Chakyum¡¯s outposts completely by chance? The odds would be incredibly low, and he wasn¡¯t sure if that would be a lucky break or not. Ultimately, if Corozal belonged to Chakyum, whether he could escape the trap would be what decided his luck. Avoiding the necessity of traipsing around the jungle would be a boon, but being captured? Much less of a boon.


    In any case, he changed his target to the tree itself. There were only scattered trees within the town, causing the interior to lack the canopy that had housed so many elite monsters on his way in. The palms were separated by wide gaps along the sea wall, clinging to the little strip of grass between the sea and the road that Coop had followed. They were the individual specimens that endured every hurricane and storm surge that swept into the bay and remained standing. The palms had been hardened by decades of inclement weather.


    Coop cast Invocation, harnessing Retribution to manifest his ethereal glaive, exchanging his sword in favor of longer reach. He gently swung himself back and forth until he was in range to slash at the middle of the persistent tree¡¯s trunk. Coop thought it was a shame to harm the tree, considering it wasn¡¯t at fault for the predicament Coop was in, but he resolved to make up for it when he had the chance. When the edge of his glaive hit the salt and wind smoothed sclerified bark the collision erupted with another shower of sparks that bounced to the ground while Coop was sent spinning away with aching elbows.


    ¡°Tch.¡± Coop did his best to stabilize himself once the vibration left his arms and the feeling returned to his numbed hands.


    Coop cast Invocation again, this time using Legacy of the Mists to bring a phantasm to chop the tree down. The ghostly warrior stepped through the mists, almost casually compared to their typical leaping appearance, and settled into the horizontal chop of an experienced woodsman. When the phantasm¡¯s glaive collided with the tree, more sparks erupted and the phantasm exploded into mists, but the tree remained undamaged.


    ¡°What the hell kind of string is this?¡± Coop muttered as he tried slashing at the bark again, realizing that the trees themselves were reinforced by a thin layer of the unbreakable wire, like a knitted sweater had been placed on their trunks. The string even killed his summon with the reverberation of its attack. The properties of the snare kept compounding.


    Two more tries were enough for him to give up on the tree and return his attention to the snare around his ankle. Swapping back to his sword, he sat up and slashed again, singing his own hair with the sparks that the edge of his mist weapon blasted out of the string. He repeated the action over and over, curling his body up toward his feet and slashing at the taut line, but the single thread was seemingly unbreakable at his current level. Coop refused to give up, already dripping in sweat and feeling some pressure to free himself before reinforcements arrived. Mindbender had kicked in with each slash increasing his Strength, but even with twenty tries and over 10,000 Strength he couldn¡¯t cut the line.


    His thrashing had caused him to swing and bounce like a tether ball, and he started to lean into the motion, dismissing his sword and giving up on the idea of cutting the line for the moment. He desperately tried to escape instead, like a trapped wild animal, whipping himself back and forth, eventually causing the palm tree to bend and sway. The green coconuts in the crown started to be dislodged with the motion, smashing into his body, but Coop kept on building momentum, flinging himself further toward the ground before slingshotting high on the other side of the tree.


    He was already desperate enough to consider taking off his own foot. As long as he didn¡¯t bleed out, mana would set him right in due time. Even on one leg, he was confident he could fight unprepared enemies. There wasn¡¯t anyone in their right mind that would come expecting to face Coop¡¯s Strength, even if it was hobbled. If he took himself out of the equation, he could probably defend himself with phantasms alone, though he would be pretty vulnerable while hanging in the air. While his mind raced, he kept his body swinging. When his knuckles scraped the ground, he finally felt confident he would be free without taking such drastic measures as cutting off his own limb.


    A few more rotations and he had enough leeway to slam his newly summoned trident into the worn pavement of the coastal road, adding deep gouges to the salt-formed potholes. When the prongs slammed into the ground, all of the motion abruptly stopped with the palm tree bent toward Coop. Using just his arms, he pulled himself further, relying on the embedded trident for leverage. The tree creaked and groaned as Coop finally had a better way to apply his Strength. Coop dragged himself forward until the tree finally released its grip on the ground, flinging itself onto the road. Roots twice the length of the trunk¡¯s height were torn out of the sediment in a giant mass of dirt, sand, and stone, leaving an enormous hole that caved in part of the road and sea wall. He had expected the tree to snap, but the result was more or less the same. The palm tree was still fastened to his leg, but it would serve as his ball and chain rather than a fixed anchor. He couldn¡¯t defeat the string or the tree, but the earth itself ended up being the weak point.


    Coop¡¯s blood covered foot finally touched the surface, stinging like a thousand needles were pricking the sole as he stood up. His chest was heaving as he caught his breath and walked over to the palm tree while sweeping his hair away from his eyes. After clapping the palms of his hands together, he lifted the tree up onto his shoulder and slid underneath it until he found the center mass. Seeing as he was still tethered to its bulk, it would be coming with him. He was ready to hunt whoever had trapped him, dual wielding his sword on one side and the enormous tree slung over his shoulder on the other. It had only been a matter of minutes of being trapped, but Coop wanted to fight. He hoped to regain some of his personal dignity and burn some of the frustration off.


    Before he moved, he looked closer at the town. It obviously wasn¡¯t abandoned, but he didn¡¯t detect any signs of other people or more traps. Looking closer at his own ankle, he could barely discern the string. The hair-thin thread had dug deep into his skin, and was thinner than a fishing line.


    He only hesitated momentarily while fearing another snare trap, before he slowly made his way down the middle of the road, away from the trees. He moved slowly, trying to pay closer attention to the presence of more potential traps, giving some effort into training his own instincts. Forget about just snare traps, Coop was checking for trip wires or even just spots where the ground had been disturbed. He followed the path that the fisherman had taken when he spotted Coop, moving a bit more confidently where the man had already demonstrated a lack of traps, but making note of the subtle differences between the trafficked area and the route that he had arrived on. The breeze had left small patterns in the sand that accumulated on the road, and if he looked, he could see where it had been stepped on and where it had lingered undisturbed for longer periods.


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    Before reaching the crossroads and turning inland, Coop heard voices. He waited in front of a closed restaurant that faced the water behind a sealed iron gate. A white stone wall marked the edge of the property, blocking the interior all the way to the intersection. Purple bougainvilleas peeked over the top of the wall from the inside, blooming vibrantly. His tree was obstructed by the open-air second floor that was filled with bar seating, pool tables, beer banners, and sport jerseys.


    ¡°...I¡¯m telling you, Fernando, he hit the first trap on the north coast and it was a man! Not a monster!¡± The first argued, clearly agitated with the listener.


    ¡°There are no men out here anymore. You know this.¡± A second voice sighed, exasperated with the first. ¡°The Jaguar Sun hasn¡¯t been around since Juliana last visited, and that was more than a week ago. For all we know they are all dead now, and the monsters just keep growing. Hopefully, what you saw was just a large elite. If it was another Field Boss, we might already be done for. We can¡¯t wait for more help to come and defeat it like the last few times.¡±


    The first voice grumbled for a moment as they drew closer. ¡°Wasn¡¯t no Field Boss. You¡¯ll see.¡± He asserted.


    As soon as the strangers reached the corner, Coop swung the palm tree like an exaggerated backhand with the trunk cradled in his entire arm, smashing the corner of the wall that protected the restaurant with his backswing. The crashing attack blasted chunks of concrete and cinder block like a wrecking ball toward the voices. The crown of the tree swept across the road and caught both people who had been seeking Coop with a crunch of palm fronds.


    The pair of men bounced backwards, caught completely by surprise, until one settled against the trunk of another tree buttressing the sidewalk and the other rolled through the outerwall of a small unused market on the opposite side of the street. To Coop¡¯s surprise, they both remained completely whole, revealing an unexpectedly sturdy constitution. Coop had intended to incapacitate them both, believing he only needed one alive, but he¡¯d only managed to bowl them over. He heaved the tree back onto his shoulder and marched toward the one that had landed in the wall. Inspecting them both, Coop anticipating high level challengers that would have some valuable intel for him.


    [Human (Level 12)]


    [Wave Blade (Body)]


    [Hydro (Masterful)]


    [Human (Level 16)]


    [Sky Strider (Body)]


    [Chosen of the Calo Voices]


    [Aero (Masterful)]


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop grunted in surprise, pausing as he reconsidered his approach.


    Neither of them had a level worth considering. If Coop had realized they were so low level, he would have avoided smashing them with the palm tree for fear of annihilating them with his own Strength, but both of them survived. In fact, neither of them was particularly worse for the wear. The lower level Wave Blade was the one that ended up beneath a tree, and of the two he was certainly more stunned. The Sky Strider was already shaking himself off when Coop reached him, ridding his shoulder of pulverized concrete and brushing away turquoise paint chips.


    ¡°Juan! Go warn the others!¡± The Sky Strider shouted, trying to get the Wave Blade to jump to action.


    ¡°Juan.¡± Coop interrupted as the Wave Blade shifted to his knee. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± He gave Juan a look and the man sat back down to the disappointment of his companion.


    ¡°I just want to ask some questions, but I was already faced with a trap I couldn¡¯t overcome, so I feel the need to be more assertive than usual.¡± Coop stated, calming himself down as he aimed to have a conversation rather than letting himself escalate the confrontation to a fight after all. Sturdy or not, the pair of old men had levels so low, they really weren¡¯t worth fighting, no matter how much he wanted to avenge his bruised ego.


    The two men were at least as old as Jones, clearly showing signs of age despite the rejuvenating impact of mana. The Sky Strider had gray hair and a sun-worn face wrinkled from smiles and squints while the Wave Blade had salt and pepper hair and a deep tan that could only come from decades spent working outdoors, or in this case, fishing. They were obviously locals, familiar with the place, and most likely the ones who had somehow set a trap strong enough to capture Coop.


    Coop held his sword forward with his offhand and the ghostly green vapors drew their attention, even when he carried the tree like a basic club in the other. The dirt from the roots marred the otherwise clear street, but didn¡¯t lessen the impact of wielding the object like a toy. ¡°Fernando, right? Mind answering a few questions? Then we can all be on our way.¡± Coop started, keeping his tone neutral as he returned to his normal self.


    ¡°Speak.¡± Fernando, the Sky Strider stated defiantly, standing back up and readjusting his guayabera to get rid of the stones that had been scattered upon his attire from the crushed wall.


    Coop shrugged, finding the old man¡¯s stubborn posture rather relatable. ¡°Do you know about Chakyum?¡± He decided to cut to the chase.


    ¡°Pah!¡± Fernando mocked incredulously, glancing at his companion while gesturing toward Coop. ¡°Juan! You hear this kid? Wants to know if we know about Chakyum.¡± He looked back at Coop, ignoring the ethereal blade.


    ¡°Told you it wasn¡¯t a Field Boss.¡± Juan responded dejectedly, finding less satisfaction in being correct than he had hoped given the apparent strength of what they caught.


    Fernando ignored him, turning back to Coop. ¡°We know of Chakyum.¡± He spat. ¡°If you¡¯re here to spread his word and grow your flock, you¡¯ve come to the wrong place. As you can see, none of us have many levels to make it worth your time. The monsters and the other priests already took the rest.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t look like one of them.¡± Juan offered as he watched from the side, but Fernando just continued scowling.


    ¡°Right.¡± Coop put his sword down, getting the clear impression they weren¡¯t friends of Chakyum either. ¡°Would you mind telling me about him? My settlement had a rather hostile Envoy visit. Let¡¯s just say I¡¯d like to return the favor.¡±


    Fernando and Juan shared a look before their expressions changed from hostility to something more akin to pity. Fernando spoke first on their behalf. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about your settlement, but you shouldn¡¯t throw your life away for something like revenge. You seem strong enough to still have a chance.¡±


    ¡°My settlement is fine, actually, but could you tell me about Chakyum? What and where is he?¡± Coop corrected, keeping the man on track.


    Fernando seemed confused, but gathered himself to answer Coop¡¯s questions. ¡°Chakyum is the leader of the cult that controls the Yucatan. His cultists have spread all throughout the land, north and south, gathering people for their sacrifices, and establishing enclaves. But for the actual leader, no one really knows where or what he is. They claim he is truly a god and given his reach, he must have some power to back it up.¡±


    Coop sighed. ¡°Well, that¡¯s annoying.¡± Coop dismissed his sword and scratched his head as he accepted that this whole expedition really would end up being a challenge. ¡°Maybe we should start over.¡± He suggested.


    Fernando just gestured with his hands, giving Coop permission to say what he wanted. Coop nodded and introduced himself properly. ¡°My name is Coop, an Envoy visited my settlement two weeks ago to invite us to join Chakyum, or else. I took his head rather than his deal and plan on giving Chakyum a piece of my mind.¡±


    ¡°No way!¡± Juan shouted, finally getting to his feet. ¡°Did you hear that Nando? He¡¯s Coop, the one on the leaderboards.¡±


    ¡°I heard him.¡± The other man responded with exasperation.


    ¡°We caught the hero of Earth with our traps!¡± Juan laughed, slapping his knee in delight.


    ¡°He escaped in minutes.¡± Fernando reminded his partner. ¡°And he could have killed us with it.¡± Pointing at the tree still leaning on Coop¡¯s shoulder.


    Coop interrupted them to ask, ¡°How is that string so strong anyway?¡± He hadn¡¯t managed to break it even if he had destroyed their trap.


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate us geezers!¡± Juan proclaimed, wiping a tear away. ¡°You see my level, right? What if I told you I had a profession too?¡± He laughed again with a gleam of mischief in his eye. ¡°And what if I told you it was over level 500?¡±

 Chapter 171: Corozal

    Coop spent a warm night in Corozal. Compared to Ghost Reef, the weather was just a little too hot and a little too humid, but the atmosphere was unexpectedly comfortable. Coop liked the vibes.


    Fernando introduced Coop to the other residents, bringing him to the cafeteria they used as a gathering point. There weren¡¯t many people, but they had all developed exceptional talents through professions alone. They each proudly explained their roles as they introduced themselves. A tiny old lady healed his ankle with an extremely high level mending profession while the others gathered around to gossip, like they lived for the chatter, and an outsider was the perfect excuse to rehash debates.


    As Coop¡¯s wound was healed, he learned from the mender that her profession was limited to what they called physical healing. They compared mending to first aid, akin to pre-mana treatment without the benefit of medicine. Basically, if Coop acquired any debuffs from his injuries, the mending profession wouldn¡¯t be able to efficiently remove them, as debuffs had a magical component applied by the system that required magic to remedy.


    There was a real risk of the Infection debuff forcing a longer recovery time, so his wound was thoroughly cleansed before it was dressed. He thought back to how Madison believed her profession was redundant when compared to her class, which she further thought was an insult to her actual life experience. In a way, he could see how under ideal conditions, she was right about mending being a lesser form of healing, but there were certainly circumstances where it would serve a valuable purpose. If she lacked mana, she could still treat patients, for example. Coop wondered if she had already experienced the benefits when she worked at healing entire armies on Ghost Reef¡¯s doorstep, but was too stubborn to admit it.


    The other residents exchanged stories while the mender worked, catching Coop up on the events that had led to their state in between chattering amongst themselves. In exchange, Coop told them about Ghost Reef, how the siege had looked from the inside of the dome, and the circumstances that led him to seeking out Chakyum. Once they were all on the same page, they treated him like a visiting grandchild, offering him gifts of food and even clothes since without his armor, he was basically in his bathing suit. He declined the clothes but not the food.


    ¡°So how did you get your profession so high?¡± Coop finally asked Juan when the suntanned man pulled up a chair and joined the group. Coop was hoping to learn the fisherman¡¯s secrets for his own progression.


    ¡°Heh.¡± Juan laughed between bites of fry jacks while the others looked on, knowingly expectant of his answer. ¡°The secret is repetition!¡± He stated, like he was revealing the secrets of the universe to Coop. But Coop was too disappointed with his answer to mask his facial expression, feeling his smile fade like he had been told he wouldn¡¯t get dessert.


    The old man scoffed. ¡°You youngsters don¡¯t get it! Always needing instant gratification... What you need to do is repeat the same thing over and over again, all the time.¡± He leaned forward dramatically. ¡°Constantly keeping your hands busy is the key ingredient to gathering so much power.¡± Juan elaborated while pinching his bicep, to the continued consternation of Coop.


    Coop supposed he wasn¡¯t being lied to, but the man was essentially suggesting Coop needed to grind. Of all the people in the world to suggest grinding, he was telling Coop. He shook his head in disbelief, though he considered the idea anyway. He could return to grinding the Ancient Defenders; maximizing the frequency of loot would be the most obvious way of power leveling his Scavenging profession. At least until he found a good way to chain kill Boss level monsters, grinding something he could continue indefinitely would be the way to do it. Still, he thought it was ridiculous. Coop needed to gain experience as well anyway, so he sadly let go of the dream he was having where he had level 1,000 Scavenging in a few days.


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him.¡± Fernando cut in. ¡°All he does is nap on the pier all day and wait for fish to bite.¡± He looked at Juan with a sly smile for an old man. ¡°Besides, Juan is only level 450.¡±


    ¡°Hey! That¡¯s pretty much 500.¡± Juan leaned forward, placing his snack down to argue his position. ¡°Good enough to stand tall amongst you geezers!¡±


    ¡°You said over 500.¡± Fernando pointed out, remembering the exact words Juan used better than the fisherman. ¡°Only Gloria is near 500 right now.¡±


    Juan sputtered dramatically, playing along with Fernando¡¯s ribbing as he had his exaggerations exposed. Coop tried doing the math while they bickered, and figured they were averaging a full profession level every four to five hours for the entire duration of the assimilation. Given that they couldn¡¯t actually be working on them every hour of every day, he was profoundly impressed with their progress. Back home, most of the residents hadn¡¯t even had access to a profession for most of the assimilation. He imagined that if Jones hadn¡¯t been incapacitated, he might be rivaling Corozal¡¯s profession masters. Back when it was just the two of them, he had received early levels in his archaeology profession.


    ¡°He¡¯s not misleading you with fish tales though.¡± Fernando continued as he gathered Coop¡¯s attention. ¡°We really just keep working on projects. All day and all night. It helps that we have some synergies between our skills and no need to spend a lot of time fighting monsters.¡± He nodded toward Coop¡¯s elevated ankle, temporarily wrapped while it fully healed. ¡°That trap wasn¡¯t created by a single person. Juan¡¯s fishing line is the key, as it is mana enhanced to prevent fish from escaping, but I tie the knots with weaving, our tracker sets the traps, and our gardener reinforces the trees. Essentially half the town contributed to that one snare just to catch the Elite Ruin Nebulas. They have a tendency to abandon a limb to try and continue on their paths, so there are enhancements on the line to keep them there until someone can come to deal with them.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve never had any rip the entire tree out of the ground.¡± Juan pointed out, shaking his head as the image of the crown of a tree slamming into him replayed in his head. He might end up with nightmares from remembering the shock.


    Coop still felt disappointed in himself for being caught, but at least he could console himself that it took quite a bit of training, planning, and execution from an entire community to accomplish his ensnarement. And ultimately, it hadn¡¯t been able to keep him tied up indefinitely.


    ¡°...Actually.¡± One of the others interrupted, sending a meaningful look to Fernando.


    ¡°Ah, good idea.¡± Fernando agreed before smiling at Coop. ¡°Would you mind coming with me to check on our perimeter? We are bound to have caught several monsters by now and could use someone with the combat skills to easily eliminate them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the least I could do to thank you for your hospitality.¡± Coop accepted as graciously as he could. His ambassadorial skills were certainly improving with experience.


    Fernando guided Coop for a few minutes around the town, presenting several Elite Ruin Nebulas that had been caught in their own traps. Not all of them were the same construction as the one that Coop was snared by. Some were quite a bit scarier, forming a tight web of constricting string that pressed the limbs of the monsters into a tight ball that Coop only needed a single jab to kill the motionless Constructs. They were alive but completely immobilized.


    Coop shuddered at the idea of being caught in one of the suffocating and seemingly unbreakable nets. He was thankful it was only his ankle that had been wrapped up. Other monsters wriggled above piles of dead but undissolved limbs as they struggled to escape.


    While Coop defeated the exposed monsters, Fernando explained that at first they had avoided the experience gained from killing them, but now they were simply falling too far behind to easily get the job done. The first time they encountered a Field Boss, they realized the limitation of their strategy, but it was too late to rethink their completely defensive distribution of stats and lack of combat skills with the multipliers to keep up with the increased scaling of the evolved monsters.


    Coop could see how the monster evolutions would have been a problem. Sometimes it was hard for him to remember, but the jump from regular monsters to elite was pretty big, even from examples of the same level. In fact, if he looked far enough back, he could recall when Shane¡¯s entire party struggled with single regular monsters that were half their level, and how gingerly Gibson¡¯s party had to control individual encounters of Ancient Prowlers. Back then, they were essentially struggling with the inverse situation compared to Corozal, where they lacked the additional stats provided by professions. Not to mention that even though stats were everything to Coop, for other people they were merely one variable in a much larger calculation that included skills, gear, and experience.


    The townspeople relied on a neighboring village to occasionally send warriors to help them out in exchange for some limited trade, but they had been unable to make the trip for some time. Afterwards, the wandering Jaguar Warriors were the only ones they could count on, but they were few in number and rare in appearance.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    After clearing a dozen monsters for the villagers, Coop signaled for Windchaser to come to port. The residents of Corozal were a good group of people, surviving as well as they could, and he had no qualms with pulling them into his network of settlements. They were few in number, but each could pull more than a normal individual¡¯s weight, even without class levels.


    He eventually accepted a chance to sleep for the night after presenting Amanda and Mikey B to the gathering and letting them take the attention, representing Ghost Reef and getting to know Corozal. From what he learned, just contending with the jungle would be hard work, so he grabbed some rest in preparation for many more nights where he would be without the opportunity to relax.


    The calls of wild animals echoed across the distance. The droning of countless crickets swept through the night, occasionally interrupted when a larger animal made its own presence known, but it only took a few seconds of silence before the bravest of the insects started the song back up with the rest joining in. Roars, barks, howls, and screeches confirmed the continued existence of nocturnal predators in the rural jungles further inland. In the middle of the night, a drizzle of rain tapped at the wooden pavilion that protected his hammock. Even afterwards, the heavy drops cascaded through the leafy canopy and provided a percussive lullaby through the rest of the night. Coop found the ambience reassuring, if a bit wild.


    ¡°Life goes on.¡± He mumbled optimistically as he dozed off.


    After the assimilation, the rural farm lands had been recaptured by the explosive growth of mana empowered forests. Vegetation made the most of the early influx at the start of the assimilation, just like on Ghost Reef with the giant palms and towering mangroves. The local Primal Constructs in the Yucatan were particularly adapted to take advantage of the forested canopies, establishing themselves throughout the region at the very start. The jungle had expanded right up to the borders of cities, towns, and ruins, blurring the lines between the untouched wilderness and the settled lands even further than before, providing the monsters with ideal circumstances to lock down wide swathes of territory.


    The people who lived in the region concentrated themselves into the nearest towns, seeking safety in numbers when faced with the unknown at the start of the assimilation, away from the dangers hidden in the branches of trees. Information spread rapidly through the region, entirely by word of mouth, as they collectively struggled to understand the situation. The presence of a civilization shard and the potential safety within an official, system sanctioned settlement was a big part of the earliest gossip. Many people migrated in the first days, trusting the ones who were Chosen to lead them, but even more stayed put. Not everyone could pick up and leave, whether it was due to receiving news of the settlement too late, an inability to make the journey through rugged terrain, or simple stubborn refusals to abandon their homes.


    Others also stayed voluntarily, fighting hard to ensure the continued existence of those who didn¡¯t make the trip for one reason or another. They battled the rapidly progressing monsters in order to provide the small islands of safety away from the centralized authority that formed in the Yucatan. At first it was simple kindness, where individual warriors protected their neighbors, but over time the actions evolved. The official settlement wasn¡¯t as benevolent as had been hoped and the ones who remained outside of its reach turned into a resistance to the hegemonic rule over the region as connections formed. Corozal was one of a few dozen known safe locations scattered around the untamed areas of Central America that owed their survival to the efforts of the volunteer fighters.


    The siege event had created chaos, even outside of the settlements, and most of the outer towns wound up abandoned, unable to survive frenzied monsters attacking them through the days and nights with so few fighters. Rather than accept defeat at the hands of the Primal Constructs, they joined the Jaguar Sun, the group of resistance fighters that opposed the Cult of Chakyum that intended to get rid of the priests and take over the settlement, but they had failed in their effort. Since the end of the siege event, Corozal had been left on its own, only receiving the occasional aid from a traveling warrior here or there and maintaining contact with a few other places through their own efforts. But as time went on, their isolation grew.


    Honoring the labor of those warriors that had ensured their existence in the early days, the residents of the remote towns were open to offering support when they could. In the case of Corozal, they were kind enough to lend Coop the hammock and let him sleep while Amanda coordinated with Fernando. Windchaser docked at the end of one concrete pier and the pirates settled in for the night on board, letting Juan fish from its deck while the crew gambled and drank.


    There were only 13 local people who had managed to stick around through the challenges of the assimilation. Most of them were extremely underleveled, having been spared from forced recruitment by the Cult of Chakyum by virtue of a slow start in levels and embracing that fact. They had made it to the Yucatan settlement in the first week, but were uncomfortable with the conversion to Oathsworn that the faction in control were pushing. So they claimed their professions and ultimately returned home where they had been passed over by roaming priests on multiple occasions in favor of more fruitful grounds.


    Coop learned that the Priests of Chakyum were scouring the countryside in search of survivors to recruit for their once mysterious purposes. Some were aggressive, but most acted in the same manner as the Envoy had when he visited Ghost Reef, vaguely offering something that sounded similar to aid. Those who went with them never returned unless they had been converted to Oathsworn Humans themselves. As far as the locals knew, the racial evolution was some sort of blessing offered by the leader of the Cult of Chakyum, but it was an unkept secret that their base of power was built on sacrifice. The more any individual progressed, the more likely they were to draw the attention of a priest who was hungry to collect that accumulated experience.


    The survivors in Corozal noticed the fixation on class levels, and since they had already delayed class leveling from the start while traveling, they opted to concentrate entirely on their professions instead. They had half a dozen people with profession levels that approached 500 or more. None of them had advanced their classes to level 20.


    At first glance at the way the system worked, the professions would appear to be supplementary at best, but they had found ways to defend their town by applying their skills in unusual ways. As it turned out, a fisherman and a weaver could combine to make some pretty solid perimeter defenses, as presented to Coop on his tour, and the others were no slouches either. A gardener replanted the tree that had been dragged around by Coop, revealing some abilities that resembled Caisalya and Ixia¡¯s advanced mana control when they encouraged the growth of flora, the old lady, bent from age, had mending skills that rivaled Madison¡¯s entire class when it came to healing non-magical injuries, and a middle-aged man with the Tracking profession offered to guide Coop to the next village to seek more news the next day, so long as Coop could both keep up and protect him from monsters.


    Coop, in turn, offered them the choice to evacuate to Ghost Reef, promising sanctuary in his settlement territory, but for the most part, they remained skeptical of the system¡¯s structure. A handful of them agreed to visit, but wouldn¡¯t commit to anything permanent. Coop would leave it to the Ghost Reef residents to impress them, letting Windchaser carry the tourists while leaving Coop, Amanda, and Mikey B in what amounted to enemy territory. A round trip would take a full week, at least.


    It only took a brief negotiation to get Fernando and Juan, the de facto leaders of Corozal, to agree to turning the small town into an official outpost. Being able to place a mana pylon and establish a pocket of settlement territory was an incredible salve from the constant pressure of roaming monsters. Unfortunately, the pylon¡¯s area didn¡¯t even cover the entire town center, but rather than simply waiting until they were overrun, it gave them hope that continuing to survive would be possible. The miniature civilization shard was stationed in the central park, beneath a gazebo that sort of resembled the placement in Ghost Reef. It wasn¡¯t exactly Balor¡¯s citadel, but it still managed to mark the shard as an important feature, though on a smaller scale.


    The actual relationship between Corozal and Ghost Reef would still be negotiated, but Coop was happy to just let the first outpost be semi-autonomous. He would have been willing to create an entirely new settlement for them to run, but the mana pylon only acted like a limited remote access point to the civilization shard back home, and that meant that only he and his advisors could actually develop the outposts. Coop started the process by purchasing one of the system prefabricated perimeter defenses and surrounded the tiny settlement territory with a corrugated wall that wouldn¡¯t be of much use other than designating the current edge of the safer territory. Balor would be ashamed of its construction, but the residents intended to capitalize off its existence to leverage their professions in new ways. The wall only protected a few triangles of grass, the pylon, and a small dry fountain that occupied the park. The park around the pylon would be their final bastion should their profession defenses eventually fail.


    As generous as Coop was, he wasn¡¯t willing to make Fernando or Juan an advisor with access to the entire network of settlements his people were coalescing, just so they could manage a town with barely more than 10 people in it. Maybe later someone would get a promotion, but in the meantime, the residents of the now official Corozal Outpost were exploring ways to apply their professions and rejuvenate their town with the additional link to the Lighthouse territories. As it turned out, Juan¡¯s fishing profession and the gardener could both generate some of the rare materials that Coop sold en masse to the contracted residents, meaning they already had a method of generating credits and the others were determining what they could produce that would be valuable to the crafters. Without their own contracted residents or system services, crafting materials had been rendered useless, but Ghost Reef had the stations to use them.


    After Coop fully explained his purpose, the residents of Corozal treated him like a guest of honor, promising to help him as much as they could. Knowing that the highest level human on the planet was challenging Chakyum brought some excitement, but it was tempered by fear of disappointment. They warned him that he would likely need to battle his way up the hierarchy, starting with the local priests, until he could learn the actual location and identity of the leader of the cult. They weren¡¯t exactly confident in his chances, seeing as the Jaguar Sun¡¯s rebellion already set, but they wanted to help him all the same. He found that they weren¡¯t exactly that impressed with his progress. It seemed like they believed he was actually really slow since their profession levels absolutely dwarfed his apparent level.


    Coop grumbled to himself a bit because his plan of having a hidden reservoir of stats with a high level profession had been usurped in a much more committed fashion by the people in Corozal. He took solace in the fact that his passive skills still made his build monstrous. Even with their extraordinary professions, it had taken their collective strength to temporarily best him. There still hadn¡¯t been any examples of individuals who had progressed so thoroughly in both class and profession when compared to him. He¡¯d have to live up to the standard he hoped to set, and that meant standing up to the Cult of Chakyum.

 Chapter 172: The Heavy Void

    In the morning, Coop was treated to a simple breakfast made by someone with nearly 500 levels in cooking. They gave him two plates. The first had scrambled eggs, refried beans, and a salsa on the side, while the other had a small stack of warm flour tortillas. The cook warned him to take it easy with the salsa as it might be too spicy for him. Naturally, Coop treated the warning as a challenge.


    The meal sounded basic, but once he took the first bite he practically lost control of his body, shoveling the food into his mouth with the tortillas. His mouth was numb halfway through the meal, and he was sweating, but he couldn¡¯t even slow down. The meal was perfect in its simplicity, but the citrusy hot sauce with habaneros, garlic, onions, carrots, and he guessed orange juice transformed the delicious meal into an actual masterpiece that rivaled the food created with the extraordinary experience of Desmond back in the Clumsy Shark. There was something to be said about native Earthling cooking that he hoped to share with the contracted residents in Ghost Reef.


    After Coop finished his meal, barely holding himself back from licking the plates to the amusement of the residents, the tracker led him on the first leg of their journey into the jungle. Leaving the town behind, they headed inland, away from the coast.


    At first they followed the main road exiting Corozal, where cars would have driven in the past, but after only a brief time, they veered off the worn pavement. The tracker followed access roads that only a local would know were public or private, spread between what were previously farm fields and were now populated by dense brush taller than Coop¡¯s head. Islands of even taller trees crowded the fields, overlapping in some areas, and demonstrating how the forest would reclaim the land and provide the Primal Constructs with an avenue to further encroach on the outpost¡¯s territory. The intertwining canopies were thick with sturdy branches for the monsters to latch their arms to, and the tracker warned him to keep his eyes up when they were near the trees.


    The paths that the two walked were composed of reddish brown crusted mud. The trail was filled with steady footprints that eventually had Coop wondering about the traffic. They overlapped such that Coop would have guessed crowds of people were frequently making the same trip that they were, but the tracker dispelled Coop¡¯s theory by claiming them as his own.


    ¡°My regular route.¡± The man briefly explained after Coop had noticed the tracks.


    They were following the man¡¯s frequent stomping grounds. Previously, he used to travel the winding farm roads while avoiding monsters, but in the recent weeks he had been leaving less frequently and when he did, much shorter distances. Things had grown too dangerous in the region, and there were few destinations worth visiting that he had the capacity to reach.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the pair to leave the wider path and enter thicker and thicker forest. Apparently, they had once been more farms, specializing in various fruits and trees, and they had been ripe for mana to empower the trees for the forest to reclaim. A few miles out and they were already on hiking trails that were only wide enough for them to move in single file, with the more dangerous canopies on both sides. The Tracker took the lead, trusting his senses even more than Coop believed in Presence of Mind.


    As the sun rose, so did the temperature. By the late morning, it was hot enough that Coop was daydreaming about the beach while he followed in the other man¡¯s footsteps. As fast as they moved, it wasn¡¯t enough to counteract the lack of a comfortable breeze. All of the wind was smothered by the leafy vegetation around them. The heat blurred the trail in front of them, evaporating whatever was left of the night¡¯s rain and turning the humidity into something Coop was willing to curse. Their footprints were baked into the surface as they moved, adding to the tracker¡¯s past footsteps.


    The trail may have been bordered by tall grasses and broad-leafed plants, but it was in direct sunlight as far as the eye could see. In fact, the tracker had specifically selected the route due to that gap in the canopy. The Tracker preferred lanes where the trees did not encroach the trail, minimizing the threat of Primal Construct ambush. Coop thought it made sense for the non-combatant.


    Apparently, most of the Yucatan peninsula was occupied by the relatively predictable Ruin Nebulas, but elsewhere, the jungles had stalkers that hunted people. The tracker¡¯s lesson was simple. The jungle was always dangerous. Coop took the warning for what it was, minimizing how much like a tourist he behaved, but secretly, he felt excitement at the potential variety of monsters. It meant that different areas had different environments worth being cautious towards, but also that there was a chance for Coop to work on more Slayer titles.


    The tracker wore a loose poncho with a wide-brimmed hat to keep the sun off and a pair of frayed hiking boots that kept him moving forward at a brisk pace. Coop was sweating to keep up, but he wasn¡¯t particularly pressed. It wasn¡¯t anything like doing hours of suicide sprints on the sandy beaches of Ghost Reef, but he still wondered if Salvation would conjure up a parasol to protect his skin as he followed along, wiping the sweat from his brow.


    The tracker had to stop his steady gait dozens of times, pointing out where Elite Ruin Nebulas were waiting to ambush at the edge of the path, hanging from tree limbs like deadly spanish moss. Coop easily destroyed them with spear throws from a distance when they were exposed and had the tracker slapping his back, impressed and excited by the feats of strength. The Nebulas had taken a firm hold on the trees, and the trees had encroached on all space in the region, making it treacherous to even think of leaving the town. The monsters had levels that no one should scoff at, though Coop may have let some confidence slip into his step. Just a little.


    When the man abruptly stopped and put his arm up, Coop could immediately tell something was different compared to the previous times, and he gathered his focus, suppressing his confidence with diligent silent preparations, adjusting his stance and his grip. The tracker was squinting forward at something not even Presence of Mind was picking up, though he thought he could sense something heavy vibrating the trees that could have just as easily been a breeze sneaking through.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Coop whispered, but the tracker shushed him before slipping into the bushes on the side and pulling Coop with him, entering the forest that a few seconds before had clearly been considered too dangerous to test.


    Instead of answering, the tracker just led Coop further away from the path, beneath the canopy that constantly had Ruin Nebulas waiting, moving slowly to make sure he didn¡¯t step on any dry branches, and risking it all to get away from the safer trail that he had hung his life on. Once they were suitably far away, he crouched in the center of a bed of leaves and held his hat against his chest, like he was paying his respects to something dear in order for a favor. Coop obediently copied his actions, camouflaging himself to the best of his own ability behind some slightly torn banana leaves, and letting Presence of Mind occupy his senses, though he didn¡¯t bother with any prayers.


    They waited for a few minutes, feeling the subtle rumbling steadily grow, before Coop finally saw what they were hiding from. At first it just seemed like a slow moving dust cloud, like a bizarre weather anomaly, following along the same trail that he and the tracker were following, but when it got closer Coop witnessed several of the snapping claw heads that he had already become familiar with when he first arrived on the shores of Belize.


    The snake-like limbs were grabbing the trunks of trees, tearing chunks into the bark along the border of the trail, and dragging the rest of its bulk forward. It effectively widening the trail, toppling saplings and clearing brush as it clumsily moved. The bus-sized monster was making progress along the forest floor, far too large to remain in the canopy, and even too large for the narrow trail.


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    The dust cloud obscured a big fat Ruin Nebula, easily as hefty as a tank. It gradually made its way to the spot that the tracker had abandoned the trail and Coop took the opportunity to use Presence of Mind on the massive specimen.


    [Field Boss: Ruin Nebula (Level 114)]


    [Xishe the Heavy Void (Agility)]


    [Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]


    ¡°Nah man, I¡¯m not hiding from that.¡± Coop whispered as he got a good look at the monster passing them by. To him, it looked more like an opportunity than a threat. Sure, he was meant to be prioritizing the Cult of Chakyum, but there were certain chances he was keeping an eye out for, and Field Bosses were near the top. Bosses were right up there with Slayer titles.


    ¡°You crazy? That¡¯s a Field Boss!¡± The tracker hissed back, eyes bulging at the Champion¡¯s statement. He believed that Coop had really lost his mind with his casual statement after perceiving what was a deadly threat.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, just stay here for a minute.¡± Coop reassured him with a winning smile before he hopped through the brush and returned to the trail. It wasn¡¯t overconfidence, but experience that buoyed Coop¡¯s spirit. Coop had defeated quite a few Field Bosses already, most of which were higher level than he was. In this case, he had the advantage in levels as well.


    When Coop burst out of the bushes he was well behind the steady forward crawl of the Field Boss. It was much too large to remain among the trees within the branches of the canopy like the smaller elites, but fundamentally it was the same thing. A giant mass of snake-like limbs shrouding a dark center with weak points on the top. It was making deceptively fast progress with its steady draw forward, but the Agility stat primarily influenced the limbs rather than the entire mass that formed the monster. They grabbed at branches and tree trunks in all directions, pushing and pulling as the boss struggled through the forest. It seemed like the dense vegetation that gave the normal-sized monsters a serious advantage was more of a disadvantage for the more advanced version.


    Coop summoned a heavy spear and propped it over his shoulder as he planned his attack. After judging the distance while gauging the monster''s speed, he took a few practice swings before planting his foot and launching the projectile into the sky. He was even stronger now than he had been during the last several major fights, with extra Slayer titles boosting his attributes, and he didn¡¯t want to wait too long for his opener to come down on his enemy. He was careful with his throw, keeping it under control with consideration of his growth.


    As Coop waited, he stood still in the center of the dirt path, weaponless and patient, with his ethereal armor emitting aqua smoke that drifted straight up due to the lack of a breeze. The heat radiated from the dry mud beneath his feet and the air was blurred as the sun cooked the ground. The tracker held his breath as he watched what seemed like a classic western showdown from the side, anticipating Coop¡¯s inevitable death once the monster drew its weapons. He would need to report what happened to the others in Corozal as soon as possible. The Field Boss had no idea it was being observed, but Coop made no effort to continue hiding. The ball was already rolling with his opening spear throw launched.


    After 20 seconds with the intensity steadily ramping up, the spear finally initiated the conflict. It smashed down from the sky, drowning out the forest sounds with a violent crash. The spear landed dead center on the Field Boss, perfectly calculated after thousands upon thousands of previous throws. At the same time, Coop advanced, a small smile crawling onto his face at the accurate opening shot. After the first step, his war fork manifested in his empty hand, replacing the spear that had embedded itself deep into the ground, carving its mark on the world before disappearing into mists.


    The Field Boss was nearly split in half from the heavy spear attack, but it finally noticed Coop¡¯s presence as it struggled to reabsorb the portion that was fading away. Long stringy shadows connected the two parts, black as night, revealing a life of their own. The sinewy threads struggled to maintain the monster''s composure while the limbs snapped wildly.


    In response to realizing Coop was there, 20 of the closest limbs launched themselves toward Coop, arcing slightly in a coordinated assault that kept them from tangling amongst themselves. The monster had no need to rotate, seeing as its entire form was vaguely symmetrical, at least radially. It was strangely quiet, with the arms sounding more like ropes whipping through the air than the monster¡¯s heavy machine-like nature would normally exhibit. Coop didn¡¯t receive any roars in response to the opening strike, and the forest had become tranquil in anticipation of the clash. It made no difference to Coop¡¯s stance.


    The boss was Agility based, but even then, it wasn¡¯t fast enough to match up with Coop. Before the arms reached him, he had already cast Legacy of the Mists seven times, draining a chunk of his mana while directing each phantom to cut through the arms with their opening attacks. They cleanly severed the limbs with expert strikes that sent the excess portion flying beyond the monster¡¯s intended target, landing somewhere behind Coop with the crash of leaves and branches, kicking up clods of reddish mud as they went.


    Of the 20 initial limbs attempting to grasp at Coop, only eight remained attached. Coop barely adjusted his body, just slightly tilting his head to the left, lifting his right elbow slightly higher while maintaining his weapon ready stance, swaying to the side, and raising one of his feet a few inches off the ground, causing most of the remaining arms to whiff their targets with minimal movements. A sweeping strike of his war fork, that curved in front of him, sliced three more limbs and he pressed forward into the gap.


    His Fog of War had already spread all along the path while he waited for his opening spear to land. Though the fog did nothing to obscure the area, Coop could easily comprehend the motions of the boss and had plenty of speed to react as he wished. The heat burned at the thin mists, but they were more robust now than ever before.


    He followed his phantasms as the ragtag squad of ancient ghostly warriors advanced on the boss, side by side on the freshly widened path that had been carved by the monster itself. Coop hadn¡¯t found a regular version of a Ruin Nebula, so he really didn¡¯t know all of the features of the particular Construct variant, but the Field Boss was already displaying one interesting ability. Coop¡¯s airstrike had split the monster in half, but rather than display any damage, the center shadowy portion had simply shrunk after reconnecting what it could. Then, as the phantasms chopped through its limbs, it continued to get smaller without losing the effectiveness of the rest of its claws. Rather than consider the monster a single entity, it behaved more like a collective mass, with each limb representing a portion of the whole. The limbs themselves remained mobile, undiminished by the center void being reduced.


    As far as Coop was concerned, the fact that it could continue fighting at equal potency as it lost limbs was only prolonging its suffering. Together, he and his phantasms sliced and stomped their way through arms until the boss shrank into a rat-sized cloud of blackness with a single arm thrusting wildly in the air. The boss was dead moments after the first phantasms started evaporating.


    [You defeated Field Boss: Ruin Nebula (Level 114)]


    [+134264 Basic Credits]


    [+4 Enigmatic Destruction Gem (Legendary)]


    [+2 Enigmatic Guardian Crystal (Legendary)]


    [+1 Gravity Core (Unique)]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    ¡°Where the Siege Bosses at?¡± Coop mumbled, feeling like the assimilation needed to start catching up to him instead of the other way around. Maybe he could even grind Field Bosses for profession levels to catch up to the Corozal townspeople instead of crippling his class progress by hunting weaker monsters.


    The rustling of leaves announced the tracker¡¯s return to the trail. The man looked at Coop incredulously, standing a bit unsteady on his feet as he glanced at the crater that the spear had left in the middle of the dirt path. When he found a complete lack of Field Boss to fear, he looked back at Coop. ¡°You?¡± He started, pointing vaguely down the trail. ¡°That?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± Coop responded and gave him a thumbs up.

 Chapter 173: The Green Sea

    The tracker needed a few minutes to come back to his senses after witnessing Coop deal with something that had haunted the region as easily as taking out the trash. The appearance of Field Boss level monsters had been the end of the humans¡¯ ability to freely navigate the wild areas, forcing them to bunker down or accept that they needed civilization shards to claim territory. They lived in fear of a Field Boss encroaching on their camps and ultimately ending their struggle to survive. In contrast, to Coop, a Field Boss was just another monster with even better loot. He had to reassure the tracker that they would definitely be taking back their planet from these Primal Constructs, it was just a matter of time.


    Once the tracker got a hold of himself, wiping away a tear or two of relief, he led the way along twisting foot trails with renewed vigor. They moved through thickening forest until Coop started to get concerned about night fall. Without the sun high in the sky, the thick canopy of leaves blocked almost all of the direct light before it reached the ground. The dirt trails were shrouded in shadow by the afternoon, and by the evening it already felt closer to night.


    The trails themselves were hardly noticeable to someone like Coop who could have mistaken the path for the game trails of small mammals. The only sign that they had been used by people before the tracker strode through the brush was in the composition of the top layer. The dirt, mud, and leaves had been swept away until rocky stone bedrock outcroppings were exposed, creating a small valley wide enough for a single person to travel between bushes, but only a few inches deep. The jagged tertiary limestone was worn until smoothed over. They were almost like small islands of stepping stones that had risen from the mud. Countless sinewy roots had bored into the empty spaces in between the stone as nearby trees sought to expand their coverage, but smaller vines had been crushed by regular travel and it seemed like water would be funneled down the path at frequent intervals.


    As they moved south, winding through the vegetation, they also ended up further from the coast. The forest regrowth transitioned into a proper jungle as they entered what had been conservation areas even before the assimilation. Coop was comfortable with sleeping on the beach on Ghost Reef, where the worst threat was having a hermit crab pinch his toes, but spending the night in the jungle wasn¡¯t something that would put him at ease. As it grew darker, he couldn¡¯t help but seek reassurance from his guide.


    ¡°Are we almost there?¡± Coop ventured, trying not to sound like he was sitting in the backseat.


    ¡°We made good time.¡± The tracker responded. ¡°See that ridge?¡± He pointed ahead, between trunks of trees to a black cliff that was like a stone wall among the vegetation. ¡°We just have to get to the top.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Coop thought he made it sound a lot easier than it actually would be. He wasn¡¯t ready to call the terrain mountainous as they were still in the northern lowlands, but a cliff only needed to be a dozen meters before Coop¡¯s rock climbing skills would be abandoned in favor of mistjumping.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s a trail.¡± The tracker chuckled, mistaking Coop¡¯s consideration for hesitance.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡± Coop suggested, looking forward to a little break after a full day of tough travel.


    While the hike had been physical enough, Coop hadn¡¯t had much to do besides follow the tracker. They had expertly avoided almost all monsters which had mostly been the Elite Ruin Nebulas that covered the interlocking branches high in the trees. For the most part, the monsters simply didn¡¯t have the reach to attack them as they passed by as long as the tracker kept them moving on open trails, making sure the sky was always clear above their heads. The times where Coop had deleted an obstacle in the form of a monster blocking their path had been few compared to the actual number of ambushers waiting in the trees. A single spear throw was enough to crush the Ruin Nebulas. The damage that Coop¡¯s attacks dealt to the elite monsters made precise targeting of weak points a bit unnecessary. He could annihilate the entire body of the monster with one strike. They didn¡¯t get the opportunity to offer a challenge as long as the tracker or Coop¡¯s Presence of Mind pointed them out before he wandered underneath them.


    Despite the constant presence of monsters in the trees, Coop hadn¡¯t identified a single regular monster. The fact that he hadn¡¯t had the chance to start another Slayer quest chain, even with new monsters present, was making him itch more than the humidity.


    Coop wanted to take the time to reset the whole region, using all of his skills to wipe out the elites and see if regular monsters would reoccupy the area for a while, but he figured that would take too much time away from his first priority. Clearing the area they had traveled through alone would take him multiple days at the minimum, and that would only be a relatively linear cut through what he imagined was hundreds of miles of rather dense monsters.


    For the sake of grinding, he was worried that the whole world would be like Belize; densely filled with elites. At least that would mean there were still some Field Bosses waiting to be hunted, but it would make Slayer quests that much more annoying to complete, and the elites were choking out the presence of lower level invaders for people to properly level. As it was, the wild areas were clearly becoming unfit for anyone but the already strong to utilize. Coop imagined that the level curve of humanity would keep growing wider over time.


    The northern portion of Belize was lucky to have a Primal Construct variant that was pretty stagnant compared to some of the other roaming types. It meant that the small places of safety could avoid many of the confrontations that would take place if the monsters were more active in claiming territory, like the Ruin Excavators back home. Instead, the Ruin Nebulas remained in the branches and slowly meandered between trees, and that was only possible where the jungle was dense enough. The Field Bosses became more mobile, simply by virtue of being too heavy to remain in the trees. The locals had a healthy fear of the bosses given that if one of them wandered into their territory, it meant their settlement would be wiped out unless they got extremely lucky.


    Corozal had actually dealt with a Field Boss barely a week prior to Coop¡¯s arrival. They had the good fortune of having a pair of the wandering warriors nearby who did the bulk of the fighting on their behalf. The profession skills of the residents were only enough to tie the boss down, but none of them had the firepower to defeat it. The fact that the Nebula Field Bosses maintained their combat prowess as they were chipped away meant that even when ensnared, the low level combatants were at a significant disadvantage. The fact that Coop could defeat them so easily was a testament that class levels and the skill thresholds that came over time were still valuable. 500 levels in a profession wouldn¡¯t provide phantasms, even if it would add plenty of attributes.


    When they reached the stone ridge that the tracker had identified as their destination, they found a hidden path that had been carved into the surface. The tracker lifted a curtain of vines that had grown in the way and revealed the first few steps, smiling with delight at Coop¡¯s impressed reaction. Worn stairs that were slippery with moss and leafy detritus had been painstakingly cut back and forth until reaching the top. While Coop followed along, he was even more tempted to mistjump the rest of the way. The stairs were barely safer than clawing his way up the side, with their uneven heights, curved exteriors, and slippery surfaces, and even though there were holes bored into the rock periodically, whatever rope railing once existed had long rotted away, forcing him to use his fingertips to grasp jagged grooves in the sheer rock wall.


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    It took two rotations before he no longer had broad leafed vines smacking him in the face and they cleared the tree line of the forest they had traveled through. Coop actually paused, catching his breath, when he looked out at the massive expanse of green, lit by the orange light of a sunset he couldn¡¯t see.


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty sight.¡± He mumbled, causing the tracker to stop and take a look himself.


    The canopy of the rainforest stretched all the way to the horizon, almost like a solid green version of the shallow seas back home. Lush green trees towered above the forest floor with shrouds of humid mists drifting in between like low cloud formations. Thin strips of emptiness marked rivers that snaked through the forest, but the actual trail that they used was invisible after barely a dozen yards, too narrow to make an impression on the green canvas.


    While the leaves didn¡¯t flow like the waves of the ocean, there was still enough movement to make it all feel alive. The tops of trees swayed in unseen gusts of wind. Flocks of birds erupted from particular areas after being attacked by Ruin Nebulas and sounding warning calls that drowned out the singing from more peaceful areas. Flowers reached high beyond the leaves, blooming from orchids living in the tops of the giant trees and doing their best to attract buzzing insects that flew above the canopy. Coop wasn¡¯t sure if he could even count the different shades of green provided by the mixed variety of vegetation.


    Every few seconds, a burst of activity shook a tree in one spot or another as small conflicts broke out between the invaders and what Coop had to assume were wild animals. It was pretty clear that even if most humans were being driven into corners, the planet wasn¡¯t going down without a fight. It made him want to sweep through, clearing out the elites even more. He had the strength to turn the tables against the Primal Constructs, but it was all the other threats that kept demanding his attention.


    ¡°Come on, we better hurry to make it before it gets too dark.¡± The tracker stated, interrupting Coop¡¯s musings.


    Coop shook himself out of his admiration for the landscape and concentrated on his feet, so that he wouldn¡¯t slip back into the rainforest below. He chuckled to himself, as he realized what a tourist he was, no matter what he tried, even during the apocalypse. Then again, every day he felt less like the assimilation was a catastrophe that deserved that label. The real tragedy was borne from the chaos.


    At the top of the ridge, they found more forest. If Coop hadn¡¯t climbed the stairs in the side of the cliff, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell the difference between where they had come from and where they were. The variety of plants and animals was so extreme, it felt like every flower and every butterfly was a new discovery. The tracker kept them moving forward, identifying the trail right away, and leading the way into the darkening jungle.


    A few minutes later he stopped Coop, suggesting they sit on a few rocks that were conveniently chair height. He gave a shrill whistle that sounded like he was imitating one of the many colorful birds they had passed underneath, but he received a response in the form of another slightly too human sounding whistle back. Another few minutes and a pair of younger men appeared from further in the jungle.


    They were both dressed in decorated red loincloths and wielded black blades in one arm, each weapon only about a foot long and curved almost 90 degrees at the end, but the larger of them also held a thin spear with a black tip while the other had a sling hanging from his hip. The first of them wore what Coop thought looked like a flat-brimmed cowboy hat, with a white scarf around his neck, and a tight waistband that covered up to the top of his abs. The other had a short haircut with large green earrings that dangled down to his neck and a short black cape that barely covered his arms to his triceps and his back to his shoulder blades. Both men were lean, with dark tans from their bare chests to their bare feet. Coop couldn¡¯t have any other impression besides hardened indigenous warriors.


    They remained some distance away, keeping large trees near them as they both stared hard at Coop, making him wonder what they saw. The tracker raised his hand in a gesture of greeting and received the same motionless wave back, but they never glanced away from Coop. He identified them.


    [Human (Level 84)]


    [Eagle Commando (Body)]


    [Ancestral (Slayer)]


    [Human (Level 86)]


    [Night Sun Battlemaster (Strength)]


    [(Slayer)]


    ¡°Oh, wow.¡± Coop whispered, surprised by how far these guys had progressed. He thought they might even be pushing the top 10. It had been a while since he checked, so he let himself be distracted for a moment.


    Day 78


    <ol>


    <li> Coop (Level 157)</li>


    <li> Charlie Seraphin (Level 106)</li>


    <li> Camila Alvarez (Level 106)</li>


    <li> Ix-Hau (Level 105)</li>


    <li> Hai Yun (Level 103)</li>


    <li> Reina Kitawa (Level 101)</li>


    <li> Akari Kitawa (Level 101)</li>


    <li> Magnus Eichmann (Level 100)</li>


    <li> Carl Schauer (Level 100)</li>


    <li> Sila Tupua (Level 99)</li>


    </ol>


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± He mumbled. It really had been too long since he appraised the rest of humanity.


    Not only had he been distracted by all of the conflicts popping up, but he really had just moved on from the race when he pulled away from the rest, after the siege, like it was over. While the rest of the leaderboard¡¯s progress was surprising, he had extended his lead from Charlie even more after basically going to war, and she had retained her place at the top of everyone else. Camila had also caught up, fulfilling her promise while not compromising on grinding the Slayer titles and both of them had kept up with their professions. He wondered if they were getting more experience while they traveled, maybe they would have more luck than him finding regular monster variants to get some quick quest completions. Coop affirmed to himself that he would keep track of their exploits with the leaderboards. He supposed they would already be in Neptune¡¯s Bridge, with Marcus working on a proper transition into their network. Hopefully, things were going well.


    Meanwhile, only the higher level of the pair of warriors in front of him even cracked the top 1000, and when Coop scrolled all the way down to find his position, he discovered another familiar name at level 86. Edith Buford was ranked 934 out of every human on the planet. A granny that was following along with Ghost Reef¡¯s preliminary adventure guild grinding guide like it was a part of her daily aerobics exercise. Coop shook his head at the thought. Here Coop was, getting excited about meeting a pair of high level warriors, when he had helped develop proper monsters back home. He had to stifle a chuckle.


    ¡°We are surprised to see you, brother.¡± The higher level warrior stated, addressing the tracker. ¡°It is too difficult, even for our patrols to leave the vicinity of our camp.¡±


    ¡°The end times are certainly upon us.¡± The tracker confirmed. ¡°But this one can help.¡± He stated, gesturing to Coop. ¡°He is looking to meet some of Chakyum¡¯s priests.¡±


    The warriors nodded, reassessing Coop with a more favorable light. ¡°The Jaguar Sun was chasing one down a week ago.¡± The warrior who spoke first continued for both. ¡°Tomorrow we can show you the rest of the way. Let us gather our strength for the night and exchange news.¡±

 Chapter 174: The Crossroads

    Coop spent another warm night sleeping in a gently swaying hammock. In all honesty, he wouldn''t have minded if the pattern continued throughout his journey. Working hard in the day, navigating difficult terrain and fighting Primal Constructs followed by pleasantly calm nights, but the odds were against maintaining such a consistent schedule. While he was on his expedition, sleep would be something he embraced when he had the opportunity, and it was unlikely that the chances would keep coming.


    He thought he¡¯d embrace his tourist qualities and ask Fernando to craft him a hammock to take home as a souvenir. There were plenty of candidates for napping spots among the palm trees on the beaches of Ghost Reef. The particular hammock he was using may not have been created by someone with almost 500 levels in the weaving profession, but Coop was off to dreamland in a matter of minutes regardless, swept away by the panoramic sounds of the jungle.


    This time around, he didn¡¯t receive his own private cabana the way he had in Corozal. Instead, he was surrounded by more than two dozen of the local residents who shared a communal sleeping place. It was like an open air barracks that was lined with the colorful hanging hammocks rather than bunks. A large portion of the residents were resting while others guarded the village. Coop could almost imagine he was attending an immersive summer retreat with a bunch of other campers while the counselors stayed up late. Unfortunately, it reminded him more of the siege event schedule the residents of Ghost Reef had adopted than a pleasant vacation, where guards were constantly on shift, barely maintaining their survival.


    The Crossroads, as the village was called, was an incredibly small settlement that had been situated deep within the overgrown jungle hills at the edge of the lowlands. Structurally, it only consisted of a group of four large communal buildings that surrounded a centralized cooking area. Ringing the cooking area were auditorium benches where people relaxed at all hours, like it was a living room, with enough seating for the entire village to be present at once. Those who were present when Coop arrived were working on smaller projects, carving with worn metal tools or repairing clothes and weapons while chatting with others who kept their hands busy with their own work.


    At first he suspected they would also have extraordinarily high profession levels, maybe not on the same level as Corozal, but still high. Then he realized none of them would have professions at all. If they never left their village, they never had an opportunity to interact with a civilization shard. He needed to invite them to visit Ghost Reef.


    Each of the main structures were constructed from simple materials, primarily wood and thatch, but they were intricately detailed and gave the sense of being far older than their individual parts. Coop wondered how many times sections were repaired or replaced to accommodate the changing population of the village. Smaller camps were scattered around the edges, hidden by the all-encompassing rainforest, but the residents seemed happy to share what was essentially a fully cooperative community.


    As it turned out, The Crossroads had over 100 residents. Coop would have been shocked to find such a populated village in its place, even without the assimilation. It was practically inaccessible, so the fact that people had settled there was somewhat surprising. There certainly weren¡¯t any roads, so he thought the name was ironic.


    The village was totally remote, tucked away deep in the jungle on top of a ridge jutting from the lowlands. The defining feature, other than the thick jungle, was an adjacent shallow stream of rushing water. The stream was only ankle deep, but it led to a small pond on the edge of the ridge that he and the tracker had climbed to arrive in the village in the first place. A trickling waterfall of escaped water from the pond cascaded down the rocky cliff and contributed to a larger river that snaked all the way across the lowlands until it eventually reached the ocean. There wasn¡¯t a single road that reached the location, let alone two to intersect and make the name more appropriate.


    However, Coop learned that the village was actually named for the crossroads between the Path of the Eagle and the Path of the Jaguar. It had been named that way 3,000 years prior to his visit. Coop imagined there was some story that had been passed down over the generations until it morphed into legend, but rather than share tales, the villagers were only interested in exchanging information. They had minimal contact outside of their village, and virtually none after the Primal Constructs had discouraged the few who even knew they were there.


    At first, they were extremely suspicious of Coop. He wasn¡¯t recognized, and the only other unknown people they ever encountered with question marks for levels were priests from the Cult of Chakyum. The priests hadn¡¯t discovered the exact location of the village, but they were constantly roaming the lands, and the warriors of the village had skirmishes with them on more than one occasion. The fact that Coop was right there in the village made them nervous, and at first, they were unhappy that the tracker had led him to their enclave. Luckily, the tracker was a known quantity who had visited frequently in the past. After their journey together, he was more than willing to sing Coop¡¯s praises. And he really sang.


    After leaning on Coop¡¯s Strength to make it through the region that had been collectively abandoned to the Elite Ruin Nebulas, he generously extolled Coop¡¯s virtues. The tracker recalled how Coop¡¯s spears tore through the skies, annihilating monsters with practiced ease, and when retelling how a Field Boss was defeated in a matter of minutes, even Coop was on the edge of his seat. The tracker spoke with enough enthusiasm that even Coop was completely enthralled, barely recognizing himself in the story, and he had been the one who lived it.


    The warriors at the Crossroads had given up on maintaining a wide perimeter, pulling in their forces inward in an effort to keep the immediate surroundings of the village safe from encroaching monsters. That defense was the source of their surprising progress, but they were being pressed in spite of their labors. The presence of the low level tracker, who needed to survive a long distance in the dangerous territory, was proof enough that the stories had truth to them, leading to a reassessment of the unknown quantity that Coop represented, but they still wanted to know for what purpose he sought them out.


    Contrary to Coop¡¯s past trips, he didn¡¯t see much of a reason to keep his presence a secret. It might actually help him with his task if he could have some of the Cult of Chakyum¡¯s priests aware that he was seeking them out. Maybe they would overestimate themselves and return the favor by seeking him out themselves. Therefore, he openly shared the fact that an Envoy had come to Ghost Reef and leaned on the settlement in a way that had turned them hostile. Coop, the strongest human on the planet, was there to confront Chakyum.


    The reaction in the village upon learning that Coop was on the hunt for Chakyum was met with a surprising amount of enthusiasm. All the people in Central America were already aware of Chakyum. They knew the stance the cult would take, and they assured Coop that it would certainly be a fight. There would be no negotiation with the priests, let alone their so-called death god. They saw Coop¡¯s expedition as a warrior¡¯s journey, and like the residents of Corozal, they promised to provide some aid, though they fully expected him to die, it would be a worthy death. Coop didn¡¯t take any offense to their lack of faith in a stranger from outside, and he took it as evidence that this cult was actually strong. He wouldn¡¯t underestimate his potential opponents, no matter how confident he felt in his own growing abilities.


    The villagers even had a lead for him, though it might have been a few days late. Members of the Jaguar Sun had made contact with some of the village¡¯s warriors while they were patrolling the wilderness. They were in search of a priest that had established a stronghold deeper inland, through the jungle, not far as the crow flies. The Jaguar Sun was a shell of its former self, but the individuals that claimed to represent the resistance force were the strongest in the region, and they thought, the world. If Coop couldn¡¯t find a priest directly, the next best thing would be to connect with the Jaguar Sun and their ongoing fight. They might be limited to the exterior of the Yucatan¡¯s settlement territory, but they were still the primary force wherever the priests weren¡¯t in control, and they would know which direction Coop would need to go to make contact.


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    The warriors in the Crossroads considered themselves a step below the Jaguar Sun, in terms of fighting power, and were more insular in their attitude as a rule. That hesitance to expand their political relationships had been the primary reason for their survival, as they had been able to avoid direct conflict with priests by remaining hidden. Before the assimilation, they weren¡¯t exactly a tourist destination, and the journey to their village was too difficult to easily commute. Unfortunately, the Primal Constructs were like an unavoidable tide and they lacked a civilization shard to buoy themselves. The overlapping pressures of the system provided conflict and human dispositions were proving difficult for them. Coop found their troubles relatable, and naturally offered them the option to let him help them.


    They were aware that the Crossroads couldn¡¯t hold out forever on their own, but the only people they could ask for help were the scraps of the Jaguar Sun. After Coop went to sleep, there was a lively debate over their future in the central area of the village, with the entire population taking part when they had a break away from their responsibilities.


    By the morning, the residents of the Crossroads had made some big decisions. The combination of Coop¡¯s confidence and explanations of Ghost Reef¡¯s ability to create outposts along with the tracker¡¯s revelations for the stance of the stubborn elders of Corozal had convinced the warriors at the Crossroads to reconnect. They intended to combine forces, protecting the Corozal Outpost properly with the hope of expanding the territory until they could reclaim their rainforest village. In the meantime, they would be able to secure their survival against the Primal Constructs for that much longer.


    The fact that they would be helping move against the Cult of Chakyum, essentially revealing the existence of a massive experience farm that had managed to stay hidden for so long, was a major factor in building a consensus. The priests would see the high levels as an opportunity if they became aware of the Crossroads, and even if they could defend themselves in the short term, the priests would keep coming. Consolidating their forces in Corozal, where they wouldn¡¯t need to worry about the monsters to the same extent, thanks to the Mana Pylon, was a clear path forward. And in the worst case, where Coop was defeated, they would be able to retreat to Ghost Reef and batten down the hatches within a settlement that could obviously withstand a siege until the apocalypse came.


    When Coop was awake, the Crossroads was already packing up, though they weren¡¯t leaving right away. They sent Coop off with travel rations and an honor guard of 25 fighters. During the night, after coming to the decision to join in, they had spread deeper into the jungle to confirm that the Jaguar Sun continued in their version of a siege on the Cult of Chakrum¡¯s priest. Using their own hunting skills they had found activity deeper in the jungle, and it had been within the last few days. Once they put Coop on the path, they would return to the village and move as a large group, escorting the tracker back to Corozal.


    They took him further south and west, toward more and more mountainous territory. On the way deeper in the forest, rather than conduct a thorough search with Coop, they were moving as if they were a squad of militants with a clear target. They chanted as they went, though there was no strict formation for traveling through the dense underbrush. Evidently, the chants were as ancient as their village, and were used to speak to the animals, essentially warning the more dangerous predators that they would be in for a fight if they challenged the obsidian blades of the moving warriors. It was a declaration that they would have safe passage one way or another.


    To Coop¡¯s surprise, the chants had also been incorporated by the system. While the universal language didn¡¯t do anything to translate the syllabic arrangement, it did provide them all with buffs. Every refrain reset a short buff that Coop watched in his status window called Rootstrider that improved their travel speed and resisted tripping. Despite his expectations that his movement was determined by his own personal physicality, he did find himself moving faster as his steps subconsciously matched the rhythm of the warrior chant.


    ¡°Bizarre.¡± Coop shook his head as he skipped from root to root like he was traveling a route that he had gone over thousands of times, regardless of it being his first visit to any rainforest. The other warriors around him were just as fast as he was and he was certain none of them had Agility stats that eclipsed his own. It was almost like they had a system designated racial skill that empowered them in their home territory.


    Coop found himself immersed in the chanting. As they moved, he didn¡¯t have to concentrate on his feet at all, and felt himself subtly guided by the others as they went. They moved efficiently and even though they were traveling in a wide group, they didn¡¯t run into any fights. Coop didn¡¯t even need to summon his spear. Compared to the trip with the tracker, it was basically a peaceful cross country run in a humid jungle. Even with everything working in their favor, allowing them to avoid unnecessary stops, it was still another long trip through the forest before they reached their intended destination.


    They stopped abruptly, right at the end of another refrain in the chant. As soon as they stopped, half of the warriors collapsed in exhaustion. Coop raised his eyebrows, surprised that they had been pushing themselves so hard. He barely felt any pressure on his own stamina even though they had been running cross country for hours in terrain that would be considered a challenge to make slow progress through under normal conditions.


    One of the warriors approached Coop and directed him toward a small clearing. ¡°We will rest there before the last portion of our journey. The one we seek should be up there.¡± He pointed to the other side, at the top of a vine covered mountain, where the rocks that were exposed were black and clearly volcanic. They had been steadily moving into marginally higher elevations as they went, but it seemed like they had finally reached some of the more mountainous portions of the land. There was an obvious smoke trail where someone was camping toward the peak.


    ¡°I can manage the rest of the way.¡± Coop stated, nodding as he judged the distance. ¡°You guys have already guided me more than enough.¡±


    Most of the tired warriors readily accepted Coop¡¯s statement, more focused on doubling back. It was a grueling trip just to point Coop in the right direction. If they had to continue much more, they would have to race against the sunset to make it back to their home where they faced yet another march even further to the coast.


    ¡°It is treacherous ground.¡± A man pointed out, one of the original guards that had greeted Coop and the tracker in the first place. ¡°Even for someone with your vigor, it would be better to have someone with more experience lead the way to find proper footing. There is great risk in falling.¡±


    Coop smiled at the man¡¯s consideration. He finally cast Invocation and summoned his equipment and watched as the man¡¯s eyes widened at the ethereal mists. ¡°I¡¯ll part ways here. You guys stay safe.¡± Coop patted the guy on his shoulder and took a short jogging start before launching his spear in a high arc that would easily clear the climb. ¡°We¡¯ll meet again in the Corozal Outpost.¡± He smiled right before he activated his mistjump. ¡°Keep an eye on the leaderboards.¡±


    Coop spent ten seconds in the monochromatic world of mists before he reappeared in the air above the smoke that had been pointed out as his destination. He had to carefully adjust his body to avoid falling through the canopy of the forest, landing among the thick branches of a banyan tree instead. The temporary camp was abutting an enormous boulder and two individuals were sitting on either side of the fire, leaning their backs against the stone. Coop hopped down to the top of the rock and prepared to introduce himself while inspecting the campers.


    [Human (Level 95)]


    [Beast Soul (Mind)]


    [Bestial (Bound)]


    [Human (Level 99)]


    [Inheritor (Strength)]


    [Ancestral (Vanquisher)]


    Coop was sure he found the right people. They seemed strong. The Beast Soul was a young lady in a faded tank top and torn jeans with dark wavy hair and the Inheritor was a muscular shirtless guy whose defining feature was actually the huge spiked axe he cradled in his arms almost like it was a family member.


    Coop put on his best smile as the sound of his gladiator sandals finding purchase on the top of the rock got their attention. ¡°Excuse me? I heard you guys might need some help? I¡¯m Coop.¡±

 Chapter 175: The Fading Sun

    Juliana was lost in thought. She stared into the flickering flames of the tiny campfire with a gaze full of smoldering intensity. Her face was a portrait of exhaustion that somehow managed to hide her internal despair, but her eyes told the whole story. They focused on the fire as if the embers could give her the unasked answers that dominated her inner monologue. The wet twigs they had used to start the fire quietly popped and crackled as they burned, but she didn¡¯t receive any words of wisdom as she listened. There were no hidden messages being relayed to her, no matter how badly she wished for one.


    The little fire sent wisps of white smoke up through the trees that she found herself tracing as she gave up on finding an unconsidered strategy buried within the campfire. It felt like the last vestiges of hope she had were drifting along with the fumes as the flames failed to answer her silent plea.


    She had been reconsidering how they would approach their prey over and over, but a hopeful solution evaded her ruminations. No matter what angle her thoughts took, she could only conclude they needed to abandon the effort and move on. The bottom line was that they were outclassed in this match, but that knowledge did nothing to assuage the grief of potentially leaving innocent people behind.


    As time went on, the difficulties continued to rise, and they would inevitably run into insurmountable challenges more and more frequently. At least this time, it could be chalked up to a mismatch in abilities rather than a simple overwhelming power gap. They were the rock trying to defeat paper in a predetermined game of rock, paper, scissors. Taking that angle left a tiny sliver of hope for later battles, but in the future they might not even find that much solace. The Priests of Chakyum were gaining too much power.


    The loss gave her time to really think for a bit while they waited for debuffs to fade. The results of such an endeavor were never good, especially because she had come to some hard realizations that she had happily ignored for as long as possible. Ultimately, it amounted to the fact that they were doomed from the start.


    ¡°Damn.¡± She whispered at the fire, cursing their luck or the higher power that had written their fate in this way. It didn¡¯t matter which.


    In order for people to survive in this new world they needed several different elements to come together. That was just the way the assimilation went, indifferent in its casual cruelty. Unfortunately for her and the companions she met along the way, they started without a key ingredient for success: a civilization shard. Despite the disadvantage, it wasn¡¯t like they hadn¡¯t tried to earn the right to live on. Juliana wouldn¡¯t disparage those who had died before her, struggling until the last second to carve out a place in the future, but they were all only in the introductory period of a much more extensive gauntlet. There was no way they could keep up the struggle for the years coming, or the decades and beyond.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s time we hunker down.¡± She quietly suggested. They could definitely survive longer if they focused on defending themselves only, but vocalizing her doubts cemented them on her heart more than she expected. She already expected to die. The time would come and there wasn¡¯t much she could do about it.


    Her companion¡¯s nostrils flared before he responded, but his expression remained the same. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± He refused in a voice that was hoarse, but steady. His eyes didn¡¯t leave the fire. ¡°Never.¡±


    Juliana felt pity for him. He was driven by something she didn¡¯t exactly understand, like he was called specifically to fight for those he considered brothers, actual relations be damned. It would almost certainly be the end of him. There were too many people who couldn¡¯t fight for themselves, and no one could shoulder all of that responsibility themselves. He wasn¡¯t thinking about years or decades. Only the present mattered. Looking at him, she didn¡¯t feel reassured by his stubbornness, but she still didn¡¯t want to quit first.


    She sighed, not looking forward to another round in the Butterfly Cave. It was a famous destination in the pre-mana days, attracting adventurous nature lovers and field scientists alike. She and her companion would have to recover until the next morning before making another attempt to visit the enticing habitat, but that was obviously the plan. The longer it took, the less likely they would even save anyone. Then again, just killing a priest was a worthy endeavor, one that they willingly undertook when they could, and this was no ordinary priest.


    They had several more hours of daylight, having abandoned their infiltration in the morning after barely making progress through the entrance of the priest¡¯s enclave. She and her partner were both content to let Felix stand guard while they waited for their skills to cooldown and resources to rejuvenate. That just left Juliana to her thoughts. Nothing good ever came from letting her mind race, but she couldn¡¯t switch it off.


    Rather than sit in silence, listening to the flame, she concentrated her senses on Felix. He was her Soulbeast: the defining characteristic of her class and a manifestation of herself combined with a wild animal¡¯s essence. The fact that he had allowed her to connect to him was the entire reason for her personal survival. It was a strange union that she couldn¡¯t have imagined before mana came, but now she couldn¡¯t imagine living without him.


    He was meticulously padding through the jungle with impossible Agility, making sure they weren¡¯t disturbed by anything. Monsters, animals, or priests would all end up on his menu if they stumbled upon their camp. She let herself be swept along as he bounded across branches in a never ending patrol, tireless as he was. So long as they had their connection, he was unlimited. When it came down to a straight duel, there was no existence that would lead her to bet against Felix. He used all of his senses to monitor the area, keeping track all the way down to the insects that buzzed through his perimeter.


    One second she was enjoying the mental stroll with her Soulbeast, admiring the early yellow blooms of an out of season cortez tree that Felix was climbing, and the next he was screaming a warning into her subconscious, detecting something she had not. Her eyes snapped into focus and darted all around, searching for whatever had surprised Felix so much, to the point where he was actually terrified. He had jumped into her soul, and she was immediately empowered for a fight with the combined power of them both. Nature energy leaked from her pores as translucent claws engulfed her arms like gauntlets and a dark pelt protected her back.


    ¡°Excuse me? I heard you guys might need some help? I¡¯m Coop.¡± A friendly voice came from above them and her head snapped up. Her adrenaline surged, and she felt Felix recoil with caution, but her human companion reacted first.


    She witnessed Tzultacaj¡¯s leaping assault on the young man that managed to make it past Felix¡¯s protective guard, his ancient oversized axe held above and behind his head as he prepared to split his target¡¯s skull. Purple sparks were already dancing between the spikes on the back of the blade and a deep blood-red haze covered the forward edge. Tzultacaj let out a battle cry as he raced through the air. She felt Felix start to relax as they both trusted the fight to be over before she could get involved.


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    Juliana¡¯s eyes bugged out when the intruder stopped the massive overhand chop by slipping beneath the axehead and grabbing the haft, right beneath the heavy blade, with a single bare hand. Holding onto the axe, the man planted a casual seeming straight low kick into Tzultacaj¡¯s abdomen, almost like he was pushing him away as much as he was counter attacking.


    An explosion of red and purple energy erupted from the axe as Tzultacaj¡¯s fingers lost their grip, and Juliana was sent flying backwards, deeper into the forest, until she snapped the trunk of a huge mahogany tree and slowed to a rest with the tree falling behind her. If it wasn¡¯t for Felix, she would have been killed by the magical eruption from two dozen feet away. Instead she simply bounced through the branches as she was cradled by the fluffy spirit. The intruder must have been vaporized. Tzultacaj¡¯s power was not a joke.


    ¡°What in the world was that? Another High Priest?¡± She coughed as she pulled herself from the splintered wood and falling branches. ¡°There can¡¯t be so many.¡± That would be strange news. Their first experience with a High Priest had already managed to halt their efforts to clear the Butterfly Cave without directly meeting them. Finding another one so soon would indicate that the Cult of Chakyum was advancing at unprecedented speed. The rest of humanity would be in deep trouble if that was the case. It was a scenario even worse than what she had imagined in the first place, and she had already been despairing.


    She spat dirt from her mouth and moved forward, pulling leaves and twigs from her dark hair absently as her mind raced. If a High Priest had found them, at least they could confirm that they were still mortal. Tzultacaj¡¯s attack would have deleted him from the face of the Earth. His bloodlust was such that he never held back against the cultists. Even the scent of death had his hackles rising. Maybe being found in the open could be considered good fortune as they didn¡¯t need to deal with any of the High Priest¡¯s tricks that they might use to protect their enclave.


    The explosion disintegrated the rock they had used to shelter their camp, and as the dust settled, she expected to find nothing but a crater. She stumbled forward, squinting through the smoke to see a single figure still standing. Just as she suspected, Tzultacaj had certainly eliminated the threat.


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± She mumbled as her enhanced senses, thanks to Felix, allowed her to interpret what she was seeing through the haze. The lone figure was the intruder. He stood alone, holding Tzultacaj¡¯s axe in the center of a perfect circle of downed trees, all facing away from the blast. She held her breath, as Felix warned her to retreat.


    She spun, desperately searching the area with her eyes until she spotted Tzultacaj, slowly picking himself up from his own blast crater. He had dug a long trench with his back as he slid. Multiple trees toppled over until he was buried beneath trunks and branches. When she looked back at the intruder, he stood calmly with Tzultacaj¡¯s axe for a moment, tilting it side to side, as if he was admiring a sculpture instead of an unprecedented weapon. After a few seconds he nodded to himself and casually walked through the blast zone that had been their camp and the surrounding rainforest.


    ¡°That¡¯s a heavy axe. Can¡¯t believe someone can swing it around.¡± He mumbled as he himself waved it like it was weightless. In his hand it could have been an oversized toy made from plastic, fit for a child rather than the warrior she knew.


    Juliana had never seen anyone else touch Tzultacaj¡¯s axe, unless they were being chopped to pieces. In fact, she had never seen him separated from it, even when he wasn¡¯t fighting. Before these moments, she would have believed it was directly tied to him. They were as directly connected as she was to her Soulbeast.


    ¡°What are you?!¡± She shouted, unable to control herself any longer. She was keeping enough distance that she felt confident in her ability to run away with Felix, though she felt his concern. ¡°What did you do?¡± She added, taking another step back as her confidence waned under the attention of the stranger. The least she could do was try to keep him distracted from a safe distance while Tzultacaj recovered. She could count on him to not give up, at a minimum.


    ¡°Hm?¡¯ The man paused for a second as if he was really contemplating her questions. ¡°I¡¯m just some guy.¡± He shrugged, answering her question with more sincerity than necessary.


    ¡°Huh?¡± She couldn¡¯t help herself. The contrast between the violent eruption of violence followed by the nonchalance of the intruder was all wrong.


    He continued talking as if they were having a quick chat in a grocery store. ¡°Those dudes at The Crossroads suggested I meet up with the Jaguar Sun since we could help each other. They pointed me to you guys. Unless they got it wrong?¡± He scratched his ear, like he was feeling shy. ¡°And I just disarmed him. The magic explosion was all him.¡± He turned toward Tzultacaj and put his hand in front of the side of his mouth before raising his voice. ¡°You alright over there?¡±


    Juliana checked on Tzultacaj and gasped. The muscular warrior that had been the thorn in the side of the Cult of Chakyum had transformed into someone completely different. Rather than a hulking axeman, imposing enough to fill his opponents with dread with his mere presence, he was more of a lithe hunter, skinny and unintimidating. He was at least a hundred pounds of muscle lighter than he had been just a moment before. Did he expend that much energy? He strode up to the intruder with a familiar scowl on his face, scraped up but otherwise unharmed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± The intruder started casually, even though the pair of them had just displayed more power than Juliana had ever seen before. ¡°No hard feelings. It was my bad just jumping in like that. I had just run through the jungle for like eight hours with those other guys and was a bit too eager to get the show on the road.¡± He scratched the back of his head. ¡°Didn¡¯t mean to surprise you that much.¡± He raised Tzultacaj¡¯s axe in front of him with a single arm, offering it back. ¡°Maybe we can start over?¡±


    Tzultacaj grasped the axe with both hands and a haze of crimson mana surrounded him before he transformed back into the brawny man Juliana recognized. ¡°Who are you? You smell like the dead.¡± Tzultacaj stated with a hint of disgust. She could tell he was guarded and doing his best not to show it.


    ¡°That bad?¡± The strange man frowned, and tried to give himself a subtle sniff.


    ¡°I meant your mana.¡± Tzultacaj clarified, interrupting the man¡¯s investigation.


    ¡°Ah.¡± The stranger nodded. ¡°That makes sense.¡±


    ¡°I am Tzultacaj, Leader of what is left of the Fading Jaguar Sun.¡± He nodded toward where she had stationed herself, some distance away as if she would flee at any moment. ¡°That is Juliana, one of the few Great Warriors left.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you!¡± The stranger stated with a genuine smile, something she felt like she hadn¡¯t seen in months. ¡°Sooltaco¡­?¡± He did his best pronouncing Tzultacaj the way he had heard it. It wasn¡¯t that close. She expected her partner to correct him immediately.


    ¡°Close enough.¡± Tzultacaj conceded to her continued surprise.


    ¡°Alright.¡± The stranger smiled, as if he was proud of himself. ¡°I¡¯m Coop. Champion of Ghost Reef. I¡¯m here to formally tell Chakyum that he isn¡¯t welcome on my island.¡± Coop introduced himself again. ¡°I heard I¡¯d have to go through his priests first and that you guys would know where to find some. I¡¯d appreciate it if you could point me in the right direction.¡±


    Tzultacaj nodded solemnly at the explanation. ¡°Please tell him he isn¡¯t welcome in our jungle either.¡± He requested, and Juliana noticed the corners of his mouth twitch upwards as if he almost smiled himself. Everything that had happened was completely absurd to her.


    She shook her head with an involuntary spasm of confusion. ¡°Wait.¡± She startled herself as what the stranger had said finally registered above her addled thoughts. ¡°Coop from the leaderboards?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Coop looked at his feet. ¡°That¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°What is with this guy?¡± She mumbled, mirroring her Soulbeast¡¯s confusion with her own.

 Chapter 176: Felix and Friends

    Coop was feeling pretty proud of himself. He had successfully made some new friends, in spite of a rough start, and their strength was definitely impressive. They were already leading him through the jungle on yet another hike, but this time he had been assured that they would take him to the stronghold of a High Priest.


    Upon landing in Belize, Coop had suspected that he would need to make a spectacle of himself in order to get the attention of the Cult of Chakyum. That way he wouldn¡¯t need to search them up himself since they would come to him, but he wanted to delay enacting that plan until he had a better lay of the land and understanding of the scene. He figured carving his way through monsters would be a good way to get noticed, but meeting with local guides like this was much better. Finding friends that could guide him to the cultists was a win-win.


    It seemed like most of his initial encounters with others started off a bit rocky, with people being suspicious at the minimum and leaning toward hostility as a default. There had obviously been a significant amount of conflict in Central America and it wasn¡¯t all caused by the Primal Constructs. When the locals were confronted with an unknown human intruder, they deemed him a potential threat, and they were quick to fight for their lives. There was no way to blame them. They were doing their best to live another day in a dangerous area, and it wasn¡¯t like Coop did himself too many favors. He was basically tripping every defensive measure they took and he had a disturbingly oppressive aura if they had the ability to detect it through his always active Presence of Mind ability.


    No matter how he looked at it, he felt like preemptively defending themselves was a completely reasonable response to his appearance. He was interfering with the established dynamic of the region with his presence alone. The scenario was different when he was in their territory as opposed to his own. If they attacked Coop while he was in his own territory, he would retaliate with deadly intent, but in their house, they deserved the benefit of the doubt. He wouldn¡¯t admit it to any of his new companions, but he would probably extend the same line of thinking even to a Priest. Their lives would hang on whether or not they were reasonable enough to communicate with him before committing to a life or death struggle. At least in theory.


    In a way, he was proud of the variety of ways people had developed to survive. Their determination to continue gave him hope in a way that he hadn¡¯t felt when the only outside interactions Ghost Reef had were with Empress City and the Endless Empire¡¯s Chosen. There would be countless examples of humans finding innovative ways to keep going. So far, three different groups had three different strategies that had all kept them alive. The Corozal citizens concentrated on their profession levels and fortified their area with clever traps, the Crossroad warriors had garrisoned deep in the jungle and worked in a close cooperative with each other to maintain their isolation, and Coop thought the Jaguar Sun were basically super heroes fighting on behalf of everyone else.


    He was really impressed with Tzultacaj. He was the one who started the Jaguar Sun through his actions alone. He accepted the challenge from the Primal Constructs right away, then confronted the Cult of Chakyum when he determined them to be at least as monstrous as the invaders. His dogged persistence and righteous cause inspired others to join him in his efforts as he went. The man was a fighter through and through.


    His firepower was to the point that Coop believed it was even comparable to Charlie¡¯s. The two also shared a bit of a theme, though there was something different in the flavor of their skills. The Aeromancer brought the lightning from a thunderstorm that might sweep through the tropics. It was familiar and dangerous. Tzultacaj wielded something more primordial, like the thunder from storms that forced dinosaurs to take shelter. Coop couldn¡¯t consciously parse the difference as it was just an impression he had felt when witnessing both of their skills, but he knew there was uniqueness to each of their abilities. They may share an element at a basic level, but there was something fundamentally distinct between them. He thought this aspect of the system was neat.


    When the contracted alien residents immediately associated his Spectral Affinity with those of the undead, he suspected they were identifying a similar phenomenon. There might be some overlap, but he wasn¡¯t actually undead. When he imagined the maze of paths, he figured the affinities established zones of similarities that evolved into a gradient of skills. Tzultacaj and Charlie were thematic neighbors, where Charlie¡¯s path took her off toward natural elements and Tzultacaj angled toward Coop¡¯s backyard, tapping into ancestral strength. To further complicate things, Charlie and Tzultacaj had also focused on contrasting archetypes, with the Aeromancer a backline caster and Tzultacaj an in-your-face brawler, but still, the similarities were there.


    Coop had also taken a good look at Tzultacaj¡¯s weapon and found himself enthralled. The Inheritor¡¯s axe was a Unique item with special abilities tied directly to the Inheritor class. Upon wielding it, Coop had been met with the sense that it didn¡¯t belong to him and absolutely never would. It wouldn¡¯t work any better than any other outdated piece of equipment if he attempted to use the axe himself. The weapon was bound to the Inheritor in a similar vein to the way Coop¡¯s ethereal weapons were bound to him. Coop wanted to see the stats of the weapon to compare with his own and maybe confront Garod with an example of a comparable item to those the blacksmith was crafting. Maybe there was a discount opportunity there.


    Coop was a little jealous that his summons weren¡¯t given the same special classification. He knew it was because he was using his class abilities to manufacture the weapons. Tzultacaj was using an actual ancient axe that had been enhanced by the system after being passed down through his family for generations through some kind of hunter¡¯s rite. Really, Coop had the advantage in flexibility, but the weapon was still cool. It even had protection from being disarmed, though it was a lot more violent than Coop¡¯s ethereal weapons and armor being tied together.


    Tzultacaj had only tried to split Coop¡¯s skull in half. It was the axe that had exploded upon being separated from its owner. The effect had even surprised Tzultacaj as no one had removed his weapon before. Coop valued mistjumping way more than some damaging effect, so it wasn¡¯t a trade he would make willingly. He couldn¡¯t imagine much utility coming from exploding, though he had some ideas that weren¡¯t completely outside the realm of possibilities.


    After relatively brief introductions, the pair of warriors didn¡¯t waste time lingering in their camp site. Once Coop described his mission and they realized their shared alignment, they set out, leaving the blast zone behind to be reclaimed by flora. If anyone stumbled upon the flattened area before it recovered, Coop couldn¡¯t imagine what they would think. It was like a crop circle in the middle of a jungle. He supposed aliens were already confirmed to be real, so maybe it wouldn¡¯t bother anyone.


    Juliana, the Beast Soul, waited until they were ready to move before actually introducing herself. She tried her best to establish herself as a force to be reckoned with when she finally did. The posturing had backfired almost as much as Tzultacaj¡¯s opening barrage, but Coop was even happier with her initial attack. She released a huge black jaguar that pounced right in front of Coop¡¯s face in a manner that reminded Coop of the lunging attacks his phantasms executed from the mists, though instead of a ghostly weapon, it was all claws, teeth, and snarls.


    The massive cat stood five feet tall at its shoulders, was easily 15 feet long, and must have weighed half a ton. His coat was black, but there was a visible jaguar rosette pattern hidden within his fur that was only visible in shimmering bursts with careful observation. Apparently, his name was Felix. The Beast Soul and her Soulbeast had attempted to intimidate Coop with a leaping entrance and a dramatic roar, to establish the hierarchy, but they didn¡¯t get the response they had been looking for.


    ¡°You¡¯re a good kitty, Felix.¡± Coop chuckled as he pet the now docile animal as they strode side by side and he remembered his dramatic entrance. Coop was able to use his whole arm to really scratch the jaguar¡¯s ears, and the purr he got in response was like a truck engine. The cat had been sticking pretty close to Coop ever since their initial meeting after Coop naturally went straight for the pats.


    Juliana huffed as her Soulbeast warmed up to the stranger that they had just met. ¡°Can¡¯t believe you didn¡¯t even flinch.¡± She grumbled. ¡°What kind of psycho doesn¡¯t get scared when confronted by a huge cat? Did you not see his vicious claws? His deadly teeth that could take your whole head off?¡±


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Coop shrugged dismissively. ¡°I¡¯ve seen bigger.¡± He imagined Jett¡¯s shadow form and felt confident in his assessment. She could crush buildings. Felix was basically an oversized stuffed animal in comparison.


    ¡°Bigger?¡± Juliana wondered, and Felix angled his head, but Coop just laughed and inspected the oversized cat.


    [Jaguar (Level 125)]


    [Soulbeast (Agility)]


    [(Bound)]


    ¡°Is Felix on the leaderboards?¡± Coop asked.


    Juliana looked puzzled for a moment. ¡°No?¡± She and Felix shared a look before she corrected herself. ¡°Huh. I thought it was just for humans. He¡¯s only ranked seventh among Felines.¡±


    Coop raised his eyebrows. It seemed like the cats were ahead of the humans. He double checked the human leaderboard.


    Day 79


    <ol>


    <li> Coop (Level 157)</li>


    <li> Charlie Seraphin (Level 107)</li>


    <li> Camila Alvarez (Level 107)</li>


    <li> Ix-Hau (Level 107)</li>


    <li> Hai Yun (Level 105)</li>


    <li> Reina Kitawa (Level 103)</li>


    <li> Akari Kitawa (Level 103)</li>


    <li> Sefu (Level 101)</li>


    <li> Azizi (Level 101)</li>


    <li> Imara (Level 101)</li>


    </ol>


    ¡°Cats are kicking our butts¡­¡± Coop observed.


    Juliana was slowly nodding, probably looking at the same thing he was. Felix broke off, taking his turn to clear an enemy with a bit more enthusiasm than the previous rotations, maybe feeling motivated to climb the leaderboards now that attention had been drawn to them.


    As they traveled, one of them would constantly break off as they detected an elite enemy. Juliana, Tzultacaj, and Felix were all capable of dealing with the monsters as long as they weren¡¯t more than about twenty levels above them. If they exceeded their comfort level, they simply teamed up to defeat their opponent. They wouldn¡¯t let Coop help, wanting to make sure he was in peak condition before he challenged the High Priest¡¯s lair. They wouldn¡¯t listen to him when he complained that he was bored, but they did tell him about all the other monsters they had encountered in the region.


    On the other side of the Yucatan settlement, in Mexico, there were two more Construct variants, and there was at least one more that occupied the border into Honduras: the stalking monsters he had already heard about. Unfortunately, the Jaguar Sun had lost contact with most of their territory after the siege event, mostly due to the monsters developing into elites while they were focused on the cult.


    Coop learned that they had mounted a proper war party against the Yucatan settlement, it had developed through simple momentum that Tzultacaj had inadvertently built, starting from the early days, but they had moved right at the time that the monsters were reaching elite levels and in a frenzy from the event. Ultimately, they hadn¡¯t had a proper battle with the forces of Chakyum in the settlement, but they had crushed dozens of priests¡¯ strongholds and reclaimed most of the territory that was outside of the sphere of influence of the civilization shard. They couldn¡¯t keep it themselves, so it was only a matter of time for priests to reclaim the lands they lost.


    After the siege, the cult had been aggressively expanding, sending priests to gather experience however they saw fit and spreading Envoys to discover other settlements with the intention to force them to convert. The Jaguar Sun didn¡¯t have good intel on the Cult¡¯s efforts, but they had heard rumors that they struggled to make inroads further north as there were strong settlements in Mexico, and South American settlements were impossible to reach due to the development of the Primal Constructs. Basically, the Cult of Chakyum was presumed to be solely represented within the Yucatan settlement while dominating Central America. The fact that they were expanding through the ocean made the pair nervous, but other than Ghost Reef, they weren¡¯t sure if they would have many opportunities to spread themselves.


    It was less than an hour before their hike was closing in on their destination. ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡± Tzultacaj warned, which buoyed Coop¡¯s spirit. After hiking through the jungle for days he was missing the smaller scale of Ghost Reef and the ease of travel. Not to mention how long it had been since he had any real combat, weak Field Boss notwithstanding. These people were a good escort, but they were really hogging the combat experience and the rest of the human leaderboard was slowly catching up to Coop while he traveled around. It made his muscles itch.


    ¡°Felix is really concerned about you. Are you sure you can handle it?¡± Juliana asked again, reminding Coop that the cat had taken a liking to him.


    ¡°No worries.¡± Coop responded confidently.


    ¡°Well, this isn¡¯t an ordinary Priest, but a High Priest. We can go find a regular one that hasn¡¯t embedded themselves so deeply for your first time.¡± She suggested, revealing that she shared Felix''s concern.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± Coop continued to express his calm confidence. He actually preferred to jump right up to the top of the list of threats. If he was going to confront the head honcho, he couldn¡¯t be intimidated by the existence of a lieutenant.


    Tzultacaj halted their procession and pointed through the forest. ¡°It¡¯s there.¡± He stated gruffly.


    Coop could see a crack in the ground, but there was nothing to indicate that it was a notable feature. The land had risen steadily since Coop and the Corozal Outposts¡¯s Tracker had climbed the first ridge. At this point, they were hiking through low mountains that were blanketed in dark green forest. The ground was mostly covered in tangled roots, fallen leaves, and rich dirt, but rough volcanic rock was often revealed beneath the vegetation. Up ahead, where Tzultacaj had pointed, a narrow ravine began, cutting into some exposed rock. Roots had crawled across the surface until they were hanging over the edge, and green sprouts leaned over the gap in an effort to capture what little sunlight breached the upper canopy.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Coop wondered, a bit skeptical as it didn¡¯t live up to his imagination. He was expecting a supervillain¡¯s lair from the cultist; a wide open cave mouth with a cloud of bats escaping as he approached, but it seemed like the High Priest understood the need for discretion even if they were unchallenged in the region. The opening was only a bit wider than an exposed manhole cover.


    ¡°It is a tight ravine that expands with depth. There are countless sinkholes in the region, and many of them are connected. It¡¯s a labyrinth down there, not helped by the High Priest¡¯s deceptions.¡± Tzultacaj explained tersely as a scowl grew on his face. Coop could actually feel heat coming off the man as his temper flared while thinking about the cultists. The man truly hated them. ¡°The poisons are especially dangerous.¡± He finished tersely.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Coop sighed, thinking the Coral Forest was just way cooler than this hole in the ground. He shook his head at himself. There was no place like home. ¡°You guys just relax. I¡¯ll be back before you know it.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re not back before we¡¯ve recovered, we¡¯ll come save you.¡± Juliana said with Felix looming behind her shoulder. She began unpacking her pack, gathering a large coil of rope and securing it to a nearby tree.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be ready to finish the job.¡± Tzultacaj added, squeezing his axe tight enough to make it creak. ¡°Tonight, we¡¯ll keep guard here, so don¡¯t get overwhelmed before we join you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine with me.¡± Coop responded, though he had no intention of taking that much time.


    Coop leaned over the gap to take a peek into the hole. It looked pretty deep with darkness shrouding the space, but it widened beneath the surface like he was standing on the lip of an enormous stone bottle. The cenote would have some groundwater at the bottom, but Tzultacaj and Juliana had specifically utilized this entrance due to the relatively easy traversal back to the surface along the walls.


    Coop used his toes to nudge a twig over the edge and watched it disappear without a sound. He shrugged to himself, deciding that the path was clear, before hopping into the middle of the gap. He let himself fall into the abyss, chasing after the twig.


    Before the rush of air consumed his senses, he heard the pair of warriors gasp. They had expected him to carefully climb down using the equipment they brought, just as they had done, but Coop surprised them both one more time with his haste.

 Chapter 177: The Butterfly Cave

    Coop fell into the abyss. The wind rushing past his ears was the only indication that he was moving, otherwise it felt like he was simply floating in an empty void. His eyes gradually adjusted to the gloom as he squinted into the darkness. The light from the surface hardly penetrated beyond the boundary of the cave entrance, but Coop was able to make out some of the obscured features within.


    The walls widened beyond the breach in the surface and revealed the full extent of the dim cavern. The interior of the cenote was covered in lush green vegetation that desperately clung to the edges of the formation. The thick layers of green went all the way to the ground and were pockmarked by bursts of color where flowers bloomed and insects congregated. Plants and vines extended their broad leaves toward the middle in stratified layers, striving to catch the limited beam of sunlight that would shoot through the gap, spotlighting sections as the days waned. Dense clusters of flourishing plants competed on narrow ledges that were scattered along the walls. The ledges could have been used to climb in and out of the cave, but Coop had taken the more expedient route by dropping straight down.


    Hanging roots decorated the ceiling of the cenote, extending down into the cavern from the trees on the surface like jagged wires caked with dirt. The elongated shapes were exaggerated by the faded light painting a macabre series of shadow puppets with stretched fingers grasping at the walls. Clumps of hanging plants intertwined themselves with the roots, finding spots closest to the surface to claim the light before it scattered through the rest of the vegetation.


    The air was distinctly cool compared to the surface, but if anything, it was even more humid than the rainforest above. Coop only fell for a few seconds before he twisted his body forward. Once the walls made enough space, he made sure he would land comfortably.


    Just a few moments after he leapt into the abyss, the placid water at the bottom of the cenote was disturbed with a foreign object cutting through the surface. Coop¡¯s ethereal spear embedded itself into the bottom center of the cavern with a rush of wind and a splash. The spear implanted itself like a flag, claiming the subterranean land for the Revenant. Swirls of mists gathered around the shaft of the weapon, accumulating until they engulfed the spear and Coop solidified. A short mistjump left him standing in the cold groundwater up to his knees, illuminated by a gentle haze of unnatural gray light that lingered in the air as if carried by motes of dust.


    Rather than butterflies, as the name of the cave system would suggest, Coop was confronted by a dozen white moths, each leaving trails of the dusty light as they escaped his unexpected presence. They were each only the size of a quarter, but they contrasted with the dark greens and browns that decorated the rest of the cave and gave the whole place an ethereal atmosphere.


    The flying insects scattered as they sought sanctuary in clumps of gray moss that encircled the pool. The bottom layer of plants decorating the dirt-coated walls provided a tent-like cover around the perimeter of the space, protecting the edges. The waves caused by Coop¡¯s spear gently washed the hanging leaves before splashing against the rock foundation.


    Coop swapped to his one-handed warhammer for the moment, flipping it twice before catching it by the handle as he considered his surroundings from his vantage in the middle of the cavern. The whole area was only about 60 feet wide, but it still felt huge due to the height. Looking up, spotting the hole in the ceiling in between the tangled hanging roots was difficult. It was camouflaged by roots and leaves around 400 feet above his head, but he didn¡¯t want to lose track of it, as it was his main ticket back to the surface.


    There were only two possible exits from the initial cavern, three if he counted the hole he had jumped through to get in. Each of the passageways that would take him further were shrouded in darkness and narrow enough to limit him to his smaller weapons if they extended any distance. He wasn¡¯t expecting monsters, but it was always better to be prepared, so he would keep his one-handed hammer ready at the start.


    Tzultacaj and Juliana had only been able to warn him about the initial challenges he would face from the environment itself. They didn¡¯t have any advice for actually finding the specific location of the High Priest¡¯s lair since they hadn¡¯t had much success in navigating the caves themselves. Hundreds of similar natural pits formed from collapsed limestone bedrock with varying levels of exposed groundwater and they had only been able to explore a fraction due to the priest¡¯s traps. The caves would be connected by dark, uninviting, and narrow passageways, and Coop would need to anticipate magic-induced confusion thanks to the priest.


    Fog of War would be the key to Coop¡¯s navigation strategy. He would cheat, relying on an invisible mist to guide him through the maze while his extreme investment into Mind would provide natural defense against enemy influence. Other than the confinement he felt from being underground, he thought the environment suited his abilities quite well.


    ¡°Sucks for you.¡± Coop muttered. Having Coop, of all people, be the one to come looking for a confrontation was about as unlucky as someone could get.


    While the fog spread, developing a subconscious minimap, Coop watched fish swim in the pool. They dashed through thin layers of underwater vegetation growing from the bottom as they did their best to hide from his legs. The pool of water was crystal clear, even when barely illuminated by limited light. A small island was naturally forming where he stood, bolstered by whatever debris fell from the hole above. Whether rain, stones, sticks, or dirt fell from above, it all worked to keep a clear column that would otherwise be overcome by the plants as they fought for the sunniest position. The perimeter of the pool was deep enough that Coop would need to swim across once he decided which path to take. Lizards skittered along the walls, chasing each other into the ferns that lined the bottom edges of the stone walls, and frogs resumed their croaking from the various ledges, letting their voices ring into the cavern. The whole environment was like a giant paludarium.


    Coop¡¯s observations were interrupted by a notification popping up for seemingly no reason. When he checked it, his spirit was boosted with the confirmation that his companions were succeeding elsewhere. Ghost Reef had claimed Neptune¡¯s Bridge as a subordinate and the bonus objective for the settlement quest had been completed. He would need to return to Ghost Reef to turn it in, since it was a Champion quest, which would obviously be delayed by his expedition, but having one more mission completed was always good news.


    As he considered his itinerary, hoping to accomplish at least as much as his advisors, Presence of Mind filled his mind with a sense of the caverns. It indicated that either direction from the starting cave would reveal similar habitats as Fog of War extended throughout the system. Coop flipped his warhammer a few more times as he scouted cavern after cavern from safety. All of them seemed pristine, untouched by humans or monsters, but full of life. Few of them received any sunlight at all, with their own skylights breaching the ceiling, but there were all sorts of amphibious animals even in the nearly complete darkness. Bats, snakes, turtles, and more than enough insects made their homes in nooks and crannies of the caves. Coop had to imagine what kind of activity was taking place within the various pools of groundwater, but he was sure there would be fish and other critters living happily in the dark. Judging by the ripples on the surfaces, there was just as much life underwater as above.


    The subtle gray light spread throughout every space underground. Coop bet that it was a side effect of the High Priest¡¯s territorial claim. Basically, he assumed they had an ability that filled the areas much like how he was applying his fog. If they happened to have a combination of skills like Fog of War and Presence of Mind they would already know he was in the cave. Unlikely as it was, he thought operating with that in mind would be prescient.


    ¡°Hey.¡± Coop spoke, causing a gecko to bolt from where it was lounging on the side of a rock, rustling leaves as it went. He wasn¡¯t speaking to the reptiles, but was testing to see if he could get the priest to react. ¡°I¡¯m willing to talk. If you¡¯re open to it, let me know which way to go.¡±


    Coop waited, continuing to monitor his Fog of War as it engulfed the underground system. He received no response from the High Priest. Even if they could hear him, he doubted they would be inclined to play ball. In all likelihood, they simply had no idea he was there.


    ¡°Definitely unlucky.¡± Coop mumbled, but he was still observing the priest¡¯s luck rather than his own. Coop stretched his neck as he waited for his fog.


    The window for the priest to offer him guidance had lapsed. Coop¡¯s misty domain had extended as far as one of the passageways would go. At first the caverns were like a daisy chain of sinkholes of various levels of erosion. Most of them lacked an opening to the surface, instead developing as underground pools while water from the higher elevations eroded the rock beneath the forest floor. After half a dozen individual pockets of space, they opened up. The caves evolved into a narrow ravine that was completely exposed to the darkening sky. The tall stone walls were difficult to distinguish from the fledgling forest that had claimed the ravine. It was filled with towering trees with branches that brushed against the sides, filling the excavated ground with greenery. From above, the ravine would have been just another strip of vegetation in an expansive mountain forest, impossible to discern from the rest of the trees.


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    There were no priests on that side, so obviously Coop would go in the opposite direction. His Fog of War continued to find new caverns as it filled the passageways extending beneath the weathered Maya Mountains and he slowly swam across the cold water to follow. He would only move as fast as his fog, so he wasn¡¯t in a rush, even if there was something of a deadline in place. Getting lost would only take more time, so he would be satisfied with leaning on his domain¡¯s expansion.


    Coop shook off the cold water before he swept the broad arrowhead-shaped leaves away from the chosen passage and stepped forward, leaving the first cavern behind. Calling the gaps in between the caves passageways was a bit of an exaggeration. They were nothing more than large rifts in the rock walls, connecting the neighboring sinkholes. Some of the caverns had already been combined many years before as the walls were eroded away, and it wouldn¡¯t be surprising to knock a hole in one of the walls and expose a previously unconnected cave.


    The second cavern was like the first, though it lacked a hole in the ceiling and there was no small island forming in the center of the pool of groundwater. The vegetation was equally absent, though the moss hadn¡¯t completely abandoned the idea of claiming new real estate. Coop gazed over at one side, where a narrow ledge remained dry above the water. He raised his eyebrows until Felix revealed himself, becoming a shadowy outline before solidifying into a mass of dark fur after letting his camouflage drop. The large cat was laying along the full length of the dry ledge, leaving one paw hanging in the water. Tiny fish darted away, sending ripples in the otherwise calm water as an enormous claw seemed to manifest near them.


    Coop raised an eyebrow at the cat and in response, the black jaguar glided into the water and swiftly paddled over to Coop.


    ¡°Keeping an eye on me?¡± Coop wondered, scratching Felix¡¯s wet cheek after the cat shook. ¡°I guess you can let them know I didn¡¯t fall to my death.¡± He pointed across the cavern. ¡°I¡¯m heading that way.¡±


    Felix followed Coop¡¯s finger with his head and sat down. Coop flung his warhammer across the water-filled cavern, letting it flip end over end before he mistjumped to the other side. Coop caught the hammer and turned back to the entrance.


    ¡°Catch you later.¡± He said, waving at Felix before he proceeded deeper into the cave system. He got the impression that the cat would have been willing to accompany him, but he couldn¡¯t go any further from Juliana.


    Coop felt reassured that he would have some reinforcements if he really ended up needing them. They hadn¡¯t discouraged him from going ahead on his own, not because they recognized his strength, though that might have played a small part in their calculations. They were always feeling a sense of urgency to save people that had been kidnapped by the Cult of Chakyum. Priests were constantly empowering themselves after kidnapping new victims, and most of the remaining people who opposed the Cult weren¡¯t low-leveled people. The longer they took to take down the priest, the more difficult it would become, and the more lives that would be potentially lost. They were placing hope in Coop, but they were also bolstered by his confidence to succeed in an otherwise difficult mission themselves.


    As Coop moved into the third cavern he was presented with a crossroads of sorts. There were three options, but he didn¡¯t hesitate in choosing the rightmost passage. Fog of War had already filled the other two selections and found them terminating in dead ends. Both of the final chambers were full of small, gently glowing, green mushrooms that were like small alien fingers covering all the surfaces of otherwise dark caves. The bioluminescent fungi only appeared in the final two caverns, making it easy for Coop to keep track of the ends.


    Moths fluttered around in every cave that Coop explored, disturbed by his presence. Before he arrived, they were inactive, hiding among whatever limited vegetation existed in the otherwise dark chambers. The dim gray light penetrated the entire system, emitted by tiny specks of dust that drifted onto the surfaces of the caves and was flung into the air whenever the moths flapped their wings.


    His quiet exploration was finally disturbed in the chamber after the crossroads. ¡°...Go back¡­¡± Coop heard the first whisper in the fourth cavern. It was frustratingly demanding that he return to the crossroads. The voice sounded like a young girl¡¯s, exhausted, and filled with tired desperation.


    Tzultacaj and Juliana had warned him about the deceptiveness of the priest who appeared to have abilities that induced hallucinations, though they experienced them right away upon entering the cave system. The hallucinations deterred them in their own expeditions. They were tricked, confused, and eventually poisoned. Anyone with weaker constitutions would have been defeated, but Felix was strong enough to resist and forcefully guide the humans back to safety. It was the virtue of the stats provided by his extra levels.


    If Coop hadn¡¯t been warned, he didn¡¯t think he would have obeyed the whispers anyway. The priest made a mistake making the voice sound like someone that required aid, regardless of the content of their message. Coop didn¡¯t have the self-preservation trait that would have him abandon someone that seemed like they needed help like that.


    ¡°...Come to me¡­¡± A different womanly voice continued seductively and Coop blew air out of his nose in surprise at the sudden change in strategy. Coop wondered if it was actively adjusting to Coop¡¯s behavior, but whatever illusion it was weaving fell apart with the peculiar contradiction right off the bat.


    Coop kept moving, following the fog through caverns, skipping swims where he could simply flip his warhammer across, and receiving all sorts of demented messages.


    ¡°...You are not alone¡­¡± An elderly woman¡¯s voice observed, and Coop chuckled. He was Haunted by countless spirits, sometimes he wished they would converse, but the whispered experience was diminishing his enthusiasm for such a prospect.


    ¡°True.¡± He admitted it, letting his quiet voice echo in the empty cave. He wasn¡¯t ever alone, at least not in spirit. The voices were definitely in his head, lacking the natural resonance that would occur if they were real, like his own spoken word.


    ¡°...You can¡¯t escape¡­¡± A man¡¯s voice continued, this time trying to intimidate him, though Coop just chuckled some more.


    ¡°...Join me¡­¡± The alluring woman¡¯s voice returned.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Coop wondered about the effectiveness of this distraction. Maybe he was resisting the actual impact thanks to his investment in Mind, because it just wasn¡¯t very persuasive.


    ¡°...The end is here¡­¡± An elderly man¡¯s voice observed sadly.


    ¡°...Watch your back¡­¡± The man¡¯s voice repeated.


    ¡°...Help me¡­¡± The girl cried.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Coop agreed.


    The voices continued escalating until they were overlapping, sounding like a crowd of people pressing in on him from every direction, though he was only surrounded by darkness and moths. It was like he couldn¡¯t even hear his own thoughts over the cacophony. More than twenty caves in and even he felt like he was distracted by the crowd of desperate pleas, ominous warnings, threats, and various levels of despair.


    The large cavern that he had entered was mostly dry. Rather than having a wide pool of crystal clear water, there were only a handful of puddles. There were two problems. The first was that he had ended up in a dead end despite utilizing Fog of War to scout his path. The second was that there were millions of the tiny green mushrooms coating the walls, like an alien carpet and they were creeping him out even more than the whispers.


    For a moment Coop was confused with himself. ¡°Just two problems?¡± He wondered out loud. He was pretty sure there were more than that.


    The green mushrooms pulsed and some enlarged themselves, reaching out at him with grayish spores streaming from beneath their caps. Coop didn¡¯t retreat, even though that was what the crowd of voices demanded. Instead, he whipped his warhammer through the air, slamming it down on the cap of the first enormous mushroom that jumped at him, matching its charge with a heavy downward blow. The head of his weapon passed straight through the attacking mushroom, smashing into the stone ground instead, sending pebbles flying in all directions. The mushroom vanished. It just poofed out of existence, leaving nothing but an equivalently-sized cloud of the gray motes of dust and a dozen moths scattering away.


    Coop squinted in the inconsistent light, realizing that the mushrooms hadn¡¯t been moving at all. The almost radioactive seeming green mushrooms remained on the walls, stationary, and tiny. The attack wasn¡¯t real.


    He looked closer around the cavern, noting the deep pools of water at the edges, the shallow puddles he had walked through, and the thousands upon thousands of moths flying with erratic movements. His eyes wandered up into the wide open space in the rocky cathedral of mushrooms and moths. The moths were flying in a pattern, following him. They bunched together unnaturally while Coop watched. Then, when they were at their densest, something blasted through them.


    Coop summoned his shield and held it protectively, not completely trusting his senses, and not totally relying on Presence of Mind, but also not willing to ignore what seemed like danger. He might end up fighting ghosts for real, but even if he was fighting his imagination, he intended to win anyway.


    A smooth lance shot forward, exiting the swarm of moths without a sound, knocking some of them out of the air and impaling more than one on its tip. The needle-like edge shimmered in the erratic illumination and struck Coop¡¯s ethereal shield, sending a plume of ghostly mana to mix with the gray dust.


    Coop lost his footing, rolling backwards from the blow, but there was no follow-up. The massive lance had disappeared into the sea of moths and there was nothing that was obviously wielding the weapon.


    Coop spun around, seeking his opponent, but he found none. The audience of mushrooms silently judged him and the eclipse of moths continued to swarm around the open chamber.


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Coop spoke to the cave. ¡°Come back.¡±

 Chapter 178: Fungal Folly

    Even though Coop had avoided wandering into a dead end by employing Fog of War and Presence of Mind to map his route, he still found himself at an impasse. The final chamber was large enough to have confused his makeshift mini-map, tricking his distracted mind into believing that it continued further underground. Every other route was a proper dead-end, filled with nothing by mushrooms and moths. This one was more of the same, but rather than a simple damp cave it was a palatial reliquary of stone. The thin mists of Fog of War failed to saturate the empty space much like when his domain had discovered the open ravine that connected to the surface at the start of his cave exploration.


    Coop had already hopped back to his feet, after blocking the surprise attack, and was twirling on his heels as he searched for the source. He suspected he had found the boss room. If he was designing a dungeon, the large cathedral of a cavern would have been a fitting setting to find the king of moths and mushrooms. The final confrontation had come sooner than expected. However, there was no obvious opposition to his presence, and the source of the attack remained hidden. It couldn¡¯t be among the storm of moths, but every other option seemed even more unlikely.


    ¡°...I am going crazy¡­¡± An elderly man¡¯s voice rang in his mind, latching onto the subconscious doubts that he had easily dismissed.


    Coop couldn¡¯t help but shake his head and laugh as the deceptions shifted their strategy and tried to pretend to be his own inner monologue.


    ¡°...The walls are closing in¡­¡±


    ¡°...I am scared¡­¡±


    ¡°...The shadows are consuming¡­¡±


    Coop took a second to take in his surroundings properly, having his focus jolted back by the tangible attack that knocked him to the ground. The running commentary from the peanut gallery was easily ignored when his survival instincts were really kicking in.


    The cavern was exceptionally large, almost the size of one of the pearlescent chambers beneath the fort back on Ghost Reef. It lacked the gentle blue illumination brought by the central pillars, but gray light flickered on motes of dust throughout the cave, and there was plenty of color thanks to the neon green covering the surfaces wherever the strange mushrooms appeared. They didn¡¯t contribute much light beyond glowing themselves, leaving the rest of the cave in the inconsistent grays provided by floating wisps.


    The ceiling was close enough to be visible in the dim light, maybe 80 feet up. It was all relatively smooth, lacking the natural formations of stalactites, though long ridges ran the length of the room. Really, the entire cave was too oval compared to the previous sinkholes he had explored. It obviously did not share the same origin as the rest of the cave system. The cavern also lacked the ever-present groundwater pools, relegating them to a few pond-like shapes at the back edges of the chamber where the mushrooms submerged themselves, making the crystal clear water seem uninviting with a toxic green tinge.


    While the moths continued to swarm, appearing something like a blizzard illuminated by headlights at night. They kept their distance from him, behaving like the insects normally would, though Coop was already developing a theory that they were hallucinating at least as much as he was. They reminded him of a cat chasing a laser pointer, like they were pursuing an invisible streetlight which caused them to flow around the room in an unpredictable but seemingly deliberate way. They weren¡¯t so dense that something larger could remain hidden among them.


    As Coop scanned the room, his eyes finally reached the point where his warhammer had struck the ground when he thought he was getting into a fight with the gigantified green mushrooms. He had slammed his weapon hard enough to crush stone. In fact, he had pulverized a section of the ground and the crater that had formed revealed something other than rock hidden a foot beneath the surface. From a quick look, it seemed more like thick gray leather, already bruising from the shockwaves of his attack. It reminded him of the way an apple would bruise after being dropped, wet and mushy.


    Coop concentrated on Presence of Mind a bit more thoroughly on the crater and tried to identify the surface.


    [Fairy¡¯s Inkcap (Level 317)]


    [Enthralling Mystic (Mind)]


    [Hallucinogenic (Bound)]


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Coop grunted, stepping back involuntarily.


    For a moment, irrelevant questions clouded his mind, adding to the whispers. Shouldn¡¯t the monster¡¯s level have been displayed as question marks? There was a huge level gap between himself and his target. He thought that maybe he could see it due to his excessive Mind stat contributing to the efficacy of Presence of Mind, or hopefully, the number was merely another hallucination.


    ¡°...Run¡­¡± The little girl¡¯s voice suggested, and he was more tempted than ever to listen.


    The ground rumbled as if on cue. Coop took a wide stance, bracing against the earthquake as the earth itself groaned. At first it seemed natural. The shaking caused large boulders to free themselves from the ceiling and crash down into the shallow puddles that were scattered around the chamber. The thumping continued until it was drowned out by the roaring of stone grinding and shattering. Splashes of water caught some of the moths, but most of them continued to swirl around, though they were concentrating near the ground as if pulled by excess gravity.


    The solid stone floor bulged beneath the cloud of moths and Coop abandoned any hope that it was simply an earthquake he was experiencing in a terrible location. Whatever was beneath the stone was pushing itself into the cavern. Enormous pieces of rock slid out of the way, forming flat sheets that bounced toward the edges of the room. Coop tried following them, carefully finding his footing while dodging rolling rocks and skipping pebbles. Dust and moths bounced off his armor and he swiped them away from his path as he progressed to the far edge of the cave.


    ¡°...Hehehe¡­¡± All of the voices combined as they descended into madness. Coop¡¯s mind rang with maniacal laughter while his ears were filled with the grinding of stone against stone.


    When he reached the wall he ignored the green mushrooms in order to brace himself against the shaking. A few of the white moths fluttered away from their hiding spots among the fungi, bouncing off Coop¡¯s face harmlessly, but Coop¡¯s arms were coated in a thin layer of the gray motes. They were clearly spores. His notifications were flooded with notifications of afflictions.


    [You resisted Fungal Madness]


    [You are afflicted by Fungal Reality]


    [You are afflicted by Fungal Decay]


    [You resisted Fungal Feast]


    [You resisted Fungal Rot]


    [You resisted Fungal Fever]


    [You are afflicted by Fungal Putrefaction]


    [You resisted Fungal Consumption]


    ¡­


    ¡°...Game over¡­¡± The little girl¡¯s voice rose above the constant laughter of the rest, but Coop wasn¡¯t so sure of her assessment.


    The notifications went on and on, continuing for hundreds of lines. Coop had a dozen debuffs, but a brief review of their effects found nothing critical. His health and mana recoveries were both diminished, a handful of health drains were eating at his health, two did the same to his mana, some of his stats were reduced by inconsequential flat amounts, his vision was diminished, and any confusion he felt would be compounded. But Coop wasn¡¯t someone that could be brought down to a rational level with minor handicaps, the actual worst effect was that the spores made him itch all over.


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    Coop¡¯s stats totaled over 11,000. Yes, the giant mushroom was higher level than he was on paper, but raw levels didn¡¯t really compare to his combination of escalating passive skills. He shouldn¡¯t be intimidated unless his opponent had levels with four digits, at a minimum, and even then they might just be primed for an even fight. Unless this mushroom had taken up crochet and leveled it as a profession approximately 2,000 times while hiding in its cave, he didn¡¯t think he was at a true disadvantage yet.


    As the earthquake subsided, he was finally able to assess the situation, this time prepared for a fight. Looking across the room the damage had practically disappeared. He suspected the violence of the rumbling and the impending collapse of the mountain had actually been yet another hallucination. He shook his head in disappointment as he believed he had been fooled into exposing himself to a suite of debuffs by the constant mental pressure he had been under within the cave system. If he hadn¡¯t been so resistant, he would have been driven into one of the earlier dead ends and his expedition would have been put into jeopardy, lost and weakened. Still, the simple trick had worked on him in the end.


    ¡°Nasty.¡± Coop muttered as he shook the spores off his arms and gazed forward.


    Rather than utter destruction of the rock surfaces, the giant cavern was almost entirely intact. However, it was not empty. There were mutated humanoids shambling toward him from the center of the chamber. Coop grinned, happier with the outcome than a healthy-minded individual would feel, though his sickness was his normal obsession with the grind rather than any influence from the spores.


    He had been anticipating a boss fight and naturally assumed that the mushroom cap he had discovered underground would be climbing into the empty space to try and stomp his life out. When he spun around to take in its majesty, he expected to find himself staring at the Godzilla of fungi. These guys appeared significantly more manageable, matching his stature without his capability. He flipped his warhammer once and checked the aura of the nearest mushroom zombie.


    [Elite Sporeguard (Level 317)]


    [(Strength)]


    [Minion (Infectious)]


    The Elite Sporeguard was a grotesque approximation of a human shape. Each one had slightly different proportions, with arms and legs lacking symmetry. They had pale, sickly skin that seemed too moist and too smooth. Rather than a head, they had caps that were thrust upwards with an edge that drooped down and wrapped around the entire circumference. Gills extended from the chin all the way down what would have been a neck with pores that leaked more spores as they shambled toward him. Smaller growths appeared at random on the surface of their skin, infesting locations that would have been other features like eyes, mouths, or other joints.


    Instead of eye contact, Coop could only manage to stare at pairs of mushrooms growing on the surface of their caps. Mycelium snaked across the surface of their smooth, damp skin, like exposed veins belonging to the smaller parasitic mushrooms that clung to the larger host. When they moved, they jerked and hitched, but they made progress across the stone floor without stumbling.


    Coop hesitated for a moment. ¡°Wasn¡¯t I supposed to be fighting a High Priest?¡± He asked, wondering about the dynamic between his opponents and the Cult.


    Coop shrugged and concentrated on what was in front of him, putting aside his questions for later. ¡°Alright mushroom man. You better give plenty of experience.¡± He demanded at the first approaching monster.


    On steady feet that beat a confident rhythm that deviated from the chaotic gaits of the monsters, Coop charged forward. He put space between himself and the mushroom wall, prepared to enter the fray with any opponent, no matter how repulsive. Crossing the distance with inhuman speed, Coop held his ethereal shield forward for a moment as his offhand balanced the backswing of a full power overhand warhammer swing from his mainhand. The hammer head whirled through the air, cashing in on his momentum, before smashing into the top of the mushroom man¡¯s head with a wet smack.


    The collision was immediately unsatisfying. Striking the Sporeguard was like crushing a sponge. Rather than the resistance of the metallic Primal Constructs or any other armored enemy, the Sporeguard¡¯s skin barely resisted the hammer, losing its shape and folding in on itself. The monster couldn¡¯t withstand Coop¡¯s powerful attack, even with all of its levels. It was flung backwards into its fellows, smashing through the crowd like a foam bowling ball, tripping a dozen enemies as it went, but it wasn¡¯t defeated in the single strike.


    Coop fell back, avoiding a cloud of spores that exploded from his first target. His notifications scrolled through his vision, indicating dozens more afflictions being applied while five times the number were resisted. He grunted in response while his warhammer disappeared into mists and his spear formed. At least he had confirmed that his stats weren¡¯t even close to being outmatched by the high level enemies.


    In the next moment, he planted his foot hard enough to dig a divot into the solid rock cave and pitched his spear forward. The missile roared through the air, punching into the closest Sporeguard in an instant and continuing forward.


    Coop clicked his tongue in disappointment and dismissed his spear in the next second. He was facing the same exact number of Sporeguards, though a line of them now had holes ripped through their torsos or were missing limbs that were torn off by the spear¡¯s trajectory. They hadn¡¯t even stumbled when pierced. They continued their forward motion despite the force of his throw, letting strips of leather-like skin hang in shreds from their injuries while leaving behind puffs of spores from where they were struck.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Coop mumbled, finding himself pressed more than expected.


    Coop didn¡¯t charge further into the fray, deciding to take the opportunity to test some of the newest features of his evolved Invocation skill while stepping backwards. The new ability hadn¡¯t merely become a combination of Retribution and Salvation, the two skills that summoned his armor and weapons respectively. It had also improved on some of the specific limitations that had driven Coop¡¯s development at the start of the assimilation.


    The first ability expansion was that he was no longer limited to the smaller and lighter weapon designs that had kept him tied to one-handed weapons and polearms. The capacity of the mists had increased, or rather, his ability to tap into the mists had progressed. He dismissed his one-handed warhammer and summoned something completely new, a weapon that could really leverage his Strength in a way that had only been imitated by his morning star.


    The ethereal mists gathered around both of his hands as he held them in front of his chest, carefully imagining his choice. The mana cost was quadrupled, but that was a meaningless penalty for Coop. He had already lowered the cost of both Retribution and Salvation with Practical Application before having the opportunity to combine the upgraded skills. Zero cost multiplied by four was still zero. Of course, for Coop, the original cost of 200 mana without Practical Application¡¯s reduction would still be laughable, but he reveled in the benefits all the same.


    The mists solidified within his hands, forming a thick haft that was fit for a proper two-handed weapon. Imitating a sturdy wood, it extended well beyond his shoulder before terminating in a double-sided crescent shaped head on both sides of the top, and a heavy bulbous knob on the bottom. Coop watched as the mists imitated a dark leather wrap across the entire surface of the handle. He hummed in excitement as the weapon became almost too oversized. The handle was nearly five feet long, starting from the rounded metallic ball until meeting the sharp edges at the other end.


    The head was as wide as Coop¡¯s torso, and even though the entire thing was lighter than it had any right to be, thanks to the natural features of the mists, the ends had a weight that Coop suspected only he and someone with a strength multiplier like Emmanuel could properly wield. Any swing he took would be empowered by the momentum created by the additional weight.


    Coop twisted the shaft in his hands, watching both of the curved edges gleam in the dim light, then he flipped the head so that it was on his left, then back to his right before he held it in front of his body and nodded in satisfaction. His first experience with Inheritance of the Mists had given him a broader idea of the limitations of his abilities. It wasn¡¯t exactly historical accuracy that was limiting his choices, though it still had to remain within human imagination while not exceeding the technological limitations inherent in mana. This was a weapon he believed was pure fantasy unless ancient humans were cleaving dragons or dinosaurs: a proper barbarian¡¯s weapon.


    ¡°The Battle Axe.¡± Coop announced with a slight grin slipping onto his face. He presented it to himself as the Sporeguards picked up speed to assault him. The voices in his head laughed even harder, transforming from the giggles of madness to shrieks of insanity.


    He finally stepped forward to retry his assault, casting Legacy of the Mists as he went, summoning an ally to lead the way. The Sporeguards were deceptively fast despite their awkward stature. Their limbs were misshapen, lacking proper structure without any internal skeleton, but they were rigid and moved with quick lurches. They propelled themselves with stumbling steps as their leathery exteriors pulsated, manipulating their bodies in a manner that was completely alien to Coop¡¯s eyes.


    His first phantasmal barbarian burst out of the mists with a battle axe that was stained black by fire and blood. The phantasm was dressed in a weaved loincloth and a small iron breastplate strapped by leather that only amounted to ornamental decoration for his bulging muscles rather than providing protection. It was exceedingly light armor with an extraordinarily heavy weapon. When he came out of the mists, he carried the axe cocked over one shoulder. As he appeared, he heaved it up in order to let gravity help bring the edge straight down onto the head of the first Sporeguard.


    The mushroom man got a limb up to block, but the curved edge of the axe cut straight through, tearing the protective arm off as the head of the weapon continued down into the cap of the monster. The axe smashed into the rock below without slowing down, carving a new gouge in the cave. The monster collapsed in two halves on either side of the weapon, being split like it was an empty costume that didn¡¯t provide any resistance at all.


    The Sporeguard exploded into motes of dust. The tiny spores lit up the gloom of the cave, being swept into the mists that the phantasm carried. The spores clung to the phantasmal warrior and his axe, lighting them up in a dim gray illumination that gave the phantasm a truly ghostly appearance. The ghost continued forward, unheeding the afflictions he undoubtedly sustained, heaving the weapon back over his shoulder and marching forward three steps to repeat the attack on a second monster.

 Chapter 179: Mushroom Mystic

    An ethereal battle axe slashed through the dank cave air as Coop wielded his newest weapon against the horde of mushroom monsters. Swirling trails of turbulence twisted in the soup of dust, mist, and darkness, chasing the double-sided two-hander as another Elite Sporeguard was cleaved in half by the gleaming edge. As the monster¡¯s life escaped from the severed stem, its torso collapsed with a wheeze, still grasping with pointed claws as it fell. Coop allowed the momentum from his backswing to draw his body away from the explosion of spores that burst from the monster¡¯s interior. The wind that chased his broad swing pushed the cloud of spores deeper into the crowd of enemies as they surged and he engaged another.


    Strangely, despite the increased density of spores in the air, the voices in his head had gradually diminished as the fight developed. Coop believed that the tiny motes had been carrying the whispers, infecting any intruders to the cave system with the mushroom¡¯s madness. It was similar to the disorientation effect of Fog of War. Where his domain was within the mists, the fungal caves were a domain of spores.


    The voices had been trying to discourage and confuse him throughout his journey from cave to cave, but it seemed like the reverse had become reality once the battle had consumed Coop¡¯s spirit. He imagined the forms that carried the voices sulking as Coop fought and thrashed in their trap. They still left him with the occasional cryptic threat, but for the most part, they were silent, as if they were the ones that ended up discouraged in the face of Coop¡¯s insistent progress.


    Rather than continued mental manipulation, the primary enemy appeared to alter its focus to concentrate on deceiving Coop¡¯s senses in the moment. The cloud of moths kept him encircled, swooping into his flanks or scattering above his head, obscuring his sight and drawing his attention away from other threats. There were constant feints combined with real attacks being launched from behind the moths.


    The mushroom boss was manipulating its roots to assault him from different angles whenever he seemed distracted by the rest of its minions. The roots would stab at him like lances from the darkness beyond the swirling white swarm, forcing him to either abandon his position with an emergency dodge or stand his ground and block with the head of his battle axe. The ethereal weapon was up for the task, catching the oversized mycelial threads with clangs that caused a muffled echo throughout the cavern. Coop was also fast enough to step aside, letting the spikes miss his limbs by inches thanks to the combination of his excessive Agility and Presence of Mind empowering his battle sense.


    The problem was that the root spikes weren¡¯t always real. The hallucinations drained Coop¡¯s focus, bombarding him with threats that required just as much of a response as the real assaults since he didn¡¯t have an effective way to determine if they were fake before countering. In the split second the quick attacks required him to react, he couldn¡¯t decipher between what was real and what wasn¡¯t. Even with Presence of Mind empowered by his Fog of War, he was never confident as to whether or not he was hallucinating the specific characteristics of the mushroom spears that he detected.


    It didn¡¯t matter. Coop simply gritted his teeth and engaged with everything, real or fake. When he chopped through the real thing it was all the more satisfying. Blasting through a hallucination was practice, giving his Haunted title a chance to perfect his two-handed axe technique with every strike.


    Ultimately, an extended and chaotic skirmish was playing to his strengths. Over the course of the fight, he was getting stronger, rather than being worn down. Coop shook his head as he swung his axe like he was creating a cyclone, claiming the lives of even more Elite Sporeguards with every shift in direction. It must have been frustrating to fight a Revenant. The carefully laid traps ended up being chewed up by his steady advance.


    When the ground rumbled, he ignored it, maintaining his balance with his strong core while eviscerating the mushrooms. He wouldn¡¯t be fooled into abandoning his position by the same trick twice. In fact, he took the shaking room as a sign that he was right where he should be, in a spot that the mushroom didn¡¯t want him to occupy.


    Coop¡¯s phantasmal barbarians were only able to defeat two or three of the surrounding creatures before succumbing to the afflictions they accumulated, but the same wasn¡¯t true for Coop himself. Even though he had resisted thousands of the fungal infections, he still collected hundreds of afflictions, yet none of them slowed him down to any recognizable degree. He kicked part of a mushroom corpse away before shifting his attention to the next target. The cloud of moths followed.


    Contrary to the typical characteristics of monsters as expressed by the Primal Constructs, the Sporeguards didn¡¯t disintegrate into mists upon their defeat. They also didn¡¯t behave in the same manner as human remains when killed. Instead, when the fungal creatures were overcome by Coop or his phantasms, they collapsed into a heap of what Coop was affectionately calling mushroom meat. Their interiors were filled with the same gray spores that lit up the dark caves and coated every surface until being disturbed by the flapping wings of the small white moths that called the caves home. The motes were expelled from space between interior hyphae while the rest of the Sporeguard deteriorated until a pile of inert gray dust was all that remained.


    The battle raged on long enough for Coop to find himself dashing through a layer of dust with muted footsteps, leaving a trail where he had been, and kicking up poofs as he planted his feet to strike at his foes. Coop was one of those people who had never seen snow, but he imagined the Sporeguards had given the cavern a light dusting of gray that was visually similar to the real thing. If it wasn¡¯t for the violence, the dim gray illumination of floating specks falling into the powdery gray blanket with fluttering moths dancing through the limited light might have been beautiful. The presence of the mutated mushroom minions destroyed the image of dark serenity.


    Coop whirled his axe in a wide horizontal swing that chopped through two Elite Sporeguards that were reaching at his back with moist claws that almost seemed fuzzy with the spores stuck to their surfaces. Both of their torsos gave way to the axe, letting their top halves fall backwards and causing their mushroom cap heads to roll in the dusty floor. Coop planted his left foot and forced himself to rapidly change directions with a grunt, dodging a root lance that jabbed from above, piercing the stone ground before it pulled itself back through the ever present moth cloud. It retreated too quickly for Coop to chop it, so he split another Sporeguard in two as consolation.


    He cast Legacy of the Mists at his back, letting an unseen phantasmal barbarian assault another pair of Sporeguards that had encroached on Coop¡¯s presumed blind spot. The phantasm flew out of the mists above Coop¡¯s head, already leaping at his target in a manner eerily similar to Tzultacaj¡¯s opening attack on Coop and he realized where the subconscious inspiration for his new weapon had come from. Maybe he¡¯d ask for some tips from the warrior when he was done with the mushrooms.


    As he decapitated another Sporeguard, he considered how his new friends would have fared if they were in the situation that he found himself in. It was probably lucky they hadn¡¯t made it this deep into the cave system. He didn¡¯t like their chances against such a highly leveled foe. If they had a way to neutralize the mental attacks and a suitable method to isolate individual enemy minions they could probably do some damage, but he wasn¡¯t sure if the fungal boss would have allowed them such a luxury. It was clear that Tzultacaj was empowered beyond simple levels with his connection to the class-defining unique axe he carried, effectively multiplying his combat power in a similar way to Coop¡¯s passives. Likewise, Juliana and Felix combined their individual traits while maintaining the flexibility of an in-sync duo when they fought either as one or as a pair. Still, just over 300 elite levels was a lot to overcome. Coop could only stay comfortable at such a level disadvantage because accumulating stats had been the entire basis of his class, for them, it might just have been a bonus to their specific builds.


    He was frustrated by the thought of the Mystic dictating the fight with Tzultacaj, Juliana, and Felix. He was frustrated because he realized the exact same thing was happening to himself, despite his perceived power. Coop may have been resisting the ambush in his typical fashion, grinding his way through whatever was thrown at him, but ultimately he was playing the mushroom¡¯s game. Why should he allow his foe to dictate the fight?


    He wanted to change the pace of the fight and take control away from his opponent. After defeating another Sporeguard and claiming an open space in the crowd, Coop stomped his foot onto the ground. He didn¡¯t hold back, putting all of his Strength into the action. A wave of gray dust blasted away from him, curling as the wave broke on the Sporeguards around him. He stomped again, cracking the rock the same way the imaginary earthquakes had. Three more phantasms joined him in the arena he had cleared, and he let them engage with the encroaching Elite Sporeguards while he reframed the fight.


    Coop stood in the center of the growing gap in mushroom coverage and slammed his battle axe straight into the ground. The symmetrical crater that had formed with his foot sent tiny fissures outwards, extending cracks down into the earth. Small rocks fell from the ceiling, threatening a real collapse, but Coop didn¡¯t hesitate from repeating the action until he exposed the leathery skin of the main mushroom.


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    [Fairy¡¯s Inkcap (Level 317)]


    [Enthralling Mystic (Mind)]


    [Hallucinogenic (Bound)]


    ¡°Did you think I¡¯d forget about you?¡± Coop wondered with his axe held above his head, preparing a decisive strike onto the exposed leathery skin.


    Before he could bring it down, the ground shifted beneath his feet. There was nothing manipulating his senses this time, and despite flexing his core and bending his knees, he struggled to maintain his balance. At the very least, he was forced to abandon his attack to brace himself and retreat from the small clearing he made.


    Coop jumped away, striding with long steps and staying low to the ground. He zigged and zagged between the stumbling Sporeguards, leading with the ball on the handle of his axe, and liberally applying it to clear his path, saving his wide swings for larger clumps of enemies that blocked his way. He smashed his way through Elite Sporeguards, until he reached the edge of the crowd and aligned all of his enemies to a single angle. The shaking slowed to a stop as Coop cleared the battlefield.


    When he turned, the main boss had finally made its appearance. Looming above the crowd of Elite Sporeguards, the Enthralling Mystic¡¯s gargantuan presence filled the cave all the way to the ceiling like a gray shadow standing over a tabletop wargame. Coop had concluded that the Enthralling Mystic was a class that avoided direct confrontation, keeping itself away from physical threats with the series of mental manipulations, afflictions, and minions. That didn¡¯t prevent it from having a formidable presence.


    The room was hazy with floating spores. Scattered moths reflected the dim illumination on their flapping white wings, but whatever was guiding them had been lost. They escaped to the edges of the cavern while the Sporeguards assumed a tactical formation in front of the gigantic mystic, lining up in an orderly phalanx that made them seem of one mind.


    There was nothing humanoid about the boss itself. Three gray leathery caps, like massive drooping umbrellas, stood one after the other. Rather than standing on a thin stem, each rested upon a thick trunk that hardly branched. Together, the trunks formed a main barrel shaped body that rippled and bulged with veiny striations. Beneath the base were wide legs that connected in patternless sets. One group had three legs, another had one, and in total there were 17 bracing against the broken stone floor. It was like a fungal colony imitating the warped idea of an animal.


    Coop frowned. ¡°What a nightmare.¡± He mumbled to himself, feeling disgusted by the sight of the enormous mutant.


    The Fairy¡¯s Inkcap was massive, extraordinarily leveled, surrounded by loyal minions, and in its own selected territory. It held every advantage, but Coop had always expected to be challenged sooner than later. Rather than feel intimidated, he was primarily curious how the creature would match up with the weight of his stats.


    The monstrous mushroom bellowed a low deep challenge that shook the gills beneath its caps and vibrated the air in the room. Coop charged forward in response, shouting a nonsensical retort with his battle axe trailing behind, already prepared for a low-to-high sweeping strike from beneath a larger target.


    The sound of a dozen different orifices roaring the same note made his skin crawl, but he didn¡¯t waver in his rush forward. The layer of dust spores that covered the floor was scattered by the rumbling clamor, elevating into the air and rolling forward and back in jerking motions as they were caught in waves of sound like smoke in front of massive bass speakers.


    Coop broke through the suspended sheets of dust, leaping across the rubble covered floor and casting Legacy of the Mists five times to break through the Elite Sporeguard honor guards that had taken a protective stance in front of the main mushroom. The phantasmal barbarians dove into the fray, breaking the defensive formation with reckless abandon, seeming uncoordinated in comparison, but making up for it with brutal viciousness. Coop rushed in from the back, skipping over water-filled gaps until he drew close enough to attack. He swept his battle axe from behind, low and on his right, carving a gouge in the ground as he raised the blade all the way across his body and over his left shoulder. The blade crashed into the meat of the Enthralling Mystic and ripped the leathery skin on the edge of its underbelly.


    A gaping wound formed in the body of the mushroom boss, torn by Coop¡¯s attack. The monster reeled backwards, bracing a dozen trunk-like feet against the unexpectedly powerful strike. Coop kept moving, following the momentum of his weapon, anticipating an explosion of spores to escape the larger mushroom¡¯s body. He let himself spin, sliding on the rock floor and building momentum to chop one of the leg clusters out from underneath the mutant fungus.


    As his axe cleaved through the series of forward legs the central mushroom cap rippled as it released a dense cloud of spores down toward Coop, dropping them like a sudden rain shower, coating its own body and screening itself from sight.


    After hewing the legs, Coop leapt backwards and drifted away, pummeling the Elite Sporeguards between himself and the perimeter, rather than stay within the sea of spores.


    Ropey mycelium entangled themselves among the exposed hyphae beneath the torn skin, retaining the body¡¯s rigidity and not letting the wound extend any further beneath the bulk of the monster. A handful of the spikes flailed in the air in front of the wound as if fending off invisible enemies. Coop had carved a creepy mouth into the monster, but it had stabilized itself immediately. The same roots that had been launching surprise attacks on him throughout the battle demonstrated an impressive amount of dexterity.


    Once the positions were reset, Coop swapped to his spear and launched it at the center mass of the boss. Rather than absorb the missile, like Coop anticipated, the mushroom dropped its entire body onto the floor of the cave, releasing more boulders from the ceiling and sending a tidal wave of dust outwards. The pressure wave redirected his spear into the rubble that the mushroom had climbed from, preventing any damage at all.


    Coop pressed his lips together, blew air out of his nose, and squinted as he prepared to be saturated by the deluge of spores. However, before the wave reached his position at the edge of the cave, the mushroom abruptly stood up, drawing the spores back toward itself as it reversed the pressure. To Coop¡¯s surprise, a large group of the Elite Sporeguards disintegrated, collapsing into heaps of dust, and joined the returning spore wave as it swamped the boss.


    For a moment, the looming mushroom was fully engulfed by its own spores. When gravity brought the curtain of dust back down, the mushroom¡¯s wound was healed. The mycelia that covered the leathery skin were swollen and red as if they were agitated. Coop resummoned his axe, twisting the handle in his hands as he came up with a plan.


    He was satisfied that he was making progress even if the monster could stabilize itself and rejuvenate. All he needed to do was overwhelm its capacity to heal, and it seemed like it had limited resources to do so, judging by its sacrifice of minions and dust. Coop¡¯s mana pool was in good shape, so he could freely summon more phantasms without risking his Mind over Matter buffer. His health was full, completely replenished by defeating Sporeguards, so he wasn¡¯t under any health pressure despite the debuffs, and Fog of War lingered in the cavern, though it had retracted from the rest of the cave system. Other than an absurd number of minor afflictions, he was basically at his maximum fighting capacity.


    Coop charged forward again, leaping across the opened chasms, brandishing his resummoned axe and conjuring phantasms as he went. There were noticeably less spores in the air. The mushroom boss was employing parts of itself to maintain control of the caves, but it had already been forced to abandon its expansive territory in order to concentrate on Coop. The Elite Sporeguards were also manifestations of itself, meaning every threat in all of the caves had all been from this one opponent. He thought it was nice that the mushroom was consolidating itself rather than scattering. The fight could be concluded right there.


    Coop weaved past a series of mushroom lances as they tried to prevent him from closing in on the main body, easily spotted without the cloud of moths masking their appearance. He dodged and countered the telegraphed attacks until he was nearing the flank of the boss, draining his mana with another dozen casts of Legacy of the Mists, establishing a squad of spectral phantasms. This time, he dropped the phantasmal barbarians around the massive mushroom, letting them frenzy on the main opponent with vicious strikes. The Elite Sporeguards abandoned their defensive formation to retreat backwards and engage the phantasms, letting Coop pick his shot.


    The ethereal battle axe carved another gouge in the rock on Coop¡¯s right flank, lighting up the dark cavern with sparks as he drew the heavy weapon up and to his left. The mushroom boss tried to shift away as it was riddled with ghostly attacks, but its stumpy legs lacked the Agility to match Coop¡¯s speed. It sent out streamers of mycelial forming a net that was ripped by the curved edge of the axe before its leathery skin was torn asunder.


    Coop let his torso follow the battle axe to his left, releasing his right hand as he dismissed the axe. He spun all the way around, revealing the heaviest spear he had ever summoned, already cocked back over his right shoulder. Releasing the missile, he aimed for the opening he had created with his axe. The unstable spear was swallowed by the mushroom¡¯s body.


    The boss exploded. Ethereal shards blasted through the mushroom¡¯s body, shredding its insides and escaping into the cavern before dissipating into mists. Coop stumbled further away, surprised by the increased potency of his own abilities. Chunks of mushroom meat shot across the cavern and he covered his head with his hands, protecting himself as he retreated from the splattering bits of meat that scattered throughout the chamber. It was like blowing up a pumpkin with a bomb.


    When he uncovered his head, the cave had darkened even further. Other than a handful of white moths finding their places hidden among the tiny green mushrooms at the edges of the cavern, only Coop still moved. The mushroom boss was a mountain of disintegrating mushroom meat, drying into lifeless gray dust.

 Chapter 180: Mad Science

    Coop stifled his celebration after handily defeating the mushroom boss. For a moment he was on the verge of forgetting the purpose of his trip into the caverns, giddy with his exploits against what had, on paper, seemed like an oppressive opponent. But conquering such a challenge hadn¡¯t been the reason he was exploring the dank darkness in the first place.


    A High Priest of the Cult of Chakyum was supposed to be making the cave system their sanctuary. As he shook off the dust that clung to his sweat coated skin, he wondered if the local intel had been incorrect. He really doubted that the mushroom would have been content to share its domain with someone else. Perhaps Tzultacaj and Juliana had mistaken the exploits of the mushroom for the actions of the Cult.


    Before he made any hasty judgments, he checked his notifications. They had been flooded with afflictions during the fight, but there were other messages interspersed among the debuffs that he hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to observe.


    [You defeated Elite Sporeguard (Level 317)]


    [+3767 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Essence of Corruption (Uncommon)


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Settle the Infestation (62/200)]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Elite Sporeguard (Level 317)]


    [+3842 Basic Credits]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Settle the Infestation (168/200)]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Fairy¡¯s Inkcap (Level 317)]


    [+40053 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Mycelial Dream Thread (Unique)]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Quest Complete! Settle the Infestation]


    [You have a new quest!]


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Coop muttered as he filtered through the notices. He dropped to a squat as he realized he was going to need a minute to parse the information that had been waiting for his attention.


    There were several surprises hidden between the fungal infections. The first was that he had stumbled upon another Infestation quest. This one was identical to the quest he had received on the oil platform where the Zombie Lord had established his domain at the start of the assimilation. The Elite Sporeguards were similar in quest function to the Elite Zombies from back then, and the Inkcap Mushroom Boss was the Zombie Lord¡¯s Captain all over again. After defeating a few hundred of the Elites and completing the first task, he was presented with another branching quest that allowed him to settle the Infestation through elimination or cultivation, just like the first time around.


    ¡°That means there should be a Zombie Lord equivalent around here.¡± Coop mumbled to himself. ¡°Bet there really is a High Priest lurking in the background...¡± Coop squinted around the chamber, but still didn¡¯t see any obvious ways to continue through the cave system.


    As far as he understood the rules, it seemed possible for powerful individuals to strike out in unclaimed territory. Once they established their domain, the system designated it as an infestation, providing quests that encouraged more conflict. The Primal Constructs were the obvious beneficiary, with established Field Bosses initiating infestations where they were uncontested, but the Zombie Lord had managed to do the same thing with the guidance of his Breathless faction. It seemed like the High Priest had done the same with the linked sinkholes and the super powerful Enthralling Mystic Mushroom. If the undead could figure it out, why not others?


    If an Infestation was allowed to linger, reinforcing its territory over time, it could evolve into a Hive. Felrog the Soul Snatcher had managed to establish a Hive right beneath Ghost Reef¡¯s fort, creating the Infestation early enough that the civilization shard hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to expand its secure territory. As far as Coop could tell, the advancement provided progression to the minions inside the territory, but little else. It was possible that the Hive beneath Ghost Reef had been crippled by the close proximity of the civilization shard along with Jett¡¯s diligent culling, so Coop wasn¡¯t ready to write them off as innocuous, and there was no evidence that a Hive was the final form of the arrangements.


    The fact that the Cult of Chakyum appeared to have initiated an Infestation made him wonder about the Envoy¡¯s apparent lack of interest in settlements. According to the Ghost Reef residents¡¯ reports, the man had been cagey about his home base, but maybe he had been sincere about lacking a headquarters with his association finding settlements unimportant. Perhaps they were banking on claiming territory through this alternative method, but Coop couldn¡¯t figure out how that would help them ¡®win¡¯ the assimilation. The Primal Constructs would surely take the planet if that was the Cult¡¯s victory strategy. Maybe there was more to their strategy that he hadn¡¯t discovered yet.


    Coop had yet to experience anything beyond a Hive, and even that had been overshadowed by the siege event. However, Camila¡¯s family and the Sapphire Armada¡¯s Viceroy, Hali, had each described a zone of extreme danger north of the Orlando settlement. The independent accounts from two different perspectives were enough to convince Coop that something was brewing up there. Coop strongly suspected that whatever came after a Hive had already developed in that region.


    ¡°Something else to take care of.¡± Coop predicted, moderately interested in what he would find should he make it that far. The first Infestation jump started his progress in a way that he wouldn¡¯t forget, so maybe a more mature version would grant him even more boons to carry his faction forward.


    He put the idea of future adventures aside, recognizing that he had yet to completely deal with the current Infestation, but even before that, he had progressed enough to pause and take note.


    Tallying up the levels gained from the Elite Sporeguards, he had mixed feelings. The fact that the enemies he had been fighting were twice his level meant they should have been worth unbelievable amounts of experience, but he suspected there was something funky about how the system calculated their contributions. Either there was some experience smoothing that would prevent powerleveling by scaling the gains down to a certain threshold or the fact that they were all a part of one being diminished the results, but nowhere near enough to make it seem like he only defeated a single enemy. Coop wished he could get a full accounting of the system¡¯s assessments, but judging by the way Garod had discouraged him from over analyzing the damage calculations, he suspected he would just be confused if he sought clarity. He would need to defeat more enemies that outleveled him in similar ways to collect enough data and draw his own conclusions. In any case, he counted nine levels from the Elites and four levels from the boss itself.


    Thirteen levels in a matter of hours was nothing to be disappointed about, but Coop was greedy for stats. He also received three profession levels from scavenging the Sporeguards and four more profession levels from the boss. He wouldn¡¯t look down upon the material rewards either. The highlight was another Unique item called Mycelial Dream Thread that had appeared in his spatial storage along with a bit more than 900,000 Basic Credits.


    [Status]


    HP - 14040/14040


    MP - 17827/26580


    Class - Revenant (Level 170)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 122)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 75 (+2658)


    Agility - 75 (+1329)


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Body - 75 (+1329)


    Mind - 2215 (+443)


    Intelligence - 75 (+2658)


    Acumen - 75 (+1329)


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion III, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper, Slayer VII, Dauntless, Stacked, Defiant, Siegebreaker, Mindbender


    Skills (Active) - Invocation, Presence of Mind, Fog of War


    Skills (Passive) - Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension, Clarity of Purpose


    Quests - Settle the Infestation II, Fortune Seeker (18/50), Upgrade Town to City


    Basic Credits - 4,592,601


    The burst of levels combined with the few he gained from the Ruin Nebula Field Boss and granted him enough progress that he didn¡¯t need to feel guilty about the days spent traveling through the jungle. He felt pretty confident that he had made up for any ground lost to the others on the leaderboards with the contributions from the mushrooms.


    Coop stood back up and took another look around the room. The walls remained sturdy, but the ceiling was cracked and missing chunks in large spaces, especially beneath the center of the chamber where the mushroom boss had appeared. The floor was another story. The mushroom boss had been hiding beneath a layer of stone, bathing in the groundwater that flowed underneath. When it climbed into the chamber, after Coop had exposed its hiding place, it destroyed most of the surface. Rocks jutted out and small canyons formed, exposing an underground river that had been diverted by the mushroom¡¯s bulk.


    Coop¡¯s Fog of War had diminished so that it only remained within the individual chamber, but it was enough for him to confirm that there were no other exits besides the path that he had arrived on. However, his mists couldn¡¯t penetrate the water, and there had also been pools at the edges of the room, glowing a radioactive green that he had been inclined to avoid.


    The groundwater had been at approximately the same level in every single sinkhole, and the final cavern was no exception. The main difference was that the rocky ground had covered the water beneath, which was where the Enthralling Mystic had been growing. As Coop made his way toward one of the perimeter ponds he watched as water rushed through the rubble of the torn up floor.


    ¡°Hm..¡± Coop mumbled as he noticed something.


    The way the water flowed into the rocky underground was too consistent to simply be filling the void left by the exit of the mushroom. It was like the water was draining into an even larger space after an obstacle had been removed. Coop thought it was a promising lead, so he circled the battlefield until he found a sloped waterfall leading into the darkness of a lower level with enough of a gap for him to fit.


    He glanced at the glowing green pools, then back into the darkness where the underground river flowed. Neither prospect was particularly appealing. A brief assessment of the perimeter mushroom pools revealed nothing of interest. If there was an underwater passage to more caverns, they weren¡¯t revealed by the curtain mushrooms. After circling the chamber, he returned to the newly exposed rushing water in the middle of the room.


    Coop sighed to himself, summoning his spear and considering how he would navigate a waterslide into the abyss. If he went deeper underground, he would lose confidence in his ability to dig himself out in the event of a collapse. The previous caves had all been separated from the surface by a thin layer that frequently had gaps in the ceiling. If it all came down, he was sure he was strong enough to dig his way out, and if he got stuck or lost, he expected his spear throws to be plenty strong enough to clear the way back up. Going deeper underground was triggering alarm bells in his head.


    ¡°I dunno about this¡­¡± He expressed doubt to the audience of moths while testing the water with the spear tip. It was almost lonely without the voices taunting him in his head.


    He tilted his head back and forth as he tried to think it through. If he went too deep, there was a real possibility of being trapped, and he really didn¡¯t like the idea of being crushed beneath a mountain of earth. What if he simply got stuck? Would he just linger there forever?


    ¡°Yikes.¡± He shook his head at the thought of being buried alive with immortality in the mix.


    Coop¡¯s hesitation didn¡¯t last when he recalled Tzultacaj and Juliana¡¯s mission. They had been on the hunt for the priest in order to free people that were kidnapped and meant to be sacrificed. Coop squeezed his spear and took a deep breath, resolving himself to finish the job as lives were potentially on the line. He needed to see the mission through. If he ran into more problems, he would solve them. If they were difficult, he would work on them one step at a time.


    With that final thought filling him with purpose, he didn¡¯t let himself stall. Coop jumped into the water, splashing into the cold and sliding further into the dark.


    Coop¡¯s eyes were as wide as saucers, but the limited light made judging distances impossible. He stifled a shriek as the water took a winding path that dragged him deeper, twisting and turning so that he lost his sense of direction. The water would speed up, pulling him deeper into the earth before leveling off and pooling in pitch black chambers as it filtered through narrow passages. Coop bounced off stone walls that had been smoothed by ages of rushing water until a final drop left a lump in his throat. He anticipated a collision and did his best to prepare, but was saved by a deep, ice-cold pool.


    Before he sank to the bottom, he swam up, toward an orange tinged surface. The final pool was enormous, with dozens of waterfalls scattered along the edges, similar to the one that Coop had emerged from. When he reemerged his sense of smell was bombarded by a horrifically strong scent of decay. He involuntarily dunked his head back underwater in a futile effort to escape the stench, almost preferring to drown than inhale it again. As he swam toward the shore he refocused.


    The next time he brought his head above water, he did so slowly, trying to stay as quiet as possible. He was prepared for the smell this time, but it still slapped him in the face. With watering eyes he carefully observed the dry area. Water filled the center of the chamber with a proper river entering from one side and exiting another. Both tunnels were filled with darkness, but were large enough for boats to safely navigate. A large wooden dock had been built off to Coop¡¯s side and held a series of torches that chased the darkness away. Each flame left a trail of black smoke in the humid air as the burning contested the dampness. Soggy wooden platforms covered the exposed rock on the dry land and were lined with wooden crates, old barrels, and scattered supplies bound with frayed ropes. Physically, Coop thought he had found himself inside some kind of underground smuggler¡¯s den, but the smell was what defined the place.


    When his eyes landed on the source, he had to fight himself from retching. Rather than a smuggler¡¯s den, this was a laboratory of disgust, and the owner was fretting over what seemed like biological experiments. Coop drew himself out of the water, staying silent other than the quiet dripping that barely overcame the flickering sounds from the torches, and obscuring himself by staying off the wooden planks. Following the perimeter of the landing, his head was even with the boardwalk. He listened carefully, watching the person in a stained white coat as they frantically shifted from one subject to another.


    ¡°No¡­ No!¡± The mad scientist mumbled and shouted with a shrill, panicked voice. Coop was sure they were both the High Priest of Chakyum and the final boss of the Infestation, but they were not what he had expected. He had imagined another creep, like the Envoy, but this person was a small woman with tangled brown hair sloppily tied up, wearing a white lab coat that, while dirty, belonged in a sterile building rather than a dank cave.


    ¡°Why is this happening?!¡± She screeched as she kicked at one of her subjects. ¡°Not yet! Not yet! They aren¡¯t ready!¡±


    Coop was close enough to understand what she had been working on and he felt a fiery anger deep in his gut. If there had been any opportunity for a peaceful resolution, it was gone the moment Coop witnessed the High Priest¡¯s crimes. Even compared to the Zombie Lord, this person was actually evil.


    ¡°My babies!¡± She cried as she caressed a shriveling mushroom cap that had emerged from her tests.


    All along the platform were mushrooms. They were eerily similar to the Fairy¡¯s Inkcap that Coop had defeated on his way down. They were all connected by a series of roots that extended up along the back wall and into the ceiling. Coop would take a bet that they were all one and the same. These were extensions of the mushroom boss. The scientist had been cultivating the enormous Mystic, feeding it experience, elevating it to its extreme level.


    The roots were tinged black and decaying, obviously dying without the primary body to sustain the smaller offshoots. At the end of each root was a mushroom cap. They were wilting despite the scientist¡¯s frantic efforts. Most were the size of small animals, but a few were tall enough to seem like they could develop into tree-sized colonies. What horrified Coop was the substrate that they had been growing from.


    They were growing out of human bodies.


    [Oathsworn Human (Level 76)]


    [Fey Master (Intelligence)]


    [Chosen of the Darkdawn Circle]


    [(Cultivator)]


    ¡°Not ready! Not ready!¡± She shouted in between muffled grunts as she dug her hands into the rapidly decaying mushrooms. ¡°Not ready!¡±


    Coop wasn¡¯t impressed by her level, but it appeared that she was doing some kind of ritual. The Envoy hadn¡¯t been at an extreme level until after he had committed to oppressing Ghost Reef. It was possible she was preparing to do the same.


    Coop rolled onto the wooden platform and stood up to his full height, still dripping cold water that splattered onto the dry planks. The High Priest was too distracted with her failing project to notice his presence. His ethereal spear was at the ready anyway, while his shield solidified in his offhand. He threw the spear low and hard, primarily intending to interrupt her ritual, but if she died from the force of his blow, he wouldn¡¯t mourn.


    A moment later, she fell to the ground with a gurgle. Spear carved straight through her and Coop resummoned it as he stomped forward, done with subterfuge. The Oathsworn rolled onto her back and coughed black blood. Her arms were covered in black gunk all the way to her elbows from digging into the mushrooms, and even worse, her lips and cheeks were stained with the same decayed mushroom soup. She had been frantically eating the dying mushrooms that had been growing from the cadavers. Coop clenched his jaw tight, utterly disgusted.


    ¡°Not¡­ ready¡­¡± She coughed.


    ¡°Where is Chakyum?¡± Coop demanded, leveling his spear at her face.


    For a moment the panic left her face and she started to smile, showing blackened teeth. ¡°Everywhere.¡± She stated gladly before coughing more blood. ¡°He is death.¡± She added with a sigh.


    Coop finished her off, not interested in a protracted interrogation. If the Priests of Chakyum were committing similar atrocities, he would need to hunt more of them down. He would get proper answers eventually.

 Chapter 181: Devourer

    Coop drifted away from the High Priest¡¯s hidden base in a commandeered rowboat. The watercraft had been pulled ashore near the wooden dock and secured by a frayed piece of rope that practically disintegrated upon touch. Coop finished the job by tearing the tattered line and dragging the boat into the edge of the water. He gingerly stepped inside, testing the partially rotted wooden planks before fully committing his weight to the vessel. The boat had been neglected for some time, showing significant signs of deterioration, but it floated well enough. That was all Coop needed from it. Behind him, the priest¡¯s fungiculture project was smoldering. Flames consumed what hadn¡¯t rotted away upon the defeat of the mushroom boss, wiping the caves clean of the last disgusting bits of cultist influence.


    The subterranean lake was clear and deep. Leaning over the edge of the boat and peering into the depths in the center of the channel made it almost seem like he was floating on a bottomless basin. The limited fire light was gradually swallowed by the turquoise depths, revealing nothing but an underground abyss. Coop felt an involuntary fear for what might be lurking on the bottom, so he tried not to think about it.


    Waterfalls were scattered throughout the cavern, filling the empty cavern with the steady sounds of splashing water. Combined, they were loud enough to drown out the crackling of flames back on the shore, but the crashing water only churned the pool in their immediate vicinity. The natural cistern was large enough that the waves barely interrupted the calm surface throughout the rest of the area. The waterfalls were quietly swallowed up by the lake¡¯s volume. There weren¡¯t any fish swimming around, which Coop took as a sign that the cave had been thoroughly claimed by death. They knew to stay away, unlike him.


    Coop passively steered the vessel, letting the gentle flow of the underground river carry him into one of the dark tunnels. His logic was simple; he assumed that downstream would lead to an exit. It wouldn¡¯t be much of a smuggler¡¯s den if it was completely isolated from the outside world and the presence of the boat in the first place was enough to convince him that there would be an outlet by water. It wasn¡¯t like he believed the High Priest had burrowed her way into the cave either.


    Once he had the open sky above his head again, he would find his way through the mountainous forest and navigate back to the original entrance. Tzultacaj and Juliana would be waiting for his reappearance and he fully intended to meet up with them again, even if he needed to deliver bad news. There was no way he would have discovered the butterfly cave without them. If the other priests were as dug in as this, he would need more help in the future just finding them. For the time being, he would lean on Tzultacaj¡¯s expertise to lead him to more of Chakyum¡¯s priests.


    Backtracking through the caves would have been a massively difficult undertaking, requiring him to climb up the rocky waterslide that had carried him into the depths. Being carried away from the sight of the mushroom atrocities in the little rowboat was a much more appealing prospect.


    Judging by the state of decay among the corpses, the kidnapping victims of the High Priest had been dead for a while. Coop was no expert in forensic pathology, but even he could tell that the victims were dead a long time, certainly before he had even left Ghost Reef. They had been used to feed the mushroom boss in a nasty ritual of cultivation, one that had clearly been done repeatedly in order to consistently grow the mushroom into the boss monster it had become. The High Priest was using people as fertilizer for the mushroom and it appeared to have been working extraordinarily well. She had succeeded in creating a minion that had a level that completely overshot his own.


    He wasn¡¯t entirely sure to what end the High Priest had essentially power leveled a separate entity, but he had some theories. The fact that her last act was to try and consume the rotting mushrooms herself was a clue that lined up with what he already knew about the Cult. They were pursuing the experience that others accumulated, concentrating it under their control, and in this case, preserving it before they took it for themselves.


    Ever since the beginning, Coop had feared that unsavory people would discover exactly how lucrative of an experience farm humans, and for that matter, animals that were leveling, could be. He expected that the most ruthless individuals would see other people as an opportunity to boost themselves, but he had never imagined anyone would take the concept so many steps further. The Cult of Chakyum appeared to be industrializing the idea. Even Coop would need to be wary of their potential. They were obviously willing to go to lengths that went beyond his imagination.


    While he had defeated a High Priest, he had not really progressed in his original mission. However, he didn¡¯t feel like it would be a waste of time to confront the members of the Cult of Chakyum, especially if they were involved in similarly heinous acts. If anything, they were even more deserving of destruction than the Endless Empire had been, and the fact that they were practicing these rituals on an individual basis meant that he would need to hunt them all down lest he leave them to fester and become a much bigger problem in the future.


    They were obviously intent on hoarding experience, which was a relatable goal to someone obsessed with grinding like Coop, but their methods were completely off the rails. They had determined that literally farming humans was the way forward. They were crossing lines that demanded attention. If there had been a chance for Coop to negotiate with the Cult, it was long gone already. Any perceived misunderstandings brought by the Envoy were likely incomparable to reality. The Cult of Chakyum was Coop¡¯s enemy.


    As Coop let the singular oar drag behind the rowboat, he checked on the result of the infestation quest. The quest had been completed by elimination rather than cultivation. It was almost insulting that the system had given him the option to align with the priest. The Cult would obviously see him as a high priority target rather than any kind of ally and he absolutely felt the same.


    Coop had a new potential title from the completion of the infestation quest, called Devourer. According to its description, the title would allow him to temporarily absorb 1% of a defeated enemy¡¯s highest attribute. Coop immediately thought of the Eater of Worlds back on Ghost Reef. The giant pig¡¯s class provided a similar, if undoubtedly more significant temporary buff, and witnessing the power first-hand during the siege made Coop excited for a similar effect.


    However, the additional quest reward triggered another title evolution, similar to how his Reaper title had overlapped with his first Bloodthirsty title back when he defeated the Zombie Lord. The conflicting nature of certain titles required him to make a choice, though it wasn¡¯t without benefit. The titles essentially absorbed the other, improving their original effect. In this case, the Devourer title overlapped with his previously improved Reaper title. Given how critical the recovery provided by his Reaper title had become, he would need to take the decision seriously.


    Evolve the Reaper title to ¡®Recover 10% of defeated enemy health and mana on kill.¡¯


    or


    Evolve the Devourer title to ¡®Temporarily gain 2% of defeated enemy maximum health, mana, and highest attribute.¡¯


    ¡°Oof.¡± Coop squeezed his eyes and tilted his head up, slightly exasperated by the options. He had to keep the Reaper title. There was no doubt about it.


    Even though his health and mana pools had grown to incomparable levels as he progressed, especially relative to most of the enemies he defeated, the Reaper title was still his only method of recovery beyond passive regeneration. He hadn¡¯t been able to supplement his actual recovery in any other way.


    Unfortunately, the title hadn¡¯t been growing alongside Coop¡¯s gains, locked as it was to his opponent¡¯s progression rather than his own. The amount of resources he recovered from the average monster was practically negligible if looked at on an individual basis. The only reason why he could still consider his title recovery to be suitable was that his mitigation had been growing alongside his resource pools. Not to mention his own skill in avoiding and countering damage had been improving, and the fact that he had more robust ranged and mid-ranged options in combat meant that he could take less damage than ever.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    A defeated monster providing 15 health was laughable compared to his total health pool, as it approached 15,000, but if that same monster could only deal damage to Coop in the double digits, if at all, then it more or less worked out. Coop was stronger, faster, and more durable compared to his previous self, but that didn¡¯t completely overcome how dated his Reaper¡¯s recovery was becoming. Evolving the title to be more effective was definitely the right move, but he couldn¡¯t help but imagine the possibilities if he could absorb stats, even if temporarily.


    He had a vision of himself sweeping across unnamed plains filled with monsters, carried by his fog, defeating vast swathes of enemies at once. With each kill he would become even stronger, eventually growing like the Eater of Worlds. A temporary stat boost would have been a microcosm of his snowballing strategy, but it would be a fleeting buff. It didn¡¯t work for him. From the start, Coop had opted for the steady growth of levels, eschewing the temporary power granted by active skills in favor of permanent passives, and he wasn¡¯t about to stray from his general strategy, especially when it had been paying off so thoroughly.


    Ironically, the Devourer title would be devoured by Coop¡¯s build. He selected the Reaper title evolution and felt content that one of his oldest advantages would continue to benefit him even as he sent his stats into the stratosphere. It wasn¡¯t even a minor increase, but an actually massive five-fold leap in efficiency.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s that.¡± Coop confirmed his choice to the empty tunnel. The dancing reflections of light hitting the smooth rock surfaces paid him no mind.


    The rowboat was slowly meandering down the underground river while Coop observed the gradually changing scenery. He carefully rowed with the current; one or two lazy paddles, alternating on each side, kept the vessel centered. After some time, the barren walls started to contain small bits of pioneering vegetation. Further downstream, small amphibians started to appear along with tiny fish. Insects skimmed the water, dancing in and out of range of the minnows as they hunted prey unseen to Coop¡¯s eyes. Eventually, light illuminated the end of the damp tunnel.


    Coop breathed a sigh of relief as birdsongs echoed into the cavern. A few more minutes of drifting and he finally had the sky above his head. The tunnel gave way to a sloping ridge, and the river continued twisting its way down through the forest and toward the distant ocean in the east. He rowed himself to the nearest shore with the old oar and dragged the boat onto the dry land. It was a muddy beach with waterlogged felled trees embedded in their resting places, absolutely carpeted with stubby palms. Judging by the sunlight, it was already midday. Coop needed to head west to revert his trip underground.


    Summoning his ethereal spear, he launched it above the trees so high into the air that it ended up eclipsing the nearest mountains. They weren¡¯t extraordinary peaks, but Coop¡¯s initial mistjump would take him just below the clouds. It was the first time he was navigating the forest without a guide since he arrived in Corozal, and he was genuinely happy to regain the sense of freedom. Once he had a better idea of the terrain, he would easily be able to cover great distances. It wasn¡¯t like the open ocean, where it would be difficult to identify any particular landmarks among the expanse of steady waves. There were clumps of trees with unique features all over the place, meandering rivers like the one that had carried him out of the cave system, and countless worn mountain peaks, shaped by eons of weather. Each would become a guidepost as he familiarized himself with the area.


    For the immediate future, Belize and the Yucatan region would need to become his regular stomping grounds. Rather than continue as a tourist, leaning on locals to lead him from point to point, he would be claiming the territory for himself. The forested mountain highlands and the tropical lowlands would become his base, and the first step would be developing familiarity with the lay of the land. What better way than with a bird¡¯s eye view from high in the sky?


    When Coop activated his mistjump, the monochromatic world consumed the forest, spreading from his person until it was shrouding the distant sea in mists and putting the rounded mountain range into a haze of gray fog. The vivid shades of green that painted the forest canopy were washed out until they were like a faded charcoal drawing, smeared by streaks of mist. The constant movement of leaves in the wind, with branches being disturbed by wildlife, all but ceased, frozen in the foggy world.


    After being dragged through the mists and solidifying at his spear, a rush of wind greeted him high in the sky and the tiny movements of the forest all resumed as normal. He let himself fall as he triangulated his position from above.


    For the most part, the forest seemed uniform with a thick green canopy and dark exposed rocky surfaces, but it was growing increasingly familiar. Coop recognized the strips of escalated growth where the trees towered along drifting rivers. The darker green of trees that grew in ravines contrasted with their neighbors, forming long lines until they melded into the rest of the forest. Dark ridges split the levels of the forest, thinning the vegetation as they escalated. Pockets formed in the canopy where sinkholes collapsed the ground, and depending on the level of regrowth, Coop could even determine the age of the formations, at least relative to the rest.


    The sinkholes were the clues he needed if he wanted to figure out where to go, but deciphering the exact formations and comparing them to what he had seen underground was an impossibility to his amateur eye. The hint that Coop needed to solve his navigation problem was an uncannily flat zone of trees off in the distance, like a crop circle had been carved into the rainforest. The circular gap that seemed too perfect from above indicated where he had first encountered Tzultacaj. From that landmark, Coop surveyed the land and made the nearest sinkhole his objective.


    A moment later, Tzultacaj and Juliana leapt away from the edge of the hole in the ground, abandoning their entrance preparations, with ropes still tied around their waists. Coop¡¯s spear had embedded itself in the dirt a few dozen yards away. A pair of toucans flew out of the canopy, spooked by the sudden appearance of a missile shooting from the sky and a small shower of leaves drifted to the ground with it.


    When Coop came out of the tree line, the pair of Jaguar warriors bombarded him with questions.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Tzultacaj started.


    ¡°Where the heck did you come from?¡± Juliana demanded.


    Only Felix greeted him properly, pouncing from his unseen perch to rub his cheek against Coop¡¯s shoulder. Coop scratched the oversized cat while struggling to maintain his balance before he got on with the explanations.


    ¡°Listen, why don¡¯t you guys sit down and I¡¯ll go through everything I found in the caves.¡± Coop suggested.


    By the tone of his voice they could already tell that there wouldn¡¯t be good news when it came to the kidnapping victims. Coop had returned alone after all. But he had returned. That possibly meant a High Priest had been defeated. It would be the first time such a thing had happened, so they both did as he suggested.


    Coop recounted the entire trip underground. It had been less than a day, but a lot had happened from his perspective. The pair of warriors listened intently, holding their questions back to avoid interrupting. When Coop was finished, the minor details they would have clarified were no longer important. They accepted the news solemnly, as it was disappointing, but it was a standard outcome for the Yucatan. The fact that the High Priest had received her just desserts was actually worth commemorating. Coop finished his story with a request for them to point him to the next priest. He wasn¡¯t done with the Cult of Chakyum, far from it, in fact.


    ¡°Juliana.¡± Tzultacaj began, after he had taken a moment to gather his thoughts.


    ¡°Yes?¡± She responded, wondering what the warrior wished to do next. She knew his plans would be to continue the fight, and Coop clearly represented a powerful ally, but their foes were immeasurably dangerous, numerous, and scattered.


    ¡°Go to Sierra and have her spread the word of this victory. We will try again. I will go to Mateo and share the news.¡± He stood up. ¡°Can you wait for us to collect information?¡± He asked, directing the question to Coop.


    Coop shrugged. He wasn¡¯t willing to sit on his hands, but he would make sure they could reach him. ¡°Just bring it to Corozal.¡± He waved his hand vaguely in that direction. ¡°I¡¯ll be around.¡±


    Tzultacaj nodded firmly and without another word, turned on his heel to start walking through the jungle, heading west, in the general direction of the Yucatan settlement. Juliana sighed as she and Coop watched the axe-wielding warrior go.


    ¡°Guess we¡¯ll be seeing you.¡± She stated as she stood up herself, gesturing at Felix to join her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it. We''ll definitely get rid of these priests.¡± He promised.


    Juliana nodded with a more hopeful smile than he had seen from her. ¡°You¡¯ve already done more than most.¡± She nudged the reluctant Felix away, heading south. ¡°Be safe.¡± She added before she disappeared into the leaves.


    Coop¡¯s spear reformed in his hand as he decided on his next steps. The pair of warriors from the Jaguar Sun had parted ways without fanfare, solemn with purpose. Coop wouldn¡¯t let them down when it came time to prove his determination. First, he threw his spear north, returning to Corozal, his base within the region.

 Chapter 182: Neptunes Bridge

    Neptune¡¯s Bridge was a monument of system reliant construction. The Sapphire Armada had built an unusual city completely unlike anything that previously existed on Earth. The city was built in the center of a long bridge that crossed into the open ocean. The separation of the Florida peninsula from the mainland of the former United States had been undersold by those who described the distance in words. There was no sign of land on either horizon, north or south, unless perched among the tall spires that demarcated where the bridge met the city. It could have just as easily been the middle of any of the world¡¯s oceans.


    The peculiar location was the result of a combination of unlikely factors that began with the civilization shard landing in the water. Submerged civilization shards had little chance of being claimed. They were much more likely to be destroyed by the early arrival of Primal Constructs, with humans never realizing they existed, as evidenced by the glittering beaches in certain regions, but Neptune¡¯s Bridge had been a rare exception.


    The Sapphire Armada¡¯s first Chosen were able to claim the nautical shard and establish their maritime nation, following the direction of their sponsors from the start. The fact that there weren¡¯t any current residents to begin with meant that the entire population had voluntarily joined in the early days of the assimilation, pooling all of their resources together. The level of cooperation would obviously be a rarity during the apocalypse, especially from such a large number of people, but they had benefited from some of the same factors as Ghost Reef in terms of population reciprocity. Orlando had been wiped off the face of the Earth by the arrival of mana, and the survivors had no choice but to pull together, especially with the pressure of alien monsters building.


    Flocks of seagulls circled the four spires, claiming the white and silver stone structures as a refuge. Marcus waved a particularly curious group of birds away from his vantage point on one of the southern spires. In the distance, he could just barely see a wooded shoreline abutting the long bridge that stretched so far, it revealed the curvature of the Earth. The tips of mana-enhanced slash pine trees were the only details he could make out.


    The city was smaller than expected, given the high population of the Orlando settlement. The actual footprint of the floating city wasn¡¯t larger than a handful of city blocks, but it had a verticality that Ghost Reef lacked. Layers of buildings were stacked, and wide bridges of white stone criss-crossed the gaps high above broad canals. Marcus had imagined the city would be like Venice, but the comparison only held if multiple Venices were stacked on top of each other. Broad courtyards encircled the perimeter of every block, even those that were elevated by multiple levels, giving the city a bright veneer with light colored stone catching the sun on every level. Four spires grew even further into the air, towering above the blocks, two for each side of the bridge.


    When he and the others arrived by ship, they had all been shocked into speechlessness. The bridge functioned like a massive wall for ships, preventing access to the ocean from the gulf, but Neptune¡¯s Bridge itself contained enormous canals in between blocks, putting the city in prime position for monopolizing transport from east to west. Waves crashed into the bridge as if it was a breakwater, but from what they understood, it didn¡¯t extend far beneath the surface. Apparently, the bridge and the city were all constructed of the same floating stone that the Sapphire Armada used to build their ships. Mana was necessary for their very existence.


    ¡°Incredible.¡± Marcus had observed at first sight of the gleaming city, to the gratification of Viceroy Hali, but Shane had been shocked for other reasons.


    The tactically inclined siege commander immediately recognized the weaknesses of the city and understood why they wouldn¡¯t be comfortable remaining in such a location. Basically, sieging the city itself would be virtually impossible. An invading force would be funneled into the narrow bridge and any push would be done beneath layers upon layers of abutting walls and towers. Reaching either of the extraordinary stone gates would require running a gauntlet with an active tower defense raining from above, and that was only after crossing miles of bridge while exposed to naval bombardment.


    The situation sounded ideal for a defensive and naval focused settlement, but the issue had already been exemplified by the north. The long bridge also funneled the residents when they wanted to leave by land, and to the north, monsters claimed the wide landmass, reversing the advantage into a disadvantage. Shane saw that in order to siege Neptune¡¯s Bridge, a force would simply need to camp where the bridge connected to land.


    Even Marcus could see the problem. The Sapphire Armada had committed the bulk of its population to claiming a new settlement out of necessity. The residents who remained within the island city blocks were barely hanging on in a desperate defense against masses of Primal Constructs that pressed against their northern fortifications, even as Ghost Reef¡¯s visitors arrived.


    Coop had warned the advisors that when left alone, even the Ancient Defenders, the weakest monsters they had experienced, would become aggressive, forming raid parties to attack the fort. Neptune¡¯s Bridge was essentially experiencing a siege event wave at all times from their northern shore. It was manageable due to the limitations imposed by the bridge, but even as the newcomers arrived, they could see Field Bosses pressing forward. While the defenders were hanging on, and receiving enough experience to elevate the entire city¡¯s population to relatively higher levels, it was clearly only a matter of time before the gates fell and they were forced out. The leaders of the city had clearly determined that they were doomed in the long run and needed a more secure headquarters.


    To the south, the rival settlement of Empress City had already presented a risk of bottling the city in completely, so the former Champion of Neptune¡¯s Bridge had led an aggressive forward defense that would leave them with a release valve should it become necessary. Long term, their naval dominance would play the most important role in providing them with freedom of movement, but until it could be assured, they were at risk of being inhibited to their own walls by virtue of the city¡¯s greatest feature, the bridge itself.


    Neptune¡¯s Bridge had a large territory, but it was entirely aquatic, meaning the civilization shard was doing nothing to tame the wild Primal Constructs that spawned on the lands at each end of the bridge. The north was out of control, and the south was barely held by frequent caravans of fighters who were braving the variable growth of monsters outside of settlement territory. They lost many and as even the south slipped out of their control, they determined that their position wasn¡¯t sustainable.


    The siege event had revealed other settlements and the existence of a weakened Ghost Reef had been too tempting for them to pass up. Especially since their overall strategy relied on naval dominance. They couldn¡¯t let an exhausted maritime rival bolster itself even further.


    As far as they could tell, Ghost Reef had barely survived the siege, losing almost its entire population until less than a thousand people remained. Of course, they couldn¡¯t know that Ghost Reef¡¯s tiny population wasn¡¯t disabled by greater losses, but had actually begun extraordinarily small in the first place. Rather than weakened by the siege event, they had been hardened and empowered. The Armada¡¯s misunderstanding of the island settlement¡¯s situation had led to their loss. The gambit had also caused them to fully lose control of the south, allowing monsters to finally claim the territory all the way to the shore. The most intrepid Primal Constructs even wandered onto the long bridge itself, fully realizing what they had feared.


    When Charlie unleashed her skills upon their arrival, resecuring the southern bridge, the city¡¯s residents celebrated as if they had a new lease on life. Their Champion had been killed and they assumed they would be left to die, but instead powerhouses from the settlement they had aimed to suppress rescued them. Clearing the southern bridge was the first order of business, and it had been completed by the residents of Ghost Reef with the support of half of the pirate fleet and 3,000 of the Armada¡¯s defeated troops. It took their combined forces a single day to clear the long southern bridge while Hali and Marcus established the new state of governance.


    The main point of conflict after the transfer of power was that they intended to retain Neptune¡¯s Bridge. The residents that joined in on the council protested that it would be impossible to retain the settlement in the long run and argued that they should be allowed to join other safe territory. Marcus made some promises regarding their safety that would be backed up by Shane¡¯s party while the navy continued to transport the defeated soldiers of the Armada from Ghost Reef back to Neptune¡¯s Bridge. It would be a long process that would hold Ghost Reef¡¯s parties in place for longer than expected.


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    Marcus checked the leaderboards for the umpteenth time, worried as he was for how things were going elsewhere. When he returned to Ghost Reef, one of his highest priorities would be to find a new way for them to have real time communication over long distances. The Cleary¡¯s should certainly try and figure something out. In the meantime, he was forced to scan and observe familiar names on the leaderboards just to confirm they were still there. Extrapolating successes based on level gains was rudimentary at best, but there wasn¡¯t much more available to him, so he was making do.


    A few names jumped out at him on his latest examination. The first was that Mr. Gibson and his entire party had climbed into the top 100. Gibson¡¯s party was responsible for exploring and securing the interior of the Florida peninsula, with the help of Jackson Hobbs and the former rebels of Empress City, ideally reaching all the way to Neptune¡¯s Bridge. It appeared that they were finding healthy resistance in the swampy highways that had claimed the lands in between settlements. The fact that they were steadily increasing in levels was a positive sign. Marcus guessed that they were at least comfortable with the challenges they were encountering. He would have been concerned if they were jumping large numbers of levels at once, indicating that they were overcoming great struggles that would inherently bring great risk, but they were instead growing at a more constant pace.


    Their smooth progress contrasted with their Champion¡¯s, who had appeared dormant for most of their trip to Neptune¡¯s Bridge. It wasn¡¯t until Coop leapt forward another dozen levels that they were sure he was up to his usual antics, finding something unbelievable to fight and overcome that should have probably been completely off-limits for those undergoing the assimilation. He was doing his part, so the rest of the expedition members felt like they would need to step up when it was their turn to contribute to the faction. In particular, Camila and Charlie didn¡¯t want to be outdone.


    The more surprising fluctuation on the leaderboards was that Derek had suddenly been making excellent progress as well. The man had drifted out of the top 1,000 while lazing about the tavern, but he was now approaching the top 500 after gaining fifteen levels in a third as many days. Derek had volunteered to take a more prominent role in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild back in Ghost Reef, stepping up at home while many of the more responsible members of the faction were leaving on various missions. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild was establishing a basecamp within the Coral Forest Mana Well, adjacent to the enormous shrimp colony that would hopefully become a high level grind area for the residents of the settlement. Marcus had been operating under the assumption that Derek would lounge around the bar and make sure others were periodically challenging the monsters. Apparently, the lazy bard was taking a more hands-on approach than expected. He had even surpassed Champion Jackson on the leaderboards.


    ¡°Good for him.¡± Marcus assessed.


    The only others worth mentioning were Dr. Jones¡¯s steady growth as the caretaker continued to progress by taking a page out of Coop¡¯s book to grind the local monsters around Rock Key, and Shane¡¯s party.


    Shane¡¯s party had traveled along with the bulk of the travelers from Ghost Reef, boarding the Eye of the Storm with himself, Charlie, Camila, and the visitors from Neon Park as they escorted former Viceroy Hali back to Neptune¡¯s Bridge. A majority of the Tempest Fleet joined on the journey, just in case they needed a proper show of force to properly claim the settlement while also transporting the first batch of surrendered troops.


    Even though Hali had assured them that the transfer of power would be peaceful, they didn¡¯t want to take any chances, so they brought Ghost Reef¡¯s version of an army. It really only amounted to a few dozen of the residents along with a handful of pirate ships, but each and every one of them was formidable. Luckily, the young girl who he would need to begin to accept as a peer had been telling the truth. Neptune¡¯s Bridge was officially the newest addition to The Lighthouse and the population was reprioritizing their security under the tutelage of Ghost Reef¡¯s tactical commander.


    Shane and his party had immediately gone to work reassessing the defenses of the settlement, preparing forward guardhouses on the southern end of the bridge, and establishing safe zones with their own effort. They had easily cleared a wide area around the southern end, liberally utilizing Mana Pylons to reclaim the wild territory in the name of their faction.


    The north had proven more difficult. Even with the aid of Charlie, Camila, and the trio of Neon Park elites, they made slow progress thinning out hordes of elites that doubled their average level. While they took the pressure of the fortifications of the city, there was no hope of actually holding a forward base on that end, and that was against monsters that were on the fringes of the wild territory. The ones that were meandering onto the bridge rather than establishing themselves in the unchecked forest were certainly not the most dangerous of the bunch. They all agreed that Coop would enjoy finding whatever was in the interior.


    Other than the monster zones and the incredible architecture of the floating alien stone city, there weren¡¯t many benefits acquired from Neptune¡¯s Bridge. They didn¡¯t have a mana well or particularly convenient grind zones for anyone of normal progression, though the north held promise for the most advanced levelers. Frankly, they would have been practically deadweight as they hadn¡¯t invested into anything outside of their navy and the city that housed it. But Ghost Reef was different, and they had a need for the one resource that Neptune¡¯s Bridge could provide. Population.


    Admiral Kayla had been the surprise connection necessary for turning the city¡¯s purpose around, and the reason why the expedition had remained inside the newly claimed settlement for an extra few days even after the northern bridge was reset. The Ghost Reef pirates had found fertile recruitment ground among the residents of Neptune¡¯s Bridge, and especially with the surrendered soldiers that were being funneled back home on the pirate ships. The idea that they needed to leave the settlement behind had been pervasive, and serving in the Lighthouse¡¯s navy was an opportunity to integrate into the broader faction that many begged for.


    Kayla had literally thousands of volunteers as soon as she revealed her plan, all with varying levels of experience, jumping at the chance to join one of the pirate crews. The Admiralty back on Ghost Reef would be busy, receiving its inaugural class from potential officers being picked out by Kayla and her captains. They had also acquired the tokens for rebuilding ships and would be truly amassing a proper armada of ghostly pirate ships with fresh crews under the watchful eyes of the trusted phantoms. By the time Coop finished with his business, Ghost Reef would have a massive naval fleet and a growing navy burgeoned by human volunteers.


    While the new sailors were being sorted, the taxi services were being organized by utilizing the existing vessels. Ghost Reef to Empress City was already running twice a day, once in the morning and once in evening, providing a convenient connection with the island and the mainland. The first two settlements were so closely connected, the residents of each would feel as though they were a single unit in no time at all. Residents of Ghost Reef were already taking daily trips to contribute to the effort of clearing out the mainland before returning to their apartments on the island to sleep each night.


    The much longer route from Ghost Reef to Neptune¡¯s Bridge would complete a trip every other day, with two ships alternating positions between settlements, and an overnight pitstop at the reclaimed oil rig. It was at a decent midpoint between Ghost Reef and Neptune¡¯s Bridge, and it gave the pirates a proper outpost. The longer route between the original settlement and the newest addition was already the busiest, as the entire surviving assault force was being brought back piece by piece as they were relieved from camping on the second and third islands of the Ghost Reef chain.


    Unfortunately, the Sapphire Armada¡¯s flagship had proven uncomfortably slow for the pirates, and though it could transport a massive amount of people at once, they had parked it at the pirate outpost instead, bolstering the relatively small oil rig with much greater living space.


    The second leg of their journey was approaching, and the residents of Ghost Reef were splitting up even further. The Eye of the Storm, captained by Admiral Kayla and escorted by Fearless and Sea Burial, would be transporting Marcus, Charlie, Camila, and Camila¡¯s family all the way to Neon Park next. The other captains would be handling the former Armada¡¯s recruitment and Shane¡¯s party would continue to assess Neptune¡¯s Bridge¡¯s northern defense while coordinating the remaining Ghost Reef residents in a steady push south to try and assist Mr. Gibson and Empress City¡¯s efforts to create a land connection.


    Marcus involuntarily let out a deep sigh that had Arthur raising an eyebrow at him.


    ¡°What¡¯s with you old men stressing out about every little thing?¡± Former Viceroy, now Champion Hali asked in her typical antagonistic tone.


    ¡°Perhaps we have seen one or two things go wrong and wish to avoid such events in the future.¡± Arthur politely suggested.


    Hali tapped away on her manifested tablet, managing the settlement in real time with her support abilities aiding her. She stopped for a moment and looked up. ¡°You guys kicking our asses wasn¡¯t exactly something going right for us, but you don¡¯t hear me whining into the breeze like Viceroy Pessimism over there.¡±


    ¡°He has a long trip ahead of him.¡± Arthur added. ¡°It¡¯s normal to be concerned about affairs at home while being away.¡±


    Hali snorted and refocused on her tablet. ¡°Make sure to pack a toothbrush.¡± She recommended.

 Chapter 183: Fizzies

    Marcus held his glowing weapon tight with one hand as it dripped with golden mana. Thick drops of metallic liquid leaked through his fingers and he could feel the power flow up his arm and into his shoulder until it warmed his chest. The radiating heat was a welcome contrast to the cold ocean spray that had been constantly battering them on their journey. The golden rod shimmered in the night, sending a gentle light across the deck of the ship that revealed all of the struggles they were enduring.


    The five diplomats that accompanied him on the expedition had taken a defensive posture at his rear. They were all equipped in the Ghost Reef Standard Issue equipment, and though they hadn¡¯t concentrated on combat as much as many of the other residents, they stood firmly in the face of the assault. Even they had experienced the worst of the siege event, and they maintained their training with party combat and Ledwidge¡¯s training. Two of them jabbed with spears while another¡¯s flame ball erupted over the ocean like a surface level firework display.


    With Marcus¡¯s other hand, he casted a simple blessing on Gabby that would briefly empower her, lasting only for a few seconds or until her next attack connected with a foe. Sign of Awakening would nudge her forward with Divine Guidance. At least, that¡¯s what the skill described. In practice, Marcus¡¯s ability would increase her already profound damage by supplementing her with a golden aura that added a secondary impact to anything she struck for a brief time.


    She swung her scuffed baseball bat into the slime green globule that had been belched from the surface of the contaminated ocean with a simple one-handed motion. Golden flecks erupted upon the collision, shooting forward like glittering shrapnel, piercing the liquified intruder. The combined attacks caused the globule to lose form and splash back down onto the deck and dribble back into the sea.


    ¡°Hurry!¡± Carlos shouted from the rear as his stringy shadow tendrils wrapped themselves around and within another globule that had formed on the deck. The tendrils struggled to tear through the watery body, as if they couldn¡¯t find purchase on the liquified minion.


    Charlie merely grunted in response from her protected position behind the Shadowdancer, but everyone else felt the gust of wind that filled the sails. Charlie¡¯s wind simultaneously pushed them forward while suppressing the water around the Eye of the Storm. The green malformations bulged like blisters on the surface, but they stopped climbing into the air and splashing corrupting acid on the ghost ship as it rushed beyond their domain. The Fearless and Sea Burial remained at the flag ship¡¯s flanks, the former lighting its own path with unceasing flames, and the latter firing shrapnel bolts at their rear.


    Camila¡¯s sweeping kick punted another slime blob over the edge, finding just the right amount of force to prevent it from exploding upon contact, and Ms. Sofia sent a spike of orange energy after it for good measure. The gout of water that exploded into the air was a mixture of green and orange, but the Eye of the Storm was out of range before the droplets fell back down to the sea, leaving the monsters in its wake.


    Carlos collapsed onto his back, chest heaving from the short battle, staring at the night sky as they raced north. It had been the last of more than 20 assaults on the ghost ship, but it certainly hadn¡¯t been the worst. Marcus shuddered at the thought of engaging with the leader of the minions they had been encountering in the ocean.


    ¡°We should have stayed further offshore¡­¡± Carlos complained half-heartedly. None of their options were notably better than any of the others.


    ¡°Give it a rest.¡± Gabby responded. She also took a knee, exhausted by being repeatedly put to task in combat.


    Marcus checked on his subordinates, but found all five diplomats unwearied. He wished he could have brought his entire contingent of trainees. Unfortunately, there was only so much manpower available to Ghost Reef, and many of those he had taken under his wing were too valuable in other arenas. On the upside, he could trust each and every one of them to be capable of handling themselves should they need to be dispatched to settlements on their own.


    The sight of Admiral Kayla jogging across the deck ceased his musings. ¡°Is the ship okay?¡± Marcus prompted, worried that their most recent encounter could have deteriorated their transportation enough to force them ashore.


    ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. Nothing a bit of deck swabbing won¡¯t fix.¡± Behind her, pirates were already working on the old ghost wood, making sure none of the acidic slime remained on any surfaces. ¡°How about you?¡±


    Marcus nodded positively. ¡°Ready for another round.¡± He stated confidently, but the sounds of discontent that came from Carlos said otherwise.


    For all the complaining the man did, he was a formidable fighter that would have genuinely been at home among those at Ghost Reef. All three of the Neon Park elites were powerful, and though they lacked stamina compared to what would be expected back on the island, they had been able to hang in the fights even as their cooldowns ebbed.


    ¡°Good. We can expect several more of those Slimers, judging by the way the sea bubbles in the distance.¡± Kayla glanced up at the crow¡¯s nest where a pair of pirates watched each others¡¯ back with weapons drawn as they pointed and shouted out what they spotted with the scouts from the other ships. The untamed Atlantic Ocean was turning out to be at least as dangerous as the wild regions on land, if not more so.


    They dared not return to the deep ocean, where the first foe they had encountered dwarfed the ship itself. A black whale that had breached the surface in the distance, revealing gray bone spikes abutting each fin, stained with blood and grime, made its presence known as soon as they approached the continental shelf. A quick inspection had revealed nothing but question marks, even for its stats, and by the way the Fearless captain¡¯s eyes bulged at the sight, it was clear that even the pirates didn¡¯t want to tempt fate by venturing into the creature¡¯s territory. The whale could have simply crashed into their ship and put them out of commission, so they had returned to the coastal waters where they contended with frequent assaults from more alien, but reasonably leveled enemies.


    They had been at sea for a few days, long enough for many of them to wish they were back in the precarious safety of Neptune¡¯s Bridge, but they weren¡¯t even halfway done with their voyage. Marcus was growing more and more impressed with the fact that Camila¡¯s family had managed to reach Empress City on their own. They hadn¡¯t gone unscathed, suffering severe injuries on the way, but they had survived in what was proving to be an incredibly difficult journey. He wasn¡¯t sure if they would be able to establish a suitable connection to the northeast with the way the unclaimed territory was developing.


    Marcus wasn¡¯t necessarily the man to make such a decision, but from his perspective, he thought they would need to have someone as strong as Coop clear the entire eastern seaboard if they had any hope of creating a safe causeway between their settlement and Neon Park. However, he wasn¡¯t convinced that it would be worth tying up their Champion for such an involved process. The dilemma grew due to the inherent nature of the untamed lands. They were continually getting more dangerous. That meant that if they needed someone as strong as Coop to work his way through them today, they would become something that required an army to take on in the future, and that was only if they didn¡¯t become unconquerable before then.


    The assimilation was designed in such a way that it isolated the natives into pockets around civilization shards. First they were pitted against each other through various competitions for territory and control, then they were challenged by settlement events. While they were engaged with themselves, the planetary sponsor had the opportunity to claim everything outside of settlement territory. The whole process seemed rather insidious to Marcus. They had no choice but to play along since to break away from the pattern was risking their very survival.


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    He was developing even more respect for Coop¡¯s nature. The Champion of Ghost Reef was resisting the assimilation in the most effective way available, but it was one that seemed impossible at first glance. All they needed to do was be too strong to be constrained by the limitations imposed by the system. That way, rather than gatekeeping the invaders, it was actually setting them up to be easy pickings.


    Whatever Coop was doing, Marcus hoped it wouldn¡¯t take away from his progression. The residents of Ghost Reef were following in his footsteps, raising their own power levels, and while it seemed like they were in a healthy position for their local environment, the world was a vast place. There were challenges the phantoms or other members of the faction weren¡¯t prepared to face yet, but as long as Coop was ready, they had a chance. More importantly, if Coop could pave the way, they would reach that level as well.


    ¡°Fizzies! 12 o¡¯clock!¡± A voice rang from above, relaying shouts from The Fearless.


    The spotters sighted their next fight. Marcus¡¯s short mace started to glow with golden mana as he cycled his resources without even being conscious of it. Liquid gold dribbled down the handle until it was dripping toward the deck, dissipating before it reached the ghostly wood. His left hand started carving blessings in the air as the crew geared up for another fight.


    ¡ª


    Coop strolled through the rainforest with his eyes shut, as if he was in a dream land. Despite squeezing away his sight, not even a leaf grazed against his skin. Fog of War overrode his senses, revealing every branch within his domain. His mind was awash with tiny movements of animals and insects as they found themselves temporarily caught by the mists. The information was far too much if he allowed his own senses to collide with what was provided by Presence of Mind.


    He had been exploring the thick wooded areas around Corozal for days without rest.


    The thick jungles were becoming his home, and he was taking liberties in controlling the guest list. A thin mist drifted all the way up to the canopy, engulfing palms and underbrush while scouring the branches for the local Primal Constructs. They were slow hunters that relied on the element of surprise to defeat their enemies. They didn¡¯t hide like the ambush variants he had fought, but instead depended on assaulting victims from an unusual vector.


    When an Elite Ruin Nebula was caught by the mists, one of Coop¡¯s 20 constant companions would bound through the trees, leaping off of trunks until they were balancing among the broad branches of old growth forest or mana infused reclamations. A series of quick slashes and the Nebulas were no more.


    The mists continued to drift, with another victim¡¯s mana consumed, feeding the beast that scrubbed the forest clean. The animals and insects that had their routines interrupted by the obscuring vapors gradually found themselves freed from the smothering embrace, unharmed if a bit spooked by the experience. It wasn¡¯t the worst ordeal they had to endure since the assimilation began, and the hardy survivors were barely fazed.


    Coop started his grind by heading inland, west northwest, from Corozal as directed by a handful of the warriors of the Crossroads. He was in the process of securing the Yucatan peninsula, with the first step being to reset the monster population to one that was more tolerable. As he saw it, the main issue was that the Primal Constructs were creating a gap in their power level relative to the local humans. Naturally, the solution he came up with was to slaughter the elites. All of them.


    While he maintained his domain, destroying the invaders in a constant series of short battles, refreshing his phantoms as he went, he carefully monitored his own progress. He was defeating monsters at a truly absurd rate. His previous grind sessions had never reached the level he was at when fully exploiting Fog of War, Presence of Mind, and Legacy of the Mists. Forget about calculating progress based on minutes, he was defeating an elite every few seconds.


    His misty domain covered an excessively wide area and the phantoms could reach every inch. They were as deadly as he was, untiring, and only limited by their own fragility and temporary duration. When it came to sweeping a large but densely crowded space, he couldn¡¯t think of a more potent combination of skills. Ranged abilities would struggle with target acquisition and obstructions, melee skills would have to contend with the enormous ground to cover, large area skills would either run out of steam or be overkill depending on the monster density, and precision attacks would necessitate unreasonable mobility. Coop¡¯s build overcame every obstacle presented by the rainforest with grace and efficiency.


    While he roamed the forest, he was constantly encountering wild animals that had established their own sanctuaries. Most of them relished in the peace that the mists brought, temporarily restricting any of them from being attacked, but wild animals were accustomed to remaining alert. If they relaxed for any period, it was hardly obvious, even to Coop¡¯s magnified senses.


    A mixed group of tapirs casually grazed in the forest near a shallow creek. The large mammals were joined by a trio of black vultures who hopped among them as if they were part of the family of mammals. Two pairs of the tapirs had levels over 100, and the vultures were just as high, but the rest were either sub-20 or unleveled. They seemed perfectly content in Coop¡¯s fog, maintaining their territory vigilantly while the lower leveled animals chewed on leaves at the edge of the water.


    He also spotted a pair of ocelots slinking through the underbrush as they hunted an Elite Ruin Nebula that was hanging from a low branch, waiting for an opportunity to ambush an unsuspecting passerby. The fog didn¡¯t slow their hunt at all. The cats took turns scooting forward while the other carefully watched their prey in the hazy mists.


    When they were close enough to strike, the first to move retreated rather than lunging further ahead, dramatically cutting through the bushes and drawing the attention of the Construct. When the snake-like arms shot forward, the second in the pair leapt forward from another angle, turning into a blur as it used its own body as a missile that flashed straight through the monster and reappeared among the higher branches of the canopy. It bore its fangs as it twisted to confirm its kill.


    The most surprising of the native combatants was a singular amphibious reptile. At first Coop let its presence pass into his subconscious, inoffensive as it seemed, but a Ruin Nebula had taken note of the animal. The small frog seemed oblivious to the danger, and when the Construct attacked, Coop cringed at the inevitable outcome. The frog was impaled by the first fang of the multi-hinged jaw at the end of the Nebula¡¯s arms, not even large enough to justify having the limb snap shut.


    However, the frog itself barely reacted to the potentially mortal wound, letting itself be dragged out of the shallow puddle it had been inhabiting. For a few seconds, Coop expected the unusually beautiful bright blue frog to be consumed by the monster as it was drawn into the air, but the blue appeared to spill onto the limb of the Primal Construct, and it slowed its progress.


    As Coop watched, the limb was corrupted by the tiny frog, changing from articulating metal to a heap of rust, and finally to dust that disappeared in the wind. The corruption didn¡¯t stop with the limb, extending further until it reached the Nebula¡¯s body, causing the entire monster to evaporate in defeat.


    The frog fell to the ground, and after reorienting itself, hopped back into its pond, wiggling its way into a tiny indentation in the mud while its wound rapidly closed. It displayed a healing ability greater than any Coop had seen, including Madison¡¯s. He couldn¡¯t help but go out of his way to properly inspect the frog¡¯s aura.


    [Poison Dart Frog (Level 181)]


    [Toxicologist of the Unfathomable (Body)]


    [Poisonous (Reaper)]


    Not only did the small creature have a higher level than Coop, it also had acquired his most valuable title. Coop spent many hours after his encounter with the frog trying to wrap his head around its existence.


    Those weren¡¯t the only animals Coop witnessed after scouring a hundred miles of rainforest with his mists. There was also a flock of super aggressive scarlet macaws that mobbed Nebulas with reckless abandon, screeching at each other in a constant stream of communication that egged the frenzy along. A single harpy eagle with claws the size of Coop¡¯s head silently tore through a Nebula in a single swoop, and a group of rodents called agouti swarmed the monsters with a hundred tiny attacks that broke the limbs one at a time.


    Coop had been under the mistaken impression that the Primal Constructs were dominating the regions outside of civilization shard territory because they were unpressured by humans. In that sense, the rainforest should have been calm, completely under control of the Constructs, but instead, Coop found a battlefield.

 Chapter 184: Gate of Hell

    Corozal was buzzing with activity. Previously, the quiet town had remained relatively unencumbered by external threats, skirting the edge of outright conflict after mana¡¯s arrival through clever tactics and initial luck. Neither the Primal Constructs nor the Cult of Chakyum had truly subjugated the area because there just wasn¡¯t much for either force to target. A few old geezers, as they described themselves, with barely any levels had no value to the experience obsessed priests. At the same time, the clever traps that the locals implemented through their advanced profession skills had been effective deterrents for the smaller wandering monsters. The Primal Constructs had been effectively prevented from nesting within the confines of the town.


    While they had successfully avoided the ire of the Cult, the Primal Constructs were more difficult to fully circumvent. As time went on, they were facing chance encounters with Primal Constructs that had progressed beyond the residents¡¯ limited lethality. They couldn¡¯t keep monsters trapped forever, and the elites were already pushing the limit that the low leveled residents could handle. Field Bosses certainly went beyond their capacity to defeat the monsters, and eventually, even the traps might not be enough to control the movement of even stronger foes. As the visits from the wandering warriors of the region became less frequent, and the assimilation allowed the Constructs to progress further, it was only a matter of time before a monster conquered the town.


    Coop¡¯s arrival had been a turning point. With the mana pylon¡¯s influence, they weren¡¯t facing a slow demise any longer, and more importantly, they weren¡¯t completely dependent on the infrequent visits of wandering volunteer fighters who had their own difficulties to overcome.


    Coop was popping in and out of the newly christened outpost ever since parting ways with Tzultacaj and Juliana in order to check in and see if either of the pair had appeared at the mutually agreed rendezvous point. So far, he had been left to his own devices for almost a week with no sign of either of them. Coop was keeping busy by sweeping the jungle for monsters, continuing to progress in his own way while destroying potential threats to his first claimed outpost. The process was arduous and trekking through the humid jungle presented a physical challenge that was enough to diminish his stamina in ways that were reminiscent of sprinting up and down his beach back home. He couldn¡¯t help but look forward to a brief respite in one of the magic hammocks in Corozal after a long trip that included thousands of defeated elites.


    When Coop returned from his most recent grind in the forest, he found the coastal town was already busier than Ghost Reef had been before the phantoms populated the island. Corozal wasn¡¯t a large settlement by any means, but there was room for new arrivals even without expansion, with many vacant buildings waiting to be occupied.


    The warriors of the Crossroads had arrived before Coop finished with the so-called Butterfly Cave. They had taken up roles as sentries, maintaining the same organization they had established in their village. The locals adapted their traps to incorporate the more active defenders, improving their defenses to previously unreachable levels, and temporarily staving off what seemed like an inevitable tide. The trap makers couldn¡¯t hope to defeat even incapacitated monsters that progressed beyond certain levels, but the warriors of the Crossroads relied on their personal combat abilities to survive. The natural pairing of the two forces made the outpost stronger against Primal Construct incursions, elevating the combat efficacy of both groups, but it would inevitably draw attention from the Cult¡¯s priests. In the short term, the Constructs were more of a threat, so it was a trade they had made willingly.


    Neither of the two main groups would be hiding from prying eyes any longer. The jungle warriors of the Crossroads and the old profession masters had both been nearing their limits when it came to sustaining themselves in the face of the assimilation. Their strengths complimented each other nicely and it was high time that they joined forces to increase their chances of success. That Coop had been the catalyst was purely happenstance.


    While the residents of Corozal were trading their concealment for more robust defenses, there were larger shifts happening in the region. When Coop was busy with his most recent hunt, a few more strangers had arrived in Corozal. Scarred veterans of the wilds were joining forces and making the journey through untamed jungles to reinforce the town. They had caught wind of potential changes, and they were at the point where if they didn¡¯t make a move soon they would miss their last chance to do anything at all.


    Unbeknownst to Coop, the Jaguar Sun was rising for a second time. Tzultacaj and Juliana were spreading the word and those who had continued to maintain their existences on the fringes of the Yucatan settlement were venturing beyond their hideouts once more to carry the message even further. As a result, the most courageous of the warriors were making their way to the outpost. They intended to add their strength to whatever Tzultacaj was building, trusting his integrity if not their overall chances.


    For now, they were only a handful of battered fighters, having weathered the assimilation in small groups in the wilderness away from Chakyum¡¯s influence after failing to overthrow the Cult. They were finding limited success without a civilization shard, facing the standard Primal Constructs as they progressed with the rise of mana. It was a struggle, but they wouldn¡¯t be defeated by the regular increase of levels. It would take a proper system event, or an explicit campaign by the priests to wipe them out completely. Unfortunately, another event was inevitable, and the priests were always searching. Most of the hermit-like fighters had the awareness to accept the extent of their own limitations and willingly cooperated with other partisans. If pooling their remaining power would ever be effective, it would have to happen sooner than later.


    It may have seemed like only wild animals were capable of carving their paths with the rise of violence necessary for survival, but that wasn¡¯t always true. Pockets of humans were challenging the assimilation, and winning, but another day was never assured. Survival took a particular attitude that not many could adequately adopt. The ones that had already arrived in Corozal fell into routines with the other residents, offering their skills in scouting and defense, developed from hard times in the wilderness. They fit in easily enough. It was to the point that an outsider like Coop wouldn¡¯t be able to distinguish between a person from the Crossroads, a local resident, or someone that had been surviving in the bush, but all of the regular inhabitants were able to vet the newcomers, cross referencing them with each other to confirm their identities, and make sure they weren¡¯t harboring members of the Cult.


    Before Coop had a chance to claim his hammock and review his own progress after completing another grind, he was being guided back out of the growing village in a new direction. There were more Cultists of Chakyum in the region, and one of them was occupying a base in the portion of the Yucatan that Coop was in the process of claiming. Amanda and Mikey B had been mapping the area and they discovered the exact location of a stronghold after being pointed in the direction by one of the newest arrivals. Even though Coop had been looking forward to another night in a hammock, he tried not to let his disappointment show.


    Mikey patted him on the shoulder, knowingly, as they went. ¡°Don¡¯t worry man, while you¡¯re dealing with this joker, we¡¯ll be heading up north to get the way to Cancun properly mapped out. You can come chill with us when you¡¯re done.¡± Mikey consoled him, easily reading Coop¡¯s vibe even without any hints. The man was a natural people reader even before mana put more info into detectable auras. ¡°Think of it as your reward. Should be really nice this time of year, right?¡± He concluded with a smirk.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Coop tried to remember what time of year it actually was, not that it mattered. ¡°I guess it would be nice.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget why we¡¯re here.¡± Amanda reminded both of them as she led the way along a sandy path. It was too late, though. Coop¡¯s train of thought had already diverted. He was thinking about empire building based exclusively on beaches. If he only secured vacation destinations, no matter what problems he had to deal with, he would always be able to find a quiet spot to relax, right?


    They kept walking, and as they went, the leaf cover thinned out until the three of them had clear blue sky above their heads. The ecoregion they were traveling through wasn¡¯t exactly a forest anymore, but rather a pine savannah that went against Coop¡¯s preconceptions of Central American habitats. Not everything was either jungle or reef.


    The sides of the path that they followed were buttressed by thick tangled grasses. Their narrow yellow stalks would have risen up to Coop¡¯s knees if they weren¡¯t leaning flat on the ground in criss-crossing layers. The grasses were dry and stiff such that whenever the wind blew they rattled like straw being shaken. Familiar everglades palms dotted the landscape with green fanned leaves, finding sufficient light to grow without the competition of the rainforest types crowding them out. But the real dominant flora were the Caribbean pines, evenly spaced throughout the rolling hills, towering above the everpresent grasses, with a wide variety of heights. Juvenile trees reached above Coop¡¯s head, and the mature trees towered over the landscape. The pines and grasses defined the area as different from those he had been spending most of his time in since visiting the Yucatan.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    The sandy soil was clearly distinct from the dark-loamy stuff that the rainforest contained, and the thick-barked trees and fast-growing grasses were all evidence of an ecosystem that had adapted to periodic forest fires. Instead of a wet, muddy, and leaf covered ground, the region retained far less moisture and was dry and sandy.


    Above the thinned out tree line, the sky almost seemed bigger, with low mountains hazy in the distance. Even when compared to the open ocean, Coop had the impression of dramatic vastness. The forced perspective of voluminous clouds played with his sense of scale, where being at sea disallowed any comparisons. Coop found himself watching the rolling horizon beyond the thin pine trunks, feeling a weird energy buzzing in the air. The mana in the atmosphere almost seemed energized.


    Yellow-headed amazon parrots flocked between roosts in palms and pines, flying across his sight, but of all the regions of Central America that Coop had visited, this was the one where the Constructs¡¯ presence was felt the least. The local variant just wasn¡¯t particularly adapted to the open habitat. For a while, Coop wondered why no people had settled in the area. It almost seemed peaceful with minimal threats making themselves known. The pine savannah would have been an ideal place for a secure base, with long lines of sight to watch for approaching enemies, and limited monster spawns by virtue of a mismatched habitat. After they traveled for some time, even the animals stopped appearing, as if they didn¡¯t want to venture too far from the edges of the ecoregion. However, once they crested another hill, he realized exactly why the place seemed to empty as they went.


    ¡°Huh.¡± He caught himself frowning, standing on the peak of a rocky hill with Mikey at his side. It was too obvious that a bad guy had set up in the central valley, claiming the territory with their nefarious presence.


    ¡°Can¡¯t miss it, right?¡± Mikey observed, amused despite the ominous black stone spires in the distance.


    ¡°Guess not.¡± Coop admitted as he considered the scene.


    In a broad dry valley, between three gently sloping hills, and amidst the vast expanse of savannah, was a large flat-topped pyramid that had been altered by its current occupant. There was no way for it to be any more evil looking, short of installing a billboard that stated villains lived there. Its ominous presence was accentuated by the orange light as the bright sun drifted lower in the sky, reflecting off the harsh surfaces, and casting a haze on the grounds around the structure.


    The old limestone blocks were weathered from millenia of seasons bringing wind, rain, and heat, but they were also stained with something new. Dark streaks marred the surface, gleaming in the setting sunlight like obsidian. At each corner of the base of the pyramid, matching black spires jutted from the sandy ground, reaching beyond the peak of the pyramid at uneven heights as if they were organically grown. Small flames danced in gusts of wind, splitting the spires into thirds with enormous braziers embedded in the stone.


    Coop hadn¡¯t imagined the energy in the air either. The pyramid actually hummed with an ancient mana that caused Coop to shiver when he focused on it, like he was gazing upon something forbidden. There were no signs of life anywhere near the building, as if it was the center of a deadzone that it was actively imposing on the savannah. The valley was nothing but scorched sand, completely lacking any of the vegetation that Coop had observed in the rest of the region. There were no animal tracks, no Primal Constructs, and not even insects darting around in the heat. If the valley had ever contained a river, it was from a time long gone.


    The structure left an imposing silhouette etched against the rolling horizon. The previously pleasant clouds seemed heavy with the sinister building influencing the landscape. It wasn¡¯t simply a relic of an ancient past, but an ominous lair, currently occupied by someone who embraced the menacing facade. Coop didn¡¯t need to wonder what that said about them.


    In the center of the flat top pyramid, an open gateway flickered with light from within. It was anything but inviting. Even from the still great distance, Coop thought he could detect the malevolence held within.


    ¡°Right.¡± Mikey started, his cheeriness contrasting the view. ¡°There it is.¡±


    Coop grunted. ¡°Pretty conspicuous.¡± He stated dryly.


    Amanda kneeled down, pulling both of the boys lower to the ground so that they weren¡¯t standing in the open like beacons for any sentries to see. ¡°We didn¡¯t dare get any closer when we scouted it. Something about it feels uncomfortable. And it''s not just the decor.¡± Amanda declared.


    ¡°Seems like a nasty place.¡± Mikey added before tearing his eyes away from the obsidian spires to look at Coop. ¡°We¡¯ll leave you to it. Unless you want backup?¡± He offered, though it was obvious he didn¡¯t want anything to do with the villainous base.


    ¡°I¡¯ll handle it.¡± Coop promised. ¡°You guys just keep an eye out for a nice pair of palm trees on the beach. I¡¯d like to set up a hammock somewhere peaceful when I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°You got it, man.¡± Mikey agreed while Amanda looked on.


    After Coop¡¯s companions left, he considered his options for approach. The geography restricted his choices to relatively straightforward methods. It lacked cover due to how barren the terrain was, leaving wide open land in all directions of the pyramid. He could just walk up, climb the stairs, and see what he¡¯d find inside, or he could throw his spear, mistjump directly in, and claim the element of surprise. Then again, he could also fill the valley with his Fog of War, taking it slow, even if it would be obvious that something was going on. The slower approach had the added benefit of delaying his approach until night, further obstructing his opponent''s senses when it inevitably came to a fight, and he wouldn¡¯t accidentally stumble into any traps.


    Coop settled on the last option, leaning on Fog of War to turn the priest¡¯s domain into his own. He would be able to scout the pyramid and hide his own presence with the only real downside being the initial expenditure of mana. Unfortunately, this encounter didn¡¯t appear to have any minions or monsters in the kinds of numbers that would help replenish his reserves and the valley was broad, requiring a large investment of mana to fully engulf. That meant he wouldn¡¯t have many, if any, resources left over for phantasms or Mind over Matter. He¡¯d make it work.


    Rather than enter the valley himself, he opted to let his Fog of War spill down from the top of one of the hills. Coop stood and channeled Fog of War, pushing against the foreboding ancient energy with his own skill.


    At first, only small wisps of fog creeped over the peak. The wisps steadily grew until the vapors cast an eerie pall over the limited grasses that clung to the edges of the pyramid¡¯s territory, slowly obscuring their forms and causing their shapes to melt into the sand. As his vision became unclear, Presence of Mind yielded more information than ever.


    The growing wisps compounded as they slipped down the rocky peak. The fog bank advanced down the hill, picking up speed as it gained density, like a slow avalanche of mists. Its tendrils reached out into the valley and combined until they formed a wave that swept across the barren land, approaching the pyramid.


    The imposing structure¡¯s base seemed to dissolve into the swirling mists when it was swallowed by the encroaching fog, with its jagged edges blurring and the details of the marred surface becoming obscured. The upper portion of the stepped pyramid turned into an island of stone, poking out from a sea of vapors. With the setting sun only lighting the top of the pyramid, the rest of the valley was darkened by the shadows cast by the hills, which were then scattered by the mists.


    As the fog rose and the sun fell, the pyramid became a blurred silhouette that reminded Coop of a sinking ship being swallowed by the depths. The whistling winds that had caused the flames on the spires to dance were muffled, too weak to diminish Coop¡¯s fog bank.


    Coop consumed almost all of his mana, but the valley was now a river of mists, with only the barest trace of the spires still visible from above. Their flames were like glowing orange orbs that flickered in the fog. He took his time joining the mists in the valley, letting Presence of Mind wash over him as he dipped into the foggy tide.


    To his surprise, the entrance to the pyramid remained completely obscured to his senses. With his fog, he detected a steady heat building from within the pyramid, like a furnace was being stoked inside. The hot air escaping the pyramid was enough to prevent his fog from leaking into the interior. Coop thought it was inconsequential. He would climb the steps and find out what was hidden within himself.


    It took several minutes to make his way down the hill, across the valley, and up to the base of the pyramid. On the way, he cast Invocation to summon his reliable shield and spear combination. Even if his options had expanded, there was something to be said about the familiarity that came with experience. When facing an unknown enemy, he would continue to default to his most comfortable weapons.


    While the heat had steadily built within the entranceway of the pyramid, it hadn¡¯t become particularly oppressive. He suspected it would be like a sauna on the inside and he wondered if it was always that way or if it was in response to his Fog of War. Either way, he had easily dominated the enigmatic ancient energy that had been buzzing in the air all over the savannah.


    When Coop placed his foot on the first step, a gout of flame erupted from the doorway, burning away a strip of his Fog of War as the pressure inside finally reached a flash point. The scene was as if the gates of hell had opened, with bright flames flickering in a thick fog that extended even further than the light. Coop paused and waited for his domain to recover, but it was pushed away by a steady gust of superheated air exiting the mouth of the pyramid like a dragon exhaling. Whatever was inside had awoken.

 Chapter 185: Huracan

    ¡°Who dares to approach my realm?¡± A voice echoed from the fiery gateway, but the fog merely swirled around the temple, lingering in silence. Coop didn¡¯t dignify the haughty veiled threat with a response.


    The deep voice was followed by a growl of frustration, coming from deeper within the temple at the top of the Mayan pyramid. Coop was prepared to enter the building directly, but a moment after the voice escaped, the man himself stepped beyond the threshold, presenting a black silhouette against the bright red and yellow light emanating from beyond the doorway, and casting a giant-sized shadow onto the sea of mists.


    Annoyingly, there was a pocket where Coop¡¯s Fog of War was absent where the man stood, burned away by the flames and heat that were emitted by the temple atop the pyramid. Coop¡¯s Presence of Mind wasn¡¯t empowered by the mists where the man appeared. Obviously, the man was the culprit of the flames that came from within, but Coop was forced to get a read on the priest the old fashioned way. While squinting through the mists, he stretched his aura and identified the figure at the top of the pyramid.


    [Oathsworn Human (Level 102)]


    [Aeromancer (Intelligence)]


    [Chosen of the Order of Endings]


    [Fire, Wind (Dynamo)]


    Coop¡¯s breath caught when he noticed the man¡¯s class. It was Charlie¡¯s class! The man had the same basic class as the mousy park ranger, despite having a completely dissimilar aura to the point that their first impressions were diametrically opposed. The Endless Empire had designated her Aeromancer as a Legendary class, rare enough to demand special attention from their faction, and yet, Coop had stumbled upon another who had claimed the same class. There were some immediately apparent differences, though.


    The priest¡¯s mana affinity confirmed Coop¡¯s assumption that the man had been responsible for burning away the fog, but that was only the first distinction between his class and Charlie¡¯s. She had evolved into controlling storms with wind and rain providing the foundation, and lightning eventually providing the final component. This guy had a completely different affinity and had yet to evolve his build into the next stage.


    Coop confirmed that the man would be his target, as he was yet another Oathsworn Human, like the Envoy on Ghost Reef and the High Priestess he encountered in the Butterfly Cave. They all had been Chosen by different factions, but they clearly aligned themselves with Chakyum instead. At least aligning themselves with fellow humans made more sense than representing distant aliens, but it wasn¡¯t enough to earn clemency in his mind. Coop couldn¡¯t help but wonder about the man¡¯s build as well. It was almost too bad he would be killing this priest without exploring his potential.


    Coop was also momentarily surprised by the high level of the man, though his reaction was nothing compared to finding another Aeromancer. The previous High Priestess had been significantly lower, though her mushroom minion had been exceptionally high, and the Envoy had reportedly started much lower before boosting his levels. It was becoming more and more clear that each priest was pursuing their goals with highly individualized methods. The only constant seemed to be manipulating levels. Coop spared a moment to check the leaderboards, still hidden within his mists to see where this man stood.


    Day 86


    <ol>


    <li> Coop (Level 173)</li>


    <li> Hai Yun (Level 120)</li>


    <li> Reina Kitawa (Level 118)</li>


    <li> Akari Kitawa (Level 118)</li>


    <li> Charlie Seraphin (Level 115)</li>


    <li> Camila Alvarez (Level 115)</li>


    <li> Ix-Hau (Level 112)</li>


    <li> Banshee (Level 110)</li>


    <li> Platinum (Level 109)</li>


    <li> Alex Nova (Level 107)</li>


    </ol>


    While he had to scroll down the list, the Oathsworn was still in the top 25. Kaj-Hau was the only listing at level 102, so Coop confirmed his second Hau, after the Envoy. The High Priestess hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to reveal her name or powers beyond cultivating fungus, but it wouldn¡¯t surprise Coop to learn that she also bore the Hau moniker.


    There were also some changes to the top 10. It wasn¡¯t the time to be upset that Charlie and Camila¡¯s positions had been usurped from the top three. They had been progressing steadily, it just wasn¡¯t as fast as whatever the other frontrunners had been able to accomplish in the same timeframe. He was confident that the girls would make up for it when they weren¡¯t busy traveling.


    The Kitawa pair obviously worked together, only ever appearing on the leaderboards with the other, and Hai Yun had been an ever present member representing humanity at the top of the list. Hai Yun had fallen out of the top ten for a long period around the siege event, but they were obviously back with a vengeance. Coop thought that was good for them, but he wouldn¡¯t be ceding his position at the top.


    ¡°Show yourselves and be sacrificed to the flame!¡± The High Priest generously suggested while Coop was distracted with the status of his friends.


    Coop returned his undivided attention to the priest at the top of the pyramid. Coop was at the bottom of the primary stairway. He inhaled his mists in a deep breath through his nose and decided to conclude his quiet approach to the pyramid with an opening salvo.


    Before Coop committed to his first strike, the High Priest began to glow. Intricate patterns had been tattooed into the man¡¯s muscular body and they lit up with the color of flames, revealing his features for the first time.


    The man had dark, greasy hair, slicked back into a tight bun that pulled at his hairline. He had a broad nose, high cheekbones, and eyes that glowed with fire from beneath thick black brows. The tattoos began from behind his ears, spreading to the edge of his face before running down his neck. They expanded over his broad shoulders, down to his forearms, and along his collar bone, before unfolding across his exposed chest. The tattoos were crudely drawn, but complicated in their design, carving wide channels of ink in his skin as they imitated enigmatic flames in both shape and color.


    The man leveled both arms forward with upturned wrists and clenched fists in a motion that was both familiar to Coop, but subtly incorrect. Charlie was like a conductor when she artfully manipulated the elements, guiding wind and rain like it was a living entity. The High Priest was vulgar in comparison, exhibiting a brutal forcefulness that sought to subjugate the elements beneath his will as if they owed him a duty of subservience.


    He roared as the ember glow in his tattoos reached a crescendo, jerking his arms outwards while a wave of flames erupted from his body. Fire blasted in all directions, cascading down the steps of the pyramid before building into a surging deluge that roared throughout the valley.


    Coop raised his shield in front of his eyes, but the heat came from every direction, like he was trapped inside of an oven. While he could feel the pain of his skin being scorched, it was nothing compared to the pressure that The Ravenous had applied with its vacuum bubbles. The fact the blast wave hadn¡¯t been specifically targeting him, but still caused him such discomfort was impressive on its own. Coop would need to put at least some respect on the High Priest¡¯s firepower.


    The blaze continued until every bit of Coop¡¯s Fog of War was chewed away by the flames. As the gout of fire diminished, small fires clung to every surface in the valley, regardless of their combustibility. The pyramid stairway was lined with flames, and scattered embers continued to emanate heat within the sandy valley. It didn¡¯t take long for the sea of mists to transform into a dry hell.


    Coop was left standing at the base of the pyramid on top of superheated sand. His ethereal equipment smoked from the heat, but he was unharmed and mostly just uncomfortable. While the area of effect spell was impressive, it would take a lot more focus to properly deal damage to him with a magical attack. He blew air from his nose in an effort to clear the soot from his airway before gazing up the stairway at the priest.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    The High Priest wasn¡¯t shaken as his attention was drawn to the singular intruder. He gazed down his nose with contempt as he took in Coop¡¯s casual presence from high above. The tattoos slowly faded back to a reddish black, but his eyes remained illuminated by the same ancient mana Coop had identified on his way across the savannah.


    ¡°It is the one called Coop.¡± The man astutely observed. ¡°How fortuitous.¡±


    Coop raised an eyebrow, though it wasn¡¯t all that amazing to match levels with the leaderboard. He had been able to do it himself, after all. Coop responded with a question. ¡°Where is Chakyum?¡± He jumped straight to what he wanted to know the most.


    ¡°Hmph.¡± The man seemed momentarily amused before endowing Coop with an answer. ¡°He is death.¡± The man growled. ¡°He is everywhere. You should be more concerned with me.¡± He jabbed a thumb into the center of his thick chest before spreading both of his arms out, arrogantly presenting his form. ¡°I am the Avatar of Huracan, the God of Fire, Storm, and Wind, and I will feed your heart to the all-consuming flame to further empower myself and my brother.¡±


    Coop started to ask more, but Huracan clenched his fists once again, still holding his arms out, and his tattoos reignited. The ground rumbled, causing the four black stone spires to shake as if each had been fastened at the exact epicenter of a small earthquake. The man at the top of the pyramid was suddenly bathed in the beacons of light that indicated an increase in levels while the flames within the bottom brazier of each of the spires were snuffed out, causing shadows to thicken all around the pyramid. The light upon the High Priest was so bright, it washed out the colors of the world, painting everything in a heavenly glow that only slowly diminished as Coop¡¯s eyes struggled to adjust. Coop had never seen such a display, even after he acquired a burst of levels from defeating particularly egregious enemies.


    When the presentation was finally over, he looked back down at Coop and smirked, demonstrating the absolute pinnacle of confidence. Coop squinted back, blinking away the impact of the flashbang of light while suspiciously applying Presence of Mind after seeing the man level for no apparent reason.


    [Oathsworn Human (Level 202)]


    [Aeromancer (Intelligence)]


    [Chosen of the Order of Endings]


    [Fire, Wind (Dynamo)]


    ¡°Hah!¡± Coop laughed in shock, causing a look of consternation to grow on Huracan¡¯s face. The man had gained 100 levels in an instant, but Coop didn¡¯t know how to read the situation. Were they real? Were they permanent? Could he do it again?


    Coop went ahead and asked, not bothering to hide the amused smile on his face. ¡°That¡¯s it? Did you get the skills too?¡±


    The High Priest sneered at Coop, disappointed that his demonstration didn¡¯t have the impact he had predicted. ¡°I will explore my new skills as I carve your heart from your chest.¡± Huracan claimed as flames rose from his shoulders, preparing another attack.


    ¡°If you can do that ten more times, you might have enough time to answer a few more of my questions at least. Otherwise...¡± Coop shrugged before flipping his spear back to his shoulder after the first blast wave interrupted his initial motion.


    Coop anticipated more fire attacks, but to his surprise, Kaj-Hau, the Avatar of Huracan lunged forward, leaping off the pyramid and down the steps as if he would tackle Coop from 200 feet away. The leap left an explosion of fire behind the High Priest¡¯s form as if his body was a rocket launching from the temple.


    At the same time, Coop stepped into his throw, releasing his spear with enough force for three shockwaves to explode, one after the other, as his missile crushed the sound barrier. There was no point in allowing the High Priest¡¯s arrogance to go unanswered or to allow him to take the initiative in the fight so dramatically.


    To Coop¡¯s surprise, the man actually covered a third of the distance before the spear smashed through his forward arm and continued over the pyramid. Rather than blood, flames erupted from the collision, and while the spear disappeared into the night sky, the Avatar of Huracan continued forward, arm glowing with molten flesh as flames desperately reformed the tissue that had been annihilated by Coop¡¯s attack.


    When the Priest¡¯s other fist smashed into Coop, aiming for his neck, it connected with the solid ethereal shield instead. Coop¡¯s Agility was enough to get his shield in position even though the priest had plenty of speed himself. Flames exploded over the lip of the protective barrier, but Coop was completely unmoved, already shifting his torso for a natural counter attack.


    Before the High Priest¡¯s feet reached the ground, Coop¡¯s right fist connected with his jaw, knuckles blasting all the way across his face with the same right hook that the previous person who claimed to be an Avatar easily blocked with a single finger. This so-called Avatar was nothing compared to her.


    The Avatar of Huracan¡¯s chin exploded into flames, just as his left arm had from being destroyed by the spear, and like his right hand had when colliding with an immovable object. The man¡¯s eyes told the whole story. He was not defeated, but instead infuriated by Coop¡¯s clear dominance.


    ¡°I told you: ten more times. At least.¡± Coop confirmed while the one-handed warhammer solidified in his main hand¡¯s clenched fist, already recoiling from the punch for another attack.


    Before Coop could apply the finishing blow, a wall of super hot, dry air collided with him like a semi-truck. It was actually powerful enough to lift him off his feet and push him further into the valley. The High Priest had pulled an entire heat wave down the pyramid with his mad rush to close the gap, proving that he wasn¡¯t just a cheap interpretation of Charlie¡¯s mastery. The man had propelled himself with an engine of superheated wind.


    In the meantime, The Avatar of Huracan¡¯s arms were hardening lava and though his jaw still glowed with heat, he spoke with the same clear voice as before. ¡°Ten times?¡± He pondered, rage barely contained in his throat. ¡°We shall see.¡±


    Winds whipped between them, spontaneously generating embers before the High Priest lit up with levels once again, at least as bright as before, if not brighter. The windy flame barrier scorched the top layer of sand, but hardly diminished Coop¡¯s visibility for the presentation of levels.


    ¡°No need to hold back! Isn¡¯t that right?¡± The High Priest laughed, raising his voice as a fiery vortex engulfed the battlefield. All four of the black spires had their flames snuffed out simultaneously, dimming the valley, and leaving their braziers smoking, but dark. The only light remaining was from a thousand tiny fires scattered haphazardly across the sand in the valley. The temple¡¯s ominous facade loomed behind the priest as he cackled, raising two molten fists in the air as he reaped the benefits of an enormous number of instant levels.


    [Oathsworn Human (Level 417)]


    [Aeromancer (Intelligence)]


    [Chosen of the Order of Endings]


    [Fire, Wind (Dynamo)]


    ¡°Hm.¡± Coop grunted. To Coop, levels basically didn¡¯t mean anything, but he was still curious. That was a lot of progress to suddenly experience, and it didn¡¯t seem particularly fair.


    Day 86


    <ol>


    <li> Kaj-Hau (Level 417)</li>


    <li> Coop (Level 173)</li>


    <li> Hai Yun (Level 120)</li>


    <li> Reina Kitawa (Level 118)</li>


    <li> Akari Kitawa (Level 118)</li>


    <li> Charlie Seraphin (Level 115)</li>


    <li> Camila Alvarez (Level 115)</li>


    <li> Ix-Hau (Level 112)</li>


    <li> Banshee (Level 110)</li>


    <li> Platinum (Level 109)</li>


    </ol>


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop muttered. ¡°Guess they¡¯re real.¡± He had thought that maybe the system would have some limitations on such a jump in levels, but as far as he could tell there weren¡¯t any. The High Priest really was over level 400.


    The High Priest continued to laugh boisterously, enjoying the sudden influx of levels in a way that Coop found strangely relatable. He still interrupted the man¡¯s joviality. ¡°Hey, Mr. Huracan! Are you ready? Did you get all your attributes placed?¡±


    The High Priest frowned. ¡°Ugh. You have such indifference toward your inevitable demise. I will teach you regret by making your death as agonizing as possible.¡±


    Coop flipped his one-handed hammer and nodded. ¡°Right. I suppose you¡¯re ready then.¡± He stated as he walked forward, ignoring the barrier that had split their designated arena in two.


    While Huracan watched, Coop sauntered straight through the flame vortex, passing to the other side without any obvious damage. The High Priest¡¯s eyes bulged as Coop demonstrated a complete indifference to the skill he had believed corralled the challenger while he adjusted his status. Flames spontaneously burst on Coop¡¯s ethereal armor, but the Champion didn¡¯t so much as twitch in acknowledgment of their brief presence. The first inkling of self-doubt was like a heavy stone that formed in the priest¡¯s gut.

 Chapter 186: The Living Flame

    Coop passed through the superheated wind barrier without so much as flinching. To be honest, the wind was extraordinarily uncomfortable, but compared to so many other trials and tribulations, it was a fleeting annoyance. The heat didn¡¯t threaten his health pool, so it was something easily withstood. Coop could feel his hair whipping in the wind, singing at the tips, but his steps were steady. The discomfort wasn¡¯t that the wind was hot enough to ignite grains of sand that were stripped from the packed ground, turning them into popping sparks, though that was obviously a factor. The issue was that it was incredibly dry. Before Coop launched his retaliatory salvo on the overconfident High Priest, he was thinking about how desperately he wanted some chapstick.


    After Coop re-emerged from the barrier, he leaned forward while his pace quickened. Following a large step, taken as if he was preparing a long jump, his body coiled like a spring and he launched himself at the priest. His planted foot left an indentation in the seared ground with a webbing of cracks expanding outwards, each letting small flames leak onto the surface from below ground caverns. He lunged with his ethereal shield held in front like a battering ram and his one-handed warhammer trailing behind his hip on the right, dragging heated air in its wake that blurred the flickering light from the flames.


    Huracan managed to lean backwards in the instant that Coop raced across the gap between the pair, but the uncommitted dodge wasn¡¯t enough to avoid the first strike. The head of the hammer arced from behind the shield in a low side swing that slammed into the pitch black forearm of Huracan¡¯s reformed limb. The collision sounded like the ethereal hammer struck a solid metal anvil, moving as fast as a gunshot, and to Coop¡¯s surprise, the High Priest¡¯s arm remained intact, though it was flung out of the way with a shower of sparks.


    The High Priest barely kept his feet as the force of the quick strike left him reeling, shifting him backwards and to the side. He seemed more surprised than Coop that he hadn¡¯t taken critical damage from the force of the blow, but Coop wasn¡¯t about to let up the pressure. He had taken the initiative with the first direct attack after the combatants faced each other on even ground, and even though the High Priest had yet to acclimate to his increase in stats, Coop had no limiter when it came to momentum in battles.


    From his very first life or death struggle with another human, the outcome had been determined by who could seize the momentum during combat. How many battles had come afterwards? In Coop¡¯s mind, every one of his fights had been determined by the momentum gained after his first victory, carried forward from the start. The heaviness of his attacks was built up with the first Ancient Defender defeated with Jones at his side like snow rolling down the side of a mountain, picking up victories as he went.


    The Avatar of Huracan hadn¡¯t built up his Strength one swing at a time, but instead had found a way to cravenly steal it from others. Coop didn¡¯t believe it was truly his to use. This was an opportunity to prove it.


    ¡°How many people does it take to reach level 400?¡± Coop hissed as his second strike whirled in the hot air, leaving a warped blur that trailed its motion.


    The ding of his warhammer cracking Huracan¡¯s other arm came before the response, forcing the High Priest to stumble further backwards as sparks bounced off Coop¡¯s armor and rained onto the sand. Despite being as harried as he was, the High Priest clung to whatever confidence he had left in the arbitrary number that indicated his level. He had to believe the level difference would be enough for him to survive or he would already be admitting defeat.


    ¡°Hundreds of thousands.¡± He sneered, a sick smile forming at the edge of his mouth as he embraced his perceived advantage like a security blanket. ¡°Less if they had leveled like you have, but most are too weak.¡± He taunted, obviously planning on adding Coop¡¯s progress to his own.


    The High Priest managed a wide swing with a blackened metal fist that Coop blocked with his shield. Flames exploded from the strike, lighting the darkened valley with a burst of orange.


    Coop¡¯s hammer rose in the same instant, smashing into Huracan¡¯s torso and sending molten ejecta shooting out of his back. Rather than blood, it was like the High Priest¡¯s guts had been turned into a forge.


    Coop pressed forward, but the High Priest barely slowed, even after receiving significant injuries. The Priest twisted to his side to sweep at Coop¡¯s legs with a spinning kick in the moment that Coop eliminated the little distance they had. Coop hopped over the leg, and prepared to bring his hammer straight down, but was interrupted by a gust of the superheated, dry wind, sending him flipping backwards once he left the security of the ground and his stable stance.


    The ground beneath the High Priest¡¯s feet exploded with another burst of fire as he launched himself after Coop, trying to take advantage of Coop¡¯s vulnerable position in the air. He slammed a solid black metal fist forward, but Coop contorted his waist to block with his shield yet again.


    The resulting collision sent Coop further down the valley, away from the temple, with his body still suspended in the air, so the Avatar of Huracan chased as if he was carried by the wind itself. His abilities gave him an even more effective form of flight than what Charlie had ever demonstrated. The High Priest had respectable mobility on top of firepower and obvious durability. Truly a waste of a good build, in Coop¡¯s mind.


    Before the gap closed, Coop had fully rotated his body while in the air, and unleashed his quickswapped spear from the grip that held the short-ranged hammer with a simple side-arm throw. The spear was thrown with deceptive strength due to the awkward motion and lack of solid ground, but it pierced Huracan¡¯s chest straight through all the same.


    The blow confirmed that the man had become some kind of magma monster after the last set of levels, finding nothing but flames ejected from the wound on both ends. Coop wondered if the transformation was a temporary active skill or a permanent passive one. Either way, it promised to extend the time the High Priest could stand up to Coop. If not for Ledwidge, it would have been among the first times that a non-boss stood up to Coop for a proper bout, giving him a chance to utilize more of his skirmishing techniques.


    Huracan was the first to crash into the ground, propelled by his collision with Coop¡¯s spear. The fight reset with Huracan¡¯s wounds sealing with a layer of molten metal cooling in the air as he regained his footing and Coop landing on his feet three dozen feet away, weaponless, but shielded.


    Huracan released a guttural shout as he transformed more and more into a charred metallic monster. His skin was turning pitch black, erasing his tattoos, but his eyes continued to glow red. While raising both arms forward, aiming at Coop he contorted his fingers to cast another spell. ¡°I am the manifestation of Huracan! A God! You dare strike a God!?¡± He shouted as a stream of fire shot from the palms of his blackened hands.


    Coop flicked dripping sweat away from his brow. ¡°Without hesitation.¡± Coop mumbled as he disappeared into mists. A stream of flames shot harmlessly down the valley, creating a rift in the night that might have seemed as though a crack in the Earth¡¯s crust had formed if seen from above. The caverns below responded with groaning. Fonts of superheated air escaped the cracks in the ground, adding a whistling sound to the battle.


    At the end of the day, Huracan was a caster. He held the advantage when they were at range. The fact that he had built his class so that he could be a skirmisher was a testament to the flexibility of the system, and had been a choice that Coop thought was ideal. It was the same thing he would have done, after all. That he was a caster seemed to have finally occurred to the High Priest, and he was temporarily embracing the role in an effort to leverage whatever advantage he could grasp in the fight against the Champion.


    Coop reappeared behind the Avatar of Huracan, where his ethereal spear had implanted itself in the cracking ground after penetrating the High Priest¡¯s chest. The spear transformed into a gleaming short sword as it sliced through the air, edge glowing with heat, before smashing into Huracan¡¯s shoulder.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    The man folded onto one knee, avoiding being cleaved in an impressive display of strength and speed, but Coop was already chopping for a second time, ignoring the geyser of flames that shot into the sky from the wound. However, before the finishing blow landed, Huracan exploded with another blast wave, sending Coop sliding away as if he was on skates, back toward the pyramid¡¯s steps.


    With the fight reset for a second time, Coop reassessed the durability of his opponent. Huracan¡¯s stats should not have escalated to the point of matching up with Coop¡¯s if they were based on level alone. He was sure the man had some passive effects similar to the ones provided by his own Revenant class. Perhaps the strange way the Priest¡¯s body had been altered could account for the discrepancy, but the question of ¡®why?¡¯ didn¡¯t matter at the moment.


    Attributes alone wouldn¡¯t be enough to compare without more experience in utilizing them, but the raw numbers were causing the fight to continue beyond what was anticipated. Their physical stats might actually be approximately even, but there was a difference in other areas, and Coop absolutely had more total stats. He would have wondered what the High Priest was thinking as his inadequacies were slowly being exposed, if it wasn¡¯t so obvious.


    Huracan was roaring with fury as he lunged after Coop once again, blasting forward as he revealed the limited number of techniques he had acquired over time. Coop sidestepped the pounding fists and tore a chunk of molten material out of his torso with the edge of his sword.


    Coop had barely reached into his own bag of tricks, mostly due to starting the fight with minimal mana. A single mistjump and a couple weapon swaps were all that he had shown. Even though he had identified the potential weaknesses of his Fog of War all the way back when he first began experimenting with it, he had still ended up committing the error he intended to avoid. Relying on Fog of War too much would cause this fight to last longer than it should have, and he had to remember that anything could happen in a fight.


    ¡°Feel a God¡¯s wrath!¡± Huracan bellowed as he whirled on Coop.


    The High Priest¡¯s entire body had changed over the course of their fight. He had been forged into a metallic caricature of himself, with his skin glowing red hot before cooling into a black metal. His head was now smooth as his hair had been burned away and his skin was solid, glowing orange whenever he flexed his muscles in an effort to defeat Coop, blood replaced by flame.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Coop vocalized a sudden realization while the High Priest chained a combination of attacks that the Champion bobbed between before jabbing the handle of his sword into the man¡¯s stomach, sending him stumbling backwards. Coop stifled a giggle, smiling in the middle of their struggle. Huracan practically snarled at Coop¡¯s interruption, infuriated that his opponent appeared to be enjoying himself at his expense, but Coop had concluded that the man he was fighting was literally full of hot air.


    Huracan ignored Coop¡¯s disruption and continued the fight by leaping forward and launching a straight right punch at Coop¡¯s head. Coop twisted his shoulders to avoid the telegraphed strike. Huracan¡¯s fists emanated heat, glowing orange all the way to the elbow as he poured his energy into the physical attacks. He followed the first punch with a straight left that aimed for Coop¡¯s ribs while the Champion was contorted to avoid the opening strike.


    Coop demonstrated extraordinary flexibility by twisting even further to his right, allowing the second punch to land, but letting his body follow its trajectory to diminish the impact and force a mere glancing blow. Coop¡¯s body was perpendicular to Huracan¡¯s by the time the attack actually grazed its target.


    Then, the Champion¡¯s trap was sprung. While the High Priest had his arm fully extended, leaning too far forward with his overcommitment to dealing damage, the round ethereal shield came crashing down. The blunt edge came down with enough force to break straight through the forged elbow and send the High Priest stumbling into the sand as his momentum was pulled by his attack.


    Huracan rolled back to his feet and roared. His broken arm was a stub that ignited as it rejuvenated. Instead of letting his limb recuperate while exchanging more words, Coop was stepping into another attack.


    Coop threw his shield like a frisbee, and Huracan raised his good arm to protect his neck. While Huracan¡¯s arm was raised, Coop chased after the projectile and slid onto one knee, dragging his sword across Huracan¡¯s legs. When the High Priest stumbled backwards to avoid being further hobbled after the shield bounced off his solid forearm, the ethereal sword had transformed into a glaive that whipped a trail of sand and ghostly mist. The shiny blade carved a molten ¡®X¡¯ into Huracan¡¯s chest that leaked fire as if it threatened to explode.


    In the next instant, the glaive was gone and an ethereal spear was being thrust straight at the center of Huracan¡¯s freshly scarred chest. The High Priest managed to use a superheated air blast to shift his position just out of range of the first stab, but it was followed by another that just barely grazed him with the tip, extending just that much further, and a third that came immediately after and was even closer to impaling the Priest straight through.


    When the spear was withdrawn, Huracan prepared to insult the man who had challenged him in his own domain, gloating that even his best attempt hadn¡¯t been enough to slow the High Priest down, but the words were too slow. Instead of giving a statement of self-confidence, he was stabbed in the back such that another spearhead escaped the center of his chest in between both of the fighters. The flames that escaped his wound caused the surprise phantasm to disappear, but the mere existence of similarly repeated attacks was enough for both of the combatants to confirm the fight would end soon.


    ¡°I am a God!¡± Huracan exclaimed, embracing denial. The High Priest was desperately reassuring himself more than he was continuing with the threats. His wounds continued to burn as they healed, but when they regenerated, they transformed the High Priest into something warped.


    Coop shook his head and raised his shield, pointing his spear at the High Priest. ¡°You¡¯re no God. You¡¯re just some guy. Same as me.¡± He declared to the consternation of the self-proclaimed deity.


    Huracan doubled down on his spell casting, giving up on the skirmishing that he had believed would defeat Coop. The High Priest released walls of flames that danced across the terrain. They forced the Champion to mistjump to the side, then zig zag between as blocks of fire were propelled by superheated winds. Huracan shot flames from his one reformed hand like a firehouse of fire. The combined bombardment led Coop to taking a roundabout path as he aimed to return to melee range. He might have been able to smash through the flames, but the fact that he was almost completely diminished on mana, thanks to Mind over Matter claiming some of the resource over the course of the fight and his single use of Legacy of the Mists, meant that he would finish the fight methodically. He only had the mana for one more phantasm, and any direct blows would impact his mana pool.


    Coop was too fast and too agile to be caught by the concentrated flames, and he was too strong and too durable to be slowed by the larger area attacks. Huracan dug deep, sacrificing his regeneration in order to keep the flame assault coming, but Coop slipped through sheets of fire and closed the gap with long strides that constantly changed directions but never took him far from the ground. He wouldn¡¯t be blown off course as long as he kept a firm stance.


    The final space was cleared when Coop took a giant step to his left, letting liquid flame splash onto the hard-packed sand directly adjacent to his position. He followed the maneuver with a skipping dodge to his right that skirted the edge of a rectangular-shaped flame wall that crackled as tiny grains of sand had whatever liquid they contained superheated and burst into flashes of white sparkles. Finally, with a great leap forward he was back within striking distance. The final rush took all of his Strength and Agility and had him blasting forward nearly as quickly as his spear throws. Coop¡¯s vision narrowed, as if he was suddenly in a tunnel, with only Huracan remaining crystal clear, unobstructed by the speed that Coop reached.


    When Coop struck again, it was with his ethereal battle axe, and he struck with lethal intent. The blow came horizontally, meant to separate the High Priest¡¯s legs from his body. Simultaneously, he used the last of his mana to summon a phantasmal barbarian above and behind the High Priest.


    A hulking ghost burst out of the mists with a silent roar etched on his face, muscles bulging as his weapon moved downward in a thunderous arc. The ghostly battle axe gleamed in the light of flames as it rushed with a vertical strike that matched Coop¡¯s horizontal attack.


    When Coop¡¯s attack landed, it cleaved Huracan in two, sending a spout of flames all the way around his separated body. An instant later, the phantasm¡¯s attack collided with the crown of the High Priest¡¯s blackened head and continued down, splitting the Aeromancer¡¯s upper body into a left and right half before his hardened body had shifted an inch.


    It took a good ten seconds for Coop¡¯s vision to return after the High Priest was properly defeated. The flames that erupted from within had burned the hottest of any of his attacks, but they hadn¡¯t been particularly forceful. For a few moments, the valley was lit as if it was the middle of a cloudless day.


    [You defeated Oathsworn Human (Level 417)]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Skill options available.]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]

 Chapter 187: Scorched Valley

    Coop was absolutely drenched in sweat. He shook his arms with his wrists loose in an effort to drip dry, but the movement barely had any effect. He gave up the futile effort with a sigh. The sweltering heat generated by Huracan¡¯s abilities lingered in the valley even after the High Priest¡¯s demise. The baked ground emanated heat like an oven was embedded below. It seemed as though it would take some time before the temperature returned to normal, but normal wasn¡¯t particularly appetizing in Coop¡¯s current state, considering the tropical heat that persisted in the region. Coop fanned himself as he beheld the aftermath of the battle and planned his next move.


    The air in the valley was heavy. Fragments of ash drifted straight down from the sky without even a faint breeze to carry them through the valley. Long strips of black, melted stone were scattered throughout the rocky hills on each side. The hard-packed sand ground was scarred with sooty burn marks and the entire surface was broken with narrow cracks that were illuminated with deeper flames that continued to burn underneath.


    He had to give credit to the Aeromancer class; it had access to some truly impressive magical firepower as the aftermath was almost entirely caused by the splash damage of the High Priest¡¯s abilities rather than Coop¡¯s Strength. When Coop imagined anyone else that could have as much of an impact on such a wide area, the only person who came to mind was Charlie.


    Not too far away from his position in the scorched battlefield, the stepped pyramid still stood, marred with dark smudges on its stone surface. A few thousand years of weather had prepared it for a brief explosion of combat, leaving it hardly worse for wear despite the combatants¡¯ firepower. All in all, the fight between Coop and the High Priest was hardly a blip in the ancient pyramid¡¯s lifetime. Coop shook his head as he moved toward the foot of the building, stepping around foot-sized craters where the battle had begun.


    Coop¡¯s steps crunched on the incinerated sand as he strolled toward the pyramid. Without the blazing fires dotting the landscape, the darkness of night almost fully claimed the area. The ground had an almost imperceptible orange glow that prevented total darkness from taking over thanks to whatever was going on beneath the surface, and the facade of the old stone structure reflected the limited light from the stars, but the pyramid was, at best, still a solid shadow amidst the gloom. The doorway at the top had an almost inviting glow except that the warm color promised more uncomfortable heat.


    Piles of dusty stone rubble were all that remained of the black spires at each corner of the structure, encircling perfectly formed holes that extended deep underground. They had been unnatural mana formations inextricably linked to the levels that Huracan had consumed in order to boost his power level, and now they were reduced to non salvageable wreckage. Coop felt as though they were essential components of whatever ritual the High Priest had been using to store mana until it was utilized for levels. They appeared to have been connected directly to each other, intertwined with the foundation underneath the pyramid as if they were strange growths leaching from the main structure.


    It seemed pretty clear that the High Priestess of the Butterfly Cave was employing her mushroom monster for the same job, and Coop remembered the reports from Ghost Reef that the Envoy had held an artifact around his neck before he enjoyed his boost in levels. Coop probably wasn¡¯t the man for the job when it came to deciphering the exact mechanisms that were being developed by the Cult of Chakyum, but from his unsophisticated perspective, it just seemed like they were storing experience for later use.


    His main question was simple. Why? If they were going to go through the trouble of gathering experience, shouldn¡¯t they just consume it? That¡¯s what he would do. Coop¡¯s main issue with the Cult was with how they were gathering the experience, but it still seemed strange to him that none of them seemed like they were in any particular hurry to tap into the power that they accumulated.


    The only thing he could think of was the warning that Shane¡¯s party had levied on Coop when it came to triggering more settlement events. Maybe they were avoiding specific level thresholds, but if that had been the case, the Mushroom King would have broken through, and Huracan hadn¡¯t hesitated particularly long before accessing his entire store of power.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably not it.¡± Coop muttered to himself, frowning as he half-heartedly struggled to come up with a reasonable explanation.


    Coop shrugged as he reached the bottom step of the pyramid, not overly burdening his mind with speculating the motivations of people that at least straddled the line of insanity. He figured the real answer would probably be something simple enough to be easily overlooked, like maybe they were simply sandbagging. It would be a slight twist of irony if the strategy that the profession masters of Corozal had applied to stay out of the Cult¡¯s crosshairs was also being employed by the Cult itself. Coop wasn¡¯t someone to look down upon being underestimated. That was essentially the secret ingredient that his passive skills generated when levels were the public facing information that everyone used as a baseline.


    Maybe there would be answers at the top of the pyramid. He rather hopefully wondered if he would find some clues to indicate how to find Chakyum as well. At the moment, the plan was for him to work his way closer to the Yucatan settlement, eliminating any Priests and High Priests along the way, but anything that provided more clarity for his enigmatic main target would be welcomed. Unfortunately, Huracan didn¡¯t seem like the type of guy to take detailed notes or maintain proper correspondence with his colleagues, so Coop doubted he would find anything of note. Of course, he¡¯d take a look anyway.


    The steps of the pyramid were worn to the point of smoothness, making them feel slightly unsafe. They were also abnormally large, forcing him to take a few steps across before lunging onto the next step. It was like the original architects were ten feet tall, or the pyramid wasn¡¯t meant for people in the first place. He supposed it really was a monument to the gods.


    With each step, the temperature was notably cooler. The remaining heat seemed to be emanating from the sand as it dissipated in the night air. By the time he reached the top, he was ready to revise his assessment of the tropical climate. The temperature wasn¡¯t uncomfortable. In fact, the air outside of the valley was actually refreshing, demonstrating a similar effect to walking out of a sauna. He took a deep breath, enjoying the moderate temperature before stepping inside of what had seemed like the gate to Hell.


    Instead of horrors, he found himself standing inside of a small room that would have been best used as a modest shrine. The interior walls displayed simple patterns outlined with ancient paints. In the center, there was a small flame, hardly stronger than a single candle, glowing inside of another black stone brazier. It had been carefully tended, elevated above a pit that was dug within the temple at the top of the pyramid. Against the opposite wall was a black metal throne. Coop scoffed at the image of Huracan sitting around, tending to the flame. The man hadn¡¯t seemed like the type to thoughtfully meditate in isolation. Coop peeked into the pit and after struggling with the dim light, realized the pyramid was completely full of ashes, like a giant urn. Charred bones occasionally poked through the piles, but Coop was immediately disgusted with what the pyramid had been filled with.


    He snuffed the flame out, ready to destroy whatever the High Priest had built, and when the light went out an inhuman, spectral screech filled the tiny temple, escaping from the open threshold into the night. The sound echoed across the valley and over the savannah, and for a brief moment Coop readied himself for another fight with something infinitely more spiteful than the Cult of Chakyum. The strange energy that he had felt when he entered the High Priest¡¯s territory had grown exponentially stronger before finally dissipating. The buzzing hadn¡¯t been a result of Huracan¡¯s power, but had been emanated from the cultivated flame itself. The High Priest had been dabbling in some strange power with all the mana he had gathered.


    In the darkness, Coop thought he could see shadowy forms escaping into the sky. It would have been something he dismissed out of hand if he had not seen something similar when he defeated the Envoy of Chakyum. Once they were gone, the uncomfortable sensation that swept across the savannah seemingly disappeared completely, returning the area to normal. Coop breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn¡¯t accidentally triggered another boss battle. But a fleeting thought struck him, and on a whim, he checked the leaderboard, concerned that he might be empowering Chakyum each time he defeated one of his priests. The High Priests kept reminding him that the guy was supposed to be the literal incarnation of death, after all. If that was the case, why wouldn¡¯t they join him in death?


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    Day 87


    <ol>


    <li> Coop (Level 177)</li>


    <li> Hai Yun (Level 120)</li>


    <li> Reina Kitawa (Level 119)</li>


    <li> Akari Kitawa (Level 119)</li>


    <li> Charlie Seraphin (Level 115)</li>


    <li> Camila Alvarez (Level 115)</li>


    <li> Ix-Hau (Level 112)</li>


    <li> Banshee (Level 111)</li>


    <li> Platinum (Level 109)</li>


    <li> Alex Nova (Level 107)</li>


    </ol>


    The leaderboard was back to normal. There was no sign of the secretive leader suddenly exploding with levels. Ix-Hau maintained his spot near the top, but the rest of the names seemed to be from representatives of other forces. The Cult of Chakyum might have been capable of taking over the leaderboard again, with its Priests scattered throughout the region, sitting on enormous fonts of experience, but for now, they seemed content to continue as they were.


    Coop checked his skill options while he remained inside the pyramid. He leaned against the edge of the doorway as he shifted his focus to the system notifications. It had been a long time since he had a proper skill selection where he wasn¡¯t sure what he would take. The last few options had been the final pieces of the frame he had begun at the start. The skills hadn¡¯t required much consideration beyond deciding what order he would grab them.


    In the past, he remembered desperately seeking options to fill gaps in his build. However, at this point in his progression, he felt like his build was in really good shape. The specific deficiencies he had been fighting to exceed were hardly worth lingering on. The gaps that he had felt in the beginning had diminished by the sheer force of his stats. His personal firepower, for example, was well-beyond what he had hoped for, with the additional flexibility in stats provided by Mindbender and the multipliers that phantasms represented. Then there was his lacking area damage skills, but they could easily be covered by the phantasms or hidden by his Fog of War. His mobility skill wasn¡¯t exactly available on demand, but mistjumps were more than enough for him to match up with the best examples he had seen elsewhere. Huracan had been able to literally fly like a superhero with bursts of superheated wind, and yet Coop believed he would have been able to win in a race against the High Priest just by throwing his spear and teleporting. Coop¡¯s defenses were more than adequate, especially against magic damage, and his durability was beyond reason, especially after topping it off with the siege event reward. Finally, his combat endurance had most recently been boosted with the Devourer title being consumed by his Reaper title, increasing the bonus recovery upon defeating enemies all the way to 10% of their resources.


    But Coop was burying the lede. When it came to his skills there was one that he had been keeping in his back pocket. His most recent skill upgrade, Inheritance of the Mists, was a trump card that he hadn¡¯t been forced to break out. The skill itself had almost infinite potential. The scaling was based off of his stats, but the actual details depended on the apparition that appeared. The first apparition had been a lighting lord that insatiably consumed his mana like a man dying of thirst with absolutely no regard for its host.


    Due to his first experience with Inheritance, he had a weird feeling toward the skill. On the one hand, it was ridiculously powerful, to the point that it would be perfect for overwhelming his opponents with the sheer force it could present. The problem was that it was unpredictable. It was possible that the apparition wouldn¡¯t be an offensive multiplier when he needed it to be, and the consequences for using the skill were severe. The first apparition had only left him after draining both his mana and health down to their limits. The thing had essentially threatened Coop before leaving him as if he was an inadequate vessel that needed to be strengthened before he could properly wield the power granted by the skill.


    With all of that in mind, Coop wanted to reinforce his baseline combat abilities even further. Inheritance would remain his trump card, but his focus would be on becoming strong enough to deal with any issues that arose, even without ace skills. He needed to reinforce himself before he would be capable of utilizing the skill anyway. Not to mention that his original strategy had been to concentrate on raising his baseline and avoiding power spikes so that he would always be at his peak potential rather than relying on cooldowns and the limitations they created.


    There was always room in his build to add more utility and if he had to pick a weakness, it was still in his in-combat recovery. His Reaper title contributed an incredible amount to his overall sustainability, but it could only kick in when he had enemies to defeat. A one-on-one battle, like the one he just had with Huracan, was where he would have benefited if he had more ways to either recover his resources, or alternatively, ways to negate resource consumption in the first place.


    At this point, his skill options were reduced to six. It seemed like the Path of the Mistwalker had only just begun, and yet he was closing in on the end. Assuming it operated in the same way as the base Revenant skill choices, the final choice between three would be the skills with path offerings. If it was the same, Coop would be selecting another path at the next level threshold, which was less than 25 levels away.


    ¡°So soon.¡± He mumbled to himself.


    He turned his focus to some of the skills he had been offered. A few of the previous skills that had nabbed his attention when he first viewed them were available again, including Brocken Spectre, Vaporform, and Infusion, though all of them had been less appealing than upgrading his Retribution and Salvation abilities at the time. The foggy ghost punch ability, Brocken Spectre, was the first of the returning skills. It could add to his individual firepower, but he thought it was the least appetizing contender. Then there was the pair of mist skills, Vaporform and Infusion, that Coop had a better appreciation for selecting, given the system¡¯s inclination for ability mergers. He further justified his interest because he was walking the Path of the Mistwalker; of course he should be taking the mist skills. He was entering the final stages of the path before he would be starting a new one, so it was his last chance to double down.


    The first of the two mist skills was Infusion. Wounds that he received while under the effects of the skill would have their damage, and any other negative effects, temporarily prevented by a protective mist. The ability relied on an internal reservoir that Coop believed would actually be based on his mana. His experience with the apparition had clued him in on the idea that his health could be depleted in favor of mana, so why not vice versa? If that was the case, he thought it would be another ability that scaled into insanity with Coop¡¯s passive stat scaling, adding another layer of defense that was similar to the damage conversion of Mind Over Matter.


    The other was the ability called Vaporform. This one didn¡¯t have the same potential for being exaggerated by his stack of attributes, but it still sounded like a powerful addition to his build. When the skill was activated, he would become incorporeal. Simple. To Coop, it sounded like a toggleable ability that he could easily integrate into his current bag of tricks, and more importantly, didn¡¯t seem to add to the pressures he was placing on his resources.


    While Coop wasn¡¯t dying to push his build in any particular direction at the moment, he felt like Vaporform offered the most bang for his buck. He had previously identified his in-combat recovery as his most glaring weakness, and to his mind, Vaporform would add a way for him to negate damage which in turn would reduce pressure on his mana pool rather than add to them.


    He scratched his chin and reviewed the rest of the options for a second time, but of the six, the other three just didn¡¯t fit into his vision for his build.


    Brocken Spectre would have worked best if he had never taken Retribution, which granted him the ability to conjure his weapons. As it stood, Coop thought the two skills would overlap in their roles. Brocken Spectre would have enabled a proper monk-like brawler that duked it out with his opponents with combined physical and magical melee attacks, diversifying his damage and multiplying his potency in ways that he had already covered in his current build. While it could still be used with the skills he had already taken; there had been more than one occasion where it would have been a neat trick to reveal in the middle of the fight, it certainly wasn¡¯t playing to his Revenant base strengths. Maybe Huracan would have been defeated after Coop¡¯s first right hook counter attack if it had been followed up with a magical fist of fog, but in the end Coop relied on his flexible weapons rather than his knuckles.


    Infusion was an ability that he would welcome, something akin to a security blanket on top of his layered defenses, and it was also something that would prevent his combat capacity from being diminished in longer skirmishes. If he and an opponent had the capacity to chip away at each other, Coop would be the one who remained undiminished through injury. Adding Infusion would make Coop a truly undying brawler. But, he was leaning toward Vaporform as it would help him prevent damage rather than power through it.


    Coop would be happy if either Brocken Spectre or Infusion appeared among his path choices. If he tried to imagine what potential builds they would lead into, he found himself happy with either route. Both leaned into his skirmish focused personal combat style, albeit in slightly different fashions: the first giving him a potential finisher, and the second a kind of stamina boost that would keep his engine going at its maximum no matter his state. Putting aside the future choices, but banking on either of the two, he selected Vaporform and accepted the skill for his current choice.


    ¡°Lose yourself. Find yourself.¡±

 Chapter 188: Firefighting

    Coop double-checked the temple at the top of Huracan¡¯s pyramid, seeking hidden loot that may have been squirreled away within. He wouldn¡¯t be a proper scavenger if he left anything of value behind, but there was nothing that immediately caught his attention.


    The High Priest had created a modest throne room with a crudely forged seat opposite the main shrine entrance and little else. Other than the snuffed out living flame suspended in an oversized black stone brazier above the pit full of ashes, there were no other furnishings. The walls contained a series of worn patterns that Coop was sure would be extremely interesting to Jones if he were there, but Coop couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of the message they sought to display, and they were from an era that was long gone. There wasn¡¯t even a chest hidden behind the throne.


    Shrugging as he turned to leave, slightly disappointed that he hadn¡¯t discovered any treasures accumulated by the High Priest, he took a closer look at the hanging brazier. He was considering whether he should take it with him so that he wouldn¡¯t be leaving empty handed. The brazier might make a decent reward. It would probably fit inside the lightroom of the lighthouse if he wanted something more antique to house the Spectral Relic.


    When he pulled the hanging ornament closer, he found something rattling around inside. When Coop scooped the culprit up, excited to see what he found, he was surprised to find a large quartz-like gemstone, almost the size of his hand. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that it was another large, uncut Unique relic called the Seed of Wind. Coop admired the stone for a moment, letting it sit in his palms, watching swirls of gray flow inside the clear surface. Huracan had been using the relic to feed the now snuffed out flames.


    He didn¡¯t have a quest to retrieve the relic, but he still imagined what it would have been like to collect an obviously wind themed item instead of the stone with ethereal affinity. If Ghost Reef had Charlie as Champion, and she completed the first bonus objective, they might have ended up with an unending protective storm instead of phantoms.


    Coop nodded with satisfaction as he checked his status, happy that he had been properly rewarded with loot.


    [Status]


    HP - 14520/14520


    MP - 8249/27540


    Class - Revenant (Level 177)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 131)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 75 (+2754)


    Agility - 75 (+1377)


    Body - 75 (+1377)


    Mind - 2295 (+459)


    Intelligence - 75 (+2754)


    Acumen - 75 (+1377)


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion III, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper, Slayer VII, Dauntless, Stacked, Defiant, Siegebreaker, Mindbender


    Skills (Active) - Invocation, Fog of War, Presence of Mind, Vaporform


    Skills (Passive) - Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension, Clarity of Purpose


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (18/50), Upgrade Town to City


    Basic Credits - 6,218,155


    Coop was still managing to make some pretty consistent progress, even when many of his normal activities provided him with diminished experience. Grinding monsters without Slayer quest lines could have been better if the monsters were equal to his level, but defeating a ridiculous number of Elite Ruin Nebulas had still added a few more levels to his total, in spite of the frequent experience gap between himself and the lower leveled monsters.


    However, more than half of his progress had come from killing the High Priest of Chakyum. Coop shook his head as he considered where the experience he gained had ultimately come from and found himself a bit unhappy with the progress. He wanted to deal with Chakyum sooner than later, so that he could get back to hunting monsters exclusively, regardless of any diminished experience gains he would suffer.


    On the bright side, he had a new skill and he was earning plenty of credits during the Yucatan expedition. Vaporform was his newest active skill, joining the likes of Presence of Mind which gave him the ability to manipulate and detect auras, his primary area of effect skill in Fog of War, and his combined summoning skill, Invocation. Retribution and Salvation, his original active skills, had been upgraded with Legacy of the Mists and Inheritance of the Mists, respectively. They had evolved from simple skills that manifested his ethereal weapons and armor to also have the ability to summon phantasms and apparitions. With their additional features, the system merged them into Invocation.


    The Revenant passive skills included abilities that covered five of the six primary attributes. Mind Over Matter added one bonus point to Body for every two points in his Mind stat. It also had the additional effect of reducing his health damage by 50% and applying it to mana damage instead and had been the very first key defensive piece in his build. Without Mind Over Matter he wouldn¡¯t be nearly the juggernaut that he had become, but sometimes it caused him some problems. It would always be a large source of pressure on his mana pool, and if it wasn¡¯t for Practical Application relieving some of the strain on his resources, Coop¡¯s road would have been much more difficult.


    Practical Application also converted half of his Mind into another stat, this time Agility, but it had the bonus effect of reducing the mana cost of active skills as his mastery with those skills grew. Practical Application essentially broke the limit on the more basic skills that had flat mana costs, decreasing the cost one mana at a time as he repeatedly used the abilities. Mistjumping the way he did would have been impossible without thousands of repetitions reducing the resource cost to nothing, and summoning phantasms would be similarly freed from the constraint of mana soon enough. Legacy of the Mists, the upgrade that summoned phantasms, was down to nearly half of its original 500 mana cost after the long grind sessions on Elite Ruin Nebulas in the jungle.


    Clarity of Purpose gave one point of Acumen for every two points in Mind, and also granted his attacks the ability to ignore a minor portion of his opponent¡¯s defense, stacking with each strike. On an individual basis, the passive effect was underwhelming compared to the other two examples, but combined with the influence of Mindbender¡¯s shifting bonus stats, Clarity of Purpose¡¯s armor shred meant that nothing would stand against Coop¡¯s pummeling for long. Even the most robust opponents would find themselves exposed to his attacks.


    In a way, Clarity of Purpose was the most similar to Practical Application¡¯s mana reduction. A reduction of a single point of mana was useless, but eventually it added up. The same could be said about ignoring armor. Coop just needed opponents that could withstand enough attacks for Clarity of Purpose to make itself felt, though that wasn¡¯t something he felt comfortable wishing for. At this stage in the assimilation it was rare for fights to be as drawn out as even the duel with Huracan, but that didn¡¯t mean there weren¡¯t sturdy opponents lurking out there. Coop was a walking example of someone who would be exposed by abilities that could ignore defense, but if he ever let someone hit him enough times to stack a debuff like that, he¡¯d have even more problems.


    Adamance and Arcane Comprehension were the final two passive skills and they were the simplest. Each lacked a secondary component, fully investing into adding bonus stats to their respective attributes instead. Adamance added one point of Strength for every single point in Mind, and Arcane Comprehension did the same for Intelligence. Given that both stats were primarily contributing to raw damage, Coop was happy for them to be hyper focused on their one purpose.


    The only attribute that lacked a passive skill was his most important stat of all: Mind. Every single point he had been able to assign, since the very beginning of the assimilation, had gone into Mind. The single minded investment had been crucial for his success. Going forward, if Coop was going to continue punching above his weight class, it would be essential to continue on the path that he started with his earliest choices. Otherwise, he would need enough downtime to try to make up for lost time investing in a different direction, and considering the way the assimilation was going, he doubted a slowdown was in the cards.


    As he exited the threshold of the temple atop the pyramid, he tested Vaporform, confident that it wouldn¡¯t have an adverse impact on him as he traveled, unlike a certain Inheritance skill.


    The effect was instantaneous. Coop¡¯s vision warped, suddenly pitching him into nothingness. He imagined a pulse of ghostly energy that shot out from his feet, gliding across every surface,tracing their outlines as it extended into a hazy distance, and revealing details for him to perceive at the speed of light.


    ¡°Woah¡­¡± Coop attempted to mumble, surprised by the unexpected transition to what he was ready to christen ghost vision, but no sound came out.


    Rather than the typical turquoise that Coop had come to associate with his ethereal abilities, the pulse had been closer to a blueish gray, sweeping the natural color out of whatever it touched. Aside from the color difference, the motion reminded him of the times that he summoned the phantoms to Ghost Reef, just faster. The blue-gray line swept outwards, outlining the edges of the pyramid and expanding into the valley and up the walls, revealing everything as it moved.


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    The entire pulse only lasted a split second, the time it took for him to blink, behaving more like a radar ping than the waves of magical energy Coop had witnessed before, but the end result was something that he was certainly familiar with. It was the representation of the world when he was transitioning between points when he teleported with one of his mistjumps. He realized that the aesthetic was a natural result of his senses compensating for a physical change and representing the world through a different lens, as if Presence of Mind was the only way he had ever detected his environment.


    Everything was engulfed by the mist. Everything. And now he was mist.


    Coop was standing at the top of the primary steps, in the same place where Huracan had looked down upon him. However, the world was washed out and gray. Coop had entered the monochromatic world of mists and it wasn¡¯t just a fleeting visit while he effectively teleported. The pulse that he had witnessed was merely his senses adapting to the change. At least, he believed it was his senses influenced by Presence of Mind, maybe it would be better to think of it as his soul, but that made him uncomfortable.


    When he caught a glimpse of his arm, his neck almost snapped as he whipped it down to look at himself. He actually was a ghost. In fact, he looked almost identical to the way his phantasms appeared in the real world: misty and ethereal. It was like he had crossed a threshold into their mirror dimension. A spirit world that existed on top of the regular world.


    He deactivated Vaporform and everything returned to normal in another instant, with the color returning from the outside edge of his vision inward until it reached his own body. The change had been so abrupt, it was almost as though the misty dimension was a figment of his imagination.


    He tested it again.


    The change occurred in the blink of an eye, but it was undeniable that he stood atop a smoky pyramid in a monochromatic world of grays that extended beyond the horizon. The cloudless sky was a hazy sea of pale swirls and slow currents, and the horizon faded as if he was standing within the thinnest Fog of War he could manage, wrapping the entire world. While it was different from the all-encompassing knowledge of his personal domains, it was still something more than his regular senses, like his aura was more in-tune with his surroundings than normal. Since it was still night time, he could actually see further in the abnormal realm, like he had a spiritual night vision.


    The mana cost of Vaporform wasn¡¯t too bad either, behaving like a small drain on his total resource while he lingered in the alternate world. There was no upfront cost, so Coop¡¯s idea of using the skill as a defensive utility seemed like it would be achievable, even ideal. Instead of taking hits that he couldn¡¯t avoid, whether because he was unable to dodge or couldn¡¯t block, he would now have another option to essentially transform his body into an incorporeal form that allowed the attack to pass through before he returned to his solid form. If he wasn¡¯t slippery enough before, he would certainly be closer with the new skill.


    Of all the skills he had acquired, he felt like Vaporform might actually be the craziest. Most of the others were simple things once he accepted that a form of magic existed, but Vaporform was changing him on a fundamental level that he didn¡¯t really understand. Coop shuddered as strange ideas regarding the essence of self involuntarily flooded his mind.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s fine.¡± He consoled himself, trying to avoid panicking. ¡°I¡¯m still me.¡± He confirmed, staring at the palms of his hands as if they would confirm it to be true. They did. Sort of. Someone more zen than he was might have felt like they were becoming one with the universe, but for him, losing himself was mostly scary. He clenched his fists and did his best to move on by distracting himself with the skill itself.


    Toggling the skill on and off barely registered on his mana pool, but leaving it on for an extended period of time eventually consumed enough to force him back out. The drain escalated as time went on. The resource cost of the skill wasn¡¯t something that would impact him in combat, but if he wanted to use it for other purposes, like reconnaissance for example, he would need to be mindful of his resources. In a way, he ended up getting a stealth skill as well, something he had wanted at the start, but had abandoned the idea in favor of applying Fog of War for a more active camouflage.


    While he took in the scenes, flipping the skill back and forth and developing some level of comfort with the changes that occurred each time he swapped between dimensions, he noticed a flickering light in the distance. When he deactivated his skill and looked in the same direction, he could clearly see orange and red illumination against the dark horizon that crawled up the next set of hills outside the valley. The light had been hidden by the first set of rocky outcroppings around the valley, but now had extended far enough to climb up the next group of hills.


    Coop¡¯s eyebrows shot up as he realized what he was seeing. The savannah was burning. Of course it was, Coop thought. He had just battled with a man who claimed to be the God of fire. As Coop¡¯s spear formed in his hand, he had already committed to rectifying the consequences of their fight.


    He let his spear fly, planning on putting the fire out before it burned its way across the entire region. Dry as it was, a fire would find plenty of fuel. For now, it hadn¡¯t spread very far, growing from hot embers that had floated far enough away from the valley to ignite grasses at the edge of the High Priest¡¯s area of influence. The pine savannah would burn quickly, so it was urgent for him to smother the flames before the fire really got out of control.


    When he mistjumped adjacent to the erratic line of flames, he found that it was both thinner and much larger than expected, covering a wide swath of the hill and extending all the way around the temple as it spread in all directions. The dry grasses of the pine savannah were perfect kindling for a fire to sweep across the lands, and the lack of thick vegetation meant that the dry breezes were only obstructed by the low-grade hills, remaining strong enough to fan the flames with a consistent current of air as they leapt forward in short bursts of popping ignition.


    Coop spent the rest of the night, fighting the flames with his battle axe. The flames weren¡¯t his normal enemies, but like most of the obstacles he had run into, they were also defeatable through brute force. Aside from smothering the burning embers by simply smashing them like the genius he was, he eventually settled on creating enormous fire breaks ahead of the flames. The excavations he established would have been a monumental effort to properly dig, but Coop utilized his Strength to repeatedly blast craters into the sandy ground as if he was grinding invisible monsters. Everything was easier when he put his head down and took action. It was the perfect salve for the small existential crisis his new ability had generated.


    The sun rose while Coop worked, sweating and focused. Morning came and went while Coop carved an enormous sandy ring in the savannah, in between the rolling slopes of the hills, with Huracan¡¯s temple pyramid in the exact center. By the afternoon, somehow, Coop¡¯s amateur project had worked. Thanks exclusively to his tireless effort and not because it was a particularly well-developed strategy, he succeeded in preventing a wildfire from ravaging the land. The inside of his ring was burned, but the outside remained a unique habitat of pines and yellow grasses. He sighed, wiping soot from his forehead with the back of his hand, only managing to create a thicker smudge as he summoned his spear and prepared to leave the place behind.


    He figured that as soon as he left, a lightning strike would start a natural fire that would burn the rest of the grassy savannah. In a way, it was the same issue he had with trying to save the whole planet versus just those that were in Ghost Reef. He couldn¡¯t be everywhere and do everything, so he compromised by just doing his best.


    All in all, the black mark on the otherwise undisturbed environment wasn¡¯t so bad. If anything, the flames might have helped cleanse the area of the Cult of Chakyum¡¯s footprint, letting all of the fire-adapted species reclaim the region with a fresh start. They had been suppressed by the excessive ancient mana that had saturated the valley, pushing them away from the fire God¡¯s temple. The massive concentration of mana had been enough to leak into the entire habitat, detectable by Amanda and Mikey B even from a great distance. When Coop first entered, it had caused him some discomfort, but ever since the High Priest was defeated and the living flame was snuffed out, the atmosphere had been trending back to normal.


    Coop nodded to himself happily, feeling like he had been a responsible person, restoring the area to the best of his abilities, and the ground rumbled in response. While he looked over the valley, a fountain of raw energy shot into the sky from deep below the foot of the pyramid. The rumbling continued, sounding a bit too much like a roar instead of rock and stone. Coop¡¯s shoulders slumped.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± He muttered, flabbergasted that things kept chaining one after the other.


    He really thought he had properly avoided triggering additional boss fights after the living flame was snuffed out without any further action, but then he went and drew what he imagined would end up seeming like a giant summoning circle on the land and let the center burn.


    Coop raised his arms and stretched his back, before taking a deep breath and resetting. The charred smell of burnt wood inundated his senses, but had the desired effect. He couldn¡¯t just leave whatever development was occurring without at least taking a look. He nodded to himself, and threw his spear back at the temple, planning on utilizing the elevated vantage point to determine what was up while giving him an easy path of retreat if necessary. Hopefully, whatever it was would be quick.


    When Coop arrived at his destination he was met with an unusual scene. The valley was completely obscured by disturbed sand, suspended in the air like a storm had lifted all the loose grains, but it was almost completely motionless. Coop felt as though he was observing another version of Fog of War, except it was composed of sand and dust rather than his mists. The cloud lingered in the valley giving no sign that the sandstorm would settle.


    It hadn¡¯t been so long that Coop had forgotten the hard-packed sand. It was baked together by who knows how many years of dry heat and even when he fought Huracan, who was utilizing superheated gusts of wind, most of the grains were hardly disturbed. The whole valley bed was more like brittle concrete than a beach, but something was disrupting the environment in a unique way.


    Coop concentrated on Presence of Mind, unwilling to personally venture down the steps of the pyramid and investigate. For a few moments, he just stared at the curtains of fine golden sand, as it slowly billowed around the valley, like a cloud moseying across the landscape. There was nothing to detect, as far as he could tell.


    He tried Vaporform, but quickly realized that wasn¡¯t the skill¡¯s purpose. The world of mists wasn¡¯t a special domain like the one created by Fog of War. It was just the regular world seen through a different lens, one that Coop had only brushed against while mistjumping and summoning skills. The actual change was with occuring with himself, not the world.


    He toggled the skill off and frowned, unsure about how to proceed. The fact that the strange weather pattern had settled in after tremors shook the ground and a pillar of magical energy had shot into the sky meant that he felt like he couldn¡¯t just ignore it. Something had caused this event, and unless he was imagining things, it had roared like some kind of earthen dinosaur. As much as he would have believed this phenomenon was a result of his firefighting, he knew that it was something else that had been simmering for longer than a single day. Now that it had boiled over, he needed to determine what it was, or at least figure out how threatening it would be.


    The rocky hills that bordered the valley had cracked, proof that he hadn¡¯t imagined the quaking, leaving crumbling rocks to slowly bounce down until they were swallowed by the sand cloud, disappearing silently as they dropped. Then, while he watched the dust and debris, a single wing emerged, extending beyond the top of the obscuring sand formation, somewhere between a bat¡¯s wing and a reptile¡¯s webbed fingers, with long nails at the end of ribs that supported the leathery surface. Coop finally received some feedback from Presence of Mind in his aura search, and his frown deepened.


    [Siege Boss: Inevitable Conclusion (Level 175)]


    [Shadows of Time]


    [Icon of Mana]

 Chapter 189: Field Test

    ¡°I guess it¡¯s been a while since one of these guys showed up.¡± Coop sighed, resigned to the fact that another Icon of Mana had revealed itself to the planet.


    Given that Coop hadn¡¯t been the one to trigger the Icon, its appearance was probably a bad sign. Maybe an extremely bad sign. The Eradication Protocol was meant to be something to worry about years in the future, but if Icons of Mana were already casually introducing themselves to the planet, it might be closer than anyone anticipated. The Icons were supposed to be precursors to the protocol. Unique circumstances surrounding the siege event with the continuous mana dome covering Ghost Reef and the mana siphon ritual conducted by Madison to cure Jones¡¯s blood curse had given them a window to materialize prematurely.


    However, Coop hadn¡¯t done anything that established an extraordinary mana concentration such that an Icon should have appeared this time around. He had to hope that Huracan had been working on something special that led to mana pooling in the region. Otherwise, the only conclusion would be that the assimilation would be further complicated by another powerful force entering the fray much sooner than anticipated. Whatever formation the black stone spires and the living flame had created may have been enough, but Coop wasn¡¯t enough of an expert to be sure. No matter the circumstances, even the mere fact that someone else could have brought an Icon would be a grim development.


    Lyriel, the self-proclaimed Avatar of the System had promised years of prep time based on the progress of Earth''s assimilation and its concentrations of mana. Coop began harboring doubts about the accuracy of her predictions, and now with a third Icon appearing, seemingly on its own, he was fearing the worst. Outside of Ghost Reef, humanity wasn¡¯t ready. Even the territories that The Lighthouse had claimed wouldn¡¯t be prepared to face the forces of mana. Empress City was basically a fresh settlement, building from scratch, and Neptune¡¯s Bridge had just lost a significant portion of its fighting force in the Sapphire Armada¡¯s effort to claim Ghost Reef. Corozal was hardly ready to deal with roaming Field Bosses, and there was nothing to be said of the rest of the world. None of them would know what was coming before it arrived on their doorstep. Coop had to hope that Marcus was spreading the word effectively as he negotiated relationships with other settlements, but they would still need time to refocus on the looming threat.


    Coop shook his head and dismissed all those worries. Like the small wildfire, he just needed to take care of what he could. Refocusing on the matter at hand, he took a deep breath. He had an Icon of Mana to smack around. When he had the chance, catching the outline of its wing at the edge of the sandstorm, he double checked the monster¡¯s aura.


    [Siege Boss: Inevitable Conclusion (Level 175)]


    [Shadow of Power]


    [Icon of Mana]


    Coop considered how to handle another encounter with an Icon of Mana. The first Icon, Irrevocable Condemnation, had only been level 75 and had appeared by absorbing the mana accumulated beneath the mana dome during Ghost Reef¡¯s siege event. Back then, Coop had the full support of his surviving allies at his back. At the time, they had all progressed way beyond what normal mana levels would have permitted under regular circumstances thanks to the unusual Siege Event. He hadn¡¯t known the danger he was actually facing when he first saw the monster, and he treated the confrontation like any other, by poking and prodding at his opponent while he sought an advantage and determining its strengths and weaknesses. It had worked out in the end, but not without significant contributions from the other residents and phantoms.


    The second Icon of Mana, Monolithic Destiny, had made its entrance through Madison¡¯s mana siphon within the Merciful Medical Center¡¯s ritual chamber. It had really jumped the gun, appearing in a swirl of mana that was rapidly extinguished as the ritual concluded long before its form could fully materialize. The premature arrival had given Coop an opportunity to smash the monster back to wherever it came from. Still, even in its incomplete form, it was a durable level 100 Siege Boss that he had desperately fought to prevent from laying waste to his settlement, sustaining a pummeling from Coop that no other had been able to withstand, with maybe the exception of the Sapphire Armada¡¯s Champion and council of Chosen.


    Now, the third Icon, Inevitable Conclusion, showed up without Coop witnessing the manifestation. As Coop gazed into the levitating sand, he wasn¡¯t sure how to proceed. Entering its domain seemed like a bad idea. Somewhere inside was another Icon of Mana, a siege boss level threat that was at an equal level to Coop. The others had been below his level. His natural inclination was to stay out of the obvious sandy domain as the monster would hold every advantage if they were both caught inside.


    Every few seconds he caught a glimpse of the Icon. Sometimes it was a fleeting silhouette just barely betraying its position, like a mirage in the sand. Other times, he would get a brief glimpse of a single leathery wing or the tip of what must have been an elongated tail, lined with bony protrusions that formed long spikes all the way to the end. Flashes of reflected light would occasionally reveal armored scales. While the Icon wasn¡¯t overly large, it was certainly alien.


    Somewhere in the back of his mind, Coop thought he could get away with just pretending he didn¡¯t see anything. He could whistle a tune and be back in Corozal in less than three minutes with three super long mistjumps. Mikey B and Amanda were probably already halfway to relaxing in Cancun, wondering if Coop was serious about taking his first break on the Yucatan expedition.


    ¡°Damnit.¡± Coop cursed at the cloud of sand, kicking a pebble off the stone pyramid.


    He couldn¡¯t kid himself. He was the same guy that took the time to restore battlefields after he was done fighting. The only reason he discovered the Icon of Mana was that he spent so much extra time putting out the stray fires that the High Priest had ignited while they fought. This Icon was just another mess that he would need to clean up. If he didn¡¯t, it would certainly cause him more grief in the future, like a chore left undone. The Icon would empower itself until a confrontation was unavoidable and Coop would come to regret procrastinating.


    Coop summoned his ethereal round shield, adding the familiar offhand to his already summoned spear. He stood at the top of the pyramid looking down on the sandy domain just like Huracan had looked down on his fog. However, Coop wouldn¡¯t underestimate his opponent and expect to be treated as if he was a deity. Coop was just some guy who happened to start the assimilation in a lucky location. Anyone in his place could have accomplished the same feats he had, so long as they were willing to grind the monsters that inhabited the environment. Every resident of Ghost Reef was doing just that, even if they all proceeded at their own paces, proving that he wasn¡¯t special.


    The next time he spotted the shadow of the Icon, he let his spear fly. The spear shot into the sandy domain with enough speed to tag the monster though it lacked the full force that Coop could generate with his entire body. He wasn¡¯t aiming for a devastating blow, though if he lucked into a critical hit, he would take it. Rather, Coop wanted to bait the monster out of the cloud of sand, and he hoped to force it into retaliating by presenting himself as a ranged opponent that was content to take pot shots.


    When there was no reaction from either the Icon or the domain, Coop wondered if he had actually missed. There had been no feedback either way. If his weapon had struck the ground he expected that he would have been able to detect the sound over the quiet rushing of the sand, but there was nothing. If he struck the monster, he thought it would change its behavior, but that didn¡¯t change either.


    Instead of lingering on the mystery, Coop resummoned his weapon and repeated the attack. This time he waited until he caught a glimpse at the scaled tail before firing, but once again, nothing happened. It was like the cloud of sand swallowed the missile, preventing it from colliding with anything at all, not the monster or the ground. The monster¡¯s form shimmered in and out of existence, playing with the shadows created by the cloud of suspended sand.


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    He wasn¡¯t ready to give up on his opening strike, so he prepared for a third attempt. After a good thirty seconds where Coop felt like he was spearfishing, waiting for the opportune moment to impale his prey, he finally had his chance. When he finally got a good look at the monster as its form grazed against the edge of the sandy domain, it was already too late.


    The Icon of Mana shot out of its domain, straight at Coop, driving upwards and finally revealing itself without the sandy obstructions clouding its form. The light shimmered around its body and all Coop could focus on were rows of tiny teeth arranged like rolls of heavy duty metal tack strips within its protruding mouth. Its reptilian jaw was open wide as it sought to bite down on Coop¡¯s spear. Coop released the weapon in time, rushing to land his attack first, but the Icon¡¯s jaw snapped shut, snapping the missile out of the air before it bounced up and over its back.


    The Icon wasn¡¯t particularly large, only extending around 16 feet long from the tip of its snout to the end of its spiked tail as it moved beyond its sand cloud. It was smaller than most Field Bosses. Coop¡¯s mind immediately associated the monster¡¯s rapid motion with the way an iguana swam, undulating its entire body to propel itself forward with its tail rippling behind. However, there was something odd with its momentum. Rather than simply being fast, smoothly shooting through the air, it seemed to skip forward like he was watching something moving rapidly while being lit by a strobe light. It reminded him of the way Arthur¡¯s sliding attacks would leave cinematic afterimages as he went through the motions.


    Coop stumbled backwards while raising his shield as he reacted to the monster¡¯s attempted tackle. It only had a single wing, which it had folded backwards to be more aerodynamic, rather than using it to thrust into the air. It had a pair of arms that were stretched forward, seeking to catch Coop. One arm was clearly much longer than the other while the shorter limb was thicker.


    Each arm had three spiked fingers that were more like talons than hands, both forward claws stretched forward to cut into Coop¡¯s flesh, while the third claw trailed behind. Coop concentrated on the longer arm, forcing his offhand to bring the shield up in time to prevent being gutted by the rough spikes, utilizing all of his Agility to barely get there in time. The monster also had four sturdy seeming legs that were pressed against its body as it flew toward Coop. If it stood still, Coop imagined it would seem something like a draconic centaur, with its rough scaly, golden-brown skin and an upright torso, but at the moment, it was more like a barbed arrow with a trailing ribbon.


    Coop barely got low enough to avoid the monster¡¯s snout as he took a half-step backwards, sliding his foot down just in time to avoid a headshot. His shield shifted to protect his stomach, narrowly blocking the first claw¡¯s strike, but the collision weakened his form and the second arm slipped past his block, cutting him just below the right side of his neck, above the edge of his shield and across his collar bone.


    As he fell backwards, spinning from the blow with mists leaking from his armor, his blood splattered onto the ancient stone of the top of the pyramid, and he was able to watch as the Icon slid smoothly onto its four feet, balanced on its muscular legs. Its single wing unfurled like a parachute, displayed like a grotesque, lopsided kite, with a dozen pointed spikes running along its outer edge. The monster twisted around, dragging its spiked tail behind it and Coop realized his collapse had narrowly saved him from being impaled by the trailing appendage that he had been unable to account for.


    Everything was happening too quickly. He knew he was in trouble, but he was acting on instinct, fighting to survive an encounter with an opponent that might really be too much for him. At the very least, the Icon had wounded him more severely than he had been since midway through the siege event. It had caused so much damage with a small part of a multi-pronged attack that Coop could barely follow and with more natural weapons than he expected. The weird part was that the Icon forced him to move as fast as he possibly could, but the Icon itself didn¡¯t appear to be particularly quick.


    He was already back on his feet by the time the Icon had turned to face him. His ethereal sword was manifesting in his empty main hand and he was pressing forward, already dripping in blood, unwilling to let the Icon dictate their duel. The monster had its back to the open door of the temple, but it was too large to easily fit inside, so Coop had it cornered. He sought to turn the momentum of the fight around, following the tailwind of the monster¡¯s first attack.


    A quick thrust of his sword was blocked by the short arm¡¯s claws, and the monster countered with the greater reach of its opposite arm, having a length that matched Coop and his sword combined, but Coop had his shield in place to block the attack. He had been caught by surprise once, but now they were in a stand up melee, and he knew just a little better about what to expect from the monster.


    He slashed with his sword again and a single talon blocked the edge, but his sword was already being withdrawn to be swept above as the Icon¡¯s neck stretched forward as if it would bite his head from above. The monster stood on its four legs, shuffling them forward and back efficiently, and it was a full four feet taller than Coop, even with its tail flicking back and forth behind it like a snake preparing to strike.


    The tip of Coop¡¯s sword drew a thin line up the length of the monster¡¯s chin, drawing some brown equivalent of blood from its scaly flesh, and the Icon reeled its head backwards as it took its first bit of damage. The fight wouldn¡¯t be so one-sided after all, and like the Icons before it, the monster reacted with surprise at being resisted.


    When it shoved its arms at Coop, he sidestepped as much as he could, but he would have his ribs raked by the extended reverse thumb spikes, so he activated Vaporform. It ended up being a field test to save his life.


    The world transitioned into gray-scale and Coop completed his side-step before releasing his Vaporform. The monster¡¯s claw cut empty space, displacing a portion of the mists that replaced Coop while he turned incorporeal for a split second.


    Coop returned the favor by slamming his sword down on the jabbing arm. The blade bit deep, but failed to sever the limb completely, finding some bone-like structure deep within. Before he could withdraw his sword, the tail whipped through the air, seeking a body blow that would be impossible to avoid in his current position. There was no way Coop would get his shield around to his exposed side to block, so he dove into the world of mists a second time, toggling Vaporform and letting the spikes sweep straight through where he had been.


    When he solidified again, a fraction of a second later, the Icon slammed its longer arm toward him, forcing a proper shield block that rang across the pyramid and slid Coop away from his sword as his feet lost their grip on the old worn stone.


    They were both out of range of their melee attacks, with Coop losing his sword as it remained embedded in the monster¡¯s arm. Blood dripped from his empty hand while the monster leaned back, demonstrating some wariness that made Coop¡¯s bloodlust rise, like he was detecting weakness. Fog of War was already condensing atop the pyramid, but the Icon swept its tail across the stone, leaving gouges as it aimed for Coop¡¯s ankles before the density rose to any meaningful level.


    Coop¡¯s domain did its primary job, empowering Presence of Mind and giving him a reaction speed that properly matched with his Agility enhanced physical speed. He would never expect Fog of War to properly confuse any boss monsters so it didn¡¯t need to become a dense cloud to be worth the expense.


    Coop stepped into the sweeping attack, jumping over the tail. As he rose, the wing unfolded, blocking his path with a series of bone spikes that would have finished Coop off. Instead, he reentered the monochromatic world, this time mistjumping to his sword. When he reappeared, he yanked his sword out of the monster¡¯s arm and drove the end into the monster¡¯s exposed chest.


    He quickswapped to his battle axe after releasing his blade and aimed to cleave the monster¡¯s neck, but the Icon recoiled far enough that he missed completely. The monster¡¯s form shimmered as it accelerated unnaturally to get out of the way, but Coop¡¯s swing sent a wave of wind across the monster¡¯s face. While in his backswing, the tail came from the opposite side. He prepared another Vaporform toggle, but before the tail reached him, the wing smashed him in the chest with enough force to send him flying backwards as he bit the feint that the Icon had set up.


    Coop cleared the edge of the pyramid as he took the blunt force attack before he could brace himself. He was too concentrated on activating Vaporform at the right time to avoid the tail, he had failed to account for the other extra limb that the Icon had available for the second time. Trying to properly execute his new ability had taken too much focus away from his tried and true tactics.


    As he fell into the sand cloud he thought how unfair it was that the Icon had so many extra tools at its disposal. The monster roared, sounding furious at Coop, and he realized it was the first sound either of them had made since the confrontation began. His vision clouded as he entered the sandy domain, then he hit the hard-packed ground with a solid thump that knocked his breath out.

 Chapter 190: Outmatched

    Coop rolled onto his side, letting the momentum of his fall carry him over, and forced himself upright as quickly as he could. Slamming his hand onto the solid sand-packed ground, he propelled himself all the way back to his feet and leaned into a combat-ready stance: low and loose with his battle axe held behind his right hip. The sand responded with an uninterrupted audible droning, but the Icon of Mana remained absent from his field of view.


    He had fallen a few hundred feet from the top of the pyramid and landed flat on his upper back, so the fact that he was still moving was a good result, all things considered. Sand caked onto the half-dried blood that covered his arm and torso and the floating sand did nothing to help. When Coop tested his injury, he had a moment of regret that he didn¡¯t have both the Infusion skill as well as his newest Vaporform ability. Both skills would have been better than one or the other while he fought against this particular opponent. The Icon of Mana had enough limbs to account for all of Coop¡¯s avoidance, and more importantly, it had an unpredictable speed that seemed to come from manipulating shadows or actually dilating time. The exact mechanism didn¡¯t matter. The end result was that Coop was feeling too slow relative to the Icon. The damage was already stacking up, but it wasn¡¯t to a level that he couldn¡¯t grit his teeth and power through. Not yet.


    His ethereal sword and shield manifested in his hands as he dismissed the slower battle axe while he shifted in position, trying to be aware of every direction simultaneously. He retrieved the weapon set that had the greatest success thus far in his bout with the Icon, and in his mind was the speediest of them all, but he knew he would need to make adjustments if he wanted to be able to defeat his enemy this time. Squeezing the familiar armaments in his grip, he swept his eyes across the alien domain, fully rotating as he concentrated on his surroundings, but didn¡¯t immediately detect the Icon of Mana.


    Coop tried Vaporform, but his vision was completely ruined by the sandy domain. The Icon¡¯s domain was a blinding screen of energy that compelled him to hastily toggle the skill back off. The strain on his senses was too much, and even when he was back to normal, his eyes watered as if he had stared at the sun for a bit too long.


    Blinking away the tears, he found that the inside of the cloud of sand remained calm, still, and almost comforting in its serenity. It was a dream-like experience being surrounded by floating grains of golden particles. The sand left his senses muted but not completely stifled. If anything, it was like standing inside of a massive empty stadium with a single dim light bulb casting enough light to just barely illuminate a small circle around him. He had the impression that there was much more space, but his senses were confined to the smaller area. It was like he had blinders on his eyes and ear plugs in his ears meant to keep him placid.


    The sunlight that should have come from above reflected in strange directions, causing the light to emanate from everywhere at once without any direct source becoming apparent. The grains of sand cast shadows on each other, making it difficult to exactly judge direction. The sand established a perpetual haze as the space grew. If it wasn¡¯t for gravity, Coop would have trouble figuring out which way was up, thanks to the tricks the domain was playing on his vision. The complete lack of horizon, single light source, or any real perspective for distance made it seem like he had been teleported to yet another dimension.


    The sand was practically motionless, moving slowly enough to seem suspended in the air like gossamer curtains. It could have been worse. Coop was thankful that the domain wasn¡¯t a whirlwind of coarse grains blasting his exposed skin. Instead, it was a serene backdrop.


    He squinted into the depths of sand, anticipating the Icon¡¯s return at any moment, destroying the tranquility. Given the monster¡¯s unusual acceleration, he would need to react fast. He was exposed, lacking basic cover or even the awareness of his opponent, so he did his best to find the monster as quickly as possible. The domain hadn¡¯t lulled him into defenselessness.


    His diligence was rewarded in short order as the draconic monster¡¯s shadow appeared deeper inside the domain, crossing in the distance from right to left. The monster¡¯s side profile was exposed as it roamed through the sand, making it look like a strange dinosaur lost in a desert storm. Coop¡¯s eyes locked on its form, tracking the Siege Boss like it was the prey that he hunted, regardless of the roles the two currently held.


    Coop slowly crept forward, avoiding any unnecessary movements that would alert the monster if it wasn¡¯t already aware of his position. He found it a bit odd that the Icon appeared to be circling him rather than pressing its advantage and assaulting him directly. The monster, for its part, was rotating around Coop¡¯s position as if it was narrowing his location down to smaller and smaller areas, like it was gradually tightening a net.


    Coop followed the monster¡¯s circling path, pushing the boundary of the monster¡¯s circuit, sword and shield held firm as he waited for an opportune moment to close the gap and cut the looming shadow down to size. He wanted to attack the flank of the monster, but on the side where it lacked a wing. He just needed the zig zagging circuit to draw it around at the right angle.


    He was doing his best not to disturb the sand, assuming that it would work in a similar manner to his Fog of War, but it was ultimately impossible to be completely stealthy within the frozen sandstorm. The Icon had to know where he was. He suspected it was toying with him, or testing him in some way. The Icons were different from regular monsters, though Lyriel had attested to them being more like forces of nature, Coop had the impression they had their own type of alien intelligence. It may have been different and unrelatable, but they all responded to Coop¡¯s actions when he fought them, seemingly making decisions as threats were presented.


    The floating sands obscured everything but the silhouettes of both of their figures as they hunted each other. The simple dance ended soon after it began. Coop¡¯s sword flashed as he finally committed to the first attack after spotting the opening he had hoped for. Launching himself forward with a strike aimed at the monster¡¯s center mass, he blasted through the sand. If his strike landed true, he would carve a massive chunk out of the scaled monster¡¯s torso and he would reclaim the momentum of the fight. He wouldn¡¯t let himself lose the advantage once he grabbed it. The blade howled as it tore through the air, dragging the gritty dust along its path and sparkling in the inconsistent light.


    Coop leapt into the assault, and when the moment of impact arrived, the edge of his blade found nothing, whooshing through the sand with no resistance. The shadow that he had been following was nothing more than a mirage, disappearing from existence as his senses, and the sands, played tricks on him. It would be better if he had just been mistaken, but it seemed like the sands were conspiring to sabotage his chances, managing to subtly manipulate him despite his extraordinary magic resistance. He whirled around, afraid that he had left himself completely exposed to the Icon¡¯s actual plan of attack after taking the apparent bait. Nothing but curtains of sand saluted his freshly reignited wariness.


    He could just barely hear his heavy breathing as the adrenaline coursed through his veins. The ambient sound of tiny grains of sand colliding with each other or grazing against the ground was just loud enough to wash away anything more, like the sand was humming to distract him even further.


    ¡°Where did you go?¡± He whispered through clenched teeth, spinning as he searched with his physical senses and his aura detection.


    The monster¡¯s response came right on cue in the form of another blitzing attack. The Icon rushed through the sand almost as if it was flying through the loose substrate, undulating its tail as it blinked forward while all four legs folded underneath its body. The attack had the same form as its first diving, multi-pronged tackle that had properly initiated the fight, but it came from a direction that Coop wasn¡¯t watching.


    The single wing was held rigid, extending out from its side. It used the barbed spikes that framed the wing to stab at Coop as it shot past. Presence of Mind provided just enough warning to initiate a dodge that allowed him to avoid a direct hit, but the monster¡¯s intention wasn¡¯t a critical blow. It was clearly meant to pick his defense apart and leave him weakened.


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    The Icon continued beyond Coop¡¯s senses, disappearing back into the sands without so much as looking back, then splitting into multiple shadows, none of which seemed real enough to chase. Coop quickly assessed the new wound he had earned to the back of his leg, growing more concerned with the situation with every second. The monster seemed content to let him stew. Shadows shuffled in and out of his peripheral vision, but another attack didn¡¯t come for what felt like minutes.


    When an attack did come, it was another sideswipe on Coop¡¯s flank. The Icon was not fully committing to a direct confrontation, preferring to slowly debilitate him with careful strikes instead. Despite Coop¡¯s increased vigilance, he was unable to respond, even when anticipating the style of attack. The Icon was like a shark, hunting its prey while he flailed like the injured fish that would soon become a meal. As he stumbled forward, bleeding from his forearm from another new wound, he made up his mind. The sneak attacks were enough for him to flip the table and change the plan.


    Coop swapped to his spear, abandoning this particular duel in favor of resetting the fight elsewhere. He threw the spear straight up, intending to escape the cloud of sand and re-engage under more favorable conditions, namely ones outside of the sands.


    Coop left the sands behind with an enormous mistjump, reappearing from the monochromatic world of mists high above the valley and in the clear sky. He twirled in the air, adjusting so that he could chain another mistjump to open ground. However, as he spun, he realized the Icon had already closed the gap.


    The monster was like a stop motion missile, rocketing out of the cloud of sand with such speed, it must have launched itself even before Coop manifested in the air. It had predicted the transfer of his mists in the split second he dissipated and relocated to his spear. Whatever locomotion it used was unusual, to say the least, with the way it jolted forward.


    Coop quickswapped to his ethereal morning star, and had just enough time to squeeze the handle with his hands as he brought it down from over his head, enhancing his intended smash with the help of gravity. Mindbender initiated his stat transfer immediately, increasing his Strength in a blur of numbers as he squeezed his fingers and flexed his forearms before the swing.


    The Icon blinked upwards and nearly beat Coop¡¯s ethereal manifestation. It was seemingly faster than he was, but it wasn¡¯t so much that it could outmaneuver Coop¡¯s mists. The weighty spiked ball of the morning star smashed into the monster¡¯s snout with a bang that could have been mistaken for a cannonball crashing into a metal plate.


    The monster hadn¡¯t expected Coop to transition from flight to fight so rapidly, and had finally committed to an attack that was more than a simple sideswipe. Instead, it caught a mouth full of a weapon backed by Coop¡¯s frustration and Mindbending Strength.


    With its momentum reversed, the Icon tumbled back down toward its sand cloud, falling in a much more normal way than its lurching attack. Coop trailed behind, abandoning his retreat as he snatched a chance to steal the momentum of the fight. He swapped his morning star for a heavy spear, and aimed to have the missile chase the monster back to the ground. He put everything he had into sending the projectile straight down, feeling his muscles strain, burning with protest as his abs, obliques, and lower back struggled to form a base, compensating without his legs planted on firm ground. He lacked the proper footing that he normally derived so much of the power for his heavy spear throws. His shoulders and rotator cuffs screamed as his triceps and forearms sent the extremely heavy rod down with vengeance.


    The monster disappeared into the sand first, vanishing without so much as disturbing a grain. The ethereal spear followed shortly after with a blast of wind that forced a massive concave dent into the sandstorm. A moment later, the obscured collision exploded with enough force to create a plume of sand and mist shards that rushed upwards while Coop fell into it.


    Coop¡¯s senses were smothered again as he was engulfed in the chaotic debris. First the calm curtains of sand were forced outwards by the shockwave of an explosion, then they were sucked back in as air returned to the core of the mana blast, churning the stagnant sandstorm into havoc. Coop crashed through the turbulence, manifesting his sword and shield as he fell.


    He fell, and then he fell some more, much further than he anticipated. He emerged from the bottom of the sand cloud into clear air and braced himself as well as he could. The ground finally met his feet, and he smashed into solid rock floor, cracking it with his heels before somersaulting forward and raising his shield.


    In front of him, the Icon of Mana was rising back onto its own feet, extending its legs beneath a bloodied torso. Its wing was torn, losing the leathery flaps, leaving just the exposed ribs and spiked ends. Its tail was mangled but held together by a solid bone core, and its snout was cracked, sitting lopsided on its reptilian face. A gaping wound oozed viscous brown blood in its side, from within a crater of cracked scales, revealing where the spear had connected.


    It stared at Coop with slitted black eyes and roared loud enough to vibrate the air. Despite its ruined appearance, it showed no signs of backing down. Its wing bones stretched as it prepared to charge in their new arena.


    They were on much more even footing now that they weren¡¯t in the monster¡¯s sandy domain. The monster and the spear crashed into an underground cavern that had run along the length of the valley. The ceiling had caved in all the way down the valley, meandering between the hills. Giant columns of sand were streaming down the edges of the gap, like dry waterfalls, forming golden piles on the black bedrock. Coop¡¯s feet were warmed by the ground.


    The air was energized with mana, and Coop had a small epiphany that Huracan really had been the one to cause the Icon to manifest. The High Priest had been using the temple and its spires as a focal point while somehow concentrating significant amounts of mana underground. The Icon of Mana had been born from the accumulation below. There had been enough mana that it was seeping into the entire region, detectable even by someone as unsophisticated as Coop.


    Coop planted a foot and charged forward, seeking to finish this fight once and for all. He summoned a pair of phantasms as he went, but the monster responded with more surprises, sliding sideways as it seemingly blinked in and out of existence. Rather than teleporting, it appeared that for a moment, someone had pressed the fast forward button on the monster¡¯s movement. It sped up as if it had disconnected from the regular flow of time, but only for a fleeting moment before returning to normal speed, giving it a stop motion-like incremental teleport.


    It took a circuitous route to meet the Champion, one filled with disappearances. One of the phantasms was destroyed before getting a chance to strike, smothered by an extension of the wing as it leapt into reality, and the second tore a strip down the opposite flank of the monster before the tail flicked it away, blasting the ancient ghost back into a burst of mists.


    The Icon wasn¡¯t even close to diminished, unhesitating as it continued its counter attack on Coop. Basically ignoring his phantasms, aside from flicking its limbs to destroy them, it forced Coop into a defensive posture with their first collision, one that had been initiated by Coop himself.


    Coop barely dodged the angled bite attack as the monster abruptly sped up and came at him from a 45 degree turn. He blocked the wing spikes with his shield, then narrowly prevented himself from accumulating more injuries from the vicious spikes at the end of the mangled tail by countering with his sword and spinning away, casting Vaporform as the thumb spikes sought to impale him with one last jab.


    Another phantasm leapt into existence, dragging a gleaming longsword out of the mists as Coop sought to sever the tail. The monster continued forward, and articulated the bony core so that it tore through the ghost¡¯s arm and sent it back to the mists before it could deal any damage.


    The Icon continued forward, bounding to the opposite side of the rocky cavern. It smashed through columns of sand that fell along the edge of the gap in the ceiling, spraying golden grains across its cracked scales before it settled into slowly pacing along the darkened edge of the wall. It clearly sought another angle to swipe at Coop. Even after all of that, Coop hadn¡¯t been able to take any real advantage in the fight. The monster rumbled with a guttural growl and Coop scowled back, frustrated, bleeding, with his mind racing for another tactic.


    This monster wasn¡¯t just powerful due to the stats granted to siege level bosses. Its actual build was an equally difficult problem. Coop assessed the challenges already presented: shadowy mirages in the sand, an abnormal number of potential natural weapons, possibly manipulating time itself to overwhelm Coop¡¯s speed. Coop clenched his jaw and decided on his path forward.


    Coop raised his sword toward the obscured sky above the rift in the valley and cast Inheritance of the Mists. Enough was enough. He was sure if he tried to retreat again, the monster would pursue him. At the rate he was burning his mana with ineffective phantasms, and Mind Over Matter, he would run out of resources before the phantasms could even weaken the monster, and every time he took damage his resources were further diminished.


    Instead, he reserved 50% of his mana and summoned an apparition of humanity¡¯s collective experience.

 Chapter 191: Inevitable Conclusion

    Coop¡¯s feet were rooted in place in the instant that Inheritance of the Mists took effect. The skill¡¯s buffs and debuffs were applied, and his mind raced through his updated status. Time seemingly froze in comparison. The Icon of Mana paused its rotation, anticipating an action from Coop with his sudden change in posture, but it would be left confused for the moment.


    While the pair of combatants were dancing to the death, the piles of sand had continued to grow. They were scattered throughout the open cavern after the bottom of the valley collapsed and revealed their new underground arena. The sandstorm of stillness that engulfed the valley had fallen apart, letting gravity drag the particles back down to earth, but the Icon was prepared to fight on. It had adapted to more aggressively leverage its superior mobility in order to maintain its advantage. Its strategy hadn¡¯t really changed with the change in arena, just the speed with which the Icon executed its plan had increased.


    On the other hand, Coop was rolling the dice, committing to the fight after his failed retreat, but hoping for an adjustment that could help him turn the tide. The apparition that he summoned would make or break him. The spirit, if he wanted to call it that, was based on his original armor summoning skill, Salvation, but he believed the skill actually took his combination of arms into account before determining what would appear. He doubted that it was a coincidence for the first apparition to have wielded a spear when Coop was using his standard spear and shield set.


    Coop squeezed the handle of his ethereal shortsword as Inheritance of the Mists possessed him, feeling the flex all the way up his forearm, into his triceps. His grip tightened as he tried to mentally fortify himself in order to withstand the apparition that would answer the call of his ability. He hadn¡¯t had much opportunity to learn from the first encounter after using the skill, but it had been enough to encourage him to apply caution. If he wasn¡¯t in a position where it was necessary to push himself beyond his limits to achieve a good result, he wouldn¡¯t have accessed power that he wasn¡¯t sure he could control.


    Coop¡¯s expertise was limited with this particular skill, given that his sample size was one, so any determination he made was more like conjecture than conclusion. The first apparition he summoned was the Lightning Lord. The ghost that haunted Coop on that occasion had an unbelievably arrogant personality, fully embracing the god-like designation that the system had bestowed upon it. Rather than allowing Coop to borrow its power, the apparition had possessed Coop like an empty vessel with the intention of establishing dominance. It declared that Coop was inadequate and had demonstrated its case by burning through his mana and his health while annihilating the monsters within the entire Mangrove Forest in a matter of seconds. It took Coop to the brink of death while laughing and threatening him all the while.


    The Lightning Lord hadn¡¯t bothered to provide any sort of guidance, mentorship, or instruction. If the Lord had given some goals to work towards, Coop would have been happy to diligently pursue them while he grinded out everything else that needed doing. That¡¯s just who he was. Instead, Coop was left with the vague idea that he had to progress before Inheritance of the Mists would be something that he could truly rely on.


    And yet, here he was, falling all the way to his final backup plan. In retrospect, calling Inheritance of the Mists the ace he kept up his sleeve was a mistake. It wasn¡¯t an ace, it was a wild card. It was up his sleeve because he didn¡¯t want it in his hand until he was properly prepared.


    While Coop consciously worried about the impact the skill would have, whether or not it would provide him with deliverance or destruction, he subconsciously adjusted the grip he had on his sword, loosening it, moving his thumb a centimeter down. He released the fingertip of his pointer finger ever so slightly off the leathery handle, retreating his knuckle from the edge of the hilt as he suddenly understood a more appropriate way to handle the weapon. He adjusted the point of the sword down eight degrees, slightly off-center from the monster¡¯s wing base to be closer to the ideal ready position, and he felt his left heel lift a millimeter off the sand glazed stone. The tension in his upper abs loosened a tiny bit and his breathing marginally slowed, providing him with deeper breaths as he filled his lungs. His head leaned forward a nominal amount, and his eyes partially lost focus on the monster¡¯s feet, instead taking in its entire form without any particular concentration beneath his brows. His pupils dilated, subtly backlit with ghostly energy as the possession fully took place before he was completely aware it was happening.


    Fifty stacks of the Haunted debuff reduced his maximum mana by 50% as they reserved half of his total, but he had already consumed nearly half of his mana anyway. Losing access to his complete mana pool wouldn¡¯t have any immediate negative consequences. If the fight continued beyond the duration of Inheritance, he might have to deal with the reduction, but that was for a future version of himself that survived the encounter with the Icon of Mana to figure out. The Delusion debuff indicated that he wouldn¡¯t be able to contact another apparition until its expiration, which was undeclared by the effect. He sardonically hoped that just one would be enough. Of course, zero would have been better.


    The buffs he received were distinct from what he would expect given that they were meant to be beneficial. Instead, they aligned more closely with debuffs if he judged them by name or effect. Overburdened indicated that he was wielding power beyond his ability and would only benefit from a fraction of the potency. Spirit Burn warned him that he lacked the resources necessary to fund the skills he had been granted and would receive a severe penalty cost for casting them. Mental Transcendence alerted him to the fact that he was possessed by something considered beyond his capacity and risked losing his autonomy for the duration.


    Nothing was unexpected. So far, so good. Coop was having an out of body experience, but at least the chips were falling.


    A ghost was superimposed on his body, though he wasn¡¯t sure if it was visible to just himself or to anyone. Thin wrists and slender fingers with well-manicured but short nails didn¡¯t exactly replace his own, though they existed simultaneously in the same place. They tested his sword, judging it suitable after a single flick and a moment of contemplation. The Icon of Mana twitched at the first sign of movement since the possession, but it had been less than a second from the start of Coop¡¯s skill. The monster hadn¡¯t had time to react, even with its manipulative abilities.


    ¡°Your eagerness is commendable, child, but it must be tempered with humility.¡± A voice in his head sagely advised.


    Coop merely thought to scoff, already feeling humbled to the point of needing to cast Inheritance of the Mists without the reminder. Who had he been saddled with this time?


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    ¡°I am the Battlemaiden.¡± The voice responded, echoing inside his head as the apparition apparently read his thoughts.


    Coop worried that his lack of recognition might be offensive as the voice¡¯s pronouncement merely sounded like a generic title.


    ¡°Consider yourself lucky to have been graced by an experienced combatant who has walked the long path of the warrior. I understand the journey is fraught with peril, and that it is one of constant learning and growth. Now is another chance for you to learn.¡±


    Coop wondered if he would die instead, given that he was in the middle of a fight with an Icon of Mana that outmatched him in several ways. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was a good time for a lesson. Rather than who would be teaching him, he wondered what it was that possessed him.


    ¡°An interesting but pointless question. I am the coalescence of spirit, once lost to the mists, but not to history, a woman who led armies, defeated thousands and saved millions that became billions. A peasant girl guided by the divine, a fierce rebel queen burning for righteous revenge, a courageous commander respected for her strategic brilliance, a skilled swordsman, inspirational freedom fighter, defiant, valiant, feared, loved, and admired¡­¡±


    Coop thought it sounded like an impossibly impressive resume, but his concerns weren¡¯t alleviated. Not even a second had gone by since he cast the Inheritance of the Mists ability, but it seemed like he had been trapped in his own head for ages. He tried to access the apparition¡¯s skills before the Icon could react to his change.


    The voice clicked her teeth before scolding him. ¡°Know this, child: you walk with the mists, yet you are no Mistwalker.¡± She claimed full control over his limbs as she spoke, flinging his shield away as if it was trash, letting it clatter against the rocks. She gripped the shortsword with both hands as its length extended to be more akin to a proper longsword, losing its misty vapors in favor of a sharp steel shine. The hilt grew in length and she directed Coop one last time. ¡°True mastery does not lie with brute strength or blind aggression, but in precise application of skill and an unyielding indomitable will.¡±


    In the next moment, the fight resumed. The Icon of Mana must have realized something changed, but it had only taken a moment for the transformation to take place. Coop¡¯s eyes filled with glowing mists, leaking raw power into the heavy air. A ghost stood in his place, overlayed on his body like a simulated warrior. He instinctively knew he needed to follow along.


    When the apparition moved he imitated the motions exactly. His torso twisted, drawing the sword back around his hip in a smoothly controlled motion, like a perfectly bound wind-up toy. The sword was like an extension of his arms, flowing like liquid, building tension in his entire body, from the tips of his toes, up his legs, through his torso, arms, and all the way to his finger tips.


    Coop held the position for a tiny moment. When the tension was released, the sword whipped forward. The sword sliced through the air, and Coop¡¯s legs pushed off the sand-covered rock as if he was chasing the horizontal strike rather than projecting it.


    Coop imagined that he could see where his feet would be placed before he placed them, like a tutorial to exacting footwork. Three steps, each landing on solid stone without touching a single grain of the scattered sand. His balance was perfect, utilizing all of his Strength, multiplied further by the Battlemaiden, but without forcing it beyond its precise limit. He was leaning into the blow as he covered the ground in bounding leaps. The strike was controlled, aimed with accuracy that he wouldn¡¯t have believed possible. The Icon of Mana shifted in response, flickering backwards with impossible speed, but the dodge had been anticipated, the erratic speed perfectly predicted, and the edge of the sword landed perfectly between armored scales, slicing through the meaty torso of the monster.


    The Battlemaiden kept Coop moving forward, pirouetting out of range of the Icon¡¯s counter attacking tail, equidistant from their starting point. A single planted step and Coop was moving in the opposite direction, redirecting his momentum into the blade of the sword like he had bounced off of a springboard.


    This time, there were only two steps before the edge of his sword severed the Icon¡¯s wing from its body as Coop had picked up speed. The blade found no resistance as it had been aimed so perfectly where the limb articulated that it hadn¡¯t had to cut through any natural armor. The cavern was a blur, and a trail of dust followed behind Coop as he blitzed the time-warping Siege Boss.


    Coop was pirouetting again, sliding on a single toe when the wing thumped against the ground, kicking up a small cloud of debris when it scraped the rock. The monster started to roar, but Coop had taken a single step, long enough to close the same distance as the last two attacks. The edge of the blade gouged out the eye of the monster while it grew more frantic.


    When Coop was done spinning back toward the monster, it was clear that the tables had turned. The craziest part was that he wasn¡¯t actually moving faster than the monster had been when it was picking his own defense apart. He was just moving with incredible precision and foresight. There were no last minute adjustments that needed to be made, every motion was anticipated, every reaction expected, and every attack calculated. It was raw speed combined with perfect timing and confident decision-making based on untold experience.


    Coop drew the sword back again, letting the tension build. The monster roared and faced him, bleeding from the side of its face and already drenched in brown ooze from the wounds in its body. The Battlemaiden didn¡¯t immediately follow up. Instead, she was having him harness the momentum that had built in the flowing attacks, using an actual skill as if enough combo points had been generated by the initial strikes.


    Coop¡¯s skin cracked, and glowing energy leaked from the wounds. He clenched his jaw as his joints creaked and the cracks expanded from his arms to his body. His chest ached before a gaping wound crawled down his sternum. The pain caused him to growl, then scream, as he did everything he could to maintain the form that the Battlemaiden demanded. His mana drained in an instant, with a smooth decrease that was almost comical. Once it was empty, his health depleted as well and just as quickly.


    ¡°Spirit-Touched Blade.¡± The Battlemaiden announced without any urgency at all.


    The tension was released, and the sword whipped forward, but his feet remained in place. He felt his arms break with a crack that was drowned out when the rocky wall of the cavern on the opposite side was scoured. A single line cut deep into the stone, causing boulders to fall and the entire wall to start caving in. The Icon of Mana blinked 20 yards backwards in a desperate attempt to dodge the instant he released the attack. The Icon stood still for a moment while stones from the wall fell to the ground. Then, the monster split in half, cleanly severed by an invisible blade.


    Coop collapsed to the ground at the same time as the Icon¡¯s upper half, chest heaving as if he had been on the verge of suffocation, and causing him pain every time he inhaled.


    ¡°Refine your blade and your spirit, young warrior. Never lose sight of your purpose.¡± The Battlemaiden concluded with what Coop hoped was a tiny hint of approval, before she returned to the mists and Coop¡¯s vision went black.

 Chapter 192: Human Spirit

    Coop woke up with a start after a dreamless sleep. He found himself lying on his back, alone, in the partially collapsed cavern. He was feeling exhausted, as if he had been on an intense bender the likes of which were only depicted in movies for comedic effect.


    ¡°Ugh¡­¡± He groaned as he tried lifting a hand to his forehead, but his arm didn¡¯t react the way he expected, staying limp at his side, stinging with pins and needles.


    The ground all around him was stained with dried blood that could have been the trigger for an adventure full of mystery and intrigue except that it had obviously come from him. Mystery solved, he concluded with a disappointed frown.


    He ached enough that he was afraid to try to move any more, preferring to contemplate his life choices while scanning the area with just his eyes instead. There wasn¡¯t anything in his immediate vicinity, so he relaxed slightly, gazing upwards with his freshly scarred limbs splayed out at his sides. He took deep breaths to ease the pounding in his head and waited to regain the feeling in his limbs. Above him was the clear night sky, stars twinkling as if amused by his pitiful display.


    He couldn¡¯t lie around forever, and he wasn¡¯t sure how long he had already spent blacked out. His first impulse was to further assess his surroundings for threats. With another groan, he sat up making the pressure in his head increase, but the underground cavern was empty.


    A cool breeze tickled the tip of his nose as the night air sank into the valley and flooded the underground cavern that had been opened up by the battle between himself and the Icon of Mana. Huracan¡¯s heat had finally dissipated from the valley. The High Priest¡¯s physical influence was gone, but the result of his actions had left a significant scar on the region. The sand had ceased falling from the gap in the surface, leaving giant piles that formed a rough outline of the edge of the collapse. Coop could see that the crack in the surface snaked far into the distance, following the shadowy contours of the valley as it slid between rocky hills.


    The Icon was gone, defeated by the final empowered slash that he had been granted by the Battlemaiden. The attack was powerful enough to nearly defeat Coop just from executing it, so he didn¡¯t think it was too much of a surprise for the equally leveled Siege Boss to have met its demise after being subjected to the direct blow. Coop¡¯s unchecked notifications slowly blinked in his peripheral vision, and he confirmed the kill.


    [You defeated Siege Boss: Inevitable Conclusion (Level 175)]


    [+242731 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Voidstone (Legendary)]


    [+1 Eye of Shadow (Unique)]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    The rewards were there, but somehow, they didn¡¯t feel adequate. Given the challenge that the Icon of Mana had presented, it really felt like a step up from the previous two Icons, but the rewards were more or less the same. The only scaling appeared to have come from a simple increase in levels.


    At least the experience kept coming. Three levels wasn¡¯t that bad. Coop would always be happy with continuing to progress. He preferred the steady growth presented from simple, repetitive grinding, but if he was forced to face new encounters like this, he would make due with continued bursts forward. As his level rose, the levels would be harder to obtain. At least, that was the case since he was unwilling to pace himself in a way that would allow the challenges to keep up. There was a tiny voice in the back of his head that was shouting ¡°Faster! Faster!¡± because of the existence of the leaderboards even more than future threats.


    His health was full, but he was racked with debuffs. He still had the Delusion debuff, so he wouldn¡¯t be able to cast Inheritance of the Mists again, though even if the second time had gone much better than the first, he had no intention of tapping into the mists any time soon. Unless he was pushed to the limit, he would wait until he had progressed further along on his journey, gathering strength as he went. He tried shrugging and winced instead, distracting him from the marginally amusing thought that he needed to be stronger to be strong.


    The Battlemaiden had been a lot more forthcoming than the Lightning Lord. She had clearly demonstrated his limitations, first by showing him the upper bound of his current self and evidently using his own capacity for picking apart the Icon that he had struggled with on his own. It was kind of embarrassing to have his lacking talent displayed so blatantly. Then she revealed a tiny sliver of the power he was attempting to wield when he used Inheritance. Just tapping into the Battlemaiden¡¯s power for a single rather basic enhanced attack had been enough to almost kill him.


    The experience had opened his eyes to the potential of the Inheritance ability even more than it had exposed his own weakness. Inheritance was more than just borrowed power. He supposed the clue should have been in the name. If other apparitions were more like the Battlemaiden, he might even consider Inheritance of the Mists to be the natural conclusion of the guidance provided by his Haunted title. They were more connected than he anticipated. In a way, he felt like he had been given the opportunity to test drive a supercar, but it had come before he had earned his learner¡¯s permit. He resolved to heed the Battlemaiden¡¯s advice to the best of his ability, finding her attitude palatable, like a long suffering but wise master that realized the pupil wouldn¡¯t learn from words alone. In Coop¡¯s case, it was probably true.


    ¡°Refine my blade and spirit¡­ remember my purpose¡­¡± Coop recalled her message, inscribing it into his memory. She had certainly given him more to work with than the Lightning Lord.


    Coop asked himself what his purpose was. The answer came quickly. He had decided long ago it would be to develop Ghost Reef into a sanctuary, and to make sure he was strong enough to make sure it could remain that way. That one was easily answered. His mission hadn¡¯t changed even after it had expanded and the means had shifted.


    How would he refine his blade and spirit? Grinding, obviously. More levels and more stats. He was already committed to that route. That question was even easier to answer than remembering his purpose.


    The Battlemaiden had left him with clear directions that were convenient to follow given the path he was already taking. He wished all advice was like that.


    But why was she so powerful? Why would the system give anyone a skill that had so much potency? Inheritance of the Mists defied his expectations for ability potential. His companions that had ultimate abilities didn¡¯t reach the heights that he was grasping at, and even those illustrations had broken his perception of the system when they were revealed. Jett¡¯s darkness form was no joke, but he didn¡¯t think it was on the same level as Inheritance might be. Then again, Madison, Charlie, Jett, and the rest had revealed ultimate skills much earlier than he had, and all of them had the control not to overdo it the way he did.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Maybe he overestimated his own skill with subconscious vanity, but the power that he had wielded in the final swing was honestly scary. His body was covered in the evidence of his inadequacy in the face of one single skill. Pink scars criss-crossed his exposed skin where the fabric of his very being seemed to have threatened to tear as he charged the final attack. The side of the cavern that had received the blow was completely destroyed, and a single cut was exposed in the earth, extending an obscene distance through the ground, as if the bedrock of the valley had been as soft as butter.


    ¡°The power of the mists, huh?¡± He mumbled, afraid to move too much more because of the pain. He wasn¡¯t exactly lounging in the hammock he had been hoping for, swaying beneath palm trees with the sound of waves lapping at a sandy shore, but with the exhaustion he felt, even sitting on the rocky floor was agreeable.


    All the buffs of empowerment were long gone and he had six other debuffs in addition to the ones applied by Inheritance. They all indicated injuries that required significant rest before they would be healed. They would only heal one at a time, consecutively. Combined, they would put him out of commission for more than a month. It was an unacceptable length of time to be laid up. There was simply too much going on for him to take that kind of time off.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop grunted as another realization hit him.


    In retrospect, the Lightning Lord had been more considerate than he initially thought. Leaving him with no resources wasn¡¯t so bad when compared to what letting Coop actually take the reins had done to his body. Maybe the arrogant deity had been looking out for him after all. Coop might have burned himself out trying to cast a single lightning bolt to annihilate one Ancient Devourer. Instead, the first apparition had retained control during the possession, accomplishing Coop¡¯s goal without actually putting him out of commission. At the time, being knocked unconscious and drained of resources seemed like a miserable result, but perhaps it was actually the best possible outcome at the time. He might have to reassess the Lightning Lord¡¯s brusque harshness as protective discouragement.


    Coop blew air out of his nose at the idea of the benevolent apparitions guiding him with their different personalities, but it wasn¡¯t really that far-fetched; it was basically what he had believed his Haunted title was doing while he wielded his summoned weapons. The title provided him with gentle guidance that flourished with extensive practice and raised his proficiency with several different weapons as long as he applied himself to the rehearsal.


    His skill with a handful of his weapons was high enough that an immortal weapon master like Ledwidge had passed on further instruction. There was no way to explain Coop¡¯s mastery without some supernatural element. It wasn¡¯t like he had tutorial videos to follow and the odds of him stumbling into effective movements was probably embarrassingly low. He had accepted the explanation that the title was tapping into the collective human experience to identify appropriate instruction with classic human weapons. Coop¡¯s secret ingredient was simple repetition, just like the profession masters of Corozal had extolled.


    In the same vein as his Haunted title, the upgrade to his weapon summoning skill, Retribution, had been Legacy of the Mists. Legacy summoned the phantasms, which Jones had confirmed were accurate representations of ancient warriors wielding those same weapons. Coop would defer to the old caretaker¡¯s academic perspective and accept his conclusions without question. The phantasms were physical manifestations of warriors throughout history. If the system could summon those warriors, who were the culmination of battle experience and talent, then he thought it stood to reason that the system was capable of assessing experience and talent itself. It wasn¡¯t like he had ever summoned a phantasm that was incompetent, but he was sure that throughout history there would be plenty of less-skilled warriors to choose from.


    Ghost Reef¡¯s army of actual ghosts seemed like another piece of the puzzle, being real people who had been living and died before the assimilation began. Once again, Jones had been able to confirm the veracity of their memories, concluding that they weren¡¯t just arbitrary creations with implanted histories. If the system could accurately record them in life, then recreate them with mana later, it had to have a database that was incomprehensibly detailed.


    Basically, Coop believed his Haunted title, the phantasms from Legacy of the Mists, and the phantoms of Ghost Reef were all based on the same thing. The System¡¯s Records. In order to operate on the level of detail the system had already demonstrated, it would need to be a compendium of not just historical events, but individual thoughts, memories, skill, emotions - basically everything. It was a bit mind boggling, even if he accepted the existence and function of mana itself.


    Inheritance of the Mists took his theory on a more esoteric step forward, but it wasn¡¯t completely unsupported. His Haunted title could have been advice from a single master of each weapon, the phantasms were individual warriors, and the phantoms were essentially resurrected people. Rather than individual representations with experience wielding a particular weapon, the apparitions that Inheritence manifested were clearly something more. His sample size was only two, but the first seemed like a culturally significant being, worshiped by many and at least recognized by other societies. He was pretty confident that many different cultures had depictions of the god of lightning. The second had self-described as the coalescence of spirit and went on to describe inspirational figures that had risen beyond the realm of individuals.


    Coop wasn¡¯t ready to conclusively define what Inheritance of the Mists specifically called forth, but so far, they had both been ¡®more¡¯ than an individual human. They were collective powers. At least, that distinction aligned with the fact that they were significantly more potent, with actual system-provided magic powers rather than ¡®merely¡¯ peak warriors with the experience and skill to match. Where the phantasms were realistic as far as the pinnacle of human expertise was concerned, the apparitions were firmly in the realm of imagination; real or imagined figures elevated by cultural respect.


    So to try and answer his original question as to why the Battlemaiden is so powerful, he thought it was because she was derived from humanity itself. The apparitions might actually be beyond other system created skills because they were based on human spirit instead of galactic standards.


    If he took the testimonies of the contracted residents at face value: none of them would have the same extensive anthology for the system to draw from. No offense to his alien friends, but the fact that they had been uplifted was an inherent limitation that probably wasn¡¯t ever exposed as long as mana succeeded in its job of culling species with the Eradication Protocol.


    If he was right, he thought it would be fantastic news for Earth as a whole. While being targeted for eradication was no good, there was no chance that he was the only one with abilities that designed themselves with the help of their collective experience. Heck, he didn¡¯t need to look any farther than the High Priest that took on the moniker of a Mayan deity. Maybe Huracan really was channeling some cultural memory through the System¡¯s Records to empower his abilities, and maybe Chakyum really was the manifestation of death.


    Coop sighed. He knew he wouldn¡¯t get an exact answer to his conjectures, but he still pieced together his own theory while procrastinating his journey back to Corozal. One other thing that the Battlemaiden had said stuck out to him. She had suggested he was walking with the mists, but he was no mistwalker, when pointing out his deficiencies. When he considered all of the ghostly phenomenon that surrounded him and his mana affinity along with the flavor of his current Path of the Mistwalker, and even the actual sense provided by Vaproform, he thought he could better understand what the mists represented.


    ¡°Why mists?¡± Coop asked himself.


    He had been pretty lost in life in the years leading up to the assimilation. His thoughts had been clouded by fog and he lacked direction. It didn¡¯t seem unreasonable to imagine that the mists were merely his way of perceiving the system¡¯s compendium. It was all just mana, right? It was supposed to be everywhere. Was that how affinities were assigned? Others might see mana differently, but it stood to reason that their minds had to interpret things somehow. When he used Vaporform, it wasn¡¯t really another dimension that he was immersing himself in, it was the current one, seen through a lens of mana. Maybe Jett was way ahead of him, tapping into some collective consciousness of darkness or shadows. Coop shook his head as he imagined the cat naturally figuring out yet another system mechanic long before he did.


    His limbs were busted to the point that he wouldn¡¯t be able to mistjump like he planned. It would be a slow painful walk once he got started. Hopefully, the Mender back in Corozal would be able to tend to his wounds. Otherwise, his natural recovery would take long enough that it made sense for him to head back to Ghost Reef and receive treatment from Madison. The round trip plus treatment would end up taking a full week at a minimum, but if he didn¡¯t have the debuffs removed, he could quadruple that estimate for his downtime. With the way healing had worked previously, he had a suspicion that the Mender would be able to set him right physically, but the debuffs would remain until either the time lapsed or a healer removed them.


    ¡°Call it a forced intermission.¡± Coop suggested to the Yucatan in general, inherently promising to continue his expedition as soon as he could. He picked himself up off the ground with an embarrassing amount of difficulty and started searching for an easy way back to the surface.

 Chapter 193: Placid Lake

    Mr. Gibson had gone by his last name exclusively ever since entering college as a 17 year old kid. Like so many other young people, when he had the chance to reinvent himself after leaving home to attend a university, he took it, shedding the first name that had defined his youth. College was a good time. He had many fond memories and he made valuable connections that led him on a fortunate journey to an extremely early retirement.


    Mr. Gibson was responsible for one of the earliest matchmaking algorithms used on the first dating websites. He liked to keep the details of his success a bit mysterious, letting his neighbors believe he had made his money in the stock market as a pioneer in programming, but the truth was he had figured out a way to let computers aid in dating. The ultimate irony was that he had been single his entire life.


    Reflecting on his past, he was still happy with his choices. In fact, he secretly believed that his financial success had been set into motion by the simple adjustment to the way people addressed him. It was the first step in being taken seriously enough to pitch his ideas, receive approval, and build his fortune. There weren¡¯t many who were able to retire in their thirties, but he had been one of them. He didn¡¯t really need people to call him Mr. Gibson anymore. Just Gibson was fine.


    There was just one problem in his life. Gibson had no hobbies. He secured his fortune, purchasing a modest home in the suburbs that disguised his wealth and he ended up being heavily involved in the neighborhood with nothing else to do. Obviously, he got on some peoples¡¯ nerves, having the free time to keep track of neighborhood business, but for the most part he provided a friendly service to the families that settled in. He was still too young to be retired, but it had been two and a half decades of idle melancholy and petty drama.


    ¡°Light¡¯s Vengeance!¡± Gibson proclaimed under his breath, keeping his incantation to himself, though he smirked with barely suppressed excitement as he felt the enigmatic power flow through him. He gripped his shining sword, celestial blue light leaking between his armored fingers as he flipped the blade so that it pointed straight down, and used both hands to stab it into the ground.


    This was what he had been missing from his retired life.


    Mud splattered on his face as argent blades erupted from the ground in a cascade beneath his opponent, emanating from his position and moving outward. The light blades shone with magical illumination like some kind of dangerous physical holograms. The normal ant-like Primal Construct was annihilated by his well-practiced skill. Blue and white blades, five times larger than his actual weapon, severed the monster into three segments, destroying it with clean cuts that expanded upwards. Tiny motes of energy leaked from the sharp tips after they were thrust upwards, momentarily standing in the mud like monuments to his victim before disappearing with subtle flashes. He caught himself fully smiling as he checked on his party members.


    Eight other Primal Constructs were in various stages of defeat, evaporating into mana smoke or otherwise crippled to the point of no longer being a threat before being finished off. His party had accumulated an extraordinary amount of experience since officially forming upon arriving in Ghost Reef, and it especially paid off when they were ambushed like this. Coop had grown far beyond regular monsters, though he never shied away from fighting them, and Gibson¡¯s group was among those who trailed behind, following in his footsteps.


    As verdant whips tore the last Construct to pieces, pulling in opposite directions with such force that the monster¡¯s metal limbs popped, he turned back to the 15 residents of Empress City. They were accompanying his party on this leg of their mission to secure the ground route up the Florida peninsula. The former rebels had taken up a defensive stance, sort of huddling against each other, facing outwards, covering the backs of the Ghost Reef squad, and ended up spectating the entire fight once again. They missed out on the free quest progress with their caution. It was the third ambush in an hour. The monsters came so frequently, they weren¡¯t even surprising anymore.


    ¡°You guys are gonna need to get used to this!¡± He called to them, but the soldiers weren¡¯t in any hurry. Most of them were a bit too underleveled to face the foes his group kept digging up, but now was the best time to sneak a few levels in, with the protection of their elites.


    ¡°Give them some time, Mr. Gibson.¡± Captain Javier, the Flame Knight ambassador from Empress City, and military leader, urged. ¡°They¡¯re on the first day of their rotation.¡±


    ¡°I told you, just Gibson is fine.¡± He gestured to the still huddling lower leveled fighters. ¡°They need to seize the opportunity when it presents itself.¡±


    ¡°The sooner the better. We can¡¯t protect them forever.¡± Bryan, the Secutor and scuffed tower shield wielding companion of Javi added, yanking the bottom of his shield out of the mud, revealing the mandible shaped jaws of another Primal Construct mashed into the ground.


    Gibson was mostly excited to bring the news to Coop that there were at least two more variants of Primal Constructs available to grind. He ignored the Empress City elites as they advised their troops and pressed on. They had been at it for nearly three weeks, and though their progress could be better, it was steady.


    ¡°He¡¯s gonna be so happy.¡± He chuckled to himself, leading the way forward after the last of the Constructs was completely gone. He wondered if they would find more variants before hitting Neptune¡¯s Bridge.


    ¡°The Champion?¡± One of his party members asked, a half smile already forming on her face. She was a slender lady with a hawk-like face and long limbs, but she was also the strongest of the group. Crushing Palm was her class and it was entirely focused on Strength. She was the only one among them that didn¡¯t equip any Ghost Reef crafted weapon, with her hands providing the firepower necessary to end fights, but she required support to survive. Gibson knew her when she was still a stay at home mom.


    ¡°Most definitely.¡± His party¡¯s supporter and former dentist confirmed with his own smile at the thought. ¡°The kid will be champing at the bit to get two more Slayer titles.¡± He was shaking his head at the thought. Even if Coop was the strongest person on the planet, to many of the residents of Ghost Reef, he was like the quiet kid brother with interests that everyone wanted to encourage. ¡°We still have a long way to go, though.¡±


    Gibson nodded at the observation. They weren¡¯t even halfway to the Orlando settlement. The natural environment was proving to be a challenge, with the mana-empowered Everglades thoroughly reclaiming most of the interior land. They had tried to follow a highway north, but it was abruptly cut off by swamp, forcing them to pick their paths carefully. Luckily, Champion Jackson Hobbs had provided them with the full support of his army, giving the troops something to do other than rotate around their city and hunt the local monsters. Instead, they were already patrolling back and forth, maintaining an open path as Gibson¡¯s party cleared further ahead.


    Empress City was taking on the arduous goal of constructing a permanent path through the wilds with manual effort alone. The settlement was primed for construction projects while being constantly limited by mana, so they harnessed their productive energy into the overland connection.


    The terrain was not conducive to their efforts. It varied from slow flowing rivers, wide enough to stretch beyond the horizon, but shallow enough to sustain healthy populations of saw grass and cattails, to deeper stretches of lake, dotted with enormous cypress trees with root networks that would have been large enough to provide the foundation for entire towns, and canopies that extended hundreds of feet in the air. They crossed snaking prairies that wound their way through wetlands with bright colors of blooming Muhly grasses billowing in the breezes, and thick pine forests with trees so tall they seemed like they would snap at the slightest jostling.


    The road, as it were, would take the form of a wide boardwalk using a variety of living wood generated from system services in the City. Gibson¡¯s party were merely scouting the route, pioneering a trail, and giving the go ahead for sections that seemed suitable for the project. They had established a single outpost near the beginning, but the territory provided by the initial placement of a mana pylon was so insignificant it led them to decide on holding off from establishing an uninterrupted lane of Ghost Reef territory. Instead, to start with, they would create small pockets of safety, like rest stops along a particularly dangerous highway.


    They were making good progress, considering the conditions, but it was still taking them some time to cover the distance. If they weren¡¯t attempting to secure the trail, they could cover the ground much faster, but merely reaching their destination wasn¡¯t their goal, and they had already heard stories of dangerous monsters that would require a coordinated group like his to defeat. There had also been the threat of lingering Endless Empire Chosen, but after three weeks they had found none. Not even a single sign that any of them had survived in the wild for the short time since they fled Empress City. Gibson supposed the monster ambushes had been too much for them, but there were plenty of unknowns remaining in the land.


    When he was Chosen by a relatively benign faction, the Allies of Genesis, he couldn¡¯t help but feel excited. Finally, something truly thrilling was happening in his life. This was it, he had told himself, the excitement his life was lacking. Now, he shook his head at the naivety he had displayed. He thought he may have been on the right track, but it was the purpose provided by a settlement like Ghost Reef that he had been missing. He took a deep breath before exhaling with a satisfied smile. He was filled with love for his purpose, and enjoying the adventure.


    The Allies of Genesis valued his involvement in the community and encouraged him to continue, even as things changed. Apparently, he had been assessed by the system in a way that painted him as a busybody. It was kind of accurate, if unflattering. He accepted the mission, becoming their Chosen, and found extra motivation to keep an eye on the neighborhood at the start of the assimilation. His daily walks turned into a proper patrol. He was joined by other brave souls, and with the help of Emmanuel, who had been holding down the neighborhood from day one, he gathered everyone that remained in their homes, waiting for loved ones. Together, they formed a plan to seek safety as a group.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    When their plans started to fall apart, thanks to the influence of the Endless Empire, Charlie brought Coop home, and gave them a proper chance to avoid the local dominant faction and kick off on their own. Gibson felt like he was a pretty lucky guy when all was said and done. He went from securing a few pointless blocks around his neighborhood to securing an entire region with a noble purpose.


    They continued north until the quietest member of their group, the Blackflare, stopped them. He pointed ahead and looked back. ¡®What¡¯s that?¡±


    Gibson followed his finger and spotted a mound of sandy dirt, like an exaggerated termite¡¯s mound, extending from a placid lake of water that they would have bypassed if not for the conspicuous monument. It was certainly suspicious, unnaturally formed in the otherwise natural environment. ¡°Hmm.¡± He wondered about how to investigate.


    They had been having an easy time with the monsters as even though the Constructs were high levels, they were, for the most part, unevolved. The times that they encountered elites, they rarely had to fight more than two at a time, and Gibson¡¯s party could easily handle a dozen more thanks to training back home.


    The elites they did find often arrived with a pack of the normal monsters, hiding in similar ambush positions, but with just one or two, his party was able to concentrate their firepower on the more dangerous foes. As a consequence of their sustained success, his entire group was pushing the top 100 on the leaderboards. Three weeks of constant grinding with the quests to match had been good to them, and even earlier, on Ghost Reef, they had been making progress in the underground.


    The monsters in the Everglades were clearly contending with the local wildlife, and not always successfully. If it wasn¡¯t for the birds and reptiles culling the Primal Constructs, he fully expected that the region would be full of high level elites. It wasn¡¯t like the Endless Empire had taken responsibility for maintaining its backyard, and supposedly, the Sapphire Armada had only explored beyond its borders before the siege event even began. Unless there was another unseen faction fighting the monsters, he saw no reason for them to be as limited as they were. If there was another group, they lacked a civilization shard. He expected that would be a recipe for death.


    ¡°It buzzes.¡± The Blackflare observed of the mound with a scowl, though Gibson couldn¡¯t hear it himself.


    ¡°We should check it out. Could be some kind of nest.¡± The Crushing Palm suggested.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Gibson confirmed. ¡°Let¡¯s see how deep that lake is.¡±


    He feared that it would be too deep to wade across, forcing them to swim, which would make combat extraordinarily difficult. If it was that deep, he would prefer to target the mound from a distance, goading whatever had created it to them.


    His fears weren¡¯t realized. The lake was more like a donut shaped creek, with a deep outer edge that forced them to swim a small distance before they could wade up a gentle slope. By the time they were closer to the mound, the water wasn¡¯t even ankle deep, consisting of wet mud and short pioneering grasses.


    Gibson signaled for the Blackflare to knock on the door, disturbing the area with magic and triggering any potential ambushes. A black orb formed in front of his outstretched hand, slowly meandering forward until it was absorbed by the grainy sand. The detonation came like a deep thump, and only a few grains of loose sand tumbled down the edges of the unnatural hill.


    A moment later, the few grains turned into a full cascade as the mound collapsed in on itself. He glanced at the Blackflare, who seemed just as surprised. He hadn¡¯t put that much mana into his remote bomb. Something had been disturbed by their prodding attack, and it was coming out.


    ¡°Prepare yourselves.¡± Gibson ordered before he mumbled another incantation. ¡°Together, we are the Argent Shield, let the Light shine from our bulwark.¡± Light shields manifested around each of his party members, slowly spinning around their torsos, while the Empress City residents took their places in the back.


    Gibson¡¯s Argent class was basically an offensive paladin or light themed knight, but he had made an important discovery some time while his party explored the dark tunnels beneath the fort back on Ghost Reef. He could essentially empower his skills by calling upon ¡®The Light¡¯ and it was especially potent against darkness. Of all the grind areas around Ghost Reef, the best one for him was within the tunnels underneath the fort.


    It was moderately embarrassing, like playing a game of make-believe that he had grown out of long before he was called Gibson, but the results spoke for themselves. By embracing the theme of his class, he tapped into more power than just arbitrarily casting his skills and relying on the system to designate their effect. Coop had the mists, and he had the light, which he channeled through incantations.


    When their opponent finally emerged from the mound, it was more than he expected. Rather than a few more elites than normal, they faced an enemy that greatly exceeded the preceding monsters. Gibson inspected it with his aura skill, Light from Shadow, already prepared to take the next step forward in his progression.


    [Level - 114]


    [Field Boss - Ancient Vanguard]


    [Threat - ***]


    [Posture - Invader]


    [Faction - Primal Constructs]


    [Standing - Hostile]


    Elites registered as one star threats while regular monsters had none. Gibson had expected a Field Boss to have two stars, but the fact that they didn¡¯t scale linearly wasn¡¯t out of the question. He wished he had the skill back when they were in the presence of a Siege Boss or even that beautiful Avatar of the System that singled him out. He wondered how many stars they would have received.


    The glance he received from his party asked the pressing question. Retreat? Gibson responded with another incantation, vocalizing it openly while holding his sword in front of him with both hands, flat edge reflecting one of his eyes as he spoke. ¡°My enemies tremble before the Light of Justice!¡± The blade¡¯s illumination expanded and he lifted his sword, pointed it at the monster, and a beam of searing blue energy shot forward.


    The blast penetrated the armor of the creature with a clean cut, agitating the monster more than weakening it, but the opening strike triggered his party into tried and true habits. Verdant whips emerged from the mud at the monster¡¯s flanks, grasping at limbs and wrapping themselves tight, with sharp thorns tearing into the metal hide for a better grip. Chaos orbs whirled in wide circles, as if they were being flung while connected to long strings, colliding with the exposed back of the monster with small implosions that belied the power hidden in the eldritch spells and left small sections of corrosion as metal rusted to dust.


    Their opening salvo staggered the beast, but it wasn¡¯t enough to bring them victory right away. The boss responded by bracing itself, then charging forward, dragging the green snares until they tore, with its long mandibles seeking to crush the intruders if they were caught in its grasp.


    Gibson stepped into the charge, responding with an exaggerated overhand swing, speaking dramatic incantations as he moved. There wasn¡¯t any compendium for the words he spoke, he was just making it up as he went, but the results had never been detrimental. It was almost as though he was generating his own code through trial and error, something his previous life had proven he had a talent for.


    ¡°...Argent Fury! Guide my Blade!¡± His words culminated in a shouted incantation.


    When the charge met his sword, both combatants were thrown backwards. He landed among the Empress City soldiers, battered, but unbroken. He rose to his feet and rushed through the shallow water to rejoin his party. They hadn¡¯t hesitated, following the monster in order to land their own empowered attacks while it was susceptible.


    The Flame Knight, Secutor, and Blade Tyrant, all elites from Empress City joined the fray, and the fight devolved into a frantic melee, like they were primitive hunters, struggling to take down a mammoth. They held a significant advantage over their ancestors; they had dominion over mana.


    After an hour-long struggle of back and forth fighting in the dry sand of the monster¡¯s mound, the group of 23 all leveled at once. The 15 soldiers from Empress City had done their best to avoid directly interfering in the fight, fearing that even a single moment of inattention would lead to their demise, but they still contributed enough to get credit while the eight higher levels took down the Field Boss. They cheered as they found themselves victorious over an enemy that could have wiped out their entire city a month before.


    Gibson¡¯s party was all smiles as well. Defeating a Field Boss was an accomplishment that deserved a moment of pride, even for them. Their growth was Ghost Reef¡¯s achievement.


    After they settled down, Gibson drove his party northward, bolstered by their successes, but on the other edge of the placid lake, they ran into another complication. The Blackflare was the first to receive the quest, but the rest of them received it once they caught up with him, as if crossing an invisible barrier had triggered the system notice. Gibson silently read the quest, ¡®Settle the Infestation (0/5000).¡¯


    ¡°Hm?¡± He hummed as he read the notification. ¡°We¡¯ll stop here.¡± He decided once he was done. ¡°This is something we should leave to the Champion.¡±


    ¡°You sure? If we were able to defeat the Field Boss, we could probably handle it, right?¡± The supporter suggested.


    Gibson considered it for a moment, but stuck with his choice. ¡°Isn¡¯t it kind of odd that the Field Boss was right outside of the territory of this Infestation? Whatever is inside probably forced it out, or scared it enough that it dared not enter. We¡¯ll leave it for Coop to decide how to investigate it.¡± He looked around and observed his party¡¯s faces as they came to an agreement.


    ¡°How about we establish another outpost back where we fought the Field Boss. Seems like a good story for founding a place.¡± The Crushing Palm suggested, gathering support for her idea from the others right away.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do that then.¡± Gibson agreed. ¡°The first section of the connection between Empress City and Neptune''s Bridge will have a clear start and end.¡± He smiled at the rest, satisfied with their work.

 Chapter 194: Homecoming

    Coop felt pride swell in his chest as he watched the horizon from the bow of Windchaser. He balanced himself against the breeze with one hand holding a taut rope while his other shielded his eyes from the sea spray. His injuries wouldn¡¯t prevent him from eagerly anticipating the sight of his home.


    The old ship cut through the ocean at a steady pace, pushed forward by the phantom pirates that maintained the sails. In the distance, Ghost Reef¡¯s stone walls slowly climbed into view, boldly depicting a safe harbor against the challenges of the assimilation. There was no subterfuge in its design. Instead, it introduced itself with a sense of fearless resilience and durability. Coop admired the core of their settlement as it drew nearer.


    The fortress existed in what felt like the middle of nowhere. The rolling waves that defined the deep ocean seemed to be tamed by the presence of the massive structure as it sprouted up from the surface. The calmer waters in the area gave the impression that the fort itself was suppressing the whitecaps over a wide swathe of the sea with its very presence. The surrounding reefs may not have been visible, but their influence was impossible to miss as they subdued the wild ocean from beneath the surface. They were an integral part of the atmosphere around Ghost Reef, though they weren¡¯t as in-your-face as the stone fortifications.


    Anyone not expecting to find the island would certainly be surprised by its existence. However, the most observant seafarers would have had a few hints that something was nearby, even before they discerned the main feature that was the old stone fortress. The reef created an oasis of calm on the turbulent sea, and the lighthouse was a beacon that stood tall while giving off a slight cool-green aura. Anyone watching the horizon while traveling the seas would have noticed one of the two landmarks, the reef or the lighthouse, before the imposing fort could be spotted. Either feature would be apparent, given that the alternative was a long period of steady ocean swells that were almost entirely unchanging in their hypnotizing rhythm.


    On the other hand, before even the most experienced sailors had the opportunity to approach the islands and piece together the clues of its proximity, they would be detected by the residents themselves. There were constant sentinels on the surrounding waves.


    As Coop¡¯s ride entered the settlement¡¯s territory, a dozen sailing ships were going about their business, navigating the shallow reef to and fro, while another dozen patrolled the ocean beyond. The patrols had been the first to spot Windchaser, miles outside of the settlement¡¯s territory, as it brought the Champion back to his settlement.


    Flocks of seagulls trailed after the ships, and sailors shouted and rang bells as they communicated amongst themselves using their simple coded language. Individual phantoms were hanging from ropes beyond the edges of the decks and waving hats toward the new arrival, unconcerned with the danger of falling overboard. While they searched the settlement¡¯s perimeter for the lost or the wicked, they almost exclusively found friends instead.


    Ghost Reef didn¡¯t seem much like the old and unused installation that it had been before the assimilation began. Back when a single elderly caretaker maintained the crumbling stone fortress and the only visitors were tourists and park rangers, it had felt more like an archaeological site surrounded by fascinating nature. With the introduction of mana, it had been revitalized into a bastion of resilience. The bustling port filled with ghost ships was the most significant transformation.


    By the time Coop¡¯s vessel approached the dock, Windchaser had gathered a convoy of new ships that were unfamiliar to him. They sailed in a loose formation, like an honor guard escorting their prize back to port. Windchaser was the only ship that needed to follow the channel through the reef, and the new ghost ships displayed their functionality by crossing the dangerous shallows without fear.


    The pirates were absolutely pumping the ships out, so none of them were named ships that Coop had seen before. All the extra vessels required extra crews, and those crews needed experience. In an effort to bring the sailors up to speed, they were constantly on the move, traveling between outposts and settlements, patrolling the seas, and otherwise staying active while on duty. It was their method of grinding. The phantoms could even gain levels by simply doing their jobs, though human experience was a bit less defined. It wasn¡¯t like they gained nothing from practicing their new jobs.


    Coop felt like he needed to adjust his perspective and give the pirates more credit. They weren¡¯t really pirates anymore. They were Ghost Reef¡¯s Navy. Not to mention that the crews had evolved to include as many humans as phantoms. No matter how he looked at it, the Tempest Fleet was thriving in the post-mana world.


    The expanding navy wasn¡¯t the only immediately obvious aspect of growth around the settlement. Coop could tell, even before making landfall, that the residents had been busy. There were groups grinding Primal Constructs in different areas, gaining levels within the safety of settlement territory.


    Coop suspected that some of the more adventurous groups of residents had even expanded their hunting grounds beyond where he had explored. They were pioneering grind areas with monsters that had only been suppressed by the native animals after making brief appearances during the siege event, untouched by Coop himself.


    He felt a twinge of jealousy that others were breaking ground before him, but he couldn¡¯t be everywhere at once, and the assimilation waited for no man. It was certainly better to have someone testing the monsters instead of waiting for him to have the free time to do it himself. Having others explore the monsters might even make things easier for him in the long run since they would be providing him with dossiers on each variant. The thought of streamlining his grinding made him smile in spite of himself.


    The walls of the fortress had been reinforced, first with mana, then with further improvements that could have only come from Jones, and most likely with the help of the reticent stonemason. Balor may not have been keen to make alterations on his own, but under the influence of Jones, he was surely more amenable to following human blueprints. The battlements had been recreated. What were once incomplete and abandoned fortifications, covered in sand and debris, had been reimagined by Jones. Only the old caretaker would know what the original architects had ambitiously planned in order to finish them.


    Solid stone caught the sunlight all the way around the perimeter, thick enough to repel even the strongest, magically enhanced, cannon fire, and providing some angled cover for the wall patrollers. Rather than completely pave the rooftop ramparts, strips had been defined, leaving sections of what nature had claimed over the decades, but establishing clear lanes for the phantoms to patrol.


    The open portals that marked each floor had also been reinforced, though in their case it was through the addition of more equipment. The cannons had large metal shields that would protect the wide openings from any return fire and prevent the types of enemies that climbed into the gaps from finding any space.


    Layered defenses had been a major factor in creating Coop¡¯s own survivable build. He admired the fort¡¯s application of a similar concept. No single layer would be exposed and pushed past its limit while the other layers remained.


    Beyond the walls, the upgraded apartment buildings poked their upper floors beyond the protective barrier, though an unseen turtle-shaped mana shield also defended the entire town. It really looked like a burgeoning city protected by an enormous fortified wall. Coop could see a potential city skyline taking shape, but they weren¡¯t nearly to the size that it would be so prominent.


    More birds than ever before flew across the courtyard, finding roosts among the taller buildings. The apartments hadn¡¯t only expanded the residential population capacity, they had also attracted new flocks to take advantage of the elevated real estate.


    Phantoms crossed the gaps on the walls as they kept an eye on the ocean, but it wasn¡¯t all so serious. Coop easily spotted several phantoms that were lounging on top of ramparts, casually performing their duties in a manner that was more befitting the vacation vibes of the tropical island, resting their feet over the edges as they savored the sun, or tossing crumbs to passing birds.


    Coop was happy to see the island grow, but he was even happier for it to maintain the personality that made it so attractive in the first place. The last thing that someone like Coop would want was for his home to transform into an austere stronghold: rigid and strict. The relaxed atmosphere was at least as important to the welfare of the residents as the robust fortifications were essential to keeping them safe. At the very least, it was true for him personally, and he figured he was never completely alone in his feelings, whether it was obvious or not. He now had first-hand experience with how people were living outside of his island, and many were still experiencing an apocalypse full of misery and struggle while rapidly losing hope in surviving to the end. Coop believed Ghost Reef should provide the complete opposite in atmosphere. They wouldn¡¯t scrape by, they would thrive.


    As Sharkbait guided them to the docks with careful adjustments of the wheel, Coop was glad to see pirates playing card games around barrels and moving in groups back and forth from the open main gate of the fort while shuttling food and drinks, relaxing with the self-assured confidence that they would stand strong in the face of any challenges. The Admiralty¡¯s doors were propped open as people exited in large groups that could only be entire classes. Many had taken note of the arrival of Windchaser, and they had come to see who the ship brought this time.


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    The handful of Corozal residents that scouted the settlement had already returned to Belize, but they had spent a few days being treated like guests of honor in Ghost Reef. Coop better understood the glowing reviews they had brought back to the profession masters that stayed behind while he was grinding. His perspective of Ghost Reef was a bit dated in comparison, still remembering how it was when the number of residents was closer to 20 than 20,000. It wouldn¡¯t be a surprise if a few of the profession masters picked up and moved to the island once they made up their minds.


    Coop smiled as he watched the ship be secured to the dock. There was nothing like a homecoming after some time spent away. At least that¡¯s what Coop was telling himself as he gingerly disembarked from the ship.


    When he had arrived in Corozal after almost a full day of limping through first the savannah, then the jungle, destroying Elite Ruin Nebulas with his phantasms along the way, he had withheld the extent of his injuries from the townspeople. He didn¡¯t want them to lose what little faith they had in his ability to bring down Chakyum, so he took his leave with some convenient excuses. Ghost Reef needed to be upgraded and the short break would give those searching out priests some extra days to identify their strongholds. He was setting himself up for some busy days when he returned to Belize, but he would be ready soon enough.


    ¡°Do you need a hand?¡± Jones teased, though there was a hint of real concern in his voice as he watched Coop limp back to shore.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± Coop responded, though he put his hand on Jones¡¯s shoulder to balance once he made it to the solid ground. ¡°Just a bunch of debuffs I need Madison to help me with.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you might end up with more than debuffs after seeing her.¡± Jones laughed wryly.


    ¡°Uh oh.¡± Coop froze, abruptly remembering how he had dumped all of the curse victims on the Medical Center while neglecting to even consult her, then traipsed off without so much as an apology. There had been a lot going on, but he doubted she would accept such a weak excuse.


    ¡°She¡¯s all bark.¡± Jones reassured him. ¡°Mostly.¡± He added out of the side of his mouth, damaging Coop¡¯s already waning confidence.


    Sunny looked on, tilting his head at the word bark, and evidently concerned about Coop¡¯s state. He had suspended his overflowing excitement when he noticed Coop¡¯s state and was carefully sniffing at the Champion while making sure not to jostle him. It took a few moments of confirming that Coop was fine before Sunny was content. The confirmation triggered the bout of excitement he had been holding back and sent the dog to the moat bridge with an enthusiastic bark and back to the port to lick Coop several times. He kicked up splashes of fine sand as he went back and forth and left the pirates laughing at the infectious display of unbridled joy.


    Coop ran a hand through his hair, watching the retriever sprint down the sand paths for another round. He tried to think of a last minute alternative to invoking Madison to heal his debuffs. Maybe Elder Olani would be able to help, or one of Maeve¡¯s baths? Sojjah, the alchemist, might even be able to whip up some elixirs that could do the job.


    He might need an excuse first, so he sought more information from Jones, treating the encounter vaguely like a potential boss fight. ¡°Is she still busy with the curse removal rituals? I probably shouldn¡¯t interrupt her.¡±


    Jones chuckled. ¡°Oh no, she¡¯s quite finished with all of that. She got the whole process down to a science before long. She was curing 10 of them a day by the end.¡± He shook his head at the memory of the factory-like efficiency. ¡°Emmanuel even received a new title, ¡®Cursebreaker,¡¯ after the 100th ritual.¡± He added.


    ¡°Were there any problems?¡± Coop wondered, gauging just how apologetic he should be when he ran into her.


    Jones shook his head. ¡°Nothing worth noting. Only three escaped the influence of the blood curse completely. The rest are like me; scarred and altered, but potentially empowered, in a manner of speaking. I¡¯ve taken them under my wing, but you should probably have some words with the three lucky ones. They could be useful in their own way. They were the most suspicious of our intentions at first. It was quite a shock to be awoken in a completely different place than they remembered.¡±


    ¡°Looks like I can¡¯t get a break, even when I¡¯m home.¡± Coop grumbled, earning a raised eyebrow from Jones. The old caretaker knew Coop well enough to guess that he would be finding time to take breaks no matter what he was up to, even if it was hunting down cultists in an unfamiliar jungle.


    When Coop entered the fort, passing beneath the polished metal gate while admiring the repairs like a tourist, Jett greeted him with a meow. The black cat had simply manifested, completely out of nowhere, and trotted up to Coop excitedly.


    However, when she got close and he kneeled to say hello with an outstretched hand, she recoiled and gave him several good smacks with the pad of one of her paws while the fur on her back stood straight up. She was definitely unhappy with him. It almost seemed like she didn¡¯t recognize him at first, and then punished him for her mistake. Coop wondered what her deal was for a moment before he had an idea.


    ¡°Is it because I spent time with Felix?¡± He wondered out loud, but of course she didn¡¯t comment on his guess aside from an agitated swish of her tail.


    ¡°I promise it wasn¡¯t a big deal!¡± Coop tried to justify his behavior to the territorial cat, but he had really become chummy with the jaguar while he was there. It had been so long ago, how could Jett even realize it?


    Jones smiled to himself before commenting on Coop¡¯s reception. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re in the doghouse.¡± He stated, receiving a groan from Coop in response and an obvious side eye from Jett.


    As an apology to Jett, Coop ignored her protests, lifting her up to put her on his shoulder with a barely suppressed, pained groan. He consoled her with gentle pets just like in the pre-mana times, and she conceded to his affection. Sure, she was a superpowered assassin that could probably end his life, but she was also still a kitty. He carried her around while Jones escorted him through the settlement.


    ¡°Looks like you did a lot of work on the walls.¡± Coop observed, restarting their conversation.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Jones nodded as he agreed. ¡°I¡¯ve been using my abilities as an example to the Blood Cursed. Many of them need some encouragement after finding themselves ¡®corrupted,¡¯ believing that it is the end of the line for them. They behave as though it''s a terminal illness of some sort. Lots of emotional outbursts.¡±


    ¡°How did Balor take to messing with the walls?¡± Coop idly wondered, imagining the stonemason requiring lots of persuasion before he accepted updating the fort. The stone dwarf was a bit of a cry baby when it came to pre-mana construction.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡± Jones admitted to Coop¡¯s surprise. ¡°Ever since the faction concept came up, he¡¯s been holding private town hall meetings with the other contracted residents. None of them are easy to get a hold of anymore.¡± Jones imitated one of Coop¡¯s shrugs. ¡°Seems like us having a faction would really shake things up for them.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop was silent for a moment. He hadn¡¯t expected the unaffiliated aliens to have that much of a vested interest in the settlement¡¯s status. They didn¡¯t seem to care when they were first recruited. Something didn¡¯t seem right, but pretty much all of them had already become friends that Coop felt he could trust. He wondered how it would play out. ¡°They still crafting stuff?¡± He asked, making sure the settlement wasn¡¯t being bottlenecked in some way that might come to bite them in the future.


    ¡°Sure, but they all have human assistants that take orders. Makes negotiating with them exceedingly difficult.¡± Jones responded, slightly frustrated. Coop imagined that he had needed supplies to complete his refurbishment of the walls.


    Aside from the missing aliens and traveling residents, all was right in the world of Ghost Reef. The flourishing town gave Coop hope that he might be able to return to the good old days where all of the impending doom was for the future to worry about. It wasn¡¯t so long ago that Camila was proposing beach parties every week and they were able to have feasts and watch fireworks.


    The interior of the fort hadn¡¯t actually changed too much, all things considered, though there were more buildings than he remembered, and they were taller than before. The infrastructure that had been in place at the start was being filled out over time. He paused next to one of the smaller new additions and pointed it out to Jones.


    ¡°What are these?¡± Coop asked as they passed what seemed like a large mailbox.


    Jones glanced over and seemed surprised Coop wasn¡¯t aware. ¡°Those are Charlie¡¯s little libraries. Her main building is done, but won¡¯t open until she gets back.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Coop had promised her a profession related building a long time before, but it had slipped his mind during his adventures. ¡°Where is it?¡± Coop asked, planning to make a stop before he left.


    ¡°It¡¯s the smaller building right next to the main library and the school.¡± Jones gestured beyond the Tavern.


    Coop thought it would be a good idea to donate the collection of books he had tucked away inside his spatial storage before he left, but his first order of business was to find Madison and face the music. Jones kindly escorted him the rest of the way while updating him on the state of the fort.


    Everything was good on the home front with the last of the Sapphire Armada¡¯s invasion force off the island and apparently using the Armada¡¯s flagship to occupy the oil rig before returning to Neptune¡¯s Bridge. They were volunteering en masse to join the navy and redeem themselves, and the Tempest Fleet had already established prerequisites for them to audition. The former members of the Sapphire Armada didn¡¯t have much faith in the long term future of Neptune¡¯s Bridge, with the general sentiment being that the city was doomed, but Coop wasn¡¯t ready to give up on the Orlando settlement. He wouldn¡¯t have sent so many of his most important companions to assess the situation if he planned to cut his losses.


    Jett had settled down, involuntary purring under the attention Coop gave her. She squirmed to return to her patrols before they reached the Medical Center, Coop¡¯s transgression forgiven, so he set her down and let her go on her way. Jones wished him luck and offered to meet him at the civilization shard when he was done, leaving him alone on the northern canal street. Coop hesitated in front of the golden hued alien hospital and tried to think of the best way to apologize to Madison.


    ¡°I shoulda brought her a souvenir.¡± Coop muttered regretfully.

 Chapter 195: Rehab

    The Corozal Mender had already checked on Coop¡¯s wounds, but by the time he reached her, he had naturally healed everything that she could have treated. He assumed defeating the Icon had allowed his improved Reaper title to fully restore his health in spite of the apparition¡¯s Soul Burn. However, the physical debuffs remained, and he didn¡¯t want to risk fighting more High Priests while hobbled by the injuries that they represented. Unfortunately, all of the debuffs were beyond even the extremely high level Mender. According to her, only time could heal his current injuries.


    The real problem that provoked the intermission in his priest hunt was his inability to mistjump. Even with all of the other injuries, if he could properly throw his spear or shield, he would have been able to press on until the rest naturally recovered. Limping through the jungle was just far too inefficient to get the job done. Legacy of the Mists summoning phantasms provided him with plenty of lethality, but his travel times had increased too much. It was a classic problem for Coop as he sought efficient grinding rotations. From his perspective, everything was a kind of grind.


    Coop would only be spending one night in Ghost Reef before he returned to Central America. He didn¡¯t want to lose any of the progress he made in the Yucatan by spending too much time away, and the trip itself was long enough that it was already a significant time investment to leave at all. It was regrettable, but he didn¡¯t have time to relax and enjoy the familiar atmosphere of home. A brief stop would have to be enough to recharge his batteries.


    The work he had put in clearing areas of the Yucatan could be undone if he was inattentive for too long. He was leaving a power vacuum when he defeated the Priests of Chakyum, opening up their enclaves and hunting grounds with their absence. There was a small chance that other cultists would take their places, slowing down his progress through the Yucatan by forcing him to reclaim previously cleared areas. His journey through Belize hadn¡¯t been particularly linear, but he had already carved out a wide area up the Yucatan Peninsula and throughout the Northern Lowlands of Belize.


    When it came to the local Primal Construct variants, he had also spent quite a bit of time in an effort to reset the region by culling the elites. Hopefully, regular versions would be respawning, but if he was gone for too long, they would have the opportunity to regain their elite status. The warriors from the Crossroads would handle the monsters in close proximity to the outpost, but the rest of the peninsula was just left to Mikey and Amanda, and he couldn¡¯t expect the scouting couple to maintain that much influence over wide swathes of wilderness in addition to their other duties.


    Coop mumbled to himself, already planning on grinding some more, as he walked into the shimmering light of the Medical Center lobby. This time, the lights that scattered on the ceiling reminded him of the blizzard of moths inside the Butterfly Cave, but seen during more pleasant conditions they were quite pretty. It almost made him want to revisit the underground caverns to properly admire the natural formations without the whispers of insanity echoing in the back of his head. Maybe he¡¯d make a group trip out of it.


    A slender, bald-headed alien greeted Coop, calling out to him to bring his attention away from his future responsibilities and vacations back to the present. They were kindly smiling at him and he noted that even though Jones had warned him about absentee contracted residents, there was an alien manning the front desk of the hospital. He attributed their presence to Madison¡¯s strict guidance.


    ¡°Welcome, Champion.¡± They started with a bow, causing the shine on their head to reflect the golden light. ¡°We see you have some need for our service. I hope you will not think less of us if we retrieve The Sage to provide your treatment.¡± They straightened out of their bow and looked at him regretfully. ¡°Even though we are capable of aiding you immediately, she has given us firm instructions regarding your treatment. Unless it is immediately life threatening, any rehabilitation is to be reserved so that she may personally provide it.¡± The contracted resident explained.


    Coop grunted. ¡°I guess that¡¯s fine.¡± He hadn¡¯t even considered that the aliens would be able to fix him up independently, but Madison was way ahead of him. ¡°Can you tell me about the contracted resident meetings?¡± He asked, changing the subject to something Jones had mentioned.


    ¡°We¡¯re sorry, Champion. Those are reserved for the unaffiliated contracted residents. We have not been invited due to being members of a faction.¡± They responded apologetically. ¡°Though we do have proposals to be made once the others have decided on a plan of action out of respect for our Sage.¡±


    Coop frowned, wondering if he should be more concerned. ¡°What is that all about?¡± He muttered, not expecting an answer.


    The alien responded anyway. ¡°The formation of a faction is a major event within the galactic community, one that you are unlikely to be ready for. None truly are. We believe they are considering ways to provide you with preparations. We have already done the same.¡± They smiled kindly before directing him to follow. ¡°Rest assured, Champion. Ghost Reef has already developed into a home for many. An uncommon feat.¡± It seemed like they really believed he had nothing to worry about with regard to the contracted residents.


    Coop¡¯s mind wandered as he was guided to a treatment room. They were already preparing for the Eradication Protocol. He sincerely doubted that whatever attention the faction brought would be more extreme than what mana had already levied upon them. There was a difference in scale, after all. The galactic community operated within the confines of the system, but mana was an external threat unbound by any limitations imposed by outside factors. He just wasn¡¯t as concerned with the factions as he was with the more immediate, extinction level threat. The attendant left him to make himself comfortable in an empty room while he tried to alleviate his own concerns.


    After a minute of waiting in one of the doorless rooms, Madison arrived, tucking away some reading material into an oversized pocket of her white coat. She didn¡¯t hesitate before starting, not even leaving time to exchange greetings. ¡°What did you do this time?¡± She queried with obvious exasperation, but she didn¡¯t wait for him to answer before she started poking at his injured shoulder and humming disappointedly to herself.


    ¡°Did it to myself, really.¡± Coop admitted. He sucked in air through his teeth as she prodded at his sensitive hip.


    ¡°Yes, I see.¡± The room lit up for a moment, and her angel wings manifested with celestial mana. A halo sparked into life overhead, glowing with smooth angelic light.


    While she patched him up, resting the palm of her hand against his shoulder and shutting her eyes, Coop considered the source of her power. She was muttering various diagnoses and the treatments necessary to rehabilitate broken bones, torn ligaments, stress fractures, and more. They weren¡¯t accurate for what he was actually doing, considering they didn¡¯t have access to her prescriptions and there was no need for the weeks of physical therapy that she identified. He guessed that she was healing him by forcing the effect of the treatments with magic itself, as if he was going through a long period of rehabilitation in a few moments. He had to admit, no matter how he looked at it, her abilities were impressive.


    It didn¡¯t seem like she was drawing from some reservoir of information provided by the system the way he did with his mists either. Rather, if all of her demands to defer to her pre-mana medical experience were anything to go by, she was actually utilizing her personal catalog of know-how. It was similar, in a way, to his instinctual knowledge. Madison¡¯s expertise would have been developed through an education that was built upon humanity¡¯s collective mastery in the first place, similar to how he believed his guidance was more actively provided.


    He had previously asked her about the process of healing, and she explained that it really was the same as before, just streamlined by the presence of mana. He smirked at the thought that she had her own type of Haunted title, except it was just plain knowledge. How mundane, in comparison to his spectral affinity.


    She finished with a sigh, then looked to interrogate him. ¡°So, what did you have to beat up so bad that you ended up doing all that to yourself?¡± She waved her hand up and down, insinuating that he had been a mess. ¡°..Like a dang car crash.¡±


    Coop shrugged, already feeling better. ¡°Icon of Mana that came out after I whooped the God of Fire and Storm.¡± Coop responded with his typical indifference.


    ¡°Hm.¡± She hummed, pretending not to be impressed with the trouble he always managed to find. ¡°Fine. But, maybe don¡¯t go all out like that if you¡¯re too far away from home.¡±


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t too far.¡± Coop pointed out, seeing as he was sitting there being healed, but changed his tune when she gave him a withering look that was usually reserved for Emmanuel when he talked back. ¡°I mean, yes ma¡¯am.¡± He gulped.


    ¡°Doctor.¡± She corrected him sternly.


    ¡°Yes, Doctor.¡± Coop obediently responded.


    ¡°Good.¡± She nodded as she sat down across from him, like a detective preparing to question a suspect.


    What followed was more or less a friendly interrogation. Madison was keeping up with all the developments throughout the Lighthouse faction, whether it involved Empress City, Neptune¡¯s Bridge, or the expeditionary force that was moving toward Neon Park, her daughter among them. Apparently, she planned to visit Corozal and needed Coop¡¯s update to identify when the best time would be. While Coop suggested she wait until the Cult was completely defeated, he wasn¡¯t sure if she would be content to wait that long. She wanted to be on the frontlines, wherever they were, and Ghost Reef had settled into a secure routine, where her skills were almost entirely unnecessary. The territory had spread so that all the immediate monster growth was sustainable, and the mana well was safely being farmed with any surprises being manageable by the staff of the clinic. So long as the residents didn¡¯t spread themselves too far, they were in a comfortable situation. As she saw it, Neptune¡¯s Bridge would need her help sooner or later, if what the defeated army claimed was true, so she wanted to head to Corozal before that happened.


    Eventually, they compromised on Madison and Emmanuel forming an advance squad of Ghost Reef¡¯s residents to help secure the Corozal Outpost after Coop was satisfied with the state of the Primal Constructs in the Yucatan. The ships would maintain contact between the Outpost and Ghost Reef, so they would only be a few days away when the time came. They were both satisfied with the plan.


    ¡°Make sure you take care of yourself.¡± Madison added as they finished up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± Coop hedged. ¡°Thanks for the heals.¡± He added, but she just waved him out like he was dismissed.


    Coop left the Merciful Medical Center with a pep in his step. Like only the best visits to the doctor; it hadn¡¯t been as bad as he feared. It certainly felt great to be free of all those debuffs, and his confidence was renewed with the eagerness of Ghost Reef¡¯s residents to extend a helping hand.


    Coop headed back to Balor¡¯s citadel. The civilization shard was centrally located within the fort and it was housed inside the unique construction created by the dwarf-like alien. The stone bunker was artfully designed to operate as a decorative feature without sacrificing defensive properties should they find themselves in a last stand around the civilization shard. They were pretty far beyond the threat of any type of siege, but it was still nice to have the additional layer of security. In the meantime, the citadel functioned as a friendly gathering place, like a large stone gazebo that protected ornamental plants and patterned stones with careful specifications that allowed sunlight to bounce through the interior. It wouldn¡¯t have been out of place as the centerpiece of a sprawling garden park.


    The market was busier than Coop ever remembered, rivaling the grand opening, and plenty of unfamiliar faces greeted him enthusiastically as he made his way across the bridge. They weren¡¯t just saying ¡®hi¡¯ because he was the Champion, as they probably didn¡¯t know who he was. They were just happy to exchange greetings with another resident. The settlement had grown large enough that they wouldn¡¯t recognize everyone, but the fact that they were there meant that they were still brothers in arms. Coop appreciated the open camaraderie.


    The coffee shop was occupied by a decent number of people lounging with drinks in hand. They gathered on the deck, and watched the southern circle. The Tavern¡¯s front door was a turnstyle despite being a bit too early for happy hour. People sat beneath trees within the green space of the courtyard, enjoying their time between shifts of work or grinding monsters. Overall, Coop was satisfied with the harmonious atmosphere. It reminded him more of a university campus than the bulwark prepared to withstand any type of opposition that it actually was.


    On the west side of the canal, the swimming pigs waded just beyond the threshold of the fort¡¯s walls. The Eater of Worlds was lying on his side, looking something like a disabled ship that had been washed into the shallows. Coop shook his head at the absolute relaxation achieved by the largest wild pig, feeling slightly jealous.


    ¡°Hm.¡± Coop hummed as he thought that several of the smaller pigs actually looked quite large themselves. They didn¡¯t compare to the enormous Chosen pig, but still, he wouldn¡¯t wrestle with them unless he was Vronk¡¯s size. It would take a lot of the alien baker¡¯s bread to grow as large as an ogre, but that¡¯s what it would take to avoid being smothered by the growing pigs.


    When he glanced to the east end of the canal, he spotted Sharkbait, glancing over his shoulder rather suspiciously. Once Kayla¡¯s first-mate was satisfied that he wasn¡¯t being observed, he pulled something from a pack on his side and held it in one his hands over the edge. The large mute man leaned over the canal, holding out whatever was in his hand as if offering it to the water. Coop¡¯s eyes widened when a tentacle slowly broke the surface tension of the calm water and snaked up the seawall before retrieving whatever Sharkbait had offered.


    The tentacle slipped back into the water just as Coop¡¯s form manifested from condensing mists beside Sharkbait. Coop was still holding his spear steady in the air where it had been thrown.


    ¡°Sharkbait? What the heck was that?¡± Coop demanded, fully armed and armored, and ready for a fight in the instant that he detected danger. That tentacle had been a narrow strip of seaweed. It could have only come from one place. The massive stone crab that had attacked Windchaser on the way to the oil rig, and later sank an entire cruise ship full of the newest residents of Ghost Reef. It was still among the highest level animals he had encountered, and it had achieved its power earlier than any other.


    Sharkbait looked properly shocked at the Champion¡¯s sudden appearance, but he raised his hands to make sure Coop didn¡¯t start a fight.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Coop demanded, concern for the sanctity of the settlement dripping from his words.


    Sharkbait assumed an apologetic posture, raising his shoulders and bowing his head. It looked completely out of place on the scarred, tattooed, and oversized pirate, with his braided beard resting on his protruding belly. Judging by what remained in the much larger pirate¡¯s pack, he had been feeding the crab treats from the Tavern. He pointed at the gargantuan claw that still hung from the side of the Clumsy Shark. The trophy had become a fixture within the settlement.


    ¡°Did it follow us home? All the way back then?¡± Coop wondered, and Sharkbait nodded solemnly.


    ¡°You could have let me know, I would have taken care of it.¡± Coop pointed out, obviously threatening the monstrous crab, but Sharkbait immediately put his hands forward to stop Coop, then put them together to beg Coop for something.


    ¡°Dude, it¡¯s not a pet.¡± Coop pointed out as he guessed at the muted man¡¯s intent. Sharkbait was obviously insisting on keeping the crab.


    Coop peered over the edge, and vaguely spotted the crab at the bottom of the moat, so large it could easily be mistaken for the muddy bottom itself. It had two rather small claws folded against its front and a tiny wig of seaweed still growing on its back. Only one or two blades were even long enough to reach the surface. Apparently, it had been pretty severely diminished after receiving a direct hit from one of Coop¡¯s heaviest spears and catching the cruise ship¡¯s anchor during their last encounter.


    He remembered how Kayla had been so excited to fulfill a request from Sharkbait and considered just how insistent he was at the moment. The first mate wasn¡¯t someone that asked for much. Even beyond the fact that he didn¡¯t speak at all, he rarely seemed to need anything. Instead, he was someone that anticipated the needs of others. However, letting the crab stay was an extremely tall ask.


    Coop sighed, considering what to do with the infraction. It wasn¡¯t like he was completely innocent considering how he welcomed all sorts of other animals himself, though most of them hadn¡¯t been so aggressive beforehand.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll figure something out.¡± Coop rubbed his chin. ¡°First of all, you¡¯re grounded. Find someone else to captain Windchaser. Your job is to make sure this guy doesn¡¯t cause any problems.¡± Coop shook his head in disbelief. ¡°I mean, there are kids around, man, what are you gonna do when it fully regains its strength. It could easily snatch someone.¡± Sharkbait knocked his brass knuckles together, indicating he wouldn¡¯t allow it, though Coop wasn¡¯t sure if he had the ability. ¡°In any case, you¡¯re demoted to crab keeper until Kayla gets back and straightens everything out.¡±


    Sharkbait nodded along, agreeing with Coop without complaint. Compared to their other animal residents, all of them seemed more sophisticated than a crab. Coop tried to recall each of them: a cat, dog, cockatiel, some owls, pigs, and bats. All of them were either normal pets or at least existed in close proximity to humans. Then there was the raccoon and alligator on the mainland, neither of which were particularly out of the ordinary for Florida. A crab might be kept in an aquarium, or maybe beneath a dock, but they didn¡¯t have the same relationship with people that the others did. Hopefully, he just wasn¡¯t giving them enough credit. The impact of mana was really the primary factor, and to that end, all animals were closer to level with humans than pre-mana relationships would have predicted.


    ¡°Seriously, man. Keep an eye on it.¡± Coop ordered. Sharkbait nodded firmly, accepting the demand honestly.


    Coop left the second in command of the entire Tempest Fleet in charge of babysitting a crab, shaking his head as he went.

 Chapter 196: Thunderwall

    Coop stepped into the citadel that protected Ghost Reef¡¯s civilization shard and found Jones patiently waiting on one of the smooth stone benches with some surprising company at his side. Derek had joined the old caretaker, and despite the two having what Coop assumed were completely mismatched personalities, they were engaged in what appeared to be a productive conversation. Jones had Derek nodding with wide eyes as he explained how one of the berms adjacent to the citadel was full of yellow wildflowers, a type of oxalis, that opened and closed depending on the time of day. As fascinating as the subject was, it just wasn¡¯t something Coop would expect to be within Derek¡¯s wheelhouse. Maybe if the flower was used as some kind of garnish for alcoholic beverages, he could have anticipated Derek¡¯s interest, but that wasn¡¯t the case.


    Once again, Coop felt like he had underestimated Jones¡¯s charm. The man could capture anyone with his passionate discourse about Ghost Reef. Even someone who would otherwise be antipathetic to such details. Apparently, Derek was seeking Coop out as well, and had been enticed into a classic Jones presentation as he waited. Coop didn¡¯t think he had time to entertain the Virtuoso, but he could at least spare a conversation before he got on with his business. It just seemed like there was so much he needed to do, every time he finished one task another two or three popped up. He had to imagine this would be another example.


    ¡°There you are, buddy!¡± Derek stood up as Coop approached, excited to see him. He put his hand on Coop¡¯s shoulder to get a good look at him. ¡°You¡¯re looking good!¡± He exclaimed like an uncle at a holiday party seeing a distant nephew for the first time since the previous intermittent family gathering. ¡°The old man insinuated that you were in rough shape, but I don¡¯t see it at all.¡± He flattered the Champion, transparently buttering him up. Derek looked over at Jones and pointed at Coop. ¡°He looks great.¡±


    ¡°The magic of mana wielded by an expert.¡± Jones asserted, glad to see Coop recovered and attributing Coop¡¯s healthy state to his visit with Madison.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that serious.¡± Coop dismissed their concern with his typical carefree assessment. He ignored their worried looks as they imagined what could have incapacitated their Champion, changing the subject. ¡°What have you been up to, Derek?¡± Coop asked, anticipating the answer would be lots of drinking with anyone that had some credits. ¡°You¡¯re not in some kind of trouble are you?¡±


    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with the doubt? I happen to try very hard to avoid trouble.¡± Derek insisted.


    ¡°Considering how we met, I think we might have different definitions of trouble.¡± Coop noted. ¡°You might even be mixing it up with work.¡±


    ¡°Actually, that¡¯s what I wanted to talk about. This is purely a work meeting! Honest!¡± Derek did his best to be convincing, but he had the weight of his entire personality working against him. Coop wasn¡¯t swayed. ¡°We could use your help with something in the mana well.¡± Derek stated, calming his hands and placing one on the back of his own neck.


    ¡°The mana well?¡± Coop asked, wondering what had happened, and why Derek of all people was bringing news of the dangerous domain. The man¡¯s request hadn¡¯t gone the direction Coop expected. He was imagining something more along the lines of the island exceeding the Brewery¡¯s capacity to distill alcohol and he would need to upgrade the service somehow.


    ¡°What? Why do you look so shocked? Didn¡¯t you know I took over the Dungeon Delving Department of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild? I swear I told you¡­ I definitely told Marcus, he shoulda told you, right?¡± Derek continued, clearly proud of his newfound purpose and confident that he would have bragged to anyone that had the time to listen.


    ¡°...Dungeon Delving Department?¡± Coop muttered, confused by the existence of such a specific thing and the fact that Derek had accepted any responsibilities at all.


    ¡°Of course! You know how much I love-¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Coop cut him off, putting his hand up in the universal sign to stop, not wanting Derek to ruin his own slightly improved image. ¡°Just tell me what you need help with. I might have a dozen other things I need to handle first, depending on what it is.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. Sheesh.¡± Derek whined before presenting a surprisingly serious expression. ¡°So, we¡¯ve successfully cleared the second level up to the next floor boss, but we also skipped the first level boss when it returned. I was hoping you could clear it out for us. I think that if we catch it as soon as it respawns our top ranked groups can handle it, but it¡¯s been there for at least a couple of weeks already, and without either Gibson¡¯s party or Shane¡¯s party, I¡¯m not confident in sending anyone to test it. Those shrimp can pack a punch, and the one that took over is a really big one.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Coop was mildly shocked that Derek wasn¡¯t asking him for some other nonsense as a favor. It actually seemed like he had been seriously considering things, with the welfare of the Adventurer¡¯s at the forefront of his thoughts. ¡°You¡¯ve actually been working hard?¡± Coop asked without hiding his surprise.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Derek confirmed before hesitating. ¡°Well, I just hang out in the Last Chance Cantina we built outside of the Coral Colony and provide buffs to the Adventurer¡¯s while I drink, so it¡¯s kinda the same as before.¡± He admitted unashamedly. ¡°But I keep track of everyone¡¯s progress and make sure they all return on time. They know how much I hate joining the rescue parties, so they know not to overextend themselves. If they do, they have to pay for my tab.¡± He nudged Coop with his elbow.


    Coop shook his head. Derek was slightly less hopeless than before, but Coop would definitely not be considering him someone in the upper echelons of contributing members of Ghost Reef. At least it seemed like even beyond physical development, the residents were getting organized in other ways as well. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild seemed primed to become a fixture of post-mana society with the way it was expanding in both Ghost Reef and Empress City. ¡°I¡¯ll check it out before I leave.¡± Coop promised, not wanting to discourage the improvement.


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯d be great. I knew I could count on you.¡± Derek seemed relieved. ¡°We can grab drinks afterwards.¡±


    ¡°I have to head back to the Outpost.¡± Coop presented his convenient excuse. ¡°I gotta make sure some other faction doesn¡¯t come and try to eat us again.¡±


    Derek¡¯s smile made Coop nervous. ¡°I heard you were in Cancun or something. Let me know when you need help delving into a dungeon over there. I¡¯m your man when it comes to that.¡± he declared, jabbing a thumb at himself to punctuate his boast, though he was clearly angling for a vacation. ¡°Just, you know, after you¡¯ve taken care of Chumyum and his goons.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Coop waved him away much like Madison had waved at him to get lost. ¡°Get back to work then. I need to upgrade the settlement so I can get back to it myself.¡±


    ¡°Oh nice!¡± Derek exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on the rankings. Catch ya¡¯ later.¡±


    Coop shook his head and received a sympathetic look from Jones. At least Derek was being relatively productive. If he was the least efficient resident, they were in exceptionally good shape.


    Coop went to the center of the citadel before someone else could demand his attention. The shard hummed with mana as he approached, emitting a gentle red glow that did little to light the interior of the citadel. Instead, the modest sunlight leaking through elevated gaps cast a calm radiance across the stone patterns and the red light served to highlight the intricate designs that had been carefully crafted by Balor. Coop had never been one to go to church, but that was the impression that the inner sanctum of the stone citadel gave him. A solid and safe construction that didn¡¯t ignore the opportunity for some artistic flourishes with light and patterns while maintaining an emphasis on the central feature.


    Touching the civilization shard presented him with a notification to pay the cost of the upgrade. The cost for the settlement upgrades was really growing into hefty amounts, with this one requiring two million basic credits to progress. The previous quests had been much less. The first one had only required one thousand, though he remembered the need to save credits being a major factor in the first construction projects they chose.


    Coop easily paid the magnified cost, having earned even more just from grinding the Elite Ruin Nebulas. He completed the settlement upgrade quest and planned to make up for the expense, and some, during his next grind sessions. He nodded in satisfaction with the job done. It had simultaneously been the most difficult Champion quest while being the simplest thus far.


    The system hardly provided any feedback for the achievement. As usual, the omnipresent interface merely reacted with a few simple notifications. This time, the quest had been for upgrading the settlement from a Town to a City and the requirement was simple. All they needed to do was claim a subordinate settlement and the prerequisite condition would be complete.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Simple tasks weren¡¯t always easy, and in this case, considering what a settlement represented to the people who relied on them for safety, taking one away from another group would almost always necessitate conflict. It was a task that Coop hadn¡¯t believed he would be up for when they first began, and he worried that other settlements would take the bait and jump to unnecessary violence against their neighbors.


    The truth was even Coop¡¯s pessimistic assessment back then had been slightly too naive. People were fighting with or without external incentives, and Ghost Reef was dragged into others¡¯ conflict without the upgrade as provocation. No matter how hesitant Coop had been to go to war, he truly understood that it had been inevitable.


    The task of claiming a subordinate settlement had been accomplished when they interfered in the Endless Empire¡¯s civil war, choosing to side against the alien faction¡¯s Chosen and turn the tide on behalf of the rebels. In the end, he had completed the upgrade objective when he claimed Empress City in the name of Ghost Reef.


    However, in order to complete the optional bonus objective, they had to claim a subordinate settlement with more than one hundred thousand residents at the time of the upgrade. Unfortunately, that meant that claiming Empress City was not enough to complete the bonus objective unless it received an impossible influx of around twenty thousand citizens. The population of the once large city had been severely diminished over the course of the assimilation, to the point that they didn¡¯t meet the threshold to qualify for the bonus.


    The Sapphire Armada, on the other hand, presented themselves on a silver platter, displaying a much larger population that was capable of establishing a massive army to invade the islands with the goal of conquering the world¡¯s oceans. They targeted Ghost Reef in order to establish themselves as the dominant nautical force, but they were soundly beaten when they attempted their naval siege. When Coop¡¯s advisors claimed their settlement, Neptune¡¯s Bridge was large enough to fulfill the more difficult population objective and set Ghost Reef up for its upgrade, bonus and all.


    After the upgrade, Ghost Reef was officially a City. The basic reward for the upgrade had Coop subconsciously recoiling as it expanded in his vision. It was comprehensive, to say the least, and reminded him of the initial choices when he needed to choose his class and first set of skills. The permanent decision had put him on track to reach his current state, but he wasn¡¯t sure how successful he would have been if he had done things differently. There was no doubt that his build would look completely different if he had started with an alternative choice. If he had to make the same kind of choice for his settlement, he wanted to make sure he didn¡¯t mess it up. There was even more pressure due to all of the residents counting on the settlement¡¯s success and laboring to make it all possible. Coop took a deep breath.


    Cities appeared to be the threshold where a settlement began to generate its own passive bonuses. The upgrade awarded Ghost Reef with what were essentially City titles, and there were quite a few listed. Each one represented a specialization that was based on the residents and their accomplishments throughout the development of the settlement, providing further bonuses on the very same paths.


    Ghost Reef had more than a dozen different listings, and Coop felt a surge of anxiety as he feared he was being ambushed with what could amount to a monumental decision. Would he be finalizing the settlement¡¯s focus with this decision? He froze in the face of a choice that might shape the permanent future of the settlement¡¯s disciplines, like a crossroads in Ghost Reef¡¯s path, but upon looking closer he breathed a sigh of relief.


    There wouldn¡¯t have to be a selection to the exclusion of the others. They had simply collected all of them. The list was informing him of the entire catalog of bonuses granted to Ghost Reef. The fact that they applied to every resident of the settlement meant that small bonuses would be far more significant, multiplying with the resident population. Coop¡¯s mouth was practically watering at the idea of synergistic buffs enhancing their territory to untold levels, giving them an even greater home field advantage.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Jones wondered from where he spectated Coop¡¯s interaction with the shard. Coop¡¯s face must have gone through a range of expressions, from satisfaction, to panic, relief, and finally anticipation.


    ¡°Looks like Ghost Reef got some titles.¡± Coop answered as he looked closer himself, feeling better about the upgrade with every passing second. Jones hummed as he looked for himself.


    The first City title in the list was The Thunderwall, based on the most potent siege weapons utilized by the settlement¡¯s residents in its repeated successful defense. Coop chuckled to himself at what an awesome title Thunderwall was as it perfectly described the cannon barrages from the fort walls. The bonuses provided were more abstract than a flat increase to numbers, but the end result was the same. Cannons would be more lethal and also be more mana efficient when fired by residents while inside the settlement¡¯s territory. The cannoneer team¡¯s mana affinities would now influence the attack type of the siege weapons, providing variety in their destructive capabilities. Coop didn¡¯t find any exclusion for the ship cannons either. The prospect of a single title improving both their navy and the fort at once encouraged his growing optimism for the rest of the City titles.


    The Thunderwall bonus would have been a worthy reward all by itself, but there were so many more. The Eternal Spear was another martial title they had received. Coop thought that made sense given his own appreciation for the weapon and how many others had adopted it. Spears would enjoy increased potency and primarily become more durable for the residents of Ghost Reef while inside the settlement¡¯s territory.


    Coop hadn¡¯t forgotten that the number of phantasms he could summon with Legacy of the Mists was limited by two things. The first limitation was the mana cost, but that was steadily decreasing based on his continued use while grinding. It was only a matter of time before he reduced the cost to zero. The other limitation on his phantasms was the weapon¡¯s durability. Each individual summon reserved a single durability from his weapon. He had recently received increased durability for his own spear summons after upgrading his summoning skills, Retribution and Salvation, and having them fuse into Invocation. It was the reason he could summon his Battle Axe with Invocation. Previously, he couldn¡¯t summon two-handed weapons when Retribution was independent. Ultimately, durability would be the primary factor preventing him from summoning unlimited ghosts to fight by his side, but the methods to improve it seemed few and far between. A City title was an unexpected avenue that could yield exceptional results.


    The titles came in a wide variety, applying to more aspects of their experience than just the martial ones. The settlement was also titled The Coral Crown as well as the Sunstone Sanctuary for the paradise within its territory, appreciated and admired by the residents who sought to preserve its future. The settlement would expand its protection over the area to honor the dedication of its residents. Coop wondered if their environmental mitigation efforts on the dunes after the siege event had something to do with the pair of titles.


    They had another label called the Haven of Twilight which implied that enough residents had embraced paths that naturally contrasted with each other. Darkness on one side and Light on the other. While Coop immediately thought of Sunny¡¯s Harbinger of Dawn class literally recreating the sun and Jett¡¯s mastery of shadows eclipsing it, he wondered if the system could also be implying something more metaphorical about the phantoms and his mists bridging the living and dead.


    They received The Citadel of Lore for the residents¡¯ focus on scholarship and archiving knowledge. He had to give credit to the library purchase, and people like Charlie and Jones for that one. Not to mention Laurie and her mom support group for making sure that they built the school and started classes for all the kids that had moved to the island. The Citadel of Lore would have an improved information collection rate. The effect puzzled Coop, but he was still happy with the title. He had to imagine that the title would be rare considering the volatile nature of assimilations and the fact that settlements only formed during the time of flux. Others wouldn¡¯t have the opportunity to invest valuable resources into anything beyond survival, and therefore wouldn¡¯t meet the qualifications for what Ghost Reef received.


    The Bazaar of Unlimited Deals was obviously for the market and its apparent economic success, adding some subsidization of retail sales. The Crucible of Industry had to come from Garod and the other crafters who had been consistently producing arms, armor, and custom orders for the residents. Production inspiration was increased for all crafting projects within Ghost Reef. Coop raised his eyes as it settled in that the aliens were really considered equal residents as well. They were like a cheat code for unlocking higher level requirements for these titles. So many of their rewards were due to fostering a community that allowed them to thrive.


    Ghost Reef was called a Trendsetting Marvel thanks to the efforts of their Clothier and the adoption of various fashions, and a Gastronomic Hub due to the variety of cuisine. They had titles that improved the purity of distillations, increased the beneficial bonuses applied by hospitality, enhanced the potency of alchemical concoctions, precision in baking, the efficiency of healing, the health of gardens, and the resistance to erosion. Basically all of the contracted residents had been working hard enough to unlock a title with the human residents providing enough demand to keep them busy.


    The best part was that the bonuses, while small, also overlapped. The resistance to erosion wasn¡¯t only for Balor¡¯s stone, but would also impact the metals used by Garod as he crafted their armor. Precision in baking would apply to anything that utilized heat and fire to cook something. Garod¡¯s forging would benefit, but so would Desmond¡¯s cooking, and potentially anyone using heat or fire in their spells. Even Laurie¡¯s coffee shop would benefit from at least three or four titles. Coop had to imagine that the diversification of their settlement was unusual, even throughout the galactic community, given how early it had all occurred.


    Ghost Reef was officially called a Blessed City, a term he had heard from the Avatar of the System. It was granted based on the settlement having members from several high-profile species. The title didn¡¯t actually do anything, but since it was for merely existing, he thought that was fair enough. There were bound to be a few freebies if the titles were for a basic upgrade reward. He assumed every settlement to reach the City level had to get something.


    The Cradle of Progress was awarded for the average levels gained for each resident. Coop was thankful that the settlement upgrade had been slightly delayed as it had given all of the Empress City refugees from the cruise ship time to get sucked into the settlement zeitgeist of leveling. The bonus would be one of Coop¡¯s favorites, increasing experience gains for residents within the territory.


    Many, if not all of these City titles were unique to one settlement on each assimilating planet. That they had claimed so many was certainly a feat that would be difficult to match.


    ¡°That¡¯s a huge upgrade.¡± Coop decided, nodding his head like he smelled something good.

 Chapter 197: Projections

    Coop continued to be amazed by the settlement¡¯s upgrade. He was leaning one hand against the civilization shard with Jones by his side. The old caretaker was gazing at his own status as the pair theorized how the passive bonuses gained by Ghost Reef would improve their territory. It wasn¡¯t completely unlike the discussions they shared when they were planning the very first upgrades for the settlement. It made Coop strangely nostalgic.


    The catalog of City titles was a reward that had been building ever since the very first challenges of the assimilation, back when it was just the pair of them considering the best ways to survive. Now that the early investments were bearing fruit, they were discovering that they had an exceptional harvest. They were in significantly better shape than they had been a few hours before, and even at that point they couldn¡¯t have envisioned a more comfortable position for Ghost Reef to face the challenges of a turbulent future.


    If they hadn¡¯t been forced into difficult situations early on, where he and Jones had angled to rely on the fort itself out of necessity, they wouldn¡¯t have accumulated the rewards that enabled investments back into the settlement. The preliminary recruitment of Balor was what had revealed the feasibility of relying on contracted residents for key enhancements of their settlement. The dwarf-like stonemason had been integral in setting them up for success. Then, the gambit of sending Coop to the oil rig to pursue the bonus objective when the opportunity arose had resulted in extra rewards that kept building upon each other. With the phantoms they were able to succeed in the face of escalating threats during the siege event, which rewarded them even further with more recruitment opportunities.


    They might have only received one or two titles under different circumstances. Instead, they had the opposite situation, where they were happily overwhelmed by the initial influx of territory and resident bonuses. Coop never thought he¡¯d see the day that he was looking back at the siege event with so much gratitude.


    Recognizing the contributions of the phantoms reminded him to check for more reinforcements. The number of phantoms had nearly doubled after the previous upgrade, so he had some reasonable expectations that the ghost army would grow once again. Unfortunately, he was left scratching his head when he found the reinforcements button unavailable.


    At first, he thought it was due to simply having zero casualties. Honestly, the fact that they hadn¡¯t lost a single phantom since the previous settlement upgrade was an even bigger shock than the system refusing to elaborate. However, taking a moment to consider the tribulations they had faced, Coop thought something must have been wrong. Was it really true that they hadn¡¯t lost even a single pirate during the Sapphire Armada¡¯s blockade? He knew that several of the ships had taken damage, but none were sunk and no one had informed him of any losses.


    As he shifted his attention to Jones to ask for confirmation, he noticed a number tick up near the bottom of the menu he had been browsing. He squinted at the number and watched as a counter grew by one, moving from 15,502 to 15,503.


    Coop recognized the figure as the number of phantom residents in Ghost Reef, more or less. There were 15,000 phantoms in the army, and 500 phantoms in the navy. The fact that the number had grown by a few had him peeking into the courtyard of the fort, searching for fresh level one phantoms, but it was business as usual outside the citadel. None of the residents that were strolling along the stone roads appeared lost. There weren¡¯t any new level one phantoms bewildered by their new setting.


    ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Coop finally asked, before asking Jones about the number as well.


    After a moment where they were both silently investigating the limited information provided by the system, Jones responded. ¡°Moments of Twilight?¡±


    Coop raised an eyebrow. ¡°Twilight? Like from the title?¡±


    Jones frowned, equally confused. ¡°Is it possible for a City title to have had some kind of reaction to one of the previous upgrades?¡±


    Coop¡¯s other eyebrow joined the first as his imagination ran. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s definitely possible.¡± He confirmed.


    He recalled the many times his titles had interacted with another that he had already earned. Title evolutions happened all the time, in his experience. They usually asked him to confirm which direction he wanted his title to evolve, but something like the Vanquisher title had been consumed as soon as he triggered his path evolution, providing the choice to upgrade a few of his skills independent of his input. The others didn¡¯t completely remove functionality either, instead emphasizing one aspect of either title when absorbing a counterpart, and those happened when the titles offered similar bonuses.


    ¡°Is that what happened?¡± He wondered rather skeptically.


    ¡°It seems like our ability to call for phantom reinforcements has evolved with something called Moments of Twilight.¡± The wrinkles on Jones¡¯s forehead deepened. He paused before continuing, clearly seeking descriptions while leaving Coop in suspense. ¡°It shifts the burden onto the individual rather than the settlement. Bringing empowered residents back won¡¯t drain the settlement¡¯s mana.¡±


    Coop just blinked for a moment, wrapping his head around the possible effect of the bonus. ¡°So, we lose the ability to resurrect them on demand? Doesn¡¯t that kind of suck?¡± Coop didn¡¯t mind the cost if it meant bringing his companions back from the dead, not to mention he was worried about Ghost Reef¡¯s ability to continue growing its defensive army. ¡°Can we get more phantoms if the settlement can¡¯t use the reinforcement feature?¡±


    Jones nodded slowly as he wondered the same things. ¡°I suppose we can still get more phantoms through the reinforcement feature, it¡¯s still there, just more specialized, but I don¡¯t really think that¡¯s what this upgrade is about.¡± He glanced at his forearms, striped with glowing red corruption. ¡°I appear to be included beneath the umbrella of Twilight as well.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Coop managed, distracted by ways to reenable the reinforcement button to grow their army further.


    ¡°A Bloodstone Pact has been formed.¡± Jones seemed thoughtful. ¡°At least, that¡¯s what my buff says. Seems to be associated with my mana affinity in particular.¡±


    Coop checked his own buffs, but didn¡¯t find any Pacts. Only the Purification Aura and the City title bonuses were listed. ¡°So, does that mean you can be resurrected?¡± He broached the question that hung in the air.


    Jones snorted. ¡°Well, I certainly have no intention of finding out.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Coop confirmed the logic in Jones¡¯s response. ¡°Still, it¡¯s a possibility?¡±


    ¡°I suppose it is.¡± Jones agreed.


    Coop felt like he needed to sit down and gather his thoughts, but they had only checked the basic rewards for upgrading the settlement from a Town to a City. The optional objective in claiming a subordinate settlement with greater than one hundred thousands residents had also been satisfied, and the reward awaited his perusal. When Coop finally got to it, he squinted at it for a moment before reading what it did. It was another first.


    Ghost Reef had what was essentially a skill list embedded in its menus. A new tab had opened up, containing both the full list of titles and the passive bonuses applied to the settlement¡¯s territory. There was no mention of Bloodstone Pact, but Moments of Twilight was certainly included with the passive bonus, though it lacked much clarification for what it would do, merely suggesting that certain residents could qualify for the settlement¡¯s protection.


    There was also a singular active option that drew Coop¡¯s attention. The name of the active skill was Champion Projection.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop grunted. ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± He astutely observed to himself as he found the bonus reward.


    Champion Projection gave Ghost Reef the ability to ¡®transport¡¯ Coop to any of the subordinate settlements within their network at a significant cost of both the sending and receiving settlements¡¯ mana. There were only two options: Empress City and Neptune¡¯s Bridge. Empress City was grayed out, apparently lacking the resources necessary. The Corozal Outpost didn¡¯t qualify at all, unfortunately. None of the mana pylons that had presumably been placed elsewhere by his allies were included among the options.


    ¡°Is this teleportation?¡± He wondered, finally stealing Jones¡¯s attention away from his status.


    ¡°There¡¯s more?¡± Jones asked with some incredulity. The titles had been more than enough to satisfy them for quite a while.


    ¡°Check if you can see.¡± Coop suggested, pointing to the shard for Jones to use his actual system granted advisor privileges.


    After a few moments, Jones hummed as he found the new settlement skill, then he chuckled to himself. ¡°You¡¯re gonna be in even more demand with this.¡± He declared, already pitying Coop¡¯s fate.


    Coop agreed, but he thought it was only good news. ¡°I mean, I would have needed to cover a lot of ground traveling to take care of things anyway. This is going to be a massive time saver, right? Not to mention it¡¯ll be a relief not to have to get the timing right when trying to anticipate where I¡¯m needed.¡±


    Jones just smiled back at Coop, admiring his naivete. ¡°It appears to be a one way trip. You can go, but you won¡¯t be sent back.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ right.¡± Coop frowned, realizing it would be even more difficult to arrange for his transportation if he was the only person being sent across their territory. Plus, they would most likely continue to expand whenever the opportunity presented itself, with the previous settlement restrictions gradually being lifted as they progressed. There didn¡¯t seem to be a limit on the distance for Champion Projection, but if it was his own territory, he was pretty sure he would be able to mistjump back home relatively quickly. Still, he thought that the skill should probably be reserved for emergencies.


    Coop reassessed Ghost Reef¡¯s settlement skill with the limitation in mind, but he reached the same conclusion as his initial impression. It was a huge boon, and an appropriate reward for a burgeoning City with a growing network of subordinates. If the Champion of the primary city needed to manage several other settlements at once, the ability to quickly arrive in each one was a necessary bonus. As much as he wanted to test it by seeing if he could catch his friends before they left Neptune¡¯s Bridge, he had to leave it alone for the sake of his own mission.


    They already had some experience with Mana Projections. When the Chosen humans were brought to meet their sponsors, they had experienced the temporary version. The contracted residents also went through the same thing, but they had explained that the system has the power to make it permanent at the end of their contracts.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Coop considered the idea of being cloned when he teleported to a subordinate settlement, but it seemed like the system actively avoided that, only allowing everyones¡¯ existence to persist in one place at a time. It certainly appeared as though the system could do more with the power of mana, but remained under some built-in restrictions.


    He only had to look at the existence of Ghost Reef¡¯s phantoms to observe some of the possibilities, not to mention his own spectral abilities and whatever was going on with Jones. It was probably for the best that the system couldn¡¯t do literally anything with the power of mana, maintaining some restrictions to prevent uncontrolled replication. He hoped that meant that mana itself wasn¡¯t unlimited, for all of their sakes.


    Coop moved on to checking his own Champion title, confirming that it had upgraded along with the settlement, as usual. The title granted 100 to all stats, doubling from its previous 50 to all. He felt like it was a little crazy on his part, but a 600 flat stat bonus almost seemed quaint, especially after the other developments had blown his mind. He opened up his status seeking confirmation that it wasn¡¯t something to be scoffed at.


    [Status]


    HP - 15500/15500


    MP - 28500/28500


    Class - Revenant (Level 180)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 134)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 125 (+2850)


    Agility - 125 (+1425)


    Body - 125 (+1425)


    Mind - 2215 (+475)


    Intelligence - 125 (+2850)


    Acumen - 125 (+1425)


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion IV, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper, Slayer VII, Dauntless, Stacked, Defiant, Siegebreaker, Mindbender


    Skills (Active) - Invocation, Presence of Mind, Fog of War


    Skills (Passive) - Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension, Clarity of Purpose


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (18/50), Upgrade City to Metropolis


    Basic Credits - 4,468,155


    Whatever negative feelings Coop had toward his bonuses were instantly gone when he observed another aesthetic stat page. There was something about round numbers that gratified his sense of accomplishment when he landed on them. If his stats were one point higher, he wouldn¡¯t feel as satisfied.


    Seeing the base stats grow ever so slowly, only from the improvements to his Champion title, was more fulfilling than he expected. Without any actual investment, all of his attributes were gradually increasing through titles alone. The Stacked title had added 100 total stats, and now, Champion IV was adding another 600 base stats. A total of 700 stats was the equivalent of all seven of his Slayer titles. 700 stats was 140 levels worth of allocated points, or put another way, more stats than anyone else on the planet had earned through levels alone. The Champion title was actually insane. The fact that he looked down upon it, even for a moment, was kind of embarrassing.


    Sometimes he wished that the bonus stats would be absorbed into his base stats, but it didn¡¯t seem like there was any way to make that happen. Not to mention, with the addition of his Mindbender title, and the ability to manipulate the bonus stats, he had turned the bonuses into a much more flexible pool of attributes. Having more of his stats sequestered into the base numbers would actively diminish the adaptability of his build.


    Assessing stats granted by the upgraded Champion title as only 600 had also undervalued them. 100 of those stats went into Mind, which was increased by the percentage bonuses granted by the Siegebreaker title and his Spectral-Infused Under Armor. 100 in Mind was effectively 120 stats. Then, that 120 converted into another 420 stats as his passive skills added bonuses to every other attribute. Basically, Champion IV was worth nearly 1,000 stats all by itself. Coop shook his head at the madness that his build had become. It was just bonuses stacked on top of bonuses being multiplied by more bonuses. He couldn¡¯t help but feel excited about what evolutions it would undergo next. He couldn¡¯t compare his stats to a more basic build at all.


    Viewing his status also brought his attention to the new settlement upgrade quest. Evidently, the next stage was a Metropolis. Coop was skeptical that Ghost Reef would ever become a true metropolis by virtue of its isolation and size, but he wouldn¡¯t put it past Marcus to have a plan anyway. He checked the quest to determine what the system would need to give them the designation.


    Firstly, it would cost 15 million credits. That was almost four times what he had currently accumulated. He tried not to panic at the escalating number of basic credits required to further progress the settlement. It wasn¡¯t like he was the only one allowed to contribute. Surely, if it was necessary, the settlement would be able to pull from its treasury, and Ghost Reef had already proven to be able to generate a surprising amount of funds. Coop thought they could figure it out.


    However, he didn¡¯t really need to be concerned about the upfront cost. They would have plenty of time to acquire the fortune of basic credits. The prerequisite to upgrade the settlement from a City to Metropolis was to have a total population of greater than 10% of the entire planet among the settlement¡¯s holdings.


    Coop laughed out loud after he read the task presented by the system. Even if there were only 10 settlements left, he didn¡¯t think Ghost Reef would be able to reach such an extreme threshold simply due to the scale of geography they were dealing with. He¡¯d have to actively conquer the rest of the world for them to upgrade again.


    ¡°What now?¡± Jones asked, worried by Coop¡¯s cynical outburst.


    Coop just shook his head in disbelief. ¡°How many humans do you think are left on the planet?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Jones was surprised by the question. ¡°What brought that on?¡±


    ¡°The next upgrade requires Ghost Reef and its subordinate settlements to have a combined population of human residents greater than 10% of the entire planet¡¯s human population.¡± Coop explained the exact conditions provided by the quest. He squinted as he realized something was missing. ¡°There¡¯s no bonus objective either.¡± He frowned at the missing requirement. They had been shockingly valuable at each of the previous stages. They were clearly moving beyond the early stages of development into something else.


    Jones held his chin as he seriously considered the main proposition regarding population. ¡°Well, we can¡¯t exactly use Empress City as a proper measuring stick. If anything, their experience should be considered one step above the unconditional worst case scenario.¡±


    ¡°What could be worse?¡± Coop absently wondered, not prescribing the quest objective with the same feasibility as Jones. He was thinking they needed hundreds of millions of residents; an absolute impossibility, even with the rate they were growing.


    Jones leveled a serious look toward Coop before he answered, as if Coop should have known the answer already. ¡°Complete annihilation, of course.¡± He stated, sobering Coop with the cold truth of the assimilation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what the population of the city was before the assimilation began.¡± Coop admitted, unable to even begin with his own estimate.


    Jones rubbed his chin with his thumb. ¡°Let¡¯s just say roughly 10% of the region survived. The Orlando settlement was much more successful, but as far as we know, it¡¯s the only other place in Florida. We¡¯d have to do a proper survey to find out how many people migrated from the coasts and found their way into the settlement compared with how many started in the area. If we just wanted to assign another number, it would be between 10% and 25% survival rate for our new northern neighbors compared to the 10% or less for Empress City.¡±


    Coop winced at the idea that even the places with civilization shards had been decimated. ¡°Belize has been proving that people can hang in there even without a shard.¡±  Coop pointed out, hanging on to some hope as they put numbers to thoughts that he had been avoiding.


    ¡°Unfortunately, compared to the population before, I don¡¯t think survivors in the wilds will account for more than a few percentage points of the original numbers.¡± Jones unemotionally calculated, dashing Coop¡¯s hope.


    Coop checked the settlement leaderboards to at least check how many settlements were still out there.


    Day 92


    <ol>


    <li> Silvervalley</li>


    <li> Gangcheon</li>


    <li> Neon Park</li>


    <li> Punihuil</li>


    <li> Yucatan</li>


    <li> Can Gio</li>


    <li> Ordesa</li>


    <li> Zahamena</li>


    <li> Wakatobi</li>


    <li> Glenveagh</li>


    </ol>


    Coop quickly scrolled through the list, making note that Ghost Reef was just outside of the top 10, with Shinjuku Gardens and Aotearoa New Zealand being the only ones above them after the first page. Their tiny island settlement had climbed to 13 despite having a total population that barely eclipsed 20,000. They were definitely getting credit for successfully upgrading to higher levels, but they also must have been pushed up the list thanks to the combined subordinate settlements.


    There were 246 settlements on the list. Coop wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about the number. The scale of an entire planet made the number seem small, but the fact that other successful assimilations consolidated into a single settlement meant that he felt like it was pretty high. Humans weren¡¯t letting go of their planet without a fight. Unfortunately, they were losing a civilization shard at a rate of approximately one a day since the last time he checked, and that was with no settlement events active. In the long run, they were tending toward failure in under one year of a 111 year process.


    ¡°Damn.¡± He muttered.


    Empress City was ranked 238. It felt like the first time they weren¡¯t dead last. Hopefully, they could manage some stability now that their civil war was over. Coop also looked for Neptune¡¯s Bridge, making note of the city for the first time. Given that they had a much higher population, he expected them to be high on the list, but they were actually all the way down at 166, firmly in the bottom half of settlements.


    ¡°Hm.¡± Coop hummed thoughtfully.


    It was too hard to make any determination as to what the ranks really meant. There was no telling whether Neptune¡¯s Bridge was so low due to them being slightly slower in terms of upgrades or if their population was actually that much smaller than so many others. Maybe Hali and the rest of the Sapphire Armada¡¯s Chosen were right about the difficulties they faced with the untamed areas. Having more challenging Primal Constructs right up to their doors, pressuring their territory might come with a penalty.


    If the settlement leaderboard scoring was anything like the siege event scoring, they would lose points for any deterioration of their territory. Ghost Reef¡¯s rank would make more sense if it was also getting credit for all the improvements being made along the way as well as properly conquering the area it claimed.


    Among the top 10, Chakyum¡¯s Yucatan settlement had sunk in the rankings as well. They didn¡¯t have any potential subordinate settlements nearby, so he was sure they hadn¡¯t been able to upgrade to the City level yet. Their position had to be primarily by virtue of their population, but just how large could they be?


    Meanwhile, one new city had leapfrogged them and a few dozen others. Punihuil was a name Coop hadn¡¯t seen before. He wondered if they had received a massive influx of refugees. He guessed it would take millions to make an impact on the rankings in that manner.


    ¡°Good for them.¡± Coop sincerely thought. Anyone willing to take in people, especially enough people to have a massive surge on the leaderboards was alright in his book. He silently wished them luck.


    In any case, there were nearly 250 settlements remaining. The problem was they had no idea what their populations were, so figuring out where Jones¡¯s suggested 10% threshold lay was impossible. Ghost Reef¡¯s ranking made it especially confusing to use the list as a way to gauge the world¡¯s population. They couldn¡¯t even use the rankings to extrapolate a population based on the ones they did know.


    ¡°I have no idea.¡± Coop admitted. In any case, he wasn¡¯t even really sure if he wanted to know. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯d be able to figure it out even if the population was evenly distributed across the planet and we knew the exact number of shards we started with.¡± Coop shrugged. ¡°Anywhere from 10% of 10% or 25% of 25%?¡± Coop was just mumbling numbers. ¡°What¡¯s that? 80 million or 500 million? Either way, forget about our upgrades, aren¡¯t we completely screwed? Like, as a species?¡± He surmised, feeling deflated after the excitement of the settlement¡¯s upgrade.


    Jones frowned as he tried to come up with a more hopeful calculation. ¡°We¡¯ll survive.¡± He concluded stubbornly. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate the resilience of humans. That¡¯s a mistake for the aliens to make, not us.¡±

 Chapter 198: Road Tripping

    Neon had no idea what he was in for. A storm was cooking. He should have had an inkling that it would be coming, since he had been the root cause of its development, but he was blissfully ignorant. Even if he was anticipating it to some extent, he couldn¡¯t be prepared for the full consequences of his actions.


    Platinum was dutifully making her way back to the city he had christened Neon Park. Once she returned to her home, she planned to take out all of her built up frustrations on the Champion that sent her away. He was aware she wouldn¡¯t willingly play the role of Neon Park¡¯s emissary, especially for such a long period of time, but he¡¯d roped her into the arduous task anyway, declaring her as the only one he could trust and showering her with rare compliments until she reluctantly agreed.


    After the assignment grew exponentially more difficult with the confirmed proximity of another super settlement in Silvervalley and the apparent formation of the Pacific Republic, Platinum was obligated to follow the leads and investigate further. In for a penny, in for a pound.


    Her task was meant to be a simple, but long trip, where she merely applied her unique travel abilities to navigate all the way to Colorado from New York City. At her supposed destination, all she needed to do was relay an invitation to Camila Alvarez for her to return home by request of her grandmother. If she ran into anyone else of reasonable prominence, such as a Champion from another settlement, Neon had his own messages prepared that were intended to open diplomatic channels in the future. That he had sent her on the cross country road trip and not Carlos seemed to be because he had anticipated making contact with other settlements besides the one they were looking for.


    ¡°If he tries to get me to go to Australia, I¡¯m seriously kicking his ass.¡± She grumbled into the whipping wind as she shot through the frigid night, south of the ¡®Great Lake¡¯. ¡°You¡¯ll be in the finding out phase soon enough, Neon!¡± She shouted into the wind, letting her voice echo across grass and trees that had been dusted by freezing mist that developed over the lake¡¯s cold expanse.


    Somewhere in Brooklyn, the subject of her normally friendly animosity felt an unusual chill and shivered involuntarily before glancing over his shoulder.


    For the last forty days, Platinum had been traipsing across the entire continent, making connections all the way to the West Coast. Considering how simple her task was meant to be, it had clearly grown into something truly absurd. Thankfully, her road trip was coming to an end soon enough. She hated to admit it, but the journey was a productive one. Neon was right to make her do it, but that didn¡¯t excuse him from her annoyance.


    The vast majority of time, Platinum had been simply traveling by herself, passing through abandoned suburbia with its emptied parking lots dotted with pioneering weeds and derelict vehicles, collapsed empty strip malls, and criss-crossing highways that led to the next concrete island full of deteriorating pavement and crumbling signs. In between, the scenery would transition into vast swathes of overgrown woodland filled to the brim with magnificent trees of impossible scale, grand snow capped mountains, rocky temperate hills with brush lining bubbling creeks, enormous windswept plains, arid chilly highlands, and dry cactus-spotted deserts. Nature had never really appealed to her before, but there were moments where the majesty of the terrain left her with a sense of awe. It was certainly better than the neglected cookie cutter sprawl that she found herself following for so much of the time.


    However, the scenery was mainly dominated by something else. Most of all, she was traversing across abandoned farmland.


    Sometimes it was flat. Sometimes it was hilly. Maybe it was rocky or maybe it was terraced. Most of them were rectangular, but plenty were arranged in enormous circles or other geometric shapes. They were dotted with abandoned machinery, broken fences, and random clusters of buildings. The farmlands were hot, cold, dry, humid, or dusty, but they were all the same in the end. The fields were covered with lush grasses, plain clumpy dirt, leafy bushes, mounds of snow, or towering trees intent on pioneering new areas. They were full of insects, flocks of birds, and frequently bordered by herds of livestock, but generally, they were occupied by monsters.


    Sometimes they were monotonously planted with a single species of resilient leafy green crops. Other times, they were sectioned off into large strips of prepared dirt, waiting for seeds, but there were so, so many farms. Platinum was sick and tired of farms.


    ¡°Whole damn country is overgrown farms.¡± She grouched as she flew across yet another flat square. This one was lined with small mounds that had been covered in a thin layer of snow with the entire field surrounded by a ditch on the interior of a simple wooden fence. It was the same as ten thousand other fields she had traveled over.


    ¡°At least I saw the world¡¯s largest coffee mug.¡± She grumbled, though she secretly enjoyed many of the random roadside attractions that had caught her attention for brief moments.


    What Platinum found annoying about the farms was that the fields were basically the perfect habitat for Primal Constructs. Even animals had a hard time reclaiming them, unless they were the smaller evasive species that could avoid the predator-like aliens that seemed happy to move in. Almost none of the rural farmlands had been conducive to continued human survival with the caretakers abandoning their charges almost universally.


    She suspected there was something about the industrialized monocultures that the civilization shards avoided in the first place. Almost all of the settlements she had visited were established in parks or other greenspaces near denser human developments. Her own home was also an example of the shard landing in a park surrounded by a city.


    The monotony of disused human development, whether urban, suburban, or rural, was frequently broken up by the reclamation of vegetation, but the biggest changes were in topographical features that had been altered at the start of the assimilation.


    Rivers swelled to impossible widths, forcing her to detour hundreds of miles to find a crossing unless she was more inclined to swim with whatever infested the waters. Lakes spilled beyond their banks and transformed dead cities into permanently flooded disaster areas as buildings eroded and foundations sank. Mountains expanded from mere hills as if the stone had an uncontrollable urge to touch the sky, ripping through smooth ground, and growing tall enough to encourage Platinum to circle their bases to the amusement of distant eagles perched above. Chasms had formed where simple valleys had once existed, mirroring some of the most unique features of the North American landscape in unexpected places. The Illinois Grand Canyon was one of many surprises that Platinum found on her road trip. The world changed in many ways, with mana, magic, and monsters, but the geography wasn¡¯t to be outdone.


    There was no one that could keep up with her pace, so the journey ended up being a supremely lonely mission, leaving her to simply observe the numerous changes and make note of landmarks as she passed through.


    Platinum was on high alert for the entire duration of her trip. She had a healthy respect for the Primal Construct¡¯s potential, but they were more of a constant background concern. She was also moving at such a rapid speed, it was a bit like flying a wingsuit across the surface of the continent. If she lost concentration, she could risk a devastating crash. Her abilities could only save her if she casted them in time.


    She manipulated her solidlights to turn them into grappling hooks that attached themselves at what she assumed was the speed of light, then used them to launch herself through the air and across the landscapes at speeds that were difficult to manage. She guessed she was pushing over 100 miles per hour whenever she got cruising. The intensity of her mode of transportation required her to watch for obstructions as well as plan the next position for a solidlight at all times. The visor she wore across her face wasn¡¯t only a fashion choice fit for a rave; it was because she barely had time to blink.


    The short breaks she took when offered the hospitality of friendly settlements weren¡¯t enough to provide her with moments to relax. None of them could match the familiar comfort of her old raggedy couch in Neon¡¯s Brooklyn brownstone, and no matter how friendly the hosts were on the outside, she always felt the need to keep one eye open. Security was the luxury she had grown to miss the most while away from home. The world was a crazy place, full of nightmares and strife, and she didn¡¯t implicitly trust anyone other than Neon, the treacherous bastard.


    She flicked her head to the side, freeing long strands of her silvery hair from where they were caught on her ear, letting them whip behind as she reflected on the trip.


    Even the friendliest people she met, those she would call her favorites, had shot at her when they first noticed her presence, believing she was some kind of alien invader. They shot first and asked questions later: a reasonable policy in times like these. She didn¡¯t hold the aggression against them, given the apocalypse and all. If the roles were reversed, she would have done the same. Luckily, she was strong enough to avoid serious danger from most of the people she encountered.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    If it wasn¡¯t for the quest chains to defeat monsters giving her much needed levels, Platinum would have fallen behind during her journey. Wasting so much time traversing emptied land rather than patrolling back home left a void in her leveling experience.


    Surprisingly, she had encountered half a dozen different monster variants and had actually increased the rate that she was leveling with easy quest completions. The quest chains filled the void of her regular patrols. They hadn¡¯t been enough to embed herself back into the top 10, but she wasn¡¯t being left behind, even by those who appeared to be working hard to gain experience, like Hai Yun.


    At least her assessment held true for everyone except the person that had snagged the top spot and ran away with it. The best thing about not finding Ghost Reef was avoiding an encounter with the highest level on the planet. Platinum believed that removing the threat of a bigger fish had a tendency to bring out the worst in people, convincing them that they could do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted, to whoever they wanted.


    She figured the guy was a complete freak that might as well be another alien. If she could help it, she would avoid meeting him without Neon teaming up with her, just in case they needed to fight. As far as she was concerned, Coop would be treated as a boss monster until she was convinced otherwise, and she typically avoided the boss types when she could, which, thanks to her mobility, was most of the time.


    Platinum was strong, but she wasn¡¯t ¡®beat people who might double her level¡¯ strong. Deadly wasn¡¯t exactly a description she would have attributed to herself at all before mana mutated the natural hierarchies of nature, but after it arrived, reassessments were necessary. She had the lethality to push every random monster quest to the third and sometimes fourth stage as she moved through the wilderness, barely slowing down. However, sometimes enemies required teamwork. Killing the regular monsters that entered her range only took simple solidlight beams as she drifted through the air. Boss monsters would need a tad bit more attention and potential allies.


    A brief glance at her status while she launched herself across the sky revealed each of the monsters she had found through their quest progress. Her quest log was actually a mess of incomplete tasks: Defeat Ancient Drones III (112/250), Defeat Ruin Scuttlers IV (52/5000), Defeat Ancient Serpents III (17/250), Defeat Ancient Sparkers IV (267/5000), Defeat Primal Defenders IV (176/5000), Defeat Ancient Chargers IV (22/5000), Defeat Ruin Golems IV (802/5000), and Defeat Primal Golems IV (2287/5000). The fact that she had found nearly the exact same monster in two separate locations felt like a scam.


    Why couldn¡¯t they be the same monster? She would have been much closer to completing at least one of the fourth chains, but no, the system had to copy the Golems in the flat windy farmlands of Kansas and paste them in the dry deserts at the edge of the scraggly farms near California. They gave them a different coat of paint and slightly lankier shape, then called them different. The monsters went from harvest golems to scarecrows, but functioned almost identically. The repetition seemed cheap.


    She made a childish face, mocking the system for its lack of diversity before sighing, moving on, already exhausted from her own complaints. She sent another solidlight forward into the side of a barn, and pulled herself up and over, building momentum for the next few seconds. The world blurred as she rushed ahead.


    She expected to abandon the quests soon enough. They only remained for posterity¡¯s sake, so she could have a full and accurate list to rub Neon¡¯s face in the challenges she faced. It would take a proper accounting to be suitably rewarded. She figured sabbatical for the next 20 years would be enough to calm her down.


    Platinum never remained in any specific monster¡¯s territory for very long, so none of the quest chains had been completed. She was always concerned with encountering Field Bosses on her own. Running through the first few stages of each quest might actually be a viable strategy for piling on the experience, but it would only work for someone like her. Platinum¡¯s skills made her travel speeds unrivaled by anyone she had met. While she was confident in her combat potential, it was her ability to travel that she believed was at the peak of humanity.


    ¡°Stupid Neon.¡± She grumbled again. ¡°Taking advantage of my class.¡±


    A month before her transcontinental trip, she had been worried about running into wild elites, and avoided unnecessary excursions to diminish the chances of encountering the evolved monsters. Still, Neon relied on her to attend to the appeals of their neighbors. After the long cross country trip, her own power had grown to the point where a single elite would need to be exceedingly tough to give her difficulties. Most of the time, they barely made her slow down, but she preferred to ignore them.


    Unfortunately, the Primal Constructs weren¡¯t done with their development. There were new, bigger threats to worry about, ones that kept her looking over her shoulder as she shot below the starry night sky. If the monster variants had topped out their evolutions at elites, she would have ceased feeling the same wariness.


    There had been more than one example of the type of monster she avoided while she traveled. Platinum discovered at least as many bosses as monster variants. Most seemed to park themselves in a particularly suitable location to allow their influence to spread passively, but several were roaming on their own, possibly still in search of a proper nest or whatever it was they were doing when they stayed still. She regularly fled, rerouting her trip to avoid confrontation with the larger specimens. There was no point in her testing them by herself, and she assumed they would be territorial and too much for an individual to duel.


    Platinum headed home via a more northern route through the Midwest, specifically to avoid the boss monsters that were more likely to be found near her original route. The route she had taken from the East Coast essentially bordered the South and what was now defined as the Fallen Zone due to the dominance of the monsters within. Naturally, she circumvented the threat by putting distance between herself and the more dangerous area.


    But before she underwent the final leg of her journey, she visited what was becoming her own personal crossroads in the middle of America. When she stopped in the Heartland settlement for a second time, leaving the West behind and checking in on Alex Nova and his little community, they had an encounter with exactly the type of monster she wanted to avoid.


    Shortly after she arrived in Kansas for the second time, a Primal Golem called Aruktai the Life Reaper drifted from the Fallen Zone and threatened the settlement¡¯s continued survival. The watchers noticed it well before it reached their perimeter. They had incredibly long, uninterrupted sight lines, and Aruktai wasn¡¯t exactly a creature designed for stealth. The sniper on the water tower was already taking shots by the time the alarms went off. They were thrust into combat with the invading Field Boss and the entire resident population was forced to join in.


    Alex Nova¡¯s family was well-supported by the Pacific Republic, increasing reinforcements while Platinum explored the West, but it was still a dangerous situation to face a Field Boss. Conveniently for them, the boss was rather simplistic. It was a large intimidating robot that was easily led around the open fields surrounding the settlement while dozens of ranged attackers chipped away at it, including Platinum.


    The Golem Field Boss was a hulking machine that towered over their heads with a basic display of functional power, stomping forward like a hulking metal behemoth. It seemed to be patched together by various mismatched metal plates that formed a bulbous, neckless body with a thick barrel-shaped head. Every movement was accompanied by the clanging of its rumbling body. Scythe-like blades extended like fingers from its hands forming the monster¡¯s primary weapons. Both thick arms ended with several of the blades fanning out. The boss would clumsily swing in wide horizontal attacks like it was clumsily harvesting wheat.


    Each blow was powerful enough to shatter one of her solidlight plates, but its armor wasn¡¯t sturdy enough to withstand her own retaliatory attacks. The layers of armor were held together by visible stitches and easily punctured by her solidlight beams, though they held against most other projectiles.


    The boss shook off the damage, continuing its lumbering pursuit on its powerful legs while bullets constructed of mana ricocheted into the dirt after sending sparks across its chest. If the settlement had relied on walls, the boss would have been a perfect battering ram, but instead they fought in the plains where it had no advantage.


    Flames scattered off its form, failing to leave a mark, but water jets managed to cause it to occasionally stumble by softening the ground beneath it. The monster didn¡¯t truly slow down until Platinum punctured the glowing red embers beneath the lip of what could be mistaken for a hat.


    Alex Nova was basically a superhero to the locals. He had also kept pace with the others on the leaderboard, thanks to the ramping threats to the settlement¡¯s south, though he hadn¡¯t quite caught up to Platinum. His role in the fight was to keep the monster¡¯s attention by engaging with it in melee range, giving it a convenient target while evading the long blades and countering when it caught up to him. Ultimately he was the one that finished the monster off, blasting the metal alien into pieces with a massive powered up punch after the boss had been weakened by their collective efforts.


    The Heartland settlement were becoming experts at dealing with raids thanks to the regular boss action their shard was attracting, and with the help of the Pacific Republic, they appeared to be ready to thoroughly dig in as a beachhead against the Fallen Zone.


    Platinum almost felt bad about leaving the settlement behind, but despite dreading so much more traveling, she had to say her goodbyes. The trip had already taken too long, and more than anything, she just wanted to be home.


    After another several days, she was getting close. She could see Detroit in the distance, and knew it marked just another 100 miles until she reached the outer perimeter of their allied territories.

 Chapter 199: The Pacific Republic

    When Platinum met with the leader of the Pacific Republic that had formed on the West Coast, she expected a clever wordsmith capable of winning people over through political negotiations and the like. A politician who gave rousing speeches or a salesman that wheeled and dealed would have been much more like Neon than what she found.


    General McCallister wasn¡¯t just giving himself a title after the assimilation began by calling himself a general. He had earned the role long before mana changed the world. She found him sensible and respectable, if a bit tight-lipped and militaristic. It wasn¡¯t that he wasn¡¯t capable of politicking, it was that his style of negotiation was specific to his professional career, and was counter to what she expected. He was clearly an exceptional leadership figure, considering the loyalty engendered in those around him, but Platinum was no bootlicker, and she made sure to form her own opinion to give Neon a proper assessment of who and what he was dealing with.


    The man still sported his pre-mana uniform and was a relatively impressive level 80 when she met with him in a nondescript military style barracks at the edge of settlement territory. The General had just finished a daily session of physical training that he held with rotating groups of low level residents. Rather than meet with the ¡®foreign dignitary¡¯ right away, he made her wait until his party finished defeating his personally determined quota of monsters. Platinum wasn¡¯t sure if he was posturing, but the simple choice to prioritize relative nobodies in his own settlement over what was effectively an ambassador was a clear message. Whether the message was meant for her or his residents wasn¡¯t clear, but it was effective either way. Platinum understood that he felt respect was a two-way street.


    General McCallister wasn¡¯t the Champion of any settlement, but he had maintained order within a pre-mana chain of command that had him as the highest ranked survivor of the known armed forces. Apparently, he had rejected being Chosen with aplomb, taking his oath to the lost country too seriously to accept any others. His sidearm may not have worked, but the interloper knew his intention when he drew and pulled the trigger without further hesitation. It was a clear final response to the demand for shifting his loyalty to deliver the planet to their hands, ¡®or else¡¯. Straightforward, clear, and open resistance was his modus operandi. Not exactly diplomatic, Platinum noted, but how much of the story was for the benefit of his troops and how much was the truth was unknown.


    The Champion of Silvervalley was someone who took orders directly from the General and all the other settlements fell in line once they demonstrated enough competence to be worthy of accepting aid. Platinum didn¡¯t think McCallister was much of a civilian leader though. He was completely focused on territorial security and maintaining peace rather than rebuilding society or anything like that. The way he saw it, the assimilation was a time of war. There would be a time for civil society to pick up the pieces only if they survived, and he intended to organize the fight until then.


    Who were they fighting? Anyone that threatened them. While that put the Primal Constructs at the top of the list, it left their opposition open to humans as well. The General wasn¡¯t shy about that fact when he learned she had come from a highly ranked uncontacted settlement, but he relaxed when she gave him Neon¡¯s ambassadorial spiel. She thought it figured that a military man would be a sucker for the official nature of Neon¡¯s prepared words of cooperation. There was a sort of ceremonial formality in Neon¡¯s offer of friendship that met the General''s expectations. While it was clear that McCallister defaulted to a general idea of Team Humanity, he was guarded against threats, both foreign and domestic, seeing his fledgling Pacific Republic as a fragile hope for a free future that needed protecting.


    After her time spent with the General, Platinum did her due diligence to confirm Silvervalley wasn¡¯t just blowing smoke when she met with them: claiming much more influence than they truly had, while also testing to see if the General was more dictator than defender. It wouldn¡¯t be impossible for the entire loyalty, order, and respect show to be theater designed to trick someone like her.


    Silvervalley was a huge settlement, so it would certainly be influential. McCallister¡¯s troops had erected shelters for millions of people, turning the desert territory into a massive, but extremely well organized and growing refugee camp. The simplification of logistics, thanks to mana, meant they were highly capable of meeting the needs of their residents.


    The settlement had inherited the now mostly submerged greater Los Angeles area, while being close enough to have combined with survivors from Las Vegas and the general southwest region. The population was at least as high as Neon Park¡¯s, and the territory certainly rivaled their own, extending several hundred miles beyond the shard. There were even a handful of top ranked individuals on the leaderboards among the peacekeepers, which meant those she met weren¡¯t completely surprised or intimidated by her own level.


    Still, she left General McCallister¡¯s headquarters with a response letter addressed to Neon and went north along the new coastal settlements to have them independently explain the dynamic of the Pacific Republic. Platinum was uniquely suited to confirming stories since she could travel faster than word of her visit spread. It was easy enough for her to ditch the military spies that had been monitoring her from the shadows while in Silvervalley with her speed alone. There would be no hard feelings on either side for that bit of caution.


    The settlement in Sequoia National Park was the first in a chain of ocean-side and thickly forested territories. It was named Crescent Bay, which made the place confusing, since she hadn¡¯t expected to find the ocean so soon. Platinum was an East Coast girl, so her knowledge of the West Coast was rather limited, but as she understood it, the California Valley was now the California Sea, and the Sequoia settlement was named after a particular Crescent Meadow where the civilization shard had landed.


    In any case, they were fully on board with the alliance, from top to bottom. They even had another Champion that worked directly beneath the General. It was a pleasant enough place despite the militant structure. They had developed into a kind of treetop city. Rope bridges connected circular platforms that wrapped around each enormous tree. Each cluster supported multiple buildings in the center, high above the ground. Her first impression was that they were like bird houses with spectacular views of the encroaching Pacific Ocean in the distance, but the feeling that each tree was essentially a city block settled in surprisingly quickly.


    It was a style that had been adopted by most of the forested settlements on the new coast. They had their own Primal Constructs that occupied the forest floors and elevating their dwellings had made life significantly easier on a day to day basis. It was kind of the opposite of what New York had to do to avoid their local Gargoyle monsters in the skies, where they ended up primarily in the underground of the subway tunnels.


    Second in the chain was a settlement in Yosemite and the last that she visited was in Tahoe National Forest. All three settlements confirmed the voluntary nature of the Republic, the competence of General McCallister¡¯s peacekeepers, Silvervalley¡¯s dominance, and the open cooperation with the more northern Cascadia Alliance. They seemed even more solid than Neon Park¡¯s loose cooperation with their neighboring settlements, so she didn¡¯t feel the need to continue checking within the Republic.


    She had been to enough burrough meetings to know how contentious they could be, but the Pacific Republic appeared more stratified, with Silvervalley taking the clear lead and the others accepting their place. Back home, everyone thought they were the next Neon, if only they would get the chance.


    No one that Platinum spoke to openly angled for General McCallister¡¯s position, even when she revealed she represented a potentially powerful outside alliance that could rival his leadership. They were boring, unwilling to merely entertain the idea of being backed by anyone else. It was a very different dynamic when compared to the block, borough, and settlement leaders back home.


    Three topics came up repeatedly throughout the Republic¡¯s settlements. The first was General McCallister¡¯s plan to subjugate the Fallen Zone, bolstering their newest ally in Kansas by taming the wild areas to their south, and the future plans of reclaiming the rest of West and Middle America. It was clear that he had ambitions of rebuilding a superpower, this time including the closest allies into the whole with the incorporation of both Canadian and Mexican settlements from the start.


    McCallister was mobilizing their army, actively seeking volunteers from the entire alliance. He had even invited Platinum to join in on the fun as a way to tempt her into either joining them or dragging her own settlement into the alliance, but the other settlements all seemed to be extraordinarily confident in the General¡¯s ability to succeed. Reaching the East Coast would come afterwards, but the primary train of thought behind the conquest of the Fallen Zone was to ease future burdens.


    The Siege Event had spooked them into forming the alliance after more than half of the other nearby settlements fell, and though the remaining settlements succeeded thanks to disciplined soldiers under the General, they were worried about the next coordinated attack from the alien invaders. The Fallen Zone could be nothing else other than a powerful foothold for the aliens to take advantage of, and they wanted to smite it before it developed any further.


    Platinum had peeked in on the Fallen Zone herself, at least from the Oklahoman panhandle into Texas, and it was just more monsters as far as she could tell, but she dared not explore beyond the fringes. She could easily sense that more powerful monsters lingered in the region. General McCallister was looking at a difficult campaign in the future.


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    The second topic spoken among the West Coast settlements was how the negotiations with the powerful twin settlements run by the Navajo Nation and the Apache Bands were going. Evidently the Native American tribes were independently powerful, with people in the Pacific Republic believing their advantage had something to do with them receiving better classes than the rest of them. Platinum detected some misplaced jealousy and assumed it had more to do with their ability to adapt and fight more quickly than the other settlements. They were containing the Fallen Zone¡¯s westward expansion, after all. They would have had plenty of opportunities to fight and gain experience.


    The twin settlements being a major topic of conversation had her regretting her choice to travel North. The Cascadia Alliance was basically the other half of the Pacific Republic, merely having a loose cooperative pact amongst themselves before they joined General McCallister¡¯s organization. Her visit with their southernmost territory in Oregon was brief and similar enough to Sequoia, Yosemite, and Tahoe, for her to conclude they were two parts of the same whole.


    The third topic that was on the resident¡¯s lips was the Envoy of ¡®Chakram¡¯ that had visited the Sonora settlement, levying threats, and demanding they join some other alliance in Central America. Apparently, nothing had come from the interaction, with the Envoy retreating rather suddenly after admitting to hearing voices, but the Pacific Republic had become more concerned over their potential southern neighbors. They were aware of the Yucatan settlement based on the leaderboards, but they were surprised that the more southern Sinaloa settlement hadn¡¯t been the first to be contacted. In fact, because the Fallen Zone extended south toward Mexico City from Texas, the Pacific Republic had believed they were separated from the Yucatan settlement due to a band of extra dangerous wild territory. The appearance of an Envoy from further south led them to reconsider their scouting focus. Platinum¡¯s appearance certainly reduced the mystery of the East Coast, anyway.


    Platinum retained as much information as she could, planning on passing it all along to Neon, but she wasn¡¯t particularly concerned with the internal developments of the other set of settlements. The simple fact that so many existed and were open to cooperation was news enough for her to bring back home.


    Neon was the kind of guy that saw the big picture before it was clear to Platinum. She had believed it was simple business acumen before, when she was working in the nightclub, developed through his expensive dorky education, but it had translated straight into the assimilation in an uncanny way. They didn¡¯t teach apocalyptic community building and safety measures in the ivy league, or at least she didn¡¯t think so, but Neon was succeeding regardless.


    Neon had managed to keep the northeastern region safe, even without all of the militaristic training that the west was relying on. Her last fight with a Field Boss, even with the Pacific Republic¡¯s and the entire Heartland Settlement¡¯s aid, confirmed that she would prefer to avoid open conflict with such creatures. They were clearly not designed in a way that individuals should be fighting them on their own, requiring teamwork and numbers to manage their larger sweeping abilities. She was more thankful than ever for Neon¡¯s proactive approach to securing their own territory.


    He had been interested in making sure they remained connected to other settlements, but a convenient side effect was reducing the development of the nearby monsters and making her life easier back home. It was just another example of Neon recognizing an issue and subtly making sure the burden would be eased in a roundabout way while actively engaging with other more apparent goals.


    Platinum had known Neon for too long to believe he ever acted completely unintentionally. Neon was way too smart to have sent her on a wild goose chase without an ulterior motive. Of course Ghost Reef wasn¡¯t in Colorado. Her original mission had been a trick. He probably narrowed down the possibilities as soon as he looked up the potential locations. He had sent her specifically to do exactly what she ended up doing: find other settlements and network with them.


    She didn¡¯t think he had correctly predicted the extent of networking opportunities he was setting up by sending her on a continental journey, but once she was presented with them, she had to follow through. She doubted he expected her to actually reach the West Coast, but he must have anticipated her bumping into someone on her long trip. Platinum¡¯s outwardly uninterested attitude was generally a facade. The truth was that she cared quite a lot and took her responsibilities as seriously as anyone else. He knew her personality better than anyone.


    She was a powerful representative of what she believed was the most important human settlement on the entire planet. Her elevated opinion of Neon Park wasn¡¯t due to ego, though a more narcissistic person might come to the same conclusion as she had. No, her opinion was based on the community that had been cultivated with Neon¡¯s guidance.


    Platinum had visited more settlements than anyone else on the planet, and that was a claim she was completely confident in making. It would take extraordinary circumstances for anyone to beat her worldliness. Her assessment was that Neon Park had managed to transition to post-apocalyptic civilization more cleanly than anyone. The rest were surviving well enough, but from her perspective they were balancing on a knife¡¯s edge, lucky that individual personalities had risen to the occasion, but able to be toppled over by all sorts of difficulties. Those difficulties would come; more settlement events were inevitable. She hoped that people could hang on to what civilization shards survived.


    Other major cities that she visited, like Chicago and Denver, lacked the civilization shard to give them the same chance. People who stuck it out were increasingly pressured by the Primal Constructs until they would fall too far behind, but with the way Neon was spreading Neon Park¡¯s influence, chaining other settlements together and expanding their territory, and how General McCallister was expanding influence, those stuck elsewhere only needed to hold out long enough to learn that there was potentially a safe place in the northeast or the west coast. The trip would be a new challenge, but if they had already survived long enough to be considering it, they would find a way. Then, their presence would further bolster the settlements, opening up more opportunities for others to do the same thing.


    On the West Coast, the militant attitude was more necessary. After the assimilation began they had a much more chaotic initiation with the settlements. They fought amongst themselves, devolving into panicked havoc as they played king of the hill with the shards until General McCallister proved to be in command of the strongest force and installed his own troops at each of the settlements. Back in Neon Park, defeating the early undead threat and then the cop army¡¯s incompetence turned out to be decisive factors in their own success, establishing the hierarchy with Platinum and Neon at the top much earlier without the need of larger armies and factions. The silent support of some of the strongest borough commanders helped maintain the peace they established at the beginning as various forces grew.


    Either way, both coasts had to conquer themselves in order to generate strong foundational leadership. Platinum came to the conclusion that the success of settlements was based on competition.


    Neon knew what he was doing. He had expertly navigated them through the apocalypse thus far. She clenched her fist around a solidlight as she whipped herself through the air. Beneath her, it was a rarely interrupted sea of overgrown and snowy fields.


    At this point she was approaching the outskirts of Detroit after investigating rumors that there was some form of settlement in the Minneapolis area. The rumors had spread to the isolated Kansans, so she made a slight detour up north for the last part of her trip. She didn¡¯t find any settlements, but she did confirm what Neon Park¡¯s Toronto allies believed, that most of the Great Lakes were just one Great Lake now. Most of Eastern Wisconsin and Northern Michigan were underwater. Minneapolis was a cold coastal town, but if anyone had lingered there, they had moved on before Platinum arrived or they stayed hidden in her presence.


    Platinum had been all over the continent, but for the most part, if there were groups of people holding out in the wilderness, they were too wary of strangers to reveal themselves. She didn¡¯t think the space between settlement territory was completely empty, but the apocalypse had created an amount of distrust that would be hard to overcome.


    The trip to the north completed the picture she had formed of the continent. Her experience further south, where the Mississippi had widened until it was more of an inland sea than a river, outlined a major divide after she traveled down the northeast coast, then through the middle of America until she worked her way up the west coast. She felt like she had a pretty decent idea of the major changes in the human geography of most of North America.


    The surviving settlements were clustered in the north east, between New York City, Boston, Niagara, Toronto, and Philadelphia, with two more groups in weaker positions north and south of Washington DC and one union group clinging to the dry section of Detroit: five shards in total. Most of the territory in between the civilization shards was covered by one or another, establishing a safe-ish north eastern corridor, at least relative to the rest of the land she crossed.


    Then there was a strip of civilization shards along the new West Coast, beginning down in Mexico and going north all the way into Vancouver. Supposedly there was a settlement as far as Alaska, but Platinum had developed the impression that it was a settlement in the classic sense, like DC and Detroit, as if people were merely holding out in the frigid north without an actual shard, but insisting they were equally fortified.


    The main outlier was Alex Nova¡¯s centrally located shard in southwestern Kansas, and to a lesser extent the Arizona and New Mexico tribal settlements, and finally the Yucatan. All the rest of the civilization shards distributed across the continent must have been lost in the early days or in fighting afterwards. In total, she guessed there were, at most, 20 civilization shards in North America, and that was if she was generously assuming a handful remained uncontacted by either coastal alliance. With almost 250 settlements on the leaderboards, Platinum couldn¡¯t help but wonder how they were distributed in the rest of the world.


    The Fallen Zone was certainly the biggest threat to their enormous continent, claiming all of the American South and drifting down into Mexico after being contained by the tribal settlements and the Heartland, but there were so many pockets of unexplored territory, she doubted it would be the last place to flare up.


    She wondered what Neon would want to do, though she suspected she would be back in Kansas eventually.

 Chapter 200: Fighting Fair

    Coop¡¯s ethereal spear blasted through the mana vortex, tip gleaming with the calm blue glow of scattered bioluminescence. A gentle tornado in the center of the cavern was already in the process of collapsing, smothering the arena with a blanket of thick mana. It was beautiful, as if the northern lights were forming at knee height, deep underground. Visible waves of mana, lit by tiny motes of soothing light, rolled across the coral ground, and reflected off the iridescent walls. When the light highlighted the mother-of-pearl hidden within the jagged ceiling, it revealed cloudy rainbows trapped beneath the smooth surfaces.


    The path of the spear was traced by a lingering glow of mana-infused diatoms, spotlighting the perfectly straight trajectory from the mouth of a tunnel to the center of the coral chamber. Rather than a thrown object, the weapon seemed like a hazy laser beam, burning through the briny fog of mana that swirled around the room. A moment later, the missile struck the outer carapace of the still unfurling boss, adding a dramatic crash to the steady strumming of a guitar that had risen within the chamber upon the arrival of outsiders.


    The Ravenous barely had time to assess the intruders that disturbed its mana bath before Coop had opened up his assault. While the monster stretched to its full height, a full 10 feet taller than its previous 25 foot iteration, Coop mistjumped into melee range, finding himself about the size of the creature¡¯s head. He swapped his spear for a pair of his one-handed warhammers, confident in their efficacy. The weapon type had proven itself against the shrimp more than a month and 50 of his levels earlier.


    Using his mainhand, he struck the monster in the mandibles, providing the oversized shrimp with a violent introduction to the guests in its throne room. While Coop prepared to pummel the boss of the first level in the Coral Forest Mana Well, he simultaneously cast Legacy of the Mists to summon a squad of phantasms at the creature¡¯s flank.


    After the long grind sessions in the Yucatan Peninsula, Legacy¡¯s mana cost had decreased to nearly 300 mana per cast. Practical Application, his Agility passive, was steadily bringing the price of each phantasm down, with Coop randomly bringing phantasms into existence even while traveling. At this point Coop¡¯s mana pool could sustain more than 80 phantasms at once.


    Each phantasm also claimed a single point of durability from his weapons, so the cost couldn¡¯t become completely eliminated with mana cost reductions, and soon, Coop would need to be considerate of the strength of his weapons. The last time he had seen the stats on his summoned weapons, the maximum durability was 100, but they had received a few upgrades since then, including one that he was testing against The Ravenous shrimp boss inside the Coral Colony of the mana well.


    Coop was dual wielding weapons for the first time. A pair of identical warhammers were firmly held in his fists, but only one was pummeling the dazed boss as the creature struggled to identify the intruders while regaining its footing. Coop wasn¡¯t nearly coordinated enough to immediately pick up a weapon in his offhand and use it with remotely the same effectiveness as his mainhand, but that hadn¡¯t been its purpose in the first place. He was actually testing whether or not he could utilize one weapon for himself and one for casting Legacy of the Mists, like a magical focus with a pool of durability that he willingly sacrificed to summon his allies, saving his actual weapon for himself.


    When the phantasms began leaping through the swirls of increasingly turbulent mana, streaming a mixture of mists and microscopic plankton in their wakes, they smashed the limbs of the massive shrimp monster, utilizing dual warhammers as well. Unfortunately, Coop¡¯s little experiment hadn¡¯t had the result he hoped for, as the skill utilized both weapons rather than one, but the fact that he was still hypothesizing new ways to apply his skills was a testament to the seemingly unlimited possibilities that lay in his build.


    A dozen of the dual-wielding Phantasmal Breakers swarmed the wavering boss. Coop witnessed a stout bearded ghost spin his off-hand hammer around so that he could use the spiked end to pierce the shiny carapace and provide himself with leverage as he smashed with his mainhand. Another muscle-bound phantasm simply smashed with both weapons simultaneously, raising them above his head and crossing their shafts like he was offering a sacrifice to some unseen god before letting the heads of the hammers crash into the armored segmented abdomen. A third, fully armored ghost chained his swings with both hands, displaying a level of ambidexterity and coordination that Coop wasn¡¯t ready for.


    Instead, Coop flipped his offhand hammer and used the spike to smash into the top of the monster¡¯s head, imitating at least one of the phantasm¡¯s tactics. Rather than use the second weapon as a proper offhand weapon, he was bracing himself like an ice climber and letting muscle memory take over with his other.


    The shrimp reared itself up, thrashing in a panic as it was ambushed by shockingly powerful enemies. Coop hung from his weapon, being lifted more than thirty feet off the ground while he hammered at the side of the monster¡¯s head with his mainhand.


    When the one undamaged mandible nearly pierced his stomach after the boss flicked its body to the side, he let go of his embedded hammer and was flung across the chamber. But a moment later, he was back in the monster¡¯s face, mistjumping to his released weapon with his mainhand already cocked back for another crushing attack against the armored creature. Coop wasn¡¯t so easy to get rid of.


    The shrimp¡¯s furled claws blasted to the ground from its shoulders, vaporizing half of his phantasms with sudden strikes that carved shallow burns in the coral ground, melting the mana-enhanced surface with their extraordinary power. However, its claws weren¡¯t an answer to those that had clung too close to the monster. It could only whip its body around in an effort to disengage from those that were too close, like Coop himself.


    He was jostled from his position when the shrimp flopped back down onto the coral, and was forced to use both of his hammers like an ice climber barely finding purchase on a collapsing glacier wall. Mists leaked from beneath the shrimp¡¯s body after another handful of phantasms were crushed by the bodyslam, and a wave of visible mana cascaded away from the center of the chamber, but more than one phantasm had rolled out of the way and resumed their attacks.


    Coop swung himself around the monster, releasing his grip on the embedded hammers and rising to the top of the shrimp''s head. He dismissed his remaining phantasms with a quickswap that desummoned his abandoned warhammers and gave him something with more finality against the oversized target.


    The ethereal battle axe sliced through the mana-thick air, coming down like a guillotine, as Coop applied all of his Strength into mimicking an executioner.


    Coop tumbled to the ground and dismissed the weapon as the shrimp rejoined the flow of mana and the rousing song that resonated throughout the chamber came to an end with a flourish as if expecting an applause.


    [You defeated The Ravenous (Boss Level 168)]


    [+294510 Basic Credits]


    [+3 Kinetic Destruction Gem (Legendary)]


    [+2 Kinetic Guardian Crystal (Legendary)]


    [+1 Raptorial Claw of Blinding Acceleration (Unique)]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    ¡°Mate.¡± Derek murmured with a shaking head as he approached the Champion. ¡°You don¡¯t fight fair at all.¡±


    ¡°Fair? What are you on about?¡± Coop asked dubiously of the Virtuoso that had provided the musical accompaniment to the bout.


    Derek shrugged. ¡°I thought you were gonna take it on mano a mano, but you brought a whole squad out of your little mists. That¡¯s hardly fair.¡±


    Coop frowned at the annoying bard. He had been impressed with the setup of the Last Chance Cantina, all of the coordination that had been required to develop the mana well¡¯s hanging bridges, and the scoring systems developed under Derek¡¯s leadership, but the guy had a way of sinking evaluations.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have a problem applying your buffs to me while I fought.¡± Coop pointed out.


    ¡°Well, I wanted to make sure I got credit for the kill.¡± Derek obliviously admitted the hypocrisy Coop was trying to reveal.


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    ¡°So, it wasn¡¯t a fair duel to begin with if you were buffing me.¡± Coop objected. ¡°And what about them?¡± Coop pointed at the 10 others Derek had brought along as his own squad, almost as many as Coop¡¯s phantoms.


    ¡°They just wanted to see the boss in action, so they can fight it later.¡± Derek explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world.


    ¡°Maybe they wanted credit too?¡± Coop suggested sarcastically.


    ¡°We¡¯re quite satisfied with the demonstration. Thank you, Champion.¡± One of them responded on behalf of the others. Apparently, they were the 3rd and 6th rated adventure parties. They just happened to be in the Cantina when Coop swept through. Coop thought a few of them looked familiar from the siege, but they were now making names for themselves by delving the well in between grinding for Slayer titles.


    Coop sighed, feeling like he didn¡¯t have time to argue with Derek. ¡°Alright, well, I¡¯m gonna head back, I still have a bunch of stuff to do today.¡± He conceded as he headed out. The others seemed content to scour the cavern for treasures on his behalf. They wouldn¡¯t leave anything behind.


    Coop spent the rest of the day catching up with friends and colleagues around Ghost Reef. Despite so many being off on their own adventures, he still found himself rushing from place to place to make sure he saw familiar faces before he left again. They would still be in contact, via the ships traveling back and forth from Corozal, but passing messages wouldn¡¯t be the same as speaking in person.


    The Cleary Brothers were hard at work, turning their barn into what was essentially a mix between a laboratory and a workshop. They had parts and tools strewn about, hanging from the walls, and even suspended from the ceiling, like an actual barn, but they also had carefully arranged containers along spotless cabinets where they were testing the reactions of mana to different conditions. The cooling boxes were done, but they were still trying to understand some fundamental rules that mana followed.


    In the end, rather than air conditioning, they had settled on a kind of reverse swamp cooler design that cycled the mana that was present in the air. Whatever they were doing, Coop could immediately tell they worked, finding the temperature in the barn at least ten degrees cooler than the courtyard outside.


    When Coop entered the barn, Elly announced his presence by shouting in excitement that he was back, abandoning what appeared to be homework to climb onto his shoulders while he checked out the research and development barn. She started the little reunion by recounting what she had been learning in school: fractions and decimals, and she regaled him with tales of a book report that had her researching in the archive for prominent aliens.


    There were eight kids in her class, including Olani¡¯s grandkids, but Coop was surprised to learn that they had enough students in the school for ten different classes at once. The largest groups were also the youngest, with the eldest being young teenagers that were more interested in joining the phantom army than attending classes.


    Apparently, the parents were still debating how to transition the kids'' early education into proper training in preparation for the realities of the demands in a post-mana world. Their physical education was being organized by Ledwidge for the time being, but they wanted the kids to wait as long as possible before dedicating themselves to any of the system-specific advanced courses. The kids, on the other hand, wanted to start training right away, regardless of a path, but many adults were still hoping that they wouldn¡¯t all be forced into fighting, dreaming of a world that was peaceful enough to return to pre-mana normalcy. For now, recruiting a system approved Academy for secondary school was a majorly debated topic, with most people wanting to establish their own curriculum with advice from the contracted residents instead of handing the leadership over to some unvetted aliens.


    In the long run, should they survive the assimilation, it seemed like a human academy system would eventually be put in place, much like the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Even Coop could envision a future where these were fundamental pillars of society, but that was a long way away and assumed their actual survival. At the moment, they were simply laying the groundwork as they did their best to set the kids up for success. Coop had to admit, the whole process seemed like a supremely hopeful outlook, with the residents of Ghost Reef confidently planning for the long term.


    As the guardians for Elly, the Cleary Brothers weren¡¯t worried with the direction of her education. They agreed that she was already the brains of the family, and were happy to leave many of the bigger decisions up to her. Coop raised an eyebrow dubiously at the little kid, but she just smiled back at him like she had all the answers in the world, if only he¡¯d be brave enough to ask them.


    Considering a significant portion of the island¡¯s population was contributed by the phantoms, Coop didn¡¯t expect there to be so many kids in the first place. He hadn¡¯t done a great job establishing a good environment for them beyond providing security, but others had stepped up in his place. He supposed that¡¯s what happens when a bunch of new mothers are recruited into a sprouting community and given the opportunity to influence its development.


    Coop only interrupted the Cleary Brothers briefly, updating them on his experience while they warned him about the leaderboards. They were worried that he would be caught by Hai Yun or the Kitawa pair because they had been rapidly climbing the ranks over the last few weeks, gaining levels even faster than he was. He told them not to worry, but the conversation had his knee bouncing while he sat, already desperate to get back to the grind.


    Coop¡¯s visit to the Clumsy Shark Tavern was less satisfying. Both Desmond and Maeve had been rare sightings, letting Jonah take over as head of house while other humans took over their duties. The demon-like aliens weren¡¯t around when Coop stopped in. Admittedly, the stew was still good, even if it was missing something that he couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on without Desmond wielding the ladle.


    The Tavern wasn¡¯t the only place that wasn¡¯t quite the same. Elder Olani was essentially Alchemist Olani the past few weeks. The additional responsibilities: maintaining a stock of elixirs, potions, and tinctures, had her profession leveling rapidly. She had made friends with the visitors from Corozal, intending to simply evaluate the guests as was her tendency when it came to new faces. Instead of suspicious people to gossip about, she found them agreeable and took some of their advice to heart. She didn¡¯t grumble about being an apprentice to the alchemist, but looked at it as an opportunity to maximize her time and powerlevel her profession. The fact that Corozal¡¯s profession masters had surpassed her lit a bit of a fire beneath her. She made sure he was restocked before he left.


    The Archive was also operated by human workers. Losing the Lich from the front desk really changed the vibe of the place. It was a little less spooky, but the whole experience of visiting the library had become a bit too normal for his taste. However, it was the first place that he found one of the unaffiliated contracted residents. Ryseth, the least agreeable of the librarians, with his spiky dark red hair and angry eyes, was the only one present while the rest were meeting together in private.


    Coop had to corner him to have a conversation, but the handsome zombie man provided him with a firm declaration before Coop got any answers about the absentee aliens. They were trying to build a consensus before they made an announcement regarding their stance on Coop¡¯s faction. Ryseth made it clear he was generally opposed to whatever they were planning, but he still wouldn¡¯t be the one to spill the beans before a decision was made. At the very least, he admitted that it wasn¡¯t something that Coop should worry about, as the primary impact would be felt by them, one way or another.


    Coop would find out what they were cooking eventually, so he left it alone. If he really wanted, he could put together some of the clues and take a guess at what caused all of his contracted residents to be absent from their roles.


    They needed to amend their system contracts if they wanted to stay in Ghost Reef, but taking that step would mean throwing their fates in with the humans. Turning Earth into their headquarters so early into an assimilation would have been a difficult ask even without the threat of the Eradication Protocol in the future. He imagined that quite a few of them wouldn¡¯t stick around, Ryseth included.


    Coop would make sure to have a big going away party before the time came to make The Lighthouse an official faction in the galactic community, as he anticipated it would become an early goodbye for many. When the Eradication Protocol began, it would cancel their temporary contracts and send them off of Earth. He resolved himself to make sure Ghost Reef survived so that they could reconnect with the alien companions during more peaceful times in the future. He doubted Ghost Reef would have gotten as far along as it had without their help and he wouldn¡¯t look down on their contributions even if they didn¡¯t stick around. Coop had come to the conclusion that the success of their settlement was based on cooperation.


    Garod¡¯s smithy wasn¡¯t spared from relying on human replacements. Coop almost spun around and walked out when he realized he might not have the grandmaster¡¯s experience on his side, but the apprentice blacksmiths promised Coop that Garod would personally see to any orders he left with them. Rather than delay his order, Coop had a better idea. He would be getting his discounts after all, and Garod was nowhere to be found to counter his demands.


    Coop let himself go crazy, letting his imagination run wild as he placed a few special orders. Garod wasn¡¯t there to apply any limits to his proposals, and it wasn¡¯t like the contracted residents had a problem requesting payment from the Champion later. Coop had been slowly accumulating another treasure trove of crafting materials, and even though he wasn¡¯t even close to done, he had enough to get started on what he hoped would become an arsenal of mythical items the likes of which would be remembered beyond the assimilation.


    Between Garod¡¯s smithing, and the clothier, Erasimus Doomthread, he thought they would be able to cover everything he wanted. They were both capable of reaching the level that he expected, and they had proven to be flexible enough to meet his needs. Coop¡¯s Under Armor and Jones¡¯s Bloodstone Cane were each outside of Coop¡¯s expectations for a typical item, but both had been items worth acknowledging.


    To begin with, Coop filled the settlement¡¯s storage space with Legendary materials, allowing the crafters to sift through everything he had collected. Then he added the Unique materials and relics that he knew would be useful for the next set of crafts. The brand new Raptorial Claw of Blinding Acceleration was the first to be tossed in. He thought it was obvious who it would be perfect for, considering The Ravenous boss appeared to have a Kinetic mana affinity, identical to Camila¡¯s, based on its drops.


    Following the claw, he threw in the very first of the Unique items he had seen, the Splinter of Ashen Legacy, and also the Eye of Shadow from the most recent Icon of Mana, for Sunny and Jett respectively. Neither of them utilized any equipment at all, but much like Coop, that didn¡¯t mean it was impossible. They just needed the right things.


    Coop smiled to himself as he made sure the absentee residents would be kept busy. There would be no dodging of responsibilities in Coop¡¯s settlement, and if he was going to lose any of them, he would get his money¡¯s worth from them first.

 Chapter 201: The Sacred

    Alpine flowers dotted the rugged volcanic landscape, faintly swaying whenever another frigid gust blew through. They encircled the edge of a vast caldera, leaving a subtle sprinkling of their soft pink petals across its surface that provided a delicate touch to the otherwise harsh landscape.


    A handful of stubby dwarf pines, covered in deep brown bark, thick with age and weather, struggled to maintain hold on the outer slopes far beyond the natural tree-line. Dense winding roots carved into the rocky mountain to secure some hint of stability. They vibrated in the wind, creaking in resistance, but they still found a way to cling to life in the precarious and unforgiving environment.


    Despite the season and the elevation, snowflakes were conspicuously absent from most of the scene. The only visible evidence of the chill were dustings of snow hidden between the scraggly pine needles of the short trees, but even those examples were not long for the world.


    The wind wasn¡¯t only cold. It was also packed with mana that was so dense it was visible to the naked eye, catching the pastel colors of the sunrise and magnifying them across the broad mountain base. The horizon was rapidly evolving as it transitioned from night to day.


    The mountain¡¯s peak was hollowed out, forming a wide, deep bowl that revealed its volcanic nature. Contrasting the vegetation dotting the exterior, the interior slopes of the caldera were scoured clean. They had been subjected to heightened levels of elemental forces before the challengers had even arrived, but the violence that came afterwards had erased anything that lingered in the soup of mana. The stark contrast between the heavenly scenes on the outside of the crater, with modest pockets of natural vegetation gently lit beneath a pale cloudless sky, and the hellish desolation on the inside was enough to give almost anyone pause before entering.


    Dawn was breaking on the fifth day straight of sieging the towering monster that had made its home in the center of the tallest crater. It stood defiantly, rooted in the exact middle, like a blocky stone automaton protecting an imaginary hockey net. Its smooth armor was pitch black with blood red trim that ran down the back of its pointed arms and rigid body. Its legs were embedded deep into the earth. The faceless stone monstrosity had withstood what Earth¡¯s most powerful fighters threw at it for days, but thus far, it had also failed to repel the invasion on its territory. The lives it claimed had been relatively few, given its foreboding level, higher than even the pinnacle of the leaderboards.


    Humanity¡¯s finest warriors had established a base camp beneath the tallest peak of the mountain after three weeks of difficult, incremental progress up to that point. The two previous bosses were defeated in much shorter times, and once the mass of fighters were familiar with the local oddities, progressing through each ring had been a relatively smooth experience so long as they accounted for respawns. There had only been three levels. Hundreds of the brave warriors protected the rear, joining the expedition after being inspired by the presence of the local heroes, while the absolute strongest raided the ultimate challenge of the region, and perhaps the world.


    A spectacular winter sunrise provided the backdrop for the final push. The combatants knew this battle would end, one way or another, with the execution of their plan. All those who were present understood that a conclusion was upon them, and they were prepared to receive the consequences of their devotion. None of them hesitated as they entered the barren arena. If they couldn¡¯t walk away from this crater victorious, they had no business continuing on their journey. They were already homeless, unwelcomed wherever they had been for one reason or another, or abandoned and left to hopelessly fend for themselves, spurned by those with relative security and power.


    Volcanic rock and scoria, left behind by past eruptions, would be subjected to another equally violent scenario. The people who fought would be tempered like iron and steel or they would be defeated and forgotten while the planet was eventually lost to its alien invaders. They prepared their weapons and abilities, ready to uncover their destiny.


    A brisk breeze swirled around the mountainous terrain, reminding the combatants that winter hadn¡¯t lost its grip on the peaks where they fought. The snow may have melted after the heat of sustained battles engulfed the mountain, but the chill the wind brought still bit them to their bones, reminding them of the extremes they were pushing.


    The long shadows that expanded within the crater were finally extinguished when an enormous flaming dragon crested the summit, large enough to claim the entire area as a massive nest where it hoarded golden treasures. Its arrival was marked with a wave of warmth, the thin air was consumed by the flames, and a residual layer of turbulent mana swirls followed behind. The stone automaton shifted on its thick cylindrical limbs, anticipating another clash after a brief respite in the cold night.


    The dragon¡¯s form smoldered with an ashen skeleton that streamed with incinerating flames; its structure was held together by thickened smoke and willful purpose. The dragon¡¯s wings expanded well over two hundred feet across, leaving bright streaks of fire beneath them, and a long trail of dark sooty smoke that marked its path around the mountain. It crested the lip of the crater, looming above the barren arena with a single flap. Spontaneous outbursts of flames sprung to life as the rocky surfaces inside the crater were heated until they glowed an orange that complimented the smooth pink sky.


    When the dragon¡¯s mouth opened, the anticipated challenging roar was accompanied by a gout of flames that formed a dense column of torching heat. The column of condensed fire slammed into the rocky ground, carving a line toward its target while flames cascaded throughout the bowl shaped battlefield, climbing all the way to the edges and reaching the feet of the anticipation-filled warriors before sending plumes of black smoke above the mountain peak. The winter chill they had felt was gone like a lost dream, replaced by beads of sweat spontaneously forming on their skin.


    The automaton crossed its thick stone arms in front of its torso and braced to absorb the attack. When the flames struck its defensive stance the massive monster¡¯s feet dragged through the volcanic rock, demonstrating how deep it was rooted, but it stood firm, anchored as it was in the center of the mountain.


    The dragon flapped twice more, halting its momentum before dodging the building-sized projectiles that the boss retaliated with before it elevated itself beyond the crater and high into the sky. It circled back around from high above and tucked its wings in. The dragon entered a terminal dive, directed at the stone boss that had withstood its opening blast.


    When the two titanic gladiators met, the resulting explosion turned the landscape white with blinding light. A mushroom cloud expanded into the stratosphere, and people a hundred miles away braced for an earthquake. Once the smoke plume was spotted, urgent voices rang out across Tokyo to take shelter. It seemed like Mt. Fuji was erupting.


    The combatants at the edge of the crater charged forward into the blast wave of smoke and ember-filled air, led by the blindfolded unnamed recluse, as they sought any advantage they could over the boss monster. A few shouted battlecries, but none of them needed the extra motivation. Instead, the shouts contributed to the charge with enhancing buffs that spread to each fighter and provided last minute attributes for the oncoming fight.


    ¡°Mistress!¡± A girl¡¯s voice shouted in a panic at the edge of the caldera, behind the tail of the charge. She grabbed the arm of the one who had launched the opening strike before she collapsed to the rocky ground.


    Hai Yun had fallen to one knee, bleeding from her ears as her magnified flame dragon was annihilated, and her attendants rushed to her aid, ignoring the searing heat that had scorched them all. She cast her gaze to the center of the crater and pressed her lips together as the final boss of the mana well mirrored her stance. It was balanced on one knee, shoulder gouged out, melted stone bleeding down its arm, and a glassy sheen covered the rest of its body, but it was otherwise whole. She didn¡¯t like the way it defiantly stared back with its faceless head, as if it looked down on her.


    She forced herself to stand, shaking off the help of her loyal personal attendants to call forth her lightning dragon with a flick of both her wrists that ended with her fingers pressed together, pointing toward the sky. The maw of the dragon manifested beneath the giant stone automaton with even larger teeth, sharpened to needlepoints as they arced with energy. She drained her remaining mana to summon an equally large twin to her fire dragon.


    The crystalline lightning dragon shot upwards as if it was being ejected from deep within the dormant volcano. The spiked scales that formed on its translucent skin slammed into the monster, attempting to dislodge it from the point that it had protected ever since they arrived, but the monster refused to be removed, bracing itself while wrapping its enormous arms in a chokehold around the thick neck of the lightning formation, emitting opalescent flashes of light as they struggled with each other.


    The stone arms savaged the elemental dragon, squeezing while dazzling sparks popped into life around the two giants, but Hai Yun¡¯s summon wasn¡¯t meant to last long. Like its fiery twin, it also exploded with a massive burst of energy, following the lead of her flame dragon. Vivid blue and white lightning clawed into the boss, burning veins into its surface that were blacker than its shell and smoldered with the incomprehensible intensity that only came from extremely high voltages.


    Lighting arced into the lingering mushroom cloud, creating a brilliant display that expanded far beyond the battlefield. Anyone within a thousand miles that happened to be looking in the right direction would have wondered what caused the dazzling flashes that burst across the atmosphere.


    Hai Yun had done everything that she could to set her allies up for victory against the final boss, fulfilling her role in the plan. She was just as motivated to defeat the monster as anyone who resided in the area, considering how closely the setup mirrored her own failures. This was a mana well situated on the top of a mountain, near enough to pressure a neighboring settlement. It was all eerily similar to her family¡¯s ancient mountain city and the pressure that led to their collapse. She couldn¡¯t help but be personally invested in conquering the open world dungeon for what it represented for her own destroyed home.


    There were plenty of differences, but they were irrelevant to her. The Japanese mountain physically lacked the sheer cliffs and jagged peaks that marked her own familiar home, the mountain range was nothing at all like the familiar environment, and the mana well had failed to empower the local Primal Constructs thanks to the mega settlement that dominated the region with its territory. All of the dedicated local defenders made sure to tame the nearby wilds before they grew out of control, lacking the open internal conflict that distracted her own defenders. The situation wasn¡¯t the same, but Hai Yun needed to prove to herself that it was possible to conquer the mana well, for the sake of her own waning confidence.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    At this point, she had given up on finding a place to belong. Every settlement turned her away, unwilling to welcome her or her followers while they recuperated. Their mere presence was an affront to the precarious balance found anywhere on Earth. Her mission to find a home and recover and regroup, especially for those who had gambled their lives on her leadership, was hopeless. Everywhere they had gone, instead of finding relief, they just found more people that had been thrust into similarly difficult positions, abandoned or forced away for a variety of reasons. Those comfortable with their security had no desire to share. It was a risk to take them in, one that no one would trouble themselves with. Hai Yun had come to understand a hard truth; the success of settlements was based on control.


    Her caravan of bodyguards, attendants, and their families had been bolstered by the abandoned, the exiled, and the lost. Over the course of her journey since she fled from her mountain home she had been forced to adjust her purpose. She watched as new and old companions charged down the sides of the crater, united in the need to prove that even the discarded would not be cornered and eventually slaughtered by the invading forces. If they survived, they would continue on. They would only be able to count on themselves, and they needed to prove that they were worthy of living. Hai Yun was already feeling the desire to give up, but first she desperately sought to right her previous misjudgments.


    Irina was near the front of the pack, already transformed into the demon that seemed to live inside the innocent girl. Her long black hair trailed behind her, obscuring some of the monstrous features, but there was no mistaking the sharp teeth and claws when they gleamed in the pink light of the sunrise, seeming just a bit too crimson. Irina fought to establish that she was still human despite using abilities that were truly monstrous. She felt as though she had been tricked into accepting a bargain that was against her interests, and though she resisted, she was shunned by everyone who discovered her abilities.


    The Korean squads that followed behind Irina fought in order to prove they weren¡¯t weak any longer. They had joined Hai Yun¡¯s convoy when she fled the peninsula, chased out in the same manner as her people by settlements unwilling to protect those who couldn¡¯t protect themselves. The mana well had empowered them as they drove through the rings that represented the levels of escalating monsters, and they sought to prove their ability so that they wouldn¡¯t have to consider retreat their only option whenever faced with new challenges.


    Local Japanese villagers fought to avoid losing their homes like so many others already had, and others traveled from the city to put themselves in danger for those that were threatened. Some of them had already been fighting, long before the outsiders challenged the mountain, but most had been protected, finding safety among their brethren and ignorant of the nearby struggles. It was only when rumors that their heroes had been cast out that they sought to join them in their endeavor, choosing the side that inspired them rather than the one that promised security.


    Her attendants and bodyguards fought on her behalf and for the same reasons as she did, for a home lost too early, and because the assimilation had been a constant series of fight or die events. Perhaps they still hoped to return to home, but Hai Yun had moved on from the very idea of home. Life would be a struggle to stay one step ahead of death. Nothing more.


    The charge down the slopes of the crater was led by a blind man they had found alone in the outskirts of a mountainside village, living by himself within the first level of the mana well. He had been fighting the creatures of the mana well ever since the first day of the assimilation and stubbornly refused to give in and evacuate. He had established himself as the symbol of their challenge.


    As the momentum built behind the surging warriors, the blind man¡¯s gnarled walking staff had a thick cloud of swirling wind developing behind as if empowered by the entire crowd. Power was accumulating in his attack, building with the momentum of the charge. When he finally swung his weapon, mere feet away from the gargantuan automaton, the blast of wind smashed forward, carrying with it the frustration of countless battles already fought.


    The boss¡¯s injured arm was torn clean off by the blind man¡¯s attack, carried away in the sweeping cloud of cool green wind mana that continued on as if it was finally set free. When the wind reached the opposite side of the crater, an enormous chunk was blown out of the side, and they suddenly had an uninterrupted view of the sky and the traditional villages that dotted the landscape alongside lakes and pink blossoming trees all the way to the horizon, serene in spite of the mana apocalypse.


    The boss stood like an immovable pillar as the wave of warriors crashed into it. Individuals leapt into their attacks and projectiles reached the rising titan¡¯s head, but they were swept away when slow, deliberate counter attacks reached them. Hai Yun sent her remaining attendants to aid in the melee and was left alone at the edge of the crater, drained of mana and clinging to what little confidence she had remaining. She had fulfilled her role, but she still felt inadequate. A poor leader, weak, and lacking in judgment. The assimilation felt like a futile struggle, but she continued anyway. Why must they suffer so much?


    Hai Yun stewed in her frustration, letting the negative thoughts swirl in her head, but keeping her face the practiced mask of tranquility that would never openly break. The battle raged on. If her mana recovered quickly enough, she might have an opportunity to add to her contribution. She started to believe one of her dragons would make another short appearance when afternoon approached, but the overhead sunlight, already filtered through the drifting mushroom cloud, started to dim even further and she knew the final phase of their plan was being enacted. She would witness the result.


    The melee transitioned as the warriors split in half, dragging the wounded out of the way as they recognized the signal. The dimming of the light continued until it was as though night would fall upon the mountain. The all-encompassing shift subtly absorbed the battlefield as if an eerie twilight was skipping the normal order of day and night, taking its turn prematurely. Every shadow stretched until they bled together and combined.


    The sky transformed into a profoundly deep and beautifully rich shade of dark blue, not quite inky enough to represent a true night, but fully encompassing all the same. Rather than a transformative skill, Hai Yun believed it was a sort of mass hallucination as they were brought into the caster¡¯s domain. She wondered what it looked like from the foot of the mountain, if it could be seen at all.


    A new sliver of light suddenly shone amidst the deep blue, not high enough in the air to actually be a celestial body, and yet, it was clearly the dark moon demonstrating the very last phase of its cycle with a waning crescent shape on its edge. The silver curve shone bright, reflecting light like a spotlight in the darkness as an oversized sword followed its contour. The sharp steel streaked across the sky with too much speed to track. Even the sound was delayed, but a flash of energy blasted through the boss, cleaving it from injured shoulder to frozen hip. When the sound finally reached Hai Yun¡¯s ears, she could only imagine the girl¡¯s oversized sword being sheathed with a perfectly controlled motion.


    The boss finally fell, but its upper half caught itself against the ground with one good arm and forced its head to remain upright. The featureless face stared at the one who had attacked it. Reina Kitawa and her Gaze of the Waning Moon had finally put them on the verge of victory. Her job had been to deliver the coup de grace at the signal of their tactician. She stood before the titan, calmly staring back after her blade struck a devastating blow. The gathered forces waited with baited breath to see if they had won.


    The moment was ruined as snickering broke the silence. The deep blue domain started to fade, turning to a murky gray instead. The waning moon completed its phase, turning fully black. Rain started to fall, but even in the darkness it was clear that the droplets were blood red and failed to leave any dampness where they splashed against armor and stone. The black moon started to absorb the color of the rain and after a few seconds an enormous blood moon had taken over the scene, many times the size of the more elegant waning moon.


    A series of glowing slashes, crimson in color, carved through the back of the boss monster with curving flourishes, brutally debasing the artful strike that Reina had delivered with their savagery. They combined to form dozens of petals until a gigantic bloody flower appeared, one that Hai Yun could only imagine emerging from piles of corpses left in a battlefield. Nonetheless, a rift tore through the head of the monster, behind the blooming flower, and their enemy finally fell to the ground, dissolving into scattered motes of black stone that bounced and skittered throughout the battlefield. The crater was washed in calming white light and the domain was released.


    The warriors had all leveled with the defeat of The Sacred, the final boss of the mana well. Their celebration was subdued, despite the victory. Rather than unadulterated excitement, they were just relieved that they had been able to rise to the occasion.


    The poofy pink pigtails of Akari Kitawa bounced as she continued to laugh at her sister, boasting that she had ultimately proven the superiority of her Blossoming Blood Moon. Reina gave the younger sister no reaction whatsoever, content to play her role as necessary and not desiring the accolades that inevitably followed. Akari only stopped interacting with her older sister to ogle the massive gem that the boss had been protecting, hidden beneath the surface of the caldera. She tried to dislodge it by wrapping both arms around it and using her legs for leverage before giving up after heaving just once and putting her hands on her hips. It appeared to be the seed of the entire well, and it wouldn¡¯t go anywhere.


    Hai Yun approached the one who had distributed their forces to optimize the success of their plan. He had only received his Tactician class the day before they entered the mana well, but he had easily proven his value. ¡°Congratulations.¡± She offered, but he was frowning as he stared off into space.


    He ignored her offering, focused on something else that was clearly bothering him. ¡°Did you see the title? It says we were the second group to defeat a Siege Boss¡­ The second group? That¡¯s impossible. Is it a mistake?¡± Seki Kitawa pondered, pulling up an invisible display and tapping at it with his fingertips. ¡°I am sure you and your dragons are the most powerful on the entire planet, though my sisters aren¡¯t far behind. There¡¯s no way anyone else could have found and beat one of these guys.¡± He trailed off as he tried to figure out what happened while mumbling that he hadn¡¯t even realized the boss had a special designation, that it was unheard of, and that no one else could have won against a foe that powerful even if they entire rest of the planet was aligned with the person at the top of the leaderboards.


    Hai Yun checked her own notifications, not sure if she agreed with the younger brother¡¯s assessment of her own strength. She was surprised to find so many notices waiting for her attention. She had received four levels from the final boss, but also two titles. The first was for defeating a Siege Boss, offering tangible benefits, and the other was for clearing the mana well after Akari handled the seed, which appeared to be for prestige only, like it belonged to them after clearing it.


    However, the main revelation in her notifications was a global announcement that the first mana well had been conquered and another event was triggered. A countdown had begun.


    They would have enough time to move on to the next place, but they would have to quickly decide what their destination would be. A majority of the local forces who had fought within the mana well intended to stay, becoming the keepers of the mountain. The blind recluse would be their leader, though he had no interest in the role, planning on living in his shack, watering his vegetables, and feeding the cats without the monsters disturbing him. Instead of monsters, Hai Yun expected him to have a regular rotation of custodians.


    The rest would be packing onto her ancient ships or following along with their own vessels as they journeyed to the next settlement. She wouldn¡¯t ask for safety again, but they would offer the locals some temporary help in exchange for safe harbor before they moved on. Wandering the world and facing dangers until they succumbed seemed to be their ultimate fate.

 Chapter 202: The Jaguar Stirs

    As Windchaser closed in on Corozal¡¯s longest concrete pier, Coop was leaning against the bow rail, mouth agape. He was worried that he was losing his mind. When he left the small town behind, he could swear there were barely 100 people digging in. The local profession masters had been joined by the warriors of the Crossroads and were coordinating in the defense of the Outpost, but that hardly accounted for what he was seeing. Using his knuckles to rub his eyes until he saw stars, he considered if maybe he had spent one too many days at sea, but when he opened them, the sight was unchanged.


    Instead of a sleepy fishing town with a few patrolling indigenous warriors monitoring the traps, he was gazing upon a burgeoning city, packed to the point that it might burst. The pathetic citadel he had left around the mana pylon was nowhere near large enough to provide a final sanctum for the crowds of people that were spilling out of the town. He took a wild guess and decided that 20,000 people had filled the town, filling it beyond even its pre-mana population.


    Coop asked himself if he had somehow underestimated the demand for a proper settlement that stood as a bulwark against the Cult of Chakyum. There were strangers camped all along the coastal road, filling every building¡¯s first and second floors, sitting together on roofs while sharing simple meals, lining the sea wall with their feet wet from the waves, resting cross-legged around campfires on the eroded pavement, and even bunking in the edges of the forest where they didn¡¯t seem to fear Ruin Nebula ambushes.


    Combined, the strangers gave Coop the sense of exhausted athletes utilizing their last opportunity for a break before the final leg of a marathon. He recognized the weariness in their posture as they rested their hands on hips while standing, or leaned forward with their elbows on their knees where they sat. They displayed the stances of people who hadn¡¯t had a break in a long time, and weren¡¯t sure how long the current calm would last. They had the restless energy of people refusing to stop for fear that they wouldn¡¯t be able to start again. It was a type of fatigue he was all too familiar with.


    The strangers almost universally held crude, handmade weapons, from bows and arrows and slings, to pitchforks, thick wooden clubs, short knives, and even well-worn examples of Coop¡¯s original weapon: the machete. The way they kept the weapons prepared, even while relaxing, demonstrated an unnatural familiarity that Coop instinctually recognized as combat readiness. No matter how tired they seemed, or how nonchalant they appeared, they were prepared to fight. Their eyes were constantly darting around, subconsciously keeping track of every movement, even while they had casual conversations amongst themselves. It wasn¡¯t that the ones bunking at the edge of the town didn¡¯t fear the Primal Constructs, and were brave enough to relax while in danger, it was that all of the people Coop could see were being equally vigilant. They demonstrated habits that could only come from being under constant pressure.


    They were clearly a wide combination of different groups. Some were dressed like the indigenous warriors of the Crossroads, with dark colored flat-brimmed hats, short cloaks, and tightly wrapped or completely bare torsos. Others wore cowboy hats with dirt-stained flannel shirts that were tucked into thick jeans, belts with oversized buckles, and muddy boots that confirmed the outfits weren¡¯t just for show. There were still more with straw hats and overalls or suspenders, women with brightly colored patterned dresses that almost reached the floor, but were marred with dust, and plenty of others wore simple solid colored t-shirts or tank tops with worn jeans. It was like a cross-section of pre-mana regular people that had been transformed by struggle into grim-faced fighters. Where Ghost Reef was forged in the crucible of the siege event, these people had habits developed by the simple struggle to survive in the untamed territory of the assimilation.


    ¡°Chief?¡± A gravelly voice interrupted Coop¡¯s continued assessment of the strangers. ¡°That don¡¯t look like what you described. Was your intel a bit stale?¡± The newer companion wondered.


    Coop frowned slightly as he sought the answer for himself. ¡°It couldn¡¯t be that dated. I only left a week ago.¡± He explained while watching mostly unfamiliar faces prepare to secure their vessel to the concrete pier.


    This wasn¡¯t the nearly abandoned town that had fooled him into thinking it was uninhabited when he first arrived. The one who asked simply grunted, unconcerned with a simple change in expectations, and perfectly willing to adapt to the new information.


    ¡°They seem like reinforcements.¡± The humorless woman the other two called Captain observed. ¡°What do you see, Dan?¡± She asked the third of her party.


    Of the three blood curse victims, Dan seemed to be the most traumatized. Coop couldn¡¯t blame the guy for lacking confidence. Amanda¡¯s exploration-heavy Outrider class was risky enough, eschewing some combat skills in exchange for scouting abilities, but Dan¡¯s class took noncombat to another level. If Coop was to exchange places with the guide, he would prefer to sequester himself somewhere safe, far from any sort of combat. He gave credit to the timid guy. Despite his hesitation, he was still venturing beyond the security of established settlements.


    ¡°Scary.¡± Dan stated after hesitatingly gazing across the landscape, taking a moment to admire patterns only he could see in the sky. The Captain raised an eyebrow at him and he took the hint to elaborate. ¡°Potential Field Bosses, mana fonts, and unnatural waves in all directions, but mostly that way.¡± He pointed in the exact direction that the Yucatan settlement should have been, despite Coop never clarifying the location. ¡°It¡¯s like a tub being drained.¡± He added.


    Grizz turned his attention away from the dock. ¡°What the heck does that mean?¡± He asked, scratching at a scar on his elbow.


    The Captain responded for the timid mana reader. ¡°It means we might be useful enough to work off our debt after all. I bet we¡¯ll find Cultists at the source of those waves.¡± She declared. The other two nodded with their leader while she addressed Coop. ¡°Thanks again for giving us a chance to make ourselves useful.¡± She directed at the Champion.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Coop responded absently. He didn¡¯t feel like making use of people who felt indebted to him was something particularly worthy of gratitude, but he hadn¡¯t turned them away either.


    The three soldiers had been victims of the Endless Empire¡¯s blood curse, but they were the ones that had been cured by Madison before having permanent repercussions. Jones had suggested they would make good allies as they had skills that were relatively hard to match.


    The three had to overcome some confusion when they woke up in a completely different location among completely different people, while remembering the hostility of the Endless Empire and believing that¡¯s where they should have found themselves. Luckily, Madison was able to clear up any misunderstandings. More specifically, she put the three in their place by demanding they be appreciative for being rescued from the clutches of the Endless Empire or she¡¯d do even worse. The healer had a way of engendering reverence that was especially potent when turned on the three former soldiers. By the time Coop met them, they were already yearning to pay Ghost Reef back for the save.


    Grizz self-described as a ¡®lifer,¡¯ but Coop thought he was the most normal of the bunch, at least in terms of mana. Coop¡¯s assessment probably said more about how the assimilation had transformed his sense of normality. Grizz had a simple combat class with pre-mana experience to bolster his skills.


    Coop liked the guy, finding him to be a less sophisticated and more transparent version of Arthur. Both Grizz and Arthur oozed overwhelming past experience, but where Coop¡¯s Intelligence Advisor was someone cloaked behind the veils of espionage, Grizz was an open book. He was the guy that was called in to kick down the door; a straightforward blunt object. In other words, for Coop, he was relatable.


    Grizz had been made aware of the Empress City prison guard¡¯s fascination with him and had been keen on going the opposite direction. Unfortunately for him, if they ended up sticking with Coop¡¯s faction, it was only a matter of time before they met again. Coop didn¡¯t have any inclination for preventing the reunion. Eleza had been the reason they were spared from the permanent impacts of the curse, insisting that Coop find a way to cure them when he claimed Empress City, so he believed Grizz could bear with another meeting to at least thank the alien.


    The leader of the three, who went by Cap, was a tough woman that gave off an aura of hard-earned respect. She had some abilities that were formally shared among her troops, as she had what was described to Coop as a commander class. Jones believed she would be instrumental in organizing larger real-time movements among their forces during future battles, so he had been a big advocate for her and the others to get to know Ghost Reef. The old caretaker had given the trio a full tour of all the benefits of the island settlement, making sure they were properly incentivized to stick around.


    Previously, Ghost Reef had been primarily relying on smaller scale tactics organized by Shane and spread by word of mouth. It was only thanks to a significant amount of practice and training that the defenders of Ghost Reef were able to maintain high levels of coordination over the course of battles, and the larger movements could only work when each fighter primarily focused on a single role while trusting their allies to reliably complete their own. The siege had given many of them enough experience with each other to establish proper teamwork, but if the scale of battle continued to change, they might be put into more challenging scenarios that demanded further adaptation. Cap could actually push notifications to everyone beneath her command and allow them to make significant broad changes on the fly. As their forces grew, she could be a valuable resource for Gideon and Shane in their efforts to maintain precise direction during tense battles.


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    The last of the group was Dan. He was essentially a mana enhanced scout that could lead them to points of interest that would otherwise be difficult to ascertain. He was the real treasure among the three, even compared to Cap, who had a commander class that was evidently as rare and valuable as Madison¡¯s or Charlie¡¯s in the galactic community. Dan¡¯s existence was significant enough that their faction had devised their late sweep strategy entirely around his ability to lead the elite squads directly to civilization shards. Coop was excited about the prospect of having Dan use his skills to reliably point Coop in the direction of boss monsters in particular, but even that was only partially utilizing his ability.


    Dan was someone who had abilities Coop wanted to learn from in particular. When he described what it was like to read the mana, the timid man described it like the world had an overlay of chaotic swirls and currents, a bit like the sky in Vincent van Gogh¡¯s Starry Night painting. To Coop, it didn¡¯t sound too dissimilar to his experience with Vaporform, even if it was in a different medium. Where Dan saw an oil painting, Coop had seen smoke rings. Coop peppered Dan with questions on their trip, but so far, reading mana sounded like attempting to tell the future by watching the waves in the ocean.


    The three additions to Coop¡¯s scouting party had been among a group that confronted the Champion of Empress City in an effort to claim the shard. Obviously, it hadn¡¯t worked out for them, seeing as they ended up cursed. Coop had the impression that they were a bit too accepting of the explanations they received from the aliens, but it wasn¡¯t like they were alone in that matter. Basically anyone that was Chosen had fallen into the same theme of trust, and the three soldiers were a slightly special case.


    They weren¡¯t just Chosen. They were the elites that Coop had been warned about; those Chosen who were bestowed even more resources by their factions than any other. When they returned, they had a level advantage, the privilege of better gear, and the benefit of more intel than anyone else. He supposed that if he was thrust into such an unprecedented situation, where aliens were depicting themselves as guides for a new magical galaxy, he might be more willing to buy in, if only for the sake of his sanity. The factions must have seemed like a life preserver in a turbulent ocean to those who were Chosen but didn¡¯t immediately trust that they were being put on a pedestal. Clearly, some factions were better at leveraging their position than others, recognizing ways to present themselves that didn¡¯t immediately put their subjects on the defensive.


    Coop thought the strategy of withholding Chosen for the entire duration of the sponsorship period in order for the faction to give them every advantage possible was naturally backfiring on Earth. Instead of arriving fashionably late with a leg-up on their competition, they missed out on the most chaotic period where the greatest gains were made. They were the kids that started school a month late. Cliques had already formed, and their presence was interrupting the early equilibrium that had developed without them.


    Territories had been claimed and were growing by the time they showed up, and the level gap between the regular Chosen and the Elites had already closed when the latecomers finally arrived. The factions spent extra for minimal margins that anyone who experienced the siege event and recruited some crafters could close. At best, they had some special equipment, but Coop was pretty confident that the Ghost Reef Special Issue was already comparable to what they had been gifted, give or take a few bells and whistles.


    He couldn¡¯t decide if the poor showing for the heavily invested factions was due to some unique circumstances of the planet''s mana enabling faster leveling for humans and invaders, an overestimation of the spread of civilizations shards, or if it was more down to variables presented by humans themselves. It was probably a combination of issues for the aliens. In general, Coop thought humans were quick to form ties, and resistant to break them. A faction that withheld its Chosen ended up turning them into outsiders to be suspicious of, and if they universally sought to increase their holdings, they would be opposed by anyone who came first. With less shards to choose from, the resistance would dig in further, as the residents knew they had limited alternatives.


    He had to wonder about the dynamic between other aliens within factions in the galactic community. They really didn¡¯t seem to understand how desperately a cornered animal would fight. It seemed like another limitation on the alien experience brought by their uplifted civilizations. They lacked experience with the natural competition for resources that defined life on Earth.


    Evidently, some of the factions anticipated the civilization shards to be swapped in a relatively simple manner. If a more powerful force challenged a weaker leader, there was some expectation that the weaker one would simply cede control for their own benefit. In practice, that was hardly the case. These weren¡¯t friendly duels for honorary positions, and the system made sure they were pitted against each other in life or death struggles. Naturally, it would be a lot more difficult for latecomers to claim an already occupied shard.


    When it came to these three, they had the additional misfortune of encountering the Endless Empire after already being forced into the disadvantaged position of being outsiders. From the way they told the story, they tried to negotiate peacefully, but were thrust into conflict before the leaders of the settlement were aware of their arrival. They held back from killing, hoping the leaders to be more reasonable than their outer guards, but the situation only deteriorated. Coop couldn¡¯t help but wince when they revealed their failed plan. It reminded him of his own experience of presenting himself as an ambassador only for the Empire to almost immediately try to imprison him. At least he had managed to get inside before the violence started, unlike their attempt.


    Even if it wasn¡¯t Empress City, he doubted they would have had much more success anywhere else. He would have kicked them out of Ghost Reef once they hinted at a desire to usurp the shard, and he was sure Neptune¡¯s Bridge would have defended their perimeter even more aggressively than Empress City, if the experience of Camila¡¯s family was anything to go by. No one would have the time or energy to introduce additional internal conflict to the volatile situation of maintaining a settlement during the apocalypse.


    Despite the rough start that the three went through, they were quick to adapt to changing circumstances. Coop thought outcasts like them would fit right in with Ghost Reef, as long as they let go of their faction¡¯s ambitions. He was happy to accept misfits as long as they paid the favor forward. Dan had already tried, as they had information from outside the assimilation, but it was from before the siege event even began. Unfortunately, it would be hard to make use of the old stats.


    At least Coop learned that there had been a single faction, called the Abundant Grasp, that successfully spread to a dozen settlements even before the siege, but other than them, the rest of the factions were underperforming relative to their investments. Coop had never identified anyone sponsored by the Abundant Grasp, so his preliminary thought was that they were probably some distance from Florida and the Yucatan. He was mostly concerned about the factions that were more close-by, but at least he was able to confirm that people weren¡¯t being completely wiped out elsewhere in the world. He¡¯d try to remember the faction, but he made no promises, even to himself.


    When their ship was secured to the pier, Coop was the first to hop off. He mostly wanted someone to explain who all the new people in Corozal were. The other three followed his lead.


    ¡°I thought you ran away.¡± Juliana greeted Coop as he disembarked from Windchaser. ¡°Looks like I lost a bet with Felix.¡± She grumbled with a barely stifled smile on her face.


    ¡°What the heck happened while I was gone?¡± Coop asked, still bewildered by the excessive growth of the Outpost.


    ¡°The Jaguar is stirring once again.¡± She stated cryptically.


    Coop made a face at her, confused. ¡°Felix?¡±


    She snorted at his incorrect guess. ¡°Not that one. Tzultacaj¡¯s resistance to the Cult. We have already begun aiding your explorers: Amanda and Mikey.¡± She smiled at him, eyes gleaming with hope. ¡°I hope you¡¯re ready to get your hands dirty.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tired of being led around.¡± Coop stated. ¡°Just point me in the right direction and I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Coop was ready to rise to the challenge, feeling like it was about time to flex his abilities further.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s what I wanted to hear.¡± Juliana openly grinned in response.


    Before they moved from the side of the ship, a wave of silence swept across the town. Conversations stopped in the middle of sentences as people paused to check their notifications. Coop received some as well, and he read them right away, concerned by the sudden change.


    [The Sacred Mana Well - Conquered]


    [Claimant - Akari Kitawa]


    [Settlement Event: Underlayer - Triggered]


    [Settlement events will initialize on Day 125.]


    ¡°Oh.¡± Coop mumbled to himself, rereading the notifications. ¡°This is gonna be a problem, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    At least the announcement brought some clarity to Akari Kitawa¡¯s, and by association, Reina Kitawa¡¯s impressive recent progress. They had been fighting inside of a mana well. If he could trust the Cleary Brothers¡¯ attentiveness to the leaderboards, they would have been in there for an entire month.


    ¡°Dang.¡± Coop muttered, feeling a bit more pressure to keep his position on the leaderboard. It had taken him something like five days for him to merely clear the first level of the Coral Forest Mana Well. Admittedly, he had been particularly slow in that grind due to the down time caused by his brand new Legacy of the Mists siphoning away all of his mana when he summoned phantasms to defeat the shrimp monsters, but he didn¡¯t see that as a good excuse. He had no idea how deep the Well went, but if it was more than a measly five levels, he would be losing ground compared to Akari and Reina. Sure, they appeared to be a pair, but that wouldn¡¯t stop Coop from competing on his own. He wouldn¡¯t let a duo pass him either.


    ¡°Juliana.¡± He got the warrior¡¯s attention away from the notifications that she was puzzling over. When she looked back at him, he continued. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just drive into the heart of the settlement? I bet we can draw Chakyum out if we challenge the shard.¡±


    Juliana frowned as she tried to simplify the entire assimilation¡¯s worth of developments in the region. ¡°The settlement wasn¡¯t directly controlled by Chakyum, but it is absolutely full of his people, and we do not stand a chance if we face them in an outright battle. Our general plan is to eliminate the Priests on the fringes, moving quickly between their strongholds, while building support with those we free from the clutches of the Cult. As our numbers are reinforced, we will push deeper. As we are, we are far too few.¡± She stared off into the distance for a moment, remembering their previously failed campaign.


    Coop frowned. He wasn¡¯t exactly concerned with number disadvantages given Ghost Reef was always outnumbered, but he wanted to make sure the Cult of Chakryum was fully eliminated. If that meant taking the challenge piece-by-piece to make sure Priests didn¡¯t slip away, that was also something he could do.


    He nodded, making up his mind to try and be patient. ¡°Alright. Point me towards the next fight.¡±

 Chapter 203: Speed Kills

    Coop was 150 miles north of the Corozal Outpost, deep within the relatively dry interior of the Yucatan Peninsula. Knowing that a settlement event was coming had lit a fire beneath him. Windchaser was immediately returning to Ghost Reef, relaying messages with Jones so they could decide how to proceed. In the meantime, Coop would push himself to accomplish his goals step-by-step, with the help of the dawning Jaguar Sun, before any deadlines reached them. Still, Coop was laser-focused on speeding up Tzultacaj¡¯s resistance movement, and he had been given a clear mission for how to best help: eliminate priority targets.


    Compared to the jungles and coastal mangrove habitats where he had spent most of his time in Central America, the humidity was markedly decreased in the interior of the Yucatan. It seemed like he had acclimated to the higher humidity because he found the dry air stifling, reminding him a bit too much of the Avatar of Huracan and his heat-based abilities. It seemed like the wildlife agreed, with fewer examples of birds and mammals appearing as he went. He was mostly finding snakes and lizards that were quick to retreat when they detected his presence.


    The Northern Maya Lowlands stretched in all directions around him, bordered by the coasts of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico on three sides. The tropical forest had gradually given way to lower shrubs and grasses while retaining small groupings of trees better adapted for extended dry periods. The Lowlands weren¡¯t quite like the Savannah, as they were still more forested, but there were similarities present within the groundcover. Without the thick jungle canopy crowding out shorter species of vegetation, both of the other ecosystems could sustain healthy layers of underbrush and grasses. On the other hand, the jungle¡¯s groundlayer was a bed of damp leaves, loamy dirt, and splayed out roots. Walking beneath the jungle canopy felt more like being in the interior of a cave, but the Lowlands and the Savannah never let him forget about the clear sky above.


    Coop was sitting on a branch in the crown of one of the taller trees, assessing his opponent¡¯s base with his ethereal spear resting in the crook of his arm and up over his shoulder. His other arm braced against the dry bark of the trunk next to an abandoned woodpecker hole. After his brief respite in Ghost Reef, he was already on the hunt. This time, it was another Priest located by Amanda and Mikey B.


    Back in Corozal, Juliana, the local leaders, and his own scouts all agreed on selecting this one for his first individual outing because of the massive landmarks identifying the cultist¡¯s base. It was something Coop couldn¡¯t miss, as long as he was in the correct general area. None of them had complete faith in his pathfinding abilities just yet, but what he lacked in navigational skills could be made up with the speed granted by his mistjumps.


    Furthermore, the other potential locations they suspected of being Cult strongholds were yet to be confirmed and were often determined to be vacant upon further investigation. It was rare enough to find a cultist openly advertising itself the same way that Huracan had, but this one was similarly conspicuous. Other locations had been strangely empty when they checked, necessitating a recalibration of their search strategies. To Coop it sounded like the lesser Priests might actually be abandoning their hideouts, but it would take time for the Jaguar Sun to confirm anything in the wild territory of the Yucatan.


    Dan was coordinating with Amanda to create proper maps that displayed the points of interest in the region. They had a big board posted in the middle of the Outpost that Amanda had used to draw an updated map. Dan was adding pins in the directions that he felt unusual mana fluctuations, establishing what was essentially an overlay of suspicious slices on Amanda¡¯s accurately depicted geography. Juliana¡¯s warriors were scouting everything out in order to confirm exact locations while they established a holding pattern to wait for word from Tzultacaj that would trigger their campaign, but their hunts hadn¡¯t yielded results just yet. Naturally, they collectively agreed to send Coop on the easiest to find confirmed target for his solo trip.


    The fact that the Priest was dominating the Lowlands so openly had the locals anticipating another High Priest. The lesser Priests and even the Acolytes tended to come and go, gathering what they wanted before retreating to seclusion where they consolidated their power. Most of the Priests had already learned that they needed to be confident in their security before eschewing subtlety, or else the Jaguar Sun might come for them. The local warriors may have been diminished, but their previous exploits hadn¡¯t been forgotten by either side.


    However, High Priests appeared to be confident in their strength, living openly without fear of the Jaguar Sun. Juliana predicted that they would be strong enough to individually crush their uprising, and that meant she and the other Jaguar Elites would need to deal with them first. Coop wasn¡¯t sure if he could argue the opposite. The Avatar of Huracan would have certainly presented a problem and even the Envoy had been confident enough to challenge all of Ghost Reef by himself.


    Juliana seemed surprised and concerned that so many of the cultists were reaching another echelon of strength, where they openly flaunted their positions without fear of reprisal, but for Coop it was all the same. If anything, he preferred they advertise themselves in such a manner. It would be easier for him to find and confront them.


    A few dozen mistjumps away from Corozal and he spotted his target from high in the air. The scouts had been right about the prominence of the base. He squinted at the singular dark cloud in the otherwise completely clear sky and frowned. The chain of lightning bolts that streamed down did nothing to make the place inviting. He shrugged to himself. At least, it was easy to find.


    Compared to the other Priests, this one was closer to Cancun than Corozal, in an area famous for the presence of Chichen Itza. As far as they could tell, it was the last major cult stronghold so close to the rapidly growing Outpost.  Any other Priests nearby would be hidden away like the one that had formed her enclave deep within the Butterfly Cave. The Jaguar Warriors were scouring the area, slowly stretching outwards from Corozal as they planned their own momentum-based hunt. Regular Priests would already be no match for them, even if they were caught in their strongholds. Once the Jaguar Sun¡¯s leader arrived, they would be raiding on their own, driving deeper toward the heart of Chakyum¡¯s territory.


    Coop was bound to be busy, but it seemed like, with the way the Jaguar Sun planned to take the fight to the Cult, he wouldn¡¯t be shouldering the entire responsibility of defeating Chakyum by himself. He hadn¡¯t realized it at the time, but when Tzultacaj and Juliana went their separate ways to meet up with the other two warriors, they had actually gone to reactivate their forces and essentially declare war. Tzultacaj had assessed Coop highly enough that he saw his presence in the region as an advantage they shouldn¡¯t waste.


    Coop had been given the impression that there were only a handful of the elite fighters remaining in Central America, and while he hadn¡¯t been wrong, they were influential enough to draw support beneath their banner if they made their intentions known. There really were only a handful of traveling fighters capable of traversing the dangerous wilds by the time Coop arrived on the shore of Belize, literally only four according to Juliana, but that didn¡¯t mean that other willing allies hadn¡¯t already hunkered down to make their stands against what seemed like an inevitable death. It was those that were on the brink of collapse that were now gathering for a final push against the Cult of Chakyum. They preferred to go out with a bang rather than a whimper.


    Once again, Coop was worried that he had unintentionally triggered a major upheaval, but they weren¡¯t there for him. In fact, the vast majority of them had no idea who he was. Despite having the option available to them, they were uninterested in simply evacuating to his settlement. The ones that would have evacuated were the ones that weren¡¯t making the trip to Corozal in the first place. The sleepy town had become a gathering point for something greater.


    The war host was prepping for a difficult campaign through the jungles of Central America, one that they had attempted once before. Even though they had been defeated, something was palpably different this time, but it wasn¡¯t a positive change; it was desperation. They felt like their window of opportunity was closing, so they had to try now or forever abandon whatever hope they had left. The Cult of Chakyum was already pulling away, leveraging the settlement in a way that the Jaguar Sun couldn¡¯t. That made them people with nothing left to lose, a clear target, and the will to struggle to the end. Coop was glad they were on the same side. He had to imagine they would make frustrating enemies with the way they weren¡¯t giving up with the cards stacked against them.


    Coop¡¯s role in the whole conflict seemed simple; tackling singular objectives like the one in front of him. While he shared a parallel purpose with the Jaguar Sun, his primary mission was to make sure Ghost Reef was safe. His purpose didn¡¯t preclude participating in another, larger war, but if it spilled over to the same period as the settlement events, he would need to keep his priorities straight and return to his island. Juliana assured him that they understood. As far as they were concerned, the Cult was their mess to clean up, and it was their inability to get the job done that had allowed their influence to spread far enough to get Coop involved in the first place.


    ¡°Priorities...¡± Coop mumbled with a shake of his head, taking a deep breath as he brought his focus back to the present.


    With his purpose clear, just like The Battlemaiden had demanded, he concentrated on the storm that roiled in the distance. A massive, blackened tree was being repeatedly struck by unnaturally straight bolts of lightning. The tree¡¯s charred form rose from the Lowlands, like an alien claw stretching upwards with jagged fingers, desperate to touch the lone cloud that lingered above. It was more than a simple landmark, unmistakably defining the entire region with its distinct presence. The contrast of the smoking black wood against the verdant green and rich yellow tapestry made it impossible to miss, even without the storm.


    Coop wasn¡¯t sure what kind of tree he was looking at, but it was enormous. It may have started as a banyan tree, but it seemed as if mana and lightning had corrupted its form, splitting the bark from crown to root like popcorn kernels in a microwave. There were no leaves remaining on its limbs and Coop wasn¡¯t even sure how it could still be alive, burned as it was. It seemed more like a charcoal sculpture than a living tree.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    The trunk was wide enough to cover an entire office building, consisting of hundreds of individual root extensions that had fused together. However, the tree¡¯s height didn¡¯t match. The branches only reached a few hundred feet in the air, but given the width of the combined trunk, they should have extended thousands of feet into the sky, at the very least. The trunk was hollowed out, revealing an open area inside, charred as black as the exterior.


    Coop briefly entertained the idea that the tree was actually the exposed wrist and hand of an enormous titan hidden in the ground. It would need to be many times larger than the Primal Construct¡¯s Siege Boss. Thankfully, Presence of Mind made it clear that the tree itself wasn¡¯t an entity he would need to fight, but the thought reminded Coop to remain cautious. He didn¡¯t really know the full extent of the Cult¡¯s powers.


    Around the base of the tree, the ground was equally dark. The vegetation of the Lowlands had been forced to give a wide berth to the monumental tree. Every once in a while, one of the lightning bolts would avoid the branches and reach the ground, shooting down like an arrow shot from the heavens. At first, the wild bolts seemed random, but as Coop watched, he realized they were striking Ruin Nebulas at the edges of the clearing whenever the monsters made the mistake of testing the limits of the electrified domain. The Primal Constructs were annihilated by the electric point defense system and their mana drifted up into the cloud above, bolstering the storm further.


    Coop hadn¡¯t seen any other movement while he watched, but if the Priest was home, it seemed obvious enough where he would find them. Unlike the Savannah, he hadn¡¯t detected any strange mana in the air due to grand unseen rituals, but he would remain vigilant. The air was energized by electricity instead and it seemed clear that the Priest¡¯s domain was restricted to the range of the storm. He had no idea what was cooking inside. Flipping his spear back into a ready position, he opted to visit this Priest and find out for himself.


    Rather than blindly leap into the Priest¡¯s lair, Coop dropped from the tree and landed in the tall grasses, reminding himself to be diligent. He took it relatively slow, keeping an eye out for traps as he strolled through the brush and considered how to avoid being struck by the lightning. Mists gathered around him as he went, but they were merely a thin sheet, easily ignored as they drifted through the thick ground cover, leaving him with plenty of mana to play with in combat. The black tree loomed ahead of him as he picked his steps carefully.


    When Coop neared the open space in front of the enormous trunk, he hesitated at the edge, keeping an eye on the cloud above. He hadn¡¯t triggered any traps, but the Priest was waiting for him, arms crossed, in front of the center gap in the tree, as if he had sensed Coop¡¯s approach.


    ¡°I know you!¡± The Priest announced, grinning openly as he crossed the clearing toward Coop. As he got closer, Coop noticed that his canines were elongated to points, more like the fangs of a snake than human teeth.


    Fittingly, he wore a headdress that was shaped like a serpent¡¯s maw, opened wide enough for the man¡¯s face to be nestled inside, with the bottom jaw below his neck and the top resting down from the crown of his head. He had an open feathered robe that trailed all the way to the back of his knees, and covered the back of his arms down to his elbows. Other than leather wraps around his waist, wrists, and ankles, he had no other clothes.


    Physically, he had long limbs and he was a few inches taller than Coop, but he was thinner. The man had a light tan and was covered in a sheen of sweat. It was like he had been having an intense workout just before Coop arrived and the way the veins bulged in his neck ruined what must have been meant to be a relatively friendly greeting. Coop felt like the Priest was just barely holding back from revealing his true feelings. Unlike Huracan, he didn¡¯t have any glowing tattoos, and his presence was significantly less threatening. Less threatening, on a surface level at least.


    Coop couldn¡¯t decide if the Priest¡¯s outfit was more bird-themed or snake-themed, but he knew that was due to his own cultural ignorance. He inspected the Priest while his shield manifested in his offhand.


    [Oathsworn Human (Level 100)]


    [Sky Bite (Agility)]


    [Chosen of the Victorious Impact]


    [Charged (Slayer)]


    ¡°I don¡¯t know you.¡± Coop responded with less enthusiasm than the man¡¯s greeting, unsure if the man¡¯s demeanor was meant to disarm him.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine!¡± The Priest kept smiling, stopping far enough away to respect Coop¡¯s wariness with his eyes flicking to the freshly manifested shield as if taking note. ¡°The name that was bestowed upon me is Kul-Hau, I am the Voice of Kukulkan, but I am unimportant. I feel humbled to meet you Mr. Coop. My Master has promised to reward any of us that brings you to him.¡±


    Coop narrowed his eyes, searching the Priest¡¯s words for a trick. ¡°You¡¯ll bring me to Chakyum?¡± He asked, suspicious of the way this encounter was going.


    ¡°Yes! Of course!¡± The Priest answered eagerly, clenching his teeth as the disrespectful way Coop spat his master¡¯s name grated on his ears. ¡°And I will be greatly rewarded.¡± He concluded, visibly calming himself. ¡°Master has taken note of your achievements and wishes to have you in his presence.¡± He extended his arms as if basking in a spotlight. ¡°A great honor!¡±


    Coop shrugged, unimpressed by the offer. ¡°Just tell me where to find him and I¡¯ll go there myself. Don¡¯t see why I¡¯d need you to escort me.¡±


    The Priest chuckled mirthlessly before responding. ¡°I need to bring you, or else I might not receive my reward. I certainly wouldn¡¯t slow you down and the distance is quite far, not to mention his most loyal attendants would expect to have you introduced by someone of my standing.¡±


    ¡°Just point me in his direction. I can figure it out from there.¡± Coop pressed.


    ¡°Impossible.¡± The man firmly declined, smile disappearing as he became short with Coop despite his efforts to present himself in a friendly way.


    ¡°What does he want with me?¡± Coop asked, but as soon as the words left his mouth a bolt of lightning arced toward him.


    Coop¡¯s eyes flicked up toward the lightning, but he didn¡¯t duck as it shot over his head and destroyed an Elite Ruin Nebula that had been approaching the clearing. Coop had been aware of the monster for some time thanks to the thin layer of Fog of War and the empowerment of his senses provided by Presence of Mind.


    ¡°Apologies!¡± The Priest shouted, regaining his composure in an instant and painting the fake smile back on his face. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want one of these despicable invaders interrupting us.¡± He grinned with his eyes squeezing almost shut. ¡°As for my Master; he merely recognizes your power. You see, he has a plan to win the assimilation, but it requires¡­ cooperation.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± Coop shook his head as the Priest repeated the Envoy¡¯s tainted words. Coop agreed with the sentiment, but already knew the words of the Cult weren¡¯t to be taken at face value. ¡°Cooperation?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely.¡± Kul-Hau smiled. ¡°If humanity is to earn its place in the cosmos, we must combine our strength beneath a powerful banner. We can¡¯t have someone like you killing my brothers and weakening our chances before their value has been fully realized. You must join us.¡±


    Coop felt his eye twitch as the Priest¡¯s words triggered a vague memory. It felt like he had copied some of his words, but he couldn¡¯t quite place where he had heard them before. Coop shrugged again, this time to himself. The Priest may as well have been spouting generic drivel.


    ¡°I already told your Envoy that I wouldn¡¯t be subordinate to your Cult.¡± Coop declined a bit more firmly.


    ¡°Not subordinate.¡± The Priest shook his head. ¡°Together, parts of a whole.¡± He demonstrated by clasping his hands together. ¡°We¡¯ve already lost so much. There¡¯s no reason to continue our conflict. Violence only begets more violence¡­ and it plays into the hands of the invaders. I¡¯m sure you can see that.¡±


    Coop frowned at the warped sense of cooperation Chakyum was spreading. By now, Coop could understand that it was a euphemism for a pyramid scheme of experience with Chakyum at the top. It was simultaneously the opposite of what the Champion of Empress City had practiced, while resulting in the same outcome. Rather than gathering people and using them as a sacrificial buffer to protect the Champion, Chakyum seemed to be gathering people to bolster his own power. If anything, these Priests might be the biggest suckers of the whole scheme. Either way, Coop believed it was too selfish of a plan to accomplish their stated goals for the greater good, and he had no interest in throwing in his lot with theirs.


    ¡°Are you a High Priest?¡± Coop angled to get more information while he could. ¡°What makes a Priest a High Priest?¡±


    Kul-Hau sighed before he answered, still trying to accomplish whatever goals he had for Coop. ¡°I am.¡± He admitted. ¡°It is a matter of power. Even you could achieve it if you took the Oath, though you would certainly need guidance.¡± He looked down on Coop. ¡°It would be better to allow my Master to teach you.¡±


    Before Coop could respond, another lightning bolt arced in their direction. This appeared to be going over his left shoulder, but he hadn¡¯t detected any monsters. Coop¡¯s curiosity had his head turning before he even thought about it, wondering what was getting zapped.


    As soon as Coop¡¯s neck flexed to turn his head, the air around Kul-Hau shimmered. A pair of talon-shaped daggers appeared in the High Priest¡¯s hands, between his pointer finger and middle finger, long enough to eviscerate a man. He lunged forward with lightning ripping across his skin. The Priest¡¯s body erupted in movement, like a sprinter trying to take the lead at the start of a short race, at the exact moment that Coop took his attention away. Kul-Hau avoided Coop¡¯s shield and angled toward his more exposed right side.


    Coop abandoned his curiosity and his eyes flicked back to the High Priest, catching the latter¡¯s movement out of the corner of his eye. Kul-Hau was extremely fast. Fast enough that he could rival Camila, easily faster than Coop, and certainly faster than the previous Icon of Mana that had given Coop so much trouble.


    However, that¡¯s all he was. There was no trick to his speed, where shadows or time itself seemed to be manipulated like in the Icon¡¯s kit. His movements weren¡¯t defying physics the way Camila could generate momentum from nothing. It was just raw acceleration. The rest of the world was a blurred kaleidoscope as he zipped forward.


    Two steps into his ambush, still aiming for Coop¡¯s blindside, the High Priest¡¯s eyes shifted up to Coop¡¯s face and he realized he was caught. Coop may have stood like a statue, relative to the Priest¡¯s rate of movement, but Coop¡¯s eyes told the story. In the fraction of a second that the action began, they stared at each other, with Coop seeming disappointed and the High Priest shocked with disbelief, humiliation, and fear.

 Chapter 204: Kukulkan

    Coop had let his guard down for a split second, and the High Priest sought to take advantage immediately; he had been waiting for the opportunity, but he sold his potential victim short.


    Coop twisted back toward the lunging Kul-Hau, moving like he was in molasses, but powering through in order to defend against the latter¡¯s ambush by raising the tip of his spear directly toward his sternum. The High Priest of the Cult of Chakyum, and self-described Voice of Kukulkan, was already committed to his attack, displaying a pair of sharp talons between his fingers that would have torn into Coop¡¯s kidneys if his ambush had gone unnoticed. The Priest desperately tried to abort the maneuver once it became obvious that the lightning bolt distraction hadn¡¯t been enough to occupy Coop¡¯s attention for long enough to catch him by surprise.


    Coop was barely able to adjust his stance in the time that the Priest closed the gap, with his own muscles screaming in complaint at the sudden demand to move. His experience with the Battlemaiden had taught him not to underestimate his own speed, so he moved with purpose, exactly the amount necessary and not an inch more. He told himself there was no need to panic, even if the Priest was demonstrating some truly extreme acceleration.


    In the end, the Priest barely manipulated his own momentum enough to avoid a self-inflicted death, shifting wide of Coop an instant before impaling himself on the firmly-held ethereal spear. The tip of the spear tore a long bloody strip across his ribs before he crashed into the bushes far behind Coop with a loud series of curses. The awkward flailing would have been comical if he hadn¡¯t attempted to assassinate his audience.


    When his head popped back above the bushes, Coop was facing him with his shield up and spear forward. The Champion was locked in.


    ¡°I¡­ I underestimated you.¡± The High Priest admitted with shame dripping from his stammering voice. Leaves were caught in his feathery robe while he shoved his way back toward the clearing while giving Coop a wide berth. He side-eyed Coop and the barely held-together facade of friendliness disappeared. A more comfortable, but nasty scowl embedded itself onto his face as a replacement for the previously strained grin.


    ¡°I won¡¯t forgive you.¡± The cultist declared as he returned to the clearing, as if Coop had apologized for something. He lowered his head to look at Coop from beneath his eyebrows. ¡°You think you can stand alone against Chakyum?¡± He scoffed darkly. ¡°Think again, before you make a fool of yourself.¡±


    Coop grunted, swiveling the ball of his back foot in the charred dirt as he prepared for another bout while noting that the Priest didn¡¯t seem to be aware of the stirring army back in Corozal. The Cult of Chakyum, like the High Priest in front of Coop, was focused upon his presence and nothing more.


    The corner of Coop¡¯s lips twitched as his greedy smile threatened to appear. The rarely seen battle freak that drove him to grind was bubbling beneath the surface. The short demonstration of speed had Coop eager to test himself, and the Cult promised to give him even more challenges in the future.


    If Coop attacked, he could be upon his opponent in four steps, but he waited to see what the Priest would try next. Coop was keeping track of the dry cloud that lingered above the battlefield, filled with enough energy to continually spew lightning against the tips of the blackened tree branches without end. Until he had a better idea of how much control the Priest had over the lightning, he was hesitant to overly expose himself. As it was, he braced for an attack. He had enough experience around Charlie¡¯s lightning to give it a healthy amount of respect, regardless of his overwhelming magic defenses.


    The High Priest was also fast enough that Coop wasn¡¯t entirely sure he would catch him should he attempt his own assault. It seemed like he needed to bait an attack from his opponent and successfully counter if he wanted to win. Coop was game.


    One thing was certain. He was completely done with speaking to these cultists. Rather than try and decipher clues behind their words that would help him find and confront their leader, he would just rely on the Jaguar Sun. The next fool that tried to lower his guard with conversation would be in for a nasty surprise when Coop initiated the fight immediately. All these Priests would die.


    Kul-Hau continued scowling at Coop, almost desperate for the Champion to engage him with words. ¡°You believe you¡¯re some kind of hero?¡± He spat into the dirt. ¡°Pathetic fantasies. The world is crumbling. Only Chakyum can give us a chance. You may refuse to serve him in life, but in death, you will contribute all the same. We all will.¡± He stated, presenting the thought while spreading his arms.


    Another bolt of lightning shot toward them, but these strikes were different from regular lightning. Instead of arcing through the air with crackling fingers, they shot forward with linear tracks. Most of them lined up with the tree¡¯s lightning rod-like branches, making the ones that left the crown that much more obvious. Coop could immediately tell that it would miss him, so he was able to maintain his focus on the High Priest that circled toward the tree.


    As he watched, the lightning struck Kul-Hau, surprising Coop enough for him to raise his eyebrows. Was this friendly fire? The feathers on the High Priest¡¯s robe were charged, standing on end in a way that made him seem larger, and when the electricity rushed through his body and exited into the ground, the black, charred ash detritus exploded into the air with large clumps sticking together. Inside the blinding light, Coop could see the satisfied smile of the High Priest, charged with electricity bouncing between the gaps of his teeth and flickering from his eyes. It was an expression that should have been reserved for enjoying a hot tub, not being bathed in electricity.


    Coop kept an eye on the man¡¯s aura, and saw that his level had increased by five measly levels. Now a level 105 Sky Bite faced down Coop¡¯s 181 Revenant.


    But another step resulted in another strike, adding five more levels. Coop felt like he was watching slow motion footage of artillery fire landing in dirt, with the Priest at the epicenter of each crater. Chunks of scorched earth flew in all directions as the Priest embraced the lightning with every step, arms outstretched toward the sky.


    ¡°You¡¯re dead.¡± The Priest proclaimed, voice thundering across the clearing as if the darkened cloud was speaking through him. Coop could feel the air pressure increase as if the cloud pressed down upon the clearing.


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Coop assessed.


    The fifth bolt of lightning struck the Priest and the muscles in his legs flexed with sudden exertion. He zig-zagged forward, both hands gripping daggers so that the talon-shaped blade extended from between his pointer finger and middle finger. Kul-Hau¡¯s punches would come with a deadly edge. Each of his following steps caught another lightning strike, and he accelerated with uncanny speed, taking a wide curving path. Five more steps and five more bolts already had him twisting around Coop¡¯s spear and entering lethal range in an indirect path.


    Coop rotated his body forty-five degrees to his right, drawing his shoulder back, which caused the first dagger to completely miss his neck. Timing the perfect moment, Coop¡¯s shield was pushed forward from his left shoulder, crushing the Priest¡¯s second blow before his arm could fully extend. When the dagger hit the shield, a lightning bolt struck them both, but Coop held his jaw tight and followed through. The shield pushed forward without losing any momentum, smashing into Kul-Hau''s face, then his chest, while they were both lit in searing white.


    Kul-Hau flew through the air and flopped to the ground, blood leaking from his lower lip and a clear impression of Coop¡¯s shield already bruising on his chest. Coop stepped forward, smoke rising from his shoulders as the mists that drifted from his armor were singed by the heat created in the lightning. Coop¡¯s limbs tingled, but he flexed as he gripped his equipment, shrugging off the physical impact of being struck by a bolt of lightning.


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    Kul-Hau was tougher than Coop expected. The collision had been like a high-speed motorcycle crashing into a brick wall, so a bloody lip and large bruise was a completely negligible amount of damage. The High Priest was fast, but he lacked either the Strength or the mass to truly elevate his speed into a dangerous tool in the face of Coop¡¯s defenses. Relatively speaking, he was faster than Coop, but he wasn¡¯t fast enough to catch Coop completely by surprise. It must have been the first time someone could even track the Priest¡¯s movements, so being countered had him sputtering in shock.


    Coop sought to expose his overconfidence, and lunged forward with a well-practice thrust of his ethereal spear while the Priest was vulnerable on the ground. Kul-Hau desperately rolled out of the way, covering himself in the black ash that decorated the field, but Coop followed on steady feet. The Priest crawled backwards, kicking and sliding through the dirt before another bolt of lightning gave him the fraction of a second he needed to roll to his feet.


    He turned on Coop, using the blinding light that separated them to mask another sneak attack. Coop barely had time to wrap his shield in front of his right side when a translucent viper sprang toward his flank. The green snake manifestation curled around his side, large enough to bite Coop in half, but the round shield blocked its fangs and it immediately dissipated. At the same time, the High Priest twisted to Coop¡¯s left side, desperately trying to sink his daggers into Coop¡¯s exposed back with a furious shout.


    Before he got into range, he was forced to abandon his attack, when the tip of Coop¡¯s spear nearly impaled his thigh from beneath Coop¡¯s shield arm. Coop had crossed his arms, defending against the snake attack while keeping his spear trained on the High Priest. Kul-Hau cursed as he kept his eyes on the tip of the spear.


    When Coop pursued the High Priest, dropping his shield to grip the spear with both hands and thrust it forward, Kul-Hau ducked out of the way and actually turned to run. Six lightning steps created a wide gap between the two combatants, but his retreat was cut short when a ghostly phantasm dove from the mists directly in his path. He turned left, narrowly dodged Coop¡¯s spear throw with pure luck, and headed for the tree line on the opposite side of the clearing, trailing lightning bolts the entire way.


    Coop mistjumped to his errant spear, which had shot past the Priest. As soon as the monochromatic world retreated, he dumped the rest of his mana into Fog of War. A wall of fog climbed from the bushes at the edge of the clearing and Kul-Hau sprinted straight into it.


    Three steps in and the Priest had realized his mistake. He turned, seeking an exit from the foggy domain and ended up rotating until he faced his original direction. The world had completely melted away. Only mists remained.


    ¡°Insolent bastard.¡± The Priest muttered, but his voice barely escaped his lips, suppressed by the mists.


    The sunlight was filtered until the entire fog bank was illuminated by a ghostly ethereal glow. The natural sounds of the region were swallowed by the dense mists, and even his breathing became difficult, like he was being smothered by a damp cotton sheet.


    Kul-Hau took a hesitating step backwards, dazed, feeling his feet sink into the soft, unseen ground. It was still the scorched dirt and ash that filled his clearing, but he had never concentrated on the tangible feeling so thoroughly until his other senses were stolen from him. The softness confused him. It was too fluffy, drawing his imagination to clouds. Walking on clouds truly confused his senses, feeling as though he had tripped into the sky.


    The moment stretched as the all-encompassing feeling of isolation settled upon him. As soon as he began to feel relaxed by the silence, the mists shifted.


    An ethereal glaive sheared the fog. Kul-Hau used every ounce of his supreme speed to dodge the decapitating scythe. He saved his head, but lost his ear, and howled in pain. His shouts were smothered by the mists, but that didn¡¯t stop him from declaring Coop¡¯s gruesome death and that of everyone the Champion held dear.


    The High Priest only had one option remaining. The massive tree, with its brittle branches stretched toward the thunder cloud, began to crumble. The lightning abandoned its charred form, redirecting to the fog bank with a steady stream of electricity, charging Kul-Hau with his hoarded experience. No longer was he only empowered with a single bolt each time he stepped. Instead, a stream of energy blasted out from his frame and Coop¡¯s mists dissipated further with each wave.


    While the tree collapsed into a massive pile of charcoal, it sent a cascade of ash across the clearing and into the edges of the lowland forest. The dry thunder cloud shrank with each blast of lightning and the fog was completely stripped away. Kul-Hau¡¯s level rocketed another 100 levels beyond Coop¡¯s.


    Coop acknowledged the sudden development of his opponent, but resumed his assault all the same, rushing at the man as he was struck by lightning. The High Priest charged up with each blast and continued to receive more levels. With the levels, the Priest¡¯s speed continued to increase. With each strike of lightning, Kul-Hau was better able to dodge, and became even more difficult to follow, but with each swing of the ethereal glaive, Mindbender made Coop a little bit faster as well.


    The two were locked in a rapidly escalating dance. It was almost like a choreographed capoeira routine, time kept by lightning strikes, but both participants actively sought the others¡¯ death. Coop had the images of Kul-Hau seared into his vision thanks to the constant chain of lightning bolts and steady light from gained levels.


    The High Priest constantly tried to catch Coop off guard with jabs that concealed his talons, but Coop maintained superior range with his glaive. Kul-Hau¡¯s attacks were deceptive, and he manifested vipers to add to the complexity of countering his speed. No matter what the Priest tried, he was still forced to risk his neck each time he even tried to scrape the Champion¡¯s extended arms. With 200 levels more than Coop it continued to feel too dangerous to land a blow, with Coop¡¯s efficient strikes, flourishing blade, and steady stance.


    When he finally thought he had successfully breached Coop¡¯s range, Coop¡¯s arm turned to mist and the dagger found no resistance as it sliced through a cloud of vapor. In return, Coop¡¯s glaive cut a line across the Priest¡¯s straining thigh, causing him to stumble backwards.


    Kul-Hau was infuriated, but he didn¡¯t have time to express his freshly bolstered hatred for the Champion. A single lapse of concentration would be deadly. Coop pressed forward, sliding his feet through the fluffy dirt while aggressively flicking his glaive at the Priest.


    The pair continued until the lightning stopped. When the flashes finally ceased, Kul-Hau¡¯s eyes bulged, dry and bloodshot, as he had a single moment to realize he had lost. Coop¡¯s glaive finally caught his neck.


    Coop was breathing heavily as Kul-Hau¡¯s body collapsed into scorched dust and mixed with the burned dirt across the clearing. Coop¡¯s Agility had begun around 1,500, but he had been pushed until Mindbender increased it to just over 7,000. Kul-Hau¡¯s speed had never dipped below Coop¡¯s, even with the absurd scaling that was occurring with his bonus stats. In the end, they simply found his limit. Coop, on the other hand, was still escalating when Kul-Hau was pushed to the edge. Without a larger speed advantage, he couldn¡¯t compete with Coop¡¯s Haunted title enhanced technique, Strength, and overall stamina.


    Coop looked around the charcoal and ash filled clearing. Even the brush-filled forest around the edges was painted black by scattered debris, as if a charcoal building had been demolished in the center, but the sky was clear. The bright sun illuminated the area without a single cloud to obstruct the light. The thundercloud had completely evaporated.


    He received a measly two levels for defeating the High Priest, and Coop hesitated to feel any relief. With his weapon ready, he kept his eyes open, scanning the battlefield. There were so many potential threats, he wasn¡¯t even sure what he was looking for. An Icon of Mana? Minions? Snakes? Nothing caught his eye, but Coop shifted his grip on the glaive, just in case.


    Before he let his guard down, he shifted through some of the remnants of the thunderstruck tree with the end of his glaive, wondering if he should dig into the area in search of more relics. As he half-heartedly dislodged the flakey blackened wood from scattered piles, he checked his notifications.


    [You defeated Oathsworn Human (Level 380)]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    The High Priest hadn¡¯t quite risen to the level of Huracan, but it was close enough to be considered the same. They were both around level 400 after Coop pushed them to their limits. The Cultists were demonstrating an absurd amount of experience. It would take many months for Coop to catch up to the levels they were keeping hidden. Still, his steady, unremitting growth and the synergies of his skills were proving to be significantly beyond what the Priests could demonstrate.


    Coop grunted under his breath as he came to the conclusion that the Cult of Chakyum was in deep trouble.

 Chapter 205: Charged Heartwood

    Coop had successfully defeated yet another High Priest. This time it was the Voice of Kukulkan, a man who was named Kul-Hau by his master. Kul-Hau exploited supreme speed in his fighting style while sprinkling just a bit of deceptiveness into his tactics. The Priest¡¯s hyper-focus on Agility wasn¡¯t enough to overwhelm Coop¡¯s wider spread of stats, and his speed hadn''t been completely out of control thanks to the dynamic adjustments made by Mindbender during combat. As Coop used his toe to nudge the charcoal remains around the clearing, he was feeling relatively confident in his build.


    Coop¡¯s self-assuredness was leading him to consider skipping ahead. What would happen if he drove straight to the heart of the Yucatan? He assumed that most of the Cult¡¯s forces would collapse inward in order to defend the settlement. Coop wasn¡¯t completely sold on the Priest¡¯s insistence that they had no need for factions or settlements with the way they were organized. If he rushed into the core of their territory and the result was Coop fighting the likes of the Avatar of Huracan and the Voice of Kukulkan simultaneously, could he win? Coop frowned at the twinge of doubt he felt. What if there were a dozen more High Priests? He suspected that he would be overwhelmed. Coop supposed he should be patient and trust the judgment of his new local allies.


    Of course, even if he could guarantee a victory, the risk had always been that the Chakyum and his Priests would slip away, shifting their sphere of influence onto other groups of people and becoming a greater problem in the future. There was no actual evidence that they would rush to defend the Yucatan settlement in the first place, so Coop¡¯s direct challenge would end up being a multifaceted gamble. He still had nearly a month before any kind of deadline approached, so he didn¡¯t need to rush into things on his own. The closer they drew to the next settlement event, the more likely he was to bet on an aggressive push, but in the meantime he had capable allies in the process of organizing themselves, and his own outpost to safeguard.


    The High Priest¡¯s stronghold had been established within the territory Coop planned to take for Ghost Reef, inside of an enormous banyan tree in the northern interior of the Yucatan Peninsula. The tree¡¯s form had been twisted by a constant stream of lightning erupting from a permanent thunder cloud above, transforming it into a lightning rod of blackened branches. The Priest sacrificed every speck of power he had accumulated, dissipating the storm and causing the charred tree to collapse into a massive field of ashen debris in his efforts to overcome Coop¡¯s challenge. In the end, Coop¡¯s slowly accumulated reserve of attributes had proven to be far too much for the flash of last minute growth demonstrated by the High Priest.


    Even after the Priest was gone, Coop was unable to completely relax. The Avatar of Huracan¡¯s mana experimentation had resulted in the appearance of another Icon of Mana, and Coop was concerned the event might repeat. He controlled his breathing while utilizing his glaive to poke around in the charred detritus that covered the High Priest¡¯s clearing, keeping an eye out for any signs of escalating boss events while his mind ran through his future prospects.


    The Lowlands were calm. A weak breeze partially disturbed some of the loose remnants of the tree, but there wasn¡¯t much sound beyond the gentle rustling of leaves in the distance. Without any clouds in the sky, the sun was free to shine its light directly into the black clearing that scarred the environment.


    When Coop finally started to let his guard down, feeling comfortable that nothing else would happen, he noticed one of the piles of debris shifting. Something was moving underneath. Coop took a combat ready stance and kicked the top off the pile before quickly backing away with his glaive angled forward. While he was relatively confident that a boss monster would have had a more dramatic entrance that included blasting mana waves or splitting the sky, he wouldn¡¯t put it past one to have a more humble start.


    A single hand emerged from the pile. It weakly shoved away the ash, skin smudged with the burnt char of the fallen tree. Coop instinctively rushed to help, ignoring the potential threat, grasping the hand with his own and gently pulling it out of the rubble.


    After a bit of struggle the form of a man emerged. ¡°Thank you!¡± The stranger weakly offered as he collapsed on his back, coughing as he tried to clear his lungs of any remaining pollution. ¡°There are more.¡± He declared, gesturing to the pile he had emerged from while Coop inspected him.


    [Human (Level 48)]


    [Monk of Dusk (Strength)]


    [Chosen of the Manakana Conspiracy]


    [Focused]


    Coop dug through the pile a little more aggressively after determining that the guy wasn¡¯t a threat. The Priests were known for taking captives, and while the previous few examples hadn¡¯t left any to be saved by the time Coop arrived, he couldn¡¯t ignore the possibility of saving people from the Cult. All of the experience the Priests could suddenly tap into had to come from somewhere. Coop had rather naively considered that Kul-Hau may have been primarily utilizing the mana from monsters, given the man¡¯s Slayer title and the way lightning was constantly zapping the Primal Constructs that drifted into the edges of his stronghold. Obviously, he should continue giving the Cult even that much benefit of the doubt.


    Coop had to dig deep into the debris, given the hundreds of feet of burnt wood that had collapsed onto the clearing, but in the end, he found a small number of survivors. The four of them were covered in soot, making them seem like old-timey chimney sweeps. They were exhausted, having been kept in captivity for some time, but grateful to have been freed from their shackles.


    They had been held within the tree while their mana was siphoned into the thundercloud above. The Priest had transformed the tree into some kind of mana conductor that none of them could entirely explain.


    Coop frowned at the evidence that the Cult was discovering so many different ways to manipulate mana. To him, it seemed completely unreasonable for them to have succeeded in developing such a variety of strategies unless they had some outside information.


    The Cult may have claimed to have no need for factions, and so far they had been members of several different groups, but Coop wondered about Chakyum¡¯s faction specifically. He was growing suspicious of the methods the Cult was using. It was all coherent, revealing a tremendous understanding of mana. They utilized such a wide variety of strategies to achieve the same end goal, it was well-beyond even what Coop had learned. Perhaps it was a result of survivorship bias, where among thousands of failed attempts, only the successes brought about Priests and ultimately High Priests, but Coop couldn¡¯t help but feel like there were too many either way.


    Coop had been able to consult with contracted residents with thousands of years of experience absorbed in the reality cultivated by the system, but a group of humans were exceeding his understanding of how mana could be manipulated and transferred. Coop had been preoccupied by the ruthlessness they demonstrated as they viewed humans as a tool for their nourishment. He didn¡¯t think he would learn anything from them because he wasn¡¯t in the market for collecting other peoples¡¯ experience and storing it in some kind of permanent mist domain. He was just surprised at the different successful strategies he had already witnessed: cultivating a mushroom monster, stoking a living flame, and now what seemed to be electrical conduction with human generators. The flavors of mana were broad, but he was still in awe of how different each method was from the others.


    According to the survivors, there had been a constant stream of prisoners brought to the tree. The High Priest hadn¡¯t worked alone, but actually had a full contingent of Acolytes that scoured the region on his behalf. However, the Acolytes had left with a group of Priests several days earlier, after they warned the High Priest that a VIP was in the area and called the others home. The change occurred right after Coop defeated the Avatar of Huracan.


    ¡°Me?¡± Coop pointed to himself, doubtfully, with an eyebrow raised at the mention of a VIP, but the two conscious survivors nodded that he was definitely the one that was receiving the Cult¡¯s attention.


    ¡°I¡¯d say so.¡± The Monk responded. The other was still on the floor, too fatigued to even sit up, while the other two had passed out completely. ¡°Who else could cause all of this?¡± He asked rhetorically.


    Coop shrugged, willing to give credit to the abilities of the Jaguar Sun Elites, at least..


    The four of the freed prisoners were just random people that had scraped by during the siege event in the wilds. They were all from a city called Merida who hadn¡¯t known each other before the assimilation, but difficult times had a way of bringing people together. They were a part of a larger group that had worked together to fight off Primal Constructs. They were eventually scattered by the Priests, and the four of them were the only ones alive from a group that had been trapped in the bark of the burnt tree until Coop arrived.


    When the tree began to crumble, they were freed, and rather than try to escape, they had actually tried to destroy the High Priest¡¯s treasure. It was a last minute attempt to spite their captor and avenge those that had already died, even if it meant throwing away the last chance they had of living. From inside, they hadn¡¯t known that the High Priest was being defeated, though they knew a fight had begun when Coop arrived. At best, they hoped for a temporary distraction, never imagining that the Cultist was no match for the challenger.


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    They handed the treasure over to Coop, having failed to destroy it, though they did manage to reach it before being trapped beneath the rubble. He opened the small container and found another Unique item. It looked like a small burnt stick, only the length of his forearm, that smelled a bit like chlorine or bleach. When he inspected the item, it gave him a little shock in protest, like touching a door knob after rubbing his socks on carpet. At least he was able to identify it. Coop sent the Charged Heartwood into his spatial storage where it wouldn¡¯t be able to fight back, chuckling at the inanimate object¡¯s resistance.


    Coop nodded at a job well done. A High Priest was defeated, a treasure was collected, and there were even prisoners that were freed. Unfortunately, Coop couldn¡¯t just mistjump back to the Corozal Outpost, and dive into the next mission, as he now felt responsible for the four survivors. While he tried to decide on the travel arrangements, they insisted they only needed some rest and would be able to find their own way in a few days, but he couldn¡¯t just leave them behind after freeing them. Abandoning them would be akin to a death sentence given the level disparity between themselves and the monsters.


    Coop ended up leading them through the light forest, heading toward the more dangerous thicker jungle to the south. The Monk helped the next strongest of the group walk and Coop slung the other two unconscious people over his shoulders. They had to take the trip slowly, as weak as the survivors were, but it allowed Coop¡¯s gentle fog to escort them through the vegetation. They would never have the opportunity to see a monster with their own eyes as Coop used phantasm to diligently clear the path.


    At first, Coop was feeling a bit frustrated with the escort mission slowing him down immediately after he got started. The survivors had reminded him of the urgency he felt to defeat the Cult of Chakyum, and he was ready for the next fight. His agitation faded when he started getting extra notifications from defeating the monsters that were caught in his mists.


    [You defeated Ruin Nebula (Level 97)]


    [+248 Basic Credits]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Ruin Nebulas II]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    When Coop randomly started getting levels, the Monk practically shrieked in surprise, but Coop explained that he had been defeating monsters as they went, making sure they weren¡¯t ambushed. He demonstrated by casting Legacy of the Mists to summon a sword-wielding phantasm at their side. The Monk didn¡¯t relax when presented with a ghost, obviously, but at least he better understood that Coop was more than he seemed.


    Coop¡¯s mood changed when he started discovering regular Ruin Nebulas, with his tension disappearing. It meant that his previous experiment, where he wiped out tens of thousands of Elite variants in order to clear the way, had been a rousing success. He would be reaping the rewards after his first week-long grind session. The Ruin Nebula zone was so vast, he couldn¡¯t help but feel excited about how deep into the quest chain he could get before they made it back to Corozal.


    His giggles had the Monk giving him the side-eye, but it was hard for Coop to keep his child-like happiness under control. Nothing could stop his grind. He checked his status while maintaining a squad of phantasms ahead of their path.


    [Status]


    HP - 15860/15860


    MP - 18284/29220


    Class - Revenant (Level 185)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 141)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 125 (+2922)


    Agility - 125 (+1461)


    Body - 125 (+1461)


    Mind - 2435 (+487)


    Intelligence - 125 (+2922)


    Acumen - 125 (+1461)


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion IV, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper, Slayer VII, Dauntless, Stacked, Defiant, Siegebreaker, Mindbender


    Skills (Active) - Invocation, Presence of Mind, Fog of War, Vaporform


    Skills (Passive) - Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension, Clarity of Purpose


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (19/50), Upgrade City to Metropolis, Defeat Ruin Nebulas III (0/250)


    Basic Credits - 4,254,561


    Progress was progress. He was getting really close to eclipsing 30,000 mana. At the same time, his consistent casting of Legacy of the Mists to summon phantasms was chipping away at their mana cost. Practical Application was reducing their original 500 mana cost one mana at a time as he repeatedly used the skill. Legacy of the Mists only cost 287 mana.


    When Coop¡¯s mana was refilled, he could limit test Legacy. The two remaining restrictions on the skill were the mana cost and his weapon¡¯s durability, with each summon reserving a single point of durability. Garod had revealed that his weapons had 100 durability, which was more than enough to sustain all of his phantasms when he could only cast 20 phantasms. With his increasing mana pool and decreasing skill cost, he could now cast barely over 100, exceeding the previously known maximum durability of his ethereal weapons.


    Even 100 phantasms was a ridiculous prospect. Individually, they were extremely potent, as they inherited his absurd stats. More than a handful was already too many for individual targets, getting in the way of each other when they tried to fight. If he found himself in a situation where he needed to use more than around 20 to defeat an opponent, he was certainly wading into waters too deep for his level of progression.


    His levels had been increasing in leaps and bounds, thanks to almost exclusively coming from boss fights. While he preferred the steady growth that came from grinding, it wasn¡¯t as if he had been particularly restricted. Looking back, he had received almost 30 levels in 20 days. Relatively speaking, the rate had decreased, but it wasn¡¯t so much that he couldn¡¯t make up for it with a few more Slayer titles.


    Previously, the levels provided by Slayer title quest chains had been a small bonus compared to the title itself, and his big level gains had come from fighting individual examples of higher leveled opponents. For some reason, he had the impression that the script was flipped in the Yucatan.


    The leaderboards could always change the narrative; if the Kitawa party was catching up to him, he might consider being more aggressive about his personal progression once the Cult was dealt with.


    Day 97


    <ol>


    <li> Coop (Level 185)</li>


    <li> Hai Yun (Level 126)</li>


    <li> Charlie Seraphin (Level 126)</li>


    <li> Camila Alvarez (Level 126)</li>


    <li> Reina Kitawa (Level 125)</li>


    <li> Akari Kitawa (Level 125)</li>


    <li> Banshee (Level 120)</li>


    <li> Henri Garnier (Level 118)</li>


    <li> Eduardo Sandoval (Level 118)</li>


    <li> Callagun (Level 117)</li>


    </ol>


    Coop was surprised to find Camila and Charlie had clawed back toward the top. The Kitawa party lost their positions to the Ghost Reef elites. The trip to Neon Park had clearly presented them with some challenges. That was to be expected, given the information that Camila¡¯s family brought, but still, Coop was a bit worried.


    The fluctuations of the leaderboard made him wonder about Reina and Akari Kitawa¡¯s role. Perhaps they had secured the mana well, then left it to their faction to farm, much like Coop had cleared the first floor of the Coral Forest. If that was the case, he considered the possibility of a settlement that could threaten Ghost Reef. If there was another group out there making collective efforts to pursue their own goals, they might find themselves as rivals.


    Then again, if even Derek was taking his role seriously, Coop had a hard time imagining another settlement catching the reinforced stronghold that Ghost Reef had become.


    There was also Hai Yun. An individual that had proven to be an absolute machine on the leaderboards. He had written them off when the siege event caused them to disappear from the top, but against all odds they had fought their way back. He found himself rooting for them, as if they were experiencing a redemption arc.


    On the opposite end of the spectrum was Banshee. The lone Undead representative had faded from prominence after a rapid early start, but they never quite disappeared, unlike the others. Coop was worried that they hadn¡¯t rid themselves of the threat that the Zombie Lord had revealed where Undead factions were taking a keen interest on Earth, and setting their Chosen up with clear paths to dominance.


    The rest of the names appeared to be new, but if he scrolled down he found more and more familiar names. From those he had never met, but recognized from the leaderboards like Platinum and a whole suite of names with -Hau suffixes, to dozens of residents of Ghost Reef, many of the names were gaining familiarity.


    Shane¡¯s party were the clear frontrunners, with Shane and Arthur at 21 and 27 respectively, but Carlos, Gabriela, and Sofia Alvarez were right on their heels. Even Marcus was at the edge of the top 100, along with Gibson¡¯s party and Derek himself. The Cleary Brothers, Champion Jackson Hobbs, and even Jones were all climbing. With the way things were going, Coop wouldn¡¯t be surprised if half the names he didn¡¯t recognize were also members of the Lighthouse or residents of Ghost Reef.


    He couldn¡¯t help but feel proud. But also, he felt like he needed more levels.

 Chapter 206: The Lady

    Charlie couldn¡¯t stop her fingers from anxiously pulling at the edges of the protective leather armor on her Ghost Reef Standard Issue equipment. If it wasn¡¯t such a snug fit, she would have frayed the hems with her nails and her incessant fidgeting. The armor may have been designed to withstand actual blade attacks, but her fingertips were relentless. She was barely preventing herself from activating the battle-mode on the helmet and turning herself into a proper stormtrooper in order to hide from the current situation.


    When they first spotted the slightly altered New York City skyline, with its vine covered towers, the relief the travelers felt was palpable. The journey from Neptune¡¯s Bridge, up the east coast, had been a constant stream of monster encounters. Things only began to calm down as they approached the outer limits of the large settlement¡¯s territory. The influence of the civilization shard was apparent hundreds of miles away, dwarfing even Ghost Reef¡¯s impact on the sea.


    Charlie had been able to enjoy the awestruck reactions of the phantom pirates who had universally come from a time before skyscrapers could threaten to pierce the clouds. The typically chatty crew spent quite a few moments just staring at the approaching city. They may have only been from a time period 100 years before the tall buildings started being constructed, but it seemed like human development was constantly escalating. When she brought it up to Camila, her friend commented on the time between the first flight and the first steps on the moon. A few thousand years wasn¡¯t a big deal in the eyes of the system, but Earth had developed considerably in what would be seen as a short time in the galactic community.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the three ethereal pirate ships to be noticed by the residents of the city, and by the time they angled to dock, a small army aggressively greeted them with shouted threats and violent gestures. They were obviously under the impression that the city was under attack from the sea for the first time in the assimilation, and the random citizens had mobilized themselves quickly, unwilling to surrender even a simple landing to invaders.


    Three large pirate ships rigged with black sails, emitting ghostly auras, and armed with more cannons than the entire city could claim, certainly ruffled some feathers, but the residents showed no fear. It took some shouted explanations from Carlos before their identities were eventually made clear enough, and the mob dispersed for them to dock without a fight. Apparently, they were as willing to accept refugees and tourists as they were to fight to the death with invaders. Charlie wasn¡¯t sure if it was a New York thing or a Neon Park thing, but it was certainly something.


    The next wave of interactions were from people who were clearly jockeying for political influence. Different territories within the city sent emergency delegations as word spread that powerful newcomers had arrived from the sea. They sought to bring the outsiders into their sphere of influence, as if they were pieces on a board game with unknown value. It wasn¡¯t exactly the welcome that Ghost Reef would have provided to visitors, but it was still surprisingly friendly. Considering how quickly the people deescalated from a potential battle, Charlie was impressed by their rapid acceptance of outsiders on the whole.


    Still, Charlie was completely out of her depth, almost preferring a battle at this point in her life, but Marcus was like a kid walking into a toy store with a blank check. In his eyes, each new interaction was a golden opportunity to prove his worth. Marcus would never match Coop¡¯s battle prowess, but that didn¡¯t mean he wouldn¡¯t excel in his own right. He sent his personally trained ambassadors with each of the groups, with the unspoken direction to commit to nothing while gathering all of the information they could. Marcus left to meet with the Champion of Neon Park, leveraging the legitimacy provided by arriving with Camila¡¯s cousins to make his own contributions to the data collection portion of his mission.


    Meanwhile, Carlos, Gabby, and Sofia rather aggressively claimed Charlie and Camila, shielding them from any other group and directing them to the Bronx until Camila was forced to wave them away as well. She knew where to go, so they didn¡¯t need an escort. Now that they were in Neon Park, the trio¡¯s mission was complete, so they were off to report their success, leaving Charlie and Camila to go at their own pace.


    Admiral Kayla was already making fast friends with the characters on the pier, not entirely leaving the mission in the hands of Marcus and his diplomats. She claimed that the best way to gather information on a place was to talk to the people on the street level, and the pirates were perfect for lowering guards.


    It seemed like everyone was happy to be docked again, but Charlie wished she was able to stay with the pirates on the ships. Even after such a long and difficult time at sea, the ship was still more appealing than meeting an unknown number of people. At least she would have been left in a familiar environment shielded by the friendly phantoms of Ghost Reef.


    Instead of being comfortably hidden in the captain¡¯s cabin, Charlie was sitting in a cozily decorated lobby with Camila reliably at her side. Her hands in her lap, pulling at the leather armor. Camila was the epitome of relaxation, lounging on the soft sofa with her feet dangling in the air.


    They had traveled to the home of the borough commander of the Bronx by walking through brightly lit subway tunnels, lined with stalls as people bartered in front of small dwellings that had been dug into the walls. The entire trip was a blur of people demanding their attention, but Charlie had noted the carefully laid out dwellings. The Champion had done an impressive job of utilizing the preexisting layered construction to accommodate the population. Ghost Reef¡¯s underground could certainly benefit from some of the principles that were applied in Neon Park.


    Eventually, they left the tunnels and walked through residential neighborhoods lined with homes, apartments, and churches. At first, it was clear that the residential area had been outside of territory influence, with signs of violence resulting in partially destroyed buildings. Charlie wouldn¡¯t be surprised if someone had fought a wave of the siege event in the area, given the large swathes of wreckage. She could easily imagine her own tornadoes tearing through the streets in an effort to stem the tide of monsters.


    The destruction disappeared as they went further and entered different neighborhoods, filled with even more expensive seeming homes, until Camila sighed and pointed to their destination. It was at the end of a winding, tree-lined road, with tall embankments and an even taller half-stone wall protecting both sides at the peaks. The wall was topped with a wrought iron fence and Charlie could tell that a carefully manicured woodland occupied most of the land.


    Once they made it to the driveway, Charlie took a moment to be impressed by the old mansion in front of them. It had a striking red brick facade with white trim and a black shingled roof. The double front doors were recessed with a two story portico supported by white columns. A series of stone steps led the way to the entrance, with lush green bushes on either side. It seemed like an old home that had been well-taken care of over at least a century, maybe two. Camila led the way right up to the front doors and let herself in.


    The interior walls of the three story mansion were the colors of pleasant vanilla creams with light summertime brown trim and molding. Above, a beaded hanging chandelier lit the open area. In the living room where they waited, there were nearly a hundred framed photos of children playing, receiving rewards, graduating from classes, and surrounding birthday cakes on the walls around them.


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    ¡°Look, that¡¯s me when I graduated from kindergarten.¡± Camila pointed to one of the many pictures, snorting at the image of her childhood. ¡°I wonder if Miss V made it.¡± She idly thought. Charlie looked a bit closer and let herself be distracted by the miniature version of Camila smiling in a formal dress without either of her front teeth.


    ¡°Miss Victoria is a level 83 Sorceress.¡± A voice came from beyond the balcony at the top of the spiraling staircase on the interior of the mansion. The click clacking of heels on the hardwood floors drew Charlie¡¯s attention away from the pictures and reignited her anxiety. ¡°She leads one of the local defense groups that makes sure the park doesn¡¯t get out of control. The early days would have been much tougher without the early volunteers like her. We might have abandoned all of the northwest neighborhoods in favor of protecting the south without them.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Camila let out a sound as she sat up, mood rapidly changing. ¡±That¡¯s good news, at least.¡±


    Charlie looked up toward the voice and was momentarily confused by what she saw. It was Camila¡¯s doppelganger, but older, wearing a gorgeous red lounge dress, and holding a champagne glass with two fingers. Her hair was artfully sculpted in a fancy updo, held together with a pair of needle point pins, and revealing a pair of dangling earrings that caught the light from the chandelier. Charlie felt a wave of deja vu as she recalled the complex first impression she felt when she met Camila among the aliens of the Endless Empire. Their host demonstrated the same disarming beauty and self-assured confidence, but with the addition of absolute commanding authority. In contrast, Camila was uncharacteristically squirming, as if she was losing the confidence that normally defined her.


    ¡°It¡¯s been so long since you brought friends home to play.¡± The Lady smiled teasingly, shifting her focus to Charlie as she took her time descending the polished dark wood stairs. ¡°And who are you, my dear?¡±


    ¡°Ah- I¡­ Ch-¡± Charlie did her best, struggling to decide between her name and an apology for the intrusion, but Camila saved her.


    ¡°This is Charlie Seraphin, maybe the most powerful human in the world.¡± Camila hyped her up. ¡°Top two, at the very least.¡± She concluded generously.


    ¡°Mmm.¡± The elegant lady murmured like she was enjoying a meal before she settled opposite the pair, letting a coffee table that sat upon a plush brown rug separate them. ¡°It¡¯s lovely to meet you Miss Seraphin, of course I recognize your name from the leaderboards. I hope that my granddaughter has been kind to you.¡± She smiled pleasantly. ¡°I¡¯ll prepare another room on the second floor for you to rest.¡± She continued without waiting for a response.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that.¡± Camila interrupted firmly. ¡°We aren¡¯t staying.¡±


    Camila¡¯s grandmother feigned a look of confusion. ¡°You came all this way, but won¡¯t be staying? I¡¯ve already heard how difficult the trip was from your aunt. I¡¯m sure you could use the rest.¡± She placed her glass down on a side table, causing bracelets on her wrist to clink pleasantly. ¡°You¡¯ve obviously had to work so hard, it¡¯s about time you came back. I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re safe from now on.¡±


    Camila dramatically sighed. ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t understand. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t explain when I left.¡± She stood up, and Charlie watched wide-eyed as Camila seemed to lose her cool for the first time since they first met. Charlie was focused on Camila¡¯s clenched fist as it slowly opened and closed while Camila continued. ¡°You can¡¯t always keep us safe and it doesn¡¯t matter how much you try. That¡¯s even more true now than it was before. There are greater, unreal, alien forces so far beyond your control it¡¯s almost laughable that you would try to make any promises.¡±


    ¡°Calm down, sweetie.¡± Camila¡¯s grandmother spoke softly, completely unmoved by Camila¡¯s igniting temper. ¡°That¡¯s how the world has always been. I¡¯ve only ever looked out for the family above all else, and that¡¯s what I will continue to do until it proves to be impossible.¡±


    ¡°If you want to do that, you¡¯re going to have to give up your fantasies of controlling everything.¡± Camila countered. ¡°I know you can¡¯t do that.¡±


    Camila¡¯s grandmother smiled in a way that revealed the creases beside her eyes. ¡°Are you finally ready to take responsibility?¡±


    Camila huffed before responding. ¡°This isn¡¯t going to work. Just schedule a meeting with Marcus. Maybe you¡¯ll take him seriously.¡± She declared with exasperation as she practically fled up the stairs of the mansion, taking them three at a time.


    Charlie had no idea what she had just witnessed. Her fingers had finally stopped fidgeting when Camila revealed old wounds. She had thought it was awkward meeting her friend¡¯s family, but it was even more awkward to be present for an old family feud that she didn¡¯t even understand. Without Camila by her side, she just sat as still as possible, subconsciously praying that Camila¡¯s grandmother would forget she was there.


    ¡°Sorry about that, dear.¡± She smiled apologetically at Charlie, dashing the latter¡¯s hopes. ¡°I was exactly the same way when my grandfather insinuated the same thing.¡± She sighed. ¡°Oh! Where are my manners? Would you like something to drink?¡±


    ¡°Um.¡± Charlie flailed under the penetrating gaze of the matriarch.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll get you something.¡± She decided, standing up. ¡°You can call me Rose by the way. Just make yourself comfortable. My home is your home.¡±


    Charlie was frozen with indecision after being left alone. She could escape out the front door, but she didn¡¯t want to leave Camila behind, and she had no idea what she would do outside by herself. Really, facing the matriarch of her friend¡¯s family was nothing compared to the life or death situations she had already faced, so she didn¡¯t flee, no matter how badly she yearned to feel the wind rushing past her as she chased down The Eye of the Storm. They had come with a purpose, and without Camila to advocate for Ghost Reef and warn about the Eradication Protocol, it was up to her. She folded her hands into her lap and took a deep breath as she prepared for her most intimidating battle yet.


    Rose returned with two glasses of what Charlie assumed was milk. Charlie accepted hers with a thankful bow and quickly took a sip. She barely stopped herself from coughing as the drink caught her by surprise, burning on the way down, and making her eyes water. It reminded her of the coconut and rum concoction that Camila had cobbled together during Ghost Reef¡¯s celebration feast, but it was extra creamy and topped with cinnamon.


    ¡°Too strong?¡± Rose worried with sincerity. ¡°It¡¯s Cici¡¯s favorite. I thought it would be nice to have it when she came back.¡±


    Charlie timidly shook her head and took another sip. Rose smiled at her with satisfaction.


    ¡°So, Charlie. Is there anything you need? Just ask and we¡¯ll make it happen. Any friend of Camila¡¯s is naturally a friend of the family.¡± She looked at Charlie encouragingly. Charlie had a look of consideration and Rose took her silence for hesitance. ¡°And I do mean anything. It¡¯s been almost half a century - before my time as matriarch even,¡± She chuckled. ¡°But whatever you want, we can find a way.¡±


    Rose took her own sip and let her eyes close. ¡°You can stay here and be as safe as you can get during the apocalypse. If you have family, we can get them a house in the neighborhood. If you need someone found, we can pull strings and mobilize people to search the world.¡± She peeked from beneath her lids and casually gestured toward Charlie and Camila as if she had already proven they would be found with a gentle smile. Then she slowly opened her eyes all the way, angling her head, and watched Charlie carefully. ¡°If you need someone lost, we can get some other people for the job. No questions asked.¡±


    Charlie coughed as she realized what Camila¡¯s grandmother was implying. Rose chuckled, but didn¡¯t clarify any potential misunderstandings. Charlie took another sip and put the glass down, understanding that the lack of a clarification was the only clarification necessary. Charlie cleared her throat, preparing to ask the intimidating lady for a major favor.


    ¡°Ah.. actually¡­ Um. There is something...¡± She began, forcing herself to go for it.


    Rose leaned forward, excited to hear from the timid Aeromancer. ¡°Oh?¡± She smiled with genuine anticipation. ¡°Tell me, child.¡±

 Chapter 207: Diplomacy

    Marcus couldn¡¯t hide his amazement at the sudden respectful silence that smothered the aggressive side negotiations that had dominated the basement meeting room.


    He was seated among almost 20 people, all presumably working together, but espousing extremely confrontational positions between them. The fact that he was there, an outsider, had made little difference in the way they presented themselves. None of them bothered putting up airs, and most of them had already pitched Marcus or his diplomats for support in private meetings. They were demanding concessions, resources, or man-power from each other for their respective territories in ways that hardly promoted cooperation. The fact that another settlement event had been announced earlier in the day had put them into a frenzy. If Marcus didn¡¯t already know better, he would have been surprised to learn they were a united front when it came to the settlement as a whole. Glancing at his new friend at one end of the main table, he could tell the bespectacled man had both grown accustomed to the environment and was quite exhausted by it, but it was his doing that held all the pieces together.


    Marcus had been a part of his fair share of diplomatic negotiations, heard the subtly threatening pitches of powerful corporations, and been lobbied by all sorts of experts and charlatans when he had pursued his career in politics. None of them had any inclination to display any modesty when they thought to strongarm the youngest representative that had been elected in his district, but nothing had ever crossed any obvious lines of legality, at least not by the time they reached him. His staff certainly had stories, but everything was carefully filtered before making it to his desk. The current setting was different, and if he had still been operating in a more official capacity, he would have excused himself for fear of being caught up in potential criminal conspiracies.


    The two century old, dark stained, solid wood conference table was glowing with the yellow light of old lamps, highlighting the natural grain and expert finish, but the rest of the room was dimly lit and shrouded in smoky shadows. The table dominated the room, leaving little space beyond its edges. The attendees sat in plush black leather chairs that were creased with age and unusually comfortable. A large fireplace crackled with life across from his position. The mantel was covered in old artifacts with a large mirror covering the wall above, reflecting Marcus¡¯s seated position back to him between distracted representatives as they argued amongst themselves. Both sides of the fireplace were covered in heavy shelves filled with a combination of books, sculptures, and dark oil paintings propped against each other. Small side tables were scattered around the room, displaying alcohol and cigars with crystal ashtrays.


    When Marcus had been invited to participate in a meeting with all of the leaders of Neon Park, he hadn¡¯t expected to find himself in the basement of a rec room in the Bronx. The host had summoned them all to one place specifically to discuss important matters that would dictate the future of the region. He thought they would be meeting in a bright spacious executive room for such an occasion, especially given what he had heard about the host¡¯s elegance.


    Marcus had spent the last several days learning absolutely everything he could about the various forces in the region. His ambassadors had done the same, and now he had a pretty decent read on the lay of the land. He was in his arena, and it was about time he delivered on behalf of Ghost Reef. He was excited to meet the final piece of the puzzle that was Neon Park as the host of the meeting was the only prominent person who hadn¡¯t had a personal meeting with him beforehand.


    As he sat between shouting voices, he imagined how Coop would respond to such aggressive political posturing. The thought brought a small smile to his face. The nonchalant rejections delivered by the casual Champion would probably infuriate the borough leaders even more than the shouted insults he was hearing.


    Sitting behind Marcus, Charlie was doing her best to sink into herself and avoid attention while Camila leaned her boots on a side table next to a thick glass decanter half-full of aged whiskey while pulling loose strands from the end of her ponytail. Neither of the girls demonstrated a particular desire to be present for the meeting, but the three of them were the official delegates of Ghost Reef. Marcus intended to make their information the main topic of the conference, regardless of the official itinerary, and he thought their united presence would lend credence to the wild claims he would need to make. An existential threat was on the horizon, and it was about time the word spread outside of Ghost Reef¡¯s holdings. With all of the region¡¯s leaders present at once, it was the perfect time for him to dictate how the information was presented.


    A moment before the silence, the group of leaders were still talking over each other, demanding cooperation or subservience from the neighbors to their areas of influence. Neon, the Champion of Neon Park, sat quietly at one end of the table, with the Brooklyn commander at his side. Marcus considered them the most stable of the bunch, and would even be willing to call Neon a new friend and easy ally to Ghost Reef, with aspirations that aligned with their ideals. The fact that he was also the official leader of the city by virtue of his Champion status made the situation even better, though he was less of the singular force that Coop was for Ghost Reef. The fact that Neon provided leadership for tens of millions of people throughout the region seemed to necessitate a more delicate touch than Coop had the appetite for.


    Neon had a subtle smile on his face as the commanders from Staten Island and Manhattan yelled over him with their own delegates. Behind him, a girl scowled at anyone that spoke to him from beneath long strands of silvery hair that caught the light from the fireplace. Evidently, she was the top dog in the entire region when it came to actual combat, and she had her own exciting information to share with the group, having only recently returned home from a long trip. In the meantime, she seemed to be barely containing the urge to violently defend the Champion from those who would disrespectfully demand his attention.


    The other borough leaders had their own agendas, but at least they were all aligned in the continued safety of Neon Park. They worked together when it counted, but they were constantly forced to react as block leaders within the city staked their own positions and angled for increased authority, gathering and losing momentum and followers as quickly as the days passed. There had nearly been a full uprising while many of the elites that kept the city from infighting were off searching for Camila. Evidently, groups of Chosen had decided it was time for them to take control. They leveraged their gathered power to demand a transfer of leadership to them, and them alone.


    It was the stability provided by the one who called this meeting that prevented any sort of civil war from breaking out, combined with the not to be underestimated strength of the borough leaders themselves. The Chosen that believed they should lead were expelled when Neon led a squad of the leaders in combat, and not just from Neon Park. The entire north eastern alliance was aligned, with two of the other settlements in the region already officially becoming subordinate settlements and another two simply waiting for their turn. The decision-makers of seven different factions were present, covering technically wild territory from Washington DC all the way through the more tamed areas with surviving civilization shards in New England and into Canada. While Neon was the de facto leader, there was another that was keeping a steady hand on the city, and therefore the alliance.


    The hushing that subdued the chaotic conversations was triggered by a hidden door opening. The respectful silence had surprised Marcus, but when Carlos was the one to enter the room, he barely held back from laughing out loud. Carlos walked to the other end of the table and pulled the main seat out before the real borough commander entered the room.


    All eyes were on her as she took her seat, removing a red shawl and smoothing her dark brown dress as she took her time making herself comfortable before she silently gestured a greeting to the others. Gabby and Carlos flanked her, leaning into the shadows against the wall. If it wasn¡¯t for Neon¡¯s companion, and Charlie and Camila¡¯s presence, Gabby and Carlos would have been the strongest in the room, but that was if they were only utilizing the system¡¯s assessment. If everything that Marcus had learned about the Lady was true, she was the one that had the most power, carrying over connections from the pre-mana times and bolstering her position with absolute loyalty from people of all walks of life that had the pleasure of falling under her protection. The fact that she was the very same person as Camila¡¯s grandmother was a continued shock that he wasn¡¯t sure he would get over.


    When the former philanthropist, community leader, and now Bronx borough commander spoke, everyone listened. ¡°I have an announcement to make, a warning to share, and a suggestion for all of us. They are each important enough to necessitate communicating personally, and I hope you will take them with due consideration.¡±


    No one interrupted, letting her set the agenda, even if they all had their own demands to make of the others. They expected to fight for their turn afterwards.


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    ¡°First,¡± She held up a single finger with a painted red nail highlighted by the light. ¡°My family has joined a faction.¡± She announced.


    All hell broke loose. The other groups immediately began shouting, upset and surprised by the revelation. They had been confident that the Lady was firmly on their side, so the fact that she had announced aligning with someone else must have felt like an absolute betrayal. The vague panic was a clear sign of how much they relied on her. They only started to calm when Gabby unhooked her baseball bat from her belt. The quiet bodyguard wasn¡¯t someone to make empty gestures, and the entire room, down to the last person, was aware of her attitude. She and Carlos were opposites on the spectrum of reputations, but together they could maintain order in the underground meeting.


    A single voice broke through the diminishing clamor, speaking on behalf of the rest. ¡°What the hell? A faction? Weren¡¯t you the one that adamantly opposed the settlement joining any of them to ¡®avoid creating unnecessary internal conflicts¡¯? What happened to all that talk about the aliens not having our community¡¯s interest in mind?¡± The commander of Queens demanded, apparently throwing previous arguments back onto the table, and articulating them in rapid succession.


    ¡°This is a faction that was founded here on Earth, by humans.¡± The Lady calmly responded, before holding her hand up to delay the inevitable shouts, doubts, and arguments. ¡°I have confirmed it is true, and this brings me to my suggestion. You should all join as well.¡±


    Marcus¡¯s head had swiveled like a top when she stated that her faction was founded by humans. He looked at Camila, seeking an explanation. She hadn¡¯t said anything about recruitment, but when she met his eyes she gestured toward Charlie, putting the blame on the most unlikely individual of them all. The timid former park ranger was using her eyes to bore a hole into the carpet of the basement.


    ¡°A human faction?!¡± Several members of the meeting asked each other. ¡°Is there one?


    ¡°If that¡¯s true why don¡¯t we just make our own?¡± A voice cut above the rest. Others gathered in agreement, rapidly building a consensus.


    ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± Marcus jumped in, speaking with rare authority. ¡°Factions aren¡¯t so easy to establish. This will be the only one created during our assimilation.¡±


    ¡°And who are you?¡± One of the leaders of an outer settlement that lacked a shard in the DC area questioned Marcus.


    ¡°I am Viceroy Marcus Rollins of Ghost Reef.¡± Marcus let a pause slip in before he continued, letting himself enjoy the reactions at the mention of Ghost Reef. Their performance during the siege event had been universally noticed, and every time he explained where he was from, he received bewildered expressions, as if Ghost Reef was a mystical place that had invaded the consciousness of everyone he met. ¡°The founding city of the only human faction.¡±


    The revelation that Ghost Reef had also created a human faction was breaking news that caused even more confused speculation around the table.


    ¡°Neon Park is ranked higher than Ghost Reef on the leaderboards. Why can¡¯t we make our own, if we need a faction at all?¡± One of the other borough commander¡¯s escorts asked.


    Marcus maintained his air of confidence as he fudged the details a bit. ¡°It was the reward for our performance during the Siege Event. Only the first settlement to reach the threshold in points can start one, but if you can find another way, have at it.¡± He stated, giving the escort an encouraging gesture with his hand.


    ¡°What if we just take it from you?¡± Someone else suggested with a chuckle to try and hide the threat as if it was a joke.


    Marcus laughed along, identifying the man before he responded.


    [Human (Level 56)]


    [-Strength]


    [-Agility]


    [-Body]


    [-Mind]


    [-Intelligence]


    [-Acumen]


    Marcus completely eclipsed the man in every possible way, though when it came down to it, even he was a powerhouse compared to the rest of the room. He wiped the fake smile from his face and stared at the man seriously. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to try, but I suspect the results wouldn¡¯t go the way you think they would.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me.¡± Platinum stated clearly when the man who levied the threat shied away from Marcus and sought her for backup. ¡°You¡¯re the one with the big mouth.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not start any unnecessary fights.¡± The calming voice of the Lady settled any further debates, tapping one of a pair of sharp steel needles against the table that had been pinned through her hair. ¡°Let me explain why I have made my decision and you will be able to make your own before jumping to conclusions.¡±


    When she began to explain the Eradication Protocol and the Purification Aura, Marcus sighed. He realized that his carefully rehearsed speech revealing the dangers that humanity faced, necessitating a properly united force, would never see the light of day. Instead, the leaders of the north eastern alliance would hear the news from a more trusted source. She was seen as a reliable pillar of their settlement, so they would heed her words, no matter how fantastical they seemed. Marcus had to admit it was better this way, and he begrudgingly let his role slide from the forefront. In any case, there was no stealing the spotlight from Camila¡¯s grandmother. Her presence was diversion enough.


    When she concluded her reasoning, the room settled into an uneasy quiet as the leaders chewed on her words. None of them dismissed the ridiculousness of the situation, and if they wanted to question the large gaps of unknown variables, they declined to vocalize their doubts.


    Neon was the first one to speak. ¡°I¡¯m perfectly happy with joining this faction, especially if it means I don¡¯t need to be the singular individual at the top. The leader of the faction can take that position.¡± He chuckled, trying to provide some levity to the cliff they had been sleepwalking into.


    ¡°Hey, you know if you want to step down, there are about 12 of us ready to take your place.¡± The Manhattan commander offered with a joking smile. There were obviously people who would volunteer to become Champion of Neon Park, the problem was that they would all drag each other back down if any tried as none of them could agree to let someone else take the position over themselves. Neon was trapped as the neutral leader by virtue of so many people aiming for his seat, but he was secure as long as the Lady was happy.


    ¡°Well, allow me to share some good news.¡± Neon continued. ¡°A few days ago, our most reliable hero returned from an extended trip to the west coast.¡± He raised a hand as if presenting Platinum who just scowled at being called a hero, or maybe it was because she was called reliable.


    ¡°She¡¯s been back for days, and you¡¯re only sharing this now?¡± One of the leaders from Boston asked skeptically.


    Neon kept a content smile on his face as he responded. ¡°This is the first time we¡¯ve all been together in one room since she came back.¡± He gestured apologetically. ¡°Besides, I¡¯d like to see you force Platinum into an all-hands meeting immediately after coming home.¡± Platinum blew air out of her nose as she tried to maintain a neutral silence while several others around the table chuckled.


    Marcus didn¡¯t think it was much of a shock to control exclusive information. It was basically the first fundamental rule of a negotiation. He imagined that half of the room would be missing if they had heard the news before the others as they tried to leverage the information by making direct contact before the others could act. Marcus thought the real surprise was Neon¡¯s claim of how far she had actually traveled. Considering how long and dangerous the trip must have been, his assessment of Platinum was altered slightly.


    Neon continued. ¡°She made contact with a large collection of settlements that are working together beneath someone called General McCallister out of Silvervalley. The Pacific Republic and the Cascadia Alliance are cooperating to gather as many people as possible to stand against the Primal Constructs, and have invited us to join their cause. They have suggested a Continental Congress of sorts and already set a date. Day 150 in the Heartland settlement that Platinum is already familiar with.¡±


    ¡°Good people.¡± Platinum cut in. ¡°I¡¯ll be going back to help no matter what you all decide.¡±


    Neon nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be joining her. They will be gathering an army to conquer what they have labeled the Fallen Zone, and if we would like to participate in either diplomacy or the hunt, we are welcome to do so. Neon Park will be officially participating in both, at least between the two of us.¡± He indicated himself and Platinum intended to leave their settlement for a period. He looked at Marcus meaningfully. ¡°Perhaps it would be a good opportunity to spread word of the Eradication Protocol and invite more of humanity to pool its resources in our singular human faction.¡±


    Marcus thought he might have an opportunity for his speech after all, but they would need to make a difficult choice based on limited information. Depending on how long the Underlayer Settlement Event lasted, there might not be enough time to defend Ghost Reef during the next settlement event and also attend this Continental Congress.


    Neon recognized Marcus¡¯s dilemma and elaborated a bit for his benefit. ¡°They didn¡¯t predict that a settlement event would occur, but I do believe it is a sign of confidence to set a specific date so far in advance, given the unpredictability of the assimilation. Assuming they survive, I¡¯m sure someone will be there. And of course: we all intend to survive as well.¡± Neon looked around the room. ¡°Since we are all gathered together, let¡¯s discuss how we will prepare for the more immediate challenge.¡±

 Chapter 208: Resplendent Quetzal

    Corozal was finally quieting back down after a tumultuous string of days. Juan had been worried that it would never return to normal, but without the ragged army occupying every inch of the town, stinking up the place, the resident profession masters were able to comfortably settle back into their routines.


    The fact that it was possible to return to their routines was a testament to the influence that Coop was having on their little town. Before he had come from his Ghost Reef, Fernando and the other more responsible elders had been counting down the days before they would have to take drastic actions. Juan didn¡¯t want anything to do with it. He was happy as long as he was free to fish.


    The army that had amassed in Corozal over the past week had been, rather abruptly in his opinion, mobilized under the leadership of Juliana, the region''s famous Beast Soul. She and her pet were welcome guests who had eased the burden on the town by defeating trapped Elites so that the locals didn¡¯t inadvertently level up and ruin their survival strategy. She even took out a Field Boss on their behalf in the past. She was one of the four Elites of the Jaguar Sun, and the one that had looked after the local area the most throughout the assimilation. Juan hadn¡¯t personally met the other three, though they were universally known and equally respected. If he asked Juliana, she would share the credit for her successes, but he knew when a girl was being modest.


    Tzultacaj the Thunder Axe, leader of the Jaguar Sun movement, was the obvious hero of those opposed to the Cult of Chakyum, but Juan thought he lacked the charisma that Juliana demonstrated. His individual endeavor from Day One of the assimilation had been the inspiration for many in their refusal to surrender, so he held a special place in the consciousness for any that continued the struggle against the Cult. Beyond his unwavering opposition, there didn¡¯t seem to be much to him. To Juan, he seemed like a man consumed by his purpose. It was sad, really, but that¡¯s how it went sometimes. Some people burned with intense brightness.


    Then there was his second, Juliana the Beast Soul, who could move through the jungles with the grace of the movement¡¯s namesake, and utilized her strengths to save many, even as hope faded. Sierra the Cloud Dancer was the third. She was known to roam the lands far away, in the cloud forests of Costa Rica, and had been contacted by Juliana in preparation for their next fight. Mateo the Ingenious Guerrilla was the fourth and final Elite who prevented the Cult from comfortably expanding deeper into Mexico. He had been instrumental in transforming Tzultacaj¡¯s simple fight into a proper revolutionary movement, gathering people beneath the black and red banner of the Jaguar Sun to stand in opposition to the shadow of death that the Cult of Chakyum represented.


    The four of them had succeeded enough to have their names and reputations known throughout the land, but it seemed like they lost momentum after the siege event for reasons unknown to Juan. It was the sort of thing that Fernando worried about, so Juan might hear bits and pieces, but it wasn¡¯t really his area of concern.


    However, when someone used his front yard to organize an army, even he was bound to notice. People had been trickling into the town for what felt like weeks, culminating in Juliana¡¯s appearance as she led a particularly large group that had gathered as she traveled back from the south. But once they had their marching orders, they were off again.


    Juan was finally able to take his customary spot on the end of the main pier, free from interference, accompanied only by the regular pelicans, with his trusty fishing rod firmly leveraged between his armpit and his raised knee. The trick was to pull his arm across his belly with his free hand, that way the first bite wouldn¡¯t drag the rod out of place if there was some totally inexplicable reason that he lost concentration. If, for instance, the waves lulled him to sleep, he wouldn¡¯t lose his fishing rod¡­ again.


    He let his loose weave straw hat cover his face as he prepared for another hard day of ¡®work.¡¯ His loose pants were already rolled up to his knee on his other leg, letting his foot hang over the edge of the concrete pier so that when the high tide reached its peak his toes would get wet. That¡¯s how he knew his shift was over. He wriggled the back of his head into the rolled up poncho until he found the perfect position for a master fisherman to ¡®concentrate.¡¯ He sighed in contentment with the town definitely getting back to normal.


    His stance may have seemed lazy to those with an untrained eye, but it was actually carefully calculated, optimized through decades of routine practice. Juan had been born in Corozal, and he had been fishing ever since he could walk. One of his earliest memories was of himself and his brothers, covered in mud, after a hurricane wiped the entire town out, fishing among the debris while the elders of the family decided whether to rebuild or leave.


    ¡°¡®61.¡± He muttered. ¡°Now that was a year.¡± He said to himself as he let his mind wander. That hurricane had been a pretty big deal. It defined the future of the town in major ways, but he didn¡¯t think it held a candle to the impact mana was having. Both events had threatened the continued existence of Corozal, but he never really believed it would truly disappear. He figured Fernando would come back and start things over if the worst ever happened.


    His brothers hadn¡¯t stayed in their hometown after they were old enough to strike out on their own. Juan imagined that they had passed away even before the apocalypse came. They were certainly old enough, but then again, maybe not. They might be enjoying life as old geezers just like he was in some other place. He wondered if they still fished.


    That¡¯s how Juan¡¯s days went, just idly catching fish, keeping them in a bucket, and snoozing in between idle thoughts. When the bucket filled, he¡¯d go to one of the restaurants and trade the day¡¯s work for a good meal, or he¡¯d head to one of the seaside parks and grill them himself for friends that always seemed to be around. The restaurant and parks were empty now, but the spirit of his toils was the same. People paid good money for the kind of experience that had become routine for him, and he had been able to enjoy it everyday for almost 70 years. He pitied the people who hadn¡¯t figured life out the way he had.


    Juan lived a life of contentment, hurricane or apocalypse be damned. The key was his personal philosophy. He accepted that the past was gone, and never had any regrets. There was no way to redo past decisions, that was just the way things went. On the other hand, the future was uncertain, so there was no sense in obsessing with worry. No one ever truly knew what tomorrow would bring, and that was a fact even before mana had complicated the world. All they truly ever had was the present. Juan lived for the present. He savored the feeling of the sun on a warm day, the sounds of the breeze passing through leaves, the taste of a prepared meal, or the laughter of friends. They were all precious experiences. Tomorrow¡¯s disorder didn¡¯t matter, and yesterday¡¯s tribulations were already in the past, easily forgotten.


    Corozal was settling down now that the Jaguar Sun had begun their campaign. Other than a handful of scouts, only the warriors from the Crossroads remained with the profession masters, and they were agreeable company, unobtrusive and diligent, the way he imagined he was. They deserved plenty of credit for helping the town settle down.


    A few of their new benefactor¡¯s companions came and went as well, but they didn¡¯t interrupt the routines of the crafters. Juan appreciated that the members of Ghost Reef hadn¡¯t been insistent on asserting their way of life onto the local residents. He even thought he¡¯d take a trip to their settlement simply because he liked their attitudes. If he enjoyed the island enough, maybe he¡¯d stay for a while. The pirates had indicated the fishing was excellent, and Juan wouldn¡¯t turn down a small holiday from his lifelong vacation.


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    He had the sense that even though the army of warriors had left the town, the impending conflict wouldn¡¯t be so easy to avoid. They had left in a hurry, led by Juliana as they sought to disrupt the Cult¡¯s plans by hunting the Priests that lingered at the edge of the Yucatan¡¯s settlement territory. Tzultacaj had sent word that he wouldn¡¯t be returning directly, but had instead connected with his allies in Chiapas and was starting his own campaign on the opposite side of the settlement. The Jaguar Sun was rising after a period of dormancy, and this time, they were circling the Yucatan settlement from two different angles. The idea seemed to be to create a net that trapped the Cult inside the settlement, allowing new allies to reinforce them with each victory before they struck at the center directly.


    At the same time, Coop was on the hunt for the individual that led the Cult: Chakyum himself. No one had seen Chakyum, as far as Juan knew, and he was one who doubted his very existence. If he actually was a real person, he figured the Yucatan settlement was as good a place to look as any. If he was the strategizer, he would have made sure Coop was leading the way. Even Juan would feel comfortable following strength like that into battle.


    He thought Coop was a good kid. He could have destroyed Juan and Fernando when they first met, but he had graciously held back. Juan chuckled at remembering how Fernando had bounced off the palm tree Coop used as a club.


    ¡°Good times.¡± He muttered to the pelicans, conveniently forgetting that he had bounced just as far. Good thing they had invested all of their points into defense, or they might have been turned to paste even with the Champion holding back.


    He dozed in the sun until a strange bird call disturbed his daydreams. Each trill was almost like a deep whining of slurred notes. The sound was different to the normal bird songs in the area and was being carried on the ocean breeze rather than originating from inland. ¡°Kwahh.¡± Juan imitated, lifting his straw hat above his eyes to lazily look for the culprit.


    Just as he sat up, the line on his fishing rod was pulled taut. The line whirred as it shot through the guides. Juan grunted, grabbing the handle before the spool was exhausted. He had baited his hook with some of the special bait only he could craft and that was meant to only attract rare fish. In order to prevent his bucket from filling too quickly, he had to restrict his catches. That meant whatever he caught was likely to be influenced by mana.


    When he engaged in the fight, he was shocked at the pressure being applied to his rod. The tip bent as he resisted the pull and he strained to maintain the line. He had let both feet hang over the edge as he sat up, but he was forced to brace one leg against a cleat. Whatever he had caught was strong enough to threaten to drag him into the water. He growled at the resistance. No ordinary fish would fight so hard.


    ¡°This is it!¡± He grunted. ¡°Finally, got the big one.¡± Juan predicted, digging deep as he engaged in his daily personal battle.


    As he struggled with his quarry, the bird call grew stronger and more insistent. He eventually spotted the bird and was surprised to see a resplendent quetzal traveling over the sea directly toward Corozal. They weren¡¯t local birds, but they were distinguishable even to someone like Juan, being prominent in other areas of Central America. The bird was traveling so fast it was actually leaving a depression in the sea, with a wake that expanded behind it.


    He didn¡¯t let the elegant bird distract him from his fight, doubling down on reeling in his catch. Juan prepared for a long battle. This was where he earned the right to be a bit arrogant with the youngsters. However, the quetzal¡¯s emerald plumage traced a bee-line directly at his pier. The pelicans that paddled around made flapping escapes, taking to the air as if spooked, ignoring the chance at a free meal, causing him to wonder what was the matter.


    A gust of air slapped Juan in the face as the bird flew above his head, forcing him to grab his hat to prevent it from being carried away. The moment of distraction caused him to lose his position with the fish, and the line was pulled even faster. Smoke escaped the spool before finally running out. The rod shot from his hand and flew into the sea with a sad splash while Juan was stunned.


    ¡°Run for your life!¡± A voice shouted and he spun around to face the sound.


    A cloud of mana was dissipating as the resplendent quetzal transformed into a human girl. Juan wasn¡¯t sure where to go. He didn¡¯t need to be told to run for his life more than once, but was he meant to run from the girl? When he glanced back at the sea, deciding if he should dive in or not, he saw what she meant. A mountain of water was growing in the bay, approaching Corozal at a speed that would certainly spell their doom.


    He turned back to the girl, and before she could tell him again, he started running straight past her, gripping his hat against his head with one hand as he pumped his other arm.


    ¡°Warn the others! A High Priest approaches!¡± She shouted after him, apparently satisfied with his slightly delayed, but decisive, response.


    Juan crossed the coastal road, imagining his legs were 20 years younger. ¡°40 years younger.¡± He corrected himself, gasping for air as he ran straight toward the mana pylon, regretting how the system didn¡¯t offer them a stamina attribute to dump their excess points into.


    ¡°High Priest? Gah! Why did I put it all into Body?¡± He griped to himself as he desperately wished for more speed after being happy about his choice earlier. ¡°¡®Nando!¡± He yelled between breaths. ¡°A High Priest! ¡®Nando!¡±


    ¡°What, what, what?¡± Fernando came out of one of the open buildings, pushing the hanging cloth that acted as its threshold.


    ¡°The quetzal said a High Priest is coming.¡± Juan doubled over to lean on his knees. ¡°We gotta run. Tidal wave.¡± He concluded as he sucked air into his lungs.


    Fernando just looked at him like he was nuts. ¡°Quetzal?¡± He double checked.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said!¡± He pointed back toward the pier, worried that they were wasting too much time to escape the incoming tsunami.


    As Juan pointed and the pair of old men stared at the warped horizon, blocked by an extraordinary quantity of water, something tore through the air from the opposite direction, low to the ground. At first, he thought it was an extremely fast jet that was leaving a contrail as it crashed. He counted four separate blooms of condensation along the trial, as if it was splashing through invisible layers of the atmosphere itself. Before his mind had a chance to catch up with his eyes, the first sonic boom reached their ears. He flinched at the sound, but the next three booms didn¡¯t surprise him quite as much.


    What did shock him was the massive splashing explosion that erupted far off the shore when the object collided with the wave. It was more of a missile than a jet. The tidal wave that had risen across the horizon was split in half and lost its momentum. The water crashed back toward the ocean as if the missile had killed whatever was driving it forward, but white water continued to rush in all directions.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take shelter.¡± Fernando suggested.


    Juan thought that was probably a good idea.

 Chapter 209: Sinking

    Pure luck had Coop returning to Corozal right before a suspicious figure ripped across the bay toward the outpost. If he had been an hour later, he would have arrived to find the town annihilated by a tidal wave.


    Coop had taken responsibility for the four freed prisoners of the Voice of Kukulkan, and he was leading them through the Maya Lowlands toward the safety of the Corozal Outpost. Coop was perfectly happy to travel at their considerably slower pace because of the prominence of Ruin Nebulas in the region, and not necessarily because he wanted to protect the weakened survivors. Coop¡¯s attention was split between the group and Presence of Mind¡¯s constant stream of information on the surrounding environment.


    A thin mist, like those that might briefly appear after an unusually cool night, had been drifting through the land along with the group. It was hardly noticeable outside of a few wisps that swirled within invisible breezes of air flowing along the contours of the jungle¡¯s tree branches. The occasional burst of mist would rain down from the canopy in the distance as a phantasm leapt into existence and slashed through another of the Primal Construct, but Coop was always the only witness. The victims of the Priest were unaware of the battles that unfolded ahead of their path.


    The spontaneous escort mission was doubling as a satisfying grind session for Coop. The four former prisoners explained a little of their experience after being captured, but Coop had already pieced together a better picture of the goals of the High Priests than they could. As far as they knew, they were simply being tortured until they gave in and joined the Cult, and as a result they intended to join the Jaguar Sun. Instead of letting them linger on their experience, he ended up telling them about some of his adventures throughout the Yucatan, mostly concerning the Primal Constructs rather than the Priests.


    His progress as they walked and talked was such that he might have received another Slayer title before the group reached the protection of the outpost. The phantasms summoned by his Legacy of the Mists skill were making quick work of the regular monsters. He had already accumulated 336 out of the 11,111 necessary to complete the fifth and final stage of the quest chain before the grind was prematurely interrupted. The progress wasn¡¯t quite halfway through the total requirement of kills, but it was close enough to leave him feeling satisfied.


    About 50 miles down the peninsula, Amanda was leading Mikey B and the trio of formerly cursed Chosen, Cap, Grizz, and Dan, away from Corozal to confirm Coop¡¯s mission and update him on the developments that had occurred in the town while he was away. Amanda¡¯s Outrider class synergized with Dan¡¯s mana guidance abilities and made them an extraordinarily potent search party. They hadn¡¯t wavered from Coop¡¯s trail, even across more than a hundred miles of tropical wilderness, and it wasn¡¯t like he was leaving footsteps when he mistjumped across the region. They easily found him and his domain of drifting fog.


    It hadn¡¯t even been two whole days since Coop left, but in the interim Juliana had received a message from Tzultacaj that kicked off their war campaign and had them leaving Corozal with all of the fighters that had gathered in time. Things were escalating in Central America, and Coop¡¯s companions deemed it necessary to let him know as soon as possible rather than wait for him to return. Coop¡¯s role would be unchanged, as the Jaguar Sun aimed to let him roam as he pleased, and they expected their movement to stir up the Priests that had become so difficult to find. They would be stirring the nest, so to speak.


    Coop left the survivors of the High Priest in the capable hands of Ghost Reef¡¯s expanding scouting party once Amanda shared the news. He headed back on his own in order to touch base with Juliana before the war host got too far for him to catch.


    The Jaguar Sun wasn¡¯t beholden to an outsider like him in any way, but he found himself wishing they had consulted him before they made their move. When he left, the presumption was that they would be waiting several more days for Tzultacaj to physically return, at a minimum, leaving Coop with plenty of time to clean up the outermost Priests before the real war began. Apparently, that was no longer the case. The settlement event had prompted the stoic leader to kick things off without much delay.


    He understood that they were essentially on a deadline with another settlement event approaching, and he had wanted them to pick up speed, but the fact that the High Priests weren¡¯t even aware of the Jaguar Sun¡¯s active presence seemed like an advantage that they could make use of. Coop was concerned that they might regret throwing away the element of surprise with a premature start. Coop wanted to inform Juliana ahead of time, and maybe she could spread word to Tzultucaj and the other leaders of the Jaguar Sun before it was too late to grasp the opportunity to strike where they weren¡¯t expected.


    It didn¡¯t take long for Coop to cross the region when he wasn¡¯t pacing himself. Shortly after leaving his companions behind, he was mistjumping high in the sky in his rush to arrive in Corozal. Each toss covered at least a mile and only took a bit more than a minute when considering flight time of his spear and the travel time of the mists. If he waited to land, planting his feet for the next throw, he could send the spear ten times as fast, but the reckless speed would have him losing his way after a single jump. As it was, the world was dancing between the monochromatic mists and regular daylight as Coop took a direct route back, flying high above the canopy. He only paused when abnormal behavior in the Caribbean Sea caught his attention.


    A series of foamy water pillars had grown far in the distance, visible only due to the clear day and his elevated position. The pillars climbed toward the sky like the columns for an incomplete and glassy Parthenon, large enough to make an impression even when they were many miles offshore. For a second, Coop thought he had accidentally discovered Atlantis, but the columns crashed back down into the sea at unpredictable angles, at first toppling over, but ultimately driving themselves into the ocean like they were violently swatting at an elusive fly. More were erected just to crash into the water again and again.


    A cloudless rain pelted the sea behind the pillars, but rather than a simple deluge of raindrops, the projectiles shot through the otherwise smooth surface like knives. There were no clouds to be seen, but the rain was thick enough to paint the horizon in a shade of gray that contrasted the greenish hues of the tropical sea, with water rising from the surface as much as it fell. Coop didn¡¯t need to be familiar with this particular ocean to recognize the weather was completely bizarre.


    The cylindrical beams of solid water were establishing an obstacle course of tumbling barriers. They fell in patterns, one after the other, clearly in an effort to trap something that Coop couldn¡¯t see from the distance. Whatever it was, it darted back and forth, desperately trying to put space between itself and the abnormal weather formation. The rain chased, but was even slower than the beams. Occasionally, one of the columns would explode as if struck by a rocket, creating small gaps between splashing crashes, and Coop was able to track the progress of the water¡¯s prey by following bursts of air as they formed dents in the ocean.


    As the chaos drew closer to land, the appearance of the pillars slowed. Whatever they intended to catch had managed to evade them by entering shallower waters.


    But the sea wasn¡¯t done with its pursuit. Instead of continuing the same tactics, the ocean swelled while the rain continued. The rain piled water from the edges into the middle defying gravity to build its own tide. Coop thought the sea might pop as it climbed upwards, building a twenty mile wide bubble, but instead of exploding with a dramatic splash, it rolled forward, swamping the barrier islands with a massive curling wave before skimming straight across the bay toward Corozal. Riding behind the wave was the first hint of the actual culprit.


    Witnessing the unnatural phenomenon had Coop anticipating another clash with a Siege Boss level enemy. Of all the monsters Coop had encountered, only the Icons of Mana and the Prime Construct had the potential to influence such an enormous area, but the culprit appeared to be a regular human woman with extreme control over the ocean. Coop was momentarily impressed and quickly confirmed a hunch, checking the leaderboards as gravity dragged him back down toward the forest.


    Day 99


    <ol>


    <li> Ak-Hau (Level 449)</li>


    <li> Coop (Level 187)</li>


    <li> Hai Yun (Level 126)</li>


    <li> Charlie Seraphin (Level 126)</li>


    <li> Camila Alvarez (Level 126)</li>


    <li> Reina Kitawa (Level 125)</li>


    <li> Akari Kitawa (Level 125)</li>


    <li> Banshee (Level 120)</li>


    <li> Sila Tupua (Level 119)</li>


    <li> Toby Jackman (Level 119)</li>


    </ol>


    Coop landed with a thump that kicked up a cloud of dirt, still miles north of Corozal. He was already resummoning his spear into the ethereal equivalent of a ballistic missile as he reviewed the leaderboard. Ak-Hau had been on the leaderboards before, though she was never at the top. Even among her compatriots she had been overshadowed by Ix-Hau at her peak, but now she was highlighting the extent of her progress, taking over the top 10 with the largest accumulation of levels yet. Their presence at the first spot couldn¡¯t be a coincidence when timed with the assault on Corozal. Coop couldn¡¯t think of an excuse to hold back. Even if it was a case of mistaken identity, attacking his outpost would require payback.


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    Coop wouldn¡¯t need perfect accuracy to strike a wave that stretched so wide it blocked the entire eastern horizon. He didn¡¯t need tens of thousands of practice throws to hit such a large target, but all the experience he had gathered over the months wouldn¡¯t hurt. When he stepped into the throw, he tried to aim in the area of the presumed High Priestess. Whether his opponent was ready or not, the fight was on.


    The ethereal spear shot from the forest, bending trees as it rose into a low arc across the sky. Coop¡¯s spear wasn¡¯t as heavy as his bunker busters. Instead, he had opted to keep it light enough to move fast after being propelled by his own Strength. He was aiming to make a big splash in a wall of water rather than penetrate a tempered material. A lower trajectory and higher speed felt right.


    The ethereal spear maintained its velocity, screaming through the air, until it reached the target, shooting from the forest as if there was a hidden missile platform obscured deep within the trees. It smashed into the wave, sending white water back in the direction it came from. The spear successfully carved a wide gap in the wall and continued flying.


    Coop sought to take advantage of the sudden chaos that he created, dropping his shield on the ground where he stood while he mistjumped to his spear. He would go for the kill right away, even if it meant leaping into a poor position, literally in the sea.


    His spear had struck the wave right in front of the High Priestess and the resulting explosion of water had sent the cultist flailing backwards. The wave followed her lead, crashing in on itself. Corozal wouldn¡¯t go unscathed, but it wouldn¡¯t be a city ending tidal wave that breached the sea wall. Instead, they would be swamped by the rising tide of a storm surge.


    Coop reappeared from the mists that formed around his spear while it skimmed the newly turbulent ocean and identified his target, already anticipating that he would find a level 449 Oathsworn Human.


    [Oathsworn Human (Level 449)]


    [Tidesinger (Intelligence)]


    [Chosen of the Wen Dwellers]


    [Rain, Water (Dynamo)]


    Coop confirmed his suspicions. His feet were crashing into the water when he rethrew his spear directly at the bewildered High Priestess, engaging all of his upper body Strength with a clear intent to kill and the resulting bloodlust leaking into his aura.


    ¡°Agh!¡± The Priest shouted as Coop splashed into the water himself.


    A column of water rose in the path of the spear, 20 feet in diameter, and when the projectile collided with the surface of the still rising beam, it smashed straight through. Coop noted that the column was in fact as solid as stone, despite flowing like liquid, but it was no match for the raw Strength he put behind his throws. An actual stone pillar would have been pulverized as well.


    The pillar manifestation was similar to his mists, utilizing a different base that was associated with the caster¡¯s mana affinity to imitate other materials. Coop thought they were easy enough to understand considering the similarities with his own summoned abilities.


    When the spear smashed through the column, the High Priestess had no more time left to react. The tip of the spear shot into her right shoulder and she spun backwards with her exclamation of surprise transforming into a shriek of pain. She hadn¡¯t expected her pillar to be completely overcome by the awkward falling throw that Coop had managed in the split second between appearing and falling into the water.


    In contrast to Coop, who would be forced to swim, the Priestess was able to firmly stand on the ocean as if it was solid ground, but she stumbled backwards with the spear extending from her body until she lost her footing and splashed into the water herself.


    The Priestess sank like a rock, quickly disappearing into the depths, and Coop mistjumped again, intending to finish the intruder off with a quickswap and a melee attack underwater. His spear was lodged in the woman¡¯s shoulder, meaning Coop would be upon her in an instant. However, when he left the monochromatic world of mists, he reappeared with his grip on the spear, fully submerged, with the Priestess nowhere to be found. He was surrounded by nothing but empty blue water.


    Coop let some bubbles escape his nose as he was surprised by the change in setting. It didn¡¯t seem like something had gone wrong with his own ability. The spell didn¡¯t fizzle and if it had failed, he would have expected to simply have the spear return to him. There had been a risk that his mistjump wouldn¡¯t work when the destination was in the water, but that wasn¡¯t how it failed. Instead, he was already extremely deep in the water - too deep considering he believed he was in Corozal Bay. The water pressed on him from all sides, and the pressure in his sinuses was only relieved when he quickly equalized his ears. He blinked in the salty water, orienting himself as he sought the cultist. He was alone and probably close to 200 meters deep.


    It was like he was falling in slow motion, unanchored by gravity, but pulled by the whims of invisible, unstoppable currents. Above, the choppy waves scattered the rays of sunlight, but none of them reached down to his depth. A cloud of bubbles that had been trapped by Coop¡¯s armor fled back to the surface, leaving him completely and utterly isolated. The world seemed too far away when sinking into the vast deep, and he unconsciously reached a single hand up toward the surface as if he might grasp the tiny marble of fading sunlight and fight the current.


    A rapidly darkening blue was the only feature of the ocean around Coop. The temperature had dropped and the pressure was enough that it would have been catastrophic if Coop wasn¡¯t reinforced by mana. There was no sign of the High Priestess except for the small cloud of blood drifting away from the speartip, colored black because of the depth. Below, a suffocating darkness almost seemed to expand up toward Coop as it prepared to inevitably swallow him.


    Coop was unconcerned with being dragged down as the invisible currents pressed against him, sinking him into colder and colder waters. What concerned him was how easily the High Priestess evaded him. Coop thought he had the woman as good as dead.


    Before he mistjumped back to the solid ground where he had abandoned his shield, enacting the escape plan that had given him the confidence to commit to his attack, movement caught his eye, coming from above. Coop hesitated, hoping it was the Priestess, but instead a small tropical bird shot through the fathomless deep as if propelled by a jet engine, trailing a stream of bubbles, before approaching him. The emerald green feathers were washed out as the light faded with the depth, making them seem more gray than anything. He inspected its aura, wondering if a confused Chosen animal had taken a dive.


    [Human (Level 111)]


    [Cloud Dancer (Agility)]


    [Zephyr (Slayer)]


    Coop let another burst of bubbles escape as he was confused by the strange aura the tiny bird revealed. They were too high level to be one of the crossroad warriors, so they must have been with the Jaguar Sun. At least he was pretty confident they weren¡¯t another foe, but he didn¡¯t understand what they were doing.


    When the bird got close enough, it circled him once, then twice, before it wrapped them both in a pocket of swirling air, inundated with bubbles. The bird then dove into the vortex and exploded in a cloud of mana before transforming into a young woman that was gasping for breath with the effort of a long swim. They were both inside something that resembled a pocket of air, but continued to sink with the current that had been pulling Coop deeper.


    ¡°Uh, thanks?¡± Coop searched for an appropriate thing to say, bewildered by the unexpected company. ¡°But who are you? And what are you doing here?¡±


    She had bright red eyeshadow thickly painted around her eyes like warpaint that streaked from the corners toward her hairline. Green and red feathers were woven into her long, honey colored hair. The loose waves were much lighter than her tanned skin, and she looked beaten, with dozens of scrapes and bruises. The bubble was small enough that Coop was practically sitting in her lap.


    ¡°I am a fool, obviously.¡± She declared, not helping with Coop¡¯s confusion. ¡°It was stupid of you to challenge a High Priest so brazenly, and it was stupid of me to try and save you.¡± She scowled at him. ¡°Why not face her along with the rest of the Jaguars? Did you think you would become the next hero?¡± She shook her head in disappointment. ¡°And now we are both caught within the domain I tried so desperately to avoid.¡± She looked down and nodded for Coop to do the same.


    Just as Coop looked, his foot hit a solid crystalline surface next to an abandoned fishing rod and piles of other debris. The air vortex dissipated, no longer protecting them from the depths. A wave of blue light expanded from his toes, revealing an underwater cathedral of compressed water.


    ¡°The High Priest¡¯s Stronghold.¡± The girl proclaimed. ¡°We are dead.¡±

 Chapter 210: The Cathedral of Tides

    Hidden deep beneath the surface of the ocean, a solid glass-like palace contained a vast circular arena. Coop had been swept onto the lower edge by unnatural currents, and he was now standing on what was clearly a landing meant for receiving guests.


    Nothing about the setting could be explained without taking into account the extensive application of mana. There were no external supports to be seen holding the construction in place and he couldn¡¯t see anything that would provide buoyancy or stability. The whole mansion remained stationary in the middle of the ocean by finding an impossible equilibrium in the depths, trapping anyone and anything unlucky enough to be overcome by the currents.


    There were eight steps leading up to the open area, leaving him in a sunken vestibule that was sealed off from the ocean by solid, transparent walls. An elevated throne stood on the opposite side of the dark and austere hall, above another set of stairs, putting it well upwards from any victims that arrived the way Coop had. A crowd of thousands could fit comfortably into the arena below the throne, but it was completely vacant. The only sounds were those of the ocean. Random clicks and pops added to the rumbling of an incomprehensible volume of water as it shifted with the tides. Without the natural sounds of the ocean, the empty chamber would have fallen into total silence.


    In defiance of the sea, the palace held the water at bay, forming an open pocket domain amidst the vast expanse. Coop had a moment where he felt like he had entered Oz.


    ¡°I¡¯ve a feeling we¡¯re not in Kansas anymore.¡± He muttered to the dissatisfaction of his panicked company.


    They definitely weren¡¯t in Corozal. His sense of direction was upturned by the depth of the ocean and the mysterious construction, but there was simply no way he was still in Corozal Bay. Instead, he believed they had been drawn far beyond the continental shelf where the fathomless depths truly became scary. He couldn¡¯t explain the depth otherwise.


    When Coop¡¯s toes first touched the floor of the entrance, a blue glow pulsed within the darkness. The light slid across the smooth surfaces of the watery cathedral, like a giant electronic board powering on, revealing the full extent of the structure. It was a colossal area meticulously constructed entirely from water mana. The sight caught his breath. It was the most magnificent magical achievement he had witnessed since mana arrived on Earth.


    The blue light reflected from radiating designs along the perimeter of the floor. They caught the light and sent glittering blue, green, and silver reflections in all directions. Giant columns, like the ancient ruins of an underwater civilization, were embedded in the transparent walls at regular intervals, framing the walls into floor to ceiling windows that would have dwarfed any modern aquarium. The pillars were identical to the High Priest¡¯s manifestations back on sea level. Seeing them again reminded him of his purpose and he adjusted the position of his fingers on his spear.


    The illumination further emphasized the outlines of the grooved circular arena before climbing the translucent shimmering walls and bouncing across a mirror-like ceiling that was angled hundreds of feet beyond his head. In the distance, a panoramic view of the immense ocean spread before them. Coop could only see water in all directions beyond the walls, including both above and below. He couldn¡¯t tell if the sun was still in the sky, but a subtle gradient established a contrast between the pitch black darkness below and the dark navy blue above. On the far side, the glistening and vacant throne sat in front of the vast abyss. However, the central feature of the palatial arrangement was conspicuously absent.


    The entire arena was circular and clearly designed around a focal point in the exact middle, where all of the grooves on the floor joined in an enormous swirling pattern. Given that this was another High Priest¡¯s lair, Coop suspected whatever had been in the center was the source of her now claimed levels. He could only imagine a giant statue of a god of tides taking the center stage. He doubted he was the first to be swept into the chamber by the mysterious currents, but he intended to be the last.


    ¡°We need to escape!¡± The Cloud Dancer that had joined Coop in the depths of the ocean exclaimed while he assessed the wondrous domain. Unlike Coop, she didn¡¯t have the time to admire their setting, and she had no intention of staying. ¡°I have to warn Juliana that the Cult has laid a trap for them! We will die if we face the High Priest, and the Jaguar Sun will walk into it completely unaware.¡±


    She was desperately testing the shimmering wall that marked their entrance, but when her fingers poked at the surface, her whole arm was repelled. The portal rippled with waves, distorting their view of the deep sea on the other side before returning to its completely solid state.


    Once Coop processed her words, and recognized that she name-dropped Juliana, he shifted his attention away from the water formations and back to her. ¡°What trap?¡±


    She huffed with frustration before she answered. ¡°The Cult put out a call for all the Priests and Acolytes to gather in the Yucatan settlement for a grand ritual.¡± She responded while using the side of her fist to try and pound the portal open. The entire wall looked like someone was dropping stones into a pond with all of the ripples bouncing across its surface, but she was having no luck other than creating a thump that echoed throughout the open chamber, and probably, into the ocean.


    ¡°They have never amassed themselves before.¡± She explained as she desperately tried to escape. ¡°They must be planning on wiping out the Jaguar Sun all at once.¡± She grunted as she tried kicking the wall. ¡°Help me get us out of here!¡± She demanded as she grew more frustrated by Coop¡¯s inaction.


    ¡°You cannot escape the Cathedral of Tides. It is futile to try.¡± Another voice echoed across the empty cathedral of water, seemingly coming from all directions.


    Coop twisted his head back to the arena, narrowing his eyes while searching for the source. The voice quieted after the dramatic declaration, hinting at a condescending smile as it continued. ¡°You are wrong about some grand scheme to trap the Jaguar Sun. If it wasn¡¯t for you, my dear Sierra, I wouldn¡¯t even know that the Jaguar rises once again.¡± The blue ambient light fluctuated, reflecting from the high ceiling, and the High Priest made her dramatic entrance into the center of the room.


    ¡°The only trap is the one that you have created for yourselves.¡± She declared dismissively, letting the blue-tinged spotlight frame her as if she was on stage in a theater. Waves seemed to bounce within the floor, cascading away from the center, but the ground remained firm beneath Coop¡¯s feet.


    Sierra spun back toward the center of the room, leaning her back against the wall with a look of abject terror on her face as she abandoned her effort to escape. The High Priest merely smirked back from above them, across the hall, like she was about to claim a grand prize.


    ¡°You were so close to escaping too.¡± She chided condescendingly, like she was teasing a mischievous child.


    The Priestess¡¯s dark hair was pulled into a long french braid that nearly reached the floor. Deep purple highlights were accentuated by the fluctuating light while a single loose bang remained free, resting along her exposed collar bone. The flowing fabrics that draped over her shoulders were mostly an unblemished silvery color that reminded Coop of the moon, but one sleeve was torn and stained with blood from the wound he had already given her.


    Judging by her expression, she didn¡¯t seem to be holding the fact that he had already attacked her against him, revealing less animosity than any of the previous Priests had managed. In fact, she seemed content with how things were developing. Despite the wound, she stood with the poise and confidence of a ruler at court. Perhaps she was optimistic about having the home-field advantage, or maybe she didn¡¯t understand who she was dealing with. Instead of helping Sierra break the wall down, Coop cracked his neck and calmly took the stairs up to the edge of the arena, spear still held in the fingertips of his right hand.


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    The High Priestess never deigned to glance at the girl that feared her so greatly. ¡°It was you, the remarkable Coop, that caused our Master to take notice. You who have already demonstrated yourself worthy of joining us.¡± She swung her uninjured arm with a flourish that had the silken loose sleeves glittering in the light as if they had been infused with moonlight. ¡°Welcome to my humble domain. I hope you will accept my offerings as they are presented.¡± She said with a small smile.


    Sierra twisted her gaze toward Coop¡¯s back with a disgusted look on her face, suddenly assuming he was an enemy as well. ¡°You¡¯re with them?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± Coop responded without turning around. He pointed at the Priestess. ¡°Can¡¯t you see she¡¯s already bleeding?¡± He added in support for his position, shaking his head. He was quick to deny any association with the Cult.


    Coop fully abandoned his planned retreat by resummoning his shield to his offhand as he tightened his grip on the ethereal spear. His eyes were locked on the Priest. ¡°I¡¯ve been hunting them.¡±


    The High Priestess provided a mirthless chuckle that echoed across the empty hall. ¡°Indeed. It was the deaths of Sister Chel-Hau and Brother Kaj-Hau that revealed your presence in our territory. Master informed us that their losses were likely to have been at your hand as you had already slapped away his generosity once before.¡± She frowned darkly as she recalled Coop¡¯s insult in declining the Envoy before forcing a neutral expression back to her face.


    ¡°Chel-Hau was the newest of the High Priests, but the Avatar of Huracan, like myself, was one of the inner core. His premature death was¡­ unexpected.¡± She admitted with some hesitancy as she wandered across the chamber, recovering her poise. ¡°Our forces have since grouped in the settlement out of respect for your challenge. It would be shrewd of you to return to where you came before discovering the full might of the Cult of Chakyum.¡±


    ¡°However¡­¡± She stopped her stroll and gave Coop a perfectly friendly smile. ¡°I know my Master would enjoy your willing cooperation. Allow me to take your hand and escort you into that place of honor.¡± She offered generously with just a bit too much hunger in her eyes.


    The smile faded as she finally turned her attention to the third wheel in what she was treating as some kind of negotiation, giving Coop a chance to consider her offer. ¡°If not for being called to the settlement, I would never have stumbled into one of the Jaguar¡¯s Generals leaving her own territory.¡± She flicked her finger toward Sierra as her expression grew cold. ¡°Sierra the Cloud Dancer, bane of our southern missionaries, unfortunately for you, you will die here.¡±


    Sierra tried to keep her reaction suppressed, but was only partially successful. Coop could hear her shallow breaths as she reconsidered her life¡¯s choices.


    ¡°Hey.¡± Coop interrupted. ¡°What about Kul-Hau?¡± He wondered, referring to the Voice of Kukulkan, who was also dead, but had gone unacknowledged by the Priestess. Coop lifted his spear over his shoulder, winding it up in a casual ready position as he broached the subject, preparing his response.


    He had little interest in standing around and trying to talk to these Priests, but because this one seemed so forthcoming, he couldn¡¯t help himself but ask, though that didn¡¯t preclude him from fighting as well. Coop could walk and chew bubble gum at the same time. Time would tell if the Priestess could do the same.


    He slammed his leading foot onto the glassy floor and it rang like a massive gong, reverberating throughout the arena. With his foot firmly planted, his body exploded into motion, launching his spear at the High Priestess with enough aggression to cause her to yelp in surprise for the second time since they first met.


    In a split second, his spear crossed the enormous chamber. Coop had put enough power into his throw that he expected it to break through the support columns if he missed. He didn¡¯t miss.


    His back leg was still in the air as he leaned forward after his throw when the spear splashed into an orb of crystal clear water that manifested exactly where the Priestess had stood. The spear completely lost its momentum when caught by the orb, harmlessly entrapped despite its initial velocity. A moment later, the floating spear folded on itself as if it was being compressed by unbelievable pressure, snapping as it imploded in a sad burst of ethereal mana. A small cloud of mana drifted in the water orb marking the easy destruction of his weapon.


    The High Priestess¡¯s voice came from the left side of the chamber. ¡°That was rude. Do you wish to fight or talk?¡±


    ¡°Both.¡± Coop admitted with a slight shrug.


    A column of fog rose around his body, starting from his feet, but rising rapidly. The fog piled on, thick enough to be obvious, but not so much that it would be a completely obscuring obstacle after it spread throughout the massive empty room. Coop saved most of his mana, choosing to maximize Presence of Mind with Fog of War rather than try and use the obstructing effect on the Priestess within her own domain. He didn¡¯t want to put any restrictions on himself by expending too much mana right away. The Avatar of Huracan had reminded him of that lesson.


    She scoffed at his brash aggression, summoning what seemed like hundreds more of the water orbs across the room. ¡°Very well.¡± She stated as the orbs bubbled into existence.


    Coop turned to Sierra as fog filled the lower vestibule. ¡°Are you going to be okay?¡± He asked, trying to decide how much of his attention he needed to leave for her.


    ¡°If you think we can kill her, then I will help.¡± Sierra stated grimly, taking the stairs two at a time to join him at the edge of the arena.


    She tried to put on a brave face, but her erratic breathing and wide eyes gave away her barely suppressed panic. She didn¡¯t seem to have any confidence in their chances, but like so many of the other locals he had met, she wouldn¡¯t go down without a fight, especially now that escape was no longer an option.


    The Cloud Dancer flicked her wrist next to her waist and a swirl of air dispersed the fog from around her, then she skipped ahead and shot into the air after the ball of her foot found a tiny puff of mana a few inches above the ground, somersaulting forward, then twirling like a figure skater before launching further upward.


    ¡°Well, alright.¡± Coop muttered to himself as Sierra bounded toward the mirror-like ceiling, literally running on air with long dramatic strides interspersed with twists and spins. At least she seemed evasive.


    The water orbs spread higher to provide obstacles for the Cloud Dancer. Each was large enough to drown a horse, but with Coop¡¯s Fog of War spreading across the arena, he had complete awareness of each summon. They weren¡¯t stationary barriers, but were actually rotating in set patterns. He imagined that the High Priestess couldn¡¯t split her attention between controlling every orb at once and compensated for her own limitation by giving them predetermined routes, easing the burden on her mind.


    ¡°What do you mean Kul-Hau?¡± She finally broached as the pair completed their preparations. ¡°He should be wrapping things up and arriving in the settlement any day now, just as I was.¡± The High Priestess responded once she was ready.


    ¡°I see.¡± Coop could conclude that the Cult wasn¡¯t in constant communication with each other. ¡°How many High Priests are there?¡± He asked as a swirl of mists solidified in his hand. His spear manifested again, this time, much heavier.


    ¡°You would be the tenth, minus the two you killed.¡± She responded capriciously.


    ¡°Three.¡± Coop corrected, adding the Voice of Kukulkan to her own count of the Priests he had already defeated.


    Her response revealed that there were originally only nine High Priests. Seven after he defeated the Mushroom Priestess and the Avatar of Huracan. Six without the Voice of Kukulkan as well. He was happy to finally have a better idea of the extent of the Cult of Chakyum. They might have thousands, or even millions of members in their Cult, but if only six were left that had risen to the level of High Priest, he thought they would be manageable. If they were all heading to the Yucatan settlement, it was even better. He thought he could finish his expedition in one fell swoop.


    But first, to the matter at hand. Turning the six into five.

 Chapter 211: Retribution

    There wasn¡¯t anything particularly special about Coop¡¯s heavy ethereal spears. When compared to the other weapons in Coop¡¯s arsenal, the primary difference was how unbalanced they were. In fact, they were essentially identical to his regular spears in every way except for one; they were really, really heavy. The only change he made to his regular summon was to push the imaginary slider that determined the manifestation¡¯s weight all the way to one side. The resulting density defied conventional wisdom. They would be useless if not for his absurd stat stacking giving him the Strength to lift them at all.


    When Coop first accepted his Revenant class, the only two active skills he had taken were Retribution and Salvation. Passing over active damaging abilities had been a calculated risk, but given the isolation of Ghost Reef, he felt it necessary. The pair of abilities provided proper equipment when he had none available and enabled a basic attack focused build, one that wouldn¡¯t be limited by downtime or be reliant on others in any way. The old fort didn¡¯t exactly have a burgeoning network of artisans or mercenaries waiting in the wings to party up or craft for him on their remote island.


    At the time, he was primarily concerned with making a coherent build while keeping in mind the limited options he had on Ghost Reef. He needed to be self-sufficient right off the bat, and there was no time to wait for a build to come together with additional skills while depending on teammates to fill gaps. Retribution and Salvation were the key ingredients to establishing the foundation that would keep both him and Jones alive as they divided the civilization shard¡¯s responsibilities between themselves.


    Retribution summoned weapons of solidified ethereal mists. Back then, Jones had helped him explore the skill¡¯s limitations, and the two had concluded that Coop was bound to weapons from eras long past. They weren¡¯t exactly correct, lacking critical information on the impact that mana was having on their world, but they were pretty close. The end result of the limitations on skills were the same. Coop¡¯s arsenal was restricted to certain weapon types from specific eras. Luckily for him, humans had already developed plenty of innovative ways of killing each other at every level of technology, so he had an abundance of potential tools to test out. Too many, really.


    From the start, the two active skills had exceeded expectations. Taking them both had immediately awarded Coop with the Ethereal title which seemed designed to prevent him from being disarmed while using a full set of ethereal equipment. Coop was happy with the ostensibly small bonus. He thought it could be even more functional with some creative application, though his imagination barely scratched its true potential. At the time, the additional feature provided by the Ethereal title led him to the idea of using thrown weapons. The disarm protection would be a convenient way to return deliberately discarded weapons back to his hand.


    Jones assisted him in making adjustments when he first started experimenting with the skills, and Coop quickly learned that he could fine-tune the summons, adjusting the weight, balance, texture, and even appearance of the solidified mists. The flexibility astounded him. It was an early taste of what was actual real magic, flipping his understanding of what was possible upside down.


    Coop and Jones worked together to get his initial weapons up to par, and one of the first changes Coop made to his spear was giving it more heft. It was his plan to use the weapon like a javelin when he needed a ranged alternative. If the weapon was too light, it didn¡¯t have the mass to even fly through the air effectively, and given that the weapons were made from mists, they could be extraordinarily lightweight.


    Adding weight and changing the balance of his spear had turned it into the weapon that defined his early tactics, providing the blueprint that kept him alive through fight after fight. Back when he was spending weeks hunting Ancient Defenders on the beach, he spent his time optimizing a single grind, experimenting with ways to become more efficient.


    Later, he discovered that the Ethereal title wasn¡¯t restricted to a one-way link where only his weapon would be returned to his armor. The Primal Kites pushed him to discover that the title could also drag himself through the mists to reconnect his armor with the weapon instead of vice versa, and Coop established another invaluable aspect of his build: mistjumping.


    At first, he had resigned himself to aspirations of becoming an undying skirmisher, trading mobility for survivability, and trading lethality for relentlessness, but mistjumping turned his expectations upside down and woke the greed to have his build do everything. As far as he was concerned, being so agile completely broke the balance of the Revenant class. He wasn¡¯t just the unyielding and defiant combatant that the class initially advertised. He was agile, tricky, and fast enough to transform what should have been limited options into entirely new avenues of destruction. If the Revenant was meant to be a proper tank with enough stats to stand toe to toe with raid bosses while allies rained damage on their foes, it was the titles that elevated it into something beyond expectations, with the Ethereal title, granted by Retribution and Salvation, opening the floodgates.


    The Ethereal, Haunted, Bloodthirsty, Reaper, and Mindbender titles had all generated new pathways for the Revenant to exploit its advantage in stats and become an entire party by itself. Ethereal gave him disarm protection, access to ranged options, and the ability to mistjump, providing far more mobility than would have been possible otherwise. Haunted enabled him to develop the sophisticated technique of expert fighters with an entire arsenal of weapons through solitary repetition and practice. Bloodthirsty and eventually the evolved Reaper title added a level of resource sustain behind his layers and layers of defense that meant he could outlast just about anyone and anything. Mindbender made his stat stacking flexible, shifting the bonus stats he accumulated with the Revenant¡¯s passive skills into whatever he needed at the time, and finally transformed the class into something that could truly ignore levels in favor of comparing raw stats.


    Coop had seen some interesting and powerful classes during the assimilation, whether they were held by humans or animals. He had often found himself envious of their specializations, feeling inadequate in the face of a hyper-focused area caster like Charlie¡¯s Aeromancer, the firepower and mobility of Jett¡¯s Sentinel of Shadows, or a momentum generating class like the giant pig¡¯s Eater of Worlds, but he had never found one that he would willingly trade his Revenant class for.


    Retribution might have been the single most important skill that he picked up. It was at the center of it all. Retribution was the focal point of his whole build and the skill gave his titles a pathway to interact with the Revenant¡¯s specific advantages.


    The skill had gone through some changes over time, the first being the evolution to Retribution+ after accepting the Legacy of the Mists upgrade at the start of the Path of the Mistwalker. His weapon summoning skill didn¡¯t only summon weapons after its evolution, expanding its capacity by adding ghostly phantasms that wielded their own ethereal weapons to his arsenal. When he activated the Legacy upgrade, warriors of past eras joined the fight at the expense of reserving a minor amount of durability in his current weapon.


    Then, after collecting Salvation¡¯s equivalent evolution with Inheritance of the Mists, the two original skills of his Revenant class merged. Neither of the skills were limited to manifesting simple ethereal equipment after the merger, summoning phantasms and apparitions that fought alongside him or even threatened to possess him, respectively. The new merged skill, Invocation, represented a turning point in the skills. They had expanded in scope. His commitment to only a few active skills had resulted in a significant expansion in their capabilities.


    Ever since upgrading both of his ethereal summoning skills, he was able to push through more boundaries that had limited Retribution¡¯s arsenal. The most obvious change came with his ability to summon proper two-handed weapons. His equipment had increased toughness, better stats, quicker manifestations, and that was ignoring the completely new features. The phantasms were essentially a burgeoning army of ghosts, with stats that matched Coop¡¯s, and the apparitions were a whole other bag of worms.


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    That brought him all the way back to his heavy ethereal spear. All he did was make a regular spear heavier. Simple. But that meant packing the spear with more ethereal mists than normal, and during his experimentation with manipulating the density of his weapons during the siege event, he had found that the results could be quite dramatic. The lesser density of his shattering brittle shields hadn¡¯t been what he was looking for at the time, but the higher density in his bunker busting spears could be pushed until the pressure made them volatile.


    With the various evolutions that Retribution had gone through, his ability to increase the density of his spear had improved dramatically. The heavy spear that he was throwing at the High Priestess of the Cult of Chakyum couldn¡¯t be compared to the first examples used to strike at the underground burrowing Raid Boss, Gaol the Unveiled Blade, nor to the explosive missiles that first annihilated hidden Primal Kites beneath the sandbars of Ghost Reef. The current heavy spears were that much heavier.


    Coop¡¯s muscles strained as he pitched the explosive javelin across the submerged cathedral, growling from deep in his chest as he was forced to fully exert himself to get the missile moving. He was entirely expecting the High Priestess to swap places with another crystal clear water orb, as she had already demonstrated the evasive maneuver to avoid his first throw, but he was more excited to see what would happen when the extreme pressure of her orb interacted with the pressurized spear. Would the spear be crushed? Would the orb be pierced?


    ¡°Let¡¯s find out.¡± He breathed as he released the spear.


    The spear shot through the watery reflections that were being cast from all across the chamber, giving the arena an incorporeal feel. The missile narrowly avoided an orb that was rapidly spinning while creeping along the swirling grooves in the glassy floor, then another orb shifted slightly above the spear¡¯s trajectory as it continued in its programmed path and Coop threaded the needle.


    ¡°Psh.¡± The High Priestess expressed her disappointment in Coop¡¯s apparent lack of diversity in attacks, flicking her bangs out of the way as she snapped her fingers to move to safety. The velocity of the heavy spear was less than the previous throws that had caught her by surprise, and she believed she was already adjusting to Coop¡¯s capability.


    If she really thought she was getting a handle on Coop, she would have to think again. The heavy spear struck the mass of water that she exchanged places with, embedding its entire length into the high pressure environment. For a moment it seemed like the result would be the same as his regular spear, with the orb crushing the insignificant weapon. Then, it exploded.


    Ethereal shards tore the water orb apart, shredding the perfectly symmetrical manifestation like an overfilled water balloon. Water cascaded in all directions, as if the spear had poked holes in an invisible dam that was barely holding an incomprehensible amount of water back. There wasn¡¯t enough water to flood the entire enormous chamber, but Coop was surprised by just how much water the orbs held, and that wasn¡¯t all. His spear had exploded with enough force to send shrapnel rocketing in all directions before dissipating. Nearby orbs were also pierced, though they didn¡¯t experience the same catastrophic failure as the one that took the brunt of the damage, they still leaked like an entire lake¡¯s worth of water was held within their confines. The simple rotational patterns were broken as the orbs skittered across the arena, smashing into others as they deflated.


    More significantly, jets of ocean water sprayed into the previously sealed chamber like geysers. Shrapnel from his spear had smashed into the floor beneath the orb with enough force to crack the glass-like surface. A spiderweb of fissures crawled around a small portion of the arena, threatening more destruction as the foundations of the palatial formation were threatened.


    ¡°You¡¯ll kill us all! You¡­ You! You¡¯re crazy!¡± The High Priestess wailed from the back of the chamber, horrified by Coop¡¯s lack of restraint and pointing a finger at him.


    Coop wasn¡¯t so sure about her concern. Mana had done strange things to all of them. They didn¡¯t need to eat, they didn¡¯t need to sleep, and they could survive so many other impossible environmental scenarios. Pressure, heat, and cold did little to slow his allies back on Ghost Reef and some of his enemies continued fighting without blood or muscle. Coop suspected they didn¡¯t really need to breathe either, but even if they did, he had backup lingering near the ceiling that had already proven they could stave off the water.


    Any potential diatribe from the Priestess regarding Coop¡¯s state of mind was cut short when the third member of their little affair reminded them of her presence. Sierra the Cloud Dancer was waiting for the Priestess to commit to dodging one of Coop¡¯s attacks to add her own follow up. Two blasts of air smashed into the Priestess from above, like invisible fists for a one-two punch, causing the Priestess to stumble to the side. When she recovered her footing, she appeared uninjured, if a little more disheveled. She spared a glance at the Cloud Dancer that skipped between much slower orbs in the air toward the opposite side of the room. When the Priestess looked back at Coop, frustration painted her face.


    Coop was summoning another heavy spear, ready to bring destruction to the High Priestess.


    ¡°Why go to these lengths? We¡¯re on the same side!¡± The Priestess contended, more concerned with her own well-being when she realized the risk to her stronghold.


    ¡°I¡¯m not on your side.¡± Coop maintained as he stepped into another throw.


    Before he released the spear, the High Priestess stamped her foot down in aggravation and the water orbs picked up speed, spinning faster as they rushed toward him. They spun fast enough to shed some of their water in rings around their core. She added flowing waves of water that shot between the orbs like solid walls meant for testing crumple zones in cars, but they did little to add to the already chaotic battlefield she was establishing.


    Coop adjusted his aim, tracking the orbs and waves as they raced across the tracks like they were obstacles in a duck hunt game, and let his spear fly.


    The ethereal spear narrowly escaped multiple orbs and a wave before clipping the edge of an orb halfway to the Priestess. The torn orb spilled its contents, creating a whitewater deluge that spread across the arena and diverted the slightly slowed spear through one of the walls of water, cleanly penetrating it like the High Priestess¡¯s original tidal wave that approached Corozal before the spear sank into a different rising orb. In the end, the projectile didn¡¯t reach its target, though it still exploded, causing another mesh of cracks in the floor after tearing through multiple other obstacles.


    ¡°We do what we must to save humanity!¡± The High Priestess shouted when she confirmed she wouldn¡¯t need to dodge his last projectile. ¡°Those who fall behind can still help the rest of us win.¡±


    Coop had to take long strides to avoid the stampede of water orbs. When one nearly caught him it was blasted by Sierra, shifting its trajectory just enough to skim by his side as he twisted out of the way. He skittered around the giant orbs feeling like a mouse being attacked by bowling balls. A few assists were necessary from Sierra when another wave of water walls expanded from the High Priestess, but he thought he would manage to come out the other side without too much extra effort until he was caught in a pattern that left him no chance. An inverted wedge of the crushing orbs rushed toward him, sealing his path.


    ¡°Shame.¡± The Priestess commented curtly, possibly seeing her reward for taking Coop back to Chakyum disappearing as she anticipated his destruction. She stumbled again when a blast of air clipped her back. ¡°Now to deal with this annoying fly.¡± She vowed, tossing her ruined braid over her shoulder and scanning the canopy for the Cloud Dancer.


    As soon as she took her attention away from the stampede, the center orb exploded and the entire cathedral rang like a gong. Coop¡¯s brand new heavy morning star had survived the pressure of the attack, crushing the tidal orb like a pumpkin after he applied a leaping smash from above. The web of fissures in the arena¡¯s floor expanded from where the head of the mace rested and water sprayed all around him as he stepped forward.


    He hadn¡¯t mistjumped out of the way of the inverted wedge because he was summoning a new variation of one of his older weapons. While the morning star was much heavier than before, the main difference was the absurd density he had poured into the mace. It went beyond his volatile spears, transforming into something that simply couldn¡¯t be crushed.


    At least, he hoped it couldn¡¯t be crushed. He had no idea what would happen if it did. He had to use his whole body to fling the dripping morning star off the ground and back up to his shoulder, but it would turn the threat of the stampeding water orbs into a true carnival game.

 Chapter 212: Combo Generator

    Sierra had a bird¡¯s eye view of the arena within the submerged cathedral. She kept as much distance from the developing conflict as she could, sticking to the perimeter as she sought opportunities to contribute, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel as though she was trapped inside a collapsing glass cage with two absolute monsters.


    From her perspective, the overall situation didn¡¯t look good. The arena had a razor thin layer of water coating its entire surface while the outer vestibules were fully submerged. Each step that Coop took splashed, radiating shallow waves as he maneuvered. Meanwhile, the High Priestess tiptoed on top of the surface of the water. Neither of the primary combatants had landed any particularly damaging blows to the other, but it seemed like the Priestess held several advantages between the range of her spells, the development of the arena, and that they were fighting within her own domain. Sierra wasn¡¯t sure how a melee focused fighter would manage against the mobile caster in a drawn out fight, especially as the water level rose, and she lacked the ability to consistently provide support.


    The stronghold of the High Priestess had sprung a few leaks in its effort to contain the aggressive gladiator, but most of the water that pooled inside the chamber was the result of the crystal clear and highly pressurized water orbs being smashed by the heavy morning star. The enemy obstacles contained an incomprehensible quantity of liquid. They completely ignored their already large physical dimensions and exploded into waterfall-like cascades whenever they popped. Sierra was forced to skirt around them like they were untethered hot air balloons as some of the orbs hovered throughout the domain, even after the number gradually decreased after Coop individually destroyed them.


    The submerged enclave held its rigid exterior, but the entire structure was shifting. Water was starting to pool on one side, revealing a slight lean that she wouldn¡¯t have noticed from the air, but was made obvious by the sloshing water as it ran across the grooved floor. The constant bashing from the sledgehammer-like weapon had caused the entire structure to become unmoored from whatever magic had fastened it in place. The abyss beyond the walls remained uninviting to Sierra, though the whole cathedral had brightened slightly as they drifted closer to the surface. Coop appeared to be singularly focused on destroying the High Priestess with little regard for the condition of their vessel. Sierra felt like she needed to be ready for another Cloud Vortex at any moment, or they might drown when the walls finally collapsed.


    Sierra was literally and figuratively out of her depth. It took all of her skills and experience to contribute anything at all to the conflict between the two titans. She liberally applied her Nimbus Strides, holding none back. If she didn¡¯t, she was guaranteed to die a horrible, crushing death. After seeing the fate of Coop¡¯s spear, she had no desire to be killed by the extraordinary pressure of the orbs. The Priestess¡¯s errant skills were enough to push her evasiveness to her limit. She rarely had the chance to weave Zephyr Blasts into her dance, but even when she did, they did little more than annoy the fully empowered Priestess. The level gap was such that Sierra had no choice but to retreat and seek windows of opportunity to land surprise attacks, except now she was trapped within the domain.


    The whole experience was a far cry from her dominating presence in Costa Rica, where she was at the clear apex of the region. Monsters and intruders risked it all when they appeared in her forest. She was considered a secret champion by those who knew of her, as she prevented the Cult from sending Acolytes and Priests beyond her territory. It wasn¡¯t until she heard Juliana¡¯s message and she left to rejoin the Jaguar Sun that she found herself outclassed and forced to retreat from the very High Priestess that was being pressed by the outsider. Now that she was caught among actual peak examples of warriors in the assimilation, she felt truly inadequate.


    She had been able to develop her own little enclave after the Jaguar Sun failed to topple the Cult, thanks in large part to her previously unsurpassed abilities. Her Cloud Dancer class was something special, giving her access to seemingly unlimited skills through one simple channel, but she wasn¡¯t particularly strong due to the requirement to chain moves in a constantly flowing, and literal, dance.


    While she worried about navigating the air, Coop was smashing through orbs and slowly making his way across the platform, getting closer and closer to the Priestess. The Priestess, for her part, was running out of orbs to transfer her position with, and it seemed as though it was only a matter of time before she would be forced to stand before the Champion of Ghost Reef.


    Juliana had informed her of the presence of the outsider, but she hadn¡¯t made the connection between the powerful Champion from her ally¡¯s story and the suicidal fighter that had blindly engaged the High Priestess. It wasn¡¯t until they were already within the submerged domain that she realized who he was. At first glance, Coop didn¡¯t seem to wield the unmatched Strength he was now displaying. In fact, she had mistaken him for a much more average warrior when he first assaulted the Priestess. His physical presence wasn¡¯t as imposing as someone like Tzultacaj and other pure Strength focused fighters, at least from a distance. The truly strong often moved like hulking barbarians. Coop, for his part, seemed more balanced, like a natural athlete before the assimilation came.


    Once he was engrossed in combat, Sierra was glad Coop wasn¡¯t focused on her. Even if it meant trading power profiles, she wouldn¡¯t swap places with the High Priestess. Coop¡¯s aura filled the chamber, and it made her blood run cold. He seemed unstoppable. It didn¡¯t matter how much faster she could be, she thought his pursuit would be unending. The Priestess appeared to be coming to the same conclusion. The obstacles she used to trap and defeat others were being crushed with simple motions that concealed the effort he must have been putting behind the blows.


    As the number of water orbs dwindled, Sierra found herself with more room to maneuver. Her Nimbus Strides started to recover, and she began to pool them for when they became more necessary. She was able to spend more time watching for openings in the High Priestess¡¯s actions as Coop demanded the enemy¡¯s full attention.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you see?¡± The High Priestess asked Coop, as the pair continued an ongoing conversation that Sierra hardly followed. ¡°In this way, those who would have died at the hands of invaders have the chance to contribute to the rest of us instead! They become the wind in our sails, the pillars of our fortress, and the army at our backs!¡±


    Coop barely acknowledged her words, crushing another orb before responding. ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re making excuses for murder.¡± He grunted as he heaved the spiked mace back over his shoulder with straining muscles.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you understand that it is completely justified? We will be added to a long line of extinct societies if we do not take extreme measures!¡± The Priestess continued before barely avoiding a ghost that sought to crush her skull from behind.


    She stumbled forward, letting a wall of water sweep across the ghost. The wave swallowed the vapors of the destroyed manifestation like a wave curling over a beach. However, the pressure that Coop was placing on her was clearly becoming too much. At some point while Sierra was dodging orbs, he had exposed his ability to summon what Sierra assumed were ghostly clones, causing the Priestess to waver from the comfortable attitude she held from the safety of range. Sierra assumed that¡¯s what triggered another round of negotiations.


    ¡°Why not protect them? Raise them up? Give them a chance?¡± Coop wondered. ¡°You¡¯re like crabs in a bucket, just desperate to be at the top, even if it means dragging others down.¡± He concluded.


    ¡°We don¡¯t just kill! Most join us! Everyone has the chance to prove themselves worthy to Chakyum! No one is wasted!¡± She shouted, growing increasingly agitated as she narrowly avoided two more of Coop¡¯s clones, though these two were female ghosts, and Sierra needed to revise her assumptions in regard to Coop¡¯s skills.


    ¡°Who decided Chakyum should be the arbiter of who lives or dies?¡± Coop demanded as he smashed a water orb, drenching himself as he continued his stroll toward the Priestess.


    ¡°He¡¯s the Lord of Death!¡± The High Priestess shrieked, spittle flying in frustration. ¡°Are you thick in the head? Who else is better positioned to decide who lives than someone with dominion over death itself?¡±


    Sierra¡¯s eyes widened as Coop casually sighed in the middle of the fight, pausing his advance to lean on his mace in between orbs like he was growing tired of trying to teach someone else¡¯s toddler right from wrong. With the orbs shifting around him, it seemed like he had stopped in the middle of traffic. She couldn¡¯t believe he was so at ease in the situation. It didn¡¯t seem like he was faking it, either.


    ¡°The people whose lives are at stake.¡± He shrugged like he couldn¡¯t believe he had to clarify. ¡°Obviously, right?¡± Coop put one arm out like they were just having a regular conversation, resting his other wrist on the hilt of his mace. When the Priestess failed to respond, he looked up at Sierra. ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°Uh, right!¡± Sierra quickly agreed, squeaking out her response, horrified that he was splitting his attention the way he was, but also shocked by how he seemed to know exactly where she had gone. She thought the other two had forgotten about her, but he locked eyes with her without having to seek her position along the edges of the ceiling.


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    The High Priestess balled up her fists and barely held back from screaming. ¡°Fine! You had that privilege yourself. Choosing to resist Chakyum¡¯s is the same as choosing death. You will come to regret your actions.¡±


    Coop shrugged, then shifted his hands to the shaft of his morning star, heaving it off the ground. Water dripped from his hair and the spikes on his mace gleamed with beads that shined with the scattered blue and green light. It wasn¡¯t like the High Priestess had been holding back before giving up on convincing Coop of her righteousness, but her concession marked a change in strategy. The last few remaining watery orbs burst into gravity defying downpours, sweeping across the chamber and forming a deluge of droplets. All three of them were further drenched in a torrent of rain before it settled down. Sierra was further scraped and battered, bleeding from the rain, and nearly failed to maintain her dance, but Coop was unbothered, merely squinting to protect his eyes.


    The High Priestess had shifted her position at the exact center of the cathedral, where the floor¡¯s swirling grooves all met, forming a perfect circle. She raised both of her arms into the air and a cylindrical shield of water rose around her while a section of the floor shimmered with electric blue light. Sierra could feel the air tremble with energy and her eyes were glued to the dazzling color. Coop stepped back so that he wasn¡¯t on top of the peculiar segment.


    A gout of white water erupted from the area, smashing into the ceiling before Sierra even registered what was happening. The water had so much pressure, Sierra was sure that it would strip the flesh from her bones if she was so much as grazed. She could barely hear the screeching of the High Priestess over the roar of cascading water, but it was clear that she had grown unhinged in her desperation as she invoked her Master.


    Sections of the floor continued to light up, and at first they were only small sections, like slices of a pie. The two challengers easily avoided them, but then the sections expanded into quarters, forcing Coop to slide across large portions of the platform unless he wanted to test the pressure himself. Then the shapes reorganized into rings. Water splashed from the ceiling, turning the entire cathedral into a barely contained rain shower.


    Coop ran forward, leaving a trail of splashing footprints, when the entire outer ring blasted water, and Sierra barely kept up while bounding through the air, expending the Nimbus Steps that she had banked. She swapped to her travel form as she used the last of her steps, gliding in a tight circle as near the ceiling as she could get.


    When the inner ring erupted, Coop stopped, then when the middle ring lit up, he slid backwards again. Sierra found a position directly above the priest, but she dared not reveal her exact location at the moment. While Coop may have kept track of her, she didn¡¯t think the Priestess had the same level of awareness, and Sierra was grasping at the seconds of safety like a lifeline. Her emerald feathers were drenched, but she could use her skills on cooldown to keep the wind beneath her wings and stay elevated.


    The rings continued to alternate, exploding with violent cascades of cutting water before both the inner and outer blasted at the same time. Then, an entire quarter of the arena erupted simultaneously as two of the rings hummed with gathered energy. Coop expertly navigated the borders, proving that it wasn¡¯t only Strength that had empowered his abilities.


    He was too swift to be caught, even when half the room was inundated in the white water geysers. His feet were steady as they splashed through the shallow water that had risen to his ankles at the deeper end, and he barely seemed taxed as he hustled back and forth around the room. Sierra thought he seemed tireless. If he could avoid the obstacles long enough there was a chance he would find an opening.


    The Priestess was growing more frantic, and Sierra suspected she was running on fumes. When Sierra was being pursued, the Priestess had already been forced to consume plenty of mana, and the conflict had simply continued from there. It was only a matter of time before Coop¡¯s opportunity came. His stamina was proving to be the most meaningful factor in their fight.


    The Priestess closed her eyes and raised both hands, inadvertently trapping Sierra within her personal shield as it expanded all the way to the ceiling, then the entire platform started to glow, leaving nowhere for Coop to go. Before she realized what was happening, Coop threw his spear only for it to be caught within the thick border that the Priest had erected around her position.


    Sierra¡¯s eyes widened as she realized it was the chance they were waiting for, but it wasn¡¯t for Coop, who was on the far edge of the chamber, right beneath the empty throne. He seemed content to withstand the water geyser, bracing himself with confidence, as he accepted his thrown weapons wouldn¡¯t interrupt the spell, but Sierra made the move for the both of them.


    Sierra¡¯s world flipped as she shot toward the priest, running upside down, after she exited her travel form, leaving a cloud of mana behind. The Priestess had let her guard down to cast an ultimate ability, one that would cover the entire chamber and be completely undodgeable.


    In a fraction of a second Sierra had already stepped into another more aggressive dance, splashing into the water directly in front of the Priestess as she flipped back around. She opened up on the distracted caster with a Cloud Jab to her throat, interrupting the spell, and generated her first Combo Blast. The explosion of air released by the Combo Blast connected in the exact same place as her fist a fraction of a second afterwards for twice as much damage.


    The Priestess¡¯s eyes snapped open in surprise, and her hands rose to her neck, but before she could cough and choke, Sierra followed with a Hail Punch to her slackened jaw, and repeated the Combo Blast, then slid into Zephyr¡¯s Sweeping Low Kick, extending the chain of skills and folding the Priest forward. Two-Step Shift doubled her Combo Count, while her feet swapped positions and her stance rotated. The new stance flowed into a clean Windswept Back Heel that blasted the side of the High Priestess¡¯s skull, and enabled a Penta Combo Blast that undid her braid and sent her long purplish hair flying. Sierra continued with a Rising Knee into the stumbling Priest¡¯s temple that lifted her opponent off the ground. Then she automatically added a Rising Sun Kick that had her flipping backwards as her foot connected with the body of the Priest.


    Cunning Impulse boosted her Feather Step and her stance swapped again while in the middle of her backflip, doubling her already doubled Combo Count, and gave her the leverage for a Whispering Uppercut to the Priest¡¯s chin as soon as her feet splashed into the water and triggered her now quadrupled Penta Combo Blast. As Sierra rose in the air with the upwards attack, Wandering Breeze gave her an extra Nimbus Step to leap off an invisible barrier and add a Crushing Elbow, and two more Cloud Jabs, which she followed with a Windborne Spinning Back Fist to extend her chain for the second time, adding even more Combo Blasts with every blow.


    Every silent beat that kept rhythm in her head was punctuated with her class¡¯s notification system. Combo! Combo! Hyper Combo! Chain Extended! Bonus Damage! Ultra Combo! Each strike was joined by additional blasts of wind, dealing augmented and multiplying magic damage. The bonus damage doubled, then tripled as she extended the chain. Each individual strike was like a machine gun of repeated attacks. First her knuckles connected, then a dozen air blasts with multiplied damage struck consecutively as she juggled the Priestess into the air. Then her shin would strike the next beat as her leg extended into a high kick with the other braced in a Nimbus Stride, and another dozen air blasts would follow.


    Sierra was considered elite for a reason. She was essentially a regional power, and she was proving why. Against a more evenly matched opponent, Sierra would already be the victor, but the Priestess eclipsed her raw level by an absurd degree.


    When the Priestess nearly landed on the ground, back first, Sierra wasn¡¯t ready to let her combo complete. Harrier¡¯s Pursuit brought her to the ground before her target, then Whirling Engagement triggered a Sliding Kick that parted the water before connecting with the Priestess¡¯s ribs. She tried to end the fight with a devastating Zephyr Stomp that would crush a normal human¡¯s neck, but the Priestess had finally reacted with more than simple shock, rolling out of the way.


    While on one knee, the bloodied Priestess retaliated with a single tidal wave generated with a forceful punch, the same that had defeated Coop¡¯s ghost clones. The wave was enough to crush organs. Sierra was sent careening across the arena. The chain was broken. She bounced, tumbled, then skidded through the shallow water until she finally stopped with one arm and one leg hanging over the edge of the platform onto the next steps and her other arm folded beneath her. Her head was turned so that she could still see the Priestess through one eye while the other was blurred by inch deep water.


    She knew it was a lethal blow, and she anticipated her imminent death, but not before she watched Coop¡¯s spear pierce through the distracted and now unshielded Priestess¡¯s chest. The High Priestess had a moment to look horrified. Then the Champion himself appeared out of a small cloud of mana and the spear morphed into the heavy morning star. The Priestess bled bright red blood into the water as she fell back to her knee, only able to stand for a moment after Sierra¡¯s pummeling.


    One strike from the morning star and the impaled Priestess was pulverized. Sierra received four levels and she managed a weak smile as the light faded, letting her eyes close in satisfaction. As long as she took the High Priestess with her, it was worth it. It was a good trade for the Jaguar Sun.


    As memories of her life inundated her thoughts, she drifted through a slideshow that highlighted her life. She became numb to the cold water. Then, she tasted a hint of cherries. The flavor grew incessant and painted her recollections, distracting her from how nervous she was on the first day of elementary school, how excited she was when she got her first paycheck, how scared she was when the assimilation began, and how angry she had been after the first Priest of the Cult of Chakyum betrayed her neighbors. He had promised salvation, but delivered duplicity at a time when people were too confused to anticipate treachery. The last memory was of how inspired she had felt when Tzultacaj defeated the betrayer in a bloody duel, and the resolve she felt when she and a dozen others followed him to the next town. She felt herself scowl as the cherries became overwhelming. She didn¡¯t like the tartness.


    ¡°Just relax.¡± She heard as the taste caused her to stir. ¡°You''ll be alright.¡± Another voice promised. She wasn¡¯t so sure such a promise could be kept. None of them were alright.

 Chapter 213: Mobilization

    Tzultacaj jerked his axe in the air in a futile effort to rid the blade of the thick layer of viscous blood that was coating its edge. The shaking did nothing. His gaze darkened at his failure to easily clean the ancient inherited weapon. If there would be time for proper maintenance, it would come after the Cult of Chakyum was eliminated, but that was in the distant future. The stains upon his heritage would remain for now. His axe already bore the evidence that the journey had been long, but it promised to be longer still. Stepping away from the quieted battlefield, he broke from his normal pattern and sought to hear the status of their second campaign before moving on.


    Tzultacaj rarely hesitated. Once one battle was done, he moved to the next. But in this case, he paused his constant forward progress. There was no fear clouding his mind. It was the unusual behavior of the Cult that drew him to his tactician, seeking answers. It wasn¡¯t the first strangeness he had noticed since openly beginning their second campaign.


    They had defeated a strange formation of Cultists who were camping in the parade grounds of an infantry base within the previous borders of Mexico. It was a location he had been before, several times, but there had been no enemies present. It was a mere 50 to 100 miles from the Yucatan settlement, taking into account the changes to the mana awoken Earth. The former infantry base now fell within the confines of the civilization shard¡¯s territory, but the land between was the thick rugged jungle that had proven to be difficult during their first campaign. The monsters had grown relatively tame in the time since. A positive development for the Jaguar Sun, but they still looked forward to leaving their territory. The Ruin Nebulas were their preferred enemies.


    There hadn¡¯t been nearly as many Priests as he anticipated prior to reaching the infantry base. He had more successful hunts with Juliana in the weeks prior, where they confronted individual holdouts on a regular basis. The ones they did find on their current campaign weren¡¯t dug in as he would expect. They weren¡¯t holding large groups of hostages or picking apart smaller unprotected settlements as they engaged in dark rituals. Tzultacaj was struck by the eeriness of their altered actions.


    It was odd to find Chakyum¡¯s forces in transition. They were typically securing themselves in strongholds of their choosing or moving as solitary individuals, like missionaries in search of a new flock. He had never encountered a large convoy on the move before this one, and its existence added to the oddities of the Cult¡¯s recent behavior. They were already strange, but a departure from their normal operations raised his hackles. For a hunter, it was the difference between cornering healthy prey compared to something diseased. The altered behavior was suspicious.


    While Tzultacaj had yet to rid his homeland of the blemish that the Cult represented, his efforts were unceasing. If anyone was familiar with their regular actions, it was him, the one who made the Cultists his prey. Day after day he was traversing new and old hunting grounds, slowing the infection¡¯s spread. Naturally, he would notice when something changed.


    After the Jaguar Sun had failed, the situation in the region deteriorated further. In response, Tzultacaj redoubled his efforts, attempting to make up for lost ground. The Cult wasn¡¯t even aware of how close they had come to fighting an all out war over the Yucatan settlement, but afterwards they were able to expand almost completely uncontested aside from what little he could do. The Primal Constructs were of no help when it came to the settlement that, over time, had become the focal point of the Cult.


    It felt like several lifetimes ago that momentum had built behind his axe and a war host had formed to cull Chakyum from Central America once and for all. He knew that those around him were losing hope, finding themselves caught between challenges that were too threatening to continually face. Both the Cult of Chakyum and the wild Primal Constructs were strengthening, but the Jaguar Sun had been fading into memory. The movement that followed in Tzultacaj¡¯s path was a brief flash of hope that disappeared as it was eclipsed by the system¡¯s events.


    Tzultacaj didn¡¯t have any expectations. For him, there was no need for hope. There was only duty and a simmering rage. His class had granted him power that he used to fight for those who struggled. It was natural to share in times of plenty and to be aided in times of scarcity. The assimilation had provided plenty for Tzultacaj.


    There was a time, before the assimilation, that he had been on the other end of the struggle. Neighbors and strangers pitched in from time to time to make sure his family wasn¡¯t left behind as the modern world encroached on their more traditional way of living. He believed he was merely doing what anyone else would do if the tables were turned and they were the ones that had been empowered. The innate cooperation throughout their community was ingrained in his blood. When others joined forces to follow in his wake, he felt it was proof that his instinct was a communal one.


    The cooperation wasn¡¯t limited to the indigenous Maya peoples that existed in the Yucatan either. People from all walks of life had joined in the resistance, but on some level the existence of the Cult of Chakyum felt like a personal attack on his culture. Tzultacaj could freely accept that his desire to rid the world of the Cult was partially motivated by personal animosity. It was possible that even if the Cult wasn¡¯t openly hostile, he would continue to have a bone to pick with them. He supposed that most of the others who joined in the war felt similarly.


    Those who survived the Jaguar Sun¡¯s original failed campaign had scattered throughout Central America, returning to the remnants of their homes or staking out new claims, assuming they escaped the pursuing monsters. Only a handful of the warriors continued their proactive efforts to secure the region, and of those, the four elites were the most prominent and longest lasting. If it wasn¡¯t for the cooperation of Juliana, Mateo, and Sierra, the Cult of Chakyum would have spread far and wide, even with Tzultacaj¡¯s continued efforts.


    He was a single-minded hunter-turned warrior. The additional organization necessary to maintain an army and sustain a campaign were beyond him. Mateo had stepped out of Tzultacaj¡¯s shadow to make sure the rest of the warriors that formed the Jaguar Sun were relatively structured. The man was something of a warrior even before the assimilation, fighting in a resistance before magic had painted their world in new colors. If it wasn¡¯t for Mateo, the Jaguar Sun would have been a simple mob with Tzultacaj leading the way.


    Many things were different the second time around. Mateo was there at the beginning this time, as was Juliana. Mateo had maintained a structured organization that blocked the Cults'' northward expansion from his base near the Pacific Coast. They were more prepared for the difficulties that lay ahead, had a better understanding of their enemies, were more desperate than before, and had a new ally that could neutralize the Cult¡¯s newest and greatest advantage. Tzultacaj left the tactics to Mateo, but he was able to conclude that Coop was a warrior that could change the tide himself.


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    The Cult of Chakyum was a nebulous existence consisting of untold numbers of Acolytes and relatively less, but more vicious and powerful, Priests. Tzultacaj had been the first to prove the Priests were not truly divine beings, but were humans bathing themselves in the blood of others. He began his hunt by killing the Priest that sacrificed the villages near his home. Others became aware of his feats and decided that if he could take a Priest¡¯s head then they could as well. Juliana was the next to take one of their hearts, and in feeding it to her spirit animal, revealed that the mysticism wasn¡¯t limited to the enemy¡¯s side.


    However, the challenge of the Cult had evolved. The newer High Priests were existences potentially beyond those of the Jaguar Sun¡¯s elites. Tzultacaj fought to prove they wouldn¡¯t be left behind, but it wasn¡¯t until Coop jumped into the Butterfly Cave that any High Priest was shown to be fallible. Defeat would be inevitable if the Cult bolstered itself any further.


    Tzultacaj followed wide channels that had been carved into the broken concrete ground, revealing the light colored sandy foundation beneath. He bypassed the many warriors that had fought at his side and were in the process of checking their own equipment or recovering from wounds. Each of the channels was as wide as his arms were long and he knew they had been brilliant energy blasts launched by Mateo in his bout with a pair of Priests. The channels of destruction all emanated from a single point as Mateo repeatedly cast his primary attack. The man hadn¡¯t moved from his stationary position even after the battle was done, and Tzultacaj found him deep in thought as if he had transitioned from combat to contemplation the instant his opponent was defeated.


    ¡°Mateo.¡± Tzultacaj spoke, interrupting the silent meditation.


    ¡°I know, I know.¡± Mateo responded, raising a hand as he was already anticipating the leader¡¯s thoughts. ¡°It was really weird. They have clearly only been in the area for a short period, less than a day even, or we would have known about them ahead of time. This was no stronghold. Not to mention that it was occupied by more than one.¡±


    Mateo pointed to a burned pile of ash. ¡°All the Cult members¡¯ bodies disappeared like usual, shriveling up until they turned to dust and smoke, but there could have been regular people with them that we didn¡¯t notice. We should ask around and see if any of the warriors encountered an enemy that was not an Oathsworn Human like usual. If regular humans fought us on the side of the Cult...¡± He waved his hand back and forth like he was waving a fly away. ¡°I think maybe this could have been a recruitment march. That¡¯s the only possibility I¡¯ve come up with. They were all heading back toward the settlement together.¡±


    ¡°Together?¡± Tzultacaj asked. Interrupting his friend¡¯s rambling.


    ¡°I know, right? Six Priests together was a real surprise.¡± The lines on Mateo¡¯s forehead deepened. ¡°I hope it was just a coincidence and they were all returning at the same time. But from the same direction? I don¡¯t know. If they were recruiting, I would have expected far more regular humans and far less Priests. Are they pooling their resources? Already? We have barely gained momentum, and Sierra should only just be joining Juliana around now. They should have barely gotten started. I didn¡¯t expect the Cult to react at all, let alone so soon. In any case, I¡¯ve never heard of them cooperating like that before.¡±


    Tzultacaj thought they were lucky to have encountered the contingent of Cultists while he was there with Mateo. If it was any of the Jaguar¡¯s elites alone, they would have been in danger, though both Juliana and Sierra were capable of escaping if necessary. Mateo in particular would have been vulnerable.


    ¡°The Acolytes?¡± Tzultacaj continued.


    ¡°It was unusual to find so many together, that¡¯s for sure. But the Jaguar Warriors have clearly gained far more combat experience than any of them. However, we may not be able to bolster our numbers the way you did on the first campaign. What are all the Priests doing? Even the ones we find barely have anyone living beneath their thumbs. Not to mention, there are just less people who haven¡¯t already picked a side. We were always going to be outnumbered, but this might be worse than expected. Maybe we can manage, unless we walk into some sort of trap.¡± Mateo idly rubbed one palm with the fingers of his other hand. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m worried about. I can¡¯t figure it out, but it¡¯s possible they are prepared for us this time around. We should be cautious, but we don¡¯t have time on our side, so we can¡¯t be too cautious.¡±


    He frowned, furrowing his brows and shifted his gaze toward Tzultacaj with seriousness that couldn¡¯t be understated. ¡°We¡¯re already at risk of completely losing our chances by facing a High Priest before you and I are ready. It¡¯s early enough to call it off without serious losses. We can bolster ourselves for the next event and see how things shake out afterwards. I mean, are you even sure that this Coop outsider can handle himself? From what I heard he¡¯s just some gringo wandering around the woods calling out in search of Chakyum because they wrecked his settlement.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± Tzultacaj confirmed without hesitation. ¡°His settlement continues to climb the leaderboards.¡± He added, pointing out an obvious flaw in the rumors.


    He had witnessed Coop¡¯s Strength firsthand when he tried to take the Champion¡¯s head and was disarmed like a child swinging a stick at a grown adult. That Coop had gone on to successfully defeat the High Priestess that he and Juliana couldn¡¯t even reach further revealed the gap between their abilities. Tzultacaj was sure that Coop could succeed where he could not. The Cult had disturbed a caiman nest by visiting Ghost Reef.


    ¡°Yes, yes. He seems to have defeated two or three already, but I believe the Cloud Dancer took care of one herself. If we hear news of her victory soon, then I¡¯ll feel more confident.¡± Mateo continued, before he slowly grew more distracted with his own thoughts. ¡°Even if we get good news, it¡¯s bad news though. How many High Priests are there? We had assumed just a few, but if so many are being found we might be underestimating their forces too much. They mask their levels with the regular Priests too well, and not all Priests rose high before establishing their strongholds...¡±


    Tzultacaj tuned the babbling tactician out, making his decision as he gazed across the parade grounds. There were 50,000 Jaguar Warriors spread across the military base and into the town behind them. They had begun their campaign with more than half that many, and even though they had defeated a handful of Priests before reaching the infantry base, the numbers hadn¡¯t grown as rapidly as they hoped. The Jaguar Sun¡¯s second dawn wasn¡¯t the same liberating army that the first had been. Instead, they were a final resistance, continuing where the previous left off.


    Juliana and Sierra would be leading the larger portion of their army. He predicted they would converge upon the Yucatan settlement within two weeks. It would be difficult to adjust their plans if it became necessary. He was already demanding a lot from Juliana, having her lead most of the forces, but she had experienced warriors behind her, and she would have Coop close by. Tzultacaj wouldn¡¯t put more pressure on her by lacking the commitment to follow through on the plan himself.


    Tzultacaj marched forward without any more words, letting Mateo drone on, and leaving the rest of the crowd to notice and follow on their own. He knew there was a lot to worry about, but there was no use in lingering in their thoughts the way Mateo couldn¡¯t stop himself from doing.


    In the end, he assessed that the Jaguar Sun would be four or five times smaller than what Mateo dreamed of. At the rate they were finding Priests, they would have killed ten times less than what Juliana would have wished. Sierra would not be happy with how slowly the armies moved and that they were constantly having to fight their way forward. None would be satisfied.


    Tzultacaj just wanted to find the next Priest that he would kill. Just one head would mean progress. More would follow. His axe still dripped with the drying blood of the previous four Priests of the day, but his only thoughts were on the next.

 Chapter 214: Bamboo Chicken

    Coop had been treading water for the better part of two entire days. The sea was an unforgiving opponent that Coop would never defeat in a test of endurance. The continual procession of waves firmly established the constant struggle of remaining above the surface. There was no end in sight. Fighting to keep his head above water was an extreme challenge that intensified when the largest swells rolled through, forcing him to dig in and exert himself unceasingly lest he be dragged down.


    The sun didn¡¯t provide any solace. Its burning presence was just as uncompromising. The heat on his exposed skin threatened to sap his strength, teaming up with the ocean as if the two forces of nature were in collaboration to deliver him back to the depths. Coop powered on, kicking his feet with an unending rhythm to avoid slipping into the dark deep ocean. Every third swelling wave required another burst of energy, yet there was no chance to relax in between.


    Paradoxically, he was freezing cold. The shivering began after only a few hours in the tropical ocean. Coop clenched his jaw to stop his teeth chattering, but the cold seeped into his bones. He was thirsty, tired, and growing increasingly stressed as time slipped by, but he had grown stubborn during the assimilation. He wouldn¡¯t quit. He wanted nothing more than to mistjump his way back to land and resume his dutiful grinding after a long nap, but the mission hadn¡¯t had a satisfactory ending.


    When he was engaged with the High Priestess, Ak-Hau, inside of her submerged cathedral, he assumed they had been dragged into the deep ocean by mana-manipulated underwater currents. Chetumal Bay was simply not deep enough to provide the depths he had experienced when he was first dragged down.


    His suspicions were confirmed when he emerged from the wrecked enclave amidst a large debris field in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight. He wasn¡¯t sure if they were 50 miles, 500 miles, or 5,000 miles off shore. The horizon provided no clues. Just an endless ocean full of tormenting waves.


    After the Priestess¡¯s death, the solid structure had broken apart, collapsing like the glue that held it together had disappeared, letting the water rush into the empty space. Coop hadn¡¯t been very careful with the integrity of the sunken fortress in the first place. He had been relying on Sierra¡¯s ability to create another pocket of air around them if he completely destroyed the structure, but she hadn¡¯t been capable of helping when the time came.


    Luckily, the cathedral had risen from the terrible depths as they fought with the owner. When the structure shattered into pieces, Coop was able to swim to the surface before his burning lungs compelled him to test just how much his body needed oxygen and how much breathing was a force of habit remembered from the pre-mana days. Still, he was pretty confident that he had set some records for the deepest free dive, though his extra Strength and general physical resistance probably disqualified him from fair competition.


    In any case, it would have to be a joint record since he had dragged Sierra on the trip to the surface. Ever since, he had been keeping his head above the water while making sure she was able to rest as much as possible. The environment wasn¡¯t exactly conducive to healthy recovery, but he did his best lifeguard imitation, preventing her from drowning, at the very least. He couldn¡¯t take her with him when he mistjumped, so he tried to nurse her back to a state where she could travel with her own strength.


    Coop expected Primal Constructs or aggressive animals to attack them. He did his best to stay vigilant, but kicking his legs beneath the surface with his arms occupied with holding the Cloud Dancer left him feeling extremely exposed to anything that lurked below. If there was anything, it never made its presence known.


    Coop supposed the particular section of ocean was similar to the area around the Avatar of Huracan¡¯s domain, the Mushroom King¡¯s Cavern, and to a lesser extent the Voice of Kukulkan¡¯s Thunderstruck Tree. Once the Cultists established their domains, everything else was excluded, perhaps because they were deliberately trying to establish what the system designated as Infestations, or maybe it was simply the default result of a powerful entity occupying a specific area. Either way, it meant that the ocean was as empty as it seemed from his perspective bobbing upon the waves. If not, Coop¡¯s aura appeared to be enough to scare away the curious predators that investigated their presence. Naturally, some caution was necessary for animals to survive in the wild, and Coop would represent an unknown quantity that might not be worth the effort.


    Most of the time, Sierra was barely skimming the edge of consciousness. Coop had been feeding her Elder Olani¡¯s latest iteration of the healing tinctures. Every hour, he gave her another until she had consumed the entire batch by herself. While they were definitely effective, they appeared to taste much closer to a proper medicine with the way Sierra scrunched her face up with displeasure each time he gave her one. They smelled nice to him, but he didn¡¯t waste any on taste testing.


    Coop didn¡¯t let Sierra¡¯s obvious aversion to the tinctures discourage him from providing them every time the cooldown reset. Knowing that it was only a matter of time before mana¡¯s natural recovery would improve the Jaguar Warrior¡¯s health, he did his best to make sure that she didn¡¯t succumb to any lingering consequences of taking damage. However, even as her health improved, it grew more obvious that the injuries were the kind that lingered through debuffs that would take much longer to dissipate.


    Sierra had been amazing when she had the opportunity to engage the High Priestess, but she had fallen to the natural disadvantage of an evasion focused build. A single undodged attack could be devastating. She had taken critical damage from the much higher leveled Priestess, nearly being killed in a single direct attack, the same tidal punches that the Priestess implemented in countering his phantasms. As it stood, the Cloud Dancer¡¯s recovery would be a long time coming.


    Coop was no doctor, but the horrible bruising across her midriff made him assume she had internal injuries, and the way she could barely move her legs or even breath properly without excruciating pain had him worried about her spine and ribs. He didn¡¯t let his concern show, staying positive the entire time they were in the vast sea.


    The positivity wasn¡¯t something he needed to entirely fake. They were creatures of magic now; there was no doubt in his mind that she would recover, but he had no idea how long injury debuffs could last. Her health should have already been full for quite some time.


    In spite of his concerns, by the morning after the first night, she was conscious enough for them to attempt to find their way back to the coast. She transformed into her bird form and flew for about a hundred yards before drifting to one side and crashing back into the ocean. Coop had to fish her back out of the water and give her the last of the healing tinctures to get her stable enough to communicate. Thankfully, she floated while in her travel form, and her emerald feathers were bright enough for him to track her down. It would be easy to get lost among the waves of the sprawling ocean, never to be seen again.


    After that, he abandoned the idea of them escaping the situation by their own volition. While he treaded water and she drifted in and out of consciousness, splitting her time between unintelligible pained mumbling and desperate pleas for him to leave her behind for the sake of the Jaguar Sun, he experimented with his merged summoning skill, Invocation.


    His preliminary efforts to find a way to force Salvation to create a second set of armor, preferably a life vest, went nowhere. Trying to force the evolved skill to summon them a boat predictably failed, as he continued to be limited to weapons and armor of solidified mists, regardless of the phantasms and apparitions that came with them. He confirmed that he was still restricted to suitably ancient designs, though he would need Jones to gauge whether the needle had moved a thousand years closer to the present or not. He doubted that particular limitation would change. Mana was unbending in its imposition compared to the pliability of the system.


    The weapons he summoned were capable of being much larger. He summoned a comically large greatsword, but that didn¡¯t particularly help at the moment. The phantasm that he had swimming next to them for some time, didn¡¯t complain either, but his expression was enough. They were for fighting things, and the ocean wasn¡¯t something they could engage with.


    Eventually, Coop¡¯s repeated efforts yielded actual salvation. His previously failed brittle shield was the answer. He could keep the density of the misty conjuration low enough that the round shield was passably buoyant. With Sierra nestled in the concave inner portion of the shield, as long as he helped, the pseudo raft could keep her afloat.


    The inadequate experimental shield had come through twice in surprising ways, first by providing shrapnel to bait the Shrimp monsters into wasting their attacks in the Coral Forest Mana Well, and now by acting like a small pool floatation device with just enough buoyancy to do the job. It turned out that all of the experimentation during the siege hadn¡¯t been a waste of time.


    Coop finally stopped simply treading water, instead leaning his body forward and kicking, while he made sure the shield stayed on the surface with both arms. They were making small gains, but that¡¯s how progress always started, in his opinion. He headed west, unsure of where land even was, but committing to a straight line in a single direction. The last situation he wanted to put them in was one where he swam in circles.


    Sierra¡¯s legs dragged in the water, but Coop compensated, making sure they didn¡¯t drift off track. Her hair escaped the rim of the shield, splaying out and revealing the decorative feathers she had braided into the locks whenever the waves carried them upward, but for the most part, she fit inside. The shield was large enough to cover his entire torso, from his waist to his head when he held it in front, but it really wasn¡¯t large enough to be considered a proper raft. If she curled up, she could fit, more or less, but it wouldn¡¯t be comfortable. Unfortunately, his testing with a larger tower shield resulted in a shield that wasn''t sufficiently buoyant.


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    His mind drifted while he pressed forward, pumping his legs with enhanced Strength, and not quite limitless stamina, but close enough by human standards. They were cruising with Coop¡¯s engine propelling them across waves large enough to seem like solid walls. In the back of his mind, he wondered if they were actually in the Pacific.


    Coop concluded that they would be swimming for a long time if they were in the wrong ocean. He wouldn¡¯t stop until they hit land, then they¡¯d figure it out from there. Add the swim to the record books, he decided. First person to swim all the way from North America to Japan. Or maybe New Zealand. His navigation skills didn¡¯t quite match up with his endurance, but surely he would hit land eventually.


    They spent another day on the ocean and from the towering crest of a particularly large wave, Sierra thought she spotted land. After several more hours of swimming, it turned out to be a shallow reef, but land wasn¡¯t too much further. Coop skipped the smallest mangrove islands and pushed them across sandbars, wading when he could, unwilling to stop until they were back on the mainland. Wherever they ended up, it was certainly tropical.


    When he finally dragged Sierra and the shield up onto a nearly pristine sandy beach, he collapsed onto his hands and knees, fighting back exhausted dry heaves while the world swayed back and forth. The beach was lined with stubby palm trees that leaned into the wind, dozens of turquoise lounge chairs, and white painted beachfront cabanas that had been neglected since the assimilation began, but would have made for a nice vacation rental before.


    He squinted at the lounge chairs, realizing that some of them were occupied by sunbathing green iguanas. None of them weighed on his Presence of Mind, as none of them had any levels.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± He finally managed as he caught his breath, but he answered his own question by reading a sign at the edge of a cracked concrete trail. It read Placencia Municipal Pier and had an arrow pointing south.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Placencia?¡± He asked again.


    ¡°Belize.¡± Sierra responded before hissing with pain.


    ¡°Oh, thank god.¡± Coop managed before letting himself fall into the warm sand. He told himself he only needed to catch his breath.


    ¡°What¡¯s with all the iguanas?¡± He muttered to himself with the side of his face pressed into the sand, not expecting an answer. The reptiles barely reacted to his presence, almost seeming like statues if not for the abrupt adjustments they made with their heads.


    ¡°Bamboo chickens.¡± Sierra stated cryptically.


    Coop stayed in the sand for two minutes before he forced himself back up. He took another minute to shake the feeling back into his legs, then yet another few minutes to walk around to recover his balance, all under the gaze of the calm lizards.


    Once he felt he was sufficiently stable, he swapped the smaller round shield for a much larger solid tower shield, not worried about buoyancy any longer. He felt inspired by the lounge chairs. Carefully placing Sierra more comfortably into the interior of the new larger shield, as if it was a stretcher, then he lifted it off the ground. He took the shield and balanced it onto his left shoulder, arm stretched so that his left hand gripped the outer edge, with Sierra still inside it. She was laying on her back with a slightly pained expression, and her feet dangled in front, but it was workable. If the shield hadn¡¯t worked, he could have borrowed one of the actual beach chairs instead. It didn¡¯t seem like the iguanas would mind.


    ¡°Which way to Corozal?¡± He asked while summoning his ethereal spear and letting Fog of War seep into existence on the beach around his feet. He told himself he was tireless even as the exhaustion set in.


    ¡°North.¡± She answered tersely. ¡°Just leave me already.¡± She added in what had become a repeated phrase.


    ¡°Nah, we¡¯re almost there.¡± Coop declined, feeling a bit like one of Cleopatra¡¯s litter-bearers. ¡°This is fine actually, you just rest up.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more than a hundred more miles.¡± She groaned, exasperated.


    ¡°That¡¯s nothing! We just swam at least a thousand.¡± Coop cheerily responded, keeping his own spirit up as much as hers. Though it was an exaggeration, the swim had felt like far more.


    ¡°You¡¯re full of it.¡± She complained. ¡°That was fifty at most.¡±


    Coop chuckled as he strolled forward. ¡°Wanna bet? I think it was way more. I¡¯m super strong, so we were going at least as fast as a real boat.¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± She sighed. ¡°I ran into the Priestess when I cut across the ocean from Honduras. Her base wasn¡¯t that far out.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it moved.¡± Coop suggested, glad that she was responding as much as she was. When she was really out of it, he barely got more than one word from her. She was definitely feeling better.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± She conceded, voice already weakening. He let the argument fade so that she could rest.


    Coop marched North and the mists spread in front and around him. It turned out they were on a narrow barrier island, but this one actually seemed connected to the mainland. It was full of Ruin Nebulas, and there were no signs of any people.


    Unfortunately, the monsters were of the elite variety, so he wasn¡¯t making Slayer quest progress. Coop defeated them all the same. A small squad of phantasms cleared the way and he hummed to himself as he progressed up the coast.


    His quiet song was interrupted when he yelped after receiving a level. The Primal Constructs actually came through while defeating Elite monsters. Coop quietly celebrated what he saw as a freebie. He hadn¡¯t been paying close attention, abandoning the idea that non-bosses would continue to give him levels, but he was still sure he had only defeated around 200 Elites. The level came fast.


    Coop happily followed the coast. His logic was as simple as usual; Corozal was on the coast to the north, so if he kept the water at his side, he couldn¡¯t miss it. Hours went by and the sun was a little lower in the sky when he noticed his notifications had changed. One of his phantasms defeated a regular Ruin Nebula and his quest tracked the kill.


    ¡°Almost there.¡± He confirmed to himself.


    He hadn¡¯t reset the entire Yucatan Peninsula, concentrating instead on the region around Corozal, specifically for the benefit of the Outpost. While he made gains from eliminating enough elites to allow regular monsters to respawn, he was also doing it so that the residents of the town wouldn¡¯t be as pressured by the progressing challenges wrought by the Constructs. If he was finding regular versions of the monsters, that meant they were reasonably close: a handful of mistjumps at the most.


    Coop took his time, letting the combination of diligent phantasms and Sierra¡¯s vigorous snoring keep the monsters away. It was the second time he found himself escorting people to Corozal after defeating a High Priest, and both times had become opportunities to grind out what seemed to be the regional Slayer title.


    This time, he focused a bit harder on finding perfect equilibrium between a growing Fog of War, an increasing number of phantasms, and the mana recovery provided by additional monsters being caught in the domain by the extra ghosts. There was probably an exact formula where each phantasm represented a specific number of kills, which after recovering their mana cost, could then be converted into additional cubic meters of fog based on the monsters, but Coop wasn¡¯t someone that would make such calculations. He just played it by ear.


    His Fog of War expanded its misty domain across several miles of forested jungle when he started lingering on each kill, watching the numbers go up.


    [You defeated Ruin Nebula (Level 122)]


    [+291 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Fragmented Void Sphere]


    [Defeat Ruin Nebulas V (10015/11111)]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    Coop¡¯s Scavenging had benefited the most from the extra time allotted to grinding. When he was defeating individual humans, they lacked the loot rewards that monsters provided. Boss monsters alone weren¡¯t enough to completely make up for neglecting the mass repetitive killing that the Slayer titles demanded. Each kill was an opportunity for his profession to be active, and eventually level up. Ultimately, grinding was a way for him to keep his profession and class levels more balanced.


    [You defeated Ruin Nebula (Level 136)]


    [+288 Basic Credits]


    [Defeat Ruin Nebulas V (10515/11111)]


    At some point he had crossed a threshold unknown even to himself, where the Slayer title was close enough that he would refuse to cease his grind. He was drawn to the finish line such that nothing would interrupt him. He would walk right through Corozal to get to the monsters on the other side if they arrived at their destination before his grind was finished.


    [You defeated Ruin Nebula (Level 152)]


    [+320 Basic Credits]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Ruin Nebulas V]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Slayer title upgraded!]


    When the white spotlight emanated around his form, declaring to the world that he had received another level in the day, he paused to bask in the relief brought by progress. Before he was conscious of the well-practiced routine, he had already assigned the five unallocated attribute points into Mind, adding to the 100 stats automatically allocated by the Slayer title upgrade.


    The bonuses generated by his passive skills were spread throughout his other stats and he took a deep breath. While he could use a nap, the best salve to any of his trials was always adding more attributes. If there was another monster variant nearby, he¡¯d be ready to start another grind with the morale boost granted by his growth.


    Coop shook his head at himself as he continued to pick his way North. Next stop: Corozal.

 Chapter 215: Reset

    After Coop received an eighth rank of the Slayer title while escorting Sierra to Corozal, he reflected on the gains he made during the expedition in the Yucatan. The level 175 threshold had been broken relatively early, when he defeated the Avatar of Huracan and claimed Vaporform. At the time, he felt like he was gaining levels rapidly, but since then, he had only been advancing at a pace of approximately one level per day. One level per day may have been a reasonable baseline when ignoring all other factors, but Coop deservedly had elevated expectations surrounding his own personal progress, especially when repeatedly confronting boss battles and their equivalent challenges.


    Looking at his levels in isolation, Coop wasn¡¯t particularly happy with his rate of growth any longer. In fact, as far as he could remember, the last few weeks had somehow been the slowest he had gone since the first days of the assimilation. The first half had only been slow relative to his normally steep progress, but after the encounter with an Icon of Mana, he was starting to feel his levels really lagging. It certainly wasn¡¯t a good sign that he needed to recall the period of time before he had defeated a single monster, had received no experience, and the struggle was based around figuring out what was happening to the world, to find an advantageous comparison to his current rate of progress.


    Meanwhile, during the last few weeks, Coop felt like he had been busier than ever. Only the Siege Event compared to the constant boss battles he was engaging in. Coop sighed to himself as he recalled the absolute decadence of having monsters come to him rather than vice versa. If only he could make the Cult of Chakyum do the same. Even if the experience gained from the cultists wasn¡¯t up to snuff, at least the challenge would be straightforward.


    Sure, there had been two forced breaks in returning to Ghost Reef and then refusing to leave Sierra behind, but neither was truly a complete departure in his experience gains. When he went back to Ghost Reef to get healed by Madison and upgrade the settlement, he had also gained a level reclearing the boss of the first level of the Mana Well, and treading water in the sea had come immediately after defeating the High Priestess and then transitioned into completing another Slayer title. Neither had been periods of inaction.


    He had longer bouts of idleness in between grinds back on Ghost Reef, when the settlement was at a stage that he could help set things up, but his gains had never slipped to the point that his pace was comparable to the time before his very first grind. Coop often relied on his instinct rather than exact calculations when gauging his efficiency, and in this case, his instinct was telling him that something was off. The downtime didn¡¯t fully account for what he felt was a shortchanging of his gains.


    As Coop¡¯s feet crunched on dried palm fronds, half-buried in soft white sand, his phantasms deleted any Ruin Nebulas caught in the edge of the miles wide Fog of War, and he was free to ponder the topic of experience gains as if he was on a casual stroll. In his trail, a handful of vaguely tame iguanas followed along in short bursts of speed, but they stayed far behind, barely nipping at the edges of his fog.


    Sierra¡¯s breathing had finally steadied once they got out of the water and she had been in a deep sleep ever since. He did his best to leave her well-earned rest undisturbed, but it seemed like she would maintain her slumber even if he tripped and dropped her. In any case, Coop made sure he wouldn¡¯t trip while he checked his status.


    [Status]


    HP - 16940/16940


    MP - 15804/31380


    Class - Revenant (Level 191)


    Profession - Scavenger (Level 151)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 125 (+3138)


    Agility - 125 (+1569)


    Body - 125 (+1569)


    Mind - 2615 (+523)


    Intelligence - 125 (+3138)


    Acumen - 125 (+1569)


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion IV, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper, Slayer VIII, Dauntless, Stacked, Defiant, Siegebreaker, Mindbender


    Skills (Active) - Invocation, Presence of Mind, Fog of War, Vaporform


    Skills (Passive) - Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension, Clarity of Purpose


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (19/50), Upgrade City to Metropolis


    Basic Credits - 5,010,811


    Coop grunted as he took a moment to assess his level. Looking back, defeating the level 449 High Priestess had yielded just two levels. Even if he considered sharing the experience with Sierra, it seemed way too low. The Priestess had been more than 250 levels ahead of him! The Mushroom King, the Avatar of Huracan, and the Voice of Kukulkan had been similarly unrewarding, but he had ignored the inkling that something was off, lacking knowledge of the many possible variables put into play with their rapidly earned levels and the system¡¯s unknown scaling. His suspicions had been lingering in the back of his mind since the start.


    The Icon of Mana, 300 levels below the cultists, had awarded comparable levels upon its defeat. In the past, humans had always given far more experience than expected, especially compared to monsters. It was to the point that Coop had immediately been worried that others would take advantage of the fact that humans were so rewarding, seeking out conflict in order to gain levels faster than by merely defeating monsters. He fully expected humans to be on the level of higher tiered bosses of similar level in terms of experience.


    The loose guidelines he intuitively assigned to experience had held true until arriving in the Yucatan. Coop accepted that he wouldn¡¯t continue to gain enormous amounts of experience upon defeating opponents that were significantly lower level than him, but if they were higher level, he saw no reason why they shouldn¡¯t be rewarding.


    However, for some reason, the High Priests of the Cult of Chakyum seemed like a special case. Coop hadn¡¯t latched onto the possibility of shenanigans, dismissing his suspicions by attributing the strangeness that lingered in the back of his mind to their belated leveling and strategic storage of experience. For all he knew, the inflated number of levels they displayed were a thinly held veil that didn¡¯t accurately reflect the truth. The mystery surrounding their tactics had compounded with the fact that Coop was highly leveled himself. It was possible that he was simply leveling at a reduced pace due to passing some other thresholds that mandated he gain more experience to make the same progress as before.


    His thought process had been enough to explain away the suspicions of his subconscious until he compared the gains made from defeating a High Priest with Primal Constructs or Icons of Mana. That¡¯s when he could see they were completely out of whack. Monsters that were hundreds of levels lower than the Priests appeared to be granting him similar amounts of experience. Defeating them back to back had masked the obvious discrepancy. Coop felt a frown painting itself on his face as he considered the possibility that he was being scammed by the Cult.


    Coop had only gained a handful of class levels since the last time he checked, but he had added slightly more profession levels. He figured he could use about 10 more Slayer grinds to even out his two sources of base attributes. He shrugged with only his right shoulder, not jostling Sierra on the left, and wondered why not make his goal 100 more Slayer grinds to try and catch up with the profession masters of Corozal. Being able to turn his brain off and find efficient cycles on different monsters would be a welcome vacation from fighting other humans and wrestling with whatever mischief they were into.


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    While Coop tried to imagine a future time when he could squeeze in another vacation, doubting that it would ever come, his mists snuck up on some hidden warriors, expertly camouflaged among large palms. They were a pair from the Crossroads, now operating as sentries to protect Corozal. He couldn¡¯t help but be impressed by the patience they were displaying. It took another half an hour before he reached the pair and they never took their eyes off the trees. He could never be a suitable sentry.


    ¡°Sup.¡± Coop greeted them as he approached, causing them to flinch. They hadn¡¯t realized he knew they were there. They probably assumed his lack of stealth was in part due to his ignorance of their presence.


    ¡°Stop! That¡¯s close enough!¡± One of them shouted as they both rose with their weapons ready, eyeing the apparent body he carried over his shoulder. However, Sierra¡¯s timely snores dispelled any assumptions that she was actually dead.


    Coop listened, interpreting the order to stop more as a warning than a threat. He had only gone to them because of his healthy fear of snare traps around the Outpost. If he wasn¡¯t mistjumping straight into the town center, he thought he should be cautious whenever he returned.


    ¡°Oh!¡± the one who hadn¡¯t spoken perked up, then nudged his companion and lowered his voice. ¡°It¡¯s the Champion.¡± He quietly whispered under his breath, but they were in Coop¡¯s Fog of War. Coop smiled to himself: there were no secrets in the mists.


    Coop ignored the confusion, pretending not to have noticed. ¡°Could you show me the way back to town? I don¡¯t want to trigger any traps.¡±


    The two exchanged a rapid series of expressions that Coop interpreted for himself. The first sentry wasn¡¯t immediately convinced of the second¡¯s identification, believing at best, Coop was a latecomer intending to join the Jaguar Sun and they should retrieve someone to confirm his identity. He leveled an unsure squint at his partner, but the second insisted with both of his eyebrows, then angled his head toward what must have been a trap. He was pointing out that even if Coop wasn¡¯t the Champion, the fact that he knew of the traps must have meant he belonged in the town in some fashion already. The first scrunched his nose as he weighed their responsibilities, but the second had already had enough.


    ¡°Sure, we can do that.¡± The second agreed, putting an end to their silent momentary discussion. ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a mess, though.¡± He warned rather vaguely.


    ¡°Really?¡± Coop was worried. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°They figure it was a rogue wave, though the fisherman insists it was an attack.¡± The second sentry began as they both led the way. ¡°Whatever it was, it swamped the entire town, even dragged a few buildings back into the sea. Took all of us working together to clear out the debris.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Coop remembered the tidal wave that the High Priestess had created when he first noticed her attack on Corozal. For some reason, he felt slightly responsible.


    He followed the pair a short distance before they arrived at the edge of town. The sentries hadn¡¯t exaggerated. The town was a mess. Dry seaweed stuck to the outside of buildings, several feet above the ground where it marked the high water line, and other flotsam had been swept to the sides of the road creating clear paths down the middle. It wasn¡¯t anything the locals couldn¡¯t handle, and apparently a few of the profession masters had taken the wave as an opportunity to make obvious improvements to the previously incognito town. The pier and the sea wall were both getting makeovers that would make it clear the place was in business.


    Coop hadn¡¯t been able to tell anyone occupied Corozal when he first arrived in Belize, and that had been at least partially by design. However, the local residents were abandoning their stealth with the addition of the Mana Pylon and the establishment of proper settlement territory. Combining the slowly growing safe territory with the augmentation of the population with the warriors of the Crossroads and they were shifting their attitude toward the world. As long as the Jaguar Sun didn¡¯t get wiped out, Corozal shouldn¡¯t become a priority for the Cult of Chakyum and they would also be in a much more advantageous position against the Primal Constructs.


    Safely beyond the exterior traps, Coop waved his slightly confused escort off and went straight to the center of the town. He made his way to the residents¡¯ typical gathering point, in what was once an open cafeteria. Firstly, he wanted the Mender to take a look at Sierra. The building was located in the middle of one of the blocks that bordered the park in the center of town, though the park was kind of a building on its own with the barricade and Pylon parked inside.


    Juan was the first to spot him, calling out a greeting as he approached. ¡°There you are! What did you do to the Quetzal girl?¡± He frowned at Coop¡¯s charge before he ignored any chance for the Champion to answer by turning toward the town center. ¡°¡®Nando! Get out here! ¡®Nando!¡± He shouted.


    Coop stood there confused for a moment before Juan explained. ¡°He didn¡¯t believe me that a Resplendent Quetzal warned me of the wave and a High Priest.¡± He looked past Coop and his eyebrows rose slightly. ¡°Hey, did you bring dinner too?¡±


    Coop glanced over his right shoulder and spotted the squad of green iguanas that had been trailing behind. ¡°What?¡± He looked at Juan like he was nuts. ¡°You wanna eat those?¡±


    Juan put his hands out noncommittally. ¡°I mean, I prefer fish.¡± He proclaimed.


    Coop frowned at the thought before he responded. ¡°No, leave ¡®em alone. They¡¯re tame. Think of them as more residents.¡±


    Coop sighed. Even when he wasn¡¯t trying, he was better at recruiting animals than humans to his settlements. The iguanas seemed happy with the arrival at a destination, and a few slowly made their way up to the top of walls to start sunbathing before the light faded, some investigated the small piles of seaweed lining the shoreline while the rest skimmed the edge of the forest toward the coastal parks. He guessed they would make themselves at home. Juan didn¡¯t pay them any more mind, letting Coop stick to what must have seemed to be an odd decision.


    Despite the town¡¯s increased population, word spread like wildfire among the old geezers that Coop was back, mostly thanks to Juan. It was almost like they had their own internal phone tree so that none of them would be left out. The entire assortment of profession masters gathered together at the Mender¡¯s place to update Coop on the Outpost, but mostly because they wanted to hear any news he brought straight from the horse¡¯s mouth. Comparatively, his own allies from Ghost Reef were slower in joining them.


    Coop kept things simple, letting them know that another pair of High Priests were dead, starting with Kukulkan before explaining how Sierra had come to be injured in the second fight. He wanted to send Sierra back to Ghost Reef to be treated by Madison, but according to them, the Corozal ferry had recently left the town, and therefore, Sierra would have to wait a bit. Coop knew how the time would add up. A few days there, a few days back, a few days recovering: he expected Sierra to be out of commission for the rest of the conflict. She might as well stay in Ghost Reef until after the settlement event. The Mender could keep the Jaguar Warrior comfortable while she waited for transport.


    The ferry had also left a message from Jones assuring Coop that he could take his time. They were already making preparations for the settlement event and he wouldn¡¯t need to worry. Honestly, the message made Coop worry more. He intended to finish with the Yucatan with time to spare before the event began.


    When Coop asked for an update on what had happened in Corozal while he was gone, both before and after the Priestess assaulted the town, he actually had to quiet the residents down and pick one of them to talk at a time.


    Juliana had led the army due west, planning on approaching the Gulf Coast of Mexico before angling south to circle the Yucatan settlement counter clockwise. Messengers had brought the news that Tzultacaj¡¯s group was following the same motion heading southeast from Chiapas toward the Pacific Coast of Guatemala where they would also circle the settlement. Both groups were planning on rapidly tightening their circuit with the plan to begin a coordinated attack at the same time when they met in the middle. Any Priests left outside were meant for Coop to hunt down.


    They were opting to leave potential stragglers as a trade off for destroying the central power of the Cult. If they couldn¡¯t eliminate their enemies completely, they hoped that they would at least be weakened enough to no longer be as much of a threat to the region, but the plan relied on Coop¡¯s continued diligence.


    Between Dan¡¯s mana reading, and Amanda¡¯s navigation skills, Coop was assured that they could definitely succeed in tracking down Priests, though at the moment, they were simply finding empty hideouts. However, Coop had information he wanted to share with the Jaguar Sun. He was sure it was too late to take advantage of the fact that the Cult was unaware of the uprising¡¯s reorganization, but Sierra¡¯s message that the Cult was grouping in their settlement was more pertinent than ever.


    Instead of having his scouts continue to search targets for him to pursue, he would have them direct his next mistjumps to where they expected either of the Jaguar Sun¡¯s armies to be. While they promised him they could follow their trails and track them down, Coop was unwilling to wait for them to escort him across the jungle. Failing his ability to meet up with the Jaguars, he wanted to know exactly where the settlement¡¯s civilization shard was located. During the oncoming conflict, Coop was confident that the best location for him would be right in the center.

 Chapter 216: Howls in the Jungle

    Coop used the entire palm of his hand to rub Felix¡¯s massive head, right between the ears, to the absolute satisfaction of the black jaguar. No matter how hard he scratched, the cat just pressed his head harder into Coop¡¯s hand. The big cat¡¯s coat was far thicker than a regular house cat. His pelt was made of multiple overlapping layers that provided defense, camouflage, and waterproofing, but all that protection just made his fur so much softer to the touch. Felix responded to the petting with a steady purr that rumbled into the immediately surrounding forest like a truck engine in need of maintenance.


    Every other nearby animal was driven to silence as they respected the domineering presence of an apex predator. The denizens of the jungle froze in an effort to go unnoticed. It didn¡¯t matter that Felix was completely distracted; other animals chose not to risk drawing his attention even for a moment. They knew on an instinctual level that if they weren¡¯t careful, disturbing the cat might be the last thing they ever did. Coop was the only creature in the jungle willing to risk his life just to get some good scratches on the nearest feline.


    Coop sat on a large flat stone adjacent to a shallow creek and waited for his break time to be over. Despite how things had calmed ever since they entered the Yucatan settlement¡¯s territory, his nerves were constantly on edge. He was listening with dread-filled anticipation, only partially distracted by the cat. The night was comfortable, with the day¡¯s humid heat dissipating as time went by, but the sounds of the jungle had Coop intently watching the darkness while his fingers worked through Felix¡¯s fur.


    In the distance, a horde of cicadas, hidden throughout the thick vegetation, established a complex soundscape with their loud, pulsating chirping. Crickets provided a high-pitched background, in complete contrast to Felix¡¯s deep rumbling purr. The crickets echoed from all directions with hundreds of overlapping, and distinct, rhythms. Croaks, whistles, and trills joined into a chorus, overlayed on top of the layered background, added by diminutive tree frogs and other amphibians. They had what Coop envisioned were conversations about his presence near the trickling rivulet. The haunting feeling Coop already had about this particular region of jungle wasn¡¯t alleviated when he imagined the constant surveillance from the critters hidden among the drooping fern leaves and moss covered wood.


    The jungle was always busy. Coop wasn¡¯t sure if his senses played tricks on him, but the nights seemed more lively than the days. Frankly, Coop was amazed that the Primal Constructs had managed to control any part of the wilds in Central America. There was so much competition, they couldn¡¯t gain an inch of territory without a fight. The reason the alien invaders had any success could only be due to the fact that they were the only ones making a concerted effort to accomplish a larger goal. The Constructs'' entire purpose was conquest. The animals, on the other hand, just wanted to live their lives. If that meant maintaining a small pocket of forest, then that¡¯s what they endeavored to do.


    However, it wasn¡¯t the steady cadence of nocturnal jungle sounds that made Coop uncomfortable, it was when all the sounds stopped with an abruptness that left his head spinning that made him question what was really out there. He shivered when the cause of his discomfort occurred yet again, silencing the forest and leading him to involuntarily react on a primal level. His reflex drew Felix¡¯s attention. If the cat could raise an eyebrow, that¡¯s the expression he would be giving Coop when the petting stopped and the Champion grabbed his ethereal spear with a white-knuckled grip instead.


    Horrific screams echoed across the jungle, sweeping through the canopy and piercing straight into Coop¡¯s chest. Tortured inhuman wails had Coop sure that something terrible was about to happen. It was a truly awful sound.


    ¡°Gah!¡± Coop cried out as he tried to shake it off.


    A silhouette appeared from the darkness. He practically jumped out of his skin when Juliana entered the clearing from between thick trees a moment after another set of howls finally settled back down and the cicadas resumed their rhythms to begin another rainforest concert.


    Juliana was amused by his reaction, taking a moment to relish in his discomfort, confident it wasn¡¯t really her appearance that caused him to jump. ¡°If only I could make the Cultists react that way with my mere presence.¡± She complained before moving to the other side of Felix.


    ¡°Still not used to the howler monkeys?¡± She guessed.


    ¡°No way that¡¯s a monkey.¡± Coop argued, shaking his head firmly. ¡°That¡¯s a monster.¡± he declared. Even if he did see an actual monkey make those noises, he wasn¡¯t sure if his mind would accept that the traumatic sounds weren¡¯t supernatural.


    ¡°Well, they¡¯re more than three miles away. Just letting us know where their territory begins so that there won¡¯t be any mistakes.¡± She explained calmly.


    She and Felix were unperturbed despite what Coop believed were the sounds of souls burning in hell cutting straight through the jungle until they resonated in his bones. She took over the job of petting Felix while he waited for the tension in his body to settle.


    ¡°You know, jaguars have a bite so powerful they can pierce turtle shells.¡± Juliana explained, unprompted.


    Coop glanced at the cat. Felix was paralyzed with delight, with his tongue lolling out and his eyes half closed, causing Coop to smirk at his contentment. Coop glanced at Juliana who was staring at Coop, judging his reaction to the factoid.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not afraid of Felix, why are you afraid of the monkeys?¡± She continued. ¡°You don¡¯t even flinch when he roars or growls. He¡¯s far more dangerous.¡±


    Coop shrugged. He didn¡¯t have a good answer. Maybe Jett had desensitized him toward felines or maybe it was his unfamiliarity with primates. Whatever it was, cats just begged to be petted.


    Juliana snorted at Coop¡¯s inability to explain. ¡°It¡¯s a bit too easy to imagine you making friends and hanging out with the howler monkeys.¡± She added to his consternation while Felix continued his purring.


    The two sat quietly, bathed by the jungle soundscape until Juliana took a deep breath and grew serious. ¡°Should only be another day or so.¡± Juliana stated, referring to the rest of the surprisingly smooth campaign of the Jaguar Sun. ¡°Whether or not we find Chakyum, Tzultacaj will aim to take the civilization shard. We need the settlement if we want to survive and it has become a key base for the Cult.¡±


    Coop understood. There was a stark difference between settlement territory and the rest. He hadn¡¯t come to Central America with the intent to conquer and expand his empire. If he claimed the settlement himself, he would willingly transfer it to Tzultacaj. The only caveat was that they would need to know about the Eradication Protocol. He figured once he explained it to them, they wouldn¡¯t have a problem joining his faction and cementing themselves as close allies. But that was all ancillary to his actual mission. Securing Ghost Reef was his goal, and for that purpose he only intended to root out the Cult.


    Coop had already been traveling with the Jaguar Sun¡¯s larger army for nearly ten days. It had been surprisingly easy to find them once Amanda used her Outrider abilities to put him on their trail. The Jaguar Sun¡¯s forces had swelled far beyond 100,000 after leaving Corozal. By the time he sought to join them, they had a crowd that was easily spotted from the air.


    He had taken over what should have been Sierra¡¯s role as one of the unofficial leaders. Juliana and Sierra were meant to be in charge of a large war host, marching through the jungles from priest stronghold to priest stronghold, freeing allies, and gathering volunteers until they essentially circled the top half of the Yucatan settlement¡¯s territory. Coop should have been catching the enemies that lingered outside of their net, but their experience had altered the plan.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    From the start, the plan had been spoiled. Rather than finding Priests, the war host found abandoned hovels, caves, and forts where the Cult¡¯s rituals and experiments had been conducted. Instead of rescuing hostages and freeing villages while bolstering their numbers, they barely found anyone. The only time the war host¡¯s numbers were bolstered was when individual volunteers caught up on their own. Rather than inspiring new people to enter the conflict over the soul of the region, the Jaguar Sun was completely reliant on its previous reputation.


    It seemed like what Coop had learned from the previous High Priestess had been accurate. The Cult of Chakyum had been recalled to the Yucatan settlement by Chakyum himself. Coop had been going through a range of thoughts regarding the Cult¡¯s behavior.


    On the one hand it boosted his ego and made him feel quite good that he was being taken so seriously by the mysterious Cult leader. As far as he could remember, it was the first time any of his clear enemies had respected him in such a way. Most of the time, they started arrogant, then once he bruised their confidence by proving that he wouldn¡¯t roll over, they grew defiant and angry. The sense of power had gone to their heads long before he challenged them and they looked at him like a fly that needed to be swatted away.


    On the other hand, the Cult¡¯s prudence toward Coop¡¯s existence had inadvertently foiled the Jaguar Sun¡¯s plan. They wanted to injure the Cult of Chakyum, reducing their forces, before confronting them in what they hoped was their ultimate stronghold. The Jaguar Sun hadn¡¯t even been capable of standing toe to toe with the Cult when it first formed, and since then, the Cult had nearly three months to continue its expansion. Meanwhile, the Jaguar Sun had lost its momentum during the same time period. Because of Coop, they were being forced into challenging the Cult with all of its power centralized in one place rather than picking the Cult apart at its fringes as the Jaguar Sun slowly rose.


    The High Priests'' destruction had obviously shaken the Cult and Chakyum wasn¡¯t an idle leader. He was clearly issuing orders to the Cult, diverting troops and moving resources in an active manner. Chakyum had been decisive in recalling his Cult members, drawing them back in the aftermath of Coop¡¯s battle with the Avatar of Huracan. While Coop was dealing with the Icon of Mana, then recuperating on Ghost Reef, the Cult was regrouping as they anticipated a clash with a powerful rival. At least, that¡¯s what he imagined from the information he had gathered.


    The Jaguar Sun hadn¡¯t been on the warpath that they expected as they progressed into the Yucatan settlement¡¯s territory. Instead, the long trip had been almost entirely one of simple travel. The logistics of moving the massive group of people was a sufficient challenge in its own rite. Add to that the unforgiving terrain with the harrying forces of Primal Constructs, and it was easy to see why a greater than 300 mile trip would take nearly two weeks on foot, regardless of the bolstering effect of mana and their familiarity with the environment.


    Coop had missed the first third of the trip, meeting them as they approached the Gulf of Mexico in the mid-western portion of Campeche. From above, the army was like a flood as they crossed tree-dotted farmland in an uneven march. They were simply a large cluster of people, lacking the orderly columns and structured platoons demonstrated by other forces like the Sapphire Armada. Even the Endless Empire¡¯s poorly organized troops had managed to stay in lines, but the entire Jaguar Sun was composed of individuals used to fighting alone or in small groups. They were a mob, an uprising, and they could scatter as easily as they formed. Coop better understood the context of the Jaguar Sun and the desperate way they sought momentum to keep themselves together once he witnessed the way the army coalesced.


    Honestly, the structure, or lack thereof, suited Coop just fine. All signs pointed to the Cult being huge. If the resistance lined up and tried to fight the Cult¡¯s greatly superior force directly, they would be doing themselves a disservice. They needed the flexibility to adjust in what would have to be a chaotic fight where they leveraged their individual self-reliance if they stood any chance at all. It wasn¡¯t completely unlike Ghost Reef¡¯s early defensive strategies, though his companions back home had the benefit of superior fortifications to utilize in their tactics. In a way, the jungle would have to function in the same way as Ghost Reef¡¯s fort.


    After Coop first caught up, he updated Juliana on what he had learned of the Cult¡¯s mobilization. Once she better understood what had caused the oddities of their hunt, with its lack of Priests to prey on, she ultimately decided to continue with the plan. Tzultacaj¡¯s forces would anticipate their arrival in a specific window of time, so to alter the plan would be to abandon them without proper warning. Later, after they were able to pass messages back and forth between the two war hosts, Tzultacaj¡¯s side confirmed that they would be continuing with their strategy as well, regardless of the settlement¡¯s developments.


    Juliana, the other leaders of the Jaguars, and even each individual volunteer fighter recognized that this was the last chance for them to prevent the Cult of Chakyum from obtaining a total victory. If they didn¡¯t act now, the next settlement event would surely prevent the Jaguar Sun from dawning ever again. They were on their last leg as it was, and as time went on their circumstances only continued to deteriorate.


    Coop followed as they angled their journey southwest from Campeche, across the eastern portions of the Mexican state of Tabasco until they were in Chiapas. Then, they hooked southeast toward the location of the Yucatan settlement. Tzultacaj would be following a similar route, but flipped as he circled the southern portion of the settlement¡¯s territory in Guatemala. They were like a pair of hurricane bands engulfing the Yucatan settlement in its eye.


    Coop felt bad that the planned and executed strategy to trap the Cult in the settlement had been foiled by his earlier actions, but at least they were able to eliminate the Priests that hadn¡¯t heeded the call home soon enough. Instead of creating a net that roped their enemy into a single place, they had established a perimeter as Priests that would have been able to escape the net struggled to return. The recall of Chakyum¡¯s forces had done them that small favor.


    Coop hadn¡¯t had any difficulties defeating dozens of different Priests while Juliana and Felix took care of the many Acolytes that joined them. Compared to the High Priests, the regular Priests and other Cult members were simply weak. Admittedly, the Priests were able to boost themselves up to a hundred levels from where they started, but that only pushed them vaguely into a tier below Coop¡¯s class level and didn¡¯t come close to what was necessary to reach the level of his stats. Coop also had the practical experience of so many previous battles compared to the petty violence the Cult members utilized to gather their own strength. They were no match for Coop, and Juliana and Felix were easily able to take care of them as well.


    The four Jaguar Elites were as close to the High Priests as anyone else could hope to be, and besides Tzultacaj, Juliana was evidently the strongest. Coop had seen Sierra in action, and frankly, she was amazing. Watching her fight was like witnessing a real life arcade fighter, but she needed to be able to choose her battles, and being trapped inside of the domain of a High Priest had put her at a massive disadvantage. Under the right circumstances, Coop believed Sierra could defeat a High Priest on her own, but she would need the flexibility to call her shots, and she was supposedly the weakest of the four elites.


    Coop accepted partial responsibility for putting her into a disadvantageous position as well, but he¡¯d already made up for it by making sure she survived the encounter. Sierra was probably relaxing on Ghost Reef¡¯s beaches, sipping a cocktail, after being fully healed by Madison while Coop trudged through the jungle and made sure her responsibilities were fulfilled. She got a pretty decent deal in the end.


    Juliana¡¯s portion of the Jaguar Sun was currently regrouping in the Lacandon Jungle in the eastern portion of Chiapas. They were well within actual settlement territory, and the Primal Constructs were far more in control compared to the wild jungles elsewhere. The civilization shards didn¡¯t completely stifle the growth of Primal Constructs with their settlement territory, but they did slow them down to the point where they were much easier to manage. In the case of Central America, the invaders were managed by the wild animals.


    Clearly, the Cult of Chakyum had no consideration for the settlement. There weren¡¯t any Priests roaming the countryside, eliminating monsters, but there were thousands of different animals doing that job for them, more or less.


    While Coop accepted the Cult¡¯s explanation that they were operating beyond the confines of settlements, he still expected them to be more active in controlling their own territory. But now he and Juliana were approaching their chosen destination and they still hadn¡¯t disturbed the Cult¡¯s nest. They were mere miles from the edge of the settlement proper, deep within the shard¡¯s territory, but they hadn¡¯t run into any sort of organized resistance from the Cult of Chakyum. Whatever they were doing within the settlement was evidently more important than countering the armies that were already within their borders.


    Coop couldn¡¯t imagine what could be more important than a fight for their very survival, and he was a bit nervous to find out. He shuddered as another howler monkey¡¯s scream wailed across the jungle, declaring its territory as firmly as ever.

 Chapter 217: Monsters in the Jungle

    The trek through Central America hadn¡¯t been a complete disappointment. The Jaguar Sun hadn¡¯t been able to liberate as many people as they had hoped, for a variety of reasons, but their unwavering progress through the jungle had enabled many of those who avoided the ire of the Cult on their own to catch up and join the procession. Coop wasn¡¯t able to keep track of the constant flow of newcomers. It seemed like whenever he looked away, the number of warriors would multiply. Still, Juliana in particular was upset by the gap between expectations and reality.


    He glanced over at her as she continued to pet Felix. She seemed to struggle with showing her emotions. As much as she believed she maintained a neutral expression, she frequently worked her jaw and the lower lids of her eyes twitched as she fought with her thoughts. As the days went by and they marched through the jungle, Coop thought there was no one that needed a vacation more than she did.


    Juliana and Felix were well-known liberators. They had developed their reputation through freeing captives of the Cult. However, as time had gone by, there were less and less captives available for them to save. It was a natural function of the Cult¡¯s activities. Those who could be captured already had been, and those who successfully avoided the Priests were even less likely to be caught later. Where Tzultucaj would just keep stomping forward, she was more conscientious of her limits, and she knew if she continued on the same trajectory, a hurdle she might not be able to get over would inevitably appear.


    Earth as a whole had barely scratched the surface of the assimilation. Yet, people like Juliana, who had embraced a particular niche and found early success, were already being forced to adapt as the circumstances changed. The assimilation was an extraordinarily volatile event. Coop wasn¡¯t sure if he was successfully adapting as time went on, or if he had lucked out on his particular path. As many human-made distractions as there were, grinding was a throughline that had consistently been the way forward for him. Even in the Yucatan, grinding had been the alleviation to the disappointment of unusually limited experience provided by the Cultists.


    Coop was quite happy to find yet another monster variant as the army made its way through the jungles. Once they reached further into Mexico he was introduced to what was considered the bane of the region. Surprisingly, it wasn¡¯t another High Priest or some other group of lesser members of the Cult. It was just another type of regular monster.


    There was a pursuit hunter variant of the Primal Constructs dominating the land, called Ruin Tracers. From what he heard, the monsters were an extraordinary difficulty in the past. They were ultimately the reason the Jaguar Sun hadn¡¯t been able to sustain itself during the siege event. There were many individual Jaguar Warriors who bore the scars, mental and physical, of being chased down by the monsters and forced into desperate battles for survival at earlier points of the assimilation. A large portion of the combat experience among the warriors had come from their battles with Ruin Tracers.


    The Ruin Tracers were similar to the Primal Trackers that roamed South Florida, but they weren¡¯t exactly the same. The Trackers around Empress City were wolf-like pack hunters that applied debuffs revealing the location of any prey that fled their groups. The Tracers, in contrast, didn¡¯t rely on debuffs. Instead, the Tracers seemed to be motion-activated solitary hunters. They chased after anything that came within their range, chaining leaps together as they bore down on their prey, before pouncing like tigers through the brush.


    Ruin Tracers were what might be created if someone took a large mechanical quadruped, about the size of a pre-mana jaguar, gave it an oversized head, and replaced all four of its limbs with metallic frog legs. They had enormous spiked teeth, shaped like hooked nails, that jutted from their excessive vertical mouths, unable to be contained, and seemed designed to prevent escape more than chewing or tearing.


    When the original Jaguar Sun moved through the region, gathering people as it progressed, they inevitably drew the attention of every Ruin Tracer that had spawned during the assimilation. They were wildly pursued by thousands of the monsters while the siege event put everything into a frenzy.


    On top of their numbers and their feral behavior, the Tracers were untamed by settlement territory in the first place. They had risen to higher levels during the early stage of the assimilation relative to the humans, and many had begun evolving into elites. The people who had simply followed Tzultacaj in his rampage were not prepared to meet their rampage head-on. They dragged more and more until the entire army was threatened by hordes of agitated monsters.


    Coop understood. Even without an event, the way the monsters trailed after the army actually reminded him of the waves of the siege. The Tracers jumped and climbed on top of each other as they jockeyed for position at the front of their assaults, refusing to let whoever they targeted find solace. Coop only needed one look into a Ruin Tracer¡¯s mouth to recognize that it was a monster he would much prefer to fight from the top of the fort¡¯s walls. Coop found himself repelling as many as a hundred at a time at the rear of the march, feeling a bit like he was defending the moat bridge back home.


    Unfortunately for the monsters in the jungle, Coop was an even greater monster. At first, he engaged with them directly, swapping between weapons as he tested their abilities and sought the most efficient way to defeat them. There were two different situations in which he spent time experimenting with how to hunt the particular monster variant. The first was when they were already activated with a target acquired. The second was when they were still in their more dormant mode, where they waited to pursue prey.


    For the first situation, with already active monsters, his inclination was to aggressively mistjump into the crowds and match their belligerence with his own assertive attacks. He utilized his spear in fierce, forward facing assaults, but much like the very first wave of the siege, many of the monsters simply ignored him. They bypassed his position in order to chase after whichever poor victim they had previously locked onto.


    He easily carved a fissure in the center of their waves, lunging forward with his spear and breaking their oddly oriented jaws with his shield whenever they leapt toward his exposed flank. They were merely regular monsters and Coop had grown far beyond the most basic challenges of the assimilation long before he met the bane of Central America. However, he wasn¡¯t content to merely run up his personal score versus the Tracers. He intended to completely prevent them from harassing the Jaguar Warriors as they wove their way through the jungles, so he swapped through his weapons until he settled on his ethereal glaive.


    The superior length of his polearm-based weapons comfortably countered the monsters¡¯ leaping attacks and the sweeping strikes of his bladed weapons seemed best for holding wider sections of the forest. The ethereal glaive was the happy marriage of the two advantages he sought. Due to the focused nature of the Tracer¡¯s attacks, where they willingly ignored his presence in favor of consuming the individuals that triggered their hunts, he needed more than the usual amount of lateral mobility. His mere presence wasn¡¯t enough to attract their ire.


    The first rounds of battle between Coop and large waves of Ruin Tracers were difficult in that he needed to be thorough. He was far beyond normal monsters limited in their growth by settlement territory, but the aggressive nature of the monsters meant that he was equally chasing them down as he was using himself as bait.


    After crushing the first few encounters on his own, he shifted his tactics to incorporate wider areas of Fog of War and groups of phantasms to work together and create bulwarks against the waves of monsters. On the bright side, rather than steady masses of monsters chasing after the war host, like they would have experienced within a siege event, the invaders came in groups of a few hundred that had no follow up. Coop was able to defeat the monsters and take some time to reconsider his tactics and develop more efficient methods of taking care of them.


    The greatest beneficiary of his additional considerations was Legacy of the Mists. Coop was finally able to limit-test the ability and he made some valuable discoveries. The primary note that he took away was that even though his weapons were physically stronger, a fresh ethereal weapon maintained a durability of 100/100. If he exceeded the durability by summoning too many phantasms, the weapon dissipated, taking the phantasms with it. He had to be careful with diminishing the durability of his own weapon as he was easily strong enough to destroy them himself, but it was an excellent opportunity to practice.


    He envisioned the Battlemaiden instructing him to use his weapons properly, avoiding the extra pressure on the blades with amateur attacks. As long as his strikes were clean, the durability was unaffected. Coop was gradually scratching at another level of expertise. For the first time since he started fighting, he was putting an emphasis on the art portion of the martial arts and his blades positively sang as a result.


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    But that wasn¡¯t all. Playing with more phantasms had introduced new dynamics between the manifestations as well. As it turned out, they weren¡¯t only limited to coordinating with him as the summoner. They could also harmonize with each other, so long as he summoned them as a team. It was the first time Coop was specifically calling for squads of phantasms to engage in proper skirmishes, rather than multiple individuals to overwhelm a large opponent. Normally, they would have engaged with a single difficult enemy, so the instructions he gave them would be overly simple. He was having to be conscious of formations, arrangements, tactics, and grander schemes so that they could maintain teamwork after their initial target was defeated.


    It may not have seemed like it from a numerical standpoint, but defending the Jaguar Sun had been an opportunity to make enormous gains in his own ability. Coop was satisfying his Haunted title with artful poise while Legacy of the Mists proved to have more layers than he initially believed.


    In the time between larger batches of monsters that collected on their own, he hunted individual idle Tracers that hid in the brush before they had the chance to assemble together in their pursuits. While the activated monsters had to deal with squads of phantasms fighting alongside Coop, the idle monsters were the ones that experienced a more personal touch. They fell to the oppressive mobility of his Revenant build. The obscuring effect of his Fog of War hid his own movements and gave him an easy way to get the jump on the aggressive monsters. They never had a chance to lock onto a target. Instead, they caught his ethereal spear through the neck and were disassembled after a mistjump and a quickswap carried him and a fresh blade into melee range.


    Coop had become a satellite for the Jaguar Sun, orbiting their march while hunting the monsters. Another Slayer title was his ultimate physical reward, but the grind had evolved into a bootcamp where Coop had rare opportunities to truly practice his skills. The real progress wouldn¡¯t be reflected in his status, but he checked it anyway.


    [Status]


    HP - 18050/18050


    MP - 33600/33600


    Class - Revenant (Level 197)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 162)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 125 (+3360)


    Agility - 125 (+1680)


    Body - 125 (+1680)


    Mind - 2800 (+560)


    Intelligence - 125 (+3360)


    Acumen - 125 (+1680)


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion IV, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper, Slayer IX, Dauntless, Stacked, Defiant, Siegebreaker, Mindbender


    Skills (Active) - Invocation, Presence of Mind, Fog of War, Vaporform


    Skills (Passive) - Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension, Clarity of Purpose


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (20/50), Upgrade City to Metropolis


    Basic Credits - 7,228,402


    Coop forgot his horror at the howler monkeys as he gazed upon his progress. No, he sighed to himself, it hadn¡¯t recovered to a rate that he felt proud of, but gains were gains. Six levels in almost twice as many days was not great at all, but he had to temper his expectations with the fact that he had completed his grind in less than half the time, then continued defeating the lower level regular monsters for the benefit of the Jaguar Sun. Really, he had enjoyed the steady progress at the start, returning to form, then delayed moving on by becoming responsible for an entire army¡¯s security. It hadn¡¯t been for nothing. His martial techniques were advancing and his phantasms were more potent than ever. He just wanted a gold star too.


    A few million basic credits and a few thousand materials were the additional rewards he collected for his continued diligence beyond less defined personal growth. The system had granted him another point in Fortune Seeker for defeating the first Ruin Tracer, but he was on the verge of abandoning any expectation of completing the profession quest. By the time he finished finding 50 different variants of normal monsters he doubted whatever it rewarded him would be of any use. Half of his current completions had come from the Siege Event alone, so he was on pace for completing the quest in a period best measured in years.


    His Slayer title had also ticked up from eight to nine, and Coop wondered how high he could force it to grow. Most of the world clearly lacked the monster diversity of Ghost Reef, so it would certainly be difficult to progress the title and aforementioned quest to their limits. The incremental progress made it seem like he had only grown by a small amount.


    However, his stats told the real story: he had made massive gains. They were just hidden in his profession level rather than class level. Compared to the usual, where he gained two or three here and there, depending on how many boss monsters he defeated, gaining almost a full 12 levels in Scavenging was astronomical.


    Before he first entered the Coral Forest Mana Well, his profession and class levels had been approaching equilibrium, but since then, his class level was running away with the lead. When his class level hit 100, his profession level was 95. Since then, his class level made twice as much progress. It was nice whenever his profession made up some ground, and this was one of those occasions. Repeatedly defeating regular monsters was the most consistent method of grinding his profession. If he parked himself in a specifically dense location and focused on maximizing his Scavenging, he thought it would even be possible to rival the speed that the profession masters of Corozal demonstrated.


    He had gained more than 200 Mind, including the bonus, and that naturally meant huge gains spread throughout his attributes. It may have seemed insignificant, but the knockdown effects were impressive. Even when his health total was so large, gaining more than a thousand points was a welcome prize. Furthermore, he could literally never have enough mana. Having over 33,000 was actually ridiculous when considering the pools of resources other people had, but he had skills that could actually spend it all. More was certainly better.


    The most exciting development was that Practical Application had reduced the cost of Legacy of the Mists into double digits. Summoning a phantasm now came at the price of 98 mana. Coop was nearing the point where he could ignore their mana cost completely. As it stood, he could comfortably reach the limit of his weapon¡¯s durability while leaving enough for some truly massive Fog of War channels. 10,000 mana for the ghosts and another 10,000 mana for the mists wouldn¡¯t be out of the question while leaving enough for Mind Over Matter to protect his health from the most devastating attacks.


    Coop chuckled to himself, causing Felix¡¯s ears to swivel toward the sound. Coop was remembering how there was a time when Ghost Reef¡¯s civilization shard was threatened by Kevin the Hammer and a handful of the Chosen from the Endless Empire. There had been serious questions regarding whether Coop was strong enough to defend his claim on the world, doubts that it would be possible for his limited skirmisher class to withstand the inevitable threats to his territory, and mocking disrespect toward his potential. He¡¯d wonder what those who dismissed the Revenant as too simple to build up into something that could compete thought now, but they were gone, dead and forgotten, while he lived on.


    The Cult of Chakyum may have more respect for him as an enemy than any other he had faced, but he seriously doubted they would be prepared for what he had in store for them.


    He checked the leaderboards to see if anything had changed in the last few days.


    Day 112


    <ol>


    <li> Coop (Level 197)</li>


    <li> Vul-Hau (Level 160)</li>


    <li> Xba-Hau (Level 159)</li>


    <li> Itz-Hau (Level 159)</li>


    <li> Un-Hau (Level 158)</li>


    <li> Ah-Hau (Level 157)</li>


    <li> Xul-Hau (Level 157)</li>


    <li> Zin-Hau (Level 157)</li>


    <li> Xov-Hau (Level 156)</li>


    <li> Puch-Hau (Level 156)</li>


    </ol>


    He blew air out of his nose and kept scrolling.


    <ol start="11">


    <li> Cab-Hau (Level 156)</li>


    <li> Ek-Hau (Level 155)</li>


    <li> Can-Hau (Level 155)</li>


    <li> Bac-Hau (Level 155)</li>


    <li> Cat-Hau (Level 155)</li>


    <li> Muz-Hau (Level 155)</li>


    <li> Lom-Hau (Level 155)</li>


    <li> Wil-Hau (Level 154)</li>


    <li> Sip-Hau (Level 154)</li>


    <li> Bol-Hau (Level 154)</li>


    </ol>


    The list of Priests continued until he found more familiar names in the late hundreds. Coop shook his head. The Jaguar Sun continued to rise despite the obvious demonstration of power by the Cult of Chakyum. Coop felt like he was watching two trains travel toward each other on the same track. The crash was unavoidable. And he wasn¡¯t just watching. He was conducting one of the trains.

 Chapter 218: The First Gathering of Chakyum

    The Yucatan settlement was massive. Coop knew it would be, but he was still caught by surprise at the sheer scale demonstrated by the Cult of Chakyum. The settlement leaderboards had given its large population away, yet he hadn¡¯t really appreciated how it had been bolstered by virtue of its location. The only settlement in Central America had drawn a significant number of people, and they had clearly been pulled into the Cult during the process.


    In comparison, the number of survivors who had opted to take their chances in the wild, like the profession masters of Corozal and the hidden warriors of the Crossroads, was extremely small. The pressures of the assimilation outside of settlement territory were such that even if the original numbers had been split fairly between those who stayed in the Yucatan settlement and those who didn¡¯t, the number that survived would be wildly different. But even before that, the population splits were uneven. It didn¡¯t take much insight into the assimilation to understand that civilization shards were safe harbors and there would be safety in numbers.


    When he joined Juliana in escorting her portion of the Jaguar Sun, they had accumulated approximately 100,000 volunteers between Corozal and the start of their march. In the days that they circled the settlement, they had anticipated growing their numbers until it could actually rival the Cult.


    At the time, Coop believed them. However, it quickly became apparent that their aspirations wouldn¡¯t be anywhere close to being met. They were already rushed, forcing their campaign to move at a much faster pace than the first time around. Instead of sweeping through the jungles for nearly two months, they only gave themselves two weeks, and that was before considering how much the dynamic of the Yucatan had changed as time went on.


    Juliana was stressed by the lack of Priests. The number of strongholds for them to conquer and free groups that would bolster their numbers was too low for her liking, but Coop was impressed by the quantity that managed to join them regardless. All sorts of people connected with the militia, moving through the jungle to catch up from elsewhere or revealing themselves from where they had been hidden to avoid the Cult. It seemed like every time he returned from a patrol, another large influx of hardened warriors had joined the uprising. He would have guessed the Jaguar Sun multiplied their numbers by four times over the course of their procession. It was an unbelievable feat, in Coop¡¯s mind, and he was encouraged by their support. It was certainly the largest army he had ever seen. Before he gazed upon the first gathering of the Cult of Chakrum, he had started to believe the Jaguar Sun had grown into an unstoppable force.


    Prior to the assimilation, there had been roughly two hundred million people in all of Central America. After Coop upgraded Ghost Reef, he and Jones had briefly estimated how many humans were left. If even their pessimistic estimates were vaguely correct, there would be approximately twenty million remaining in the entire region. A sizable portion of the survivors had joined Chakyum, and they had gathered together in his name within the Yucatan settlement.


    The Envoy and the High Priests had tried to explain to Coop that those who accepted Chakyum would be saved, but in the back of his mind, Coop had always suspected that they were simple sacrifices left in the dust to fuel the Cult¡¯s rise. However, judging by the Cult¡¯s numbers, his prediction wasn¡¯t exactly accurate. There were other mechanisms at play.


    He wasn¡¯t completely ready to admit that they were wrong about sacrifices, at least about those who became residents of the Yucatan settlement. It wasn¡¯t like sheep were immediately led to slaughter. They were fattened up first. But, when he finally laid eyes on the settlement, it was truly enormous. Chakyum¡¯s flock was a significant force.


    Coop understood there had been huge gatherings throughout history, but he had never witnessed anything quite so extreme as the collection of people occupying the settlement. In the pre-mana past, large gatherings had come in many forms: religious processions, funerals for prominent people, national celebrations, and holy pilgrimages. To see a gathering so large in person had him doubting many of his assumptions, but most of all, in the chances of the Jaguar Sun. The first gathering of Chakyum could rival some of the biggest groupings of people ever.


    Coop had taken to the air, scouting ahead the way the Cloud Dancer would have. Mobility skills remained a rarity, in his experience, with those he had witnessed being one of two flavors. They were either capable of rapid short distance movements, like those demonstrated by the High Priestess, Ak-Hau, where she swapped with her water orbs, or heavily dependent on Agility, like the High Priest, Kul-Hau, the Voice of Kukulkan¡¯s simple speed. If anything, Coop¡¯s mistjumps were merely short distance movements, but they were enhanced by his stacked Strength which completely broke the scaling and allowed the ability to be useful for both short and long distances.


    The Yucatan settlement was centered around a surprisingly symmetrical, circular lake in what had once been a protected jungle. The settlement¡¯s territory expanded well beyond borders, starting a mere 10 miles inside of Guatemala and spreading far into Mexico to the northeast, the edges of Belize, Honduras, El Salvador to the west, and out into the Pacific Ocean to the south. If he carved out a generous territory to represent the entire Yucatan, the settlement would be right on the interior corner as his made up sections extended into the interior of Central America.


    Vast swathes of forest had been cleared out in the settlement proper, leaving scattered trees in between partially completed stone temple-like structures abutting wide footpaths. The jungle canopy was replaced with mostly flat land, criss-crossed by roads that were layered with woven material. The trails formed the arterial corridors of an enormous primitive city.


    It seemed like they had planned to develop the settlement into a strange approximation of the ancient cities that existed before Europeans arrived on the shores of Central America, but had barely gotten started. The entire settlement was filled to the brim with people, but there were only a few completed buildings in sight.


    One massive project was clearly given far more priority than the rest. A gigantic open-topped ziggurat had been built in the center of the circular lake, rising straight from the fresh water depths. It was unlike any of the ancient pyramids Coop had already seen, being a new construction, and partially submerged. Massive blocks of smooth stone had been carefully stacked, and intricate carvings decorated the edges, creating a bold outline on the light colored material. At the top, each corner was marked by an enormous black segmented obelisk that curled inwards toward the center. The top itself was large enough to hold an entire football stadium, but it was relatively featureless as if it was leaving room for further expansion.


    If any of the locals had told him the settlement was building such a thing, he would have made it his destination right away as it was clearly the influence of the Cult that had driven its design, but it was obviously brand new. In fact, judging by the incomplete city, Coop suspected that it had been partially constructed with materials that had been previously used to shelter the resident population. The incomplete buildings that filled entire blocks had been picked apart in order to feed the pyramid in the center. The project could only have been done in the last few weeks while the Jaguar Sun was in the process of rising.


    The residents of Corozal had no idea what had happened in the time after the first days of the assimilation. The Cult of Chakyum had gone from a nebulous force that held some influence over the civilization shard to clearly having a firm grip on the entire territory. Coop surmised that the full conversion must have occurred at least as long ago as the siege event, given the handle the Cult had on the settlement. The diversion of resources made it clear that the Cult lacked any interest in the long term health of the settlement. By dismantling the shelters, it was obvious that the Cult had other motives aside from controlling the civilization shard.


    It was more evidence of the truth behind the pitches he had heard from the various representatives of the Cult. They ranked the health of the settlements low compared to the accumulation of power through experience.


    The main structure in the center of the lake was connected to the rest of the city with four wide bridges, one at each ordinal direction. From above, the lake appeared to have a giant ¡®X¡¯ superimposed on the surface of the water. The stone pyramid seemed to have grown straight from the bottom of the lake and Coop couldn¡¯t help but wonder how they managed it.


    The northwest bridge was closest to Juliana¡¯s position, but each entrance seemed equidistant from the edges of the development. All four connections were completely empty, in contrast to the rest of the city. People stood right at the edges, but stayed off as though there was an invisible barrier preventing them from moving forward. Whether that barrier was physically created by mana or simply due to their firmly held respect for their leaders was anyone¡¯s guess.


    The residents all wore similar clothing, as if the Cult had a uniform of grayish robes, and to make matters worse, they were all standing silently, shoulder to shoulder, while facing the building in the center of the lake. Even far from the center of the settlement, where people had no chance of getting a clear look at the magnificent structure, they still stared into the distance as if they could. Millions of people arranged symmetrically around a central feature was simply uncanny. Coop was freaked out by the simple motionless display conducted by such a massive group of people.


    At first, Coop thought it was some kind of mass mind control. Hypnosis or something similar might explain the uniform behavior, and Coop had to suspect such a thing would be possible with mana, but it didn¡¯t take long for him to be noticed and for them to react in a more human way.


    Many of the Cult¡¯s Acolytes broke formation to point into the sky when they spotted Coop falling through the clouds. They weren¡¯t of one mind, but they were disciplined enough to create the enormous formation in the first place. The murmuring that occurred as they realized they were being watched from above didn¡¯t rise to the level expected from millions, but it was discomfiting being the subject of so much attention. These people weren¡¯t mind controlled, they were believers. As Coop made the realization, he winced, as his experience with zealots was never positive. Not ever.


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    Meanwhile, from their perspective, Coop must have looked like a video game character lagging out while dropping in. He rolled so that his back faced the ground and threw his spear high into the air, mistjumped far enough that he wouldn¡¯t be more than a speck against the blue sky, and let himself fall like a skydiver waiting to release his parachute while he assessed the settlement. After several seconds, he repeated the process. He was constantly falling, but he¡¯d never come anywhere close to the ground.


    Obviously, it would have been better if he could transform into a diminutive tropical bird and go unnoticed, but they had to make do with what they had. Him being spotted was deemed a reasonable part of the plan. The Tide Priestess had been convinced that Coop was the reason for the gathering, so there he was. They were providing exactly what the Cult anticipated, lulling them with their own expectations. Probably.


    Simultaneously, they were giving a prearranged signal to Tzultacaj and his army. They would know Juliana had arrived if they spotted Coop as well. Given how much attention he was receiving among the crowd, he suspected the rest of the Jaguar Sun¡¯s twin army would be aware of their arrival soon enough.


    In the center of the lake on top of the pyramid, a handful of individuals stood by themselves while surrounding the uncovered civilization shard, calmly watching Coop¡¯s progress. Coop made the logical assumption that they were the High Priests. As expected, he counted five. The four he had already defeated were absent. He wasn¡¯t sure if he was hoping for more. If there was at least one extra, he could reasonably conclude they would be Chakyum. If the leader of the Cult wasn¡¯t one of the High Priests, he could be anywhere.


    Coop prepared to return to the ground and inform Juliana of what he had seen, but before he mistjumped to his waiting shield, he spotted several individuals shooting toward him. Of course, no matter how rare mobility skills were, in a crowd of millions, a few would demonstrate such abilities. In this case, three had wings and two propelled themselves from their feet, flying up towards Coop in a tight formation.


    Coop only hesitated long enough to inspect the first of the approaching fliers with Presence of Mind, letting their initial salvo of feathers miss him wide right as he fell in the sky.


    [Oathsworn Human (Level 145)]


    [Wing Snatcher (Agility)]


    [Chosen of the Wings of Xelera]


    [Tailwind (Afflicted)]


    The Oathsworn Human seemed to be in the process of leaving humanity behind. She appeared to be more of a harpy at this point, with bird-like features from the waist down, and large wings replacing her arms as they flapped in the wind. She had a healthy dose of brown feathers and matching talons emerging from rough scaly skin.


    When Coop threw his spear in response, she screeched and folded her wings in a desperate maneuver to avoid the missile. She whirled through the air, spinning like a corkscrew.


    She succeeded in dodging the spear, but not entirely by her own volition. Coop had aimed lower, targeting the second enemy with his preliminary attack. The spear caught the slightly slower pursuer by surprise as the man expected the first attacker to draw Coop¡¯s entire attention.


    Coop¡¯s throw would have gone above the rest of the squad if he had aimed directly at the harpy, but when the harpy dodged, she opened up a window for the second man to be caught by surprise. He flew while leaving a trail of smoke from the soles of his feet, but the propulsion immediately ceased when he caught the spear through his chest, killing him instantly while he still watched the feathers of his leader.


    Coop mistjumped to his spear in the midst of three more rising foes, as their ally¡¯s blood spilled into the air and his body disintegrated. Coop, instead of pulling his weapon free from the shrinking corpse, quickswapped it for his sword as he momentarily appeared in melee range.


    He swept the sharp ethereal edge across the neck of the next wingless flier, and flipped the sword back up into the air as the other two overshot their target. Closing the 50 yard gap in an instant caught them by surprise. His abrupt appearance adjacent to them had been the opposite of what they expected to happen. They were all geared up for a pursuit, but Coop closed the gap himself. He was making a statement.


    Coop mistjumped to his rotating sword as it flipped upwards and stabbed another Cultist through the back, right between his own leathery demon wings while his head swiveled in search of Coop at his rear.


    By the time the harpy had whirled around, Coop had removed the wings of the final trailing Oathsworn, letting the body fall toward the settlement as it disintegrated, leaving the harpy alone with him in the skies.


    She fired a series of feathers toward Coop, fanning them out like throwing knives, but Coop raised his forearm to catch the three that would have struck his face and let the others whiz by as he let himself fall.


    The Priest fully expanded her wings, drawing them to their entire length as she caught the wind and hovered while Coop fell, deciding to keep her distance. Coop threw his sword in her direction, letting it flip repeatedly. She smirked condescendingly as his blade had no chance of reaching her.


    When Coop mistjumped to the weapon, putting himself a half a dozen yards beneath the harpy, she prepared another volley of feathers, folding one of her wings across her chest. It was the last motion she made before a phantasm appeared above her, lopping off her head with his own phantasmal sword as he burst out of the mists and began falling.


    Coop swapped to his spear, dismissing the phantasm rather than letting the ghost fall all the way to the ground and watched as the harpy¡¯s sinking body left a trail of smoke that shot toward the temple in the middle of the lake. Coop frowned as he mistjumped to his distant shield, leaving the settlement behind after officially declaring war.


    Seeing the mana smoke evacuate from the harpy¡¯s body and fly toward the temple reminded him of the other times he had defeated a member of the Cult of Chakyum and witnessed similarly strange behavior demonstrated by escaping mana. His thoughts were finally connecting the oddities observed after killing the Cultists and the seemingly inadequate levels he received.


    Previously, he had watched as unbound mana departed into the sky. This was the first time he had seen the mana have an apparent destination. It was like the mana from the kill was siphoned away. He had to recall all the way back to when the phantoms first started training to remember the actual mechanism for leveling and why the mana smoke was relevant at all. The phantoms were already fully saturated with mana and needed to refine it by training in order to level, but regular humans needed to absorb and integrate mana if they wanted to progress. Perhaps the Cult¡¯s pyramid scheme of experience was also monopolizing what they accumulated.


    After almost a full minute of observing the monochromatic world of misty mana slowly shift through his vision while contemplating the Cult, he reappeared on the forest floor, far from the settlement, where Juliana and Felix were impatiently waiting.


    Juliana let out a breath she had been holding and started to bombard Coop with questions. ¡°What happened? Did you see Tzultacaj? How many were there? Hey! You¡¯re bleeding!¡±


    Coop ignored her questions for the moment, checking his forearm. He plucked three feathers that had embedded into his flesh, surprised by their sharpness, and flicked them away while deciding that the Cult¡¯s machinations weren¡¯t what they needed to be worried about at the moment.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. I could have avoided them, but I had already shown them plenty. I¡¯m literally at full health.¡± Coop patiently explained.


    He checked his notifications while he considered how to reveal the status of the settlement.


    [You defeated Oathsworn Human (Level 80)]


    [You defeated Oathsworn Human (Level 97)]


    [You defeated Oathsworn Human (Level 139)]


    [You defeated Oathsworn Human (Level 87)]


    [You defeated Oathsworn Human (Level 145)]


    ¡°Damn.¡± He muttered in disappointment.


    Coop hadn¡¯t actually noticed any of the flashes that would indicate he leveled, but he had been secretly hoping he would reach the next skill threshold at level 200. He wouldn¡¯t have bothered engaging with the small squad of Oathsworn if not for how close his level was to the next major point in his progression.


    ¡°Looks like I took out two more Priests.¡± Coop started. ¡°But I¡¯m gonna be honest. I think you should call the whole thing off. Retreat now. That Cult is ridiculous.¡± He warned.


    Juliana just looked at him sideways for a moment before responding. ¡°So you finally understand what we¡¯re up against?¡± She frowned and shook her head sadly. ¡°We already knew. Every single person here understands the stakes. We know the scale of their influence. We know what it means to defy them, but we also know what it means if we don¡¯t.¡± She scowled and Felix growled along with her, mirroring her energy. ¡°They can¡¯t be allowed to continue or they¡¯ll spread their corruption across the whole world. We don¡¯t have any other choice.¡± She sighed the kind of deep sigh that revealed how exhausted she actually was, though she rarely let it show.


    Coop chewed on his lip as he tried to come up with a convincing plan that would let him end the war before the battle started while compelling the Jaguar Sun to stay within his safer territory. He hadn¡¯t spotted Chakyum, but there were five High Priests and a civilization shard exposed in a way that might give him a chance to strike a decisive blow on his own.


    While he was trying to decide if he could have defeated the Mushroom King, Huracan, Kukulkan, and the Tidesinger all at the same time, by himself, a distant explosion erupted. His head swiveled along with Felix¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Looks like Tzultacaj got the message. Mateo¡¯s already getting started.¡± She looked back at Coop as more explosions chained together on the opposite side of the settlement, drawing closer with each burst. ¡°We¡¯re going.¡± She declared, reenergized with the starting bell of her final bout.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Coop agreed. They had already refused his previous offers, and it was too late for last minute deals to convince them to change course. He watched her back as she rushed to spread the word among the lieutenants that the final stage of their guerilla war would begin.


    Coop swapped his sword back to his spear and prepared for battle. No matter how he looked at it, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to shut the Cult down by himself. Even if he could kill all the High Priests at once, claim the shard, and defeat Chakyum, what would he do about the millions of Acolytes? When had a zealot ever surrendered?


    He took a deep breath and sent his spear back into the sky to take his place on the battlefield.

 Chapter 219: The Jaguar Strikes

    The Jaguar Sun had no chance of winning against the Cult of Chakyum in a head to head battle. Coop knew it, Juliana knew it, and so did everyone else with any sense. That was why they never had any intention of conducting a straightforward invasion with the intent to besiege the Cult¡¯s holdings. The reason they took such circuitous routes on the way to the Yucatan settlement was because they remained justifiably guarded against their opponent. It was their method of picking their battle. They were too outnumbered to do anything else, but too desperate to avoid the confrontation altogether.


    Hundreds of thousands of people joined the Jaguar Sun by the time they reached the Cult¡¯s gathering point in the Yucatan settlement, but even that number was only a tiny fraction of the Cult¡¯s total membership. They would be destroyed if they crashed against the might of the gathering of Chakyum.


    Juliana had wisely stopped them while they were still a great distance away from the settlement proper with the presumption that Mateo and Tzultacaj would do the same. Their overall strategy of engagement remained the same as it was during their trip into the settlement¡¯s territory. They would avoid open confrontation and focus on engaging in smaller battles that they actually had a chance to win. They were actually miles away from even the edge of the development, which was already miles away from the shard.


    Coop couldn¡¯t imagine a way for such a large mass of people to make a stealthy approach to a specific location, and creating an ambush that was inclusive of their entire army seemed impossible. They had surely been detected days before they arrived, even if they kept their distance, and yet the Cult had no reaction to the Jaguar Sun¡¯s army. If the latecomers were able to find and join the army, then anyone with enough interest would be able to do the same. Coop had been worried they would easily be infiltrated, but evidently it wasn¡¯t overly difficult to determine if someone had joined the Cult. They were always Oathsworn once they became Acolytes. Even if they did sneak among the Jaguars, unless they could assassinate Coop or Juliana they wouldn¡¯t be able to accomplish much more than a simple scout could have. However, despite Coop¡¯s concerns, Chakyum had simply ignored the Jaguar¡¯s challenge.


    If Coop underestimated their opponents, he would think that the Cult was ceding the initiative to the Jaguar Sun, leaving themselves exposed to a potential opening strike. It seemed unlikely that was the case. Coop even suspected the gathering could be a trap in itself, but Juliana was more convinced that the Cult was simply not scared of the threat the challengers represented and felt no pressure to take defensive measures.


    The lack of any prepared organization to receive an army filled with killing intent was a perplexing decision to Coop. He had been put under the impression that Chakyum had reacted to his solitary presence in Central America with sweeping decisive actions, but half a million warriors intent on overthrowing the Cult barely generated a response. Coop may have been feeling more and more confident with regard to his abilities, but he still didn¡¯t have a big enough ego to accept that he was individually more worthy of consideration than half a million pissed off and desperate warriors. Ignoring the Jaguar Sun would be added on top of the many other strange choices that the Cult had made.


    At first, Coop believed Chakyum must have been supremely self-assured in his inevitable victory. It was basically how it went with most other prideful and arrogant leaders. However, given the other odd behaviors demonstrated by the Cult, he wasn¡¯t so sure if it was merely confidence that resulted in the strange decisions. After seeing the arrangement of the Priests and Acolytes in the settlement proper, Coop concluded that Chakyum simply had different priorities, finding himself ultimately agreeing with Juliana¡¯s initial assessment. The Cult was busy with other projects and didn¡¯t feel the necessity of interrupting them to take a defensive posture for the Jaguar Sun.


    The Priests had never really lied to Coop. Sure, the Voice of Kukulkan had attempted to deceive him for his own advantage, but they had all been consistent with their stories regarding the motivations of the Cult. Though Ghost Reef as a whole had been invited to join the Cult of Chakyum, they did not care about settlements and civilizations shards. Their actions made it clear that they were primarily interested in experience and methods to manipulate it for their benefit above all else. The security of settlements that Coop and so many others fought for was, at best, a means to an end. It was even more likely that it was simply irrelevant to them.


    Knowing the Cult¡¯s priorities didn¡¯t help level the playing field for the Jaguar Sun, but it did help them manipulate the Cultists into fighting on the Jaguar¡¯s terms when they did finally enter battle. The Jaguar Sun¡¯s warriors represented significant quantities of the experience that the Acolytes and Priests desperately sought after. The hierarchy of the Cult was obviously based on  experience, and there were many members vying for positions on higher rungs of the ladder.


    The explosions that rocked the southern edge of the settlement and set the battle off were enough to draw the attention of tens of thousands of the Cultists. The Jaguar Sun remained in the jungle while Cultists rushed away from the temple that had gripped their attention in order to pursue free meals of experience.


    The one Jaguar Elite that Coop had yet to meet, Mateo, was primarily a strategist who had plenty of time to scheme for the battle. Naturally, he aimed for an extended campaign relying on guerilla tactics that took advantage of the survival skills that the warriors had developed while living in the wild untamed lands of Central America. Coop wasn¡¯t clever enough to think of any alternative, so he found himself falling in line. He agreed that taking advantage of the natural environment was their best shot.


    Juliana had spread their army in wide zones that covered miles upon miles of jungle. Their battle lines would easily be broken by coordinated efforts, but the Cult was anything but cooperative. The Priests operated independently from each other just as the High Priests did, only connected to the rest of the Cult by gathering their own underlings among the Acolytes. Chakyum was the root of the organization, but the rest rarely collaborated unless directed to do so by their master.


    Coop stood in his own section of forest, participating in the campaign like a dutiful soldier. He claimed a small clearing in between a series of looming palms in front of him, and thick flowering trees behind. A small circle of sunlight breached the canopy and spotlighted where he stood.


    Coop was a warrior that was clearly out of place in the tropical jungle. His ancient gladiator armor belonged halfway around the world on warriors that were thousands of years gone. Still, his presence was a clear challenge. No one would mistake him for a tourist when he was fully geared up in his mist-touched equipment.


    His round shield gleamed in the late morning sunlight as he leaned it against his left hip and his ethereal spear rested on his right shoulder. He tapped the butt of his weapon onto the leafy ground cover, listening to the soft crunch as he found the dry twigs hidden within, just casually waiting for some action.


    The land had borne witness to many types of warriors throughout history. The ancestors of the Jaguar Sun had fought in the region for thousands of years, etching their blood in the jungles and on the mountains. Conflict had been a necessity starting from the oldest founders of the Olmecs, Nahuas, and Toltecs, from the Aztec Empire¡¯s expansion to the Maya Civilization¡¯s competing city-states, down to the K''iche'' armies and the resistant Lenca People, all the way to the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadores. Despite such a history, Coop was a warrior that hadn¡¯t been seen before.


    A light mist had spread throughout the trees and Coop let Presence of Mind monitor his surroundings. To his right, nearly a hundred yards off, a group of Jaguars had climbed into the canopy and waited to ambush individual Cultists, mimicking the Ruin Nebulas that hung from the branches. To his left, equally distant, a lone warrior painted with mud and covered in leaves had buried himself underground after fashioning spiked traps in between the trees.


    Coop just waited, tapping at the dirt with his spear.


    The first to see any action was the group to his right. A dozen cultists slowly pressed forward through the jungle, nearly bypassing the hidden Jaguars. They were exceedingly obvious with their gray robes as they plowed through the underbrush without any subterfuge, giving the warriors a chance to shift around tree trunks and maintain concealment until they were ready.


    The ambushers waited in the branches of trees, masked by leaves and trunks as they crept in the shadows. They let the group of cultists meander beyond their area, and for a moment Coop thought they would let them pass deeper into the jungle, deciding that the group was too large to take on. A woosh of air, arriving at the last second before the cultists moved on, disagreed with his assessment and marked the start of the ambush. The last cultist in the group was shot in the neck by a blowdart, decorated with red and green feathers, and collapsed face first into the dirt stained roots without making any other sounds, neck veins bulging with venom.


    The other cultists turned once the body thumped on the ground, just in time for half of them to receive more surprise attacks from above. The Jaguar warriors used projectiles that were small enough to conceal where they had come from, leading to another wave of collapsing bodies. The remaining cultists unleashed wild attacks, striking wherever they believed someone could be hiding with firework-like displays of magic, but their response only opened themselves up for more retaliation.


    The last cultist was killed with a series of frozen slingshots. The first splashed into his chest, interrupting a purple vortex he had been forming, and causing a frozen spot to appear on his robes. The second spread the frost down his legs, and the third and fourth caused his limbs to become frigid, turning his skin blue and freezing his face into an image of pained effort. The fifth toppled him over where he shattered like a brittle ice sculpture. Coop winced at the brutal victory while the Jaguars leapt into a different set of trees further forward, leaving the shrinking remains in the empty gray robes to be claimed by the jungle.


    Coop waited for someone to enter his arena, but it still wasn¡¯t his turn. The traps of the man on his left were triggered next. A cultist among a group of five stepped onto what he thought was solid ground, but his foot broke through the thin layer of dirt supported by dry sabal palmetto fans. He dropped three feet down with a shriek of surprise. The man¡¯s shriek quickly transformed into howls of pain as spikes in the bottom of the hole pierced his leg so that he couldn¡¯t escape.


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    One of the other cultists in his group rushed to help pull him out, but as soon as she put her weight on the edge of the hole, the whole thing collapsed, revealing a pit trap large enough for an entire platoon to fall inside. She fell backwards and didn¡¯t make a sound when she was impaled more critically than the first.


    The others in the group froze, afraid of triggering another trap while the first victim cried for them to rescue him. The remaining cultists took a moment to decide what to do, and the conclusion was to leave the injured party and head back toward the settlement. They decided the potential gains they could make weren¡¯t worth the risk. As soon as they turned their backs, the hidden warrior popped out of his hole among the traps, like a mud themed jack-in-the-box. Once he exposed himself, he immediately leapt into action, stabbing the Acolytes in the back with a mere sharpened stick before they recognized the additional threat.


    The first injured cultist had a few seconds to beg before the warrior picked his way across his own traps and finished him off. Unlike the first group, the individual warrior dragged the shriveling bodies by the hood of their robes, dumped them into the pit, carefully reset his traps, then concealed himself back in his hiding place to await his next victims. He would be reusing his location until told otherwise. Coop better understood why the Jaguars spaced themselves out and would make sure not to encroach on any of their ally¡¯s arenas.


    While the individual warrior finished concealing his section of the forest to the point that even Coop, with Fog of War and Presence of Mind, could barely detect that anything was out of place, Coop finally had his first encounter. Coop raised his eyebrows at the crowd that had gathered at the edge of his little clearing, observing him with some mild trepidation. They thought he was bait.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re lucky, or unlucky, that I¡¯m the one you ran into.¡± Coop shook his head. ¡°At least I won¡¯t make you suffer.¡± He muttered as he raised his shield and pointed his spear in an unmistakable challenge.


    26 cultists spread along the clearing, waiting for the other shoe to drop. They didn¡¯t think it would be a straightforward fight with a single individual, and they were right, but not for the actual reasons. Fighting Coop would be anything but straightforward. Their eyes scanned the brush, the ground, and the canopy, seeking the rest of Coop¡¯s allies, but the real problem was right in front of them. He inspected the cultists, not expecting much, and his expectations were still not met.


    Every one of them was an Oathsworn Human, confirming their membership to the Cult beyond the uniform they wore. Every one of them was over level 80, but none of them were above level 100. None of them were Priests.


    ¡°Kill him!¡± One of the Acolytes suggested from the back, but none of the others volunteered.


    Coop decided to get it over with. He threw his shield with his offhand, flinging it like an oversized frisbee and letting the shiny object grab their attention. An instant after the disc left his hand, he lunged through the sunlit section himself, letting the light flash on his armor, still gripping his spear rather than throwing it. The shield smashed the largest of the group straight in the forehead, and the cultist closest to his side was impaled by Coop¡¯s thrusted spear before the first body hit the ground.


    Coop pressed forward, aiming for the Acolytes that remained in the second line. His spear shifted into an ethereal glaive and he toggled Vaporform as he stepped straight through the bodies that were in his way, teetering before they fell, and placed himself in the center of the group. When he toggled Vaporform off, his first opponent had an instant of fear before the glaive painlessly ended him.


    Between Vaporform, mistjumps, and quickswaps, he was more of a wraith than any of his summons. He completed the bloody task before any of the cultists could demonstrate more than simple skills that he easily shrugged off, blocked, or countered.


    Coop was surrounded by torn gray robes that littered the edge of the clearing. He frowned at the scene.


    ¡°Nah.¡± he mumbled in the aftermath, disgusted by the dry shriveled bodies disintegrating into black dust. ¡°Screw this.¡±


    Coop marched forward, making a beeline toward the settlement. Unlike the Jaguar Sun as a whole, he had no need for an extended and brutal guerilla campaign. The only people he should be fighting were much stronger than the cultists that ventured into the jungle on the opposite side of the explosions. These weren¡¯t just low ranked cultists, they were either the weakest or the dumbest as well.


    ¡°Thank goodness for the Jaguar Sun.¡± Coop added, appreciating that he wouldn¡¯t need to be responsible for the destruction of every bit of the Cult.


    If he had to dismantle the Cult of Chakyum by himself he seriously would have failed just by being presented with the task of slaughtering so many weak zealots. He would lose his mind if he hunted them all down. No, he¡¯d do his part more aggressively and aim to headhunt the more powerful leaders. That was the role the Jaguar Elites had envisioned for him before the dynamic changed, and while he wanted to fulfill Sierra¡¯s position in the army, he agreed that they were right in their initial assessment as to where his best place would be.


    Coop let his Fog of War spread further as he marched through the last mile of jungle. He carved a clear path straight to the settlement, defeating nearly a thousand more gray robed Acolytes on the way. They meandered through the jungle like squads of ants aggressively searching for what disturbed their nest. Soon enough, he stood at the edge of the enormous city that had been full of cultists when he viewed it from above. It hadn¡¯t changed much.


    The vast majority of the members of the Cult remained in place, facing the temple in the middle. Coop had a clear view of one of the highway-like paths that aimed straight toward the center. It was entirely full of cultists. The number that had left to hunt their attackers in the jungle wasn¡¯t insignificant, but compared to the whole assemblage it was probably a single digit percentage.


    The Jaguar Sun had felt the urgency to start their campaign for a good reason. They knew the entire project of defeating the Cult would necessitate an extended battle. Essentially, they had hoped for the battle to begin the day they left Corozal, almost two weeks earlier, but the gathering of the Cult within the settlement had thrown their plans out of whack. Now, even if they didn¡¯t lose a single fight, Coop wasn¡¯t convinced that they would be successful before the next settlement event began. There were thousands of smaller conflicts erupting across the jungle, but there would have to be millions before the war ended. They would be trapped in combat straight into the next settlement event unless someone like him contributed in a big way.


    The Jaguar Sun¡¯s plan was to keep fighting regardless of the event, but they were making sure they would be inside any potential mana domes this time around, but Coop wouldn¡¯t stick around, no matter what message Jones left him about not worrying about Ghost Reef.


    It seemed like he wasn¡¯t the only person with the same impatience to have things concluded before it dragged out. On the opposite side of the lake, miles away with literally millions of cult members in between, Coop could see purple and crimson lightning exploding into the sky at a steady cadence. Tzultacaj had pushed into the settlement long before he had. The leader of the Jaguar Sun sure didn¡¯t seem like the type to wait for his battles to come to him. Coop admired that a little bit. Where Coop felt like he just went with the flow, Tzultacaj was someone who marched to his own beat.


    Coop would be joining him in assaulting the settlement itself. While Coop could simply bypass the Cultists in front of him, mistjumping straight to the middle, he had still volunteered to cover one section of the forest. He didn¡¯t want to shirk any perceived responsibility, and he thought it was only fair that he carved a single lane from his designated spot until he reached his destination. Besides, if he managed just a few more levels, he would have the opportunity to take the final skill of the Mistwalker path. Every little bit would help if he was going to challenge multiple High Priests at once.


    He raised his spear in the air and cleared his mind as much as he could. From the perspective of the Cultists, the random ancient ethereal warrior must have looked particularly out of place as he stood at the end of what was the equivalent of a four lane pedestrian highway, framed by native jungle plants, apparently challenging the heavens themselves. A few glanced along the point of his spear, trying to figure out what he was aiming at.


    The ground was a layer of woven material that provided a slight bit of cushion beneath his feet. It was a material he would have expected to find on a park¡¯s playground. The city was organized in an extensive grid, but the pattern ended abruptly once it reached the uncleared jungle. It was dry and dusty without the more consistent canopy shielding the surface from the baking sun, but they had the foresight to leave individual trees scattered around the blocks to provide at least a little bit of shade.


    The blocks themselves were uniformly occupied by individual stone buildings, designed like the ancient pyramids that were scattered around the region from previous civilizations. They were enormous monumental structures, but they had all been picked apart. Chunks of the buildings were missing, starting from the top down, as the white stone blocks were cannibalized for the temple in the middle of the lake.


    On each corner of the pyramids were giant braziers the size of massive cauldrons emitting strange black flames that flickered in the wind and sent spirals of dark smoke drifting in the air. While the flames themselves were black, they sparked the more traditional red and orange that a normal fire would emit at their tips. The effect of hundreds of the strange braziers lining the streets gave the entire city a ghoulish feel. Gray light danced wherever shadows appeared in the nooks and crannies that the sun didn¡¯t reach. The city could have been a fictional depiction of the underworld, which made sense to Coop given the Cult¡¯s insistence that they followed the Lord of Death.


    Cultists nearby mumbled as they noticed his presence, but they weren¡¯t decisive enough to prevent his preparations. Coop imagined his own army flowing forward, leaping into the fray, as he envisioned a battle erupting around him.


    Mists swirled as his Fog of War was agitated and Coop spent 9,702 mana at once. Even with his eyes closed, he could still see, in a way. Presence of Mind filled his mind with a sense of his surroundings, but what he felt he could see was something unreal. The world of mana that had been revealed to his consciousness by Vaporform swirled and flowed as he caused waves of turbulence. The outline of the city¡¯s miles of outstretched blocks was clear, but he and the Cultists were impossible to decipher. It was like a picture was gradually coming into focus. When his vision finally started to solidify, each of the swirls of mana took on a more familiar but still nebulous form.


    When his eyes snapped open, his imagination became reality. 99 phantasms leapt from portals of mists in unison, stabbing their own spears forward as they carved a section of the street away from the surprised cultists. The fog that spilled from their appearance splashed onto the ground like blocks of dry ice and drifted toward the Acolytes, clouding the air up to their knees. The action had drawn the attention of all the distracted Cultists nearby, but they faced an unexpected army rather than a smaller individual disturbance.


    Normally, Coop¡¯s standard phantasm summons were randomly generated from various eras and styles, but this time, they were a uniform team. Bronze breastplates matched polished round shields and shiny face-covering helmets, so smooth they seemed gold. Red cloaks mirrored the red plumes on the crowns of each helmet, and long spears already dripped with the red blood of the first defeated cultists. This was the current maximum for Legacy of the Mists.


    Coop¡¯s mists from Fog of War continued drifting forward, invisible to the naked eye, from knee high up. The fog guided his phantasms forwards as they formed an organized phalanx, presented their golden shining shields, and marched forward.

 Chapter 220: The Great Pyramid of Chakyum

    ¡°Zero levels.¡± Coop huffed with agitation.


    He had lost count of how many of Chakyum¡¯s Cultists he and his phantasms had defeated, but there had been no signs that the enemies provided any experience at all. After an extended battle where he and his ghostly summons waded through untold numbers of Oathsworn, he had received zero levels.


    It seemed like the only thing that changed throughout the battle was the mass of the stone monument that he drove toward. The cultists were limitless and the settlement was enormous, but the monument in the center loomed higher and higher the more he approached the centerpiece of the city.


    The pyramids of the region were relatively uniform in size, whether they were ancient constructions swallowed up by jungle or the fresh and partially dismantled buildings that dotted the settlement¡¯s streets. They were short, squat ziggurats, wider than they were tall, but still reaching several floors above the ground. However, the one that rose from the center of the lake was far larger than the rest. It exceeded the height of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt and was even wider than the Great Pyramid of Cholula in Mexico. It was more of a mountain than a building. Its flat top approached the clouds in the sky and its wide base threatened to consume the lake that it was built within.


    Coop imagined that Chakyum¡¯s Pyramid was rising with the death of every Oathsworn. He knew it was just the tricks of perspective as he drew closer to the monumental structure. It wasn¡¯t actually growing, but all of the experience was going somewhere, and the times that he caught sight of a cloud of mana zipping toward the structure fed his imagination. The more he neared the giant ominous stone temple in the middle of the Yucatan settlement, the less he gained, and the bigger it seemed.


    When he defeated Chakyum¡¯s Envoy all the way back on Ghost Reef, a thousand miles away, there hadn¡¯t been anything overly problematic with only receiving a single level. The Envoy had been a lower level opponent when compared to Coop. The cultist¡¯s boost hadn¡¯t been able to catch up with the gains Coop made while he was grinding inside the Mana Well, so even one level felt appropriate due to Coop¡¯s advantage.


    It wasn¡¯t until he reached the shores of Belize and fought High Priests merely hundreds of miles from the focal point of their territory that his suspicions were roused. The experience he should have been gaining from much higher leveled opponents was clearly diminished, but he waved it away as simple oddities presented by the Cult or even limitations placed by the System itself. However, by the time he entered the Yucatan settlement¡¯s territory, and was therefore in even closer proximity to the temple, the Oathsworn gave no experience at all.


    Coop shook his head in a combination of disappointment and disgust. Looking at his progression in isolation, he was better off leisurely grinding Ancient Defenders on the beach back home, rather than fighting the Cult of Chakyum. Instead, he was in the humid rainforests of Guatemala, enduring the brutal task of killing countless vicious people, a task he was loath to do in the first place, no matter the justification. Previously, he had tried to find solace when he crossed the line necessary to preserve the sanctuary he protected by concentrating on his own progression, but even that minimal relief was absent in his current situation.


    His last ditch effort to gain another advantage in one final skill choice before he sought out Chakyum had been an abject failure, though no one could claim he shirked his assumed duties to the Jaguar Sun. He had joined his silent ghostly companions as they engaged in extraordinary feats to defeat their innumerable enemies, but his reward was only a growing agitation and further delay to his confrontation with the leaders of the Cult.


    He diverted his attention from his frustration to acknowledge his phantasms. The mass summon of 99 ghostly companions was the lone bright spot in an otherwise dark day. Instead of individual fighters that Coop mentally appointed to simple tasks as he summoned them, the company of ancient Greek warriors were coordinated combatants that required minimal direction. Previously, the coordination had always been facilitated by his own initial, if basic, orders, but the current iterations of Legacy of the Mists proved to understand tactics beyond his expectations.


    Coop had evolved his instructions from extremely simple one-word thoughts, like ¡®attack,¡¯ to slightly more detailed behaviors that included targeting and goals to work toward. The additional imperatives combined with the simultaneous summon gave his individual phantasms a level of coordination that would easily be confused with telepathy, but that was entirely due to their skill rather than an actual psychic link. They were experienced enough to match Coop¡¯s own effort and create combination attacks that overwhelmed his opponents, but he had never provided tactical instructions.


    In contrast to his already impressive individual summons, the united front of hoplites that engaged with the Acolytes of Chakyum were coordinated with each other on a completely different level. Coop imagined the group of 99 had trained together for an entire lifetime, then continued even in death for another series of lifetimes. Coop thought it would take 2,500 years of practice, drills, and experience to develop the level of coordinated discipline they maintained on the battlefield, and they did it all in silence. It only took a specific movement from one phantasm, a shift in feet, an angle of a spear, or an adjustment of a shield, and the rest fell into formations, completely trusting the judgment of whichever ghost shifted their overall stance.


    Coop fought on his own, mostly in the front, but his mistjumps and Vaporform allowed him to drift across the wide street, protecting their flanks or providing a wedge when he felt necessary to sustain their momentum. Presence of Mind provided him advanced warning of the movements conducted by Priests and Acolytes, so he was often best able to respond to spontaneous threats.


    Meanwhile the hoplites fought as one shield and one spear. They pressed forward on the wide highway, driving into the heart of the settlement, all the way from the outermost edge. Coop guessed it was nearly 10 miles of solid, wall-to-wall, gray-robed Cultists. The half destroyed stone pyramids, the width of downtown office buildings, lined both sides of the road, making the phantasms seem like a foreign army, deep within enemy territory. The highway was interspersed with narrower streets that were similarly packed with enemies, and even narrower alleyways that were thankfully more full of trees than ambushers.


    The air was thick with dust that had been kicked up with their march, the iron tang of fresh blood, and misty mana that drifted in swirls with the wind, competing with the dark mana from the Cultists and their braziers. The sun beat down on the company¡¯s bronze armor, gleaming off the polished golden-hued metals, and disguising the ghosts within. Their limbs were dense with muscle that flexed and rippled beneath scarred skin from countless battles, and their bright red cloaks were torn and frayed. The phantasms didn¡¯t look like any ghosts that Coop had ever seen depicted in media, but when they received injuries they leaked thin streams of ethereal mists rather than red blood, adding to the atmospheric cocktail. Where they went, a miasma of Spectral mana blanketed the road, turning it into a shallow river of ethereal fog.


    In contrast, their opponents bled crimson when injured, but disintegrated into clouds of black ash when killed. The Cultists were more monster than person, despite external appearances. Coop wasn¡¯t sure what becoming Oathsworn had done to them, but it had obviously been a major change, something akin to the phantoms of Ghost Reef or even the oil rig¡¯s zombies.


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    Coop couldn¡¯t help but disassociate from the supernatural battle that he was taking part in. He didn¡¯t even feel entirely human, given his otherworldly powers, but everyone else was three steps beyond himself.


    The phantasms were unyielding and weathered. They derived greater strength as a whole, leaning into the unity of their shields, the rhythm of their steps, and the tactical flourishes of their spears. In contrast, the Cultists were like sand petulantly bouncing against solid rocks.If it wasn¡¯t for the timers that the phantasms were limited by, Coop suspected the very first squad had the determination to escort him all the way to the bridge by themselves.


    For the most part, the ghosts countered the fury of the Cultists with unwavering resolve, locking their shields and forming impenetrable walls before they planted their feet in unison, thrusting spears forward and clearing wave after wave in rather eerie silence. Only their equipment revealed that they had an actual physical presence, stomping on the woven street, and clanging against enemy gear. On the other hand, the cultists shouted and roared, excited by the prospect of gaining experience and offended by the invasion of outsiders.


    The phantasms had countless different tactical formations, but most of the time they pushed forward steadily, like a steamroller smoothing the ground. Other times they would briefly move with such aggression even Coop was surprised. After they broke an initial wave of Cultists, in order to claim ground, the third row in the column could leap forward, flying between the front shields, and thrust forward with their spears to expand the range of the phalanx. They extended the column forward before reforming a solid wall. In this way, the phantasms were constantly gaining ground with machine-like efficiency, rotating their forces, and being unpredictable. They were like a bronze tank and the Cultists were unprepared infantry challenging the formation head-on.


    The Cult of Chakyum was pure chaos in comparison. They demonstrated a strange disparity between their discipline and their coordination. Coop eventually understood that individual groups of Cultists behaved like gangs, united by a single powerful figure, but otherwise not exactly harmonious with each other.


    The lowest on the totem pole, those who were weak or had only recently joined the Cult, grouped together or joined beneath other more powerful individuals. It seemed as though they preferred to align themselves with someone who had a better chance to succeed rather than undergo the struggle to advance on their own, and in doing so made their belief in the others a self-fulfilling prophecy. While some promising Acolytes had followings in the double digits, almost every Priest had hundreds of their own Acolytes receiving their orders and doing their bidding. The solitary strongholds of Priests were maintained by many underlings at a time, right up until Chakyum ordered them all to gather in the settlement.


    On a smaller scale, the Priests were extremely well-coordinated with their Acolytes, and more importantly, their followers were dedicated to the point of willing sacrifice. But on a larger scale, the Priests failed to properly work together, giving Coop¡¯s phantasms ample opportunity to pick the enemy squads apart, one at a time.


    They fought wild warrior-priests who fearlessly surged against the impenetrable wall of shields, smashing maces and hammers against the bronze hoplons with a fervor that bled from their eyes, literally. The warrior-priests were hoarse as they roared in the name of their master, faces streaked with blood, but discipline and patience won the day. The shields held until the spears found the openings necessary to crush the assault.


    Then they fought dozens of plasma wielding casters who kept their distance while throwing splashes of mercury-like explosives, shaped like water balloons, that erupted into silvery liquid flame. The golden shields were coated in a thin layer that refused to stop burning and the plumes of the phantasm¡¯s helmets were singed, but the formation held strong. The casters walked backwards and seemed content to concede ground as the shield wall marched forward.


    It was the fourth row of warriors who leapt through the miasmic haze of smoke and magic, launching themselves from the lowered shields of the third row in order to close the gap, and stabbed the robed sorcerers through their hearts. They flew like gymnasts launched from trampolines when they attacked, then immediately reestablished the phalanx. As they claimed advanced positions they finally broke the Plasma Priest¡¯s defense.


    Later, poison rained from the sky as another particularly nasty Priest attempted to apply decaying skills on the phantasms. The air hissed as corrosive droplets splashed on metallic armor, chewing at the mist-summoned metals, but a phantasmal spear entered his throat before enough damage could be applied to disperse the phantasms.


    Unlike Coop, the phantasms had no mechanism of retrieving their weapons, and the thrown spear was a sacrifice that left one of the soldiers wielding only a shield. It wasn¡¯t enough of a handicap to prevent that particular phantasm from refunding the mana cost of his own summon as he used the shield to crush the throats of a dozen other Acolytes before he returned to the mists.


    Another Priest sent firing squads of Acolytes who lined up and shot streams of jagged pink and violet energy into the shield wall. The shielded phantasms rushed forward as one with their protective barrier raised diligently against the assault. The bright colored attacks splashed against the barriers like fire hoses of water right until the soldiers and Acolytes collided. Explosions of purple fireworks clashed against the phantasms¡¯ raised defense as the cultists failed to overwhelm the defense. The ghosts simply marched forward, silhouetting themselves against the bright colors, taking more ground one rush at a time.


    When they met masses of cloth-wearing swordsmen, the phantasms sent layers forward, breaking their larger formation into smaller groups that coordinated individually. As one ghostly warrior fully extended his body to maximize the range of his spear, impaling a swordsman, a second would leap over him and counter any Cultists who thought they could retaliate while the first was occupied. The phantasms used each other as platforms to conduct additional maneuvers that left Coop feeling a twinge of jealousy at his solitary nature.


    The worst of the Priests was one who created balls of explosive icicles beneath the surface of the street, hidden inside the soup of smoke and mists. The enemy traps swelled when stepped on, then sent shards of ice in all directions. More than one phantasm dove onto the icicle traps like they were live grenades when the traps started to expand, sacrificing themselves for the rest of the phalanx. Coop mistjumped to that particular priest and removed his head before he could do more harm to the formation.


    The phantasms took plenty of casualties from other Priests as well. In fact, they lost members at a rather steady pace, but every phantasm that was lost was avenged tenfold by his companions. Injuries ignited their fury and they fought harder as they were cut and battered. The phalanx as a whole was unyielding. Coop lost track of how many phantasms he summoned, but they managed to escort him all the way to the end of one of the bridges, through miles of the persistent cultists. Enormous explosions of pure energy erupted on the opposite side of the settlement as Tzultacaj and company made their own way along a different highway.


    Coop took three steps onto the bridge and the cultists ceased their efforts to kill him and his phantasms. The sudden calm was too fast for his rapidly beating heart and excited breathing. He swung around, expecting some kind of trap, but the cultists just watched him with disappointed scowls on their faces as they remained shoulder to shoulder on the perimeter road that encompassed the lake. They looked at him like a meal that was just out of reach.


    When he turned back to gaze at his opponents, he was surprised to find that he and his phantasms hadn¡¯t diminished the gathering of the Cult of Chakyum to any noticeable degree. He had been concentrating on making sure the phalanx wasn¡¯t surrounded, but he had never gazed upon the path in its entirety. It seemed like Cultists from other roads filled the gap they had made in the arterial highway, refilling the open areas with their gray robes, braced by the black flame braziers all the way to the horizon. Coop imagined that their eyes were tinged with a slight green energy, piercing the otherworldly haze that filled the settlement as they stared into the center.


    Coop had half a mind to double back and continue the fight before he wound down, despite his hesitancy to be involved in the clean up of the Cult¡¯s lower level members in the first place. The fact that they had bothered to spread themselves evenly around the temple made him want to throw a wrench in their efforts, but he held himself back. He had wasted enough time trying to get last minute levels before greeting the High Priests of Chakyum. It was about time for him to introduce himself.

 Chapter 221: 1,000 Steps

    At some point stairs stopped making sense. As a vertical mode of transportation they demanded a lot from the user and when a structure exceeded a certain reasonable size it called for a more efficient method of traversal. It was just poor planning to build an enormous monument without a plan to facilitate visitation. For the Great Pyramid of Chakyum, at least an escalator would have been nice. Surely, someone could have managed an alternative to creating a long climb of monotonous steps with the help of mana.


    Coop stood at the base of far too many stairs and reconsidered his logic in approaching the High Priests on foot. In this case, he had believed it would be a good idea to take it slow and make sure he didn¡¯t rush into any kind of traps, especially because they had been given a clear perspective of his journey toward the center of the settlement. In his pursuit of the last few levels before his next skill choice, he had provided a clear presentation of most of his skills. There was no chance that his rapid approach for the final section would be able to catch them by surprise after the dramatic battles with the Acolytes and Priests.


    In particular, they had the opportunity to witness him utilizing hundreds of mistjumps in the lead up to their confrontation. Anyone with any sense could anticipate his sudden appearance following a thrown spear, as that had been the weapon he had used for the entire trip in order to avoid despawning his phantasms. The Priests had an advantage in knowing more about Coop¡¯s skills than he knew about theirs, so he expected them to be prepared for their inevitable battle.


    When he first arrived on the shores of Belize and entered Corozal, he had been humbled by the snares of the profession masters. Ever since then, he had been more conscientious toward the potential of traps. Unless he was specifically seeking to take advantage of the element of surprise, he had tried to approach each boss fight with more deliberate measures. Coop didn¡¯t think of himself as particularly reckless, but he was always trying to find better ways to do things. This time, he considered the circumstances surrounding their confrontation.


    While the High Priests knew he was coming, the Cult of Chakyum was as contained as it would ever be, thanks to the net cast by the Jaguar Sun. The only rush was in beating the initiation of the upcoming settlement event, but that was still two more weeks away. There was plenty of time to finish his part in defeating the Cult. They weren¡¯t going anywhere unless the Jaguar Sun was wiped out first, and he knew they had no intention of being wiped out at all.


    Coop took his time climbing the first few stairs, carefully assessing each stone surface as he searched for hidden triggers. Intricate hieroglyphs had been carved into the surfaces, but he couldn¡¯t understand what story they sought to tell. Judging by the number of skulls and skeletons, he doubted it was a pleasant tale. The whole pyramid read more like the universal warning labels on a container full of poison than the throne of the region¡¯s leadership.


    In a way, marching up the side of the pyramid felt like he was undergoing a test of courage. If he wanted to meet the masters of the settlement, he needed to show that he was properly devoted to his purpose. He needed to climb the mountain to meet the old masters at the top and hear their wisdom. It was a filter.


    At the most basic level, it was a simple challenge. Climbing the massive staircase required a challenger to demonstrate they had the resilience, determination, and stamina to be worthy of their time. It only called for a straightforward showcase of physical and mental fitness. It took a certain amount of humility to even engage with the test. If someone believed they were worthy of meeting the masters at the top, by necessity, they would be confident to the point of arrogance. The stairs were a way to knock them down a peg or two. If the task turned out to be more arduous than anticipated, and the challenger struggled, they would have to tap into hidden reserves to persevere or otherwise abandon pretense and give up.


    Besides being a physical test, they were also symbolic. The stairs represented a journey toward the heavens and therefore enlightenment, a separation from the mundane and earthly challenges below, and an opportunity for the challenger to overcome internal struggles. If Coop climbed all the stairs, he would be able to subdue his inner demons, confront his fears and doubts, and prove that he had mastered his weaknesses.


    Truly, Coop thought the stairs were a multifaceted obstacle. Many a wise master had employed their expert ability to disqualify unworthy candidates. Coop was impressed. He glanced at the black flames flickering in the breeze at the sides of each step and shook his head.


    ¡°...or I really could just mistjump.¡± He mumbled to himself, unsympathetic toward his potential personal journey. He was solely concerned with getting stronger and protecting Ghost Reef.


    Coop cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders before he aimed his spear at the top edge of the staircase, squinting with one eye and gauging the distance. He abandoned his contemplations and threw the spear at the top, not too hard, but with enough force to cover the distance.


    With the spear throw, he dismissed the fantasy of transforming his adventures into a cultivator¡¯s novella. Coop wasn¡¯t there to confront his inner demons and make new connections with mana before duking it out with powerful old masters. He was there to wreck some trumped up losers who thought they were big enough to bully their way to the top of humanity and take over the planet.


    Activating his mistjump just before his spear crested the edge of the pyramid, he entered the monochromatic world of mists. The normally dark and hazy world was unusually vibrant and he noted that the pyramid itself was awash with murky, vibrating energy.


    Plumes of thick black smoke funneled around the center of the flat top pyramid, as if the structure was a pressure cooker that was on the verge of erupting. Streaks of shadowy mana drifted from all directions in the sky, forming rivers in the soaring gray mists and blurry outlines of the world. The black mana culminated with a vortex that funneled into the center of Chakyum¡¯s pyramid.  Coop felt like the entire region was on the verge of detonating, though he barely understood the mechanisms of mana.


    He suspected when Dan read the mana, scenes like these were what he meant. Clearly something grand was happening, and the pyramid was the focal point. Now, even Coop could tell that the heart of the region was the pyramid within the Yucatan settlement; no mana reader necessary.


    When Coop solidified from the mists, spear and shield held loose in his fingertips, he made sure that he landed before the top step. Just because he declined to take the Test of Stairs didn¡¯t mean he was abandoning his deliberate approach.


    Five High Priests were waiting for him near the civilization shard, some distance away from the edge. The shard hovered in the exact center of the pyramid, on top of a platform that was surrounded by even more stairs. This time, they led down the perimeter of a square shaft that drove into the interior of the structure.


    All five of the High Priests were watching the staircase that would bring Coop into their presence. While he rose from below, slowly taking each step, mists streamed from his armor as though he had climbed out of the underworld rather than along the streets of their settlement.


    Coop identified each of the High Priests with a flick of his eyes in the moments that he appeared and manually climbed the last three steps. He let his own overwhelming aura spread across what would be their enormous arena as he galvanized himself. Fog of War began condensing along the floor, forming an invisible wave of mists that stretched his senses across the top of the pyramid.


    [Oathsworn Human (Level 390)]


    [Colossus (Strength)]


    [Thane of Begarahl]


    [Stone (Crusher)]


    The first Priest on the left was a mountain of a man, large and muscular. Coop thought he had the same natural build as the Cleary Brothers, but had spent more time focused on bodybuilding to give himself a chiseled exterior. He exhibited strength, whether intentionally or not, as his muscles flexed while he shifted his body.


    Coop wasn¡¯t particularly intimidated, regardless of the Priest¡¯s dramatic level. The Voice of Kukulkan had already shown the limitations of a pure focus on a single attribute when compared to Coop¡¯s more flexible Revenant class, and he sincerely doubted he would lose in a contest of Strength.


    [Oathsworn Human (Level 437)]


    [Deathstalker (Agility)]


    [Disorder (Indiscriminate)]


    The second from the left lingered just a bit behind the rest. She was leaning off to the side with her weight distributed onto one leg while the other rested on a toe. She seemed ambivalent toward potential conflict, but she didn¡¯t shy away from his eyes when he assessed her. Her hair was twisted half up and half down, and she pushed a greasy black bang away from her face with a black gloved hand with her head angled sideways. She smirked at Coop as if an anticipated meal had been served. Coop figured she was a rogue of some sort, and given her higher level, an effective one.


    [Oathsworn Human (Level 411)]


    [Totemic (Strength)]


    [Chosen of the Wild Herald]


    [Nature, Spirit (Guardian)]


    Another large man was the middle Priest in the group. He wore animal skins across his chest, over his shoulders, and down his back, but his bare arms were tanned, and his skin was covered in tribal tattoos. He had two large stumps that were carved with depictions of various animals strapped across his back . If Coop was continuing to assign traditional party roles to the High Priests, he expected the Totemic was some kind of defensive support, especially given his mana affinities and title.


    [Oathsworn Human (Level 386)]


    [Druid of the Swarm (Intelligence)]


    [Chosen of the Billion Wings]


    [Fractured (Slayer)]


    The fourth of the group was an extraordinarily creepy woman. Coop wasn¡¯t sure if she was looking at him due to the transformation that her face had undergone. Two compound eyes sat on her face like immobile domes in place of eye sockets.


    A pair of black studded leather straps wrapped around her head, criss crossing over the bridge of her nose. Coop wasn¡¯t sure what the fashion statement¡¯s purpose was, unless there was a chance that her head would split open without them, they just seemed to be in the way. When she grinned, confirming where her attention was, Coop involuntarily shivered as he noticed a fly climb out from a gap in her teeth before he averted his gaze.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    [Elite Oathsworn Human (Level 505)]


    [Herald of Cosmos (Mind)]


    [Stellar, Void (Champion)]


    The last was another woman. She was older than the rest, with gray streaks in her short dark hair, but she had benefited from the rejuvenation provided by mana. Her posture immediately reminded him of the Tide Priest, like they were sisters of the aristocracy observing the rest of them. More importantly, the Herald had both a special ¡®Elite¡¯ designation and the Champion title. An Elite High Priestess represented yet another layer in the Cult¡¯s ongoing development.


    Coop thought the group might be able to answer some of his questions, but he let his spear do the talking.


    After only a fraction of a second where the two parties assessed each other like a pair of wild animals crossing paths, Coop planted his foot and threw his spear as if he decided they were prey. He had begun his motion even while assessing the group, and he shifted his torso from behind his round shield so that he aimed at the highest level of the group before the spear was released. The Herald class that held the title of Champion would be his first target.


    While there was a small chance that the highest level Priest was actually Chakyum, even if she wasn¡¯t, it made sense to target the one that seemed the most dangerous. Coop of all people respected Mind focused builds more than anyone, and combined with the other factors, such as level, elite status, and mana affinity, he assessed the Champion of the Yucatan to be the biggest threat. He felt the need to be decisive as he unhesitatingly challenged five High Priests at once.


    The last group of High Priests managed to form a relatively balanced party, with a mixture of attributes and archetypes. Though they might not have been members of a single faction, it was clear once again that they had been influenced by the galactic community, whether intentionally or not, at least when it came to class archetypes. The Cult of Chakyum may have been an unofficial human faction, in some ways like The Lighthouse, but they operated in a more similar manner to those that had been guided by outside factions than the people of Ghost Reef who sought to forge their own path.


    His spear shot through the air, blasting a single sonic boom, just as members of the opposing party burst into action. The one Coop expected to be the slowest was the first to move. The muscular Colossus shifted across the party, transforming into a stone-armored golem, and used his knuckles to smack Coop¡¯s spear away, sending it beyond the pyramid while preventing it from striking his target. His entire body had turned to earth colored stone, but was already transforming back to flesh while Coop resummoned his spear.


    ¡°That¡¯s no way to greet your seniors.¡± The man declared with a booming accented voice that rumbled through the stone once his head transformed back to normal.


    The Totemic stoically slammed one of his totems into the ground, fusing it into the pyramid, and a green stream connected with the Colossus who was shaking his hand as if he had lost the feeling in his fingers.


    The Swarm lady snickered while the Totemic placed his horned totem, letting a handful of mosquitos escape into the air. ¡°I¡¯m surprised he showed up at all.¡± She sang, letting her words float in the breeze along with the insects. ¡°Such a fool.¡±


    There it is, Coop thought. The arrogance that had been missing from the Cult of Chakyum¡¯s actions as a whole was simply delegated to the individual lieutenants.


    He reflexively cast Legacy of the Mists as his Presence of Mind detected a disturbance in his Fog of War at his rear, ignoring the continued conversation between the Priests.


    A phantasm appeared behind Coop, shield first, blocking the Deathstalker¡¯s ambush. A single jagged dagger clanged against the ghost¡¯s hoplon and she instantaneously returned to her position behind the other High Priests, leaving a black portal ringed with deep purple to fade after she reappeared. She spat, squinting at Coop before relocating behind the Totemic with a cavalier saunter.


    ¡°You are too late.¡± The Champion spoke authoritatively, raising her voice to be heard by Coop at the edge of the temple and putting an end to the others¡¯ chatter. ¡°Master has decided to move on from this place once the ritual is complete.¡± She stated. ¡°However, he wished for me to relay a message to you should I have the opportunity.¡±


    Coop raised an eyebrow. Gathering that Chakyum wasn¡¯t one of the High Priests, but was nearby and planned on leaving. Obviously, Coop would need to prevent that from happening. He was more worried about losing his chance to catch the Cult leader than he was about their ritual, though that was certainly another concern. One thing at a time, he reminded himself.


    The Champion cleared her throat and began. ¡°From the Throne of the Underworld, the Lord of Death¡¯s voice rings out. Our Master¡¯s words are thus: Go back to your own territory, little brother. There is no need for you to contribute to my legion yet. Collect yourself, for I have grand plans for us. We will meet when you are ready.¡± She heralded with a bit more drama than necessary. She had real class president energy, desperate to maintain the good graces of their teacher.


    Coop frowned at the message. He was mostly confused. Did Chakyum not understand that Coop was in the Yucatan specifically to take his head? Why would he be under the impression that they were potential allies? Coop couldn¡¯t remember a single instance where he would have given the impression he intended to cooperate with the death Cult.


    Then again, several of the members of the Jaguar Sun had made the same assumption when they first encountered Coop. Notably, Tzultacaj thought Coop¡¯s aura was enough to go straight for his head.


    ¡°He calls him brother.¡± The Colossus observed under his breath, though his voice rumbled through the stone regardless. His frown was matched by the other High Priests, excluding the Champion.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. Master values us as well. He wouldn¡¯t be taking us with him if he didn¡¯t.¡± The Swarm lady consoled the larger man, patting his shoulder gently. Gnats scattered as she moved.


    The Deathstalker silently raised her arm and pointed her obsidian colored dagger at Coop, expression grim. ¡°Can I have his heart?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sister.¡± The Champion of the Yucatan responded to the gesture. ¡°If Aspirant Coop, Champion of Ghost Reef, does not leave the Grand Tomb, we are to remove him.¡±


    Coop shook his head. ¡°Good luck.¡± He murmured, letting his spear rip through the air for a second time.


    He aimed at the Totemic this time around, giving up on quickly removing the biggest threat. Instead, he assessed that if he had any chance of beating their combined strength, he needed to remove the one that could cast heals.


    Coop leaned forward and launched himself after the spear, finding purchase against the rough stone floor with his feet. He avoided a pure mistjump for fear of putting himself exactly where they expected. Instead, he would leverage all of his stats in an effort to exceed their collective powers and take at least one of them out before they unleashed their skills. Combined, they might approach the totality of his accumulated attributes, so he wanted to bring their numbers down and ensure he held at least that one advantage as fast as possible.


    As his body exploded into motion, the world blurred and he crossed most of the distance before any of them reacted. He carefully envisioned the final four steps necessary to close the distance and planned his attack, as if the Battlemaiden was there to guide him.


    His thrown spear struck the stone guard of the Colossus when Coop planted his right foot, starting his four count. At the same time the Deathstalker appeared at Coop¡¯s left side, accurately anticipating his speed, stabbing at his kidney. Coop adjusted his shield to block the nasty dagger, but simultaneously, a second Deathstalker appeared at his right. Coop maintained his stride, casting Legacy of the Mists in time to summon a second phantasmal shieldbearer to block the assassin while his own shield was occupied.


    Coop didn¡¯t slow down, undeterred, as he planted his left foot on the second step, causing a third and final copy of the Deathstalker to be left in his dust as she attempted to ambush him from behind while exiting a purple gateway. The first two assassins disappeared into puffs of smoke, revealing the third to be the real copy, but she was smashed in the upper back by Coop¡¯s first shield bearer, slowly chasing Coop and proving that his phantasms had several advantages over what seemed to be the Deathstalker¡¯s clones, the first of which was their duration, and the second was their autonomy.


    The Colossus had recovered from blocking the spear throw after Coop¡¯s third step, better prepared to brace against the force and avoid being staggered the second time he was struck.


    Coop¡¯s ethereal shield and spear disappeared into clouds of mists as he planted his fourth step and the Swarm Priest disappeared into a cloud of mosquitoes to retreat to the side, unwilling to risk being near Coop¡¯s building momentum.


    In the next instant, Coop¡¯s ethereal morning star manifested in his hands. Coop had shifted his focus to the Colossus on his approach, refusing to let the apparent tank control the fight. He would have to knock him out of the way if he wanted to engage with the Totemic. Coop wouldn¡¯t shy away from a preliminary test of raw Strength.


    Coop swung his morning star like a baseball bat, adding his strength to the momentum of his rush forward, challenging the strongman directly. The solidified mists pulverized the stone armor where the High Priest blocked, sounding like a wrecking ball in the process of demolishing a building. The strike sent shards of stone to dissolve into dust as they clattered across the pyramid. The Colossus folded over the spiked mace, failing to anticipate Coop¡¯s proper Strength even after two chances to measure it.


    Coop¡¯s followthrough sent the big man flying. It was less of a homerun, and more of a foul ball, but the end result was that the Totemic was momentarily exposed while the Colossus rolled across the roof of the temple, leaving rubble in his wake.


    Coop didn¡¯t hesitate to go for the kill on the group¡¯s apparent healer. In general, the High Priests of the Cult of Chakyum had long lost the benefit of the doubt. However, his second swing was interrupted when a cloud of mosquitoes coalesced in his way. Coop immediately choked as they sought to drown him, climbing into his throat while attacking every exposed part of his skin.


    Coop flailed, abandoning the strike against the Totemic, and desperately cast Vaporform instead. He drifted forward as spectral mists for a full second, observing the glowing forms of his opponents, the massive mana drift that entered the open shaft of the pyramid, and the spotlight that engulfed the civilization shard. He embraced the freedom from the brief horror of drowning in a swarm of mosquitoes in favor of the previously existential fear of losing his physical form.


    He toggled the skill off and reappeared behind the healer, already recovered, and aimed another crushing killing blow at the Totemic¡¯s skull. Coop brought his morning star down with all the force he could muster, willing the momentum onto his side. It was an absolute necessity that he took an early advantage in this particular fight. He was too outnumbered to let himself be put on the backfoot.


    As his morning star bore down on the Totemic, he felt himself slow down. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see wisps of colorless mana drifting from the fingertips of the Champion, feeding a circle of void above him and his mace. It was like a magnet, drawing his morning star with enough force to counter Coop¡¯s strength and momentum.


    Coop growled as he sought for Mindbender to shift his bonus stats and overcome the resistance, but a bolt of lightning interrupted the battlefield.


    All of the High Priests turned their heads in surprise. The Deathstalker was still chasing behind Coop¡¯s track, having been battered by, but ultimately escaping the pair of Phantasmal Shieldbearers when Coop swapped to his morning star. The Swarm Priest had reformed away from the rest, the Totemic was raising his second totem in defense, and the Champion was fighting to stop Coop from landing his blow at all.


    The Colossus was barely resisting being pinned where he lay on his back after Coop sent him flying. An ancient oversized and bloodstained axe threatened his neck as purple lightning arced from the spikes on its reverse side.


    ¡°What¡¯s all this? Are they fighting amongst themselves?¡± A strange man that Coop had never seen asked from the top of one of the other staircases. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that at all. Seriously, I never considered infighting a possibility in any of my hypotheticals. I think that actually helps our chances quite a bit.¡± The man rambled. ¡°They always seemed completely loyal, I couldn¡¯t imagine anything else¡­ perhaps it is a mutiny?¡± He interrupted himself to address Coop, ignoring the burning conflict. ¡°Hey, you there! Wanna join our side?¡±


    ¡°That is Coop.¡± Tzultacaj growled as he raised his axe above his head.


    The leader of the Jaguar Sun roared as he brought his ancient axe back down and tried to cut through the stone guard of the Colossus with another bolt of primordial lightning erupting into the rear spikes of his weapon.


    ¡°Death to the Death Gods!¡± The Mayan warrior exclaimed at his opponent over the crushing sound of thunder. The leader of the Jaguar Sun was already completely drenched in blood and sweat, and his companion was basically the same though he stood rather lazily in Tzultacaj¡¯s wake.


    ¡°Right. That¡¯s fine then.¡± Tzultacaj¡¯s companion nodded firmly, expectations satisfied as the Colossus blocked the thunderous strike with his forearms. ¡°No need to reconsider things then. Still a hail mary at best.¡± The man sighed as he lifted both of his arms, palms facing outwards, with a small bead of light growing from the center.


    ¡°Mind the lasers, Coop.¡± He added earnestly.

 Chapter 222: Chaos

    A flash of heat and energy burned long strips of Coop¡¯s Fog of War away. For a few moments afterwards, his domain was divided into three individual parts. Wide channels devoid of any mists were carved in between each section, and for Coop, it felt like he had gone cross-eyed. A very confused Presence of Mind fed him information from three different domains in unison.


    Luckily, the strange feeling didn¡¯t linger long enough to interfere with his concentration. The split domain faded shortly after he noticed it, but he could feel the strain on his mind behind his eyes, like he had barely avoided a harsh migraine.


    His mists were severely diminished by the blasts, but Fog of War formed a far more robust domain than when he first received the skill in the days before the siege event. The individual sections didn¡¯t disappear after being sundered from the rest. Instead, they expanded into the empty space, filling the gaps until they recombined into a single proportionally reduced domain. He could practically taste the seared air that was left behind as the normal functions of his fog were restored.


    A pair of circular laser beams, each four feet across, had sliced across the top of Chakyum¡¯s temple, charring the top layer of stone before disappearing in the distance. The lasers didn¡¯t make any noise themselves, but whatever they touched couldn¡¯t help but react. The air hissed with a steady sizzle that was punctuated with pops and bangs as it burned. The entire battlefield was saturated with the scent of an electrical fire after the energetic discharges subsided.


    One laser was aimed at the Swarm Priest who had drifted out of the way of Coop¡¯s charge into melee, off to the side by herself. The other laser caused Coop¡¯s skin to develop a sheen of sweat as it blasted toward the Champion of the Yucatan, nearer to his own position. While Coop was thinking of the beams as lasers, they were really more like simple blasts of shockingly powerful thermal magic. They didn¡¯t move anywhere near the speed of an actual laser. In fact, Coop thought they might even be slower than his thrown spears, but they were pure energy that had been generated by mana rather than physical objects.


    Tzultacaj and the man Coop assumed was the other Jaguar Elite, Mateo, had joined the fray with an exceptionally dramatic entrance. Several things happened at once afterwards.


    The swarm of insects that erupted from the body of the High Priestess in order to dodge the laser reformed. The insects coalesced into the incomplete outline of a person. The High Priestess screamed in horror once her leather clad face reappeared from beneath a cloud of mosquitoes. Her entire left arm, a large portion of her torso, and the lower section of her left leg had been vaporized. The laser beam had cleaved straight through her swarm and disintegrated half of the mosquitoes. Apparently, that translated into significant injuries to her actual body. She collapsed to the floor, howling in shock, with the swarm still buzzing around her broken form.


    Simultaneously, the Champion of the Yucatan was forced to release the restraining spell that had ensnared Coop¡¯s mace as she defended against the second of Mateo¡¯s attacks. She revealed another similarly shaped sphere of void in the path of the laser, which bent the beam around her as if space itself was warping, completely avoiding any damage from the devastating blast.


    The way the abilities of the Elite High Priestess simply manifested in their positions caught Coop by surprise. She had no lead up time in casting her spells, they just appeared as if they had been hidden in advance, merely waiting to be exposed. He noted that she had dismissed one sphere before another appeared. Perhaps he was reaching for a tiny bit of good news, but he wouldn¡¯t ignore his observation.


    A portion of Coop''s Fog of War was pulled around the edge of the sphere as well, becoming a slightly visible shell of gray around the black void without being drawn inside. The rest of the arena was coated in a calm layer of mists, invisible to the naked eye, but the sphere was like a stone in a flowing river. It created its own current and Coop¡¯s fog responded by condensing along the surface, establishing a miniature example of rapids before thinning out on the opposite side. The void spheres diminished his hidden domain with their presence, further shrinking the total size of Fog of War as they manipulated space. Despite the improvements to his domain skill, the thin layer that he had established wouldn¡¯t survive the skills of the High Priests for too long.


    At the same time as the blasts, Tzultacaj had one of his legs kicked out from underneath him by the Colossus, staggering him and interrupting his fierce assault. Though the leader of the Jaguar Sun remained upright without toppling over, the Priest used the brief opportunity to roll away from the intense warrior and get his own legs beneath him.


    Tzultacaj planted his foot to pursue the High Priest even while stone reformed along the man¡¯s skin. Tzultacaj had honed in on a target and refused to let up, lifting his axe above his head as he roared unintelligibly. The hunt was on.


    Coop¡¯s newly freed morning star streamed with vapor trails before crashing into the Totemic, annihilating the High Priest¡¯s defensively raised totem. With the Elite High Priestess distracted by the laser and her sphere shifted away from his morning star, Coop¡¯s assault on the enemy healer continued.


    The Totemic barely shifted his head out of the way in time, catching the spiked mace with his left shoulder instead. His face was gouged by shards of hardwood, propelled from his totem¡¯s detonation, and his knee buckled beneath the weight of the blow. Coop raised his weapon above his head for a second time, intent on finishing the job while simultaneously casting Legacy of the Mists in response to the shifting battlefield.


    The Deathstalker jumped from a black and purple ringed portal and bore her jagged obsidian dagger toward Mateo¡¯s neck, seeking to quickly end the interloper¡¯s life by teleporting 10 feet behind him. Mateo was rooted in place and seemingly unaware of his impending death as the Deathstalker rushed forward. He was an easy, high priority target given his stationary casting and extraordinary firepower: perfect for the highly mobile assassin to take care of.


    Mateo¡¯s life was spared in the last possible second. The Deathstalker¡¯s stab was interrupted by a simple motion where the man drew one of his extended arms behind himself, palm facing the assassin. She reacted instantly.


    In order to avoid death or serious injury from the previously demonstrated lasers, the Deathstalker disappeared like she had never been on the attack in the first place. Mateo wasn¡¯t as helpless as he let on, though it was also possible he was mostly bluffing. The look on his face indicated that he had gotten away with something, like a mischievous child holding back nervous laughter.


    Coop¡¯s summoned phantasm leapt out of the mists, wielding a fierce morning star with a thick chain connecting it to a matching steel gauntlet. In one smooth motion, Coop¡¯s summon crushed the skull of the wailing Swarm Priest, fully utilizing the momentum generated by his sudden manifestation. The meteoric blow put the High Priestess out of her misery, and in doing so, claimed the first kill in the melee with little fanfare.


    The ghost uncoiled his body after slamming the weapon down, yanking the mace free from the crater it had created in the stone temple, letting pebbles fly into the air and clatter of his armor. Black mana smoke drifted into the air from what had been the High Priestess, escaping toward the sky where it was caught in the invisible currents that were flowing into the temple.


    Once upright, the phantasm revealed that he was a hulking man, easily six and a half feet tall before considering the extra size added by the full suit of heavy plate armor that covered him from head to toe. He unhesitatingly charged toward the Champion of the Yucatan, following the direction of Coop¡¯s subconscious when he was summoned, seeking to deal with the same priority targets that Coop had originally selected.


    After witnessing a snippet of each of the High Priests¡¯ abilities, Coop had fully expected the Swarm Priest to be the most burdensome opponent, concluding that she could most effectively counter his abilities while he struggled to overcome her own. Outside of swatting each mosquito individually, he had no idea how he would defeat an opponent he couldn¡¯t strike directly. He was grimly satisfied to remove her from contention. The Champion of the Yucatan was the most threatening individually, and as a healer, the Totemic was the most risky to leave alone in a group battle, but the Swarm Priest was a counter to Coop¡¯s specific physical combat style.


    His satisfaction was only a fleeting sentiment as the Totemic unleashed his own frenzy, exploding into motion from where he knelt after taking Coop¡¯s morning star to the shoulder. He saved himself in the last second just as Mateo managed the same. The Totemic¡¯s eyes glowed with verdant green energy and the wounds on his face began stitching themselves back together as he roared and his previously planted totem vibrated with energy.


    He landed his tackle while Coop was still in mid swing, moving beneath the mace and getting inside of the morning star¡¯s range before taking what would have certainly been a lethal blow to the head. Coop had the breath knocked out of his lungs as he was driven backwards.


    Thunder drowned out the collision between Coop and the roar of the Totemic. Purple lightning exploded from Tzultacaj¡¯s axe as it clashed against the Colossus¡¯s crossed arms again. The High Priest that engaged the leader of the Jaguar Sun had grown to be even larger than Coop¡¯s phantasm, over seven feet tall, with earth colored stone completely obscuring what was previously a human man. Layer upon layer was being continuously added to his form, but Tzultacaj still forced the golem-like opponent backwards as the two struggled.


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    Stepping out of a new purple-lined portal, the Deathstalker escaped Mateo¡¯s potential attack, giving the lasers a healthy respect. She returned to where she had trailed behind Coop, near the staircase that he had arrived on, but she was immediately confronted by a blurred streak of shimmering darkness.


    First, a shadow was cast upon the diminutive rogue, giving her a moment to flick her eyes to the side. Then, a loud growling snarl accompanied the appearance of half a ton of pissed off Soulbeast pouncing on the unaware assassin from beneath the edge of the pyramid. Evidently, Juliana and Felix had passed the Test of Stairs as well.


    The Deathstalker collapsed beneath Felix with a yelp of surprise. The predator had one enormous paw pressed against the face of the High Priestess, pinning her head against the temple while his jaws crushed her forearm. Juliana stomped her foot on the Priestess¡¯s other arm, preventing the rogue from moving the last of her free limbs. A muffled scream erupted from beneath Felix¡¯s oversized paw before coming to an abrupt stop.


    The Deathstalker poofed out of existence, leaving Felix on all fours with Juliana at his side. The assassin reappeared from yet another portal behind the Champion of the Yucatan. While she could flee without a portal, after she applied her instant movement abilities, she always exited from one of the black and purple doorways. Her movements were only slightly less telegraphed than Coop¡¯s mistjumps, but he would be able to react to her ambushes after seeing the order of operations a few times.


    With a grimace on her face, the Deathstalker flipped her obsidian colored dagger with her uninjured hand, snatching it out of the air after swapping its orientation. The hand of the arm Felix had chewed on hung limply at her side, as she gingerly tested her fingers. She was breathing heavily after seeing her own life flash before her twice in quick succession, but her eyes were clear and full of fury behind raven strands of hair. Stripes of blood marred her face, making her hair stick to her skin, but she wasn¡¯t out of the fight just yet. She shouted for a heal, but the Totemic was occupied.


    Coop¡¯s phantasm only got to swing his mace one more time before the highest level Priestess formed a void sphere that lifted his entire armored body into the air, like gravity ceased to exist. After a brief moment of flailing, his bulk was almost peacefully dispersed into a cloud of mists that flowed with Coop¡¯s Fog of War, away from the sphere. The Elite High Priestess observed closely, like a researcher experimenting in a lab environment.


    Coop fell backwards after being tackled by the Totemic, barely hanging onto his mace with one hand as he slammed the back of his head against the stone floor. The Totemic loomed over him like a linebacker daring a quarterback to test him again. The Priest¡¯s eyes continued to glow, and the tribal tattoos had taken on the same energy, giving his whole body a wild verdant aura. It was almost exactly the same as the way the Avatar of Huracan had powered up, though the Totemic clearly had a different flavor of mana coursing through him.


    The Totemic raised his arms over his head and interlocked his fingers as if he would slam his combined fists onto his vulnerable, supine opponent. Coop abandoned his weapon and kicked his legs up, flexed his abs, and using all the strength in his arms, threw himself into a backflip after lying flat on his back.


    He quickswapped to his shield and one-handed warhammer as he landed on his feet, and in an effort to get some space from the frenzied Totemic, brought his weapon up in an uppercut¡¯s motion to ward off the incoming attack. The wild counter barely grazed the man¡¯s chin with the rear spiked chisel, drawing some blood from a superficial wound that healed as fast as it appeared. The Totemic just smiled at Coop, shifting his arms down like he would box instead. The man was completely absorbed in his bloodlust as he stepped forward, uncaring of the danger presented by Coop¡¯s ethereal weapon.


    Coop didn¡¯t shy from the challenge, shaking off the dazed feeling after being tackled and sliding backwards. He shifted to his left to keep the man in his ideal range before planting his foot and bringing the hammer down. The Priest raised a forearm to block the strike, and to Coop¡¯s surprise, succeeded. Wild, greenish energy exploded through the man¡¯s body, escaping into the atmosphere as he was fully empowered. The green energy flickered and burned like a fire with the Totemic at the core.


    The High Priest swung a green-glowing meteor of a fist at Coop¡¯s chest and Coop shifted his feet to brace his body against his freshly summoned shield. Verdant energy blasted past the edges of the shield when they collided and both parties grunted with effort.


    It had been a long time since Coop felt a block in his bones, but the vibration of the shield ran up his arm, through his collar bone, and into his chest. His feet slid on the stone surface, struggling to find purchase even as he leaned into the block. If he hadn¡¯t leaned into the attack, he would have been thrown backwards.


    As surprised as he was by the power demonstrated by the High Priest, he was equally impressed by the improvements that had been made to his ethereal summons. His shield wasn¡¯t even dented by the enormous pressure applied by the man¡¯s knuckles.


    The Totemic was already swinging again by the time Coop recovered enough to peek above his shield. Rather than meet the pummeling fists head on again, Coop stepped further backwards. The first blow was enough to have him respect the empowered High Priest¡¯s muscle. Regardless of the strength of his equipment, Coop was still on the other side. As he hopped backwards, he cast Legacy of the Mists, replacing his original position with a shield bearing ghost.


    The second punch slammed into the lightly armored phantasm¡¯s tall shield. Even though the ghost successfully blocked the blow, the summon still burst into mists after being depleted, but its purpose was fulfilled. With the extra split second bought by the ghost¡¯s block, Coop backpedaled, summoned a second phantasm to flank the Totemic, and a third to destroy his remaining totem where it hummed and vibrated on the surface of the stone temple, linking the pair with green energy.


    The Totemic didn¡¯t care. He was completely focused on Coop. The flanking phantasm slammed his hammer into the man¡¯s back as he lunged forward to continue his assault. The blow did little more than make the High Priest flinch, and Coop was having second thoughts about his target priority. If the healer was this much of a tank, he might be better off catching one of the others by surprise. Unfortunately, with the Priest bearing down on him, he had no more opportunity to shift his target.


    The Champion of the Yucatan was also free to provide support, exposing another sphere of void to destroy the phantasm at the Totemic¡¯s flank. The third phantasm smashed the totem, but was also evaporated by the Elite High Priestess shortly afterwards.


    In the meantime, Tzultacaj was locked in battle with the other High Priest. The Colossus was living up to his name, now 12 feet tall. The leader of the Jaguar Sun was completely uninterested in backing down, though fresh blood dripped from his forehead. Large divots had been dug into the High Priest¡¯s stone armor wherever his axe found purchase and they each seemed keen to slug it out between themselves. The level gap would be difficult to overcome, but there was no universe where the Elites of the Jaguar Sun backed down.


    Mateo still had both arms outstretched, though no other lasers had appeared after the original pair. Coop had no idea if he was recharging or if he was being conscious of Coop and avoiding friendly fire. Either way, he kept one arm trained on the Colossus, intending to support Tzultacaj, and one vaguely in the direction of the Elite High Priestess who had the Deathstalker at her rear.


    Of their enemies, the Champion of the Yucatan had done the least, and Coop wasn¡¯t entirely sure what she was waiting for. Outside of minimal assistance, she hadn¡¯t made any real offensive contributions to the fight. He wouldn¡¯t look a gift horse in the mouth, concentrating on the Totemic. For the moment, he was trapped by his original choices that led him to engage the enemy healer, and Coop contented himself with keeping an eye out for any changes in her stance.


    When the next meaty fist was launched toward Coop, he ducked beneath it, sidearming his warhammer into the Totemic¡¯s knee. The High Priest didn¡¯t even flinch before aiming a body blow at Coop with his other fist. Coop blocked with his shield, sliding further backwards after green energy exploded between them.


    ¡°Where the hell is the Cloud Dancer?¡± He heard Mateo yell with frustration as Coop whipped his hammer down and was blocked by the Totemic¡¯s empowered forearm once again, unleashing another outburst of green energy.


    Juliana, who had been joined by Felix, answered after her sneak attack on the Colossus failed to cause any visible damage. ¡°She¡¯s not here.¡±


    ¡°What!¡± Mateo shouted. ¡°That completely ruins our chances! I was counting on all four of us being here!¡±


    ¡°Coop took her place. She was injured.¡± Juliana grunted while slamming an empowered elbow into the back of the Colossus¡¯s leg and darting away when a slow counterattack meandered toward her position.


    Tzultacaj blasted the Colossus in the stone covered sternum for his distraction, but the golem shook the blow off. The three Jaguar Elites looked like they would be occupied by the single High Priest if nothing changed.


    Coop surprised the Totemic by striking him in the jaw with a savage blow, utilizing the top edge of his shield rather than his weapon. He slipped beneath an empowered jab meant to counter the change in tempo, and smashed the High Priest in the thigh with his ethereal hammer before hopping to the side.


    He rotated around the Totemic keeping him in between Coop and the Elite High Priestess, drawing a clear line in the sand. Only he and the Colossus were on the wrong sides, and naturally, they were both primarily melee tanks.


    The two parties had entered a decent enough stalemate that Coop felt comfortable slowly building his momentum before he crushed his opponents. The Deathstalker was a wildcard, but everyone on the battlefield was hyper aware of her movements. Everyone except Tzultacaj, anyway. The leader of the Jaguar Sun moved at his own pace, but that was fine.


    ¡°Can he even dance?¡± Mateo mumbled as sweat beaded on his forehead, too quiet for anyone but Coop to hear thanks to what remained of the original thin Fog of War.


    Mateo was upset about missing Sierra, and evidently, about a thousand other things at the same time. Coop had to tune the man out as he continued mumbling every thought, worry, and concern that entered his head.


    Coop thought it was a silly question to begin with. He wasn¡¯t the Cloud Dancer, he was the Revenant. His class was designed to be uncompromising in its pursuit of goals and he had leveraged its advantages with each opportunity. What need did he have of dancing? He would have them move at his pace instead.


    He had come to Central America for a reason; the Cult of Chakyum had threatened Ghost Reef. He would eliminate the threat.

 Chapter 223: Dance of Death

    Coop was biding his time, waiting to see how the two unoccupied High Priests would aid the Totemic, while chipping away at the High Priest¡¯s defenses. Both the Deathstalker and the Herald were equally focused on the confrontation between himself and their companion. Coop knew that he had to consider the Priests¡¯ ability to support and work together if he was going to have continued success against the group. So far, they had answers for his phantasms and his unleveraged stats, at least temporarily, but he also had at least one more gear when it came to skirmishing and an extended fight favored his build above most others.


    Tzultacaj, Mateo, and Juliana were all engaged with the Colossus near the edge of the pyramid. The Colossus continued to grow larger. At this point the Elite Jaguar Warriors were fighting a golem that had grown over 16 feet tall and threatened to stomp them if they were too slow. Tzultacaj was carving stone chunks off the High Priest¡¯s body, but Juliana and Felix only scoured the surface of his armor with claw marks when they attacked. Mateo hadn¡¯t fired a single laser beam since he first arrived on the top of Chakyum¡¯s temple, ostensibly waiting for an opening.


    Coop was in the center of the pyramid, near the settlement¡¯s civilization shard, as he hammered at the empowered Totemic. Both the Deathstalker and the Herald stayed nearby, supporting their comrade against Coop¡¯s assault, with their backs to the staircase that led deeper into the structure.


    The sky had transitioned into an overcast gray above the Yucatan Settlement. High above, barely formed clouds mirrored the swirling patterns of mana Coop had seen in the monochromatic world. Coop had the impression that they were standing on an active volcano that had already erupted, and were now reliving the footage of the aftermath in reverse. Instead of belching clouds of smoke into the atmosphere, black plumes of mana were slowly being sucked back into the structure.


    After both of the Totemic¡¯s totems were destroyed, two more of the wooden stumps slowly coalesced from drifting green energy, returning to their places criss-crossing on his back. He and Coop exchanged blows with the High Priest blocking Coop¡¯s warhammer with his forearms or taking blows to the limbs without complaint, and Coop blocking meteoric punches with his shield, dodging, or casting Legacy of the Mists to harry the empowered healer. The standoff lasted until the totems fully solidified. As soon as the High Priest opened a window for Coop to take advantage, by moving to retrieve one of the totems, Coop shifted into his second gear, pushing his body with the full extent of his stats, no longer holding back to pace himself like a marathon runner. He altered the tempo so that it became a sprinter¡¯s dash to the next checkpoint.


    The sparring ended and Coop revealed the true extent of his stats while taking advantage of the stacking effect of Clarity of Purpose. Every blow that the Totemic received meant that Coop could ignore a fraction of his defenses on subsequent blows. With the way the fight had gone, Coop expected to have reduced the Totemic¡¯s defense by more than 25% already.


    Coop could feel the strain from his right shoulder all the way to his hips as he slammed his hammer into the Totemic¡¯s ribs with a devastating forearm swing, finding the gap exposed beneath the man¡¯s upturned arm with sudden precision, and the High Priest hissed as he absorbed the powerful blow. The Priest reflexively brought the upturned limb back down in an effort to catch Coop¡¯s hammer between his arm and his body to prevent it from hitting him a second time.


    Coop entered Vaporform for a split second, escaping the trapping arm by passing straight through, then slammed the hammer into the newly presented elbow with equal force. The High Priest grunted in pain, shying away from the blow before he thrust his other fist forward in a powerful cross that could have killed a bull.


    Coop shifted his head to the left side, letting the deadly fist barely flick his ear, tearing the tip, then slammed his shield into the outside of the extended arm, turning the Totemic¡¯s body to the side and eliminating any further defense from the pivoted Priest. The force of Coop¡¯s strikes had suddenly escalated beyond what the High Priest had grown comfortable with and the pained responses eroded the seemingly unstoppable bloodlust he had been presenting.


    The Deathstalker stepped in before Coop could continue building his advantage, passing through one of her gateways at his side. She forced Coop to abandon an overhand swing with his hammer to account for the additional party. Coop blocked the obsidian dagger as she attempted a rapid but telegraphed attack. The assassin was only present for a split second before she returned to the Herald¡¯s side, not giving Coop an opportunity to counter her brief visit.


    The Totemic had no hesitation, already throwing a desperate haymaker before the Deathstalker was gone, subconsciously feeling the inadequacy in his stats, and acknowledging the fact that if he let Coop take the advantage, he¡¯d never get it back. When the Deathstalker disappeared, her scowling visage was replaced by the High Priest¡¯s crushing fist.


    The Totemic¡¯s knuckles passed through mists as Coop stepped forward, lowering his shield while shifting into another attack. The High Priest¡¯s recognition of the shifting momentum had come too late. The Totemic was being left behind. Coop rounded on the High Priest before exiting another quick Vaporform to slam the hammer into the back of the Priest¡¯s knee with the full force of his combined attributes. The Priest finally stumbled.


    Coop cast Legacy of the Mists, summoning another phantasm, and let his hammer slip from his hand and fly into the air before blocking the reverse spinning fist that the Totemic used to retaliate. The force of the Totemic¡¯s blows had increased with his desperation, but they both knew it wasn¡¯t enough. From the outside, nothing had changed, but each of the combatants could better gauge who had the upper hand. It was Coop.


    Coop raised his ethereal shield and braced with both hands as he accepted the collision. Coop slid backwards, feeling the reverberation run from his forearms up through his shoulders and deep into his chest. Every blocked punch was like a car crash, but it would take more to stagger him.


    The phantasm was ripped apart by a void sphere as soon as it manifested, but the pressure it applied on the group of High Priests was all he wanted. The Elite High Priestess was paying close attention to his summons, but all three of the Priests ignored the hammer that flipped in the air above the Totemic, like his grip on it had simply been lost on the duel. They anticipated another quickswap and waited to see which new weapon Coop would bring out.


    Coop defied their expectations and mistjumped to the hammer. Without his spear in play, they weren¡¯t being mindful of his movement ability. Before they recognized his misdirection, he was already swinging the weapon with as much force as he could muster while in the air, roaring with the exertion. The narrow shaft whooshed through the air and the Totemic took the blow to the side of the head with a crack that echoed across the temple.


    The green energy that empowered the Totemic remained where he had been, like a verdant bonfire, but his body flopped to the ground where he struggled to catch himself, dazed and confused. Coop hit him so hard his empowering energy seemed like it was momentarily ripped away.


    Coop landed next to him, and when he attempted to follow his attack with a blunt execution, the hammer froze in the air, restrained by the scowling Elite High Priestess and her void sphere.


    Coop unclenched his hand, letting the trapped weapon fly into the formation like a small piece of metal attracted to a giant magnet. He was already dismissing the warhammer in favor of his shortsword.


    He slashed the newly summoned weapon through the air instead, cutting through the heavy atmosphere with a ferocious arc, but before the blade was halfway down, a black and purple portal separated him from the Totemic. The obsidian dagger of the Deathstalker clashed with the ethereal edge as the assassin came to the Priest¡¯s direct defense. Sparks flew, and the assassin¡¯s arm was thrown backwards. She spun with the momentum and slashed at Coop¡¯s chest as she turned, causing him to dodge backwards.


    Coop mirrored his earlier action with the hammer, deliberately flipping his sword up as and over the assassin as he moved away. She immediately disappeared and another portal spawned in the air next to his sword as it flew above the Totemic. The Deathstalker anticipated his mistjump and prepared to counter it, but Coop just resummoned the sword to his hand, stepping forward  while she bit on his pump fake and teleported into the air. After planting his foot, he brought the ethereal blade down on the Totemic as the Priest furiously stood back on his feet, lacking the verdant energy that had aided him in his frenzy, but still defiant.


    ¡°No!¡± The Deathstalker bellowed as her defense was sidestepped, but it was too late for the Totemic. Another cloud of black smoke drifted into the darkening sky before being whisked into the pyramid. She wouldn¡¯t be getting the healing that she desperately wanted.


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    Coop ignored the assassin as she landed lightly on her feet. Instead, he faced the Elite High Priestess and finally turned his target back to the leader of the group. He lunged toward her, not giving the Cultists a chance to regroup now that the second of the five High Priests was defeated. The Champion of the Yucatan had hardly changed her expression a single time throughout the fight, and even after Coop¡¯s attention bore down on her, she was unmoved. The only hint of her humanity was the slightly frustrated furrow of her brows.


    Coop only managed a single step before the Deathstalker¡¯s shadow clone attempted to stab him in the back. He slid to the side with plenty of time to spare thanks to Presence of Mind.


    He glanced back at the Deathstalker. She stood over a pile of faded ashes that drifted away in the breeze, having once been the Totemic, with her injured arm held gingerly across her waist. She pointed her one good arm at Coop, extending her pointer finger from its grip on the ivory colored shaft of her obsidian dagger. ¡°I¡¯m not done with you.¡± She ominously declared with a hoarse voice.


    She raised the dagger to her face, covering her right eye with her fingers while pinning the blade against her cheek. She showed her teeth as she grimaced and a vortex of shadowy dust broke from her form. The shadows twisted around her legs and rose until it obscured her entire body, leaving just her head, before disappearing. It vanished as quickly as it formed, simply drifting away. Then, she split her fingers, revealing that her hidden eye had turned completely white.


    A rare warning appeared unbidden from his notifications, ignoring his normally required input before being displayed.


    [You have been Marked for Death!]


    ¡°Hm.¡± Coop grunted. It wasn¡¯t the worst notification he had received from an enemy, but it wasn¡¯t ideal.


    ¡°Danse Macabre.¡± The Deathstalker breathed before her form flickered twice and she phased completely out of existence.


    Coop squinted, anticipating one of her black and purple portals, letting Presence of Mind fill his awareness. When nothing happened, he continued searching for her aura, and noted that it was about time he channeled another Fog of War. The thin mists had completely faded during his bout with the Totemic with the void spheres eating it away and was ready to be rechanneled.


    In the meantime, Coop had completely lost track of the Deathstalker. He looked back at the Herald, worried that the assassin had fled, but the Champion of the Yucatan seemed happy to continue observing. To him it seemed obvious that Elite High Priestess was merely letting those lower in rank than her reveal all of Coop¡¯s abilities, rather than form a proper party. Even though they built standard archetypes, they didn¡¯t establish the necessary framework to maximize their advantage. In any case, her continued observation implied that the Deathstalker was still in play.


    He didn¡¯t see any way around it. The High Priests were formidable enough opponents that he couldn¡¯t necessarily hold back too much and still come out victorious on the other side. He had to take the Deathstalker as seriously as any of the other High Priests.


    ¡°What¡¯s with all the dancing?¡± He grumbled as he channeled Fog of War.


    His mana economy had been extremely efficient thus far. The phalanx of phantasms had made sure to send him off with nearly 100% mana, his first Fog of War had been a frugal expenditure and consequently had less downtime, and a few casts of Legacy of the Mists barely dented his pool of resources. Of course, mistjumps, quickswaps, and weapon summons were all free, thanks to Practical Application¡¯s reduction to flat mana costs. His primary expenses had come from Mind Over Matter preventing health damage when blocking the Totemic¡¯s punches, and the steady drain from entering Vaporform, though he had kept the durations of his visits to the world of mists to a minimum.


    With around 30,000 mana in his pool, he was happy to unleash a massive Fog of War. He¡¯d use the expansive creation to take over the battlefield. The top of the pyramid would become his personal domain.


    A massive plume of mists rose from around his feet as he began the channel. An obscuring cloud, thick enough to blind everyone trapped inside, seemed to leak directly from the stone in the area around him, rising up to his ankles before whisps rushed upwards and the rest filled the empty space. The area the mists covered spread beyond his immediate vicinity, covering a wider and wider area as the fog rose to his knees.


    ¡°Gotcha!¡± The Deathstalker whispered in his ear, close enough that he could feel the warmth of her breath on his skin.


    Coop twisted away, turning 90 degrees while swinging his sword where she should have been. It wasn¡¯t the first time an assassin had appeared behind him unexpectedly, and the first time had cost his ambusher their arm before their life.


    However, she wasn¡¯t there. Instead, she manipulated him into turning his back on her real position. He felt the obsidian dagger pierce the small of his back while she laughed giddily. The Fog of War channel was interrupted as Coop reflexively toggled Vaporform before the blade penetrated more than an inch into his flesh.


    The monochromatic world had continued to deteriorate, now churning violently with black miasma that restricted his perspective to the top of the pyramid and nothing more. Gazing outside the edges was like trying to peer into the depths of the ocean or beyond the starless sky. There was nothing else to see.


    He observed the forms of his two opponents, both glowing like burning torches of illuminated mana among the swirling storm of black fumes. The Deathstalker flitted away with her blacklight colored mana concentrated on obscuring her body, but the Herald had an invisible sphere hovering above and behind Coop like a balloon trailing from a child¡¯s wrist, as if tethered by a string.


    Coop made note of the Deathstalker¡¯s position as he toggled Vaporform off. He lunged forward, slamming against the invisible assassin with an admittedly clumsy shoulder tackle. She was caught by surprise. For a moment her form flickered back into existence as she slammed into the stone. Coop used the brief flash to triangulate her position and slice his sword forward.


    His sword froze in the air, and he strained for a moment, worried about losing track of the Deathstalker if he didn¡¯t strike while the iron was hot. He gave up shortly afterwards, realizing he would need to repeat the process of applying Vaporform to survey for the Deathstalker¡¯s position, and the sphere disappeared. He glanced at the Herald that had interrupted his attack, considering his target priority. When he turned to face her, making his decision, she seemed surprised by his shift in attention.


    ¡°Hm?¡± The Elite High Priestess hummed.


    She idly moved a single finger to reveal the void sphere above Coop, sending streams of mana into the formation. The manifestation lifted him off the ground by his sword and shield, empowered by her additional maintenance.


    ¡°How precocious.¡± She muttered.


    Coop kicked his feet helplessly, lacking purchase to reorient himself. For a moment he was almost exactly like his defeated phantasms, untethered from gravity and held at the whim of the Elite High Priestess¡¯s dark sphere, just a few feet off the fog-covered ground. His weapons dragged him into the air, twisting him so that he was belly up, and he struggled to shift around, knowing that he would need to figure a way to counter her ability if he wanted to defeat her.


    He prepared to abandon his shield, throwing it away from the orb with enough power to escape the magnetic pull and give himself a mistjump destination, but before he let it go, the Deathstalker appeared right next to him, kicking up a cloud of his mists with her sudden presence.


    ¡°Die!¡± The assassin growled as she clenched her teeth together.


    She drove her dagger down at his heart like he was a sacrifice being made to her master. Coop hesitated before casting Vaporform, remembering how his phantasms were scattered into mists by the same ability that currently trapped him. Would the same thing happen to him if he abandoned his material presence while in the sphere¡¯s grip? He had a split second to either brace himself, relying on the layered defenses that had ensured his survival so many other times against so many other opponents, or risk it all by leaning on his newest ability to try and escape.


    He expected either method to work imperfectly, each risky for different reasons, but he chose the simplest answer possible, as was his habit. He let go of his shield and sword, and fell to the ground, unarmed, but drawing away from the assassin¡¯s strike and into his thick layer of knee-high mists. The Deathstalker¡¯s face was the perfect image of irritated shock as she struggled to adjust, engrossed in the potential killing blow and not anticipating such a simple solution to their magical trap.


    He fell to the ground before the blow landed, and to his surprise, his shield and sword fell after him, clattering against the stone floor after they were also released from the trapping force of the void sphere. The Elite High Priestess lost control of her ability after she was caught unaware and smashed by a blast of air.


    A moment later, a familiar green bird dive bombed out of the sky toward the confused assassin before she could readjust to Coop¡¯s new camouflaged position at her feet, hidden as he was by Fog of War. The domain wasn¡¯t large enough to actually hide him, but it temporarily broke her line of sight, giving him enough time to roll away.


    Meanwhile, the tropical bird transformed into a human girl with a burst of mana, already winding up a massive haymaker to the side of the searching Deathstalker¡¯s head. The punch landed with a bang and was followed up by a single blast of mana that sent the assassin stumbling and a wave of mists flowing across the low domain.


    The punch was linked with a quick jab to the Deathstalker¡¯s throat, a straight punch to her sternum, then some fancy footwork where the girl slipped backwards, shifting her feet within the mists while the assassin hunched forward in pain. Her feet erupted into a rising kick as if propelled by rocket boots. She flipped upside down with a stream of Coop¡¯s mists trailing after her heel while executing a flourishing bicycle kick into the chin of the Deathstalker, causing Coop¡¯s Marked for Death debuff to fade away.


    ¡°Miss me?¡± The final of the four Jaguar Elites asked before propelling herself back into the sky with a twirl, leaving a spiral of mists in her wake.

 Chapter 224: Event Horizon

    ¡°Sister Luc-Hau?¡± The Elite High Priestess and Champion of the Yucatan settlement calmly addressed the battered Deathstalker, not bothering to wait for her ally to recover. She slowly pointed at the fleeing Cloud Dancer, watching her skip through the air toward the still growing Colossus. ¡°You take care of that one.¡± She ordered impassively. ¡°Brother Lom-Hau can deal with the other three, even without the support of Brother Sip-Hau.¡±


    ¡°...But I want to taste the death of this one.¡± The Deathstalker grumbled as she picked herself up off the ground.


    Sierra had interfered at the perfect time, ambushing the Deathstalker when she least expected it, doing some damage, then moving to safety. Unlike her previous fight with a High Priest, the Cloud Dancer wasn¡¯t trapped in a cage with limited avenues of retreat. She could be at least as much of a menace as the Deathstalker on the open temple with her exceptional mobility.


    Dry blood stained the assassin¡¯s face and her greasy hair was matted together, but the expression hidden beneath painted a picture of barely contained frustration. For as beaten as she appeared, Coop respected the fact that her movement ability and deadly attacks kept her dangerous. However, when it came to defenses, she was clearly the most fragile of the remaining High Priests.


    ¡°He has already figured you out.¡± The Elite High Priestess observed. ¡°I will handle him. Just do as you¡¯re told.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mother.¡± The Deathstalker muttered indignantly, wiping fresh blood from her upper lip, adding a smear to her stained cheek as she conceded to the more senior Cultist.


    The assassin shot a complicated look at Coop who had already hopped back to his own feet before the pair reorganized themselves. Coop¡¯s ethereal spear was manifesting in his hand while he squinted back at the Deathstalker. He had no obligation to listen to the orders of the senior Priestess. It couldn¡¯t be more obvious that he was making plans to aid the Jaguar Elites by continuing to engage the assassin. As much as he wanted to target the highest level of the High Priests, the others kept revealing themselves to be more important targets in the moment. In this case, he smelled weakness.


    The Deathstalker vanished, and he watched for one of her swirling gateways to appear near where Sierra had drifted to support her companions. In a way, the assassin¡¯s movement skill was similar to his mistjumps. The Deathstalker would be momentarily predictable as she arrived at the destination of her teleport. Coop expected to take advantage of that fact.


    ¡°Now, now, my dear.¡± The Elite High Priestess hummed at Coop, stepping forward through his thick knee-level Fog of War, drawing his attention back to her. ¡°You have already proven to be far more trouble than you¡¯re worth. It is time for you to be properly punished.¡± She cracked a small smile for the first time as she threatened him.


    She threw both of her arms straight out from her sides, palms up, gesticulating with the most dramatic movements she had displayed since his arrival. Her singular sphere shot toward her chest as she focused her power. Coop felt what remained of his incomplete Fog of War split in half, parted down the middle with the Elite High Priestess at the center. The gap grew wider and wider until his low-lying domain was erased from existence with nary a flicker of resistance.


    He grunted as he swiveled back toward her, anticipating something he would need to deal with before he moved on. The Deathstalker would have to wait before they finished their business.


    Darkness emanated in front of the enemy Champion¡¯s form. Coop frowned at the development. He had appreciated that the Elite High Priestess was mostly staying out of the fights, but it seemed as though the deferment was over.


    The sphere shrank when she drew it back, starting out as a tiny ball that hovered in front of the Herald¡¯s chest, barely the size of a marble, but it was positively vibrating with energy. Light warped around the absolute darkness of the object, making its presence exceedingly obvious despite its diminutive size. The miniscule sphere expanded, slowly spreading shadows at first, but it picked up speed as it grew. The sphere didn¡¯t exactly absorb the light as much as it pushed it away. Lances of shadow claimed territory from the day, establishing a pocket engulfing the Priestess with perpetual gloom. The darkness at the center was formed by the complete absence of light and Coop felt like he was witnessing the birth of a black hole. Thankfully, it was merely a visual effect, lacking what he imagined would be bone-crushing amounts of gravity.


    Coop threw his shield at the growing structure, unwilling to simply spectate. It was already large enough to encompass a person, but he intended to interrupt the formation of the High Priestess¡¯s spell before it grew out of control.


    However, when his offhand struck the edge of the expanding darkness, it was redirected. Instead of any type of collision, the shield skipped beyond the edge, as if its presence was physically rejected. Coop resummoned his shield before it flew beyond the perimeter of the temple. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t strike the Priestess directly, as she was already protected by the shadow, standing alone in a featureless void of space.


    The expansion accelerated as the darkness grew. It was clear it would be unavoidable due to his proximity to the Priest. The largest sphere she had revealed thus far threatened to engulf the entire top of the temple as its size continued to swell. Coop uselessly stepped backwards as the outer edge rushed through him, but the Jaguar Elites never acknowledged any changes.


    From his perspective, the world dimmed until it was more like he was on a spacewalk than on the stone temple somewhere in Guatemala. Light was actually being pushed away by the expanding sphere, condensing along its edge until it looked like a tear in the fabric of reality. The shining edges only enhanced the contrast of the darkness within.


    Coop was temporarily bewildered. The impression of the rest of the world stayed with him, but he felt utterly isolated, like he had been plucked from reality and dropped into a private prison cell for solitary confinement.


    Then, the recognition of what he was experiencing hit him. This was another version of the monochromatic world of mists. Mistjumping and Vaporform had provided a window into the ethereal world of spectral mana, revealing the ghost world of mists that existed as another layer on what his normal senses perceived. This was another example, just from the perspective of someone who had Stellar and Void mana affinities.


    If anything, he believed he was experiencing the perspective of someone trapped inside his own obscuring Fog of War with all of its oppressive effects. He grunted to himself, already leaning on Presence of Mind to focus on the auras of himself and his opponent. It wasn¡¯t his first time being caught inside of someone else¡¯s domain, and he immediately fell back onto the strategy that had won the day against the Zombie Lord¡¯s thunder cloud-like area skill. The Priests had prevented him from establishing his own domain and the Elite High Priestess had gone ahead and created her own.


    Then, with a suddenness that snapped him out of his thoughts, the Elite High Priestess brought her hands together as if she would clasp her fingers around the darkness. The domain collapsed with her motion, edges chasing her hands until it abruptly shrank to the size of a grapefruit between her palms. Coop was struck by an intense bout of vertigo as he felt his aura shrink along with the domain, like he was actually inside the formation between her hands. For a few moments while the Priestess struggled to complete her spell, he was completely incapacitated by his own senses.


    Her fingers were rigidly splayed out as she redoubled her effort. The veins in her neck bulged as she fought to shrink the blackness into a smaller and smaller sphere. The whole process required significant exertion on her part.


    When the sphere ultimately reached the size that it had started with, like a small obsidian bead, the wave of nausea that had struck Coop disappeared. He glanced at the Priestess, anticipating an attack after the culmination of her spell, but she simply finished by clapping her hands together around the miniature sphere and catching her breath. Her eyes had never left Coop.


    ¡°This is my Event Horizon.¡± She stated between breaths, then threw her hands apart as if they had cupped a small amount of liquid that she wished to splash across the temple. When her hands parted, they only revealed shadow, but the world rumbled as a thousand small spheres popped into existence across the domain and faded into the darkness, hinting at the extent of her domain. The Elite High Priestess smiled contentedly.


    As she watched him, the ground and the sky rotated with the entire rest of the world, rolling like he was standing inside of a giant invisible tube, causing him to flail his arms despite remaining stationary. His senses fought with his balance, each equally confused. Gravity remained in place despite what he was witnessing with the sky sliding beneath his feet. The world flipped, but he remained upright with both of his hands extended in a futile effort to prevent himself from stumbling.


    When the motion finally ended, he found himself standing in what he could only presume was a mirror of where they had previously stood. His senses barely kept up with the carnival ride that he imagined. Whether it was them or the world that had flipped was irrelevant to the queasy feeling he had in his stomach. If he looked up, he peered into the dark void of space. If he looked down past his feet, he could see the overcast sky in the distance, covering the temple¡¯s rooftop with a solid layer of gray.


    He could see himself reflected through a thin sheet of transparent glass. Beneath them both was the world as he had known it, viewed through a transparent screen, as if he was standing on top of a giant window. He was clearly still there, standing on the stone temple, frozen in place, but he was also caught in the domain of the Priestess.


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    In the distance, he could see the Jaguar Sun¡¯s four leaders engaged in battle. Tzultacaj had his axe raised above his head, blade wrapped with purple lightning that extended to the oppressive sky as he assaulted the Colossus. Felix was in mid air at the Priest¡¯s flank, massive claws extended with Juliana at his side, her face the picture of concentration as she attacked the giant¡¯s ankle with her own verdant glow emanating from her eyes. The trio aimed to attack the giant golem simultaneously. Mateo still aimed his lasers, but he was smiling as his eyes had found Sierra, pirouetting through the air with the Deathstalker scowling further behind after whiffing her first assassination attempt. All of them were motionless, and from Coop¡¯s perspective, flipped upside down.


    The Elite High Priestess had dropped Coop into a transparent cage of shadow repelling light, excluding them from the regular world. Peering back into it made it feel like he was gazing into a resin filled diorama.


    Coop looked back at the calmed Priestess. She seemed satisfied by his trepidation. Coop had the impression he was witnessing a more advanced domain skill than his own Fog of War, and despite his hesitancy, he was even more excited by the potential evolutions of his ability. The Elite High Priestess was giving him something to aspire toward.


    He smiled at her, unable to stifle his enthusiasm, and she responded with her own satisfied expression fading slightly in confusion. Excitement wasn¡¯t an emotion she anticipated finding in one of her victims.


    Coop planted his left foot on the glassy floor, noting that the mirrored version of him in the real world didn¡¯t follow along, and threw his spear at the Champion of the Yucatan. He didn¡¯t care for her light show, specifically. He was stimulated by the prospect of his own progression. Naturally, he would treat the encounter much like any other.


    It was time to test the limits, he told himself, just as the first sonic boom erupted from his missile.


    The spear stopped inches away from her throat, vibrating as if the energy he had put into his throw hadn¡¯t dissipated, though a counter force held it back. Wind from the air chasing the spear blasted against the High Priestess and she laughed in shock as her gray-streaked hair whipped backwards and the hood of her robe was pulled askew.


    ¡°You are impressive, indeed. Master was right about that.¡± She complimented him as she looked away from him and closer at the spear. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to have the self-control to gather yourself after being torn from the world.¡± She took her time walking around the side of the weapon to peer at the tip while it struggled against the invisible force. ¡°Most others are irreparably broken.¡± She mumbled to herself.


    The ethereal spear seemed to think it was still flying through the air, ripping ahead until it found its target. However, from his perspective it was making no progress at all. It was so under her control, the Priestess was able to wander around the weapon like she was analyzing a piece of high art in the calm setting of a museum.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame.¡± She concluded, turning back to Coop. ¡°For all of your courage, you still rely too much on mana.¡± She sneered at him. ¡°You are no match for me afterall: unworthy of Master¡¯s approval.¡± She flicked the fingers of her hand toward his spear and it broke apart into tiny particles of mist before disappearing completely. It was like she deconstructed his manifestation, releasing the individual molecules back to wherever they came from.


    ¡°Between you and your little friends, only the Cloud Dancer is any threat to me. I can strip away Tzultacaj¡¯s strength, break Juliana¡¯s soul, and completely avoid Mateo¡¯s power; just as I can atomize the weapons that you so heavily rely upon.¡± She waved toward the rest of the shadowy domain. ¡°This is the might of the Void.¡±


    She stepped forward while another ethereal spear manifested in Coop¡¯s hand and he prepared to test her words.


    ¡°Fighting you without your weapons will be like fighting Sister Luc-Hau without her shadow portals or Brother Lom-Hau without his Earthen armor. Simple and sad.¡± She concluded.


    ¡°It would have been better if you focused on fortifying your body instead of a mastery of mana.¡± She added dismissively as she glanced at Coop with her head tilted to one side. ¡°Did you really expect your little tricks to be enough to stand against the Cult of Chakyum?¡±


    Coop shrugged.


    She raised her other hand like she was lazily getting a waiter¡¯s attention. ¡°It doesn''t matter. You will die before the Master''s ritual is complete and be incorporated into his might either way.¡± She smiled menacingly. ¡°Allow me to welcome you into Chakyum¡¯s embrace. The Death God is generous. He welcomes all.¡±


    She flicked her wrist forward. A cascade of tiny specks shot toward Coop, manifesting somewhere behind the Priestess. Coop stepped into a second spear throw, not willing to abandon the pressure his attacks could apply and let her freely cast, but the brand new spear drifted into mists before it even reached the granular projectiles that she had already launched toward him.


    He raised his shield, but it disintegrated before it had the chance to block anything, following the lead of his second spear. The Priestess dismissed his weapons with barely any effort and he had no way to counter her interference. Retribution was completely negated by the Champion of the Yucatan.


    He was forced to rely on his ethereal armor to take the brunt of the attack, raising his forearms to protect his face while hunching over to make himself smaller with respect to the horizontal hail storm. The projectiles were too miniscule to dodge individually. They shone with light, but from his perspective they were like individual dead pixels on a television screen, shooting toward him in the imitation of a meteor shower.


    After the attack ended, Coop stood back to his full height. His armor leaked mists from a hundred different punctures and he had a few pinpricks of blood forming where his skin was exposed, but he came out the other end with nearly full health. The Totemic had done as much damage with his fists pounding against his shield. Coop wasn¡¯t impressed.


    ¡°Hm.¡± The Priestess reassessed Coop, apparently expecting him to have been defeated by the simple bombardment. ¡°I see.¡± She muttered before snapping her fingers.


    Coop¡¯s ethereal armor followed the example of his spear, breaking into individual particles of mist before disappearing. He was left in the darkness with nothing but his Under Armor equipped.


    She smirked, letting her eyes wander like a predator eyeballing its prey. ¡°Yes, you have definitely leaned too heavily on the enhancements provided by mana.¡± She shook her head as she concluded the assessment of her opponent. ¡°Too bad.¡±


    Coop clenched his fists and rolled his right shoulder while he took a deep breath. ¡°Well, I suppose I have some bad news.¡±


    He lunged forward with just as much force as he had demonstrated with his gear equipped. His bare feet had no issue gripping the domain¡¯s floor and he blasted forward, proving that it wasn¡¯t that his equipment was empowering him so much as he was empowering his equipment.


    The Elite High Priestess had the wrong impression of his abilities. It wasn¡¯t his weapons accelerating his attacks, it was his Strength stat. It wasn¡¯t his armor that prevented him from being torn to shreds by her assault, it was the magic defense granted by his Mind attribute. If she didn¡¯t understand, she would find out soon enough.


    She stepped backwards, quickly summoning another bombardment of pixelated dust. Coop raised his left arm to protect his eyes and smashed straight through the cascade. He crashed through the assault and came out the other side without slowing down, scattering the glowing stellar dust particles like they were obstacles designed for children.


    Drawing his right arm back, he aimed his fist toward the Elite High Priestess¡¯s jaw. He wanted to see how her plan held up after being punched in the face.


    She pulled even further backwards, deceptively mobile within her own domain. Coop adjusted his attack by summoning his glaive and jabbing it forward with his punching motion. Sure, he recognized that she could destroy his weapons, but she would have to be quick if she wanted to avoid the cleaving blade.


    The Elite High Priest was quick. Even as his glaive formed, it fell apart. While Coop was gripping the dispersed mists, she attacked him again, in one smooth motion. Rather than a shower of cosmic projectiles, she conjured a single larger sphere of pure white with a core of impossible darkness, like a replica of the domain they occupied. It was the size of a beach ball, but at a glance, it seemed like an impossibly solid globe of mana.


    Coop ducked beneath the larger projectile, slowing his momentum. The High Priestess continued revealing more obstacles, sliding backwards, and in a few moments, Coop went from charging across the void of space to dancing between the projectiles of an orbital map. The Elite High Priestess placed herself in the middle, like she was the center of her domain¡¯s solar system, and conjured dozens of planets to swing around herself at various speeds and trajectories. She wasn¡¯t limited to a single sphere within her domain.


    Coop stopped himself from stepping back. The projectiles in the center were moving at a much higher pace than the ones on the outside, but he didn¡¯t want to give her the advantage of distance. He had already learned that lesson with the Tide Priestess and her underwater domain.


    He slipped forward, dancing in between the glowing balls of energy with spins and slides. They came from all directions, including above and below, ignoring the solidity of the ground, but Coop¡¯s Agility was more than a match. When he drew closer, he caught a glimpse of her grinning at him, then a larger white sphere eclipsed his vision. She had set a trap in the event that he managed to close the gap, and he had impetuously run into it.


    Coop punched the orb. Refusing to concede to any obstacles in his pursuit of his goals, just as the Revenant class was designed.


    He felt a searing cold explode across his fist before engulfing his entire body. Light fragmented throughout the domain as a miniature stellar body cracked like a glass ball. When the light faded Coop was already stomping forward, knuckles bruised but unbroken, skin shimmering with an oily sheen of Stellar and Void mana.


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re the one relying on mana too much.¡± He suggested as his glowing fist bore down on the Herald of Cosmos.


    When his clenched fist connected with her jaw the crack reverberated through the Mind-based domain, sending her to the floor. At the same time, the Void and Stellar formation shattered, spell broken, and the world rocked as everything flipped back to normal. With the domain scattered, Coop had been released. With his eyes locked on the Priestess, he noted the Jaguar Sun Elites returning to normal speed as they continued to engage the Colossus and Deathstalker.

 Chapter 225: Soul Bound

    The Elite High Priestess clearly believed she had crippled Coop. She looked down on him, as if to say ¡®Checkmate,¡± after dispelling his ethereal weapons and armor. Coop couldn''t fault her for the confident attitude. It had been the experience of all those undergoing the assimilation that those who rose to power did so with heavy reliance on the abilities granted by mana, and she had already dissected his skills one after the other.


    From her perspective, Coop weaved mists into all of his abilities, manifesting ghosts, equipment, and environmental effects with the ethereal energy. There was no reason for her to expect the Champion of Ghost Reef to be such a barbarian that he would simply punch through her own convoluted Mind-based pinnacle spells without the aid of mana.


    Her class was one that stripped power from her opponents, casting their mana out to the Void that she could call upon while retaining her own power. If the Endless Empire had managed to sponsor her, Coop was absolutely certain she would have been designated another Legendary class by the faction.


    She had one of the rare affinity combinations that the City titles had clued Coop in on, combining opposite cosmic forces to create a greater whole. Ghost Reef had earned the Haven of Twilight title for having residents pursuing such complementary paths, and she embodied that dichotomy in a single package.


    Coop wasn¡¯t sure if the leader of the Cult of Chakyum had carefully selected his inner circle to be particularly capable, or if they had self-selected by fighting amongst themselves, but the end result was the same. They were strong enough to execute the Cult¡¯s aspirations of regional domination. Much like the Sapphire Armada, the Cult of Chakyum excelled in their selected strategy. He sincerely believed that both groups had the capacity to leverage their superiority into global domination given enough time and resources. Unfortunately for both groups, they had locked themselves onto a collision course with Ghost Reef and its Champion.


    Chakyum had struck gold with the Herald of Cosmos. Anyone who dared face the Cult with any reliance on mana-focused skills would be rendered powerless when they met the Elite High Priestess. The opposing forces of light and dark granted by her affinities allowed her to nullify formations of mana. Chakyum was free to pursue his own purpose until the time was right, so long as he had her anchoring his organization.


    Coop couldn¡¯t help but shake his head at how unlucky they were to face him specifically. His original strategy was to create a build that eschewed the power spikes granted by mana in favor of raising his baseline strength as high as possible. While he had hoped to exceed others¡¯ peak power levels with his raw stats alone, he did end up relying on his own skills to elevate himself beyond what others could reach on occasion, but that was mostly in the case of uniquely outstanding individuals. Really, he had stayed true to his original vision, turning the Revenant into an overwhelming machine of stats.


    Each of the High Priests had been able to temporarily hold him off by matching him in one stat or another, but their efficacy could be attributed to the ridiculous level gaps they were able to create. On even levels, Coop was confident in his own standing. The path he chose was valid.


    If it wasn¡¯t for Chakyum¡¯s peculiar interest in Coop, the Cult would have been free to quietly expand their influence at their leisure, riding high on the growing strength of its Priests. Unfortunately for them, the region had grown turbulent with Coop¡¯s arrival, and they were coaxed into accelerating their plans. Their current advantage was revealed to be tenuous when the first High Priests were killed by the outsider. But even after consolidating their power, the Cult of Chakyum was still well-positioned to accomplish their Master¡¯s ultimate mission in the long run. Coop¡¯s challenge should have been a minor hindrance at most, that is, if they could contain the Revenant.


    While Coop fought amongst the council of Chakyum¡¯s High Priests, the Herald carefully analyzed his abilities. From her perspective, there was nothing particularly unusual about his level of power. Many had skills that temporarily endowed the user with elevated capacities. She merely had to look at the interloper¡¯s allies to see several other examples of humans fighting far above their weight class. They shouldn¡¯t have the endurance to overcome the oppression of raw levels.


    In the end, she concluded that Coop¡¯s impossible Strength was granted by the weapons he wielded, his evasiveness by his mists, and his lethality by the ghosts he called upon. It was the same way with those he fought alongside; even the High Priests heavily leaned on their skills to rise to the occasion and meet the surges of power that intensified throughout combat. By itself, the gap in levels wasn¡¯t enough for them to completely rise above the risks presented by the most diligent warriors.


    The Totemic, Sip-Hau, had been fully empowered with his personal nature magic and was still overwhelmed by the Revenant that dared to challenge Chakyum¡¯s Priests. The only explanation that made any sense to her was that the manifestations Coop wielded were equally special. She had already negated his ghosts and dispersed his mists until they couldn¡¯t continue being a factor, and yet, he smashed through the bloodlusted High Priest, even with enhancements.


    When the time finally came for her to act, she dragged Coop into her ultimate skill, Event Horizon, ready to finish him off. Her carefully considered conclusions regarding his Strength were shattered when Coop¡¯s knuckles broke her jaw.


    Coop stood over the sprawled out Elite High Priestess, fists clenched and his exposed skin bloodied and bruised. He hadn¡¯t gone unscathed when he barged through her stellar projectiles, but the damage was all relative. Compared to his previous trials, a short struggle with forces he didn¡¯t understand was barely a blip on his radar. If anything, it was standard practice. Bruises and scrapes decorated his body, but he was still moving at his full capacity with his health above 90% and no debuffs to worry about.


    The Herald of Cosmos may have been level 505, but Coop¡¯s Mind stat had enough points in it to be the equivalent of level 672 entirely by itself. Of course, her skills would grant her additional multipliers, but unless she had gone all in on her offensive abilities, she would be hard-pressed to meet the thresholds necessary to truly overwhelm the Revenant¡¯s passive magic defense.


    The wind had whipped up around the top of the pyramid where the High Priests battled. Coop''s hair was blown to the side. The elevated position on top of Chakyum¡¯s temple left them particularly exposed to the elements. The sky above was a solid sheet of dark slate, completely lacking the contours of most clouds, condensing like a layer of concrete above the settlement instead. Coop imagined that it barely held back from releasing a torrential downpour on the entire settlement, but that was only if mother nature was still in control. With mana in play, anything was possible.


    Coop was silhouetted against the gray backdrop, shrouded in shadow, with his features occasionally highlighted by flashes of light generated from Tzultacaj¡¯s lightning in the distance. His ethereal armor, spear, and shield reformed with wisps of ghostly turquoise mists solidifying while he loomed over his opponent, offering the Elite High Priestess the chance to dispel them again if she could.


    Coop felt like a clock was ticking, based on the thickness of the mana in the air, and it was about time for him to delve into the interior of the temple. The High Priests had delayed him long enough. There was no doubt in his mind that he shouldn¡¯t leave Chakyum alone to complete his ritual and flee the region. The final confrontation would happen on Coop¡¯s timetable, rather than the Cult¡¯s and that meant it would happen in the present, not the future. The tenacity of the Revenant meant that he wouldn¡¯t be denied his goals.


    The Jaguar Elites continued to fight with the last two High Priests while Coop occupied the Elite High Priestess. He judged that it would be reasonable to leave the Deathstalker and the Colossus to the Jaguar Sun for the time being.


    Sierra was engaging with the Deathstalker in the air, forcing the assassin to leap into the sky if she wanted to strike at the Cloud Dancer. Meanwhile, blasts of air and combination attacks greeted the High Priestess whenever she overextended from her portals. Sierra¡¯s chip damage was proving to be a proper match for the assassin, and the gusts of wind caused by the weather only aided in the Cloud Dancer¡¯s evasiveness.


    Tzultacaj hadn¡¯t let up on his intensity for a single moment, still blasting away at the Colossus as he snarled through clenched teeth. The only strategy the High Priest was able to employ was a defensive one. The High Priest continued to layer his Earthen armor, drifting beyond the edge of the temple and down the steps as he conceded the high ground to the Inheritor¡¯s aggression. Though he towered above his opponents, even standing on lower steps, if he stopped adding the armor, it would be stripped away.


    That left the Elite High Priestess, the Herald of Cosmos, and the Champion of the Yucatan Settlement for Coop.


    ¡°You monster!¡± She shouted at Coop, as she cowered on the floor, then winced as she gingerly braced her jaw.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, my dear.¡± A compassionate voice called from near the civilization shard.


    Her eyes bulged as she twisted her head toward the shard. ¡°Master!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! We have not accomplished our task!¡±


    ¡°I can see that.¡± He remarked with a gentle chuckle, then smiled kindly toward Coop from beneath his gray hood, tilting his head in greeting. ¡°You held him off for long enough.¡± He added as he lifted his head.


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    An old man had risen from the staircase that led into the pyramid. Despite the benefits of mana, he was hunched over, leaning heavily on a metal staff with a weighty dark green orb embedded in the tip. A typical gray robe, seen everywhere among the Cultists, was draped over his form, and the hood was pulled up so that most of his face was cast in shadow. Only his slightly yellowed teeth, contrasted with unusually pale lips, were visible as he grinned at Coop.


    Coop identified the man that must finally be Chakyum himself, feeling a bit disappointed by his lack of presence.


    [Human (Level 111)]


    [Binder of Souls (Intelligence)]


    [Archlich of the Unspeakable]


    [Death, Order (Bane)]


    ¡°Archlich¡­¡± Coop whispered under his breath.


    ¡°Your Oath has been fulfilled, Sister Ix-Hau.¡± The Binder of Souls stated, ignoring Coop¡¯s proximity. ¡°You have done well to claim and hold the civilization shard while I prepared for our migration.¡± He added soothingly, stroking her hair consolingly.


    Coop raised an eyebrow at the relief that the Elite High Priestess, so-called Ix-Hau, obviously felt. She visibly deflated, like all of the tension had left her body, leaning heavily against the kneeling old man.


    Ix-Hau had been the highest level member of the Cult for as long as Coop had been paying attention to the leaderboards, so he was satisfied with her identification. His eyes flicked back and forth as he watched the pair, deciding who to attack first: the weakened and checked out Elite High Priestess or the unempowered elderly newcomer. He only hesitated because it felt like a trap had been sprung. The hair on the back of his neck was raised and he felt goosebumps rise on his arms as he watched the feeble man lean toward Ix-Hau. The air around the old man was positively vibrating with energy.


    ¡°What about Sister Luc-Hau and Brother Lom-Hau?¡± She wondered after the serene restfulness had washed over her.


    ¡°They will be my body and blade as we move north.¡± He shared. ¡°I will use them to pit the other settlements against each other while slowly claiming souls until the time is right to conduct another ritual.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master.¡± She sighed, satisfied with his answer.


    Chakyum gently put his hand on her shoulder and she fully collapsed, eyes rolling back as life left her body.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Coop mumbled as her body turned to dust. At most, she only had a broken jaw. He hadn¡¯t expected his punch to be fatal.


    The Binder of Souls stood back up, bracing both arms against the staff as his bones audibly creaked. Coop shifted his stance, refusing to let his guard down despite the unthreatening presence in front of him.


    He raised his shield, and propped his spear up over his shoulder, preparing to give the old man a devastating overhand thrust as the choice of who to attack was made for him. He tensed his abs and leaned on his back foot before shifting his weight forward. Coop propelled himself with all the strength in his body, unerringly continuing the battle.


    ¡°Now,¡± The man began just as Coop lunged forward, his ethereal spear bearing down on the older man with deadly intent. ¡°We have much to discuss.¡± The Binder of Souls continued, ignoring Coop¡¯s attack.


    A translucent green shield that immediately reminded Coop of the Envoy¡¯s dome revealed itself just as the tip of Coop¡¯s spear contacted its outer edge, mere inches before impaling the unflinching elderly man. Coop¡¯s arm was flung backwards and he stumbled as the feedback nearly tore his limb from the socket. Coop growled as he struggled to maintain his stance.


    ¡°Which faction are you from?¡± The old man asked, unfazed by Coop¡¯s sincere attempt to kill him. He stepped forward through the cloud of miasmic energy that had exploded from the shield while Coop stumbled backwards, growing serious.


    When Coop didn¡¯t respond, recovering his posture in order to continue attacking, the Binder of Souls continued with a slightly angrier tone. ¡°Do I have to spell it out? Which Undead faction sponsored you? Because you¡¯ve seriously messed up by interfering with the Unspeakable. They will wipe your sponsor out and you will be doomed to an eternity of torment.¡±


    Coop blinked a few times, processing the questions being asked. ¡°I have no sponsor.¡± He finally answered, still clenching his jaw after his attack.


    The elderly man scoffed, waving a hand at Coop dismissively while he leaned against his staff with the other. ¡°You expect me to believe the Unchosen ended up with an Undead relic of such value that I can taste it from here? That you also just happen to have a Spectral Affinity? You are the Champion of Ghost Reef.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Ridiculous. You can¡¯t deny it. You will not avoid the consequences of your meddling by keeping silent. In fact, it only validates further punishment¡± He furiously tapped his staff with his pale fingers.


    Coop squinted at the man. ¡°Factions have nothing to do with it. You¡¯re the one that threatened my settlement, not to mention all the people your Cult has killed. It¡¯s you that will face consequences today.¡±


    The old man¡¯s head was still slowly shaking, but Coop couldn¡¯t read his expression from beneath the gray hood. ¡°I thought we could squash the rivalry and become allies, if not now, then in the future, but I have no interest in dealing with your obvious stubbornness. Once I have your soul, I will have my answers. You will make a fine Elite High Priest for my next expansion.¡±


    He lifted his staff and let the end knock against the stone temple. Shaking his head to himself like he couldn¡¯t believe Coop¡¯s pertinacity. Then he lifted it again and repeated the motion. Coop couldn¡¯t decipher his agitated mumbling, but he was left with the impression that Chakyum¡¯s plans had been dictated to him by greater forces, and Coop¡¯s interference had been more annoying than expected, forcing the Chosen of the Undead to adapt in uncomfortable ways.


    ¡°Get rid of the shield.¡± Coop suggested. ¡°We can see who gets to keep their soul.¡±


    The man who called himself Chakyum laughed at Coop¡¯s conviction. ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡±


    When he gradually stopped laughing he stared straight at Coop from beneath his hood, eyes tinged with rather familiar ghostly energy from within the shadow, though the Binder¡¯s mana was contaminated with black, unlike the ethereal mana around Ghost Reef.


    He lifted his staff once more, letting it bounce off the stone a final time, then roared an inhuman howl toward the sky. ¡°Now!¡± The old man shouted with an empowered voice. ¡°Your Oaths have been fulfilled!¡± He continued, practically frothing at the mouth as his words echoed across the settlement, spittle flying into the air, and raising his staff toward the overcast sky with both hands firmly gripping the shaft with boney fingers.


    Shadowy hands erupted from the ground around the old man¡¯s feet, grasping at his limbs and snaking upwards. The hands of darkness only revealed their wrists before fading away in the breeze. Each reached a bit further than the previous, completely obscuring his robes, climbing up his staff, and dragging darkness up from beneath the stone floor. They reached his face, blocked his hood with fingers of darkness, only letting slivers of green energy sneak between the gaps, and his entire body was shrouded in a murky limb cocoon that drifted away and refilled in rapid cycles.


    The shadow hands all stopped grabbing at once. They splayed their fingers out before dissipating into black smoke that shot upwards, revealing the smiling old man as he faced the sky. Coop felt uneasy as his eyes followed the trail. The darkness climbed all the way to the dreary cloud above them both.


    Then, the sky broke.


    Coop braced himself as the world convulsed. A pulse blasted across the sky, shooting beyond the horizon in a moment, blurring his vision as it went. When his sight cleared up, he witnessed the oppressive cloud that had been thickening above the settlement split like a shattered smoky glass panel. The clouds were like a solid sheet of brittle dry mud. They broke as if an explosion had blasted through the opposite side, annihilating the center, and created a chain reaction of destruction beyond the point of contact.


    His eyes struggled to maintain focus as more waves of energy blurred his vision. The sky cleared in the center, above the temple, but the edges remained shattered, like a glass window held together by a transparent film. Broken shards froze in place all the way across the settlement in expanding waves, one after the next, as the energy cascaded outwards and the cloud broke.


    Coop was disturbed by the feeling of being watched. When he looked closer, he understood why. The shards that the cloud shattered into reflected the faces of the Oathsworn Humans that had maintained the ritual while the battle raged on, their visages trapped hundreds of feet in the air for a few moments before disappearing.


    The angular shards dangled high above the ground, suspended by unseen energy, scattering hazy green-tinged light in all directions, but the memory of the eyes peering back lingered on Coop¡¯s mind even as their forms vanished.


    Directly above the temple, in the space that was completely clear of the shards, a window to what looked like another world had appeared, replacing what should have been the evening sky.


    Coop felt like a veil had been broken, destroying the thin barrier between the world of the living and the dead. Red clouds and gray streaks drifted calmly above, in a scene that must have been from hell itself. Ethereal whispers, distorted shouts, and agonized screams echoed faintly from the portal-like formation and the previous silence was broken. The gray clouds had been a solidifying shell, and this was what they had contained: The souls of the Cult of Chakyum.


    The Oathsworn Humans collapsed in waves all across the settlement, starting with those closest to the temple. In mere moments, millions of empty robes lined the streets of the massive settlement as black smoke drifted up into the opening.


    Far in the distance, thousands of Jaguar warriors stood confused as the opponents that they were engaged with in close quarters combat among choke points, or with ambushes, disintegrated into dust. They universally watched the sky, innately fearing what they had awoken.


    Coop glanced back at the supposed Lord of Death and Ruler of the Underworld. The old man still held his staff toward the sky as the window to hell faded back to a dreary overcast cover. He was being bathed in the calming heavenly spotlight of levels, in complete contrast to the bleak atmosphere around the Yucatan settlement.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Coop couldn¡¯t help but ask, gaping at the old man.


    ¡°I collected what was owed.¡± Chakyum responded curtly, extending his arms as if he meant to catch all of the light that flowed down from the sky.

 Chapter 226: The Covenant

    Coop blinked as the light of Chakyum¡¯s level gains ultimately faded. The heavenly spotlight had come steadily at first, forming a solid beam of light that made his eyes water while the levels overlapped. It could have been a tractor beam for the density. Over time, the experience slowed such that there were full seconds between each level. Coop numbly assumed diminishing returns had kicked in pretty heavily, reducing the rewards granted to the leader of the Cult.


    Coop¡¯s mouth was dry as he tried not to think too much about the details of what he had seen. He felt sick to his stomach after witnessing the Cult¡¯s enormous sacrifice. There was something about the impersonal and seemingly voluntary nature of the mass offering that disturbed him to his core. The ghostly howls and haunted distant screams that faintly echoed across the sky implied that it hadn¡¯t been exactly as simple as it first appeared, but the sounds were drowned out by a high pitched ringing in his ears.


    Eventually, the sounds ceased altogether as the giant window in the hellish sky diminished, shrinking as the overcast clouds recondensed. The shattered rift diminished until it disappeared and the clouds reclaimed the sky.


    Identifying the man in front of him yielded the kind of limited information masked by question marks that was usually reserved for the contracted alien residents. It was clear enough that he had gained a massive quantity of stored experience. Coop checked the leaderboards to better understand what he was dealing with, expecting the worst.


    Day 113


    <ol>


    <li> The Lich (Level 5,102)</li>


    <li> Luc-Hau (Level 437)</li>


    <li> Lom-Hau (Level 390)</li>


    <li> Coop (Level 197)</li>


    <li> Sila Tupua (Level 136)</li>


    <li> Toby Jackman (Level 134)</li>


    <li> Callagun (Level 134)</li>


    <li> Hai Yun (Level 130)</li>


    <li> Reina Kitawa (Level 127)</li>


    <li> Akari Kitawa (Level 127)</li>


    </ol>


    Coop exhaled a held breath as he read the list. A familiar but forgotten name topped the leaderboard, reclaiming its position from the very start of the assimilation. All the regular Priests were gone, along with the sacrificed Acolytes, but the final number of accumulated levels was nowhere near the worst of what he imagined. Admittedly, at some point calculating the level gap between himself and his opponent seemed like an exercise in futility.


    Coop cracked a smile at the absurdity. ¡°Heh.¡± After rereading the levels for a second time, he chuckled senselessly to himself. He was reeling with shock, feeling a bit unhinged, as his own reaction surprised him at least as much as the actual numbers.


    The Lich gazed at Coop from a much less gaunt face than before, though his skin was an inhuman gray that went beyond simple paleness. Coop suspected that he was some other kind of human, like Jones after his Bloodstone racial evolution. It seemed as though increased racial levels necessitated unnatural changes as well.


    The old man had let his hood fall down as he broke the sky, revealing a powdery bald head and thick tangled eyebrows of white. Black and green energy continued to glow from the sunken sockets on his face, completely hiding his actual eyes. An unmistakable expression of confusion painted his visage. He hadn¡¯t expected his challenger to start laughing, of all possible reactions.


    ¡°Did you just sacrifice 20 million people for 5,000 levels?¡± Coop asked incredulously. ¡°That¡¯s it? Are you stupid?¡± He exclaimed to the astonishment of The Lich.


    Coop was rattled. He was having difficulty parsing his thoughts with what he had witnessed and filing them into his understanding of the new rules of reality. It was easier to view everything from a completely impersonal perspective than to consider the massacre for what it was.


    The fact that so many deaths had resulted in such a level boost was catastrophic, and not because it was a tremendous increase that elevated The Lich firmly into the territory of aliens in the galactic community. Coop felt it was a disastrous result because it was just so wasteful.


    The inefficiency actually offended something deep within Coop beyond the loss of life. All of that sacrifice only to match the bottom of the aliens that Coop had deduced levels for. He knew for a fact that many of his alien residents back on Ghost Reef had five digit levels, though they had always been cagey when he tried to ascertain exact numbers, like it was just a bit too personal of a thing to ask.


    In any case, Coop¡¯s gardener could probably wipe the floor with The Lich. Then again, Coop slowed himself down. He had to give the man in front of him a little bit of credit. The contracted residents had thousands of years to accumulate experience, and The Lich had exploded in levels in a matter of months. Coop could admit that much at least.


    Coop¡¯s suspicion that the Cult was operating as a pyramid scheme had been pretty close to the mark. Chakyum stood firmly at the pinnacle, waiting to collect the rewards from his members. However, part of the strength of the Cult itself was in its substantial membership. Coop had already conceded to the impossibility of wiping them out, basically wishing the Jaguar Sun luck while he went after the Cult¡¯s leaders. He had to ask himself if their sacrifice was actually a good thing for himself and his allies.


    Only one thing was certain. He was going to need to grind for months to reconcile his feelings toward the situation as a whole. Coop shook his head at the thought.


    The elderly man stood tall, completely losing his hunch with the stats gained. Calling him elderly was uncharitable in the first place, considering how much his physical appearance had been masked by his robes, but Coop couldn¡¯t change his initial impression. If anything, he should have called the man sickly.


    ¡°No-¡± The Lich started to defend his actions with an air of seriousness that contrasted Coop¡¯s disconnected flippancy.


    ¡°Hold on a sec.¡± Coop requested, interrupting the man¡¯s response while extending one finger from his spear to get the Lord of Death to wait.


    [Status]


    HP - 17106/18050


    MP - 18987/33600


    Class - Revenant (Level 197)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 162)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 125 (+3360)


    Agility - 125 (+1680)


    Body - 125 (+1680)


    Mind - 2800 (+560)


    Intelligence - 125 (+3360)


    Acumen - 125 (+1680)


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion IV, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper, Slayer IX, Dauntless, Stacked, Defiant, Siegebreaker, Mindbender


    Skills (Active) - Invocation, Presence of Mind, Fog of War, Vaporform


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Skills (Passive) - Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension, Clarity of Purpose


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (20/50), Upgrade City to Metropolis, Settle the Infestation


    Basic Credits - 7,228,402


    Coop frowned as he quickly calculated that his total attributes would easily be exceeded by The Lich, even without any of the additional scaling that he was bound to have applied through skills. With just over 14,000 stats, Coop was merely approaching the equivalent of a raw level 3,000. ¡°Merely 3,000.¡± Coop mumbled.


    It wasn¡¯t even close. He could only hope that the diminished returns in bonuses applied by stats would make the difference not quite as substantial as the numbers would imply. He furrowed his brows as he realized the gap was exacerbated by the limited experience rewarded from defeating the Cultists throughout his adventure. The Lich had set him up for a double-whammy of disappointment.


    He checked the new quest he had received as well. The objective was quite familiar, reminiscent of his experience with the Zombie Lord down to the exact same branching options.


    [Eliminate the Lich 0/1 or Establish an Alliance 0/1]


    The rewards for each option were shown. Eliminating the Lich would reward the title Reaper, and add one level. Coop laughed again at the extra level included. It was hard to remember that levels actually scaled as the numbers climbed. One level felt like a drop in the bucket, but that was Coop¡¯s entire strategy summarized. Add a little bit at a time and let it grow into an abundance, whether it was stats or levels. Even if the Lich had put his level to shame, Coop took some solace in the fact that his method of progression was probably more sustainable while they were competing over their individual planet.


    Obviously, he already had a Reaper title that had evolved while consuming other titles, so he expected that if he completed the quest, it would grow in a similar way to the Champion and Slayer titles. Throw it onto the pile, Coop thought, happy enough with having the option to eliminate the Lich, with or without further rewards.


    Establishing an Alliance would grant the racial evolution Elite Oathsworn Human, having him take the place of the Elite High Priestess. An alliance would also bolster the strength of Ghost Reef with the Unspeakable, eliminating the unformed Lighthouse faction. All residents current and future would join the Unspeakable faction of the Undead, and contribute levels to their masters upon their destruction. Coop spared a thought to consider if that was how the Yucatan Settlement had ended up so firmly under the Cult¡¯s control; maybe the Elite High Priestess had struck a deal when confronted by the Lich.


    ¡°What a joke.¡± Coop muttered as he considered the second option. Even when he knew less about the forces he was dealing with, all the way back when he was struggling to fight zombies on the oil rig, the choice had been pretty easy to make. As much as he wanted to bolster Ghost Reef, he didn¡¯t think making a unilateral decision that would personally affect each of his residents would be the right move back then, and he really didn¡¯t think it would be a good move now.


    ¡°How dare you!¡± The Lich shouted, tired of Coop disrespecting his presence and taking offense to his last utterance.


    ¡°Me?¡± Coop asked, matching his agitated energy. ¡°After all that you¡¯ve done?¡±


    ¡°You should be on your knees, banging your forehead against the stones as you beg for my grace.¡± The Lich advised. ¡°It is I who will lead Earth into the galactic community.¡±


    Coop scrunched his face with distaste. ¡°Seems like you¡¯d lead us into a grave instead.¡± He observed, extending his arm toward the scattered robes that stretched for miles beyond the temple, filling the empty roads like a patterned gray carpet.


    The Lich shook his head vigorously. ¡°You continue to misunderstand everything. They follow me out of their graves.¡± He stated adamantly. ¡°I am the Lord of Death.¡±


    He tapped his staff against the temple and the ground shimmered nearby. A black and green haze formed a latticed gateway around the Lich, rotating around him as he concentrated on his staff. The haze melted into a circular portal with the diameter of a manhole cover at his side.


    A skeletal version of the Herald of Cosmos rose from the ground as if riding a hidden elevator. It was the same mechanism that the Icon of Mana, Monolithic Destiny, had utilized when it formed after the ritual to remove Jones¡¯s blood curse was completed, but much faster. Coop assumed the difference was in having sufficient mana present. He identified the skeletal figure, frown still embedded on his face.


    [Elite Void Queen (Level 505)]


    [Minion of the Unspeakable]


    ¡°You see?¡± The Lich continued excitedly. ¡°They died months ago, when they took their Oaths, binding their souls to me so that I could give them a second chance at life as evolved humans. I named them as if they were my own children and gave them every opportunity to grow for our mutual benefit.¡± He grew indignant. ¡°Now they will always be with me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re messed up.¡± Coop remarked, making a face as the Lich revealed his scheme.


    After witnessing some of the man¡¯s power, Coop understood why people could be tricked into following him. Taken in isolation, if what he said was true, the Lich actually seemed like he had impressive powers over life and death. If he presented himself as a deity, it would be hard to argue without more knowledge of the system. However, with mana, literally everyone could demonstrate unexplainable feats, so it wasn¡¯t all that special in the grand scheme of things. Coop suspected that the Lich simply took advantage of the early guidance provided by his faction and established himself quickly enough to be difficult to question afterwards. He had spent quite a bit of time as the highest level on the leaderboards in the beginning of the assimilation, after all. That would have been a good opportunity to establish a foothold and leverage his position further.


    ¡°Join me, son.¡± The Lich directed imperiously. ¡°Make an Oath to me and you will be reborn.¡±


    Coop¡¯s spear smashed into the green shield a second time, sending ripples of energy along the surface as the magical structure struggled to repel his assault. A cloud of dark green mana exploded outward from the collision, and the Lich simply turned away, tapping his staff as he went, completely trusting the protection offered by his skill.


    ¡°Fine.¡± The sickly man muttered. ¡°I will look forward to embracing you once you have been properly subdued.¡± He added, letting the shadowy hands lift him off the ground so that he could hover above the surface of the temple and gaze upon the empty settlement, generating another hazy lattice of death mana as he went.


    Coop made to pursue the man, not so easily dismissed, but a blinding orb of white cut across his path, passing just before him. He turned to the Void Queen as she summoned a second projectile at the tip of a protruding finger bone like a basketball player spinning a ball on their fingertip. Her hollowed out eyes glowed with the black and green energy of the Lich.


    She may have taken her second death rather smoothly, but she was much worse for the wear. The former Elite High Priestess was a mere skeleton, rattling as she moved, bound by an aura of thick mana that spun around her ivory form. She had completely lost whatever remained of her humanity when she became a minion of the Lich and fulfilled her Oath.


    Coop sidearmed his shield, aiming to destroy her unprotected knees before mistjumping into melee range and eliminating her with his spear so he could finish his business with her Master. He twisted to the side to avoid her second projectile, watching as the first rotated around her and swung back for a second swipe at him.


    Their fight was essentially picking up where it left off, except she appeared to lack the nullification ability that had torn his summons to shreds. Instead, she was reestablishing the orbital projectiles she utilized from within her domain. She hadn¡¯t been limited to a single sphere when inside of her domain, but now she wasn¡¯t limited at all, even outside the Mind-based Void manifestation. Coop supposed she had taken on the same role as the Zombie Captain: a powerful lieutenant formed from a particularly potent human bound to protect their masters.


    She gave up her humanity in a deal made long before he arrived in Central America, and now she wasn¡¯t much more than a simple monster. Coop had a bit of experience fighting simple violent creatures. He assessed this one as a basic spellcaster, powerful, but plain.


    When his shield reached her kneecap it was unexpectedly repelled. Her eyes lit up with the pure green energy that matched the Lich¡¯s shield as she surrounded herself with the shell of a void sphere. The shield pushed the light from her form to the edge and shrouded her bones in shadow as she successfully blocked his attack. A miniature imitation of her Event Horizon made of death mana protected her person. Coop frowned, reconsidering his assessment of the fight. He should treat it as a new encounter rather than a continuation. The Void Queen had lost her specific affinities and now utilized mana that more closely resembled the Lich¡¯s affinities. She was his minion after all. When he glanced at the Lich to gauge how much he was actively participating his frown deepened even further.


    The sickly man was raising the dead in waves. The sacrificed Acolytes were reanimating across the settlement. Skeletal arms climbed from dark portals that filled the streets beneath the temple. An army of chattering dead was replacing the devoted cultists.


    Coop had prematurely assumed that the Lich had consolidated his power into himself alone. That wasn¡¯t exactly what happened. The Lich had consolidated the experience of the Cult into himself, but the advantage that Coop had feared in the Cult¡¯s numbers remained. This was the threat that he had identified on the zombie oil rig, where the Undead would be able to effectively spread their influence. With the Zombie Lord it had been through an infectious debuff, but with the Lich it was with a covenant.

 Chapter 227: The Void Queen

    Coop didn¡¯t just fight for himself. He didn¡¯t seek glory or recognition, though he enjoyed topping the leaderboards. It wasn¡¯t even for experience, as much as he valued his personal progression. No, what he actually fought for, deep down, was an idealized version of Ghost Reef that he had subconsciously built up in his imagination. He genuinely believed in his interpretation and fought to protect it.


    For Coop, Ghost Reef was more than just a chain of islands. The fact that it had become a powerful settlement was essentially an unintended consequence of his honest perception of the tropical haven. The idealized rendition of Ghost Reef in his imagination had nothing to do with its physical development; it was far more symbolic. In his mind, the islands as they had previously been, with the crumbling fort, the rugged lighthouse, the simple sandy trails lined with coconuts, pristine beaches, and expansive reefs were already a true refuge from the rest of the world.


    His feelings had been ingrained deep within himself even before the assimilation began. Before mana reset the world, Coop was adrift. Loss had driven him into a cycle of grief that he unintentionally wallowed in, painting his life gray. Ghost Reef had appeared like the light at the end of a long tunnel and restored color to his senses. It was his sanctuary, even back then, before monsters roamed the planet and aliens staked their claims on the world. It gave him purpose.


    His idea of Ghost Reef, beyond its physical existence, was being manifested through the help of the system and the hard work of its residents. It was really becoming a refuge of hope, a safe haven, and a sanctuary for the downtrodden.


    Coop, as Champion of Ghost Reef, was slowly growing into the embodiment of his settlement. As much as he wished to simply hang out on his island, leisurely grinding monsters while maintaining the sandy trails to fulfill his expected duties, he accepted the responsibilities that came with the title and internalized them. He understood that he represented the island and its residents, but beyond simply doing his best, he wasn¡¯t actively pursuing any lofty ideals. He was just trying to help where he could while persistently safeguarding the settlement. His attitude had permeated throughout his territory and others followed his supportive example, assisting in the effort to bolster the islands.


    The Battlemaiden had instructed him to remember his purpose if he wanted to become a true warrior. When it came to Coop, it was an unnecessary reminder. He wanted Ghost Reef to be the beacon of light for all those who needed it on such a deeply internal level, he wasn¡¯t even fully mindful of it. It was just a natural inclination that required little input from his consciousness. He wanted to boost others just as he had been.


    The principles he held within put him at direct odds with the Cult of Chakyum and the organization that the Lich had formed. The bottom line was that Coop acted through benevolence derived from learned empathy. He knew he couldn¡¯t help everyone, but he still wanted to help as much as possible because he could imagine himself in their shoes. The Lich was callously embracing a tightfisted strategy that ensured his survival above all else. The Master of the Cult was happy to climb on top of his supporters and pull the ladder up behind himself, viewing the sacrifice of his companions as an easy decision that required minimal consideration.


    The atmosphere was heavy at the top of Chakyum¡¯s stone pyramid, and not entirely due to the absurd humidity. The monumental structure rose from the middle of a central lake in the Yucatan settlement, and its top floor had become the final arena for the Cult and the Revenant. The sky was thick with billowing gray clouds, but thankfully, they had reverted to natural formations that merely threatened rain rather than sealing a tear in the physical world where the Lich collected his experience.


    Coop faced off with the Elite Void Queen, spreading both the Lich¡¯s miasmic death mana, and Coop¡¯s ethereal mists as they engaged in a final bout. She was the perfect example of the dichotomy between the circumstances of Chakyum¡¯s companions and Coop¡¯s own friends.


    Ultimately, Coop considered her to be another victim of Chakyum, despite her culpability in the crimes of the Cult. Even though she had acquired extraordinary power through questionable means on behalf of the Cult, she was easily discarded by her Master. All the Cultists were similar. That they were only playing by the local rules, as dictated by Chakyum, was not a justification for the evil they had participated in. Coop would never put his own allies in a similarly difficult situation.


    Despite the Void Queen¡¯s 300 level advantage, the skeletal minion was no match for the Revenant. Coop had slain his fair share of powerful monsters, and she would have already fallen if not for her desperate defenses whenever he drew close enough to strike. In the end, that¡¯s all she was: a husk that lacked the elements of humanity that made them distinct and dangerous enough in the eyes of mana to necessitate eradication.


    They would have danced together, except that Coop was a poor partner, forcing her onto her back foot immediately. The skeletal mage slipped and flitted around the top of the pyramid with surprising grace, but for all her fluttering, it was clear from the start that she only delayed the inevitable.


    The Jaguar Sun¡¯s Elites ended up fighting down the stairs with a towering stone golem Colossus and the teleporting Deathstalker, separate from the action at the top of the pyramid. The Lich was distracted by his manifesting army, tens of millions strong, as he floated above the battlefield, hovering on countless grasping arms of shadow that formed a swirling mound that drifted along the edges of the temple. Only Coop witnessed and appreciated the Void Queen¡¯s skills. He found it sad, in a way. In the end, for all of her potential, this was all she amounted to. It was a waste.


    She filled the battlefield with obstacles, turning it into a playground for Coop. While he could dodge the stellar projectiles that orbited the Void Queen¡¯s position, he also had the much more appealing option of smashing through them. The stellar spheres vacuumed his mana, denying his ability to establish a domain of Fog of War, but a direct blow was enough to overpower them. The less of them present, the better.


    With his ethereal equipment whipping his own tempo, he collapsed stars into their constituent mana, marching forward until he could bang his weapons against the mage¡¯s shield. He had never met a shield he couldn¡¯t break or otherwise bypass, and he suspected that it was only a matter of time before he weakened this one to the point of dissipation.


    The Lich maintained his own persistent shield, which Coop discovered when he periodically attempted to catch the level 5,000 by surprise. The necromancer didn¡¯t even flinch when Coop abruptly attempted to crush his skull after a mistjump drew him into the air beside the sickly man. The collision of Coop¡¯s quickswapped two-handed axe and the energy shield had sounded like a hydraulic hammer smashing steel, but all the force was projected back into Coop¡¯s arms rather than into destroying his target. Coop didn¡¯t let his frustration interfere with his rampage, meeting the Void Queen head on shortly after crashing to the ground. He was still ramping up, after all.


    The Void Queen was a slippery target, drifting through her stellar field in a way that felt unfair. The projectiles that threatened to collide with Coop from different directions orbited her, never inhibiting her movement. Coop could catch up, smash her shield, sending a plume of shadowy mana into the air, but she would escape as quickly as he caught her, drawing dozens of obstructions in moments.


    The next time she slipped away, Coop tried another angle on the Lich, attacking him from below in an effort to sever his connection with the pillar of shadow hands, but his glaive merely passed through, carving a narrow channel that refilled as quickly as it formed. Coop scowled as he sought the Void Queen instead, swapping his weapon yet again.


    Once he spotted her concealed among her projectiles, he rushed forward. A stellar bombardment shot toward him and he shifted to his left, planting his weight hard on the stone. He bypassed a sphere of empty white void, and the bombardment scoured the stone surface of the pyramid, adding a rough texture to the relatively smooth exterior.


    Pushing off the ball of his planted foot with a little jump while leaning backwards. He slid forward, feet first, like he was aiming to steal a base, gliding beneath another sphere. In a silky smooth motion, he caught the miniscule edge where two stones met with his other heel and slipped back to his feet, using the momentum to whip his ethereal bo staff from right to left and crack a bowling ball-sized orb into glowing dust.


    Sparkles of light hovered in the air as Coop flexed his core and he halted the momentum of his swing. He rotated his hips in the opposite direction, drawing the bo staff back with a whoosh of air and caught another sphere with his backswing, shattering the formation into two large halves that each flew past him on opposite sides before crumbling into themselves with flashes of light.


    He left his feet, vaulting over a low flying orb that hid another stellar bombardment in its shadow, raised the staff above his head, and drew it down in a blow that would easily pulverize even the sturdiest bones. When another bang clapped across the settlement, the death mana of the void shield erupted in waves, but the Void Queen remained whole before she escaped Coop¡¯s range yet again, letting more spheres interfere with his pursuit.


    Coop tossed the staff in an arcing javelin throw, mistjumping while it was still in the air and repeated the smashing overhand chop against the scurrying Void Queen¡¯s shield. Clouds of black and green death mana floated all across the battlefield, marking the violent eruptions caused by Coop¡¯s weapons colliding with both of his opponents¡¯ shields. In between the clouds, shards of shattered stellar orbs glittered in the limited light where Coop crushed her obstacles.


    Retreat was barely a temporary reprieve for the high level minion and Coop had already established that she lacked the firepower to eliminate her opponent when she was still alive. It was only a matter of time before he cracked her shell. It was the Lich¡¯s shield he was more concerned about, but he tried not to get ahead of himself, only taking brief opportunities to test its reliability.


    When she drifted away once again, Coop spun to track her down among her orbital field, whipping his staff in a full rotation that crushed another sphere that encroached on his space from his flank. He dismissed the bo staff in the moment of calm created by its destruction, quickswapping to his spear for better mobility, but as the mists solidified in his hand a cloud of insects swamped him.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Coop coughed and gagged as the insects climbed up his nose and into his mouth, squeezing his eyes shut to keep them out. He flailed as he leapt straight up and activated Vaporform to escape the suffocating swarm. As soon as he reformed, above the thickest portion of the stellar field, he shifted his target, identifying the Swarm Priest as the swarm condensed back into a humanoid shape. He let his spear rip through the air at her position from above in an instinctual counter attack fueled by a spike of adrenaline.


    [Fractured Hivemind (Level 386)]


    [Minion of the Unspeakable]


    Her empty eye sockets glowed with the miasmic death power of the Lich, emitting the greenish tinge of a deep contaminated river while black oil swirled on the surface. The spear shot forward without any resistance before smashing another crater into the temple¡¯s surface. The Swarm Priest had shifted back into her swarm immediately after solidifying in order to avoid the spear.


    Coop suddenly felt pressured. The Swarm Priest wasn¡¯t someone he wished to fight, even after her transformation into a Fractured Hivemind. She effortlessly transformed back and forth between a cloud of insects and a skeletal caster. While he was confident in smashing shields, he wasn¡¯t so comfortable banking his strength against something he struggled to even hit. And that wasn¡¯t even considering the more undefinable mental damage caused by the sensation of drowning in a swarm of writhing bugs.


    He put aside his mounting stress and diligently sought the Void Queen, ignoring the newcomer while resummoning his ethereal spear. He found her staring back at him from behind a crowd of rotating spheres in the distance.


    If nothing else, he had no intention of granting her an extended reprieve from his assault for fear of allowing her shield to regenerate. Her eye sockets were empty cavities of darkness that mirrored her void spheres. As they made what might pass as eye contact from across the dance floor, her eyes ignited with the basil smoke energy of the Lich, sending dark fumes forward and above her forehead as she empowered herself in anticipation of another exchange.


    Coop lunged forward, planning his route to be as efficient as possible and give her the least amount of time to rejuvenate her shield, but he had to immediately abandon his path when the swarm of mosquitoes, gnats, and flies placed itself in his way. He dodged the suffocating swarm, shifting to his right, and barely avoided a massive pale-colored lance that shot from behind the cloud of insects with a spinning dodge off of his back foot. Coop hadn¡¯t been able to assess the Swarm Priest¡¯s abilities when she was alive, so he had no idea what she was capable of doing, but he hadn¡¯t expected a fleshy spike to aim at impaling him from within the swarm.


    He planted his feet after dodging the surprise attack, finding the stationary Void Queen still staring, and made to mistjump the gap as soon as he confirmed the Swarm Priest returning to her caster form.


    Coop cocked his spear back as if he was aiming directly at the Void Queen, and with a hard turn, threw it over his own opposite shoulder, spinning like a shot putter rather than a javelin thrower.


    The hard angle change caught the Fractured Hivemind unprepared, just as he intended, and the attack was even more effective than he anticipated. The spear blasted a hole through her naked ribcage, sending shards of bone flying through the air as they were freed from the miasmic energy that held them together. Coop mistjumped to the spear, letting the pulverized shards bounce off his armor with tiny clanks, and quickswapped to his morning star just as the undead Swarm Priest belatedly exploded into her mass of insects.


    Coop ripped the morning star down with all of his ridiculous strength, dragging what seemed like the Earth¡¯s entire atmosphere along with the blow. He roared as the clouds, hundreds of feet above, reacted to his effort by sending rivulets of their condensed air downward, following the gravity of his strike. The sky acknowledged his strength, mirroring his motion with a series of miniature cones that could have been the start of dozens of tornadoes if the pull continued for longer than his short swing. He was a bit desperate to prevent the fight from getting out of hand, fearing that he would lose momentum before he even engaged with the final boss, so the blow was empowered with unusual intensity that had Mindbender reflexively pouring his bonus stats into Strength. The Revenant was fully unleashed.


    The morning star smashed into the pyramid, cratering a portion of the stone as the Fractured Hivemind¡¯s insects attempted to escape. Only a handful of insects were caught by the mace, pulverized into tiny spurts of mana, but the absurd force Coop had used to smash a few flies battered the rest of the swarm with wind that could have toppled a building. The flying insects crashed into the crater, sticking against the humid stone, coating the surface with a squirming mass. Coop repeated his enormous swing, utilizing the wind to trap the bugs as he cleared them out while drawing the clouds down.


    It only took five hefty swings that shook the settlement¡¯s foundation to destroy the bulk of the bugs. The few that avoided the crushing mace simply dissipated as the Fractured Hivemind was abruptly defeated for the second time.


    Coop glowed in a heavenly spotlight as the system provided the visual indication that he had leveled. He raised his eyebrows and grunted in surprise at the glowing light. He immediately looked back toward the Void Queen, a hungry smile climbing across his face as he found her behind dozens of floating projectiles. Something had switched now that the Lich had completed his ritual and freed his Cult from their Oaths.


    Coop looked at the Void Queen and viewed her as an opportunity to regain some of his lost progression to further bolster his capable defense of Ghost Reef. As he drew himself up, feeling renewed with vigor at the prospect of regaining his momentum, he suddenly saw stars as his neck whipped back and he was blindsided by a runaway train.


    Coop was driven forward, losing grip on his morning star while his chest smashed through three of the stellar spheres. Each detonated against his torso like sparkling landmines, sending fragments of stellar shrapnel careening across his armor. He crashed into the surface of the stone pyramid, a dozen yards away from where he had been tackled, trailing shards of light as he went. He couldn¡¯t even brace himself with his arms as they were each pinned. One was beneath his own stomach and the other trapped behind his back. The side of Coop¡¯s face was pressed against the stone by the weight of a mountain as he slid.


    When he came to a stop, he attempted to turn himself over with his shoulders, and he was rewarded for his effort with a massive blow that hit him in the side of the head to cease his struggle. Immediately afterwards, Coop Vaporformed to escape, finally jolted into the understanding that it wasn¡¯t an inanimate object that ran him over.


    He identified his assaulter as he resolidified in the physical world, bouncing onto his feet, only slightly staggered by the blindside attack. He shook his head before testing the wound on his cheek with his fingers as he frowned at being caught by surprise despite Presence of Mind. The tease of finally progressing again had been too distracting.


    [Wrathful Warden (Level 411)]


    [Minion of the Unspeakable]


    His fingers came away from his face wet with his blood and he glowered at the resurrected Totemic. The man had the skeleton of a gorilla, vertebrae spiked with bone and painted with tribal patterns. His fists were like sledgehammers and he towered over Coop even after they both stood straight. As they sized each other up, the Wrathful Warden¡¯s eyes exploded with energy, losing the previous verdant color they glowed with in life in favor of the deathly miasma of the Lich. Coop spat blood from his mouth, invoking Retribution to summon his ethereal shield and one-handed warhammer.


    Defeating the Fractured Hivemind had only given him two levels, putting him at level 199. It was an inadequate reward, all things considered, but he placed the unallocated points into Mind all the same. Allocating his stats was a routine habit that left him feeling satisfied after being denied for so many fights.


    He lunged forward, switching his posture in an instant. He let one of the Void Queen¡¯s spheres explode against his shield before he swung his hammer through the dazzling shards in an uppercut intended to take the Warden¡¯s head clean off. The end of Coop¡¯s hammer connected with the tip of the minion¡¯s chin in a perfect mirror of their previous bout, blasting a chunk of bone into the air, and staggering the undead Totemic as he was pushed off-balance.


    Coop quickswapped to his spear, spinning to the side as he rushed forward and swept at the big minion¡¯s stumbling legs. The Warden fell to the ground with a solid thump and Coop aimed a killing thrust at his skull, but the skeleton¡¯s eyes burst with even more energy as the spear approached. The undead Totemic blocked his attack with a thick ivory forearm, glowing with dark green patterns, that sent the tip of the spear into the stone adjacent to his head. Scraps of rubble bounced away from the pair from where the spear blasted the temple. Before Coop could recoil and slip past the defense, a series of stellar projectiles compelled him to shift position and abandon the thought of another attack, reminding him that the Void Queen was left free to cast and recover.


    Unwilling to completely repeat the previous battle when his opponents were living, even if he had eventually won, Coop swapped targets before he was stuck engaging a tank with the support of allies. Without Fog of War extending the range of his summoned phantasms, they weren¡¯t particularly suited for harrying distant opponents, but Coop could compensate with mistjumps. The Void Queen was ranged while the Wrathful Warden was not. By chasing the ranged combatant, Coop intended to draw them both together while maintaining the pressure on the Void Queen¡¯s shield.


    He threw his spear at the Void Queen with a line drive intended to force its way into her proximity. The missile shattered multiple spheres before he caught it himself and redirected the tip at her exposed neck, covering the distance in an instant with his precise mistjump.


    As the edge of the spear approached her vertebrae her eyes reignited with the miasmic death magic and the magical shield saved her from being beheaded by mere centimeters. The strike blasted a wave of death magic that left a cloud drifting above the temple, but she merely stumbled, falling onto her side.


    Coop embraced the recoil after the collision, spinning away and summoning a phantasm to attack her before she slipped behind her protective projectiles. His ghostly companion struck the shield with a lunging attack and disappeared, failing to penetrate any more than Coop had, but adding its own strike to the repeated blows that the shield was forced to withstand. It seemed like each of his attacks was closer to reaching its target, so he felt like he was making the right choice with his priorities this time around as she shuffled away.


    The ground rumbled as the Wrathful Warden stomped and dragged his feet against the battlefield like a bull preparing to charge, cracked face gaping as he moved. It seemed as though the skeletal minion was frustrated by Coop¡¯s retreat, but Coop retained his target, aiming his spear at the Void Queen as she desperately sought some relief from his assault.


    Coop threw his spear hard, directly on target, planning a continued bombardment of her shield. The stellar projectiles were no match for his missiles, as they were more effectively used offensively, and the ethereal spear shattered them as they shifted into its path one after the other. Glittering explosions of light appeared, popping in a chain that mirrored his spear¡¯s trajectory, decorating the shadowy death mana that increasingly permeated across the temple¡¯s surface.


    At the last second before the final satisfying collision between the spear tip and the Void Queen¡¯s shield occurred, a much larger crystal clear orb fully engulfed the spear. Coop hesitated in confusion. He didn¡¯t immediately recognize what had happened as he watched his ethereal weapon dangle within an orb. Then, when his spear folded in on itself and popped into a cloud of trapped ethereal mana, he scowled.


    Coop glanced up at the Lich and noticed that he wasn¡¯t casting anymore.

 Chapter 228: The Council

    Coop should have expected more minions. He had zeroed in on the manipulation of experience conducted by the Cult of Chakyum, but after he realized the leader of the Cult, the Lich, was a necromancer, he could have recontextualized the relationship between the members and their Master. The link between the Oathsworn and the Binder of Souls went beyond simple experience sharing.


    Coop summoned a fresh volatile spear, giving it the weight necessary to overcome the pressure of the additional obstacles scattered among the Elite Void Queen¡¯s stellar field. He identified the newcomers to the arena, feeling a bit anxious about discovering the truth of some of his previous thought exercises regarding just how many High Priests he could fight at once. On the brightside, he wasn¡¯t facing anything completely unfamiliar. They had all faced him in life and were found lacking. He was the one that currently held the champion¡¯s belt. They were merely contenders.


    [Mystic Cultivator (Level 76)]


    [Minion of the Unspeakable]


    [Symbol of Decay (Level 317)]


    [Lesser Minion of the Unspeakable]


    The first pair he spotted to the north were impossible to miss, even with the stellar field orbiting across the top of the temple. The towering presence of the undead Mushroom King explained the unexpected fleshy lance that had shot through the Fracture Hivemind¡¯s swarm.


    Death hadn¡¯t treated the fungal monster kindly. The drooping mushroom caps were torn and discolored and its leg stumps couldn¡¯t maintain their rigidity, causing the creature to seem soft and lopsided, like a soggy parade float after a heavy rain. It dripped with decay, glistening as reflections were caught on its wet surface. Coop shifted his feet as he observed the mushroom tendrils that had embedded themselves into the stone pyramid, expecting more ambush attempts. He¡¯d make sure to stay light on his feet as he anticipated their tactics.


    The decaying Mushroom King and the undead Fey Cultivator utilized the cover of the Swarm Priest to repeat their distinctive strategy of ambushing from behind shifting clouds of flying insects. Without the gray moths of the Butterfly Cave, the pair had to improvise. They had hoped to recapture the element of surprise by utilizing the High Priest as a distraction herself. With the swarm¡¯s defeat, their optimal strategy wouldn¡¯t work again.


    The undead Mystic Cultivator was far too low level to be a threat herself, but she had been wrapped by the mycelia of the mushroom, calling into question who was leading who. She was held in the air like a skeletal effigy, limbs dangling lifelessly as the giant mushroom adjusted its bulk. Coop would focus on the black mushroom instead. It appeared to be the solitary consciousness between the two.


    [Unliving Flame (Level 417)]


    [Minion of the Unspeakable]


    To the northwest, near the corner beneath a curling black obelisk of the temple, another vaguely familiar form caught his eye. Black flames lit both fists as well as the smooth skull of the undead manifestation of the Avatar of Huracan.


    The former Aeromancer had failed to fully realize the power of his class and had been reduced to a single primary element rather than a full storm in undeath, but that didn¡¯t mean he should be underestimated. Even without reaching his full potential, his mere presence increased the temperature in a wide area near his position, causing the air to shimmer uninvitingly. The Unliving Flame rose a few feet above the ground as flames erupted around his feet and the skeletal mage prepared for combat. Coop took a deep breath and continued to scan the temple.


    [Charged Swindler (Level 380)]


    [Minion of the Unspeakable]


    On the opposite side of the undead Mushroom King and his handler, the illumination of lightning caught Coop¡¯s eye. Arcs leapt between the ivory bones of the next minion. Coop recognized the lithe shape of the Voice of Kukulkan. He was the only member of the dead High Priests that donned the same outfit in death as in life. He was fully charged up, with the feathers of his cape standing on end and the serpent¡¯s maw engulfing his bleached skull.


    Coop noted that he lacked the personality that made him so tense previously. Somehow, without the unpredictable zeal that had barely been suppressed while he was alive, he was significantly less intimidating. Coop felt like he was facing one of the featureless Elite Primal Constructs during the siege event, but someone had given this one a costume.


    [Diva of the Drowned (Level 449)]


    [Minion of the Unspeakable]


    On the other side of the temple, near the Void Queen to the south, the culprit of the large high-pressure water orbs continued her interference. She summoned additional obstacles, further complicating the battlefield. The undead Tidesinger also lacked the charm that had kept her negotiating even while they fought within her domain the first time around, but she maintained the ability to create crystal-clear water orbs, large enough to engulf a car and powerful enough to crush them into tin cans.


    The Lich had reduced his most powerful allies to shadows of their former selves. Coop may have been outnumbered, outleveled, and disadvantaged, but he felt less threatened than when he fought them individually as humans. He glanced at the sickly man and found him fully engrossed in managing the millions of skeletal soldiers that fought with the Jaguar Sun, not paying Coop any mind while he directed his army.


    Coop frowned as he reassessed the last two minions, not counting them out from the crowd of opponents he would be facing.


    [Wrathful Warden (Level 411)]


    [Minion of the Unspeakable]


    The undead Totemic had a crack in his face and the bottom half of his jaw was mostly gone from where Coop¡¯s warhammer had clipped his chin. Like the former Avatar of Huracan, energy flooded around him as the pair had similar combat profiles. Coop concluded that he had the least health remaining given the direct hits he had received. Still, Coop already knew he was a tough opponent, having withstood Coop¡¯s onslaught while he was alive for long enough to become an issue.


    [Elite Void Queen (Level 505)]


    [Minion of the Unspeakable]


    The Void Queen had received most of his assault during the second round of violence, but Coop thought he would need to abandon the pressure he was putting on her shield. He concluded that she was the toughest egg to crack and engaging with any of the other minions would inevitably give her the small periods of recovery necessary to maintain her defenses. Coop decided he wouldn¡¯t worry about it, and focus on thinning their numbers before he built an offensive to work through her shield. She and the former Tidesinger were also similar in their zonal combat style, but they both relied on engagement to be effective.


    ¡°Alright then.¡± He muttered, spinning around to get a good look at each skeletal minion before leveling his gaze upon the Warden. ¡°Bring it on.¡±


    The Undead Totemic didn¡¯t need any further encouragement. He was already charging after Coop as fast as his thick bones could carry him, narrowly avoiding spheres and orbs as they specifically drifted out of his way.


    The undead minions weren¡¯t waiting to exchange greetings this time around. Coop stood alone near the center of the stone temple, the humid atmosphere weighing heavily upon his shoulders. Stellar orbs, watery prisons, and void spheres spun and drifted throughout, and he squeezed the ethereal spear within his grip, feeling reassured by its dense weight.


    Swirling mists emanated in his immediate proximity as he burned another portion of his mana on what would be a temporary domain to aid in the initial engagement. A small pocket of comfort that would, at most, briefly obscure his exact position within a small area. The spheres immediately started chewing at its edges, making his normally serene domain seem violent as currents and waves whipped across the mists. The Fog consumed some orbs, overwhelming them as they swam too deep into the mists, but it would ultimately be dispelled by the enemy manifestations.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The hulking monstrosity with glowing green and black eye sockets lumbered forward, picking up speed as it built momentum, raising a massive bone fist as he blindly struck where he believed Coop to be inside of the Fog of War. Coop sidestepped the blow with practiced ease. A thousand previous battles combined with Presence of Mind to fuel his movements.


    From the outside, the mists swallowed a dozen stellar orbs along with the Wrathful Warden, fully containing his furious blow and hiding what was happening within. Glittering particles erupted from the cloud as the stellar orbs were smashed. A moment after the skeletal warrior was engulfed, a missile exploded from the drifting fog bank, shooting low across the ground before penetrating a watery orb in front of the decaying Mushroom King. The trail of mists extending from the small domain made it seem like a coiled snake had struck from its hidden den.


    The orb exploded when the spear was engulfed, revealing that it was different from his regular spear. Ethereal shrapnel rocketed across the area, smashing into the stone surface of the temple and ripping holes into the undead pair¡¯s intertwined fungal strings. The Symbol of Decay fell backwards onto its wet rear leg stump before trumpeting its protest at the injuries, lifting the Mystic Cultivator with its mycelial ropes and waving the undead High Priest in the air like a lifeless banner. The deep sound was a few decibels too low to be heard, but the vibration in the air was felt, and Coop¡¯s mists flowed back and forth like waves in the sea before settling back down.


    Another spear was launched from the churning Fog of War shortly after the first volatile spear exploded, shooting high into the air as if it aimed to escape the atmosphere. All of the minions followed its trajectory with their skeletal faces for several seconds, eye sockets glowing with green death magic, shifting as they confirmed they wouldn¡¯t be struck next. When the missile finally started falling, it was clear that the kinetic bombardment would fall far short, easily missing all of them.


    Then, the Wrathful Warden shot out from the inside of the Fog of War, chunks missing from his limbs where the blunt edge of an ethereal shield had crushed the fusion of bone and flickering miasmic energy. His sudden crashing presence drew the council¡¯s attention away from the falling projectile to his clattering slide across the temple. When he finally stopped, he struggled to get up for a moment, injuries severe enough to hobble him. He managed to rise back to his feet, appearing a bit skewed, before the spear crashed into him from above.


    The Wrathful Warden¡¯s ivory bones were pulverized into dust along with a wide section of the temple itself. Coop¡¯s heavy spear had reached terminal velocity before coming back down and the force was enough to shake the foundation of the enormous structure. The dense pocket of Fog lit up from within as Coop received two more levels and the rest of the minions finally reacted beyond waiting for the Void Queen¡¯s projectiles to diminish the fog.


    The undead Mushroom King pumped its rotting tendrils in the ground, thickening its limbs as they burrowed through the temple while a narrow wall of water rushed across the temple from the opposite side, still wide enough to engulf the entire shrinking Fog of War. At the same time, the Unliving Flame landed on the ground and formed a large black flame fireball. He lobbed it forward like it was launched from a catapult.


    The Mushroom King suddenly roared, recoiling its tendrils from the ground, revealing half a dozen limbs had been severed. It leaked miasmic goop that stained the stone where it cowered. Even as the Symbol of Decay reacted, an ethereal round shield was flung from the Fog of War, dragging spirals of mists as it spun rapidly and blocked the arcing path of the Unliving Flame¡¯s fireball.


    Another spear came next, traveling ten times the speed of the shield, smashing into the ribcage of the undead Voice of Kukulkan before he finished his own empowering cast. The tricky High Priest was charging up with lightning before the spear crushed his bones and pinned him to the ground beneath one of the four black obelisks bracing the corners of the temple.


    The fireball exploded against the shield, sending waves of black flames to chase its momentum. The shockwave swallowed a dozen stellar spheres before evaporating, turning the black flame into a field of glittering fireworks. The shield disappeared before the flames completely diminished, only remaining long enough to destroy the projectile.


    The slowest attack from the council of undead was the only one to land. The tidal wave of churning water sent by the undead Tidesinger belatedly collapsed upon the Fog of War, cleansing the air of the already weakening ethereal mists. As the water splashed away, the settling froth revealed the shining shield protecting Coop in the center. He rose up to his full height, drenched, but undamaged, surrounded by half a dozen fleshy spikes lying lifeless in a perfect circle around his position. For a split second, he assessed the minions, with the last remnants of his mists drifting from his armor and dissipating into the rotating spheres nearby.


    Coop flickered out of existence, leaving behind one last puff of mists to be vacuumed by the Void Queen¡¯s spheres before reappearing at the edge of the temple. He abruptly manifested, standing over the injured Charged Swindler with his spear reforming into a freshly manifested morning star that was collapsing upon the prone skeletal enemy. The meteoric strike sent bones and feathers flying in all directions as a heavenly beam of light spotlighted Coop from within the cloud of dark smoke that surrounded his position after being expelled by the victim. Coop grabbed another few levels from the Lich¡¯s minions.


    The Unliving Flame rocketed toward him, both arms extended forward as he flew like a superhero with the clear intent of tackling the Revenant before he collected any more heads. Coop sidestepped the attack, but the skeletal mage wasn¡¯t finished, landing with steady feet and throwing a darkflame fist, crackling with turbid energy, from point blank range.


    Coop shifted backwards, quickswapping to his glaive, and sliding it through the heated air where he previously stood. The blade caught the flaming fist head on, sending a shockwave of black flames erupting outwards, throwing them both off balance.


    Capitalizing on the momentary lapse, the Void Queen sent a stellar bombardment down from directly above Coop. He gritted his teeth and rolled further backwards, avoiding most of the scouring lights. He sprang back up and swept the glaive across another fireball that nearly reached his chest, cleaving it into two clear halves that burned out as they bypassed his body.


    The momentum tilted away from Coop and the fight became a whirlwind of desperate evasion as the former Avatar of Huracan maintained a flaming assault in melee range, fulfilling the role of the deceased Totemic, while the other three took potshots when Coop appeared distracted. Coop weaved through spells that defied physics, bending light, or pulled him into tidal fields, all while countering the point blank flames that erupted from the Unliving Flame¡¯s fists and the fungal lances that jabbed through the ground.


    But Coop wasn¡¯t one to give up on holding the advantage in an extended fight. The levels he had gained fueled his bloodthirst and he embraced the battlerage. He lunged forward, his glaive trailing a stream of wispy mana, then he vanished into a cloud of mists, Vaporforming to flank the Unliving Flame just as the undead Avatar grew comfortable with the standup melee.


    When he reappeared, the ghostly blade connected with the glowing black and red core of the undead Avatar, severing his entire skeletal body across the middle, extinguishing the nucleus of his flames. Coop kept spinning with his horizontal swing, quickswapping to his shield and spear. He used the rotation to launch his shield at the decaying Mushroom King, waiting another split second before his heaviest spear, matching the unbelievable maximum density of his recent crushing morning star, finally manifested. When the spear left his hand, it flew in a low arc toward the undead Tidesinger.


    She recognized the threat, pulling one of her high-pressure water orbs to protect herself. The spear penetrated the surface of the water, but instead of being suspended within and being destroyed like his regular spears, or exploding like his more destructive volatile spears, it kept moving forward. The ultra dense spear pierced the water orb and continued on its trajectory, smashing into the shoulder of the Priestess, piercing the flat bone of her shoulder blade. The heavy missile continued on its path, carrying the undead Tidesinger beyond the edge of the temple without a single sound of complaint.


    The decaying Mushroom King jabbed a fungal lance into the approaching shield and managed to redirect the projectile up and over, sending it spinning like a coin into the air. Coop mistjumped to the flying shield, catching it above the mushroom and flicking it down again, letting the edge clank against the Mystic Cultivator¡¯s lifeless skeleton. She was completely wrapped in layers of the stringy fungus, but to his surprise, the simple testing strike destroyed the High Priestess, causing her bones to crumble into dust.


    Coop landed with his shield already reforming, his back to the edge of the pyramid, behind the mushroom, just as a distant detonation exploded halfway across the settlement. He was spotlighted with the light of two more levels while an entire block of the partially deconstructed stone pyramids was caught in a blast. The maximum density spear had reached the ground. The heavy object carved an elongated crater into the settlement, wiping out hundreds of skeletal Acolytes, several buildings, and defeating the Diva of the Drowned as it went.


    Coop was already resummoning another volatile spear in his mainhand when the Mushroom King reared itself up in fury at the loss of its own companion. When it slammed back down, it sent a wave of wet rotting spores splattering outwards. Coop blocked the mud-like splash with his shield and threw his newly formed ethereal spear at the mushroom.


    Mushroom shaped heads were sprouting from the caked spores on the ground, as the lesser minion summoned even more subordinate manifestations, but the volatile spear penetrated the decaying flesh and exploded. Shrapnel ripped through the minion¡¯s body, sending blackened mushroom meat in a spectacular display of foulness.


    Coop wasn¡¯t spared from the grossness, but he didn¡¯t let it slow his rampage. Another heavy spear was already manifesting in his hand as he triangulated the final minion¡¯s position. He was riding the momentum, in the zone, and couldn¡¯t be stopped.


    The Elite Void Queen was directly opposite the mushroom king, but the missile he launched covered the distance in a split second, blasting through the cascade of fungus before it landed on the ground, sonic booms chasing behind the tip. The spear exploded against her shield before she could even recognize that she had reentered his crosshairs, blasting another chunk from the temple¡¯s surface where she stood.


    Coop flickered into existence as he mistjumped to a piece of shrapnel, already quickswapping to his ethereal morning star as his rampage continued. A smashing strike sent the Void Queen sprawling even with the protection of her shield. She scrambled backwards, crawling on her boney hands as she tried to put distance and more spheres between herself and the Revenant that hunted her. They both knew it was futile. His pursuit was too persistent.


    In a single round match, the Champion of Ghost Reef had annihilated the Lich¡¯s council of minions. More importantly to Coop, starting with the undead Swarm Priest, he had gained nine levels.


    The Lich had declared that he was collecting what was owed when he sacrificed the Oathsworn, but he had forgotten about Coop. Coop held a priority debt. Nine levels was a start, but he expected to collect from the Cult in full before he was done.

 Chapter 229: The Bone Titan

    The Void Queen¡¯s shield undulated with energy after the ethereal morning star smashed against the surface a second time. Ripples scattered all the way around the protective layer, blurring the inside while light was pushed to the edges. The pointed spikes of the mist-formed mace pinned the shield in place, concentrating the immense force of Coop¡¯s attack, and threatened to puncture the shadowy magical defense.


    The void energy flexed beneath the pressure, allowing the blunt-force of the mace to reach the edge of the shield, denting the surface, and transferring some of the energy into the injured undead Herald of Cosmos. The ripples on the shield were smoothed out by a single much larger wave that ran across the outer layer before scattering as it collided with itself on the back side of the Elite Void Queen.


    The minion of the Lich struggled to escape after collapsing. Despite the protection of the shield, the pressure of Coop¡¯s assault was too much for her to resist. Coop raised the morning star above his head, in a familiar motion that had universally foreshadowed an inescapable destruction.


    Clouds of void mana wafted around the pair of combatants as the ethereal mace descended upon the Elite Void Queen and blasted even more energy out of the shield. The first droplets of rain trailed the meteoric strike, adding gentle taps to the enormous blow of the mace and further blurring the barrier. Coop welcomed the rain, glad to have it cleanse the stinking mushroom flesh that had splattered against his armor.


    Streaks appeared in the clouds of dark green smoke that drifted across the top of the temple as the rain picked up. Rather than Fog of War, a mist of undead mana had coalesced, intensifying with each time Coop struck a shield or eradicated a minion, saturating the atmosphere. The Council of Cultists had expended significant energy in their battle, but in the end, they only empowered the Revenant.


    Coop dismissed his ethereal morning star, resummoning it in favor of the much heavier version, with its density maximized, as the humidity finally broke into a proper shower. The impossibly dense, pressurized mace that he had first utilized against the Tidesinger¡¯s water orbs within the Cathedral of Tides was making another appearance.


    Coop¡¯s arms were already braced behind his head as the heavy morning star manifested in his hands. Every muscle in his body worked, from his fingers to his forearms, through his shoulders, across his chest, down his torso, and into the sturdy base that his legs established as he dragged the weapon down. He grunted with effort, holding his breath, and the impossibly dense weapon plunged through the death mana and crashed into the void shield with a thump that reverberated all the way to the edges of the jungle beyond the settlement.


    The shield held, but the Void Queen had no choice but to collapse beneath the weight of the blow, flattened against the bottom of the crater she now resided within.


    Coop dismissed the mace, raised his empty arms back into the air, and resummoned the incredibly heavy version, not wasting time with the effort of lifting the manifestation a second time. It was faster to simply let the mists reform in the air than to fight gravity and perform an olympic lift to reload the immense mace. He intended to make the crater her final resting place.


    The ethereal morning star descended upon the Void Queen with an inevitability that personified the Revenant¡¯s default combat style. A second deep thump crossed the settlement and the shield finally snapped under the pressure. Like crushing a smoke-filled egg with a hammer, as soon as the shell broke, the undead Void Queen was no more.


    Coop glowed as he whipped his head toward the Lich, receiving another three levels with the final individual victory. 12 total levels wasn¡¯t nearly enough to satisfy him.


    Chakyum paid him no mind, eyes fixed on the hazy death-tinged horizon as he floated a dozen feet in the air with a thousand shadowy hands lifting him with a squirming mass of fingers. The rain battered his shield while it cleansed the dark green and black tinged smoke from the small eruptions every time Coop tried to force his way through the minions.


    The temple itself was in shambles, scattered with craters, piles of rubble, burn marks, and stained with muddy spores that were slowly washing away in the rain, turning the drainage thick and black as it fell down the stairs. Coop had fully unleashed on the council. For the first time in a while, he had tested the overall limits of his class rather than one single specialization. He had demonstrated the true strength of his Revenant build, where he had elevated the baseline of everything beyond reason. Whether it was a competition of strength, speed, firepower, or defense, Coop could rise to the occasion, and more pointedly, he could do it all simultaneously. His back flexed as he reveled in the feeling.


    In the distance, the war had fully reignited. The Jaguar Sun¡¯s combined war host fought with a skeletal legion as every Oathsworn member of the Cult of Chakyum, past and present, was resurrected as a brainless minion of the Lich. The Yucatan settlement was embroiled in desperate conflict as the skeletons rushed into the jungle or Jaguar Warriors erupted from vegetation and brought the fight to the streets.


    Coop hesitated for the few seconds it took to glance at his notifications, check his skill options, and gather himself before committing to his challenge against the Lich. The leader of the Cult of Chakyum was distracted by the ongoing war.


    [You defeated Fractured Hivemind (Level 386)]


    [+50,082 Basic Credits]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    The undead Swarm Priest had been the first to be defeated, revealing that the Cult¡¯s hold on experience had finally ended. Coop could only assume it was due to the completion of the ritual that culminated with the Lich revealing his current power level. If it wasn¡¯t for Coop¡¯s interference they would have just continued hoarding experience, but his participation in the Jaguar Sun¡¯s campaign had threatened the Undead Chosen enough for him to play his hand early. Consequently, Chakyum¡¯s stranglehold on his Oathsworn¡¯s experience was released with their transformations.


    [You defeated Wrathful Warden (Level 411)]


    [+59,871 Basic Credits]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Skill options available.]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    The next of the resurrected High Priests was killed after Coop engaged with the entire contingent of skeletons. The undead Totemic had courageously entered Coop¡¯s domain, and quickly discovered that it was a mistake. Coop battered the skeletal healer-tank, sending him sprawling into the landing zone of one of his terminal velocity heavy spears. Coop was close enough to the next level threshold that he had already unlocked another skill option just as the fight was ramping up.


    Coop skipped through the rest of his notifications, confirming that he had a pending skill choice, and merely counting the levels. The only other notable message was that he had received the Speck of Collapsed Star Unique material item granted by the death of the Elite Void Queen. Much like the Zombie Captain on the oil rig, she had been the Undead Chosen¡¯s primary investment. Coop confirmed that he had received a total of 12 levels, but the real bonus was in reaching level 200 after the first few defeats.


    He quickly checked his skill options, intending to make his selection with the knowledge that as long as he continued progressing, he could always take another Path in the future. A rushed choice here was worth the risk as long as it helped him defeat the Lich, who he could expect to exceed the combined power of the entire contingent of Undead High Priests. Coop¡¯s three skill choices were between the familiar options of Infusion, Brocken Spectre, and Spirit Link.


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    He didn¡¯t need to review the skills, already recalling that Infusion would provide him with a reservoir of mists that temporarily prevented the damage and negative effects of wounds. Infusion was the skill that he had hoped to see, already deciding that it was the choice that would double down the most on the Path of the Mistwalker that was currently on. His assessment was proven accurate as selecting Infusion would put him on the Path of the Mistweaver next. It seemed like the natural choice if he was happy with the way his class was developing.


    Brocken Spectre was the magical damage ability that would add a follow up attack when he struck targets with his fist while it was active. While Coop had relegated the option to a backup choice previously, concluding that he wouldn¡¯t make too much use of the skill given that he wasn¡¯t particularly reliant on his fists, it wasn¡¯t like he never had an opportunity to punch someone.


    Sierra had also revealed the potency of chaining follow up attacks, making Brocken Spectre seem that much more appealing. He could imagine a combat style that incorporated more weaponless melee attacks into his technique. Ignoring how frequently he disarmed himself to execute his custom maneuvers, wielding a one-handed weapon and an empty fist was also an option. Taking Brocken Spectre would put him on the Path of the Battlemage, which was appealing in its own rite. It would essentially clarify his development as a magical battle tank with the durability and firepower that he had constantly built towards.


    The third skill, Spirit Link, would empower any of his minions. For now, that only included the phantasms summoned by Legacy of the Mists, but he was sure he would get more options if he ended up on a minion-based path. However, the downside would be that the strength granted to his minions would be taken from himself, proportionally weakening him. He only needed to look at the Lich to see the potential behind such a class. Weakening himself to strengthen millions of his subordinates could transform him into the ghostly general that Legacy had only scratched the surface of. Coop imagined boosting the phalanx of phantoms and found himself enticed. The Path of the Ethermancer awaited him if he decided he wanted to angle toward becoming more of a summoner class. Honestly, after experiencing the power of his phantasms, and already bolstering himself to extreme levels, it wasn¡¯t a completely unappealing choice.


    Coop realized he faced a difficult decision. Between the Path of the Mistweaver, Path of the Battlemage, and Path of the Ethermancer, he had appealing choices. A brief glance wasn¡¯t enough for him to commit either way. He wished he could relax underneath a palm tree and really think about the options and plan for the future of his build.


    His mind raced with possibilities for a single moment before his body involuntarily reacted, doubling over as he had the breath knocked out of him after being bashed in the sternum. He had another brief moment for his vision to start refocusing through tears as the end of the staff rose and collided with the bridge of his nose. His head flipped back as he stumbled away, struggling to regain his balance before he fell. The seemingly innocuous motions had the weight of thousands of levels behind them.


    ¡°Cocky little punk.¡± The Lich began, retracting his metal staff from its backswing. ¡°Did you think I would let you recover?¡± Coop was caught off guard, naively believing that the Lich was busy with his own machinations. ¡°It¡¯s far past your time to die.¡±


    The Lich raised his staff and the shadowy hands climbed along the thick metal shaft before melting along its surface, transforming it into a completely different weapon. Dark energy drifted into the air as an impossibly dark blade expanded from the end, turning the mobility aid of the old man into a nasty-looking reaper¡¯s scythe that buzzed with power. Coop couldn¡¯t afford to be distracted.


    ¡°You must realize that you have done nothing to damage my plans. I will simply resummon all those who have sworn their Oath to me.¡± The Lich proclaimed as he stepped forward and Coop regained his poise with a scowl on his face after wiping blood from his nose.


    ¡°It¡¯s that easy?¡± Coop openly wondered while rubbing his chest with the knuckles of his free hand, happy to catch his breath. He looked around at the empty battlefield, decorated with loose debris and wet from the steady rain. He didn¡¯t see any dark portals introducing the Undead High Priests. He glanced back up at the Lich. ¡°Where are they then?¡± He asked. Coop couldn¡¯t help but be tempted by the prospect of farming them for experience if the Lich would be so cooperative.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not that easy.¡± The Lich admitted. ¡°But for every special minion I don¡¯t have summoned, I receive a passive bonus that would make you weep knowing your disadvantage. I will summon them after I have moved on from this place.¡± He concluded.


    ¡°Can¡¯t summon them if you¡¯re dead.¡± Coop pointed out.


    The Lich laughed without amusement. ¡°I will certainly add you to my collection.¡± He reiterated. ¡°Together, we will sweep the world clean and enter the galactic community with the backing of one of the most powerful factions in the known universe. You will stand side-by-side with the others while we will hunt down your sponsor and wipe them from existence for their pathetic attempt at interference.¡±


    ¡°I told you, I¡¯m not sponsored.¡± Coop responded. Stating that he had no intention of becoming his minion felt unnecessary.


    ¡°Bah!¡± The sickly man started, shifting his scythe in preparation of lunging at Coop.


    Coop adjusted his stance, swapping to his shield and spear to contend with the scythe¡¯s range, but before the Lich could continue, he was interrupted by an explosion that shook the temple¡¯s already weakened foundation, sending stones and one of the obelisks bouncing down the side until they splashed into the lake. Both combatants spread their arms to maintain balance.


    When the Lich whipped his head toward the massive blast of energy that tore a hole in the dark clouds, Coop leapt forward, smashing the spear into the protective energy shield. Coop understood when it was time to lock-in. It was time. With his goal directly in front of him, the entire world could fall apart and he would continue to pursue it. A gout of mana shot out the other side of the shield and the unmoved Lich leveled his gaze onto Coop. Coop slipped backwards, avoiding any potential counterattacks, catching the scene in his peripheral vision.


    The laser was unmistakable. Mateo had summoned the equivalent of an orbital strike straight down upon the towering stone golem that the Jaguar Sun Elites engaged. They had drifted to one of the bridges that connected the temple to the rest of the settlement. Red and purple lightning danced upon the surface of the thermal laser, arcing down, as the Jaguar Elites combined their abilities against their opponent. The resulting explosion sent vibrations throughout the region. It was a necessary reminder that the Cult wasn¡¯t only facing a single individual challenger.


    Bits of stone started to fall from the sky, joining the rain. At first they were a mere drizzle of pebbles, but boulders the size of cars also dropped from the sky. They crashed into the lake with dramatic splashes, onto the secondary temples, and among the skeletal army that filled the streets around the settlement, causing further chaos and destruction. A moment later the Deathstalker stepped from one of her black and purple portals, kneeling graciously in front of Chakyum before the pair of combatants could engage with each other. Coop noticed another momentarily complicated expression as she acknowledged that Coop was not only still alive, but he was standing alone against Chakyum himself. It passed so quickly he thought he might have imagined it.


    ¡°Master.¡± She began with a slight slur. Her swollen face suggested that the fight with the Cloud Dancer had not been going her way either. ¡°Lom-Hau has fallen. We should retreat and leave the Jaguar Sun to the minions.¡± She suggested.


    Chakyum scoffed. ¡°Insolent girl! You dare advise your Master?¡± He angrily replied, letting out some of the frustration he had with Coop on his companion.


    The Deathstalker looked up at the Lich, then quickly averted her eyes. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I thought because the others are dead I would¡­¡±


    ¡°Enough thinking.¡± The Lich cut her off, drifting to the floor while pointing his scythe toward her. ¡°Finish your job.¡±


    ¡°But¡­I-¡± The Deathstalker began before stopping herself.


    She disappeared, before she offended her master any further. The Lich began casting, obviously summoning the Colossus who had just been defeated. Whatever restriction prevented their repeated resurrections obviously didn¡¯t apply to the first time after their Oath.


    Coop shot forward, spear held firmly in his hand as he attempted to interrupt the cast. The Lich didn¡¯t even blink when Coop¡¯s spear thrust into his shield and a gout of death mana shot out the other side. Coop repeated the strike with impeccable form, combining all of the Strength he could muster in a perfectly executed triple thrust. If nothing else, he would be relentless.


    The Lich squinted as Coop recoiled, preparing for another set of attacks, but it was already too late. An inhuman roar rocked the settlement as an enormous minion revealed itself from the depths of the lake. The sound was so powerful, the rain fell horizontally while the minion introduced himself. Coop was engulfed by the aura of the summon as it washed over the rest of the settlement.


    [Empowered Bone Titan (Level 390)]


    [Minion of the Unspeakable]


    [(Death-Touched)]


    The undead Colossus was even larger than in life, rising until its head and shoulders climbed beyond the top of the temple. If it wasn¡¯t for the depth of the lake, the Bone Titan would have had its shoulders above the clouds.


    The Lich chuckled, satisfied with his own abilities. He adjusted his scythe forward, leveling it with Coop¡¯s neck, and welcoming the Revenant¡¯s challenge.

 Chapter 230: Hunger

    The death empowered scythe bulldozed through the air as it reached for Coop¡¯s neck. Rather than whistling with speed, it drove through the atmosphere like a semi-truck speeding on a snowy highway. A cloud of dark smoke billowed like a gas fire from the edge while a single streak of razor thin blackness traced the scythe¡¯s exact trajectory from behind. The cloud dispersed into tiny curling waves with the rain helping wash it away.


    Coop barely deflected the blow with the lip of his shield, sending it up above his head, and stopping the blade before the curling edge extended to his opposite side. His cheek collided with the inside of his shield despite his effort and he grunted as he stumbled two steps to his right before regaining his balance. There was easily enough Strength powering the blow to compare with his own, despite the lack of form, technique, or skill enhancing the potential. The difference in levels was finally catching up to him, exceeding what his passive skills could offer.


    His stumble saved him from being struck by the forward most of six bowling ball-sized orbs that erupted with bassy thumps from the Lich as the scythe struck Coop¡¯s shield. The slow moving projectiles floated at chest height, directly away from the Lich in all directions, equidistant from each other. The dark spheres of marble shadows hovered smoothly, glowing as they collected a ring of golden light on their shells before dissipating 20 yards away. They were clearly reminiscent of the Elite Void Queen¡¯s void spheres, though they were constructed of enigmatic shadow rather than her powerful void mana.


    Coop automatically counterattacked, letting muscle memory override his desire to continue assessing his opponent¡¯s strengths and abilities. He thrust his spear forward even while he braced with his back foot. His attack whistled through the air, streamlined with efficiency rather than barreling through the atmosphere like the Lich¡¯s scythe. However, for all of his practiced potency, before the tip of the spear connected with the omnipresent energy shield, a bone lance grew from the ground, like one of the Mushroom King¡¯s spikes, and redirected the blow. Stone pebbles were flung in all directions as the lance shaped obstacle obstructed the spear, causing the ethereal tip to clank against its surface before slipping to the side. The Lich demonstrated an investment in Acumen that rivaled Coop¡¯s Agility and more likely exceeded it.


    The scythe cleaved straight through the bone as if it was merely a shadow, sending another plume of black smoke across their forms. The edge of the scythe caught Coop¡¯s spear just below the tip, and cleaved his weapon like it was completely unsolidified mists, adding a demonstration of Agility to his repertoire. A bolt of black lightning followed the strike, arcing into Coop¡¯s extended arms and running through his body into his upper chest with a flash of electricity. Coop flew backwards, unprepared for the potent magical strike. He subconsciously added Intelligence to the rapidly expanding list of the Lich¡¯s formidable attributes. His feet struggled to find a grip on the wet stone while he slid away, leaving sparkling blue motes of electricity dancing in his trail as he hydroplaned across the surface.


    The Lich followed even before he came to a stop, hovering like a witch, with a blast of black flames erupting from his feet as he revealed individual abilities taken from the Voice of Kukulkan and the Avatar of Huracan, respectively. He slid the scythe to his side, preparing another lunging horizontal swing that would separate Coop¡¯s torso from his legs, but Coop growled as he leapt further backwards, out of range, and counterattacked with an off-balanced resummoned spear.


    Coop barely shifted his body in time as another bone spike appeared at his flank. If not for Presence of Mind, he would have been impaled and completely vulnerable to the Lich¡¯s assault, but he maintained his attack regardless.


    The scythe wasn¡¯t a practical weapon, and Coop felt that in isolation, it would be easy to overcome, regardless of any perceived stat difference. If it wasn¡¯t for the powerful shield that protected the Lich, Coop believed he would be in control of the fight through technique alone, despite all of the other tricks being presented. The Lich was crudely powerful and unrefined.


    The spear slipped beyond the backswing of the scythe, striking the Lich¡¯s shield and sending a gout of miasmic mana from the other side, adding to the billowing smoke clouds that swirled around the two combatants. The Lich spared him an amused smile as he settled down, abandoning his pursuit in order to tap the end of his scythe on the ground. A pair of triangular zones of gray highlighted two quarters of the arena, forward and backward from the Cult leader¡¯s position.


    Coop slid to the side, exiting the pie shaped danger area just before hundreds of shadowy hands erupted from the nether within the active zone. The hands desperately clawed at the air, ripping and tearing as they blindly sought a target. As soon as they disappeared, the other two quarters darkened, repeating the effect.


    The Lich calmly strode forward as Coop circled him. The Undead Chosen was content to make the Revenant dance to a repeating pattern that remained centered upon his position. It was obvious that the Lich also understood the gap between their stats, and it made him feel comfortable.


    As Coop continued to dodge the danger zones, the Lich lunged forward again, dragging the quarters with him while utilizing the Avatar of Huracan¡¯s speed boost. He slammed the scythe into Coop¡¯s shield with a sick grin on his face. Six of the Void Queen¡¯s orbs shot out again, just as another pair of the Tidesinger¡¯s altered zones exploded with grasping shadows. Even as Coop twisted away, a bone spike shot from the ground in front of him, like a calcified anti-cavalry Mushroom King lance.


    Coop barely avoided being wounded once again, twisting his hips far enough to dodge the spike, but he really was outmatched. He couldn¡¯t just compare weapons and call it a day. The level gap was overwhelming. Mindbender couldn¡¯t help him, because Coop was unsure what he needed. More speed, strength, magical defense, physical defense, firepower: what would it take? Sadly, everything was probably the answer. The Lich just gazed upon him as if it was about time he understood his place.


    ¡°This is the difference between you and I.¡± The Lich taunted, letting Coop dance between zones of shadow hands while he stood still, spectating Coop¡¯s struggle. ¡°I have coalesced what little power lingers within the weakness of humanity and formed something greater.¡±


    Chakyum raised his scythe and lines of the Voice of Kukulkan¡¯s lightning struck, banging the ground in a cascade out from his position, forming a cross that cut the safe areas in half. Coop dove out of the way, sliding right up to the active section of grasping hands, teetering over the edge. Countless hands reached and clawed up toward him before he recovered his balance.


    ¡°Humans are perfidious creatures. Unreliable.¡± The Lich continued, amused by Coop¡¯s struggle. He raised his scythe into the air once again. ¡°It¡¯s time to evolve.¡±


    Streaks of black flame rained upon the alternating zones, and as the stone heated up, the rain sizzled, adding steam to the black smoke. Coop was forced to drift even further away from melee range. The area immediately surrounding the Lich became a blender of mixed magical attacks as he incorporated a single aspect of each of his minions¡¯ abilities into his own.


    ¡°You see now, don¡¯t you?¡± Chakyum sincerely wondered. ¡°This is the way for humanity to shed its frailty.¡±


    Coop defiantly planted his foot and threw his spear at the Lich, a visceral grunt was his vocalized response. The ethereal missile temporarily cleared the rain from the air, becoming a blur as it cut through the atmosphere. The Lich didn¡¯t even react when it blasted his shield, sending an enormous miasmic plume of mana away from the collision before the rain returned. The Undead Chosen grinned at Coop, amused.


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    ¡°You¡¯re not human at all.¡± Coop stated, weakly accusing the Lich of some inherent betrayal.


    The Lich laughed sharply. ¡°Of course not. I have become something better.¡± He shook his head. ¡°What does humanity have to offer? What can humans add that mana cannot?¡±


    Coop wanted to answer with vague concepts like innovation or determination, and wield them like a shield, but he felt it was a weak response without being able to back it up. Coop¡¯s build was empowered by human experience pulled from history as recorded by the system and accessed through the mists. The Lich had based his on human experience pulled from mana, and at the moment, the cult leader was demonstrably more powerful.


    Coop was frustrated. He summoned his heaviest morning star, increasing the density to its maximum. In the moment, he wanted nothing more than to break that shield and prove something undefinable about where they had all come from, and how it empowered them. Without the impenetrable defense protecting the Lich, he thought they could actually compare strengths and weaknesses.


    He planted his feet, feeling the weight of his mace anchor his stance, and shot forward, digging into the stone as he propelled himself through the rain. He envisioned the five steps necessary to cover the distance precisely just as the zones rotated and gave him a clear path.


    His first step blasted him forward, even faster than his thrown spear, already shifting the morning star forward to help pull him along. On the second step, he shifted to the side with the enormous weight of his weapon helping counterbalance his body, utilizing the motion to bypass a bone spike in the instant that it broke the surface of the ground. He was already out of the way before it sprouted beyond ankle height, anticipating the counter before he started his rush. On his third step, he summoned an ancient warrior ahead of himself, squeezing his fingers against the ponderous weapon. A gleaming knight slammed his own steel mace into the Lich¡¯s shield, sending a cloud of miasmic mana into the air. On his fourth step, a black bolt of lightning froze the phantasm¡¯s form as the ghost was predictably countered by the magic of the Lich.


    Coop exploded through the knight-shaped mists, planting his fifth step carefully. His final step was perfect, securing a stable base as he slammed his foot at the ideal distance to transfer his momentum into a flawless strike guided by the experience of his Haunted title. The ethereal morning star arced through the air, tearing through the smoke and rain, bearing down upon the Lich with inevitability. Coop¡¯s muscles rippled beneath his armor as Mindbender poured his stats into Strength, finally compelled to act with a clear subconscious intent.


    Coop roared as the mace cleared the scythe and smashed into the shield, inches from Chakyum¡¯s unamused, pale face. Mana exploded in all directions, sending a mushroom cloud of black smoke far into the sky and a tidal wave of ethereal mana across the surface of the temple that billowed down the stepped sides before gliding along the surface of the lake like a sudden fog bank had been dropped on the structure.


    Coop hoped to knock the Lich down and pummel his shield, reusing the tactic that had eventually worked on the Elite Void Queen, but the Lich didn¡¯t even feel a breeze from the enormous strike. Instead, Coop felt the reverberation of all of his considerable Strength threaten to shake the flesh loose from his bones. He squeezed his mouth shut to withstand the feedback. Chakyum¡¯s defense finally landed, retaliating with the back of the metal scythe. Thankfully, he was unable to shift the clunky blade around in time before Coop landed his strike, but the simple move forced Coop to improvise.


    Coop Vaporformed, shifting one step to the right, reforming with his mace already over his shoulder in a batter¡¯s swing aimed for the Lich¡¯s head. Coop threw caution to the wind, fully exerting himself in the hope that he would rise to the occasion like so many times before, despite the thousands of levels that separated the two.


    Another mushroom cloud erupted, this time from an angle, following the trajectory of Coop¡¯s swing, disturbing the previous cloud. The shield absorbed the strike and sent the energy back into Coop¡¯s arms while expelling mana into the sky. Coop clenched his jaw, letting go of his weapon with a flick before the vibration freed it from his weakening grip on its own.


    The Lich moved to wield his scythe in another counter, this time with the tip of the blade aimed at Coop¡¯s neck, but Coop was already gone. He mistjumped to the mace after the handle flipped a single time, appearing on the opposite side of the Lich, skipping one slice of the zone of danger. With a roar, he planted a third meteoric strike upon his opponent¡¯s head.


    Dark mana smoke billowed from the temple like it had become an active volcano. Only Coop could see that the green energy shield had held strong. His muscles screamed as he recoiled the mace in an effort to double tap the Undead Chosen, but the rear end of the scythe caught him in the chin before he could continue his assault.


    At the same time, a phantasm had leapt from the mists where Coop had been on the previous strike, slamming his own ghostly morning star against the back of the Lich¡¯s knees. However, a black flame erupted from the end of the scythe, scorching Coop¡¯s neck as he was flung backwards. The misty summon evaporated in the backdraft. Coop rolled once before returning to his feet even further from the Lich than where he started his assault, slightly worse for the wear. As long as the Lich could withstand Coop¡¯s onslaught, the culmination of his skills and experience, he had no chance.


    The Lich raised his smoking scythe forward, raising his voice in excitement as the ripples in his shield gradually diminished. ¡°I am an Archlich of the Unspeakable! The Lord of Death on Earth! I will make sure that your death is not the end. Swear an Oath to me, and I will give you the purpose that you seem to lack.¡± The Lich lowered his head to face Coop directly, eyes billowing with dark green energy, and pale skin glistening in the hazy atmosphere that engulfed the temple. His body was partially obscured by the smoke as it slowly drifted away. ¡°Otherwise, I will simply add you to my collection.¡±


    The Lich stepped forward, alternating zones of shadow framing his path. ¡°You, the supposed strongest in the world, are unevolved and weak.¡± He taunted, stepping through the thick smoke that hid the rain, happy to continue their bout if Coop so desired. ¡°It is obvious which of our paths is correct, given you are all that humanity has to offer.¡±


    Coop took a deep breath, confirming that he wasn¡¯t significantly injured by the black flame blast while he reconsidered how to approach this opponent. The fact that Chakyum was continually trying to recruit him didn¡¯t even register in his mind as he completely ignored the spiel of the Lich. Instead, he concentrated on the fact that the Lich was clearly not a warrior. He was a caster, a summoner, and Coop was focused on thinking of a way to take advantage of the mismatch in skill.


    Meanwhile, the Empowered Bone Titan had forced its way across the lake, away from the temple, sending waves sloshing over the banks. Tzultacaj was distinctly apparent. The leader of the Jaguar Sun had climbed on top of the enormous minion¡¯s shoulder like a glowing purple flea. He was slamming his empowered axe against an individual neck vertebrae in an unceasing struggle to put his opponent down. Coop sent him some silent encouragement, feeling a kinship with the stoic warrior with the Inheritor class. Neither of them would give up, but Coop felt like he still had more avenues to explore.


    Coop heaved his ultra heavy morning star onto his shoulder, feeling the impossible weight dig into his skin. Could he beat the Lich at his own game? A spellcaster Apparition might be the key to overcoming the gap in abilities. While Coop was worried about being vulnerable at the end of a possession, the words of the Lich finally registered and were the encouragement he needed to go through with it.


    What did humanity have to offer? It obviously wasn¡¯t just Coop.


    ¡°I¡¯m just some guy.¡± Coop muttered to himself, shaking his head slowly. He met the Lich¡¯s glowing eyes, scowling as his resolve built. ¡°Let¡¯s see what humanity actually has to offer.¡± He suggested.


    Coop hoped he would be possessed by the Grim Reaper. He wondered how the mythological personification of Death itself would react to the Lich¡¯s impersonation, but anything powerful enough to put the Cultleader in his place would do. He dumped mana into a series of phantasms, not wanting to waste any of his remaining resources before Inheritance reserved half of his pool. Legacy of the Mists provided a cascade of misty warriors, dancing from the smoke all around the Lich. The beat of their morning stars colliding with the shield established an unsteady rhythm as Coop cast Inheritance of the Mists.


    Coop¡¯s perception slowed down as the changes began and the buffs and debuffs applied. However, this time, his mind was invaded by the presence of the Apparition with little warning. It was completely unmitigated in its eagerness. Rather than the precise touch of the Battlemaiden, his very existence was slammed by the possession.


    A being of pure maddening darkness had taken notice of Coop, despite his irrelevance. It was old and it was hungry.

 Chapter 231: The Deep One

    Coop doubled over, face contorted in a silent agonized cry. No sound escaped from his throat because his breath was trapped in his lungs while all of his muscles seized. The possession caused by Inheritance of the Mists was not gentle. It felt as though his brain was being kneaded like dough and he wanted nothing more than to tear through his scalp with his fingers to remove the defilement.


    He squeezed his eyes shut, desperately fighting the sudden harrowing pain that made death seem like a desirable escape. It was useless. He was completely overwhelmed. Presence of Mind was extinguished like a snuffed out candle and his aura was consumed, twisted, reformed, expanded, and hijacked.


    Everything happened in an instant, but Coop went through the entire gamut of emotions. His curiosity quickly transformed into terror before he was filled with regret. A lifetime of torture took place all at once. His perception of time folded in on itself. He wavered, losing what remained of his confidence as his body spasmed and his spirit tore. The only feeling that lingered was the disappointment with how his adventure was ending. A simple misstep was all it took to drop his responsibilities at the feet of his companions. He hoped he had done enough to give them a chance at success.


    From the depths of his despair, as his spirit weakened, a rumbling whisper arose, generated from throughout his reformed essence. It communicated without words, hinting at untold power just waiting for him to grasp. It teased authority beyond comprehension from an entity that could shatter the Lich just as easily as it could shatter its vessel. He just needed to reach out, and he unconsciously did so, stretching his fingers as he raised his hand, unwilling to give up even when he fiercely wished for sweet release.


    [The Apparition of the Deep Dweller Hungers]


    Coop recoiled. He was horrified by what had touched his mind. In the moment, he didn¡¯t fear death any longer. Instead, he feared madness. He spoke in an effort to ward it away, ready to plead for it to spare him, but his lips formed forbidden words that his mind didn¡¯t understand. The utterances he vocalized were syllables of nonsense, ironically inhuman when he had originally sought to explore the limits of humanity itself. The bubbling, guttural phrases reassured him for some reason, even while the Lich¡¯s expression grew perplexed. Coop hung on, clinging to the scraps of his sanity while his brain buzzed with turmoil.


    He remembered his purpose above all else, thinking of Ghost Reef, of the Lighthouse, and his mind finally settled, passing through the insanity like a ship through a storm. He opened his eyes, lifting his face up and stared forward, taking his first breath since casting the spell a mere fraction of a second before. His immediate task was to kill the Lich.


    [The Apparition of the Deep Dweller Approves]


    [The Apparition of the Deep Dweller Grants You The Touch of the Abyss]


    [You have acquired a new title!]


    With his silent grimace transforming into a barely suppressed guttural roar, Coop invoked something terrible. The world trembled around him, sending a shockwave that repelled the smoke and the rain, forming a ring in the overcast clouds that revealed the dusky evening sky high above Central America.


    The pain expanded from his brain throughout his body as a tendril of blackness erupted from the remnants of his aura, wrapping his skin before sinking into his chest without creating wounds. Coop felt an icy chill course through his veins as the process repeated countless times. Inky tendrils sprouted from his form, then sank into his body like a mass of squirming horrors had entered the world using his mana as a gateway.


    His vision warped as darkness filled his eyes, rising from the bottom until they were black orbs of crushing pressure. Tears cascaded down his face as his sight transformed and he was finally granted providence. Swirling galaxies of infinite stars, enormous tentacles, and overwhelming crushing gravity filled his senses. A single eye watched him from the cosmos, unblinking, with a curving W-shaped pupil. For another moment, he gazed into the abyss. It gazed back.


    Finally, his agony ceased, unbeknownst to him. Only his heavy breathing broke the uncomfortable silence that briefly engulfed the temple. He blinked, finding that he was capable of doing so by his own free will. He stared at his hand, articulating his fingers experimentally. His body no longer felt like his own. It was stronger, denser, and braced with horrible alien tentacles that were slow to retract into nothingness, but he had control.


    He wiped his tears away from his cheek and found his knuckles streaked with thick blood instead. It dripped from his eyes and onto his ethereal armor, dribbling to the floor while hissing with energy, sending individual wisps of mana into the air.


    As he stared at his blood covered fingers he tried to remember that this was merely the system representing some horrible creation from the depths of human mythos, but it didn¡¯t matter. Mana made the experience all too real. It was a living nightmare and he felt like an ant caught in the treads of a boot. Whether the boot belonged to an actual eldritch god or the totality of human experience was totally irrelevant to his mind¡¯s perception of reality. The pain was genuine, but so was the power.


    Coop recognized that the possession granted by Inheritance of the Mists had resulted in yet another configuration. The Lightning Lord had taken control, the Battlemaiden had offered strict guidance, and the Deep Dweller granted him a morsel of extraordinary power.


    [The Apparition of the Deep Dweller Hungers]


    Coop understood. With each passing moment, the connection with the Deep Dweller became more clear. Whispers of whispers echoed in his mind, speaking forbidden incomprehensible words, promising authority in exchange for servitude.


    Coop declined. He already had his purpose.


    [The Apparition of the Deep Dweller Hungers]


    Coop locked eyes of ink upon the Lich¡¯s pale form. He was filled with the horrifying sense of an alien hunger gnawing at him. He embraced the sensation for it was a feeling he mirrored. The Lich had to die. He would become a sacrifice to the Abyss.


    Eldritch power crackled at Coop¡¯s fingertips. He shifted his ultra dense morning star off of his shoulder, reaffirming his grip with both hands, and the weapon mutated. Viscous dark mana splattered on the ground with a wet slap as the ethereal mace expelled waste and was remade. The spikes transformed into rusted prongs, melting and condensing, and his previously familiar weapon stretched and curled until it metamorphosed into an enormous anchor wrapped with fleshy, swaying tentacles. The wet burst of growth was equally disgusting as it was threatening. The tentacles squirmed as Coop let the weapon crash to the ground, preparing to drag it as he took a single ponderous step forward.


    A metal boot banged into the stone as his foot landed, equally dense as the anchor. When he glanced down, his armor thickened, transforming into rusted algal infused metals with more bursts of wet darkness. A fully sealed helmet clanked into position, completing the fit while entirely obscuring Coop¡¯s head in an orb of windowless bolted steel. His entire body was fastened tight by similar additions.


    He hesitated in the claustrophobic darkness, his hot breath stifling in the enclosed helmet, as he grew accustomed to the aura sense that replaced his vision. It wasn¡¯t dissimilar to the effect of Presence of Mind, but it expanded beyond his normal limits so that the entire region was painted with mana, more like when he entered Vaporform than a simple sense that bypassed his physical perception. The civilization shard was a beacon of clear, pure, universal mana while the Lich burned with death directly in front of Coop.


    Coop lifted his off hand and confirmed that he could see in real time, in a manner of speaking. He found a dense metal gauntlet with barely articulating fingers, moving as he intended while he waved it in front of his face. It seemed like he was inside of an old school deep sea diving suit, or else it was an alien spacesuit designed for exploring the absolute extremes of gravity.


    His body was heavy like the anchor, but he felt unbelievably strong. His step left an indentation in the stone of the temple, pulverizing a foot sized area with the unbelievable pressure of the Abyss. Coop pressed forward as an Abyssal Revenant.


    The Lich had ultimately cleared the squad of phantasms, and he had a moment to look aghast at Coop¡¯s transformation while it happened. After witnessing the split second experience of Coop being possessed by the apparition, he shared a small portion of Coop¡¯s terror. The Revenant thought it was a good start.


    Coop took another step and felt the agonizing hunger. The Lich had doubt painted on his pale countenance. The security of his perceived superiority had taken structural damage with Coop¡¯s transformation. In a competition regarding the limits and potential of humanity, Coop thought it was amusing that they would be including the extent of humanity¡¯s imagination for horror, of all things. Was there a limit to human fantasy?


    The Apparition was content to observe, but Coop felt its presence growing from his position, expanding throughout the area around the settlement. A monstrous, fearsome god whose aura dwarfed the aspect of death that had claimed the region. Tentacles visible only to himself rested across the edges of the horizon, like fallen skyscrapers, or lingered in the air from space, piercing the ground and dangling part way down with their toothed suckers pulsating in a steady rhythm. The W-shaped pupil twitched as it fully engulfed the sky, peeking through the gap in the clouds created by Coop¡¯s power up, but extending well-beyond the cloud cover.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°What-¡± The Lich began, actually shivering beneath the ponderous aura of the Deep Dweller, but before he could finish his question, Coop tested his new Strength.


    Coop had looked down upon the Lich¡¯s choice of weapon, finding the scythe to be far more intimidating than it was practical. The farming implement had weaknesses that were easily exploited in an actual duel. However, Coop now wielded an enormous anchor that could have been used to secure the cruise ship that sank off the coast of Ghost Reef. As a weapon, it was arguably even worse than the scythe. He frowned from within his helmet, recognizing the impracticality of the mutation, but he slammed it into the ground all the same, using the first ability granted by the transformation: Phantasmal Depths. Coop felt himself effectively tearing at the seams as he wielded power far too potent for his current form, just like when he embraced the Battlemaiden¡¯s technique, but this time the power was intoxicating rather than horrifying.


    His experimental blow resulted in a massive cascade of destruction with the skill¡¯s activation. A slow march of depth charges chained forward. The first exploded directly in front of the anchor, cracking the temple and revealing a dark pool hidden within. When it seemed like it was done, it was followed by another explosion a few yards further along, expanding the mana-induced chasm. Stone and black water blasted along the path, and they gradually carved a canyon into the temple, revealing the coldest, darkest waters of the fathomless abyss.


    Each excavating explosion moved toward the Lich with dramatic showers of churning debris. The Lich made an effort to dodge for the first time since they began fighting, but the depth charges shifted in his direction, chasing him. He only managed to stumble to the edge of the newly formed chasm as it widened to swallow him. His shouts were drowned out by the blasts of stone and water.


    The Lich teetered over the edge and began to fall. Rather than sink into the abyss, never to be seen again, hundreds of shadowy hands caught him, cradling him above the churning basin for a moment.


    The top of the temple housed an impossible fissure that defied conventional logic, but one thing was for certain; it was dangerous. It gave off its own threatening aura, like the water itself was infused with the Deep Dweller¡¯s hostile hunger.


    Coop lifted the anchor as the Lich stabilized, yanking the squirming weapon from the ground and raising it above his head as he instinctively understood the skills granted by the Deep Dweller. His resources were evaporating, and his body struggled to maintain, but his hunger masked the pain. He activated the next ability, Crushing Grip, bleeding his mana dry without remorse.


    An enormous sea weed covered chain clanked as rusted metal links rose from the unfathomable depths. It smashed into the Lich¡¯s shield from below, blanketing his body after dispelling most of the shadowy hands and taking control. His target shrieked and struggled against the ponderous weight of the rusted links, squirming like a worm on a hook. Despite his efforts, the chain slowly dragged him down, retracting one giant link at a time as if it was on an enormous crank. The scythe was torn away and his limbs were trapped as the cold water drowned the remaining shadow claws and his legs were submerged.


    Coop clenched his gauntleted fist, snapping the metal fingers against the rusted palm, and the chains grew taut, applying crushing force to the shield. The death shield cracked, but held, even as the Lich screamed in horror. Water rose to his chest, but he fought with all the strength of a severely overleveled opponent. Then, with one final gurgle, the black water swallowed him.


    The water stilled for a moment before it churned some more. Coop stomped forward, seeking to confirm the kill. When he reached the edge of the abyssal depths, the fight had still not ended. The water bubbled and hissed where the Lich struggled, undefeated even when contained. Coop was drawn to the water, inherently understanding that it was where they all belonged in the end. He wanted to experience its cold embrace on an unconscious, primordial level.


    He stepped over the edge and let himself fall in.


    The incredible cold pierced the metal suit, but Coop let himself be wrapped in it even as he sank like a stone. The Lich had only dropped a few dozen feet, but the pressure of the water was squeezing his shield while the chain struggled to pull him further below.


    Coop¡¯s anchor smashed into the shield, pushing the Lich further down with flailing tentacles, increasing the crushing force of the domain. The Lich screamed, bubbles rising from his throat as he unleashed all of his spells at once. The chain cracked and he shot back to the surface, proving that his 5,000 levels weren¡¯t entirely for show. A mere level 200 had a lot of ground to make up, even if it was Coop empowered by a possession.


    Gravity reversed for Coop within the abyss, and he smoothly floated back to the surface. The tension broke and water splashed as Coop¡¯s fully encased body escaped the domain and he rocketed forward, slamming onto the surface of the temple. The abyss evaporated, revealing the relatively shallow craters that had formed in the stone, demonstrating that the lingering effect of the depth charges had been Mind-based. Coop and the Deep Dweller were counterparts in that way.


    He stomped toward the Lich, who had scorched the ground as he fled toward the civilization shard, seeking the discarded scythe after it returned to its form as a subdued metal staff.


    The Lich grabbed the inert staff and spun back toward Coop¡¯s fully-armored form. Black lightning, miasmic void spheres, dark flames, bone spikes, and grasping shadows bombarded Coop¡¯s armor, but he just kept stomping forward. His magical defense was truly absurd. The Abyssal Revenant was inescapable.


    Coop used the next ability, Deep Caller, and the tentacles that only he could see multiplied. Tentacles rose from the water around the temple, shooting straight up, eclipsing the thousand steps before they curled and fell down toward the Lich. The toothed suckers were large enough to crush a house, but the Undead Chosen wrapped himself in shadowy hands and barely prevented himself from being pulverized. He barely held on, cowering beneath the eldritch horror until the assault faded. The Lich was hobbled, one arm broken, and face bloodied.


    The Lich tried another magical assault, as if the pair were taking turns demonstrating their power, but the black napalm he summoned fizzled before it even reached its target.


    ¡°I knew you were a liar!¡± The Lich shouted accusingly, giving up on his offensive as Coop crossed the halfway mark without a scratch on his rusted armor. Coop crushed stone beneath his boots while the Lich slunk further backwards. ¡°What are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just human.¡± Coop responded, voice muffled and echoing from inside the dive suit as he drew closer, anchor squirming in anticipation of being used again. Even as he said it, he knew it sounded dubious, given his last power up.


    ¡°Baha!¡± The Lich laughed, a crazed look in his glowing green eyes. ¡°Claim whatever you want. It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± He leveled his staff toward the civilization shard and angled his head toward Coop to smile insidiously while recoiling the weapon. ¡°Death is nothing to me, but it will be the end for you!¡±


    The staff held by the Lich ignited with death magic, activating some dormant power, crackling with enough energy to halt Coop¡¯s pursuit, lest he walk into an overwhelming last attack. However, rather than being directed at him, the Lich jabbed the large glowing gemstone on the end of his metal staff into the civilization shard with all of his thousands of levels of strength.


    The red color drained from the system¡¯s formation, sending sparks shooting in all directions, before a beam of energy fired from its uppermost corner into the sky. The light flew beyond the atmosphere, passing through the superimposed pupil of the Deep Dweller, until it collided with a flat, invisible shield that encompassed the entire planet. The shield absorbed the light for a moment, drinking it up before sending it back down tinged with a different color.


    The shard vibrated as blue light flooded its crystalline form. The light grew, escalating until it bled across the entire territory of the settlement, blinding Coop even from within his bolted-on metal helmet. The Lich laughed as his flesh melted off, his skeletal form still articulating furiously as his true form was revealed and mana from across the region poured into the shard. His bones finally evaporated as the energy was released.


    The rushing mana drowned all of Coop¡¯s senses, forming a sensational avalanche of energy from all directions. Coop activated the fourth empowering skill granted by the Deep Dweller, Great Old One¡¯s Resilience, and defensively raised his arms, anticipating an annihilation blast from the destruction of a civilization shard. The world turned white.


    The shard defied his expectations and imploded, first sending a single clear pulse of energy outwards, beyond the speed of light, before it recoiled, rushing back into the crystal. Seemingly all of the air in the atmosphere was sucked in as mana was absorbed into the inverted blast. The Deep Dweller disappeared and Coop¡¯s armor was ripped from his body, one piece at a time, sending rusted metal plates to turn to dust before disappearing as they were sucked into the shard. Coop growled as the shielding armor was dragged off, bit by bit, lingering long enough to protect him from the initial shockwave, but that was all they could protect him from.


    He barely hung on after all of his apparition¡¯s abilities deactivated. He was pummeled by the mana storm that churned the world and a sudden absence was refilled. The gusts tore a layer of stone off the temple toward the center, snapping the black obelisks and crumbling them into dust as they vibrated in the center around the epicenter of the implosion. The entire pyramid seemed to be rising in the air piece by piece, dislodged from its foundation by the gap at the top.


    Tidal waves formed in the lake as the water was pulled inwards, crushing the bridges and rising part way up the staircases of the enormous pyramid. Blocks upon blocks of stone pyramids within the settlement were flattened as the civilization shard disappeared.


    The destruction of a civilization shard was like someone pulled a plug that held the world together. All of the debris was dragged toward the interior. Despite the massive impact of the implosion, only a small area on the top of the pyramid was directly affected by the initial blast. All the rest of the destruction was due to mana rushing to fill the vacuum created by the removal of the shard.


    The shard had simply ceased to exist. Only the physical demarcations of a powerful blast remained once it settled.


    Coop raised his bloody head above the lip of the crater he ended up smushed into, naked as the day he was born, eyes widened with fear and trauma. A single puff of black smoke floated away from the implosion, drifting into the fractured interior of the temple.

 Chapter 232: Small Sacrifices

    Coop was fixated on the palms of his hands as he waited for his vibrating vision to fully return to normal. The ambient mana within the settlement had undergone a rapid collapse before replenishing itself with a flood that left him feeling like he was back in the deep ocean, struggling to keep his head above water, and ultimately at the mercy of an unfamiliar elemental force. The settlement territory had completely withdrawn and the rush had surged directly through everything, including him, like gusts of wind uninhibited by tangible material. His fingers were still trembling in instinctive fear and awe. The end had been uncomfortably close.


    He was lying flat against crumbled stone at the top of Chakyum¡¯s temple, gracelessly pressed down like a wet leaf caught in a storm. The gales that had crushed the temple had been brief, but there was no denying their strength. He had experienced weaker gusts in the middle of category five hurricanes. The winds had been strong enough to transform the monumental tomb into a mound of riprap better used to armor shorelines than to honor a leader. If he hadn¡¯t already drained his mana going all out with Inheritance of the Mists, he was pretty sure his own resources would have been affected by the shard¡¯s implosion as well. He was happy to remain ignorant toward what the result would have been.


    He consciously calmed his ragged breathing, reassuring himself of his vitality with deep breaths that filled his lungs. First, the Deep Dweller had reduced the perception of his individual existence into irrelevance, then the destruction of a shard revealed just how integrated mana was into reality. It felt a bit like experiencing the start of the assimilation for the first time all over again, given how out of his own depth he was feeling.


    The sounds of battle in the distance helped him focus, confirming that the battle between Jaguar Sun and the remnants of the Cult continued. He hoped they didn¡¯t need any more of his help, because he wasn¡¯t sure if he had anything left to give. Without Chakyum¡¯s presence or the civilization shard, the uprising had lost several of their objectives, but the minions of the Lich had numbers that wouldn¡¯t be quelled so easily. He really wasn¡¯t in any shape to continue fighting, but the actual war wasn¡¯t even close to done. The Cultists had undergone a forced transformation, but they weren¡¯t so easily dismissed.


    His mana was naturally regenerating, but it would be a while before he could do much of anything. Instead of his mana pool refilling, the new mana was being absorbed by his depleted Spectral-Infused Under Armor. The legendary item had the Regenerative Durability trait that allowed it to recharge itself while within Ghost Reef¡¯s territory or from his own resources. He breathed a small sigh of relief that it hadn¡¯t been truly destroyed, but for the moment it was absent.


    He watched the sky while his most basic armor reformed, searching for more dramatic entrances from whatever faction or entity that had something else to say. It seemed like an appropriate time for an Icon of Mana to appear and finish him off, but the implosion had ended with the reverse of what normally preceded their summons. When only the first stars of the incoming night twinkled at him, he hummed to himself, believing the coast was clear.


    Another thought occurred to him as the colors of his vision returned to normal. ¡°What the heck happened to Lyriel?¡± The self-proclaimed Avatar of the System had all but promised she would be back, though she claimed it would take more mana each time. An update on Earth¡¯s status would be nice, but she seemed to be staying away. He mentally shrugged to himself, considering the possibility that she was visiting others on Earth or even in other assimilations instead.


    Once his Under Armor had recovered enough to protect his decency, Coop slowly forced himself back to his own feet with a series of groans. Getting up had become a multi-step process. Slowly rolling over, he rocked himself up from one knee, tenderly moving as pain radiated throughout his body without a specific source. It felt like he was on the verge of death.


    A quick check of his health confirmed that he was indeed, but it was mostly a result of his flirtation with power beyond his means rather than the Lich¡¯s final gambit. The buffs and debuffs reminded him of the dangers presented by Inheritance of the Mists, but the lesson was undermined by the fact that he hadn¡¯t passed out in the aftermath of his possession this time around. The forceful withdrawal of the Apparition had prevented him from being pushed beyond his limit, though with only slightly more than 1,000 health remaining after the mana storm, it was close enough. It seemed like it was relatively rare for the winner of a fight to actually be pushed to the brink of their health pools, but the power of the Lich had forced him to the edge.


    Fifty stacks of the Haunted debuff lingered on his mana pool, reducing it by half, though it was empty anyway. The Delusion debuff was in place, preventing another cast of Inheritance of the Mists from being accepted, but both the Overburdened and Soul Burn buffs were already fading. Mental Transcendence, the buff that indicated he was possessed by something beyond his capacity, had disappeared, cleared by the fluctuations in mana.


    Gazing across the landscape, the Yucatan settlement could have been confused for a modern day warzone after a series of bombing runs. The nearest smaller pyramids had been scattered to white and gray dust after the implosion, and there were leveled buildings throughout the grid of streets that had been unable to withstand the gusts. Fires burned here and there, sending smoke into the darkening sky and lights flashed where combat continued, completely encompassing the former settlement.


    The main temple only remained due to its bulk. Rather than an organized monument to the Cult of Chakyum, it was merely a pile of stones, almost as though they were hastily dumped in the middle of the lake. If anything, it had grown larger after the implosion. Coop meandered his way across the lopsided surfaces, making his way toward the center with the help of his hands whenever he found a slab too steep to stumble across.


    The actual battle between the Jaguar Sun and the Lich¡¯s minions continued, barely pausing despite the dramatic conclusion of Coop¡¯s duel. The Bone Titan, most notably, was going into a frenzy. It towered over the city, sweeping its elongated bones toward invisible enemies that Coop had to imagine were the Jaguar Elites that continued to harass the giant. Coop felt a twinge of regret that he was in no shape to contribute any further.


    He pushed on, stumbling through the rain-soaked rubble of the temple to investigate the interior. He didn¡¯t get the impression that the Lich was someone who would go through the trouble of selfishly building himself up on the backs of his companions only to selflessly sacrifice himself to defeat an enemy. Besides, Coop hadn¡¯t received any levels for his death. He wouldn¡¯t accept that he would go completely unrewarded.


    Maybe it was the influence of his Revenant class descriptions driving Coop¡¯s behavior, but he didn¡¯t feel like his pursuit was complete and his goals accomplished. The leaderboards lacked the presence of the Lich, yet Coop wasn¡¯t convinced of his defeat. Luc-Hau was the lone presence of Chakyum¡¯s Cult, topping the leaderboards as the last living High Priest with more than 200 levels more than Coop. He groaned as he realized the Assassin was still in play as well. Between the Empowered Bone Titan, the last of the High Priestesses, and tens of millions of skeletal Acolytes, he could only shake his head.


    This was the Siege Event all over again: an unending gauntlet, except with the roles of himself and his allies reversed. Instead of being on the defense, they were on the offense. The impetus for the conflicts were different, but the end result was effectively an all-out war each time.


    As Coop climbed across the rubble, he considered how the source of the conflicts had been cardinal sins. The Primal Constructs inherently demonstrated greed in their attempt to take the entire planet. The Lich had been a glutton, gorging himself on experience and power, selfishly pushing himself to the top without any real consideration of his allies. The Sapphire Armada¡¯s attack on Ghost Reef could be an example of envy, and the Endless Empire¡¯s Chosen had exemplified pride up to their downfall. He blew air out of his nose as he concluded he was probably the best representative of sloth, but the smirk forming on his face faded as he considered they still needed to face mana¡¯s wrath. He shook his head, deciding to keep an eye out for lust to complete the set.


    When Coop found what had once been a staircase into the interior of the pyramid, it was more like a collapsed mine shaft. He had to shift chunks of damp stone out of the way to make any progress at all. Coop diligently burrowed into what had been called by the other High Priests as the Grand Tomb, fighting off the desire to rest, unsure of what he expected to find. The corner of his mouth twitched as he rather optimistically considered treasure. He wasn¡¯t above doing a little tomb raiding, but he felt he was much more likely to find traps. His steps slowed as the thought induced caution. Coop moved as carefully as he could.


    Eventually, as he went deeper and deeper, he found something. Green tinged light flickered from behind collapsed stone pillars, casting long shadows into the shaft that he descended. Coop followed the light, quietly slipping through the gaps until he discovered what might have been designed to be an actual burial chamber.


    He paused to observe, listening to the sound of earlier rain drops percolating through the cracked stone. Stone rumbled as it settled and collapsed elsewhere within the structure, but his immediate surroundings were quiet. He didn¡¯t find an easy way inside the chamber, but he also didn¡¯t want to make a commotion to create an entrance only to run headlong into an ambush.


    As he peered through the cracks in the rubble, he thought it seemed empty. Nothing moved inside, leaving even the air completely still, so he went ahead and muscled his way in. Lifting stones and sliding them out of the way, he spent a few minutes clearing a small path. The boulders dropped with solid thuds that loosened smaller pieces and sent clouds of grit across the ground. Physical labor had become a habit in the aftermath of major fights, and Coop found that moving around helped him ignore the aches in his body.


    The chamber opened up slightly as he cleared an entrance hall, covering himself in dust that stuck to his damp skin. He stood for a moment, considering the dimensions of the room when frail, wet coughing drew his attention to a boulder near the back, closer to the source of light. His first thought was that he found a surviving captive and he rushed forward to help. As Coop rounded the stone, he found an unexpected occupant in an obviously fragile state.


    [Oathbroken Human (Level 437)]


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    [Deathstalker (Agility)]


    [Corrupted (Cursed)]


    The Deathstalker coughed as she weakly shifted to glance at Coop. ¡°Ah! You¡¯re here.¡± She stated feebly. She clearly wasn¡¯t long for this world. Her lower body was pinned beneath the boulders that had collapsed inside the room, her face was a mess of bruises, and what had been her uninjured arm was bloodlessly cut above the elbow while the other injured hand half heartedly pushed on the boulder to relieve some small amount of pressure from her legs.


    ¡°I am.¡± Coop confirmed, doing his best to hide his own weakness. He wondered what had caused such a clean shear to her good limb, not able to attribute it to any of the Jaguar Elites. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    She coughed before desperately swallowing, doing her best to get the words out. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? I tried to destroy his phylactery.¡± She glanced deeper into the room, behind piles of stone that obstructed the source of the light. ¡°I thought I¡¯d have to do it.¡± She coughed and grimaced. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d catch onto his backup plan, but it is no use. It¡¯s shielded by his death magic.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Coop feigned confidence while keeping his distance. ¡°What about you? Should I get help first?¡±


    A sinister smile crawled across her face before a bloody cough ruined it. ¡°Help?¡± She feebly laughed. ¡°Put me out of my misery before you make sure my former Master is dead for good.¡±


    Coop frowned at the suggestion. He walked past her, shifting stones to confirm that there was an object that could be called a phylactery floating within a green orb on the other side of some rubble.


    ¡°I¡¯m about dead anyway.¡± She continued. ¡°Breaking the Oath comes with a steep cost, but I¡¯ll still become one of his minions, and I¡¯ll go feral once you eliminate him.¡± She sighed in a way that reminded him of the Elite High Priestess before she became the Void Queen, contenting herself with her fate. ¡°Do it first. I want to keep what little is left of myself.¡±


    Coop turned back to her, uncomfortable with the suggestion, even while he summoned an ethereal weapon. He couldn¡¯t help but be disappointed with the sheer wastefulness demonstrated by the Cult as his reliable spear solidified. With her skills, she was a powerhouse, but the Lich hadn¡¯t seen her as more than a chess piece that was slightly more useful than a pawn.


    ¡°I died on Day 3.¡± She added sadly, recognizing Coop¡¯s hesitancy before closing her eyes. ¡°I made a deal with that devil. Make sure he¡¯s dead for good so that we can be free.¡±


    Coop used his spear for leverage, struggling with his own feebleness as he shifted the boulders away, ignoring her final wish in order to see if he could rescue her first. Madison could remove curses, so maybe she didn¡¯t have to die. If nothing else, she could probably answer dozens of questions regarding the Cult¡¯s machinations that might help Ghost Reef develop even stronger defenses.


    ¡°What are you doing, you bastard?¡± She complained, picking her head up as the boulders rolled away. ¡°Get it over with!¡±


    When Coop revealed the rest of her body, he knew she was right; there was no helping her. It seemed as though the curse was chewing through her flesh. From her waist down, she was already a skeleton and black veins of corruption painted her torso, rising all the way up to her neck, hidden in the shadow of the stones. Unless they were already in the ritual chamber back on Ghost Reef, he didn¡¯t think she had any chance at all, even with the help of mana.


    Coop scowled, aiming his spear to make it quick. ¡°Sorry.¡± He muttered sadly. Even though she was an enemy, he took no pleasure in the circumstances that led to him defeating her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll best you in the next life, so you better be ready.¡± She stated confidently before he completed the unfortunate task.


    The rubble-filled room was lit in the heavenly light of him receiving just two levels. Another puff of black smoke drifted across the room, passing through the gaps in the broken wall before entering the phylactery¡¯s display case. He followed the trail.


    Coop shook his head and tried organizing his thoughts, but ultimately concluded that there was just too much he didn¡¯t know about their new reality. He didn¡¯t dwell on the death of a rival for long, shifting his focus to destroying the phylactery that she had pointed out. The job wasn¡¯t done.


    He pulled the last few stones out of the way with a scowl on his face. It wasn¡¯t the treasure he hoped to find, but it was definitely worth delving into the interior of the tomb to destroy. Coop would wrap things up with a neat little bow.


    The small object that represented the Lich¡¯s effective immortality hovered within a malevolent dome of greenish death mana. The substrate was only a few shades darker than his own ethereal mana, demonstrating how close his mana was to the Undead on the gradient of affinities.


    Coop didn¡¯t rush into trying to destroy the thing, first carefully observing its housing. If there was a place for a trap, this was it. All of his trap detecting diligence had led to this point. The surface of the orb writhed with black-tinged energy while the inside swirled like a thin liquid that promised death.


    Inside the bubble, the bones of an entire human finger slowly rotated as if on display, floating in the liquid containment. Coop could see it slowly absorbing tiny amounts of the black smoke that was expelled by so many of the Cultists, swirling within the display. The Lich was obviously patient and hoped to have time to resurrect himself in the long term.


    Coop tapped the sphere with his spear. He anticipated the exterior to be solid, like the shield he had contended with while fighting the Lich, and he wasn¡¯t disappointed. The tip of his spear rapped the edge, finding it to be surprisingly flexible. He pressed a bit harder, testing to see if he could puncture the outside, and to his surprise, the tip of his spear passed through the exterior membrane.


    He reflexively pulled his spear out as the tip started to fall apart, as if it was undergoing eons of erosion in seconds. Coop¡¯s spear was chewed away, revealing a clean cut that matched the Oathbroken Deathstalker¡¯s arm. She had evidently tried to stab the bone and lost both her weapon and her limb, betraying Chakyum while Coop fought, then the destruction of the civilization shard had caused a collapse that pinned her while she was cursed.


    If he wanted to have more success, he needed something that could continually regenerate while inside the housing. He only had one ability that could actively withstand attrition with his own input of mana, but it was Fog of War. There was no way he could make his obscuring domain destroy the ivory bone inside the protective container.


    Coop tossed a few pebbles at the orb, hard enough to penetrate the membrane, and they were dissolved even faster than his spear. It didn¡¯t seem to matter if the orb was invaded by manifestations of mana or physical objects predating mana¡¯s activation. Coop toggled Vaporform on for a few seconds, utilizing a portion of the limited mana he gained from leveling, passively regenerating since the end of the fight, and Reaping from the Deathstalker. The shielded display practically seared his mind as he inspected the phylactery¡¯s housing. He turned his ability off, not finding any quick answer to breaking into the seal.


    Then again, he had an idea. It was stupid, but so were most of his ideas. In this case he knew it was clearly dumb, but he decided to give it a shot anyway, perhaps with exhaustion clouding his judgment. He accessed his previously discarded skill options, concluding that if he had been willing to take one in a rush to defeat the Lich, he might as well use one to follow through.


    However, he paused as he discovered something important had changed. Rather than the Path of the Mistweaver, Path of the Battlemage, and Path of the Ethermancer being associated with each of his choices, every single skill would put him on the same path. It was a new path that hadn¡¯t appeared before. The Path of the Abyss had become his only option.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop grunted, surprised that such a change was even possible.


    A brief investigation revealed that the Deep Dweller had granted him a new title called ¡®Favored¡¯ when it gave Coop its approval. The title was then consumed in order to enhance his options, a bit like the Vanquisher title that had certified his qualification for skill upgrades at the beginning of the Path of the Mistwalker. Supposedly, Charlie had experienced something similar before they parted ways, but he had never heard the details.


    Coop frowned, unsure if trading his previous options for the Abyss was a good thing, but when he gave it a second to sink it, he grew excited by the idea. The abilities the Deep Dweller had granted him might be a hint toward what was to come, and more importantly, they had all been Mind-based. Coop thought it might be a suitable path for him after all, even if the thought of the Apparition gave him goosebumps. He nodded to himself, accepting the change for what it was and continued with his self-described dumb plan.


    He selected Infusion, the skill that would provide him with a reservoir of mists that temporarily prevented the damage and negative effects of wounds.


    Life isn¡¯t black or white. It is shrouded in gray.


    Coop was struck with the sensation that something had fundamentally changed when he chose the skill, something far beyond simply adding another ability to his arsenal. He blinked, swallowing nervously as he opened up his Status. He immediately closed the window, realizing that he didn¡¯t have time for it. The fact that the reservoir of mists that fueled Infusion was equal but distinct from his mana was enough. The tears in his skin were protected by the new mists, forming like tiger stripes where he had over exerted himself while under the influence of the Deep Dweller.


    He stepped up to the floating phylactery and shoved his hand into the shield of death. His fingers penetrated the surface, then his hand, his wrist, his forearm, and his elbow followed.


    They disintegrated in the same order. He felt no pain at all, but that didn¡¯t stop him from breaking into a sweat and clenching his jaw so tight his teeth audibly whined. In fact his arm felt better than ever, but his mind screamed in imagined pain. The outline of mists matched his perception of his body so smoothly it was like nothing had happened. He watched as the misty skin was continually replenished by his reservoir even as the death magic fought to be rid of the invasive object. Two different affinities competed with each other to control the mana, but Coop¡¯s had more fuel in reserve to begin with.


    A fist of misty fingers wrapped around the bones, and he firmly squeezed, crushing the phylactery into dust. He imagined an agonized voice screaming, ¡°No!¡± before it quickly faded away into nothing, fast enough to have been his mind playing tricks on him. The orb flickered off and Coop glowed with even more levels, bright enough to paint the interior of the dark pyramid white.


    Coop stumbled backwards, dumbfounded at his own actions, staring at his ghost hand. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, noting that the reservoir of mists had barely diminished.


    ¡°Madison can fix it.¡± He promised, sure that it was true considering he had already witnessed her regrowing limbs in the past.


    He wanted to lay down and rest right there in the darkness of Chakyum¡¯s Grand Tomb, but there was no time to relax, considering the battle that raged on outside. He left the tomb behind, slowly climbing back to the surface, stumbling as he sought the fresh air in a feeble ploy to keep moving. Coop needed to help the Jaguar Sun.

 Chapter 233: Downfall

    The darkened sky doused Coop with a gentler rain than what he had left behind when he delved into the temple. He closed his eyes when he reached the open air, angling his head into the drizzle, feeling deeply exhausted. He took a moment to let the rain wash over him and provide a small mental reset. The droplets struck his face and he turned his hands to catch a few drops in each of his palms. The arm of mists caught the rain as if it was real, and he felt the normal sensations as water splashed between his fingers.


    ¡°Cool skill.¡± He muttered to himself, watching as he clenched the misty digits into a fist, then released it. He hoped the Infusion ability would be enough to keep him going until he could see the battle through, but it was definitely asking a lot of the new skill.


    Coop made his way across the rubble pile that had substituted the enormous pyramid and gazed upon the rest of the former settlement. Without the civilization shard, he wasn¡¯t sure what to call it. The framework of the city would be added to the ruins of pre-assimilation developments without the protection of a shard¡¯s territory soon enough.


    For now, it remained one of the most populous settings on the planet, except the residents were feral minions without a master. They filled the roads and fought within the wreckage of the incomplete temples with groups of Jaguar Warriors. Members of the local resistance had pressed forward, unshaken by the insanity that had taken place upon the central temple, leaving the security of the jungles in favor of engaging in an urban guerilla campaign while others held the line. Coop imagined that the individual mud-covered warrior with his pit traps hadn¡¯t moved since the battle began, but the group of stealthy ranged warriors were probably sneaking through the ruins in order to pick enemies off.


    However, the main event didn¡¯t involve the lowly skeletal Acolytes. The Empowered Bone Titan was still in play. It was so large, towering over the rest of the settlement, it was impossible to miss. Coop made his way to the edge of the temple and watched as the Bone Titan kicked through a stone edifice, sending enormous boulders flying as if they were weightless. It violently spun its torso in an effort to free itself from the annoyances of the Jaguar Elites.


    Another pair of thermal lasers raked across its exposed femur, aiming to disable the massive skeletal construct, but ultimately failing to have a significant effect beyond momentarily drawing its attention. As it turned its head, purple lightning arced across the bones of the minion¡¯s upper body, highlighting cracks that had formed in the gargantuan skull, and sending gouts of energy exploding out of its eye sockets and jaw as it spun around, receiving another massive blow from Tzultacaj. In the purple and crimson light, Coop spotted dozens of giant claw marks that were gouged across the ivory surfaces of the Bone Titan. The Jaguar Sun hadn¡¯t given up on the enormous enemy.


    Coop¡¯s spear appeared in his mist-hand, solidifying with a speed that shocked him enough to cause him to hesitate. He checked the weapon to make sure it was really ready, and to his surprise, it was. The difference was only a fraction of a second, but to Coop, who had summoned thousands of weapons with each iteration of Retribution, the difference was obvious. His quickswaps always required compensation for the lag in between manifestations, but he was able to fit them in his backswings or while evading his opponents as long as he was proactive. The speed that his current spear solidified represented an advancement that could help enhance even his basic techniques. Coop tossed the spear up and down as he appreciated the evolution of his skill, feeling like a pitcher in extra innings.


    He turned his attention back to the minions of the Lich, satisfied with his spear, and considered how to help given his current physical state. Recognizing that he was already just about spent, he considered the feasibility of diving into the minions first, in an effort to fully utilize his Reaper title recovery to get himself back into physical shape. The problem was the lingering exhaustion after being stretched thin by his application of Inheritance of the Mists. It wasn¡¯t something that he could recover with health and mana, as important as both resources were. Jumping into the melee was asking for a bit much in his current state, but it might be what was necessary.


    Coop stood at the pinnacle of the pyramid with the night sky brightened by flames and magic despite the sun¡¯s retreat beyond the horizon. The rain had diminished to a light drizzle. Without the swirling death mana that had clouded the settlement followed by the series of domains that had imposed themselves on the horizon, nightfall had actually brought improved visibility. Coop had a clear perspective of the settlement.


    Before he made any commitments to where to apply himself, he realized his renewed contribution to his allies might need to wait a bit longer. In the distance, at the end of the highway beyond where the Bone Titan and the Jaguar Sun contended with each other, a disturbance in the battlefield was taking place.


    Near the treeline, at the edge of the horizon, hundreds of skeletal minions floated in the air, untethered from gravity, silhouetting their ivory bones against the deep dusky night. They drifted like they were in the vastness of space for a moment, reacting in slightly different ways. Some of them flailed, struggling to find leverage while they slowly rotated, but many seemed to have switched off, lacking the capacity to resist, like a cat being held by the scruff of the neck. Then, as if a lever had been flipped, they all crashed into the ground and were scattered into clouds of bonedust. Gravity made a terrifying return for the minions, thousands of times stronger than normal. The increase was enough to make a drop as small as a few feet lethal.


    Coop blinked the drizzle of rain away, unsure of what he had witnessed. The only thing he was certain about was that a powerful contender had entered the fray. While they destroyed the necromancer¡¯s feral minions, it felt presumptuous to assume they were on his side. In any case, there was at least one person as powerful as any of the Jaguar Elites joining the melee before Coop did.


    Another group of hundreds of skeletal minions lost their tether to the ground, floating into the air for a few moments along with clods of dirt. Then, they were flung away, evaporating into more clouds of bonedust before they even hit the ground, torn apart in midair as gravity twisted and they were pulverized. Coop raised his eyebrows, a feeling of anxiety climbing into his chest. Someone out there was quite scary, and he was in no state to take on the challenge. Considering his flirtation with the pressure of the Abyss, he had a renewed respect for abilities that could manipulate fundamental principles like gravity.


    The night on that end of the highway was erased as an enormous sword of blue light ignited like a torch, dead center in the space that had been cleared of minions. The luminous blade rose straight up toward the sky, growing impossible large. After not quite piercing the wispy clouds, it fell forward, the scale making it seem slow. When it reached the ground, it sliced a narrow channel, hundreds of yards ahead of its wielder. It sheared a narrow strip in the crowd of minions, cleaving straight down the highway, and the light extinguished.


    A moment of darkness later, countless smaller blades erupted from the ground at the sides of the new channel, slashing the army of skeletons from below with a tranquil blue light show that expanded in waves toward the buildings on each of the sides.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Coop watched without blinking, assessing the incredible damage being wrought at the edge of the settlement. A second powerful newcomer revealed potent abilities that certainly matched the High Priests, if not outright exceeded them. The pair were obviously aiming to penetrate deep into the settlement, directly where the Jaguar Sun Elites fought with the Bone Titan.


    As the light from the silvery-blue blades faded, Coop squeezed his spear. Before he did anything, he needed to figure out who these monsters were. He would scout the newcomers, mistjumping closer in order to ascertain whether they were friend or foe. He aimed high, to the side of the road, so that he would end up above the jungle, relying on the Jaguar Sun¡¯s militia members to back him up if it became necessary. He had barely recovered any health or mana, but it wouldn¡¯t be the first time he was pushed while on the brink.


    More light erupted, contrasting the serene blues with fiery red and orange, further along the highway. This time it was like an out of control freight train, rushing down the road. Flames danced across the front as the skeletons were crushed like brittle debris caught by a cowcatcher. When the forward charge of the train ceased, the flames formed the shape of a dragon¡¯s maw and continued a small distance more, igniting bones before fading away.


    A dome appeared where the train had stopped, glowing with green and yellow energy and revealing that the locomotive had been a single individual with an excessively large triangle shield. They were now surrounded by surviving skeletons and looked to have overextended themselves. The dome temporarily prevented the minions from closing in and arrows of blood collapsed beyond the perimeter, piercing bones as easily as flesh. Coop now assessed the newcomers to be a group of at least four, maybe a full party of five.


    Another bright blue light glowed into life behind the foremost warrior, this time in the form of hundreds of orbiting shields. With each of the shields highlighting more individuals, the full extent of the new arrivals was made clear. More than a thousand organized soldiers had been bolstered by buffs of the same type as the blue-light swords, orderly exiting the treeline, prepared for battle. They charged forward in the wake of the first flaming tank, maintaining a combination of discipline and coordination that had been completely absent in the region, no matter which faction Coop considered. The blue glow highlighted the dark colored matte uniform that each and every one of them wore, matching their dark weapons as they hummed to life with empowering spells and abilities.


    Coop laughed. He had been really worried that another faction was making a decisive move at an inopportune moment. The timing was so perfect, with himself weakened and both the remnants of the Cult of Chakyum and the Jaguar Sun locked in a final battle, he couldn¡¯t help but anticipate the worst.


    A wave of relief washed over him as he finally recognized the newcomers. The third party that dove headlong into the battle was equipped with the Ghost Reef Standard Issue equipment. It was reinforcements from home. Those weren¡¯t unfamiliar abilities, but the likes of Emmanuel, Mr. Gibson, Shane and his Dragon Knight.


    Coop prepared to join them in spite of his exhaustion, feeling an urge to make sure they would succeed, like an overprotective parent, but first, the night was brightened even further. Coop raised his mist-hand to shield his eyes as the light grew overwhelming. Unfortunately, he found that the mists were unsurprisingly ineffective for blocking light and had to switch arms.


    He blinked away the flash and witnessed a celestial chariot appear in the sky through a rift of heavenly brilliance, pulled by a team of white unicorns armored in gold and silver alloy that magnified the light, galloping in the air above the highway ahead of the Ghost Reef army. Light emanated from the construct, like a magical contrail, transforming the entire section of the settlement into a sparkling depiction of Elysium overlaid upon the ruins. A serene pure color chased away what remained of the night, revealing a heavenly domain that swept across the northeastern portion of the settlement before the chariot faded into its own exquisite splendor, returning to the celestial plane with the escalation of luminescence.


    A magnificent bell rang out afterwards, echoing across the Yucatan, and the glare intensified, growing like headlights in a cloud, softening edges with a blur of transcendental illumination that soothed Coop to his soul. It felt like the world paused to bask in the glory of Ghost Reef¡¯s escort. The bell¡¯s chime repeated, like it was patiently heralding a king¡¯s arrival.


    Then, an angel of vengeance rose into the sky, safely behind the army. Her halo ignited with golden flames as she hovered with wings that unfurled hundreds of feet across, far beyond the limits of the highway. Rays of light radiated down from the feathers and her elegant spear was lifted to the heavens. When the golden weapon reached its apex, spikes of golden light rained down from the heavenly clouds, smiting thousands of the frenzied skeletal minions ahead of the soldiers¡¯ charge with a glorious volley of holy fire. Simultaneously, spotlights landed on every living person within the domain, finding hidden guerilla fighters, cleansing them, healing them, and empowering them all at once.


    As Coop witnessed the majestic skills, he thought that maybe it wouldn¡¯t be necessary for him to contribute after all. He glanced at his basic ethereal spear, sending off wisps of aqua mana, and felt just a bit inadequate in comparison.


    The soldiers of Ghost Reef continued charging forward, passing through clouds of the vaporized dead, heading straight for the most ominous target: the Empowered Bone Titan. They crashed against the remaining skeletal minions, barely losing momentum as they fought their way forward, with miles to go. Shards of ice and gouts of magma carved through their enemies, but the Undead Acolytes were countless. It would take a long time for the reinforcements to reach the central portion of the settlement thanks to how massive the development had grown.


    Just as he reconsidered his contribution, a burning orb rose in the wrong part of the sky, behind the ferocious soldiers as they swept down the highway. The glowing orange ball expanded as it rose, becoming larger and larger until it dwarfed the head of the Empowered Bone Titan. Solar flares leapt from its surface, ropes of pure flame, barely contained by the gravity of the manifestation as it continued to amplify. It hovered forward until it was leading the charge from above, evaporating skeletons with its heat alone when it eclipsed their positions. The highway shimmered, but the Ghost Reef soldiers sprinted behind the burning star, claiming more ground with every minute and making better time than Coop with his phalanx of phantasms.


    Then, as howls echoed across the settlement, the orb spun, expelling a massive solar flare that arced like a whip directly at the Bone Titan. The orb shrank as it expelled the accumulated energy, pouring it all into the single attack. The flames unraveled from the sun until they grew taught at the moment of contact with the giant. The formation cleaved the spine of the enormous minion, searing the bone at both ends, causing the Bone Titan to collapse as darkness returned to the Yucatan and the miniature sun faded.


    Members of the Jaguar Sun scattered as the Titan fell, barely escaping the bulk of the tumbling bones. As soon as the head landed, crushing an entire block of stone, sending a wave of debris like a falling meteor, purple lightning coalesced in its wake.


    Tzultacaj¡¯s empowered axe slammed down and finally demolished his target, sending an explosion of bone fragments to chase the wave of debris. The leader of the Jaguar Sun was spotlighted with levels as the experience cascaded across the resistance fighters. He raised his still arcing axe toward the night sky and roared.


    ¡°Death to the Death Gods!¡± He shouted clear enough for Coop to hear at the top of the grand temple with the light highlighting his raised weapon.


    A cheer erupted across the settlement as the Jaguar Sun¡¯s primary enemy was toppled by the combination of overwhelming attacks. The remaining army¡¯s morale exploded. Victory was possible, and Coop didn¡¯t even need to do anything. Coop let the Ghost Reef reinforcements fulfill his role, trusting them to be up to the task.

 Chapter 234: Abyssal Valor

    Coop knew something was up with his build after his last skill selection, so he was eager to take a more comprehensive look. The perception that his connection to mana had changed was a strange sensation that he found hard to assign to any of his senses in particular, but he was still sure of the feeling. Perhaps, now that humans were being subjected to the active influence of mana, they were developing ways to discern its vacillations. After experiencing the sweeping transformation of mana after the civilization shard¡¯s destruction, he was certainly more sensitive toward the tingling feelings caused by mana.


    In the past he had witnessed unusual behavior in plants and wildlife, as if they were maturing in their relationship with mana much faster than the normal mechanisms of evolution would allow. He remembered the corals that grew in the Mana Well outside of Ghost Reef and how they had adapted in the absence of sunlight in favor of mana, though he expected they would be the most extreme example given the excessive degree of concentrations they were dealing with. Rather than physical changes, it seemed like mana¡¯s activation was influencing the behaviors of different species. Either way, he was prepared to see the evolution of his own skills as abilities were the primary way he deliberately interacted with mana itself.


    The soldiers of Ghost Reef endeavored to clear the rest of the highway, leaving Coop with an unobstructed view of their progress from atop of Chakyum¡¯s tomb. They made quick work with their overwhelming strength focused on the weaker skeletal minions, but the sheer scale of the settlement meant that the war would be ongoing for some time. Though Coop couldn¡¯t anticipate a conclusion any time soon, he was comfortable letting his friends take over on his behalf for the time being.


    A massive sigh escaped his lips as he leaned his back against a slab of stone and slid down to a seated position, recognizing that his immediate contributions were done. He did his best to make himself comfortable, perched on the rubble at the top of the pyramid, resting his real arm and his ghost arm on each of his knees. His unused spear was propped up like a walking stick, up and over his shoulder, and he opened up his status with interest.


    [Status]


    HP - 2765/19250


    MP - 987/36000


    Class - Revenant (Level 237)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 162)


    Affinity - Spectral


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - None


    Strength - 125 (+3600)


    Agility - 125 (+1800)


    Body - 125 (+1800)


    Mind - 3000 (+600)


    Intelligence - 125 (+3600)


    Acumen - 125 (+1800)


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion IV, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper II, Slayer IX, Dauntless, Stacked, Defiant, Siegebreaker, Mindbender, Valor XXIV, Dedicated


    Skills (Active) - Mistwalking


    Skills (Passive) - Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension, Clarity of Purpose


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (20/50), Upgrade City to Metropolis


    Basic Credits - 7,802,552


    Coop blew air out of his nose, astonished. One change to his skills in particular drew his attention immediately, affirming the accuracy of his imagined sixth sense, but he took things in order.


    Starting from the top, he skimmed over his health and mana, already well-aware that they were severely diminished at the moment. He was below 15% health and had only recovered less than 3% of his completely drained mana. Obviously, it could have been worse, but he was in bad shape. The resource totals didn¡¯t even tell the entire story of how his very being felt stretched to its limit with the strain that the abilities of the Deep Dweller had placed upon him.


    Instead of his resources being predictably low, what caught his eye was his current class level. Level 237. It felt like an odd number to settle on. It took him a moment of scrolling through notifications to figure out how he had ended up at that particular point.


    The recap began prior to entering the former Yucatan settlement. Escorting the Jaguar Sun¡¯s warhost and completing the Ruin Tracer quest line had brought him close to 200, but not quite there. Coop had reached level 197.


    After the battle with the Cult of Chakyum began, defeating the entire contingent of reanimated High Priests, including the Elite Void Queen, had driven him all the way up to level 209, with each undead minion giving him between one and three levels.


    Then, after driving the Lich to destroy the civilization shard in a gambit to destroy them both, finishing off the Deathstalker had put him to 211.


    A single level was added for completing the Elimination quest after destroying the phylactery of the Lich, which leveled him to 212. Coop followed along with his own progress, nodding thoughtfully, but that¡¯s where the logical increments ceased.


    Coop scrunched his face as he discovered that the destruction of the Lich himself had granted exactly 25 levels along with an entire slew of Valor titles. Despite being nearly 5,000 levels ahead, defeating the Undead Chosen had provided the exact gap between skill choices.


    ¡°Can¡¯t be a coincidence.¡± Coop frowned, letting his greed for progression fly.


    Given the level disparity, he honestly believed that gaining hundreds of levels, or even more, should have been on the table. After weeks of dealing with the Cult of Chakyum skimming his experience, he toppled their scam only to uncover what appeared to be a different limitation. It felt like the system had swooped in to screw him over this time around.


    Coop asked himself what the differences between himself and the Cultists were. There were hundreds of examples of Priests and High Priests exceeding Coop¡¯s perceived level gain limit. They didn¡¯t seem to have a problem jumping larger gaps, but here he was, confined to a single block of 25 after overcoming an impossible rift in the form of the Lich¡¯s progress.


    The only explanation he could come up with was that when the Priests were boosted, it was through numerous individual levels that had been accumulated over time and stored for later through various means. On the other hand, Coop received all the levels at once from a single encounter. He imagined the difference was like trying to fill a narrow-mouthed bottle with a larger bucket. The cultists had a siphon prepared, but Coop could only collect what splashed into the opening.


    Still, Coop couldn¡¯t accept that the explanation was entirely due to an inefficient energy transfer. No matter how limited mana absorption and integration was, the difference of levels between himself and his opponent was too large, and the fact that he had gained exactly 25 levels rather than some other arbitrary number fueled his suspicion. It felt too purposeful to be anything other than the system artificially limiting his gains as well.


    Coop looked up at the night sky, slightly frustrated that he hadn¡¯t jumped ahead on his journey by hundreds of levels. The least the system could have done was stop him at the next round number. Level 250 would have given him two skill choices at once, opening up another layer of buildcrafting that practically left him salivating. The last time he had been able to take multiple skills at once was when he selected Revenant in the first place, and it had resulted in the combination of Retribution and Salvation, three passive skills, and his entire plan for the archetype he would build.


    Shaking his head at his own avarice, he silently contemplated whether the shortchanging of experience that the Cult of Chakyum had forced upon him really wasn¡¯t enough. Did even the system need to get in on the action of screwing him over? Or was he feeling overly entitled?


    ¡°Maybe a little entitled,¡± he conceded.


    He shrugged to himself, immediately coming up with further tangents that would explain why the system would prevent more than 25 levels gained from a single instance. The first was that any more growth would cause him to literally explode. Judging by his experience with the apparitions from Inheritance of the Mists, gaining too much power without any safety features attached left self-destruction as an actual possibility. There were also powerleveling considerations he could imagine, especially outside of the restrictions of an assimilation.


    ¡°Whatever.¡± He breathed, not letting the perceived fraud tamper his satisfaction with the absolute massive gains he had actually made. Feeling anything other than gratification made it seem like he was just looking for reasons to be unsatisfied. The truth was that every little bit counted when it came to his progression, and in this case, it wasn¡¯t a small amount at all.


    He couldn¡¯t stop his smile from sneaking onto his face as he assessed his growth, even while he tried to remain stubbornly sober. The battle of the Yucatan had resulted in the fastest levels of his entire adventure. Over the course of a single day he had gained 36 levels. 36! The entire Siege event had given him 45, but that had been over the course of three entire weeks. He had to seriously try to find reasons to diminish his achievement. Maybe, if he stretched his adventure in Central America all the way to his arrival in Corozal, it didn¡¯t look quite as amazing, but even then, he couldn¡¯t make cheap complaints about gaining 80 levels in 35 days.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Coop chuckled to himself as he did the math, counting on his fingers and tapping his spear against the stone to determine that for all of his frustration and grief, the final bout had pulled his progress back into the realm of ridiculousness. More than two levels a day for such a long duration was insane. In fact, the pace was slightly better than all of his previous progress combined. On Day 78 he was level 157, on Day 113 he was level 237.


    ¡°We¡¯re back in business, boys.¡± He laughed as he pulled up the leaderboards.


    Day 113


    <ol>


    <li> Coop (Level 237)</li>


    <li> Tzultacaj (Level 137)</li>


    <li> Sila Tupua (Level 136)</li>


    <li> Toby Jackman (Level 134)</li>


    <li> Callagun (Level 134)</li>


    <li> Gibson (Level 132)</li>


    <li> Juliana Rodriguez (Level 131)</li>


    <li> Shane Peters (Level 131)</li>


    <li> Hai Yun (Level 130)</li>


    <li> Emmanuel Seraphin (Level 130)</li>


    </ol>


    Coop hummed to himself in surprise, not just at the massive distance he was putting between himself and the rest, but also because of the reappearance of so many familiar names. The battle of the Yucatan hadn¡¯t only been a boost to his levels individually. The Jaguar Sun¡¯s most prominent members as well as Ghost Reef¡¯s elites were also making their own massive leaps forward.


    Mr. Gibson of all people had already become the highest level resident of their little island. Coop never expected such impressive performance from the guy that had been a self-appointed neighborhood watchman, but mana was an incredible equalizer that credited both diligence and opportunity. He was certainly diligent, and there were always opportunities when it came to Ghost Reef. The previous level leaders were falling a bit behind. Charlie and Camila were at level 128, evidently experiencing another period of calm while the large group of residents came to the Yucatan to help.


    Almost the entire top 50 was occupied by residents of Ghost Reef. The rest of Gibson¡¯s party, Shane¡¯s party, the Cleary Brothers, Edith Buford, Jonah the Waiter, Mikey B and Amanda, Jones, Charlie, Camila, and Madison were a mere fraction of the names that joined Sierra and Mateo right outside of the top 10. Coop felt proud of what they were building together. It was friends and allies all the way down. Yet, he knew that they couldn¡¯t let up, given the potential for future challenges. At least they were on the right track.


    As he dug further into the list, he noted that many of the names that he wasn¡¯t familiar with were Latin or Mayan, and he suspected that the Jaguar Sun¡¯s warriors had also risen to the occasion. The experience that had converged within the Cult of Chakyum was in the process of being redistributed to the survivors. The fact that Coop had only received 25 levels from the Lich might also have something to do with the fact that the necromancer¡¯s minions were being chipped away by nearly half a million people. Coop grunted as he conceded that he would have to share the gains just a little bit.


    Coop reviewed the titles that had been granted upon the defeat of the Lich. The first was Valor XXIV which was granted for defeating an ¡®overwhelming¡¯ opponent. Reviewing his notifications revealed that he had actually received the individual Valor title 24 times in a row. Unlike his levels, it appeared to have avoided any system limitations, giving him another instance based on a multiplier designated by the difference in levels between himself and his opponent once it exceeded a specific threshold.


    The title made it clear that both the raw difference and a multiplied difference were factors, adding that Coop¡¯s victory ranked in the top 1,000,000 recorded battles in terms of multiplier, but went unranked in terms of raw difference. Coop raised his eyebrows as he felt as though he had uncovered a galaxy wide leaderboard. It made sense that the raw difference wasn¡¯t anything special if there were individuals out there with thousands of levels competing with each other. 5,000 levels was ridiculous at such an early stage of an assimilation, but on the scale of the universe, he doubted it was that special.


    The effect of the title was a stacking increased resistance to aura oppression. Coop raised an eyebrow at the bonus, wondering if humans had a natural resistance instead, because he wasn¡¯t sure if he had felt anything other than defiant in the face of superior enemies. In any case, it seemed to be encouraging him to not shy away from duels with the extraordinary.


    The second title, Dedicated, was granted for collecting 11 titles during a single assimilation. Rather than have a direct effect, it was a prestige title, but speaking of auras, he remembered that titles were one factor in determining their strength. While Coop was able to ignore the impact of auras, his own was growing more formidable.


    The hits just kept on coming. Coop opened up the skill choice granted for reaching level 225, expecting around 30 options to dig into. He was curious to see what the Path of the Abyss had to offer.


    He grunted upon checking his options, pausing as his expectations went unmet. Instead of the largest number of skills he would see on a new Path, he only had one individual choice. ¡°Not exactly a huge selection.¡± He blithely concluded.


    However, there was still an important choice to be made. The lone option was to add a new affinity, but the alternative was to decline taking anything at all.


    There was no further explanation for what the affinity would do, but Coop could make some inferences. Affinities opened up a wider range of mana to be utilized. It had been a long time since he used the analogy, but if he considered affinities to be the language used to interface with mana, adding a second affinity would be like becoming bilingual. Presumably, more skills with even more synergies would open up if he broadened his horizons by adding more mana affinities, but he still hesitated.


    Coop¡¯s Spectral affinity had been good to him, and he really didn¡¯t think he was done with its potential. He almost didn¡¯t want to dilute his future, but just because he valued his Spectral affinity didn¡¯t diminish the potential of every other flavor of mana. It wasn¡¯t like he was losing access to the familiar mana either. Still, Coop paused.


    As he looked inward, he realized he felt some subconscious vanity in being a regular Rank 1 Human with a single mana affinity, Unchosen, and dominant despite it all. It was a bit silly, and once he recognized it, he thought it was too embarrassing to embrace. He thought he might as well copy the self-titling conventions of Lyriel and the High Priests and call himself the Avatar of Humanity while he was at it.


    He shook his head at himself, deciding to accept the expansion of his build and take the new affinity. He knew they had to seize opportunities when they presented themselves, and by all accounts, affinities were some of the biggest personal opportunities offered by the system. He mentally slammed the accept button and braced for the change.


    [New Affinity acquired!]


    [You have acquired a new title!]


    He flexed each of his hands, one still completely human, and the other a replica of solidified mists, as he anticipated a difference. He didn¡¯t feel any physical changes upon adding the affinity, but he did get a new title upon accepting it. He double checked his affinities in his status, confirming that it worked.


    Affinity - Spectral, Abyssal


    Coop¡¯s original affinity, Spectral, was for those who were haunted by the dead, frequented by spirits, or were themselves ghostly existences. His new affinity was Abyssal: for those who were touched by madness, appreciated the perverse beauty of the deep, or found comfort within the indifference of the vast cosmos.


    Coop¡¯s face twisted as he struggled to decide if he was offended. ¡°Is this me?¡± He wondered, not really seeing it at first.


    Maybe it was a little crazy to be as freakishly devoted to the grind as he was, but the unique circumstances of the assimilation meant that dedication to survival was the new normal for all humans. He shrugged, conceding that the first part might be applicable in a sort of generic way that would reasonably pertain to anyone.


    Coop also appreciated the beauty of all sorts of natural environments, not excluding the immensity of the oceans, which must have qualified as the deep. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t call it perverse, though.¡± He muttered defensively, accepting that the second part might fit in a way that didn¡¯t capture the entire picture.


    That left the last part: that he was comforted by the indifference of the vast cosmos. He tilted his head to the side and scrunched his nose, trying to decide how he felt. Affinities were like unexpectedly facing a mirror covered in ink blots that twisted into his own face, forcing a confrontation with reality despite whatever facades he lived with, consciously or not. What he saw reflected in his mind¡¯s eye didn¡¯t surprise him. He was just some guy. A human that was doing his best along with everyone else.


    He grunted, wondering if that repeated refrain, that he was just some guy, was his way of subconsciously acknowledging his own insignificance and being content with it. If he really considered the situation of Earth¡¯s failing assimilation, he had to recognize that he was resisting the underlying bedrock of an entire galactic community that was composed of countless aliens, planets, and factions, which had existed for eons and had gone undefeated. He was less than a speck of dust in front of the machine that had been integrated into reality. His existence was practically meaningless, his perspective fleeting, and his ability to affect change woefully inadequate.


    ¡°Who cares?¡± He asked himself, feeling like he had gone through this thought exercise before. The scope of his aspirations wasn¡¯t unreasonable, given his limitations. He fought for Ghost Reef. Everyone else in the universe would have to settle things for themselves.


    He yielded to the system¡¯s wisdom. As long as he could appreciate Ghost Reef¡¯s sunsets in between leveling up, being psychoanalyzed by an omnipresent unconscious entity wouldn¡¯t faze him. He shook his head, accepting that his method of prioritization was probably why the last part fit as well.


    In any case, the idea of drawing power from the Abyss was cool, so he was happy with the theming and hopeful that it would lead him to more synergistic abilities that further enhanced the Revenant class.


    He moved down his status, skimming past the unchanged sections, admiring the symmetry of his stats once again, and stopping at his titles. Dynamo had appeared in the list, but it merely revealed his ability to both wield and absorb two types of mana. Coop thought it might be better than it led on. With what he had learned about mana so far, it was possible that broadening his horizons in such a way could actually lead to improved mana recovery or even absorption. Time would tell.


    While he was checking titles, he observed the Reaper II title. The original Reaper title had recovered a mere 1% life from a defeated enemy, but it had first evolved by consuming the Bloodthirsty title granted for being the first to complete a 11,111 kill quest, and became slightly better while applying to mana as well. Then it evolved a second time when he let it consume the Devourer title, growing all the way to a 10% recovery of both resources. Now, with it growing yet again, the Reaper bonus was doubled. Coop smiled to himself, noting that it wasn¡¯t doubling the original 1% Reaper bonus, but the current 10% bonus. Coop would recover 20% of his defeated enemy¡¯s resource pools.


    ¡°Insane.¡± He laughed.


    If his own resource pools weren¡¯t so huge, due to his stat stacking, the title would be approaching the point of overkill. As it stood, it would merely allow what were insignificant amounts to make slightly better contributions. Gaining 60 mana instead of 30 mana per monster wasn¡¯t much when his total was 36,000, but it was still a lot better than before.


    He moved on, disappointed that he didn¡¯t have a chance to check the Favored title that had been granted by the Deep Dweller, and was immediately consumed to alter his path choices. Much like the Vanquisher title, it was an ingredient for an evolution. The last part of his status he wanted to check was the big one: his Active Skills.


    Upon completing the Path of the Mistwalker and selecting the Infusion skill, doubling or tripling down on the mist-related skills, every one of his Active Skills had merged. Retribution, Salvation, Presence of Mind, Fog of War, Vaporform, Infusion, and their individual evolutions had combined into Mistwalking. This was the change that he had immediately recognized through his imagined sixth sense.

 Chapter 235: One with the Mists

    Coop concentrated on his ethereal spear, watching as motes of turquoise mana drifted off the surface and were carried away by the warm night¡¯s breeze. He cleared his mind, trying to forge a connection with the misty manifestation. His brows furrowed and he squeezed his eyes shut as he focused on the physical existence of the reliable spear within his hands, contemplating the corporality of the vaporous summon, and seeking to expand the link between himself and his weapon. He was a Mistwalker now, he affirmed to himself. He was one with the mists.


    Nothing happened.


    He stopped with an exasperated laugh, flipping the spear back up over his shoulder so that the tip clicked against the stone slab that braced his back. The Revenant class wasn¡¯t a class that required him to delve into that kind of dubious mysticism. He just thought he¡¯d give it a try due to the unification of his active skills. His weapon was a tool and his connection to the mists merely provided the material. Meditation on the system¡¯s mysteries wouldn¡¯t reveal concealed bonuses just like how climbing 1,000 steps wouldn¡¯t put him onto a cultivator¡¯s journey.


    Coop tapped the spear against the stone a few more times before he tilted it back across his knees, admiring the tranquil frozen mists for what they actually were: manifestations with real physical specifications. The mists approximated a molten material that was poured into his imagined mold before solidifying into his desired shape. For as enigmatic as mana was, it still had a physical presence founded in reality.


    He swapped his spear for his ethereal glaive while holding it out in front of his chest. The transformation occurred instantly. The solidified mists lost their rigidity and flowed into the shape that he held in his mind, establishing the deadly polearm with a speed that left him impressed in spite of his reevaluated expectations.


    There were several differences in the process, though only Coop would be able to notice them. He had summoned and dismissed his weapons countless times, and previously, they had always followed the same order of operations. In order to summon a weapon, the mana cost would be consumed, mists would appear, and they would crystallize into the form that he wanted, so long as it fell within the restrictions designated by mana. If he wanted a different weapon, the original mists would dissipate and new mists would appear to form the new manifestation, following the same sequence of events.


    His quick swaps were bound by the same processes, but he was going through the effort in the middle of combat. The tactic only worked because the mana cost was low enough that he could repeatedly summon the weapons, dismissing them as he drew new equipment from the mists, and turning them into disposable armaments. Fitting his quick swaps into his backswings or blocks was a conscious decision to compensate for the delay created by manifesting weapons, but he made it work, creating a potent technique that frequently caught his opponents off-guard. The tactic had even worked against Ledwidge, the alien treant weapon master back on Ghost Reef.


    However, as a Mistwalker, the procedure had changed. The mists weren¡¯t dismissed when he summoned a new weapon. They were more responsive to his desires, adaptable, and reusable.


    Coop watched as his ethereal glaive melted into his bo staff, a trident, a war fork, then back to his spear in fractions of a second. Mists drifted from the manifestation, but they weren¡¯t dismissed in order to make room for the next. The feeling that his connection to mana had changed was clear as day, and he was able to ascribe what had actually happened when he completed the Path of the Mistwalker. The training wheels had been taken off.


    Before, the system was basically providing a step-by-step routine for how his skills worked. After what Coop estimated were hundreds of thousands of repetitions, he could manipulate his mana in the proper order to manifest an ethereal summon in his sleep. Retribution was a simple recipe for constructing weapons and Salvation operated in the same way for his armor.


    He flexed his Mistwalking ability and his familiar armor drifted into existence, wrapping his chest with a protective breastplate, adding metallic bracers, shin guards, the layered leather pteruge, and his classic gladiator sandals to the ensemble. He dismissed it all and a puff of mists dissipated into the gentle breeze as quickly as it appeared. Now, he felt like he was really cooking with mana.


    Coop flipped his spear around, and increased the density, instinctively finding the right amount to make the missile one of his explosive volatile spears. The weight suddenly increased as additional mists coalesced within the already summoned weapon, mixing together. Satisfied with the result after the swirls solidified, he made it even denser, remembering the maximum he had reached while within the Cathedral of Tides, and the spear grew impossibly heavy. When he inadvertently let it touch the ground, weakened as he was, the rigid stone surface of the temple warped like beach sand beneath the pressure. He reduced the density, and mists were expelled from the shaft as the weapon jumped back to the mass of his regular spears, releasing steam-like pressure in a spray that hissed before disappearing.


    He tossed the weapon up, dismissing the weapon while feeling incredibly excited for what probably seemed like a minor change. Maybe it actually was only a slight change, but his technique was already empowered by enough experience that something that made every facet of his strategy more efficient would push him into a new realm of combat potency.


    Coop summoned his ethereal short sword, reveling in the ease that it appeared. He adjusted the blade to resemble a machete, then a saber, before he went through the motions to cast Legacy of the Mists. Subconsciously following the guidelines he had been taught, he consumed 90 mana to beseech a master from the past to provide him with temporary aid.


    A phantasm calmly stepped out of a misty portal with his head held back proudly. The gateway melted as the ghost breached its threshold, letting mists splash into the divots of stone in front of where Coop sat. The phantasm seemed more like an officer than a random soldier, with a long ceremonial sword sheathed at his hip. His cloth uniform was from a distant land, decorated with a red sash, and a bright turban that sat on his head and hid his hair. Long beaded necklaces dangled beyond his chest, a red line was painted between his eyes, and a thick, curling mustache and beard covered his face.


    Coop raised his eyebrows at the ghost and the ghost raised his thick dark eyebrows back.


    ¡°Uh.¡± Coop started, remembering his awkward first summons before scoffing at himself. ¡°I¡¯m just testing things.¡± He tried to explain apologetically.


    The phantasm nodded once, and rested his arms behind his back, silently giving Coop permission to continue as the most expressive phantasm he had ever summoned. Coop frowned at what he was going to do, feeling guilt, but he wanted to know the result. He transformed the ethereal saber into his one-handed hammer.


    In an instant the metamorphosis was done, with the mists along the blade thinning while others were coalescing into the head of the hammer. The phantasm continued watching. Coop smiled at the ghost, relieved that he was still there.


    Previously, the phantasms were directly linked to the specific weapon that Coop used when he summoned them. They were all dismissed if he changed his weapons, locking him into his original choice, adding a minor inconvenience to the advantage that they gave him. It meant that frontloading his summons was a risk that would limit his adaptability while increasing his offensive firepower.


    Now, as a Mistwalker, the phantasms were coupled with a more generic weapon summon that broadly covered all of his manifestations at once. He was sure they continued to reserve durability, he could sense that much, but all of his weapons were now intertwined under the banner of Retribution within his Mistwalking capabilities. The system had let him off the guard rails, so to speak.


    He tried summoning additional weapons, but he was still inherently limited to personal equipment. He could dual wield some one-handed weapons, add a shield in place of one, or wield a single two-handed weapon, but he wasn¡¯t allowed to build an arsenal of mists for others to use. Considering how much more powerful his manifestations were relative to crafted equipment, and how easy they were for him to create, it made sense that there would still be some other limitations. Retribution and Salvation had been literally free for ages at this point, but crafting powerful gear required materials and profession skills that necessitated significant investments. He was happy enough with the evolution of his equipment not to expect more.


    Next, he channeled Fog of War, using a small portion of his already diminished mana pool, and was immediately confronted with an even more intense feeling that his relationship with mana had graduated to another level.


    The small cloud of mists drifted in front of him, trailing wisps that were caught in the night air. Coop could tell that if he was within the mists he actually would be better connected with the domain. He was just playing around when he tried to forge a mental connection with his manifestations and become one with the mists, but it seemed like his link to the mists of Spectral mana had really evolved into something more comprehensive than before.


    The actual limits would require further investigation, but he had an inkling for what was happening with Fog of War. It was more like the advanced domain demonstrated by the Herald of Cosmos before she became Undead. The Fog was a window into the ethereal domain of Spectral mana. If the mists represented another dimension that was overlaid upon reality, Fog of War was where they melded together. Forget about merely being confused by the fog, anyone caught would be truly lost, and Coop was master of the pocket dimension.


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    Would he be able to strip others of their mana, the same way as the Herald of Cosmos? It was an enticing thought, but no, he inherently knew he wouldn¡¯t have such an ability because he lacked the conflicting affinities. Spectral and Abyssal felt more like supplementary flavors than the opposites like Stellar and Void, and he had yet to delve into the Abyss as the path had only just begun. There were clearly underlying rules to mana¡¯s various affinities.


    He toggled Vaporform as his final experiment, and he was presented with the chaotic flow of mana inside of the world of mists. The dark gray sky contained lighter swirls that reflected the previous chaos that had taken place above the settlement. It seemed like whether it was day or night, the ethereal realm existed in a perpetual crepuscule. Coop supposed it was a hint that his ethereal mists were simply not an extreme that would have an obvious opposite. Rather than be on an extreme end of the spectrum of mana, the spectral mists fell in between: the midpoint in the center of a broader perimeter. The gray center of a more colorful wheel.


    Instead of a storm of mana, the domain presented the calm after a storm. A haze hovered in the air, as thick as soup, so that Coop couldn¡¯t differentiate the edges of the horizon. It all flowed like a calm ocean that had settled after significant churn. The outlines of surfaces were highlighted by slightly denser concentrations, but rather than particulates, it was more like a visualization of air flow.


    To his surprise, he caught his own form at the edge of his vision, and he raised his arms up. Both palms of his hands greeted him as ghostly outlines, matching the detail perfectly and seeming solid enough. He didn¡¯t have the uncomfortable feeling of abandoning his corporeal form, with his essence drifting away into the ethereal world, the way he did on his first visits. In fact, he watched as a gentle stream of mists flowed into the edges of his sacrificed limb, reinforcing the mists that provided the temporary prosthesis. Instead of worrying that his soul would be whisked away and dispersed by the mists, his spirit seemed bolstered by them.


    He stood up and stepped forward, curiosity getting the best of him. The phantasmal officer stood within the domain, equally solid, though he had an aura that illuminated him in a way that hinted at more vivid colors than normal, more noticeable in the world of gray. The phantasm watched the small Fog of War as it drifted and shrank as if he existed in both worlds at once, or otherwise, the ghost could shift between each at will.


    Rather than an obscuring cloud, Fog of War was a crystal clear window back into the real world. It was more clear than ever that the two dimensions were perfectly overlayed. In fact, they seemed to be one and the same. Throughout Coop¡¯s vision, he watched as elevated concentrations of mana drifted across surfaces, some matching the locations of living soldiers from Ghost Reef as they fought skeletal minions, others hovering too high to be bound by gravity, and still more that seemed like entities completely untethered to the land of the living.


    As Coop¡¯s mana was exhausted, the ethereal vision faded and his normal sight returned. He stood next to the phantasm as the Fog of War also disappeared, frozen in thought for a few moments.


    When the phantasm disappeared, returning to the ghost world that Coop merely visited, he sat back down against the stone slab and tried his best to articulate the epiphany that was skirting the edge of his mind.


    Mana was a singular substance, omnipresent on an atomic level, with a real physical presence. When he toggled Vaporform, he was perceiving mana through the lens of his Spectral affinity, but he suspected that anyone would see similar scenes if they had access to the equivalent of Coop¡¯s abilities. Instead of mists, someone with a darkness affinity would probably see shadows, but he assumed it would ultimately be the same shapes and flows. That was why the Herald of Cosmos was able to interact with his manifestations and rip them apart. It was all the same mana.


    Coop realized that he needed to better understand the range of affinities available to people. It had always seemed so esoteric, with such a wide variety attributed to different people, it passed right through his consciousness. He had rarely seen duplicates, but that didn¡¯t mean that they weren¡¯t related to each other. Just off the top of his head, he could recall seeing each of Shadow, Dark, Darkness, and Void which would certainly all be a part of the same family, or the same arc in a wheel. In a way, it reminded him of the way he imagined classes and paths. Rather than a grid of streets, perhaps it was all related on a broader spectrum. He should probably pay more attention in the future, but it felt like he could only collect individual data points on something that was beyond his limited perception.


    Coop closed his eyes and found himself lost in thought, trying to remember every affinity he had ever seen and put them into buckets. Classes would also be important, but he figured defining titles and dominant attributes would be less so.


    While he struggled to place random affinities like Steadfast, Bound, or Disorder, Presence of Mind detected someone slowly climbing the rubble up the side of the former pyramid, nearest to where he rested. Ghost Reef soldiers had already secured the entire highway, beating his own time in traversing the settlement despite his squad of phantasms, but in his defense, the living Acolytes were more challenging than the undead. However, the enemies may have ended up less difficult, but the Test of Stairs was further complicated by the destruction of the tomb, and Coop suddenly felt silly for complaining about them in the first place. He had failed to consider that it could have been worse without steps at all.


    As the first rock climber reached the top of the pyramid, she stopped and shouted to others that were further below. ¡°I found him! He¡¯s up here!¡±


    [Human (Level 116)]


    [Enchanter (Intelligence)]


    [Arcane (Defiant)]


    ¡°Hey, Coop! Dear me! Are you alright?¡± Laurie asked as she rushed over, concern filling her voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± He responded as he shifted back to his feet to prove it. ¡°Just taking a break.¡± He admitted, unable to completely stifle his weariness.


    ¡°Thank goodness!¡± She breathed dramatically. ¡°The leaderboards! I mean, we all thought they were broken or we were done for, no inbetween.¡±


    Coop chuckled. ¡°There was some room in between. What are you doing here?¡± He wondered. Laurie wasn¡¯t anywhere near the top of the list of people he expected to see driving into the heart of the Cult¡¯s stronghold.


    ¡°Looking for you!¡± The barista declared, like it was too obvious to ask.


    Coop laughed. ¡°I meant in Central America!¡±


    ¡°Ah well, the ladies decided to join the excursion as a little break from the kiddos.¡± She responded like she had run into someone familiar while on vacation, then she turned, growing serious as her companions appeared at the edge of the pyramid, following in her footsteps up the crumbled rock walls. ¡°Linda, Carly! Organize the others and secure the perimeter! Janice! Take the high ground! Shout if any enemies approach!¡± She commanded, pointing where she meant, the tone of her voice completely flipping from concerned to demanding.


    Coop squirmed awkwardly as the mommy support group that had lingered outside of Empress City behaved like an elite squad of commandos after moving to Ghost Reef, rushing to their positions with skilled efficiency. They weren¡¯t exactly the first group of people he expected to go to war with a necromancer¡¯s army of skeletal minions, but here they were, doing their part, and doing it well.


    Laurie turned back to him with a friendly smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Greg is taking care of the coffee shop while we¡¯re gone. Everything is going great back home.¡± She added, cheerily.


    ¡°Right.¡± Coop nodded, getting on board.


    ¡°But what the heck happened to you? I can¡¯t imagine what you ended up fighting to get so many levels. Was it really the God of Death? Are you really fine?¡± Laurie pointed at Coop¡¯s ghost arm and tilted her head to the side as she assessed the limb. ¡°Do you need us to get Madison?¡±


    ¡°You sure that¡¯s a good idea?¡± Another voice interrupted before Coop could start to answer the series of questions. ¡°She was in quite a mood for the entire trip.¡± Gibson cut in as he caught up with his own party. ¡°Even when we saw the sky shatter and reveal Hell, she was grumbling about how much trouble Coop was in.¡±


    Coop raised his eyebrows, mind immediately racing as he tried to guess what he did to upset Charlie¡¯s mother this time. He looked at Laurie, hoping she would correct a mistake.


    She looked at him like there was nothing she could do. ¡°He¡¯s right.¡± Laurie responded to his silent plea, furrowing her brows. ¡°She didn¡¯t really calm down once we arrived either.¡±


    ¡°What did I do?¡± Coop finally asked directly.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t let her know that you were going to war. It took Sierra explaining what was going on to get us into gear.¡± Gibson put his palms up. ¡°Dr. Seraphin wanted to coordinate with you much earlier, before you ran off at least.¡±


    Coop pressed his fingers between his eyes. ¡°Ah, I totally forgot.¡± He sighed to himself. In his defense, the settlement event had distracted him with regard to his own settlement, but Madison had been waiting for him to give her the green light before visiting Corozal.


    Gibson gestured at Coop¡¯s other arm, the ghostly limb drawing his attention as well. ¡°Are you gonna be okay? That looks¡­ interesting.¡±


    Coop nodded, demonstrating his fitness by summoning a spear into his ghost hand and flipping it so that it leaned on his shoulder before giving a misty thumbs up.


    ¡°Are you evolving into something else?¡± The Argent asked curiously, wondering if their Champion would become inhuman soon.


    Coop shook his head. ¡°No, no, it just seemed like the most expedient way to destroy the necromancer¡¯s phylactery.¡±


    Laurie¡¯s eyes rose. ¡°Was that the Chakyum fellow? The Lich? He¡¯s already dead? Sierra made him seem like an actual God.¡±


    Coop shrugged. ¡°Just another whacko. He¡¯s dead, but he took the civilization shard with him.¡± He stated, explaining why the pyramid was a pile of rubble instead of an organized temple.


    ¡°Oh, no.¡± She frowned. ¡°That was one of our objectives, right Gibson?¡±


    Gibson nodded, but didn¡¯t seem fazed. ¡°From the forest it looked like someone was trying to get a nuclear reactor started up here. I guess that explains it.¡±


    Gibson turned away and pointed toward where the Bone Titan had fallen. ¡°Shane is already coordinating with the leader of the Jaguar Sun. Perhaps you should join them and explain the situation. We probably don¡¯t need to spend the rest of our free time fighting the undead if all of our main objectives are complete.¡± He glanced at Laurie who nodded in agreement. ¡°Champion Coop is secured, the civilization shard can¡¯t be claimed, and Chakyum has been eliminated.¡± He declared before looking at Coop expectantly.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Coop sighed, casting his gaze across the chaotic settlement. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll wrap things up so we can head home.¡±


    Gibson broke into a smile and slapped him on the back while leading him back toward the side of the pyramid. ¡°Well done, kid. Now, let me tell you about what we found in Florida.¡±

 Chapter 236: Sun Up Sum-Up

    Coop startled himself awake. He had been completely enveloped in cozy fabrics, peaceful and comfortable, but he sat straight up as soon as he roused himself. The feeling that he had let his guard down was like a ringing alarm clock. His sudden movement removed the draping covers that blanketed his limbs and he unceremoniously tossed sheets to the side, exposing his skin to the tranquil morning air. It was refreshingly cool, especially compared to the pocket of heat his body had generated during his unintended hibernation.


    The dimly lit surroundings were familiar, yet strangely unfamiliar, and it took several moments of wide-eyed scanning before his sleep deprived mind recognized his location. It had been far too long since he slept in an actual bed with a roof above his head. Morning sunlight trickled in from the uppermost floors, as his comprehension slowly played catch up.


    Instead of the rainforest echoing with the sounds of wildlife hidden throughout, he could hear gentle waves lapping on a sandy shore. Sandpipers and seagulls called to each other while palm fronds rustled in the ocean breeze. A mourning dove cooed, letting its song gradually fade into the ambience, and harbor bells tolled in the distance. Coop smiled to himself as he remembered he was already back home. It had been late in the night when he arrived in Ghost Reef, but he¡¯d made it back in time to fall into a well-deserved deep sleep.


    Jett emerged from where she was buried by the piled sheets that he¡¯d abruptly thrown off, squirming her way to freedom before she curled back into a ball of fur, flopping against Coop¡¯s vacated pillow, irritated that he had woken her too early in the day. She resumed her bid to rest after giving Coop an agitated side-eye for disturbing her peaceful slumber. Coop apologetically rubbed her forehead, forcing her to squeeze her eyes shut.


    A little black ribbon was tied into a bow and rested behind the lighthouse cat¡¯s shoulders, decorating her dark fur with a fashionable flourish of fabric. A shiny black gemstone, the professionally refined Eye of Shadow, decorated the center of the adornment. Apparently, her new unique item was similar to Coop¡¯s custom equipment in that it wasn¡¯t exactly armor, and it was flexible. More importantly, the bonuses were equally potent. She wore it to her preference, either as a black bow, a decorative collar, or a ribbon on her tail, depending on what she was up to. She seemed satisfied with the crafted gift, perhaps accepting it as an apology for Coop¡¯s trips abroad and the extra time he spent with Felix.


    Coop shifted to the side of the bed and scratched at his own arm before stretching, falling into an easy routine that helped get on with the day. He had no idea why the newly formed limb itched so much, but Madison had assured him that the feeling was completely normal. She suggested that he think of the irritation as his body running diagnostics on the regrown parts. He wasn¡¯t sure how she could be so confident in what was normal and what wasn¡¯t, given the magic employed in her treatment. No matter how much experience she had, there was no way she had grown limbs from scratch before mana had activated on Earth.


    As he worked his newly corporeal fingers, massaging them with his other hand, he could accept that it was good as new, even if it was a bit uncomfortable. There was no disparaging Madison¡¯s skill, whether it was magic enhanced by experience or some other combination of factors, she was something special. The truth was in the results. He clenched his fist, flexing his forearm, forcing the sleep inertia out of his muscles, and found no room to complain. His new arm was in perfect condition.


    The exhaustion that had smothered him by the end of his adventure in the Yucatan hadn¡¯t quite subsided, even after sleeping in his own bed. He yawned before bouncing to his feet, rubbing the blurriness from his eyes with the heels of his palms. He had already used up his entire allotted rest time, but it was woefully inadequate. It would take a month of relaxation to make up for the fatigue that had accumulated during the extended campaign through the rainforests. Coop jogged down the spiraling stairs until he reached the ground floor of the lighthouse, attempting to stave off his lethargy with some energetic movement.


    ¡°Time to get the mists flowing.¡± He murmured with a husky morning voice, remembering how his last skill, Infusion, had both changed him and completed the Path of the Mistwalker. He was pretty sure he still had blood in his veins, but he doubted he¡¯d ever see himself bleed so long as his protective mists had any resources left in reserve, and that was assuming his layered defenses failed to shield him from injuries.


    Sunny was impatiently waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs, happiest of all that they were back on Ghost Reef. The retriever was bouncing on his front paws, alternating back and forth as he listened to Coop¡¯s footsteps draw nearer and nearer, adding his own tippy taps to the normally quiet chambers. The bustle alerted the spectral bird that nested all the way up in the lightroom, and some curious chirps were added to growing commotion. Poor Jett had enjoyed peace and quiet in the lighthouse for long enough. The rest of the lighthouse residents were already conspiring against her.


    Like Jett, Sunny also had his own new unique equipment. His was a red collar that was nestled in his golden fur, giving off a subtle fiery illumination thanks to the Splinter of Ashen Legacy¡¯s influence. Where Jett¡¯s was able to be manipulated by the cat¡¯s wishes, Sunny¡¯s was a fixed accoutrement that significantly enhanced his capacity to draw on his powers. The Herald of Dawn had a magical focus more similar to Jones¡¯s Bloodstone Cane than to Coop¡¯s Under Armor and Jett¡¯s Ribbon of Shadow. Sunny had already proudly demonstrated the efficacy of his new equipment when delivering the crippling blow to the Empowered Bone Titan back in the Yucatan settlement.


    Coop rubbed the dog behind his ears before opening the front door of the lighthouse. The blissful vistas of the tropical beaches greeted them both. A pair of pelicans swooped along the coast, diving into the shallow water with identical splashes while Coop took a deep revitalizing breath. He enjoyed the ocean breeze and tropical sun as much as physically possible, doing his best to draw the serenity into his being. It was good to be home.


    Unfortunately, there was barely any time to properly relax, no matter how desperately he yearned to sit in the sand and watch the birds enjoy the morning breeze. The days spent lounging on the pristine beaches or within the flourishing settlement, savoring meals and drinks, had already passed them by. Instead, the responsibilities brought by the assimilation were a constant demand.


    A bit more than a week lay between them and the next settlement event. While he was busy hiking through the Central American jungles on the hunt for the Cult of Chakyum, Ghost Reef had been developing on its own. The settlement, like the residents, had grown up to become independently successful, using the momentum from all of the early contributions to keep advancing. It had been quite some time since Ghost Reef needed his constant supervision.


    On the other hand, it had only been three days since he defeated the Lich, but similar preparations that looked toward the long term future were already being made in the Yucatan while he was being sent home. Coop left the region in the capable hands of some of his most trusted advisors and the locals that had been there since the beginning. Sunny was one of the few residents that could comfortably keep up while Coop returned to Corozal to take the first boat back to his island, so the pair of them were the first to return.


    The retriever blasted through the underbrush, like a wolf on the hunt, enjoying the chase, while Coop teleported above the canopy. The other residents of Ghost Reef remained behind, taking the return trip more leisurely than the Champion, and would use the extra time to better organize the region. The Primal Constructs would meet the veterans of Ghost Reef before they had a chance to take advantage of the lost settlement¡¯s retracted territory.


    The Jaguar Sun was offered a place within Ghost Reef¡¯s growing network. However, since the Yucatan settlement¡¯s civilization shard had been destroyed, they needed a new option for their home base. They didn¡¯t necessarily want to impose on the profession masters of Corozal. Adding hundreds of thousands of people to the sleepy town would certainly be a shock, and since the Jaguar Sun was actually composed of numerous groups and even more independent individuals, it didn¡¯t seem like they would all move to a single place anyway. They already had homes and people hiding out that they wanted to get back to.


    Luckily, Ghost Reef had access to Mana Pylons. Like Florida, Central America would end up covered in them as time went on. Ghost Reef would be dumping mana into building as many of the tiny territory spreaders as possible. Official outposts would be popping up from Cancun to Chiapas, Costa Rica, and everywhere in between.


    The main complication, outside of the normal problems caused by the assimilation, was that tens of millions of the necromancer¡¯s minions continued to roam the region, radiating from the ruins of the lost settlement in Guatemala. The Lich had reanimated countless dead that, without a leader, were no better than the most basic Primal Constructs.


    Tzultacaj was committed to continuing his hunt, and he wasn¡¯t alone in his pledge, but many just wanted to finally enjoy relative peace without the Cult breathing down their necks. They had the option to find a place within Ghost Reef, Coop and the others were always open to welcoming new faces, but most had already staked claims while forming their resistance, and they intended to properly secure those villages now that the option was available.


    Shane had his hands full. He and his party had barely finished organizing the residents of Neptune¡¯s Bridge into a firm defense against the Primal Constructs around the Orlando settlement. They sailed back to Ghost Reef in time to be conscripted by Madison for her expedition to Central America. Now, he and Arthur were coordinating with Juliana and Mateo to establish a plan for the Jaguar Sun to secure thousands of square miles of untamed wilderness while forging permanent connections so that even the most isolated groups would be linked to the rest. The survivors of Central America were united by their victory and wouldn¡¯t let themselves be fractured again, but the sheer scale of the undertaking would be a challenge in itself.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    After Sierra was healed by Madison, the Cloud Dancer was in a hurry to return to the fight. She shared the fate of the Yucatan and the role that Coop had taken in the resistance in a bid to be sent back right away, even before she was completely patched up. Madison gathered the information, and knowing that war was on the horizon, took action. The healer gathered nearly 5,000 residents to join the reinforcement effort. Instead of sending the lone Jaguar Sun Elite back by herself, they brought an entire fighting army to back her up.


    Coop concluded that Ghost Reef was continuing to evolve, now with the ability to project force beyond their own territory beyond what Coop could bring to the table by himself.


    Most of the soldiers were those that had been rescued from the cruise ship less than two months prior. They had gone from an average level of 20, disengaged from the assimilation, to an average level of 90, actively prepared to fight for their survival. Training with the phantoms and exploring opportunities to gain experience across the islands through the Adventurer¡¯s Guild had given them both the skills and confidence to chip in. The nurturing framework of Ghost Reef was proving its potency. Like those who had come before, they were motivated to grow so that they could more effectively contribute to the settlement.


    They were led by more experienced residents, the same ones that had been taken under the wing of the original additions to Ghost Reef, as if generations of residents were forming one month at a time. They loaded themselves onto the Navy¡¯s newest fleet of ships, organized by the homebound Sharkbait, with crews of phantom pirates and ex-Sapphire Armada sailors, and arrived in Corozal while Coop and the Jaguar Sun entered the Lacandon Jungle.


    Between Sierra and the scouting party that included both Amanda and Dan that Coop had left behind, the residents of Ghost Reef were able to navigate a straight line to the settlement, arriving just in time for the conclusion of the battle. It would be a number of days before they returned home, but the experience had been invaluable, and more importantly, they had saved many lives on the side of the Jaguar Sun.


    Jones was one of the few who stayed home, making sure the settlement maintained some human leadership with all the phantoms protecting the island. He was there to welcome Coop and Sunny home when they arrived late into the night.


    The contracted residents, like Balor and Garod, had returned to work while Coop wandered through the Yucatan¡¯s rainforests, relieving the humans who had taken their places in their workshops. The aliens had made their decisions and waited for Coop¡¯s return, working twice as hard to make up for the time spent elsewhere. Madison and the others that had reinforced the Jaguar Sun sent Coop back first so that he could hear the aliens out.


    Balor would be meeting with Coop in the afternoon, but Coop wasn¡¯t looking forward to reuniting with his first alien friend. He fully expected it to be a difficult conversation, where the aliens confirmed that they would be returning to the galactic community before the Eradication Protocol initiated.


    Coop had already decided that they would squeeze in a celebration for the alien residents, no matter how busy the assimilation made them. The aliens had made major contributions to the development of Ghost Reef, and deserved to be sent off knowing that they were appreciated. Coop wanted to make sure they understood that there were no hard feelings from his side and ensure that he would find ways to reconnect with them when Earth joined the galactic community. He tried to focus on the positives, and one of the big ones was that Earth would have a handful of trustworthy allies spread throughout the universe, even if they were factionless individuals. In the meantime, he would be putting them to work to make up for their anticipated absence. He had plenty of materials to keep the crafters busy.


    Coop solidified his resolve in preparation for the meeting. He was on his way to have a relatively leisurely breakfast with Jones so that they could catch each other up until the allotted time.


    The old caretaker waited for him in the middle of the gate, taking a familiar position as the welcoming committee for a drastically different fort compared to the crumbling ruins it had been before mana activated. Instead of entering the fort through the small single person door, the main gate was open, wide enough to receive a parade.


    ¡°Welcome back, Coop. Did you rest well?¡± Jones wondered, smiling with a wily gleam in his eye. Coop paid the look no mind, just feeling glad to be back.


    ¡°Feel like I coulda used another few days of sleep, honestly.¡± Coop confessed as he entered the gate of the fort, voice still more gravelly than normal.


    Coop was caught by surprise as he followed Jones onto the main road and crossed the threshold into the city, obviously letting his guard down thanks to finally being home. A woosh of air followed Camila as she ambushed him with an abrupt burst of speed, utilizing her newly crafted bracers, and trapped him in an embrace from the side. The Raptorial Claw of Blinding Speed lived up to its name, even as a component for her custom equipment. For all of his own Agility he couldn¡¯t react faster than the Interceptor, though he was plenty strong to keep from stumbling. Somehow, she seemed even happier to be back in Ghost Reef than he did.


    The girls had waited out of sight while Jones baited Coop into the fort. Coop laughed when Charlie was forced to hug Sunny as his tail beat the air; the retriever absolutely refused to be left out of the reunion, leaping into action with his unmatched enthusiasm. They were all glad to be back.


    ¡°You guys made it back before me, huh?¡± Coop happily greeted the girls, following Jones as he led the way toward the center of Ghost Reef, feeling relieved that things appeared to have worked out for them as well.


    The expedition to Neon Park returned after Madison¡¯s expedition had already left the island, with Admiral Kayla leading the Eye of the Storm, Sea Burial, and Fearless back home from the northeast. They found a surprisingly empty settlement waiting for them, but Jones and the contracted residents were there to catch them up over the last few days.


    ¡°We had to sneak out of Neon Park in the middle of the night.¡± Camila admitted as they walked together down the main road of the settlement toward the Clumsy Shark. ¡°My grandmother was having us watched.¡± She added under her breath, obviously irritated by the treatment of an overprotective family. The way she said it gave Coop the impression that merely calling it overprotective might actually be underselling it.


    ¡°She was just looking out for us.¡± Charlie interjected, trying to prevent Coop from getting the wrong idea about Camila¡¯s relatives, though his two friends seemed to have a rare difference of opinion on the subject. ¡°They were all her family members that wanted to spend time with the long lost golden child.¡± Charlie added with a teasing smirk toward her friend.


    Camila rolled her eyes in response, leaning over to Coop. ¡°She¡¯s become my grandmother¡¯s favorite.¡± She clarified. ¡°Goody two-shoes.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense.¡± Coop accepted, unable to imagine Charlie not being anyone¡¯s favorite. The playful comment was enough to prevent Coop from worrying too much. Whatever Camila¡¯s relationship with the rest of her family was, she gave him the impression that he didn¡¯t need to default towards hostility on her behalf. Either she would handle it or it wasn¡¯t that bad.


    ¡°What happened to Marcus?¡± He asked as he observed the tower that had been completed on the opposite side of the canal. It practically hovered off the ground, anchored only by a few columns around its perimeter, leaving room for residents to walk beneath the construction in the center of the northern circle.


    Evidently, Balor had finished his most recent project, and it had resulted in a spire that rose beyond the rest of the buildings in the settlement, directly above the previous chasm that had formed on the northern half of the courtyard. It mirrored the location of the civilization shard. The surface of the chasm was covered, but he knew there was a deep enough space underneath the road that he would probably avoid standing on it if he could. The surface shimmered in a way that gave Coop the impression it was something like an illusion. Complicated runes that reminded Coop of Madison¡¯s ritual chamber were engraved in the exposed bottom of the dark stone tower, though they were inert at the moment. It was clear that the structure was more than just another stone monument.


    ¡°Marcus wants you to meet him in the Heartland Settlement exactly 20 days after the settlement event ends.¡± Charlie answered Coop¡¯s question before he grew too distracted, tilting his head back and squinting at the upper most tip of the cylindrical tower. It was pretty tall. ¡°At least, that¡¯s the date that Neon Park decided to relay to the Heartland Settlement before the event began.¡± Charlie added dubiously. ¡°The leaders are already posturing for potential negotiations, and Marcus is doing his part by having you back him up.¡±


    Coop frowned as the response sunk in. Marcus hadn¡¯t returned and he had given Coop another task to add to his schedule. He shifted the tower from his attention to turn back to Charlie. ¡°Where is that? And aren¡¯t we getting ahead of ourselves? We all have to survive first, right?¡±


    ¡°Western portion of Kansas.¡± Camila answered informally, then when Coop turned his head and just looked at her with even more confusion, she pointed vaguely northwest, beyond the wall that had a family of burrowing owls living at the top. ¡°That way. On the other side of the Fallen Zone.¡± She added, not really helping with Coop¡¯s general confusion.


    Charlie quickly clarified. ¡°That¡¯s what they are calling the dangerous area that¡¯s threatening Neptune¡¯s Bridge from the North. The Primal Constructs are particularly strong up there. Neon Park had someone scout across most of North America, and apparently, the Fallen Zone spread all the way across the South from the East Coast through what used to be Texas. The Pacific Republic wants to clear it and invited them to help.¡± She explained before Coop could ask another half dozen questions. ¡°We brushed up against the edge while sailing along the coast.¡±


    ¡°Any quests pop up? He wondered, but the girls shook their heads.


    Coop sighed. ¡°Gibson already told me about a potential formation to the south of Neptune¡¯s Bridge. He suspected it was a Hive since it had transformed into a quest area. I¡¯m gonna go deal with that before the event starts, but, man, it seems like that settlement really was kinda cursed.¡± He concluded. The bridge settlement had Primal Construct bases on all sides.


    Charlie and Camila both nodded, remembering their experience in Neptune¡¯s Bridge, and tacitly approving of sending Coop to help, but he wasn¡¯t satisfied with his itinerary. It seemed like a lot of different events were lining up one after the other. Coop expected to be busy.

 Chapter 237: Underlayer Understanding

    Coop accompanied Jones, Camila, and Charlie as they entered the Clumsy Shark together. It was still the premiere hangout in Ghost Reef, despite the growing population driving demand for other venues that were popping up around the fort, diversifying the options. The group sat themselves at a table in the center of the half-filled dining area of the Tavern, letting themselves in just like old times. The main difference was that they were surrounded by phantoms and a small number of human residents who were scattered between the bar, the central tables, and the more private booths. The place certainly had more customers compared to when the population of the island was barely above 10 total residents.


    Even with the majority of human residents following Madison to Central America, the atmosphere of the tavern was like a relatively busy breakfast spot after the early rush was settling down on a lazy Saturday morning. A handful of waiters checked on tables while groups took their time and enjoyed each other''s company. The fire crackled beneath the mantle of the large fireplace and the large carpet-like tapestries that were hung from the wooden rafters against the walls muted the conversations that were taking place, though bouts of laughter still managed to fill the room. The sounds of their seats sliding on the wooden floor did nothing to diminish the ambiance.


    The relaxed setting was a welcome change compared to what Coop had experienced in the Yucatan. Only Juan, the fisherman in Corozal, could create a similar feeling, but even then, the other elders were always keeping an eye on how things were developing, doing what they could to make sure they wouldn¡¯t be caught by surprise. The dynamic of the Yucatan had required a level of vigilance that never quite went away. Inside the Clumsy Shark, Coop felt like he was the only one with any worries.


    The appetizing scent of the house stew filled Coop with nostalgia for the simpler times where he was blissfully ignorant of the constant greater threats to their survival. The Ancient Defenders had been enough of a challenge for him back then, while Balor and Jones focused on the layout of the undeveloped fort courtyard. Coop felt like he should be savoring the brief respite.


    A human waiter came to take their orders, holding a pad and stubby pencil-like writing implement, even with the easy to remember menu, like he was brand new. Coop glanced around the room, finding it odd that Desmond and Maeve were absent despite assurances that the alien residents were back to work. There were only humans and phantoms within the dining area, eating or serving. In fact, now that he thought about it, Coop hadn¡¯t seen any contracted residents in the settlement at all. That seemed strange. He shook his head, trying to focus on one concern at a time. Two if he added filling his stomach with being brought up to speed with regard to the Underlayer Event.


    Jones refrained from ordering, having already eaten, but the other three all requested bowls of stew, the house special. The waiter left them to their conversation with a pleasant smile. Coop was amused because he didn¡¯t think the man recognized him, instead deferring to Jones as the senior representative of the settlement. Coop wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.


    Charlie was uncharacteristically chatty and Coop was happy to listen to the eager descriptions of their trip, saving his topics for when they were all caught up. She was really excited to share her observations of Neon Park, from the ivy-like vines climbing the skyscrapers, the gargoyle-like Primal Construct variants, the outer boroughs defensive patrols, and the safety established in a communal underground. She tried to share every detail with Camila adding particulars to help paint an accurate picture.


    Coop had to admit, he felt a twinge of regret that he hadn¡¯t been able to accompany them to the post-mana version of New York City. From what they shared with him, it was another massive settlement, easily rivaling what the Cult of Chakyum had established in the Yucatan Settlement, but without all of the Oaths, human sacrifice, and necromancy. Instead, it had embraced the stubborn resistance that was also personified within Ghost Reef, though with a different ¡°don¡¯t tell me what to do,¡± kind of attitude toward the broader galactic community.


    The fact that an Unchosen bartender and a DJ had claimed the civilization shard and managed to hold onto it while hundreds of factions, Chosen or not, vied for control was a testament to the pair¡¯s shrewd savviness and outright strength. Coop got the impression that they would be a force on any kind of battlefield, whether it came down to physical conflict or diplomacy. Coop was happy to hear that they already considered Ghost Reef an ally, though the distance would make networking difficult. Taming the wilds in between would be a project for another time, one that Coop didn¡¯t think he would be adding to his list any time soon.


    In turn, Coop shared the details of his adventure in Central America, starting with Corozal and culminating in the incredible reinforcements brought by Charlie¡¯s mother. The Jaguar Sun may not have been nearly as organized as their newest allies in the Northeast, but they had their own admirable virtues that Coop was happy to espouse. Rather than clever diplomacy, they expressed the resilience that Coop respected in the human spirit. Between Tzultacaj the Thunder Axe, Juliana the Beast Soul, Mateo the Ingenious Guerrilla, and Sierra the Cloud Dancer, Coop thought the Jaguar Sun Elites could rival the best that Neon Park could offer. Coop teased the girls as if they were agents of the respective groups, claiming the superiority of the Jaguars.


    Camila and Charlie hadn¡¯t seen most of Neon Park¡¯s combat potential, but they weren¡¯t ready to concede anything. Even though Neon Park hadn¡¯t been under the same combat pressures as the Mayan rebellion, the combination of the elites in Camila¡¯s family with Platinum and Neon would already present equally potent levels, and the population of Neon Park and its allies was even larger than the Yucatan¡¯s.


    Luckily for everyone involved, Ghost Reef would be the bridge between the different groups. Together they were building a united force that recognized the external threats that endangered them all.


    Coop and Charlie were having fun trying to demystify Camila¡¯s grandmother, who, despite always presenting an elegant facade, was easily the single most notorious individual in the northeast. It wasn¡¯t entirely due to her connections, but also because of whatever skills she had revealed early in the assimilation in an effort to secure untamed territory for her community. Apparently, she had been so successful, no one with a working survival instinct was willing to test her or her grandchildren. That level of respect even applied to Camila, who further benefited from her own reputation as the missing member of the family that independently established herself on the leaderboards.


    The casual conversations were enough for Coop to briefly forget the pressures of the assimilation. Coop hadn¡¯t felt the same relief in a long time.


    As their food arrived, Coop noticed Jones chuckling to himself like a chaperone listening to kids on a field trip argue about which superheroes would have the upperhand in a competition, knowing full well that the heroes would always end up on the same side. Coop shifted the conversation to include the island¡¯s caretaker, sharing some of his idle thoughts on mana affinities. He watched Jones¡¯s ears perk up, especially when he described his preliminary analogy where they could apply color theory to the affinities, using the color wheel as a visual guide.


    Coop¡¯s idea started by placing his own Spectral affinity in the center of a ring, feeling like it was a more neutral mana flavor that existed in between other extremes, but the overall idea was based on the affinities of the Herald of Cosmos and the additional power she appeared to wield because of them. He thought her Void and Stellar affinities represented complementary types that would be on opposite sides of the wheel, but both Jones and Charlie had their own combinations to add to the puzzle.


    Charlie¡¯s Wind, Rain, and eventually Lightning affinities were analogous types that would be on the same half of his imagined wheel. The fact that they ended up combining into a more dominant Storm affinity was a completely unique situation as far as Coop had seen, but affinities were rare enough that other than Jett, he couldn¡¯t think of anyone else that had reached three. Perhaps the combination shifted her onto an interior track of the wheel, or the opposite, into an outer echelon.


    Jones, on the other hand, had a pair of affinities that were neither opposites nor analogous. Stone and Blood had resulted in a racial evolution after his blood curse was removed, though they were just guessing at the cause and effect. Coop suggested that his affinities were two of three triadic types that would be evenly spaced on the wheel, otherwise, there might be another flavor in between that could turn them into a combination akin to Charlie¡¯s.


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    Still, Coop was just spitballing. Why hadn¡¯t Jett¡¯s combined or had some other obvious impact on her build? Was she assembling another combination that required four? It seemed possible, but he couldn¡¯t even use his theory to explain his own affinities. Maybe instead of a simple color wheel it should also include shades, tones, and tints, or even be a sphere instead of a two-dimensional ring. It very quickly became too complicated for him to imagine, but he had definitely given Jones something to deliberate on. Given the wide variety of affinities, it seemed like it would keep the old academic busy while Coop was exploring battlefields.


    Coop watched as his friends became engrossed in the conversation, laughing at particularly ridiculous suggestions while adding their own dubious thoughts. He just basked in it for a few minutes, watching as Jones expressed sophisticated theories to the very serious looking Charlie while Camila leaned back in her chair, angling her face toward the ceiling and adding her own concepts.


    Eventually, Coop brought them back on track with a sad sigh. As nice as it was to simply enjoy the company, he knew as well as anyone that the break could only be brief. Somehow, being with his friends had done more to refresh him than the good night¡¯s sleep.


    ¡°Don¡¯t we need to be getting ready for this Underlayer Event?¡± Coop finally presented his main concern to the table. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you guys, but I¡¯ve been feeling nervous about it ever since the announcement.¡± He admitted. ¡°It wasn¡¯t like the Siege Event was a walk in the park, plus we probably need to help Empress City and Neptune¡¯s Bridge at the same time. I doubt things will be easy for us.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re ready.¡± Jones asserted confidently. ¡°We¡¯re far more prepared than we were before the Siege Event, when we were hardly keeping up in terms of levels. Besides, the initial challenge of an Underlayer Event is reaching the Underlayer in the first place.¡± He pointed toward the center of the settlement, obstructed by the walls of the tavern beyond the bar. ¡°That¡¯s what Balor¡¯s Tower was for, remember?¡±


    Charlie bobbed her head from Jones¡¯s side, apparently sharing the old caretaker¡¯s confidence. ¡°Neon Park had thousands of people scouring the tunnels for access, and in the end there was only a cavern upstate, near the edge of their territory, that the entire alliance will have to share because they couldn¡¯t find any alternatives.¡± She added. ¡°They only got that much of a head start thanks to Marcus and Neon, but they will have to physically make it down. We have a huge advantage that ours is within the settlement and already assembled by Balor.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s unlikely most settlements will even find an access point and make it down. They¡¯ll forfeit the Underlayer portion completely.¡± Jones concluded, applying knowledge of the system event to his statement. ¡°Even with a path down, the journey could prove too difficult to arrive in time.¡±


    Coop wasn¡¯t entirely satisfied, mostly because he still felt like he was out of the loop. ¡°I need someone to explain what we know about the event already. I¡¯ve been hiking through rainforests ever since the announcement. I don¡¯t even really know what the Underlayer is.¡±


    Jones took the lead, letting the others continue eating while he elaborated on what he had learned through a combination of research in the archive and discussions with the contracted residents. Coop was amused as the senior caretaker put on his metaphoric professor hat and began an academic lecture. It had been a while since he was subject to one of the old man¡¯s lessons.


    ¡°The Underlayer is essentially a series of enormous caves that are formed deep underground at the start of an assimilation. Whether this is an accidental consequence or a deliberate result of planets expanding seems to be unknown, but it is a phenomenon that occurs consistently across the galactic community. Some Underlayers are deeper than others, and I suspect the difference is due to the original size of each planet being variable.¡± Jones began, adding his own insight as he went.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop grunted curious about why the planets would be modified to a specific standard. He could guess at least one reason and he raised it to the table. ¡°So the planets are definitely being terraformed, right?¡± He asked, feeling like it was the explanation that made the most sense, though the thought just added one more thing to keep in the back of his mind.


    ¡°It¡¯s certainly a possibility.¡± Jones agreed, pausing for a bit as they considered the implications. Hopefully, Lyriel¡¯s intel had been correct, and the creator species really was extinct, otherwise, Coop suspected that all of their struggles with the system would eventually be rendered irrelevant.


    Jones didn¡¯t let them linger on the idea, focusing on the physical features to begin with. ¡°In any case, there is a new layer in the geology of Earth, most likely immediately beneath the crust. It should be quite enormous, large enough to have similar climate patterns to the surface, though it will lack familiar features that would take time to establish. More importantly, we shouldn¡¯t expect to find any flora or fauna. Other Underlayers are massive, barren earth caverns with the defining feature being the presence of rich amounts of pure mana.¡±


    ¡°Mana flows freely through the Underlayer and this is where the idea of ley lines comes from.¡± Jones tapped his finger against the table. ¡°Most in the galactic community liken planets to Mana Seeds and the Underlayer as a planet-wide Mana Well, but there are obvious differences that call that interpretation into doubt. For instance, there are no natural minions or manifestations in the layer whereas Mana Wells are universally teeming with mana-warped creatures.¡±


    Coop scrunched his face with distaste. ¡°No monsters?¡±


    Jones shook his head. ¡°No monsters.¡± He confirmed to Coop''s endless disappointment. ¡°There is some sort of erosion to any mana in the Underlayer that causes it to rejoin the ley lines. It won¡¯t have any effect in the short term, but over time, manifestations will break down. This prevents those in the galactic community from permanently occupying the layer anywhere in the known universe. The mana infusion that Balor applied to the fort¡¯s walls would cause them to crumble inside the Underlayer, for example, and that is a standard building practice throughout the community.¡±


    ¡°Weird.¡± Coop commented, wondering if affinities had anything to do with it. Ley lines were supposed to be pure mana, but every minion, manifestation, and construction was established through mana with an affinity.


    Jones nodded in agreement as he went on. ¡°Unlike Siege Events, Underlayer Events are an abnormal choice for a planetary sponsor. If they are used at all, they are typically reserved for much later. These types of events function best as an attempt to dislodge the most reinforced territories due to their nature. They are open-field battles over control points beneath each civilization shard. Fortifications are removed as a variable, thus negating the structural advantages of hardened settlements.¡±


    Jones went on as Coop frowned, feeling even more worried about the settlement event as the explanation went on. That was Ghost Reef¡¯s advantage Jones was talking about so unconcernedly.


    ¡°If the defenders can¡¯t remove the invaders before the time is up, the invaders will be granted a pocket within the settlement¡¯s territory on the surface. My understanding is that this would effectively create a foothold, but at this stage of the assimilation, there hasn¡¯t been enough time for any settlements to truly expand to the point that shifting the front line with the planetary sponsor would be necessary.¡± Jones concluded.


    Coop nodded along, finally feeling like he was in the loop. ¡°Well, you said most settlements won¡¯t even make it into the Underlayer. Maybe they¡¯re trying to do to the other settlements what ended up happening  to Neptune¡¯s Bridge. If the Primal Constructs are given the opportunity, they can build these Fallen Zones before the settlements are established enough to dislodge them. Even the relatively organized and powerful Sapphire Armada preferred to fight us instead of dealing with their front yard, I can only imagine it would be worse for settlements that are already struggling.¡±


    ¡°Seems like a good way to carve out large sections of unclaimed land as well.¡± Camila added, putting her spoon down. ¡°People will naturally avoid those areas if they can, just letting the Primal Constructs gain ground without any challenge.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± Coop murmured. The dangers presented by the event eroded the idea that the invaders had fallen low on the list of real threats after the Siege Event boosted Ghost Reef far beyond their development. ¡°Maybe I wrote off the Primal Constructs too soon.¡± He considered. ¡°Any of these settlement events could turn them right back into a planetary threat.¡± Coop looked around the table. ¡°But why aren¡¯t you guys worried? I feel like we should be worried.¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s a system event.¡± Camila stated conclusively. ¡°Every resident of Ghost Reef can hold their own when the enemies are restricted by the system. Even the newest among us are already catching up, beating the leveling curve. The Primal Constructs will be shocked when an organized army arrives through a previously established Underlayer Gateway. Plus, if things really get out of hand, like last time, we¡¯ve got a secret weapon.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Coop raised his eyebrows, excited to learn about some new development around the settlement. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    She pointed her spoon at him. ¡°You.¡± She responded matter-of-factly.

 Chapter 238: Chasm Configuration

    Coop was lounging in Ghost Reef¡¯s citadel, seated on a comfortably contoured bench while waiting for Balor to arrive at their scheduled meeting. Coop savored the relaxing moments while he could, doing his best to ignore the nagging stress at the back of his mind. The civilization shard hovered in the center of the enclosure, emitting a subtle glow that mixed with the filtered sunlight emanating through the edges of the ceiling and the skylight above. Coop had a newfound respect for the sturdy bunker-like structure after his trip abroad.


    Previously, he had admired the intricate details that made the final bastion of their settlement an inviting and comfortable place for casual recreation without sacrificing its rugged sturdiness. The decorative brutalist style was reassuring without being oppressive. Even as he relaxed, another group of phantoms held a casual conversation in one of the outer enclaves, letting their sporadic laughter spread into the central chamber, and proving that the place was a pleasant retreat during one of their breaks. They picnicked in one of the gazebo-like exterior bunkers surrounded by trellises that were covered in leafy plants that flourished in the partial sunlight. Elevated angled windows let a soothing amount of golden radiance into their area while lower pillbox slits provided sightlines onto the slanted entranceways.


    The disguised protection of the citadel was welcome, but the fact that it was a charming location within their fort was what Coop had always valued the most.


    Now that Coop had witnessed the final fate of a civilization shard, he better appreciated the extra security provided by the construction. Losing the shard was less of a hypothetical worst-case scenario and more of a real possibility that would be better avoided. When the Lich destroyed the Yucatan settlement¡¯s shard, it had been like tearing the heart out of the territory. It was a tangible loss that materially impacted everyone interacting with mana.


    Coop had previously believed that Ghost Reef could live on without the civilization shard and the settlement territory that it provided. Though his feelings hadn¡¯t completely changed, he understood that the loss would result in more than a simple escalation in monster development. There were all sorts of knockdown effects caused by losing the territory that wouldn¡¯t be evident unless experienced.


    He and Jones discussed the details of what had transpired in Central America while they waited, diagnosing the events that had ultimately concluded with power being centralized in the Cult. The archaeologist was keen to delve into the topic.


    Jones continued his proposition, like an academic presenting a thesis. ¡°Each settlement is operating in a vacuum, removed from the rest of the world, since pre-mana connections were destroyed. Without broader human institutions, settlements have effectively devolved into isolated primitive societies.¡±


    Coop scratched his head, doing his best to keep up. ¡°But why devolve?¡±


    Jones shook his finger like it was a good question from his favorite student. ¡°The adults have left the room.¡± He answered with a disappointed shake of the head. ¡°We are reinventing governance and civility as if the existence of a broader universe has reset human morality. The fact that power dynamics had been thrown out the window with mana effectively resetting hierarchies means that a wide range of new arrangements are possible, and unfortunately, many have taken it as an opportunity to embrace their more ignoble characteristics.¡±


    Coop thought his friend¡¯s theory was all very Lord of the Flies with humanity facing a loss of innocence on a galactic level, but given the zeal that many enemies had fought him with, it didn¡¯t feel completely far-fetched. The idea did little to alleviate his concerns for the rest of the planet.


    ¡°We only have a few examples to observe, but the more organized societies appear to have had a foundation in previously established structures. New York¡¯s community organization and the West Coast¡¯s militant influence are good examples, but even the structure laid out for our reformed Empress City carries principles that Marcus carried over from his experience in government. You could even argue that the Cult of Chakyum was based on organized religions, though the social contracts were made a bit more literal with addition of mana.¡± Jones continued.


    It definitely got Coop thinking. Would humanity be changed by the new system? The additional influence from outside factions, manipulating the chaos for their own benefit, only resulted in more wild extremes in demonstrated behavior. Maybe people like the Lich or the Champion of Empress City were already messed up before the assimilation, but they might not have acted on their desires without aliens nudging them over the edge. As far as the galactic community was concerned, the assimilation was a land grab. The indigenous population was an afterthought at best.


    Coop worried about humanity as a whole, but his focus would always stay on Ghost Reef. The tiny island development would force its way into the future, regardless of what rose up in the ruins of human society. If another group of humans threatened his settlement, they would have to face the consequences. Coop would keep things simple. He was a simple guy with simple goals. It didn¡¯t make sense for him to overextend himself trying to save the world when it would put everything else they had built at risk. Whatever that meant for preserving human society would only be an unintended side effect for someone as straightforward as he was.


    Even if the Primal Constructs conquered the planet in place of the other human groups, Coop would do everything in his power to make sure that Ghost Reef stood like a permanent bulwark against the mechanical invaders instead. They wouldn¡¯t have the vastness of space to protect them from the planetary sponsor if the invaders finished the assimilation with control of the rest of the planet, so Coop imagined a continued push for territory. Of course, that was in the case of a hypothetical worst case scenario for the rest of humanity¡¯s experience and only after they survived the Eradication Protocol. There were so many checkpoints they needed to clear first, it almost wasn¡¯t worth addressing, but by keeping their goals uncomplicated it meant they would be preparing for any possibility.


    He and Jones both anticipated that the other future challenges would necessitate broader cooperation, but that depended on the stance of the rest of the world. Marcus, Charlie, and Camila were apparently hopeful with regard to Neon Park and its allies, but time would tell how others who had been relatively successful could play along with Ghost Reef.


    Coop thought cooperation between perceived equals might become even more complicated than the conquests of Empress City and Neptune¡¯s Bridge. He hoped the more diplomatically minded advisors of Ghost Reef were up for the task, because he was already sure he wasn¡¯t. If Jones was right about how settlements were reinventing the wheel, he thought differences would be inevitable. He doubted they would run into many more situations where prominent members of organized alliances happened to have blood relations with his own companions to streamline the settlement relationships.


    In any case, the Underlayer Event would be an opportunity for Coop to network a little bit more, whether by meeting people who made it into the underground or by mapping new, more efficient routes to other settlements for future contact. Hopefully, he could provide a positive impression of Ghost Reef and plant seeds for further cooperation, but they all knew he wasn¡¯t exactly a classic ambassador. Instead, his role would be simpler. All he needed to do was demonstrate Ghost Reef¡¯s strength to give them credibility in the long run. Coop felt like that was something he could definitely do.


    The discussion with Jones was making Coop antsy to get moving. Forget about all the diplomacy and sociological differences, he just wanted to grind. If he couldn¡¯t chill on the beach or spend more time with his friends he wanted to be leveling. The world was inescapably a complicated place, but he could easily boil down the solution to most of his problems by continuing his progression. Strength would clearly be the light that attracted others to their lighthouse, and it would be crucial to their continued existence in a broader sense.


    When Balor hadn¡¯t arrived as their conversation drifted through topics, Coop openly wondered what the hold up was, but Jones had been keeping mum about Balor and the other contracted residents, evidently already being aware of their plan. He was joining Coop for the meeting, keeping him company, but he wouldn¡¯t answer any questions. He continued distracting the Champion by making comments about the various projects around the settlement that had been completed in the last few weeks in an effort to keep him occupied until the dwarf-like alien arrived.


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    Development was going well. Compared to their earliest progress, it was relatively hard to notice equal amounts of growth, but they hadn¡¯t slowed down just because the Champion, the Viceroy, and most of the settlement¡¯s advisors were off in foreign lands. The newest additions simply filled in the sections allotted for buildings between earlier construction while respecting the green spaces of the fort. The early organization was paying off, letting the human architects continue with previously approved projects that didn¡¯t conflict with the overall plan set in motion by Jones in the beginning.


    Physically, Ghost Reef was like a miniaturized cut out of a major city with all of the amenities one would expect. The various sectors were carefully arranged into the condensed island in a wheel and spoke pattern. Districts were loosely formed from large slices in the courtyard, based on the private and public services offered, but every section was united by the presence of residential buildings and parks. Security and comfort continued to be their first priorities, with housing being a natural extension for their safety and convenience. Every resident had access to a private dwelling, and there were plenty of vacancies in anticipation of future immigration.


    Coop had to stop and ask Jones if he was joking when the old caretaker suggested that in the long run, they could comfortably have a population in the tens of millions. The bulk of their current population was from the phantoms. They didn¡¯t even have 6,000 total human residents yet, so millions seemed like a complete exaggeration to Coop.


    Jones''s assertion had come from what was unfolding underground. After breakfast, Charlie and Camila had gone into the pearlescent chambers, beneath the fort, to continue planning for the future development of Ghost Reef. Charlie had really been inspired by the way Neon Park had arranged their underground tunnels and she was taking the lead on Ghost Reef¡¯s continued expansion while Marcus was away. Ever since the pair had returned, they had been exploring the extent of the underground, while starting new Slayer grinds in the deeper tunnels where only a handful of residents had ever visited.


    The gist of Charlie¡¯s idea was to maximize the public space in the illuminated chambers, with their glowing pillars, turning the areas that had once been occupied by Ruin Excavators into shared courtyards while the residences would be carved into the walls that Felrog had tunneled through. Each chamber would be transformed into an individual neighborhood, with open central areas that could be decorated and designed into inviting plazas. They would avoid a claustrophobic underground and allow each section to develop its own character by avoiding the most efficient and dense arrangements. Marcus had already started adding their storage in the excess space, and the new neighborhoods would provide further expansion for the services in the fort.


    Ultimately, the plan was to expand along the chasm to the Underlayer, however many miles down it went. They would radiate into the chambers that surrounded the chasm¡¯s perimeter, following the glowing pillars that had been revealed during the Siege Event. In that way, they would all remain connected to the surface. If people were going to live underground, they needed easy access to the rest of the settlement. The chasm would be that connection. Charlie and Camila were in the process of clearing as deep as they could go to get a better idea of the full extent of their real estate.


    The layout wouldn¡¯t be the most efficient use of space for the dwellings, but the one thing the underground didn¡¯t lack was capacity, and in the case of residences, packing in as many as possible would be counterproductive to the intentions of their settlement. They had to keep in mind that people would actually be living there, so comfort was valuable. Comfort was an essential, if unofficial, Ghost Reef guideline.


    Unlike the surface, they weren¡¯t limited to the space within a confined area. They could essentially continue to expand downwards indefinitely, so long as their settlement territory kept up. Rather than expanding horizontally beneath the reefs, into the dark caverns, they would be creating an underground tower with the fort at the very top, like a crown poking through the surface, lit by the mana infused pillars that surrounded the chasm. It would be considerably different than what humans were used to, but it seemed like the better alternative to building sprawling neighborhoods in subterranean darkness to try and make traditional residential sections with only mana to keep them together. As a policy, they tried to avoid complete reliance on mana.


    Balor¡¯s Underlayer Gateway could essentially be used as an elevator to future layers of the settlement. Stairs would be an alternative, spiraling up and down the perimeter of the chasm, but Coop¡¯s experience with the Grand Tomb of Chakyum had him seeking a more expedient method as well. If the gateway worked like Jones had described, they would have virtually instant transportation from Balor¡¯s Tower to the surface of the Underlayer, however many miles below it ended up being. Each level could be added to the column, transforming Balor¡¯s Tower into the anchor point of a series of gateways. Teleportation sounded much better than climbing thousands of stairs, but the stairs were a necessary backup plan in Coop¡¯s opinion.


    In any case, they were talking about embedding thousands of apartments into the perimeters of the individual glowing underground chambers that circled the chasm. Each level had four natural chambers connected to the central chasm, providing plenty of illuminated real estate. Coop had only ever gone to the first level when he fought Ruin Excavators during the Siege Event, but obviously, the chasm kept going.


    Overall, the chambers were shaped like the leaves of a clover, and could be expanded outwards, further into the smooth tunnels formed by Felrog, to increase their size. They were already naturally reaching below the outer walls of the fort, where they had managed to build an entire city, but Coop would need to visit the chambers again before he could fully accept they had that kind of space underneath the fort.


    Coop was successfully distracted. Jones had him considering the dimensions of their underground territory instead of waiting for Balor. The pearlescent chambers were significantly taller than a regular floor, so the dwellings dug into their exterior could comfortably be four rather spacious levels. The chasm also easily extended miles into the underground, so they were talking about hundreds of layers of four stacked apartments, maybe even thousands, depending on how many miles down they were talking about. He had to concede that Jones was actually being conservative when he suggested millions could become residents of Ghost Reef. Thankfully, they would only be adding one layer at a time, or Coop was afraid he wouldn¡¯t recognize his own settlement before too long.


    Shaking his head, Coop brought their focus back to the matter at hand. ¡°Alright, where the heck is Balor?¡± He asked, interrupting their distracted imaginings, ready to get the show on the road. Cozy dwellings surrounding idealized public courtyards connected by teleportation gateways were all well and good, but he wanted to make sure they would be safe so that the vision could be made reality.


    Jones glanced to the space above the shard, casually gauging the height of the sun through the skylight as he responded. ¡°Should be here by now.¡± He admitted with little concern entering his voice.


    ¡°I feel like if it''s bad news I¡¯d prefer if he just ripped the bandage off.¡± Coop complained.


    Jones sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not good or bad news, but it is complicated.¡± He explained. Coop made a face, unsatisfied by the unclear comment. ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± Jones concluded, avoiding a fulfilling elucidation.


    It only took a few more minutes before Jones spotted Balor and pointed him out to Coop. He was coming from the north rather than from his workshop to the south. Coop raised his eyebrows when he spotted the alien stonemason walking down the main road that he had built himself. The squat resident stomped past the anchoring columns of his newest project, Balor¡¯s Tower, across Balor¡¯s Bridge, and into Balor¡¯s Citadel. Coop shook his head as the many contributions of their first recruit really sank in.


    Balor had expected to show off for primitive beings when he was contracted for an assimilation, but humanity was far more advanced than he had anticipated. The basic fort walls had blown his mind, being built without the use of any mana at all, but that didn¡¯t stop him from demonstrating a proud work ethic and proficiency that ended up defining the city that Ghost Reef was becoming. The settlement was a mixture of influence from Jones and the stonemason, incorporating the alien¡¯s experience while maintaining respect for local historical preferences.


    Now, the primary stonemason of their city marched through the settlement, surrounded by his creations, shining in magnificent plate armor with an enormous two-handed hammer slung over his shoulder. Phantoms stopped what they were doing to watch him go, speculating about what was happening. His expression wasn¡¯t one that gave the impression he was just showing off. He was deadly serious.


    The end of Balor¡¯s weapon was nearly the size of the entire dwarf and Coop wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it exceeded his heaviest morning stars. Only Balor¡¯s head was unadorned by armor, but a grated helmet was braced in the crook of his other arm, catching light with every step. It was polished to a perfect shine.


    Balor¡¯s bushy beard contrasted with his dazzling breastplate and Coop found it interesting that the rock solid alien wore armor at all. He seemed like the type to have natural protection if he ever needed it. Being fully decked out in the plated armor made him seem like someone else. Rather than a stonemason, he looked like a warrior prepared to face a raid boss with no expense spared on his equipment.


    A knot formed in Coop¡¯s stomach, tightening as he observed his friend¡¯s solemn march. The pieces started to click together. Balor was like a decorated soldier on his way to meet his commanding officer, dressed for a long-earned retirement. It really felt like Coop would be sending his friend off one final time.

 Chapter 239: Warbound Warband

    ¡°Balor!¡± Coop excitedly greeted his friend when he made it inside the citadel, trying to suppress his building anxiety. However, the stonemason¡¯s extraordinary polished armor continued to make him nervous. It was too much like the military dress of a retiring soldier. ¡°What¡¯s with the get up? You look like you¡¯re going to war.¡± Coop tried hiding his nervousness with what he thought was a silly joke. The group of phantoms that had been laughing on their own quieted down and were watching with wide eyes, unsure how to take the boisterous stonemason¡¯s equipment.


    ¡°We are, lad.¡± Balor stated with the serious expression sculpted into his stone face. He positioned himself adjacent to the civilization shard and faced the Champion with a soldier¡¯s posture.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Coop was left even more confused. ¡°You mean the event?¡± He asked, though he knew that couldn¡¯t be the answer. The contracted residents continued to be restricted by the system as long as the assimilation was ongoing. There was no getting around the limits imposed by the system for those that were already a part of it, and that was true for all of the contracted residents. There was no reason for Balor to be equipped to fight as he couldn¡¯t independently leave the settlement¡¯s territory until the assimilation was completed and the planet was integrated into the galactic community. The only way a contracted alien resident could engage in combat was to break their contract and they would be forced to leave the assimilation if they did so.


    ¡°No.¡± Balor responded, still too serious for Coop¡¯s liking. ¡°I mean War. Establish your faction and you¡¯ll see. We¡¯re ready now.¡± He added gruffly, like a combat veteran that knew exactly what he was getting himself into.


    ¡°Woah, hey now, what¡¯s the rush?¡± Coop was suddenly on his backfoot, unprepared for the sudden declaration. He thought they had more time together. It wasn¡¯t like the Eradication Protocol was imminent. If forming a faction was a big enough problem for the contracted residents that they would leave right away, even before the complications that would force them out, Coop could hold off a little longer before creating it. He looked to Jones for help, but the island¡¯s senior caretaker was quiet after retreating to the side benches and letting the alien speak for himself.


    ¡°We need the faction to be official before we can join it.¡± Balor announced a bit impatiently, as if this was the one final thing he needed to complete a long term project that had required significant amounts of work; the one last bit of red tape that needed to be resolved. ¡°As soon as the faction is announced, it¡¯ll be War.¡±


    Coop tilted his head to the side, like he was trying to listen to the stonemason¡¯s words a second time. ¡°You can join it?¡±


    ¡°We can, but the faction itself will draw an immense amount of attention by joining the galactic community. An unknown group forming a faction without an assimilation announcement will be an immediate target for half of the factions out there and a curiosity for the other half. They¡¯ll look to crush us, claim our territory to harvest resources, and subjugate the members without a second thought, no matter how out of the way and harmless we seem.¡± Balor proclaimed.


    ¡°It¡¯s as much to expand themselves as it is to prevent a new rival from establishing. Most wouldn¡¯t dare part with the expenses if we defeated a planetary sponsor after surviving an assimilation first. They would assume we developed a hardy faction after succeeding in the end, but it is what it is with your Eradication Protocol claims. If the faction needs to come before the assimilation can end, then it will mean faction wars. I guarantee it.¡± The stonemason declared his logic.


    Coop¡¯s eyes widened as the pieces started to fall into place. New concerns started to pop up in his mind, and he came up with another dozen reasons to continue delaying the formation of the faction. If nothing else, he needed more levels. He tensed up as he imagined the horrors that war with other alien factions might bring. He had seen enough sci-fi movies to expect the worst in a planetary invasion. He wasn¡¯t ready. Not even close. Were any of Ghost Reef¡¯s residents? No way.


    A calming hand cradled Coop¡¯s shoulder before he spiraled into his thoughts, envisioning the additional responsibilities he would need to take on, and the incredible power of ancient cultivators with untold ages to progress and become their doom. The simple goals Coop held dear would be unbelievably difficult to maintain. Despite the calming touch, it was the dangerously sharp dark red nails that drew his attention. Slender fingers rested on his shoulder and gently squeezed, putting their shiny points millimeters from skin.


    A pleasant, humming giggle followed as Maeve snuck up on him and pulled his focus to herself, knowing that her timing had been perfect. Instead of being dressed for waiting tables in the Clumsy Shark, like a medieval beer maiden, she looked like she was moonlighting as a seductive villainess. Her wavy blonde hair was pulled into a tight bun, revealing her pointed ears and the short dark horns normally hidden beneath her bouncy bangs. Her sharp tail slowly snaked back and forth as she shamelessly flaunted her demonic nature in a way he had never seen before and had been explicitly told she avoided doing when he was first getting to know her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Champion.¡± She spoke confidently. ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re here for.¡± She confirmed with a subtly menacing smile that let her normally concealed pointed teeth sneak past her lip. ¡°The system will dictate the armies, forcing the challengers to mobilize their newest members, the equivalent of you humans in this case. It is more of a game than an actual war in your human terms, so you don¡¯t need to concern yourself so much. The rules are well-established and there will be none of your war crimes. What you humans have already done to each other is unimaginable with the system¡¯s oversight.¡± Maeve let her hand slip off Coop¡¯s shoulder as she held his attention with her gaze.


    ¡°Our enemies will expect to find equally green opponents and earn easy prizes and experience for their fledgling ranks while plucking a premature fruit to harvest its seeds in your planet.¡± She gestured toward herself and Balor. ¡°They will find us on the battlefield instead: veterans of the galactic community, independent, and powerful enough to challenge even their greatest powerhouses, would they be allowed to send them.¡± She smiled just a little wider at having the opportunity to flex her position in the broader galaxy. It actually sent a chill down his spine. The lovely waitress had become the personification of danger.


    Coop¡¯s eyes widened as what his alien friends were describing replaced the horrific planetary invasion he had immediately visualized. But more importantly, the explanation revealed that the alien residents hadn¡¯t been making arrangements to return to the galactic community and abandon Ghost Reef after all. In fact, they had been organizing the opposite. A permanent commitment to the little island settlement, one that put their eternal lives on the line, and timed so that they could ensure his faction¡¯s survival despite their reticence toward factions in general. It was such an absurd series of requests, he had never seriously imagined making it, but they had accepted it on their own.


    ¡°You¡¯re staying?¡± Coop wondered, sounding a bit more like a hopeful kid than he had intended, not ready to believe it yet. There was no way Ghost Reef had earned that much from them.


    ¡°It was exceedingly expensive to renegotiate our system contracts. You¡¯ll be stuck with us for quite a while.¡± Desmond added with a proud voice from over Coop¡¯s other shoulder, having arrived with Maeve. He was wearing a gunmetal suit of snug lusterless armor with a pair of needle point fencer swords at his waist. ¡°I trust you will make it worth our while.¡± He added with a subtle smile.


    The devil bartender nodded to the courtyard outside of the citadel, encouraging Coop to look outside. All of the contracted residents of Ghost Reef were lined up, waiting to access the civilization shard with various types of alien armors and strange exotic weapons.


    Sojjah, the slime alien alchemist, made a spectacle of herself as she swirled with bubbling chemicals inside of her body. Her core transitioned from her humanoid form to a giant imitation of Jett, testing her claws. Six spiked tails flicked in the air as she experimented with feline flexibility combined with the whip-like additions. Satisfied, she transformed back and popped a small square into her mouth, altering her color slightly as it dissolved. She stood with the monkey-like forager and his diamond shaped companion near the front of the citadel while they also double-checked unusual armaments.


    Garod, the blacksmith, was further behind and off to the side in his own open space, fiddling with a small handheld contraption. A rectangular device with an antenna-like apparatus resisted his efforts until he finally grew frustrated and smashed the singular red button in the center.


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    Armor careened through the air and crashed onto the diminutive alien after manifesting somewhere in the sky. Heavy metal that looked like it belonged in a junkyard landed with a crushing bang, obscuring the alien, and for a moment Coop¡¯s breath caught as he thought he witnessed the sudden death of their grandmaster blacksmith. The pile of heavy metal plates shifted, constructed itself into something akin to a steel mech, rising up and transforming into a bipedal automaton with grating clangs. The top plate lifted to reveal the dog-eared alien sitting in a cockpit surrounded by levers 14 feet off the ground. He pulled one lever and a drill-shaped arm protruded from the side of the mech¡¯s torso, joining half a dozen others that poked idly at the air. The last addition rotated with a buzz before spinning back down while the blacksmith did diagnostics on his own unique creation.


    Erasimus Doomthread waited for his turn behind Ixia¡¯s gently shifting moth wings. The clothier had a small swarm of needles flitting back and forth as he shifted his claws where threads presumably connected his tools. Further behind, Brewbot stood with perfect upright posture, with his shiny metallic arms folded behind his back as if the robot was meditating. Zakronaw, the bird mayor flapped above the rest, landing on top of the citadel, taking up a protective position near the civilization shard, and the group of undead from the archive were joined by the enigmatic set of aliens from the medical center, despite their allegiance to a different faction. Their loyalty to the individual Sage was evidently a higher priority than the broader Merciful faction.


    While Coop tried to reconcile the number of aliens with what he knew of the settlement, Caisalya, the herbalist, joined Balor inside the central area, causing all the plants growing on trellises to shift in her direction and seem just a little greener. ¡°Was there always this many?¡± Coop asked himself, gauging the group to be more than 100 rather than the dozen or so he thought they had recruited.


    The herbalist smiled sweetly at Coop, but the friendliness was barely surface level. Even the pleasant plant lady was seemingly in the mood for war. He looked at her slender limbs and wondered what she was doing there without her own specially crafted armor like all the rest. She seemed harmless aside from her aura.


    ¡°Careful, Champion.¡± She sang to him as she caught his eye and smirked. ¡°I have thorns as well.¡± She stated with her voice losing the melody and hinting at real danger. The look in her eye reminded him that she was one of the galactic community¡¯s most wanted, with a bounty on her head that could crush entire planets.


    Coop slowly put his finger down before he could formulate a response, already overwhelmed. A shadow appeared behind the line that was extending toward the bridge. Vronk forced his way to the front, eschewing his rolling pin for a solid stained club, making him seem even more barbaric than normal. The club itself was multi-colored, covered in what Coop could only assume was many different types of alien blood. The other aliens got out of his way, giving a surprising amount of respect to the ogre baker. Coop watched as the ogre-like alien skipped the line and hunched through the entranceway until he made it to the central chamber of the citadel where he could stand tall.


    The baker was breathing erratically, nostrils flaring, and his eyes were bloodshot by the time he met Coop¡¯s, clearly agitating for a fight. ¡°Vronk first. Vronk go smash. Protect piggies.¡± He managed to articulate though it was clear he wanted to simply roar.


    ¡°Do it, Coop.¡± Balor encouraged, following the ogre¡¯s lead. ¡°We¡¯ll let Vronk accept the first challenge.¡±


    When Coop retrieved the royal blue disc from his spatial storage, the aliens respectfully gave him space, awed by the implement he had kept this whole time. He took the Faction Founding Chip and placed it beneath the civilization shard, giving up on finding more excuses to delay. He trusted Balor, Maeve, and the others.


    Coop stumbled back, shielding his eyes and doing his best to brace himself as waves of mana produced the most spectacular system display he would ever witness. For the first time since humans were exposed to mana, the system exceeded his wildest expectations.


    Energy vibrated from the shard, creating a kaleidoscope of embellishments in the normally invisible, omnipresent mana, pulsating through their claimed territory. The pattern echoed like interdimensional snowflakes in Empress City, in Neptune¡¯s Bridge, and beyond to Corozal. Those individuals that had already joined the faction resonated with the shard, pinging like sonar up the East Coast of North America and scattered throughout the connections between the subordinate settlements.


    The reverberation went beyond Earth, escaping the planetary shield that boxed them in, cascading through the singular entity that every particle claimed by mana combined into, indelibly registering them with the system. Coop¡¯s senses were completely drowned by the feeling of synchronicity, like the universe stopped to take note of him and those he was connected with. It wasn¡¯t as oppressive as being beneath the focused hunger of the Deep Dweller, but he still felt awestruck, and the feeling seemed more alien, being external from humanity¡¯s collective imagination.


    The janky pre-registration provided by Lyriel¡¯s Purification Chip couldn¡¯t hold a candle to the impact of connecting with the galactic community properly. As his physical senses gradually returned and he came down from the alien euphoria, a new type of message was blinking in the center of his vision, unwilling to be ignored. It was a Galactic Notification, mirrored for every single being in the known universe.


    [The Lighthouse Faction has claimed a Core]


    [Territory - Ghost Reef]


    [World - Earth]


    [Principal Species - Human]


    [Founder - Coop]


    Coop¡¯s breath caught as he reconciled the isolated struggle he intended to undertake in protecting his little tropical island with the universal attention they were drawing. How could he keep things simple after this?


    Balor stepped forward, and accepted a pending invitation to join the faction that had been arranged by Elder Olani ahead of time. Coop read the message, head still spinning.


    [Balor Rockshaper (Level 7,589) has become an ¡®Initiate¡± level Permanent Member of the Lighthouse]


    ¡°Holy crap, Balor.¡± Coop muttered as he noted his level. ¡°I thought you were a crafter.¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± He responded dismissively. ¡°Now, brace yourself, lad. You¡¯ve just become the shiniest stone in the universe. Take heart in knowing we¡¯ve got your back.¡± Balor added just before the notifications started to roll in and the other aliens moved forward to take their turn joining the faction.


    [The Xyl¡¯thari Brood has declared a War of Conquest on the Lighthouse]


    [The Silent Hive has declared a War of Conquest on the Lighthouse]


    [The Silicon Vanguard has declared a War of Ideology on the Lighthouse]


    [The Devourers of the Void has declared a War of Conquest on the Lighthouse]


    [The Zrnar Collective has declared a War of Subjugation on the Lighthouse]


    [The Concord of Crimson has declared a War of Conquest on the Lighthouse]


    [The Arisen has declared a War of Conquest on the Lighthouse]


    ¡­


    Coop couldn¡¯t keep up with the notifications. Thousands of declarations scrolled past his sight, blurring despite being transmitted directly into his head, warning him that if they did not respond within a certain timeframe they would be penalized and ultimately forfeit. The Eon Ascendancy, Chitinous Collective, Zenith Blades, Quicksilver Navigators, Chorus of Dominion, Flame¡¯s Witness, and on and on and on, interspersed by the alien residents becoming Initiate members of the Lighthouse.


    After the contracted residents joined the human faction, they disappeared, one after the other, as they volunteered to become the defensive armies representing the Lighthouse on the system-designated battlefields, giving the xeno factions a response to their declarations of war. When Coop approached the shard himself, Balor stopped him from personally joining them, shaking his head and insisting Coop keep doing what he was doing on Earth. Still, Coop insisted on adding the nearby phantoms, while rousing the rest to contribute to the defense. The fort became a flurry of activity, but it was diminished by the notifications that flooded Coop¡¯s vision.


    Eventually, the crowd around the citadel dispersed and Coop was left alone with Jones once again, now with millions of pending notifications.


    ¡°Really puts things into perspective, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Jones observed, astounded, despite being forewarned by Balor and the others as to the scale of their challenge.


    Coop considered everything for a moment, amazed that the alien residents had collectively decided to join them. He hadn¡¯t expected such solidarity from the visitors.


    If nothing else, their commitment and the galaxy¡¯s fixation on the Lighthouse, and therefore Ghost Reef, further reinforced his resolve to preserve the island as long as he could. His responsibilities to maintain Ghost Reef had become that much more important. But, for the moment, he just quietly read through the notifications, slowly shaking his head as he struggled to come to terms with what had happened.

 Chapter 240: When to Play

    Former Prime Commander Zalanth was lying on her side, unsoldierly and pacified, with her elbow on a luxurious pillow and her jaw resting on her knuckles, smooshing her cheek, and her tightly bound battle braids rested over her shoulder and across her collar bone. If any of her former subordinates witnessed her current state, they would assume she had been defeated in battle before being disgracefully captured and contractually enslaved. Nearly 16,000 years of dedicated military service had hardened her mind and body, but life wasn¡¯t as simple as she had believed. That much had become clear.


    She was draped by sheer golden mana-weave silks, gently caressing her pale blue skin with every slight movement. The soft fabrics accentuated the muscles and scars that she had been so proud of before, but made her seem out of place when compared to the other noble guests. If not for her garments, she would most likely be mistaken for security, as she clearly hadn¡¯t lived the soft life of the rest of the crowd. She used her free hand to reach into a bowl of delicacies, causing the charms on her new bracelet to clink pleasantly, and selected one of the fruits that she was already growing fond of. She chewed on beads of the extraordinarily expensive namanin fruit as she contemplated the strange twists of fate.


    Zalanth shifted to her back, flinging her braids away from her skin, and stretched her long limbs beneath the canopy of delicate hanging gossamer veils. Thin sheets separated her reserved section from the others on the plush floor within the main lounge of an opulent pleasure barge. The vessel calmly floated among the gaseous seas of the Lankir Sector¡¯s galactically famous comfort moon, drifting with the currents without any guidance.


    She gazed beyond the transparent ceiling, watching the patterns in the star clouds as they shifted beyond the moon¡¯s thin atmosphere, glowing with beauty that she had never believed she could appreciate. Honestly, she didn¡¯t. Military service had been her purpose, as it was for everyone in the Endless Empire. Anything else, and especially leisure, was for lesser beings that lacked the divine blessing of the God Empress.


    She hated to admit it, but exile from the Endless Empire had resulted in extraordinarily good fortune. Her trajectory from lowly dragoon to Prime Commander was unlikely enough. It was an inspirational story for those in training, but to rub shoulders with those in an echelon of wealth that surpassed established settlements should have been impossible without drastic cosmic intervention. The other guests weren¡¯t quite rich enough to gain independence from factions, but they were able to position themselves into ranks that afforded them such leisure that she found it obscene.


    The God Empress Ministry had decreed that the Prime Commander be removed from her post in disgrace due to the poor performance of their Chosen Humans on the planet Earth. Exile from the Empire was the ultimate insult for a life of dedicated service. In fact, execution would have been more reasonable and a fate that she would have accepted with her head held high.


    Frankly, Zalanth thought exile was completely uncalled for. She had merely done what she was told. She reported the obvious failings of the humans, then when her observations were proven correct, she was sentenced with the ultimate punishment. The blame was placed on her shoulders rather than admit the failings of the God Empress¡¯s judgment. Humans had revealed the fallibility of the divine individual that had gifted her species with access to the system. Supposedly gifted them with the system, she amended her belief.


    She scoffed, shocked that her mentality had shifted so quickly with regard to the quintessential being that led her former faction. It was such casual blasphemy she found herself smirking at the stars, waiting to be torn from the system in retribution. She interlocked her fingers behind her head as she watched.


    The only explanation for the change in her thought patterns was that she had been infected by human mentalities when she was exposed to them during their brief encounters in their orientations. Their personalities were like a virulent disease. It was even their disgusting demands for leisure instead of diligently following her directions that had planted a seed of curiosity that led her to test the amenities of Lankir Sector¡¯s comfort moon.


    The Endless Empire lost untold riches in winning sponsorships for humans before their assimilation began, possibly even more than those who occupied the pleasure barge along with her could claim to have stashed away. Ignoring that the Primal Constructs had been the planetary sponsor, when a third of the humans simply declined the faction¡¯s generous offers, the Empire should have known that nothing would go the way they wanted and abandoned their fanciful hopes of passive conquest. The humans of ¡®Florida¡¯ proved to be recalcitrant, to say the least. In her opinion, they were positively feral and uncontrollable.


    Even those humans who accepted the sponsorship and became Chosen of the Endless Empire were obstreperous. They squawked in the faces of their betters, ignoring the obvious power disparity in an effort to demand explanations, justifications, and rationalizations for every action the Endless Empire engaged in. Did they not understand that with a flick of her finger, she could have decapitated any one of them? If not for the regulations of the system, she would have willingly demonstrated on dozens of individuals, but alas, she never crossed that line. It would have been satisfying, she was sure, no matter the penalty. Even if the system reset her level, she would have gone through with it.


    And yet, it was those same humans that she had to thank for her current luxurious lifestyle. She had been sent beyond the limits of the Endless Empire, transported to a subordinate faction, and ferried to neutral planets through a series of contracts before the last one released her. Due to her sentence, it was only a matter of time before some other faction forced her into an eternity of subservience. She was strong enough to cause the weaker factions to hesitate, but it wouldn¡¯t take long for a larger force to have the resources to subdue her.


    It was then that she hit rock bottom, anticipating hell on the leash of some high ranking aristocrat, thanks to those vile humans. She took the paltry quantity of credits she had collected during her service, and bet them on the results of the first settlement event of Earth. She went all in on the Unchosen, deciding that those bastards should be the ones to repay her for her disgrace or otherwise be the ones to put her out of her misery once and for all.


    Of course, the odds were overwhelmingly against the Unchosen, as they were always simply the fodder for those guided by the wisdom of factions during an assimilation. They never had what it took to survive even beyond the initiation phases. Betting on the Unchosen was throwing credits away, but she was already as good as dead. Her best prospects were among the dregs of the galactic community where she might be overlooked for some time.


    She plucked another namanin fruit bead and placed the tiny morsel between her teeth, popping the seed and letting the juice swirl into her cheek. Each individual berry cost 1,000,000 basic credits. That¡¯s what the Unchosen had done for her. Never again would she underestimate them. In her opinion, those deranged humans had already proven themselves worthy of a sort of twisted respect, or at least diligent circumspection. She would certainly avoid making any one of them an enemy, at a bare minimum.


    The assimilation of Earth was already drawing enough attention elsewhere. The most recent gossip was of a feat that she herself had witnessed thanks to her continued curiosity toward the heathens. This Coop creature was becoming a force to be reckoned with, so she watched with fascination, crediting him with her fortune as he had been the top performer of the first event. She was probably the first in the entire universe to bother learning an Unchosen¡¯s name in order to treat it with respect, regardless of positions on the leaderboards.


    But more recently, the primary leaderboards had revealed an early move from the Chosen of one of the most feared factions in the community, which alone would have been enough to become central to entertainment news. The Chosen of the Unspeakable, one of the premier Undead factions, had revealed an incredible amount of development, already rising to levels that could rival lesser veteran soldiers of established factions. In the blink of an eye, a mere 100 days, and a power had appeared on Earth that could survive within the broader community. It was incredible. The Unspeakable had clearly invested significantly into taking Earth, seeing what her God Empress and so many other factions had seen in the planet, and their expenses were bearing fruit unbelievably early.


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    It was an unusual situation, as most of the Undead factions typically sought to sweep assimilations completely, quietly setting themselves up for grand moves while the field settled, and yet this Chosen Lich had revealed himself extraordinarily early. Not only had he shown over 5,000 levels, enough to cause the betting markets to flip on their heads with the sudden expectation that the Unspeakable had become the clear frontrunners in the Chosen competition, leaping past the Abundant Grasp that controlled the most settlements, but then, the Lich had also been promptly defeated immediately after flaunting his power.


    For a few hours, the talk of the galaxy was the Unspeakable faction¡¯s incredible strategy. Zalanth felt herself smiling at how quickly it had ended for them. Their fall might have been worse than her own.


    Trillions of credits vanished as the system exchanged the winnings and losses of bets made within hours of the Unspeakable jumping ahead of the pack and joining the favorites, second only to the Primal Constructs. Suddenly, Earth¡¯s assimilation had more credits moving than any other assimilation in living memory. It was more than enough action to draw the attention from even the most casual spectators of the fringes. Zalanth hadn¡¯t even had a chance to take her own position, still considering how to hedge her bets against what she believed to be the most likely scenario of an incomplete victory shared between tribes of rebellious humans.


    She fully expected Earth to end up split between dozens of factions given the contentious nature of the humans she had encountered. They would never agree upon a superior faction to submit to, leaving the planetary sponsor as the only chance for a complete claim. She knew that not even the Chosen of the Unspeakable would be able to tame them all, no matter how much power he demonstrated, but there was no chance of her anticipating his fall so quickly. The Lich was killed before she had fully considered the different odds.


    Of course, it was the Unchosen that undid the Lich. Obviously, he had done it with a level gap that would have been enough to immediately demand subservience anywhere else in the galactic community. Why wouldn¡¯t the humans of Earth completely ignore the well-established rules understood by all those in the broader universe? Ignoring rules seemed to be what they were best at.


    After the rise and fall of the Lich, Earth¡¯s assimilation had become the most interesting active event in the galactic community. It had already been separating itself from the norm with excessive levels, unusual settlement volatility, and an abnormal number of secondary leaderboards for those who knew to look, but it wasn¡¯t particularly fascinating from the start.


    When the Primal Constructs were revealed to be the planetary sponsor, many believed the final layout was already certain. With them in control of the game, it had been a foregone conclusion that it would be an uninteresting assimilation. Attention was on the upcoming assimilations instead, where those seeking entertainment hoped for more interesting configurations. The Primal Constructs were experts in claiming planets through assimilations, and only those factions unfortunate enough to stake their own resources watched Earth with trepidation as their investments were lost and their Chosen failed.


    With the destruction of the Lich, the other assimilations were ignored in favor of discussing the best positioned factions on Earth. The ongoing inter-faction conquests around the galactic community lost their intrigue as the spectators also turned their attention to the humans that appeared to be making the feared Primal Construct invaders into food for their progression. It was an unheard of situation.


    Still, Zalanth was ahead of the rest. No one seriously considered the Unchosen as anything more than silage for the Chosen that battled on the planet. Leaderboards were discussed based on the factions that were represented. They actually removed the Unchosen from the lists when analyzing them, in order to get a clearer perspective on the layout of the assimilation. Conventional logic couldn¡¯t be applied to humans, but it would be difficult for others to recognize that fact. It took Zalanth¡¯s exile and subsequent jackpot before she could accept it.


    She knew Earth was different. Only Zalanth had made note of the one called Coop, despite his position at the top, and here he was again. Winning the individual leaderboards of the opening event of the assimilation as an Unchosen wasn¡¯t enough. He was also the one that had defeated the Lich and been granted the maximum experience bounty allowed within the system, topping the primary leaderboards despite his lack of sponsor.


    Coop was a name that was quickly becoming one to be spoken of in whispers, lest speaking it would draw his ire in the future. Levels be damned. The simple fact that he had dueled anything that outleveled him by a factor of 25 demonstrated the ultimate in stupidity, but the fact that he won meant that he should be feared. The fundamental rules did not apply to Earth and its Unchosen. Zalanth fell into old thought patterns, hoping the God-Empress would save them all once humans like this Coop were unleashed. Existence would become far too unpredictable.


    She gazed at one of the other passengers of the pleasure barge from between sheer silk curtains, distracting herself from the creatures of both her dreams and nightmares: humans. The other passenger¡¯s disgusting tongues lolled out of his mouth as he stared into the abyss, blissfully ignorant that their shared reality had a hole poked into it on the planet Earth.


    She followed his eyes, seeking to recapture that feeling. The lights of millions of stars created a swirl of patterns in the moon¡¯s sky, visible through the crystal clear ceiling high above. Single chimes echoed through the barge. They were delicate, ornamental sounds meant to compliment the view of the stars and the other guests kept their voices down out of respect for the atmosphere. Zalanth was distracted by the golden beams that held the anchors for elongated curtains. They were wasting the vast majority of the sheer fabrics where no one could reach.


    Zalanth shifted to her feet, planning to return to her quarters, still preferring the workman like atmosphere of a barracks to the sterile refinement of the affluent. It had only been a few months. She was sure she would grow into it eventually.


    As she left the floor, weaving her way around small parties and individual revelers with her mana-weave silks drifting behind her, a rare Galactic Notification appeared. Her eyes widened while her pupils dilated as the message settled into her mind. Earth and humans had done the impossible.


    [The Lighthouse Faction has claimed a Core]


    [Territory - Ghost Reef]


    [World - Earth]


    [Principal Species - Human]


    [Founder - Coop]


    ¡°That name again!¡± She hissed.


    A high pitched whining sound came unbidden from her throat as the other passengers stirred themselves. An announcement such as this would cause all sorts of actions, many of which would be opportunities if they were connected in the right way. Excited conversations erupted all around the pleasure barge as individuals sought to confirm whether or not they had missed an assimilation announcement and inquired what Earth and Humans even were.


    ¡°Earth appears to be a mudball.¡± A Thraxon muttered to his companion, researching the announcement in real-time as Zalanth gathered her senses and the posh lounge buzzed with growing conversation.


    ¡°Disgusting.¡± His companion responded. ¡°The species is bound to be incredibly primitive. Whoever takes control will be unable to become worthy trade partners if the world is already saturated. Disappointing.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s fascinating!¡± An excitable Nylodian butted in. ¡°What incredible luck for this Human to discover a novel way to establish a faction! Too bad it¡¯s on a backwater world only now receiving the enlightenment of the Paragon-Deity.¡± She added condescendingly. ¡°That much luck is truly wasted potential!¡±


    ¡°Not luck.¡± Zalanth mumbled to herself, voice shaking with a confused mix of fear and awe as she left the growing conversations behind. There were too many consecutive achievements to be simple luck. This was a monstrous individual of a monstrous species.


    She shifted a diminutive bipedal creature out of her way as she picked up the pace to her quarters, exerting the hierarchy of her level while it still meant something. Other aliens parted from her path, recognizing that regardless of wealth disparities, she was powerful in a multifaceted way. It was only the well-paid contracted bodyguards that felt no need to avert their eyes as she passed. She left the lounge and followed the plush halls toward her room.


    The privacy gateway cleverly slid into the wall when she pushed it, closing behind her after she stepped through the threshold, sealing her in the personal compartment. She accessed a complimentary system terminal shortly after entering her silken suite, rushing to strike first while the rest still looked at the new development as a simple curiosity. If there was one person with the right information to take advantage of this new development, it was her. Disgraced Prime Commander Zalanth, factionless and wealthy, was going all in on the Lighthouse and this creature called Coop.


    Knowing exactly what the other factions of the galactic community would try, she shivered as she imagined the horror of facing the humans of Florida as enemies of equal progression. Cooperation with them was bad enough to ruin lives. She couldn¡¯t imagine what that said about the rest of their planet.

 Chapter 241: When to Stay Away

    The Xyl¡¯thari Brood was a faction that spanned hundreds, but not thousands, of planets. Grand periods of conquest earned the faction a fearsome reputation with their galactic neighbors, but it was to their great shame that they had yet to extend their reach further across the stars. A series of unfortunate clashes with multiple greater factions had prevented their World Swarms from expanding beyond their current limits, putting them at an impasse that had lasted tens of thousands of years. Still, even those that bested them in individual faction battles refused to disturb the swarm by challenging them for territory in return.


    The Brood periodically sought to continue their expansion effort, despite being boxed in, as was their nature. The Xyl¡¯thari were a species that had one defining instinct from before their integration. To swarm and spread.


    Each generation gained the opportunity to form a World Swarm and seek new land, but the time in between was growing greater and greater. The cost to the faction escalated with repeated failed declarations as a sort of protection against ineffective harassment of other factions. After a thousand years, the quantity of credits necessary to redeclare would have been better leveraged in countless alternative ways, but the Xyl¡¯thari Brood existed to expand. They could not be denied forever. They simply accumulated more credits while seeking smaller conflicts for easy victories to reduce the prices imposed upon them.


    As they waited to accumulate the credits for the more advanced declarations that would allow them to actually spill the real blood of their rivals, the First Broods kept an eye out for other openings. Faction events were a constant source of experience and resources, but they often required individual participation. The Brood preferred large-scale conflict. Swarms were how they had always existed.


    Sometimes the rewards for claiming isolated territories were worth the penalties that came from losing adjacency bonuses. That was actually when they were at their best, swarming upon those who had never met a Broodling. Even if they lost the territory later, the victory itself helped reduce other tolls, and there would be time to seek reimbursement by harvesting local resources and sending them back to their protected Core before abandoning the territory.


    Kyl''raxi was the leader of the current Fresh Brood. The Soulblood of Kyl''raxi echoed with the great conquerors of the early generations, preordaining his dominance. The day that their Soulblood awakened, they were presented with class options that made the First Broods shake with anticipation. Since that day, Kyl''raxi trained with the Fresh Brood for the sole purpose of conquest. The day of their first blooding was highly anticipated among the others of the Xyl¡¯thari, for the entire faction¡¯s future would benefit from their success.


    It had been nearly two Grand Cycles, 500 standard days, since Kyl¡¯raxi¡¯s training had begun. It was just the beginning. Hundreds more cycles would come in the future before they would be unleashed. They had also gone on two individual excursions and held the highest level of the Fresh Brood thanks to relatively high placements on the temporary leaderboards. Few other factions had such a promising candidate, even among the distant stars, but it should have been some time until a true conflict would arise.


    When a surprise opportunity appeared, with a new faction forming on an unassimilated planet, the Xyl¡¯thari Brood couldn¡¯t help but enter a bloodfrenzy. A swarm had to be formed immediately. The limitations presented by the newborn faction meant that only the Fresh Brood was eligible for combat, but that didn¡¯t matter with Kyl''raxi at the lead. It took them seconds to decide.


    A quick victory over primitive beings that had stumbled into the community unprepared would result in hundreds of cycles to establish their own territory and compete with the planetary sponsor to steal their prize away. It would be a planet acquired for an enormous discount with plenty of guaranteed time to collect resources and experience.


    Kyl''raxi just hoped that the infantile faction had managed to claim enough territory to sustain the entire Fresh Brood once they were projected into the planetary shield. It would be an astronomically rare chance for outsiders to an assimilation to be able to participate at all, let alone the early stages, and they would take every advantage they could get.


    As the Fresh Brood manifested on the neutral battlefield, Kyl''raxi grew feverish with excitement. The thin air stung their facial sensory sacs; it was a dry, metallic tang unlike anything they had experienced on their nurturing Core planet with its limitless humid plains and the plentiful natural resources that their pre-mana ancestors soaked within. Squinting through nictitating membranes, they surveyed the dry, hostile, and alien vistas.


    The landscape stretched into a desolate tapestry of rusty reds and dusty oranges. Jagged rock formations, like stained ribs of colossal creatures, breached the surface of the dry valley between the two factions¡¯ staging points. In the distance, an enormous mountain loomed like an imperfection in the general shape of the planet. A weak wind whipped through the hollow in front of the Xyl¡¯thari¡¯s forces, naturally eroding the surface layer and smoothing the ground as it carried small puffs of dust, hinting at the remnants of a thin atmosphere.


    A yellow star baked the planet uncomfortably while two small moons drifted in orbit. Though the planet had been integrated into the galactic community, an assimilation was unnecessary as it was unsuitable for life. Most of the neutral battlefield planets were similarly barren. This one was near the outer limits of the community, closest in proximity to the contested planet Earth, as was suitable for the faction that challenged first. Somewhere nearby in galactic terms, their prize awaited them.


    It was clear that this would be a small conflict. Greater factions could command frontlines that expanded across an entire battle planet, but the Fresh Brood was limited to an initial expedition of merely 25,000, not counting the massive ranged siege creatures that lingered behind their formation. The implication was that the baby faction was small and weak. Pathetic even. They would be unprepared to meet the Xyl¡¯thari Brood.


    Since the assimilation of Earth had barely exceeded 100 standard days, the Brood also expected that their opponents would be at a significant level disadvantage when compared to Kyl¡¯raxi and the other broodlings. Nothing would be in the favor of the so-called Lighthouse faction. The countdown before the Xyl¡¯thari Brood¡¯s default victory began ticking down and the Fresh Brood waited with thirst and anticipation.


    Kyl''raxi was content to get the first battle over with, whether through a proper bloodletting or disqualification, for the real challenge would be in maintaining the conquered Core settlement throughout the assimilation. They would be subjected to all of the regular limitations imposed on newcomers to the community, but they had the collective experience and galactic knowledge to maintain a foothold and expand in ways that were impossible for simple-minded Chosen.


    The Fresh Brood would pierce the veil of the assimilation and claim the planet for themselves while having a rare chance to develop themselves in ways that were only offered to the newest of assimilated creatures; opportunities that were seldom leveraged by newcomers to their full extent.


    After Earth was assimilated into the galactic community, the Xyl¡¯thari would rejoice in Kyl''raxi¡¯s name just as they did the First Broods. The Fresh Brood would become a massively powerful swarm the likes of which would echo throughout the galactic community. This red planet battlefield was their launching point.


    The anticipation of leaving the battle victoriously and arriving on Earth distracted the Xyl¡¯thari until the telltale sign of their enemy¡¯s arrival brought their focus back to the present. Kyl¡¯raxi adjusted his bulbous pike, taking a ceremonial ready stance, and his party followed with appropriate discipline. The rest of the army settled on their own, gradually realizing it was beginning.


    A singular beam of blue light pierced the thin atmosphere. It should have been tens of thousands of beams, but the Lighthouse had sent a lone agent. Kyl''raxi¡¯s broodmates rattled their scales in amusement at the embarrassing display.


    After a heavy pause, ten smaller beams appeared, sending a paltry set of stragglers behind the initial representative. The late additions made the presentation seem even more pathetic, disorganized, and worthy of rattling mockery.


    Kyl''raxi had the sense to squint and see what sort of enemy they would face. It was possible that these Humans of Earth misunderstood the challenge they faced, but there was also a small chance that the one able to establish a faction had done so through virtues beyond lucky providence. A lone figure with barely more than 100 days since awakening their Soulblood, bolstered by a sad set of supporters had miniscule odds of rivaling Kyl''raxi, yet it wouldn¡¯t hurt to confirm before they declared victory. If the founder of the faction had arrived, they would certainly be battling a burgeoning powerhouse yet to be claimed by a faction, based on the leaderboards, but it would be a good opportunity to show him his place in the broader universe. A few Grand Cycles worth of extra levels was nothing in the grand scheme.


    Before Kyl''raxi Identified their opponent, the creature began a bizarre ritual that ceased the rattling scales among the Fresh Brood. Their Soulblood ran cold as their enemy smashed itself in the face with an enormous stained club, sending shockwaves through the thin atmosphere, and shaking bits of sediment on the ground like the start of an earthquake. It hit itself hard enough to draw its own blood, once, then twice, three times, before smashing the ground with a one-armed slam. A wave of dust blasted across the battlefield, revealing an amount of Strength in the unarmored, thin-skinned biped that Kyl''raxi had never witnessed before, even during the ceremonial demonstrations from the First Broods.


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    ¡°What-¡± Kyl''raxi began signaling before the wind buffeted against their chest scales, nearly toppling the entire frontline onto their tails.


    The lone figure, obviously much larger than any of the Xyl¡¯thari, ignored them to face the sky, leaning backwards with tensed muscles, and roared. It was a challenge that was meant for something greater than the Fresh Brood. Instead, the creature thirsted to destroy the heavens, upset that its slumber on a baby planet had been disturbed. Kyl¡¯raxi¡¯s confidence was already gone.


    Before the thunderous growl faded, the creature''s aura physically manifested in the sky above its head. Kyl''raxi had never witnessed anything like it, and nothing of the sort had been described by the First Broods. A broadcast of what should have been, at most, a personal notification, condensed in the thin air, forming a script as the lone primary fighter highlighted his own presence. The script translated into a proclamation while the monster beneath it lifted the club over its shoulder, striking a gladiator¡¯s pose.


    [Vronk the Worldbeater has entered the battlefield!]


    A tentative inspection of their opponent¡¯s aura caused Kyl¡¯raxi¡¯s blood frenzy to completely cease. The war leaderboard confirmed his overwhelmed aura senses just as the monster began a slowly escalating solitary charge toward the organized front of the Xyl¡¯thari Brood¡¯s youngest army. Each step caused the ground around its massive feet to bulge, forming liquid waves in the dry gravel and red dirt that scattered across the battlefield.


    ¡°Level 47,311.¡± Kyl¡¯raxi unconsciously vocalized with a scale rattle. A faction forming on an unassimilated planet was already an abnormality to the greatest degree. For the faction to also possess a sleeping veteran of this magnitude was completely nonsensical. How could this untamable beast be claimed by any at all, let alone an Unchosen that had a few extra levels? This was an actual Worldbeater, one capable of ending factions and decimating planets. Even factions like the Xyl¡¯thari Brood would negotiate before challenging this one in direct combat.


    Before the monster had crossed halfway across the valley, the Fresh Brood was already breaking from the waves of bloodlust emanating with each stomping step, but those too close were trapped as if they had settled for too long on top of quicksand. The rest scattered in different directions in an effort to avoid his wrath.


    They retreated, but there was nowhere to go. The war had already been declared and they were stuck until the battle was over. It didn¡¯t matter that defeat wouldn¡¯t result in permanent death, the penalties and the trauma would mean that the Xyl¡¯thari Brood would need to wait for the next generation before a World Swarm could be formed. The Fresh Brood would experience an annihilation that would scar them forever.


    ¡ª


    The snapping of a new living wood staff cracked across the ice-covered battlefield. The army of crystal covered biped mechanoids flinched at the sound. Ledwidge laughed boisterously as his arm grew back while his other wielded the fresh weapon. It had genuinely been a long time since he was on an actual battlefield. He didn¡¯t bother to recall the millenia.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± He shouted at the 25,000 metal soldiers. ¡°My bark is much worse than my bite!¡± He turned to the 25 phantom soldiers at his side while his living armor thickened on his limbs, making sure he used the human expression correctly. They seemed amused enough.


    ¡°Hozanek!¡± He yelled, letting his voice boom across the planet as was befitting someone who had taken the role of human drill instructor.


    The top performing phantom soldier straightened. ¡°Yes, Knight Marshal?¡±


    ¡°Lead the charge!¡± The Treant announced, letting their opponents hear his orders as clearly as his own small group of soldiers.


    ¡°Yes, Knight Marshal!¡± Hozanek repeated, letting his Ghost Reef Standard Issue armor transition into the shock trooper mode, helmet ominously covering his head and visor obscuring his face. The other soldiers followed suit, reacting with discipline befitting the most elite in the galaxy, unbeknownst to them. Ledwidge thought it was cute that they were so nervous.


    Hozanek vanished without disturbing the frosty staging area, not letting his unease put any hesitation into his actions. The other phantoms followed his lead a split second after, and the entire group disappeared with gentle pops as the frigid atmosphere did its best to fill the vacuum created by their teleports. They left Ledwidge behind as the confused enemies, he believed were called Rotaks, shifted in confusion. They had been completely focused on him, which he had to admit was fair. He was nearly 20,000 levels beyond what they could have ever expected to find on any baby planet, so some surprise was reasonable.


    However, Ledwidge believed the real surprise would be the human phantoms. That¡¯s why he let Hozanek¡¯s squad take the lead. They would make their mark for the entire galactic community to see. If it wasn¡¯t for all of the factions attacking at once, Ledwidge was of the opinion that the Lighthouse would have been able to defend itself without the help of the contracted residents. He had been the one to train them, so he could assess them better than anyone, and his expert opinion was that no one following standard tactics would beat them in a fair match.


    The Knight Marshall slowly strolled toward the battlefield, letting his mere presence provide the support necessary to keep Hozanek¡¯s squad from being overwhelmed. Ledwidge was a heavyweight, but he wasn¡¯t one of the few real monsters that had joined the Lighthouse, and yet he was the one helping create an entirely new batch of monsters. The residents of Ghost Reef would be a formidable challenge for the assimilated factions, if they could even get that far.


    ¡ª


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why Coop insisted that so many of you come along with me.¡± Balor Rockshaper grumbled. ¡°The others only had smaller squads at most.¡±


    The grandmaster stonemason was full of nervous energy, still in a state of astonishment that he had been able to convince any of the others to join the Lighthouse, let alone all of them. Battle would certainly be one way to release his jitters.


    The rock elemental had fully expected to be alone, or among just a handful of the contracted residents to commit their lives and livelihoods to the humans. Most of them had more to lose than he did, considering what they had gone through to earn their freedom, but the wily creatures of Earth had embedded themselves into the hearts and minds of the foreign residents far more quickly and deeply than he could have ever imagined. Natural bonding and hospitality seemed to be one of the many fearsome characteristics of the uniquely diverse Earthlings, and he wasn¡¯t only talking about the humans.


    ¡°The Champion just wants to make sure we get a chance to help as well. You wouldn¡¯t let him personally participate, so this was his reasonable compromise.¡± Rear Admiral Gideon responded while 5,000 of Ghost Reef¡¯s original phantoms took positions on a flat plane of soft gray dirt lit by twin blue suns. Clearly, this battle wouldn¡¯t be taking place on Earth or even within their solar system.


    On the other side of the flat-topped plateau, 25,000 jelly skeletons dripped with sizzling acid, engulfing bones and other structural cores that belonged to hundreds of different species. The asymmetrical army faced the representatives of the Lighthouse in organized columns, typical of system warfare, waving dark oval shields and jagged, chipped swords forward, swaying their implements as if to ward them away.


    ¡°It¡¯s just embarrassing to be the only one with such a large escort. I¡¯m not one of your princesses¡± Balor continued grumbling. ¡°Especially because it was my idea for us to join you in the first place! I¡¯m telling you, I could handle this lot in my sleep.¡± He declared, shaking his enormous two-handed hammer in the air. ¡°This set of equipment isn¡¯t just for show!¡± He bellowed at their enemies, who remained respectfully silent, fearing the hints of his aura even from across the battlefield. Meanwhile, the phantoms at his side just chuckled at him, completely disrespecting his formidable level, just as humans tended to. Balor still hadn¡¯t decided if they were defiant or aura-blind, but it was refreshing, in a way.


    Outside of Earth, everyone inherently understood the default hierarchy of the system, no matter what they called it. No one would be openly honest when it came to disagreement with someone of higher standing. It was exhausting, and ultimately what led to his own forced retirement. Even on this battlefield, as soon as he entered it, he would have a significant advantage in aura alone. The bravest soldiers would understand they had lost as soon as they recognized his level while going through the motions. The less brave would run. Unless they were excessively disciplined, talented, and invested, a duel with any one of their parties would have his victory be a foregone conclusion, and unlike humans, they would struggle to adapt to the gap. If the sides were reversed, Balor suspected the humans wouldn¡¯t even acknowledge their disadvantage.


    Gideon nodded consolingly, agreeing that the dwarf-like alien was probably right about his ability to take on the enemy himself. Their opponents appeared relatively weak, even to the phantom admiral. Ghost Reef¡¯s phantoms hadn¡¯t kept up with Champion Coop¡¯s leveling speed, but they had been diligent in their efforts regardless. Their constant training was being rewarded by the system, as they were quite a bit higher level than their opponents. The skeletal jellies were mostly leveled into the early 100s at their best, but the phantoms were pushing 200 at a minimum.


    ¡°You¡¯re escorting us more than we are escorting you. The fact that we phantoms are able to participate is a welcome surprise.¡± Gideon responded. ¡°I have to admit, being stuck in the fort exclusively while battles raged elsewhere has been quite frustrating.¡±


    ¡°Aye.¡± Balor agreed, having been in an even more limited position before joining the faction. ¡°As integrated beings, we are limited in the same way until the assimilation is complete, but at least now we can work together to keep the Core shard and faction holdings safe until then. It was worse when I had to sit in my workshop during any conflicts.¡±


    Gideon chuckled with understanding, commiserating with the feeling. ¡°Shall we get this over with then?¡± He formally suggested.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡± Balor agreed. ¡°There will be so many enemies, we may end up eating our words.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t worry.¡± Gideon confidently stated. ¡°There¡¯s nothing quite as satisfying as being underestimated. We¡¯ll teach them to fear the underdogs in a way that the system doesn¡¯t seem capable of.¡±

 Chapter 242: Edge of the Fray

    Blue emergency lights strobed in a desperate rhythm, as if the overwhelming smell of burnt ozone wasn¡¯t enough for the hapless spacefarers to understand that their ship was on the verge of complete failure. Flashes of fire added a chaotic flare to the steady cadence of illumination. The buzzing of ungrounded energy reverberated off the insulated metal jackets of their housing, loud enough to be distracting. The temperature had risen, but that wouldn¡¯t last long in the vacuum of space.


    The scrap ship normally relied on momentum to maintain course, but it was languishing without sufficient power, threatening to permanently strand them in the empty vastness. They never anticipated this particular challenge as mana was what powered the vessel, and mana was unlimited. There would be no rescue for them if they couldn¡¯t find a way to keep it moving.


    Sparks danced around Lyriel¡¯s nimble fingers as she braided wires in an effort to bypass yet another failing energy conduit as it starved. Energy surged as if the vessel valiantly fought alongside them. The old ship was a reflection of themselves, simultaneously dependent on mana while being susceptible to its exposure. Balance was necessary, but they had reached a physical point in space that had thrown off the required equilibrium.


    Lyriel¡¯s determined expression was marred by brows creased with worry. Slag stained her normally unblemished skin, leaving dark stains where she had pushed strands of hair away from her eyes with the back of her wrists. The inconsistent light was doing nothing to help accomplish her tasks.


    Their situation was growing increasingly hopeless. The longer it took to complete the emergency repairs the less likely they would be successful as the problems cascaded. At this rate, she wasn¡¯t sure if they would find a way to continue forward. She took some small comfort in the fact that the emergency lights were operating at all. Once they quit, she would know for sure that the ship was completely spent.


    On the other side of the cramped bridge, her partner did his best to reactivate the dying mana core while continuing to track all of the other ship systems. Unlike the ship¡¯s leader, he was able to split his attention and maintain his regular duties, monitoring the diagnostics with ancient sensors while manually reconfiguring their auxiliary plexuses. The primary mesh had fizzled decades prior, leaving them on imperfect power networks that had been scraped together with spare parts. Still, the problem wasn¡¯t the ancient alien tech, though it was constantly being disabled by mana. The problem was the concentration of mana itself.


    The once vibrant hum of the drive was now a ragged cough that was punctuated by thumps that threatened to shed the shell of the entire ship. The mana sails were hanging limp, metaphorically speaking, and the lack of power choked the propulsion systems.


    They were experiencing the effects of what would have been considered doldrums in a nautical setting, but it made no sense when they rode the constant activation surge of mana. The emptiness of space was a natural doldrum, but there were as many celestial bodies ahead of them as there were behind. Mana should have been activating in those stars and planets in front of them just like the ones they had passed, providing a gradient for them to ride with the mana sails. But it wasn¡¯t activating.


    Normally, mana activated in a wave that originated from what they considered the center of the universe, somewhere deep within the galactic community. While mana already existed across the cosmos, it activated with a much slower pattern, forming a rolling swell that was hundreds of light years wide, distributed through the particles of the universe. They were able to harness the activation through mechanisms that weren¡¯t entirely understood by them, but were passed down all the same. The main factor was that they relied on the gradient in mana densities to glide through relatively empty space.


    The wave traveled at a ridiculous rate and the system spread along with it, assimilating planets as it went. Their ship was dragged forward by the surge, and in this way, the Avatars of the System were able to seek a way to free the exiles of the galactic community. If they couldn¡¯t eventually accomplish their goals, they would never be able to live on a planet again, always being pushed by mana¡¯s activation in the emptiness between solar systems.


    Despite being branded for eradication, they were overlooked if they remained in the gaps between celestial objects in the periphery, but ceasing their forward movement would allow them to be rediscovered. Mana would coalesce, viewing them like an infection to be removed.


    They were only able to continue to exist by staying where mana was the thinnest, lacking a full activation. It put them in a precarious situation where they needed active mana to survive, but couldn¡¯t remain where it fully activated lest they invite the forces of mana to finish its job in annihilating them. They were a speck of contamination hidden in the transitional portion of the galaxy, between nodes in a network of omnipresent energy.


    As long as they vacated the portions where mana was fully triggered, staying where mana was only partially activated, creeping along with the expansion, they could continue to exist. Balancing their needs left them at the edges of the galactic community as it grew across the universe. The process had been continuous, unceasing, without any signs of any decline for as long as the cosmos had begun expanding.


    However, as far as Lyriel and Malsteron could tell, the activation wave had died. They were lagging behind the initial tidal wave due to previous diversions, cruising through the rising tide that chased the initial tsunami, but mana concentrations were decreasing as they went. Normally, that would only happen if they somehow drifted ahead of the primary wave, but the speed with which it spread meant that they would never make that mistake by accident. It was like the wave had finally lost its momentum, spreading itself thin until it was unrecognizable.


    They were a small inflatable raft floating on a surge of water that climbed onto an unexpected shore. The water was being absorbed back into the sand, leaving them beached. As far as they could understand, this would essentially be the edge of the universe as they knew it. But clearly, they didn¡¯t know everything.


    They couldn¡¯t make sense of why mana would cease its activation. The solar systems ahead of them were no different from the ones they had passed. It would be a curious phenomenon to study, but they didn¡¯t have the luxury to properly examine the situation, not to mention their lacking tools. Mana¡¯s surge had always driven them forward, and it wasn¡¯t clear what they were meant to do without it herding them along the fringe of the known universe. The main problem was that they were as dependent on mana as those who enjoyed being members of the galactic community. They couldn¡¯t fully decouple themselves from the resource as much as it would annihilate them given the chance.


    Mana may not have succeeded in completely extinguishing their species with the Eradication Protocol, but it had successfully obliterated their civilizations. The individual survivors were rendered helpless on their own, lacking the comprehensive knowledge accumulated by entire societies. Turning back would be akin to stepping into the jaws of a waiting monster that had already consumed their kind, but staying put would have them caught all the same, though it would take over 100 years, as if they would experience their own version of a planetary assimilation on their tiny two-cabin ship. Moving forward would theoretically cause them to leave mana behind, killing everything that was held together by mana itself. They had no idea if they would suddenly experience thousands of years of aging without mana preventing such a normal process, for one tiny example. Lyriel couldn¡¯t even remember the last time she consumed sustenance.


    ¡°This can¡¯t go on, Lyriel.¡± Malsteron raised his voice over the buzzing sounds of the ship¡¯s systems choking themselves. They both recognized the dire situation. ¡°We should redirect all power to communications and warn others of this phenomenon with a direct notification.¡± He suggested a noble sacrifice for the good of the exiles.


    ¡°No.¡± Lyriel declined without hesitation. ¡°Absolutely not. Our sacrifice would be meaningless.¡±


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    Malsteron shifted speakers. ¡°It would not be meaningless if this event is only occurring in this sector. We could prevent others from making the same mistake and provide a warning. Maybe they will see signs before being caught. Providing warnings has always been our main purpose.¡±


    Lyriel slammed the braided wires into their compartment, done with the repair, and jumped to her feet. ¡°We aren¡¯t finished!¡± She vibrated with frustration before stomping toward the aft wall where she peeled a panel open with a bit too much force. ¡°We must survive, Malsteron.¡± She declared, tossing the broken cover to the ground as she worked her way into more cabling.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to come to an understanding, Lyriel.¡± Malsteron began a conversation that was millenia overdue. ¡°You won¡¯t have the revenge you wish for. It is simply not possible.¡±


    ¡°It might be.¡± Lyriel insisted. ¡°We haven¡¯t been inside of an ark yet.¡±


    ¡°No one has been. If that¡¯s even what they are.¡± Malsteron countered, applying long rehashed arguments between the two, ever since Lyriel had become fixated with the heart of assimilations. ¡°Formal Assimilations are rare enough, Eradication Protocols rarer still, then to actually find cooperative and able subjects¡­¡±


    Lyriel stopped what she was doing inside of the panel, eyeing the projection platform as she tended to do more and more frequently ever since they had contacted Earth for the second time.


    ¡°One is not enough to establish a colony.¡± Malsteron applied one of his species¡¯ idioms, the meaning universal enough. He was of the opinion that an easy way out for the exiles was pure fantasy. They were playing a game of odds, but they had far too few numbers to have a winning hand. A sacrifice of two would be strategically folding a bad hand so that the game could be continued by the rest.


    Lyriel returned to ripping cables from the panel. ¡°The pieces are already in place.¡± She grunted as she snapped a cord, sending sparks dancing on the floor. ¡°He has the key, and others have the instructions. I will live to see the result one way or another.¡± She declared, confirming her position stubbornly.


    Malsteron started as if to continue the argument, deeming their individual lives less valuable than a notification to their distant allies, scattered along the edge of the galactic community, as they represented the greater numbers, but he was interrupted by himself. Malsteron¡¯s current community message analyst stirred in surprise, sending a fear signal that caused the colony to turn inward, ignoring the fearsome Lyriel and their argument, and turning the others away from their blinking ship consoles that warned them of all sorts of other failures.


    ¡°Galactic Notification detected: a new faction has formed.¡± The message was truncated by the nervousness of the individual, but Malsteron as a whole waited patiently, curious what could be so unusual that the young individual would consider words with such care while also deeming it important enough to interrupt the colony. A faction forming wasn¡¯t so rare that it should have caused such a reaction.


    To his collective surprise, the individual transmitted the exact message in its entirety, abandoning his role in their thought patterns in favor of a full accounting. It was a safe move that suspended judgment. Malsteron viewed the message with some trepidation.


    [The Lighthouse Faction has claimed a Core]


    [Territory - Ghost Reef]


    [World - Earth]


    [Principal Species - Human]


    [Founder - Coop]


    Malsteron¡¯s entire colony shivered in unison. ¡°Lyriel!¡± He shouted in frustration from a dozen voices, recognizing the pet project of his cohort and the subject of their current debate. ¡°What in the stars did you do? What kind of chip did you give them!?¡±


    ¡°What is it now, Malsteron? I did nothing unusual! You already know what I¡¯ve done!¡± Lyriel shouted back, letting her frustration bubble over as she slammed another metal panel shut with a rattling snap.


    Malsteron shared the galactic message and Lyriel stopped what she was doing as well. They stared at each other for a few moments, silently thinking about the implications while the blue strobe blinked on its own. The party was over. Malsteron believed this would be the end of her fantasies, and they would be tasked with generating the message to the other exiles. Obviously, the Champion of their cause was doomed.


    ¡°They will be swallowed by the other factions. These humans will be lucky to leave any survivors at all even if we could retrieve them.¡± Malsteron affirmed. Lyriel¡¯s downcast gaze was all he needed to see. It was her last vestiges of hope that had grown to unreasonable amounts in the last few months escaping into the cosmos. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lyriel.¡± He added sadly, knowing that despair.


    She stirred herself and looked back at him, but the look in her eyes wasn¡¯t what he expected. She smiled at Malsteron, but it was the nasty smile that spoiled her otherwise carefully crafted visage. ¡°No.¡± She shook her head slowly. ¡°There¡¯s still a chance. They are the only people in the universe more hopeless than we are. The Lighthouse might be the singular group that we can actually offer to help.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    Lyriel shifted her eyes back to the projection platform. ¡°I¡¯m saying, if they open another window, we might have a chance to help them.¡±


    Malsteron couldn¡¯t help but scoff at the suggestion. ¡°How could they possibly open yet another window? They have already forced the requirements beyond what would be reasonable on a regular assimilation. We would never expect to see another, and now they will be occupied by faction affairs at the same time!¡± Malsteron rotated speakers with each sentence, and he wasn¡¯t done. ¡°In fact, I feel pity for the faction that defeats them! If they don¡¯t wipe out humans first, the planet they earn will be subject to the Eradication Protocol with them on it. They won¡¯t be sent home with canceled contracts once the judgment of failure is applied. What help could a few minutes with us possibly grant them? How would it help us for that matter?¡±


    Lyriel waited until she was sure he was finished before she responded. ¡°It will only work if someone from this particular human faction with the ability to issue contracts is the one to open the window.¡± She added yet another stipulation as if it didn¡¯t make the chance of it occurring astronomically smaller. ¡°But we could join them. It¡¯s technically an unassimilated faction at this time.¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Malsteron was flabbergasted. She was suggesting they join a faction? Exiles of the community would never be permitted. But this faction was technically unassimilated, having been formed before its Core planet was properly integrated. They would only be punished after being assimilated, which already couldn¡¯t happen, thanks to the development of humans.


    ¡°What would be the problem?¡± Lyriel questioned, brow creased as if she was genuinely trying to see the flaws in her idea.


    Malsteron hesitated as he considered her suggestion more carefully. His initial reluctance was due to the fact that mana would seek to annihilate both himself and Lyriel, and the eradication would be extended to the faction. However, in the case of humans, they would be subject to the Eradication Protocol with or without them. He had to admit, he was afraid of undergoing such an ordeal. It would most likely lead to their deaths, but they would be stuck once their ship finally gave up, which might be even worse than death. If they managed to keep going forward, they would probably be dead, and if they could turn back they would have a similar demise without ever reaching another planet as mana would be on to them right away.


    Lyriel sensed his uncertainty. ¡°We just have to wait and see. We can use up what¡¯s left of the ship¡¯s reserve to send your message or we can use it on the projection platform. Maybe they can surprise us yet again.¡± She continued, recognizing that humans had already been full of astonishments up to that point.


    Malsteron thought he could compromise that much. As long as they held the ship together, they could at least see how Earth¡¯s assimilation played out. They were in no position to continue surveying the new planets, if there even were any with the odd behavior of mana¡¯s activation wave.


    Lyriel could already detect her longtime companion¡¯s judgment. ¡°We just have to wait and see how Coop handles the crushing strain of the galactic community¡¯s attention.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s probably already fighting for his very existence.¡± Malsteron groaned, agreeing with his companions'' plan without having to vocalize it.


    Lyriel shrugged in a way that wasn¡¯t unlike the human¡¯s mannerisms in an attempt to imitate his casual nonchalance. ¡°They even named their faction The Lighthouse.¡± She observed. ¡°Fitting, don¡¯t you think?¡±

 Chapter 243: Business as Usual

    ¡°Achoo!¡± Coop¡¯s sneeze caught him by surprise, though he managed to cover his mouth despite hurtling through the air.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s probably talking about me.¡± He muttered into the wind.


    It was an easy guess considering his name had been broadcast to the entire universe. They¡¯d probably be disappointed by the fact that he wouldn¡¯t be changing his routine just because some aliens saw them as the freshmen to be hazed. Thanks to the volunteer alien allies, it was business as usual for the Champion of Ghost Reef.


    Coop was still struggling to wrap his head around the basic existence of factions. Even though he had been exposed to them through babysteps, he found that their form and function was difficult to reconcile with the limitations imposed by mana.


    It seemed like nonsense that he wasn¡¯t allowed to use Salvation to summon modern body armor and they had to use magic to fire Ghost Reef¡¯s cannons due to restrictions on technological level, but aliens could wage war for control of planets from across the galaxy. None of the members of the galactic community had developed space travel, but they could be transported across the vastness of space in an instant so that they could fight each other with sticks and clubs.


    ¡°Bizarre universe.¡± He mumbled into the breeze as he ¡®mistwalked¡¯ above the regrown Everglades. The grassy prairies had given way to rivers of grass as water encroached on the state.


    He launched his spear north, over Central Florida, watching the projectile until it was far enough away to justify another mistjump. His movement ability had evolved with his upgraded and merged active skills. The process remained the same, requiring an anchor point for his destination, but rather than being dragged through the monochromatic world of mists, he flickered in and out of existence while inside the dimension of Spectral mana. The main limitation on his mode of travel had shifted to the speed of his spear throws. The end result was that his teleports were significantly faster.


    Coop recalled his exposure to factions one step at a time as he crossed miles of marshy swamp and dry pine rocklands in a fraction of the time it would have taken him before.


    When the assimilation first began, he had viewed factions from the perspective of an outsider. He was an Unchosen individual that was dismissed as worthless by the powers that be. The minimal bid to sponsor Coop had been too much of an investment for any group in the community to risk, so he was discarded and left in the dark. Where every human was a type of lottery ticket, Coop was a neglected, unpurchased scratch-off left in the gutter.


    Luckily, Jones had been appealing enough to be sponsored. The old caretaker collected information to share during his brief orientation. At that early point, factions were amorphous influences that Coop immediately felt animosity toward. They drafted humans to represent unrecognizable organizations on planet Earth in order to grab territory and on the off chance that they hit a jackpot where their Chosen could conquer the world in their name.


    Coop didn¡¯t appreciate their claimed authority, especially during a confusing period for the planet¡¯s inhabitants. It was difficult enough to come to terms with mana itself, with or without a sponsor whispering in their ears about the secrets of the universe and their place in it. The whole process was overly manipulative, to say the least.


    Then, the end of Ghost Reef¡¯s Siege Event caught Lyriel¡¯s attention. The so-called Avatar of the System revealed another wrinkle in the hierarchy of the galaxy. Factions may have been the top dogs over living beings, dictating how they interacted with each other on a societal level, claiming settlements and planets, and providing the aliens with civilization in general, but factions were only granted that position by the system. The system itself only existed as a sort of interface for mana, and mana was what had effectively altered reality by activating.


    The two entities, the system and mana, existed jointly with only speculative purposes. Coop put together his own theories after being exposed to different perspectives and experiencing their influence for himself. Mana eliminated threats determined by technological levels while the system gave some base control over mana that essentially uplifted primitive life. The system created the galactic community in what Coop was increasingly convinced was a loophole in mana¡¯s function. Mana let undeveloped wildlife live as it apparently terraformed and judged planets, then the system came in and gave the spared creatures the opportunity to create basic civilization using the very thing that was filtering them.


    Coop shook his head as he aimed another spear throw northward, recognizing that he was fighting to destroy whatever careful balance had been found between the two greater entities. The Lighthouse would be resisting the Eradication Protocol, no matter what. If that meant shaking up the universe as a side effect, he didn¡¯t really see it as his problem.


    After the Siege Event rewarded Ghost Reef with two different Chips, the factionless contracted residents provided further guidance that demonstrated factions¡¯ fundamental importance to the structure of the broader universe. The assimilation was better contextualized by considering the external forces that were vying for pieces of the pie, but even then, Coop was getting the picture that factions encompassed everything from religions to corporations, guilds, brotherhoods, and consortiums. Factions were elevated above any other association of beings through recognition from the system. The only difference from a basic club and a faction was that factions were official.


    The preliminary establishment of the Lighthouse through the Purification Chip provided a real example within the private network created by the assimilation. They had a chance to adjust contracts and get a better feel for recruitment processes while bolstering their numbers ahead of time, but what a faction actually was remained relatively flexible. It was just some more menus that were similar enough to the settlement menus to not seem particularly unique. Instead of residents, they had members, and instead of settlement events, there were faction events.


    In a way, the unique circumstances of their official recognition was only viable because they were able to organize ahead of time, giving Ghost Reef¡¯s contracted residents an opportunity to make a plan to bolster the fledgling faction against official challenges. Otherwise, the structural foundation of a faction had made little impact on his overall thoughts. The way they were wielded by the beings of the galactic community had left a greater impression, and it was mostly negative as he was exposed to potential for forced servitude and other cruelties.


    Now, with his perspective gradually broadening, Coop concluded that factions were essentially the civilizations of the universe, as designated by the system itself. Basically, if they weren¡¯t a faction, they barely existed at all. They would be as primitive as the aliens viewed humans. Factions competed for territory and resources in order to bolster themselves and their members. The galactic community consisted of an unbelievable number of factions, organized in all sorts of different ways, all pushing and pulling at their borders while contending with each other in system events.


    At this point, the Lighthouse was kind of an official part of the galactic community, but because their Core was on an unassimilated planet, they were limited to indirect interactions with other factions. It was another baby step, but it put them in a bit of a precarious position. If a faction lost its Core, it would be eliminated. If the assimilation failed, they would naturally lose all the civilization shards, and that included the one that had become the faction¡¯s Core.


    Still, the trade off was probably beneficial for the Lighthouse. They had no use for a faction if they failed the assimilation anyway. Ultimately, it would mean they were dead because they failed to survive the Eradication Protocol. In the meantime, they were protected from the declarations of war that resulted in direct conflict with alien forces thanks to the planetary shield established for the assimilation.


    As he understood it, the battles that were taking place off-planet between his companions and distant aliens were designed in a way that didn¡¯t permanently injure the participants. However, there were also Wars of Elimination that would have had alien armies landing at the edges of their territory with the sole purpose of claiming their shard, more like how they contended with the Primal Constructs, but not limited by the assimilation forcing them to use proxies, minions, and manifestations. At least with the indirect battles, if they lost, the lives of the residents had the option to be spared as they were integrated into another faction.


    Outside of Wars of Elimination, the system kept the sides relatively balanced, creating brackets based on the development of the defending factions, but imbalances in resources, particularly in experience, consumables, and material equipment, would tip the advantage one way or the other. The Lighthouse would be in the absolute lowest bracket with the shortest amount of time since their activation of mana, but that meant that every challenger would have an advantage.


    On the other hand, a long term War of Elimination with even a single faction would presumably result in an inevitable defeat. Coop imagined the Siege Event, except without individual waves or a time limit, and with enemies more advanced than the Primal Construct¡¯s minions, all while being unlimited by the system. The actual number of factions that had set their eyes on Earth¡¯s lone faction was horrifying, and any one of them would be easy favorites to come out on top.


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    Thankfully, The Lighthouse was exempt from Wars of Elimination for the time being. The system prevented outsiders from entering the assimilation scenario without an officially designated work contract, and even those that did continued to be regulated by the system, prevented from acting outside of their settlement or faction territory. For the moment, aliens couldn¡¯t directly interfere with Earth while the system and mana assimilated the planet, but his allies could defend the faction¡¯s holdings.


    The limitations imposed by the system on other factions didn¡¯t stop them from doing everything in their power to meddle with the new faction. If they defeated the Lighthouse¡¯s defenders in one of the other war types, they could effectively turn the Lighthouse into a subordinate faction, almost exactly how Coop had turned Empress City and Neptune¡¯s Bridge into subordinate settlements. The different types of war would dictate the shape of the relationship between Ghost Reef and their new leaders, but none of them were suitable for the independently minded humans, not to mention the previously factionless aliens that had aligned themselves with them after forcing their own freedoms in the past.


    Whether they became an underclass at the mercy of another faction in a War of Conquest or were outright killed in a post-assimilation War of Elimination made little difference. If outsiders took control, the assimilation would certainly fail. The alien faction¡¯s priority would be to siphon as much experience and resources from the planet before the shield lifted and they would need to defend their holdings from all the other factions. The actual fate of humans was irrelevant, and the Eradication Protocol was completely off their radar.


    The Lighthouse had some surprises for their challengers. The first was in the incredible power borrowed from the previously factionless residents. Humans only had 117 days to progress, and therefore only the freshest of rookies from other factions would be allowed to challenge them for the moment. The brackets were based on the defending faction, granting something like home-field advantage. Literally, only those who were able to claim their classes and begin leveling in a timeframe that was relatively similar to humans could engage with the Lighthouse. But the factionless aliens that had joined the Lighthouse had thousands of years of experience, and they had accumulated that power to resist even the strongest of their former faction members. They may not have been allowed to actively participate in the assimilation, but they were allowed to defend their faction.


    The idea that individuals who had grown powerful enough to escape the influence of established factions would voluntarily join a brand new faction on an unassimilated baby planet was so far outside the realm of possibilities, it wouldn¡¯t even be considered. It wasn¡¯t like factionless contractors were a common choice in the first place. Coop had only been selecting what the galactic community would consider subpar services because he had started with a hostile perspective toward factions. But the factionless were perfect for the portrait of Ghost Reef that he held within his subconscious.


    The second surprise was the actual progress of the rest of the residents. Ghost Reef had bolstered them to an extent that went beyond what would be expected elsewhere in the galaxy. Assimilations were known to be fertile grounds for fast development. The end of an assimilation would result in survivors that were essentially brought up to speed relative to the rest of the galaxy, in terms of experience, by their struggle. That was why the completion of an assimilation was so important for gauging the strength of new factions.


    It would be a risk to challenge a faction that formed at the end of an assimilation because they would still have the home-field advantage as defenders while enjoying the higher levels brought by the experience. Over time the advantage would fade away and eventually the brackets would be wide enough that new factions were still at the bottom of the barrel, but at least they were afforded time to adjust to the galactic community.


    Even with those factors, the residents of Ghost Reef, and therefore most of the members of the Lighthouse, were completely blowing the expectations out of the water. If one level a day was exceptional, what was it when Coop and the phantoms doubled it?


    The third surprise, and the one that caught Coop off guard as well, was the last notification he had received. Before the final notification from the galactic community arrived, his feed had been completely unreadable. They honestly may have exceeded a million declarations of war. Balor and the others had immediately responded, but they would be extraordinarily busy making sure that the Lighthouse didn¡¯t fall into outsider hands.


    In fact, they may not have been able to keep up in the long run, if not for the last message that had put a stop to all the rest. Eventually, they would risk a forfeit if the declarations continued to be added faster than they could fight the battles. Coop read the last message again, with it lingering at the bottom of his now stationary feed.


    [The Blessed Mau Collective has offered a Treaty Negotiation to the Lighthouse (Pending Assimilation)]


    Coop had no idea what to make of it. He understood the implication that Jett¡¯s faction was refraining from trying to grab Earth¡¯s resources, but the simple show of interest had been enough to discourage other factions from declaring more wars. Were they that powerful, or was it just a coincidence? Coop suspected there was something else he was missing. There were probably some unspoken rules among the factions that humans would just have to learn over time.


    They lacked the ability to respond, because of the planetary shield, so the offer was just waiting until the time came. He wondered if in a matter of hours after their faction¡¯s formation they had reached an equilibrium that would last the full 111 years. In the meantime, he guessed that roughly half of the declarations of war were canceled at significant expense of those who had initiated them. The Lighthouse was suddenly racking up the victories. Most were forfeitures as factions accepted penalties to abandon their declarations, but in less than 25 hours, individuals like Vronk, Desmond, Maeve, Caisalya, Asha-Kali, Abithik, Ledwidge, and Erasimus had each won dozens of battles, and they were still going.


    Officially establishing the faction and revealing themselves to the rest of the galactic community hadn¡¯t only brought additional pressures to Ghost Reef, there were positives as well. The most obvious advantage was marrying themselves to the more powerful contracted residents. There was no risk of losing his friends early anymore, but Balor and the others were exposing themselves to the hazards that sought to eliminate humanity. Even after revealing the jeopardy of the Eradication Protocol, the aliens had thrown their lot in with Ghost Reef. It had taken some spirited debates, but ultimately, their position in the broader community held enough risk that every single contracted resident agreed to gamble on humans.


    Coop was honestly shocked by the result. From Caisalya¡¯s Foragers to all of the Librarians of the Archive, every factionless contracted resident was in. Then, even more surprisingly, the few residents with factions also indelibly tied themselves to Ghost Reef. The aliens from the Merciful faction were contractually open to commit to whatever faction their Sage designated, meaning that Madison was able to keep the hospital¡¯s residents with Ghost Reef before she joined herself. Even Zakronaw, the weird bird mayor was staying, his purpose clear; he would protect the civilization shard with his life.


    The aliens had definitely been influenced by the rebellious human spirit. Ghost Reef was a place where deities would be challenged, and there would be little reverence for the system, mana, and those who wielded their strength for oppression. Elsewhere in the galactic community, social standings were concrete, but in Coop¡¯s settlement they would unhesitatingly punch Icons of Mana in the face. The aliens had been swept up in the zeitgeist of the Lighthouse.


    The other advantages of activating their faction were primarily systemic. They had access to faction events, assuming they could afford the millions of credits in entry fees to send individual competitors. They could potentially sponsor their own Chosen during upcoming assimilations, but the costs to bid were even more exorbitant than the events. In fact, they could also bid to become a Planetary Sponsor, which revealed all sorts of surprises.


    For example, what would the Lighthouse faction¡¯s manifestations look like? Obviously, they wouldn¡¯t have Ancient Defenders like the Primal Construct faction.


    Apparently, they would instead send minion versions of the phantom soldiers or pirates. A field boss would be an empty suit of haunted armor like Captain Alaric, a ghostly pirate captain that would inherit similar skills to the actual ship captains, or one of the many army officers that led squads of phantoms in the defense of Ghost Reef accompanied by spectral birds of prey. They even had siege bosses: facsimiles of the Tempest Fleet¡¯s very own Admiral Kayla, the Phantom Army¡¯s Rear Admiral Gideon, or a suspiciously enormous wild pig.


    Coop even gleaned a hint of future challenges in their own assimilation. There was at least one more level of raid boss shrouded in shadow that came after the siege boss designation. He had already thought it a possibility, but the faction confirmed it by giving them an incomplete list of their own manifestations. It was possible that there were more beyond, but for the moment, the shadow of only one more character was hidden in the menu.


    The last of the initial advantages gained from creating the faction officially was in their ability to indirectly communicate with other factions at a rather steep cost. They could send a similar offer for a Treaty Negotiation to what the Blessed Mau Collective had demonstrated. The cost appeared to depend on the recipient faction, and the prices could grow to be pretty far out of Coop¡¯s budget. For instance, Sunny¡¯s faction, The Pack, was a flat 10,000,000 credits, just to send the offer. Jones¡¯s Collegia Universal, on the other hand, was a mere 250,000.


    He figured Marcus would be excited, but Coop also believed he might never see the Viceroy again if the diplomatically minded individual became immersed in the full list of factions in an effort to glean galactic politics based on names and prices.


    The new alien members of the Lighthouse had prevented Coop from personally participating in the defensive battles, despite his insistence on following their lead. Instead, he was encouraged to concentrate on getting everything else in order. He hated to admit it, but he thought they were right to have him prioritize the assimilation. Between the potential Placid Lake Hive, the upcoming Underlayer Event, the Fallen Zone, the New Continental Congress, and the inevitable Eradication Protocol, he had a lot to do, and that was ignoring how many more levels he intended to grind out in between.


    ¡°One thing at a time.¡± Coop reminded himself, happy to try and keep things simple.

 Chapter 244: The Boardwalk

    Coop spotted the lodge on Placid Lake while it was still far in the distance. The night after the Lighthouse¡¯s official induction into intergalactic relations had already come and gone and Coop hadn¡¯t wasted any time while mentally recovering from the crash course in the affairs between sovereign states. He covered significant ground traveling up the mainland peninsula, intent on fulfilling his own role in safeguarding the faction.


    The pastel purple and gray-blue sunrise that started a brand new day reflected off the surfaces of water like a mirror, disguising the horizon. The effect highlighted the man-made structure, causing it to stand out against the natural environment while it was still far away. The lodge rose above flat ground on top of slender stilts that were reflected by the smooth water around it.


    Almost the entire Florida mainland had been transformed into a grassy river by the unimpeded Everglades. If not for the cypress stands rising from swamps, drier pine rockland strips, and the Atlantic Coastal Ridge, the peninsula might have become a calm shallow reef wedged between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. Instead, the unique natural region had been reinvigorated, reclaiming territory from Orlando all the way through the southern edges of the peninsula. Thousands of wide grassy rivers slowly crawled across the land, flowing so gently as to seem still, collectively forming a distinctive realm that encompassed the entire region.


    Luckily for Coop¡¯s navigational skills, the path to the Outpost was mostly linear. His allies built a boardwalk that weaved north from Empress City, crossing the wetlands almost the entire way north. Even while his spear throws shot him across the sky at an increased pace, with his thoughts in the stars, he wasn¡¯t able to get lost, so long as he kept the trail in his vision.


    At night, when he first started traveling, there were patrols periodically moving along the boardwalk, claiming the narrow strip for the Lighthouse, keeping it safe. Groups of Empress City residents carried torches that warded away the darkness. They may have felt isolated by the encroaching night, but from above, Coop could see that they weren¡¯t solitary beacons, but a slow chain of coordinated teams shifting between rest stops. Everyone was doing their part.


    It was morning by the time Coop reached the end of the line, leaving the patrols behind as they settled into the relative security of the small hut-like guard posts that had been constructed periodically along the trail. He adjusted his next spear throw to make a soft landing at the edge of the final small island, surrounded by a donut-shaped lake, happy with how quickly he reached his destination.


    The Outpost was closer to Orlando than he expected, probably somewhere in what was previously Osceola County. He had to praise his allies for successfully carving their way so far north. The ground covered was comparable to the space between Corozal and Cancun, keeping in mind that Earth had been inconsistently stretched by the activation of mana.


    Even if the land hadn¡¯t grown, it would have been unforgiving to cross by foot. Mr. Gibson had excitedly explained how his party had spearheaded the path through the expansive Everglades while Coop roamed the rainforests of the Yucatan. The highlight being when they defeated a wild Field Boss and used its nest to establish an Outpost at the end of the line. On the way, they had discovered two different Primal Constructs for Coop to hunt.


    Coop made rapid progress traversing the wilderness, in large part thanks to his Mistwalking skill evolution, but because of the approaching settlement event, he hadn¡¯t allowed himself to stop and introduce himself to the local monster variants. The invaders were being spared from his consideration for the moment. Instead, Coop concentrated on making sure he avoided losing his way.


    Jackson and Fabiana¡¯s forces out of Empress City had channeled the energy of the citizens of South Florida into productive projects after Coop and Marcus¡¯s successful influence after the conclusion of their civil war. While Empress City was largely limited by mana as they constructed a much larger settlement than Ghost Reef itself, they harnessed the excess vigor and took to taming the trail northward with enthusiasm. Multiple Guild Houses sent their members in an effort to ensure that the project was successful. They knew they would benefit from having access to the wilds or a land connection to their neighboring settlement, depending on the nature of the Guild.


    Coop hadn¡¯t spent any time visiting Empress City, merely passing through on his way north while it was already dark. He did use a portion of their limited mana to use one of Ghost Reef¡¯s newer settlement abilities to make his own mission slightly easier.


    Champion Projection was awarded when Ghost Reef became a City and it gave him the ability to transport himself to one of the subordinate settlements at a significant cost to both shard¡¯s mana pools. It was a one way trip, but it saved him the initial boat ride from Ghost Reef to the mainland.


    In this case, he thought it was a reasonable expense given that Empress City would be avoiding direct participation in the upcoming event by virtue of lacking an Underlayer Gateway. Ghost Reef would be handling the invading armies, with the explicit goal of claiming the control points for each of their subordinate settlements at the absolute minimum. Ghost Reef was geared up for war in the Underlayer while essentially fighting on a galactic front as well, but Empress City and Neptune¡¯s Bridge were free to maintain their positions and focus on their own development. They could spare some mana for Coop¡¯s visit.


    The actual experience of teleportation hadn¡¯t been particularly special. There were no alternate dimensions that he drifted through while his existence was sent across space, and nothing entered his senses that might reveal more secrets of the universe. Instead, he essentially blinked and reappeared in a new location, though his entire body tingled for a few minutes afterwards. The uncanny feeling mirrored his regrown arm just a bit too closely, making him think that his body hadn¡¯t been transported so much as it had been reconstructed, but he tried not to think about it too much. If it worked it worked.


    Coop shouldn¡¯t have been surprised, but Champion Jackson Hobbs wasn¡¯t content to idly sit on his hands when Ghost Reef geared up to fight battles on their behalf. When Coop arrived in Empress City, he found that the former Chosen of the Endless Empire had been integrated into the so-called Conch Republic Army. Together, both sides of the civil war were gearing up for transport to Ghost Reef, explicitly to participate in the Underlayer Event. Empress City was an active place these days, and the residents had internalized that energetic lifestyle as a sort of regional identity.


    Jackson intended to lead them to Ghost Reef, though he at least conceded to Fabiana as she insisted on letting the Flame Knight, Javier, actually lead their forces into battle in the Underlayer. Coop saw no obvious reasons to turn them away, so as he left Empress City, the general structure of their reinforcements were being organized.


    At this point, if the vestiges of the Endless Empire attempted some kind of coup on Ghost Reef, they would be completely annihilated by any one of the alien residents. The fact that Maeve and the others were unshackled by the system in their ability to defend Coop¡¯s claim on the shard meant that Ghost Reef was completely secure from such a mundane threat.


    As far as he could tell, there were only three legitimate threats to the settlement remaining. The first was obviously the Eradication Protocol and the forces of mana itself. It had been a while since any Icons had revealed themselves, but that didn¡¯t negate the fact that they were lurking in the background of their assimilation until mana adequately activated for them to mobilize.


    The second was from the outside factions of the universe. Even if they were limited by system rules, they could still pierce the assimilation while remaining within the guideposts provided for faction wars. For now, they were under control, thanks to Balor and the other contracted residents along with the phantoms.


    The third would come from the Primal Constructs, especially through the settlement events. The regular invaders were basically fodder for the residents of Ghost Reef, but the actual settlement events represented an unpredictable variable for them to contend with. Even the schedule of such events was up in the air. Since they could come at any time, it meant that they needed to be constantly progressing throughout the assimilation in order to always be prepared. Actual physical attacks on Ghost Reef by the Primal Constructs would be defended by the alien additions to the faction, but if there were more roundabout ways that the invaders could take control of settlements through the settlement events, it would be up to the unassimilated members to counter them.


    In any case, Coop felt like he could relax when it came to letting outsiders visit Ghost Reef. Between the residents, the phantoms, and now the extraordinary power of the aliens, the Core of the Lighthouse was beyond safeguarded from the mundane threats presented by the human Chosen of various factions.


    Neptune¡¯s Bridge wouldn¡¯t be providing the same commitment as Empress City. Frankly, the former Sapphire Armada¡¯s sailors were already embedding themselves within Ghost Reef¡¯s Navy and contributing in that manner. Coop wouldn¡¯t be able to distinguish them from any other residents that chose to join the pirate crews, so they were already doing what they could to pull their own weight. Admiral Kayla had been active in recruiting sailors. They had come from all sorts of places, from the residents of Ghost Reef, Empress City, and Neptune¡¯s Bridge, but also from her fleet scouring the islands of the Caribbean.


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    Anyone that had survived on any of the islands from Cuba to Barbados had been visited by a ship from the Tempest Fleet and invited to take shelter in Ghost Reef. If not for the enormous creatures occupying the Atlantic, the fleet would probably have visited other continents by the time Coop returned from the Yucatan. The former pirates were beyond effective, and as their forces grew, so did their range.


    During the Underlayer Event, the Navy would be responsible for defending beyond the perimeter of their settlement territory while the residents focused on the underground. Ghost Reef¡¯s settlement was comfortably secure, but the lanes between their Core settlement and the subordinates would take constant maintenance. The residents of Neptune¡¯s Bridge were already contributing more than enough by safeguarding their nautical territory from the increasing pressure of what they affectionately described as sea monsters. Meanwhile, their home settlement was still besieged on both sides by Primal Constructs. Compared to Empress City, Champion Hali didn¡¯t have as much leeway to shift resources around.


    Shane¡¯s party had established a solid defensive strategy for the Orlando Settlement, turning the city¡¯s long bridges into a tower defense game for the residents. Unfortunately, they required constant manpower. Sparing forces for the Underlayer Event was out of the question according to Coop¡¯s trusted guard captain. Ghost Reef would make sure that the Neptune¡¯s Bridge control point in the Underlayer was secure as their top priority to avoid adding to their already beleaguered position.


    The Jaguar Sun was in a similar predicament as the residents of the Orlando settlement. The Corozal Outpost was essentially another settlement, but they wouldn¡¯t be subject to the Underlayer Event. Instead, Tzultacaj, Juliana, Sierra, and Mateo had to contend with the remaining minions of the Lich as well as Primal Constructs without a settlement spreading territory to keep the monsters under control.


    Coop anticipated that the Jaguars would find a solid equilibrium, considering the extraordinary resilience of the Central American warriors, but the immediate future would be a time to secure as much of a foothold as possible against potential Primal Construct growth. He was confident that Shane and the other forces from Ghost Reef would leave them in a good position, and of course, Ghost Reef¡¯s Navy would be a constant connection with the Yucatan should resources need to be shifted around.


    The only other group he felt the need to keep track of was the bloc of individuals that had joined his faction from Neon Park. Charlie and Camila had recruited a coalition that existed within the northeast alliance, and as he understood it, represented neighborhoods concentrated in the Bronx. They assured him they were in good hands with the local leaders finding their own way to succeed thus far in the assimilation.


    All in all, everyone in the Lighthouse¡¯s growing empire was accounted for. It would just be up to Ghost Reef¡¯s residents to deliver on the promise of security for their allies.


    Coop finally landed on the boardwalk after three more mistjumps, beneath the stairs that led up into the Placid Lake lodge. He made a small commotion, clearing his voice as he approached, to reveal his arrival and draw the local guards out from the building.


    Sure enough, he was confronted by a group of nervous looking Empress City soldiers. They weren¡¯t sure what to make of the sudden guest, but they were at least aware that Coop would be coming eventually.


    ¡°Yo.¡± Coop tried casually breaking the ice.


    It felt like he was relieving a scouting party embedded in the no man¡¯s land of a more traditional war with all of the subtle ways their posture revealed their discomfort. They did their best to assess Coop, struggling with the dichotomy of his demeanor, his unreadable level, and the hints that leaked from his aura.


    ¡°You¡¯re Coop, right?¡± He was asked by the youngest member of the squad, the first to take a guess after a brief pause where they all exchanged nervous glances.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Coop nodded. ¡°Heard there were monsters around here for me to check out.¡± He added with a friendly smile. He didn¡¯t need to fake it; it felt good to be useful.


    The guard nodded back with just a little bit of awe at Coop¡¯s enthusiasm to find monsters. Once they confirmed his identity as much as they could, they explained the Placid Lake Outpost¡¯s situation.


    Basically, there was what appeared to be an Infestation, not yet a Hive, that originated from the north of the lake. It was essentially a swamp of saw grasses, spanish moss covered cypress, and flowing shallow waters at the perimeter, but under the original advice of Mr. Gibson, they avoided scouting further beyond what they could see at the fringes. For all they knew, there was an alien fortress bolstering an army in the interior, though Coop had already seen that it was just more Everglades deeper in the swamp from the air. The main problem for the guards was that over time, the area that was claimed by the Infestation was expanding, as if it had a life of its own, and by the time Coop arrived, the Outpost was a small island surrounded by the quest area.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t stuck here forever, are we?¡± The younger guard asked nervously. ¡°The quest area is spreading a lot faster than the Outpost, so we¡¯re completely surrounded now.¡±


    The current group of guards were the first ones to be completely engulfed, and they had been worried that they wouldn¡¯t be allowed to leave. It wasn¡¯t yet time for their replacements to arrive, but fear was making them believe they would be abandoned to the mysterious dangers that lurked in the wilderness. The actual function of the Infestation was still mostly unknown to the people involved in the assimilation, and the actual nomenclature of Infestations and Hives didn¡¯t exactly provide a pleasant impression. Coop might just be the most experienced quest clearer alive, so he did his best to reassure them that they would be fine to leave.


    ¡°Nah, don¡¯t worry.¡± Coop casually dismissed the concerns. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any physical restrictions, so you can come and go as you please. There will probably be a specific minion type that¡¯s establishing territory for some kinda leader. Once I deal with the quest, it should be completely fine.¡± He shrugged as he amended his statement. ¡°Or at least as fine as any other section of the boardwalk.¡±


    The fact that the borders of the Infestation were expanding at a faster pace than the Outpost¡¯s territory made the guards uneasy. Mr. Gibson had done a good job instilling the dangers of the quest area, but he was also limited by the information he had gleaned from Coop¡¯s adventures and the underground Hive that had formed beneath Ghost Reef¡¯s fort. In any case, Coop promised to take care of things and suggested they stick to their schedule in the meantime.


    He left them in the elevated lodge with their vigilance renewed. Coop took one more mistjump to cross the deeper section of the lake and land on a mat of bent grasses at the edge of the rest of the marsh. His legs slowly sank into the cool water, the vegetation not buoyant enough to sustain his weight, until he settled waist deep in the mire. Entering the Infestation properly revealed the quest to him, so he took a second to open his status.


    [Status]


    HP - 19250/19250


    MP - 36000/36000


    Class - Revenant (Level 237)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 162)


    Affinity - Spectral, Abyssal


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - The Lighthouse


    Strength - 125 (+3600)


    Agility - 125 (+1800)


    Body - 125 (+1800)


    Mind - 3000 (+600)


    Intelligence - 125 (+3600)


    Acumen - 125 (+1800)


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion IV, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper II, Slayer IX, Dauntless, Stacked, Defiant, Siegebreaker, Mindbender, Valor XXIV, Dedicated, Dynamo


    Skills (Active) - Mistwalking


    Skills (Passive) - Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension, Clarity of Purpose


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (20/50), Upgrade City to Metropolis, Settle the Infestation (0/6000)


    Basic Credits - 7,804,244


    ¡°6,000...¡± Coop muttered to himself as he confirmed the quest objective.


    It appeared to be an absolutely huge Infestation. He was harboring some doubts regarding whether or not he would be able to finish before the settlement event began. It would be a problem if he couldn¡¯t clear the quest before he had to leave, considering his experience with the previous Infestations had demonstrated their ability to refresh themselves quite easily.


    Mr. Gibson had also told him that the quest required 5,000 rather than 6,000. Unless the man was mistaken, the Infestation was actively growing more than just its territory. It looked like Coop would have his work cut out for him.


    If he remembered correctly, the Zombie Lord had established his territory on the offshore oil rig with a mere 200 Elite Zombies representing his claim. Similarly, the Fairy¡¯s Inkcap Mushroom and the High Priestess of the Butterfly Cave had created an Infestation with 200 Elite Sporeguards. Even the more advanced formation, the Hive that had lingered beneath the fort of Ghost Reef, required him to defeat 200 Elite Ruin Excavators before vanquishing Felrog, the named Field Boss. Obviously, something was drastically different when it came to the Placid Lake Infestation. A 30-fold increase in the designated monsters was something to take note of.


    Coop shifted forward, curious enough about what he would find in the heart of the Everglades to temporarily distract himself from everything else that was going on.

 Chapter 245: The Heart of the Glades

    Coop squinted through a curtain of sawgrass. Using the side of his hand to form a gap wide enough to slip his body through the fringes of the wetland, he ventured forward.


    Strips of emerald blades rippled under the relentless Florida sun, presenting the only visible evidence that a breeze drifted across the environment. Waves swept across the region, formed by the flowing edged stalks of the glades rather than the protected water. In contrast to the grasses, the shallow waterways were untouched by the mellow winds, buffered as they were by the flooded meadows extending into the air.


    The chill of the cool pre-dawn was gone, replaced by a harsh, humid, and sticky morning. Coop slowly waded forward, holding his spear above his head as he cautiously took the first steps into the unfamiliar danger zone. From a distance, he hadn¡¯t detected anything out of the ordinary, so he was entering the quest area methodically, waiting until he found the first representative of the Infestation and measured their capabilities before he pressed farther beyond the perimeter. An ambush could come from any angle, but he was prepared to face the challenge.


    Compared to his first real adventure on the Zombie Lord¡¯s oil rig, he was a completely different person. Considering it was only the start of Day 117, it hadn¡¯t really been that long, certainly not enough to actually transform his personality, but the assimilation had been a crash course in the cruelty of the galactic community. He doubted there was anyone on Earth that could claim to be unchanged. He was no exception.


    That wasn¡¯t to say all the changes had been negative. Even someone like Coop could recognize how confidence had seeped into his actions. He was certainly more assertive after a hundred days of the assimilation. He felt a lot less like a passive observer, anxiously being dragged along, than he did in the previous days.


    Coop pressed into the marsh, welcoming the confidence that steadied his steps while remembering hard-learned caution.  His eyes were active and he engaged all of his senses with Presence of Mind, ready to take on just about any opponent, big or small.


    Beneath the endless powder blue sky, a symphony of natural sounds bloomed all around him. Great white herons spread their wings after roosting for the night, flying low as they crossed the grasslands with beats of their feathers. Their guttural calls could have been attributed to dinosaurs, echoing across the landscape while the grasses rattled together in the breeze. Frogs and crickets provided a steady backdrop along with the calm bubbling of flowing water. Coop kept an eye on the birds as they claimed their own sections of the wetlands for the day, but they behaved as if nothing was out of the ordinary, ignorant to the realities of the assimilation. Somehow, the natural environment had been preserved.


    The air itself was heavy, thick with the scent of swamp flowers and moss, like a primal perfume unique to this particular section of the world. Rather than being unpleasant, the fragrance seemed wild and pure. Coop took a deep breath through his nose, staying relatively quiet, only adding the sound of water trickling against his legs as he traversed the marsh. The ambience gave him the feeling that he had been transported back in time, as if he was the first explorer to venture into the Everglades.


    The vistas were only slightly spoiled by the occasional street light, covered in lichen, and with other vegetation hanging from the lamps. Small bits of human development managed to survive the assimilation long enough to be reclaimed by nature. From a distance, the street lights looked like branchless pine trees, but as he observed a roseate spoonbill nest nestled at the top of one, he realized the leaning objects were man made.


    As he continued, the sawgrasses swayed, revealing glimpses of the vast hidden world submerged underneath. The stalks leaned out of his way, pressed by his weight, before bouncing back up once he was gone, letting the sun highlight his submerged feet as he went. The water was the color of weak tea and stretched out in an intricate network of channels and pools. It was a shallow, hidden labyrinth teeming with life.


    Gnarled cypress knees rose through the surface of the water like monuments to the weathered history of the Everglades as a whole. Beyond the pioneering cypress, thicker stands of trees formed pockets of shade where thick mats of spanish moss hung from branches like the beards of ancient wizards. Coop followed the edge of a wider channel, taking an indirect path to the north and west as he sought enemies nearer to the perimeter of the zone rather than barrelling into the center.


    There was a raw beauty to the untamed ecosystem that he couldn¡¯t help but appreciate. Coop felt blessed to visit, but he found himself feeling curious as to what dared to actively establish a permanent territory in the swamp. For a regular human like him, the environment was actually less forgiving than the rainforests of the Yucatan. There was far less cover, seeing as trees were limited to their own smaller pockets where dry sections rose from the wetlands. Without mistjumps or a boardwalk, it would take months to casually traverse the distance from Empress City to the Placid Lake Outpost thanks to the shallow waters that defined the ecosystem. It was a testament to Gibson¡¯s party and the Empress City residents that they had successfully pioneered a path so far north in the first place.


    Coop split his attention between watching the horizon through swaying blades of grass in front of him and watching his feet through the clear freshwater. He disturbed small turtles as he went, sending them diving off soggy logs and mats of fallen leaves where they were sunning themselves in the morning light. Anhingas watched him from a distance, holding their wings out as they waited for their feathers to dry after hunting fish, perched on rare islands of dirt or coral rock, or more frequently on the leaning branches of pioneering trees. An enormous wood stork led a flock of smaller species of wading birds down the edge of another channel, hesitating as Coop crossed their path. Despite its size, it was just a regular bird, reminding Coop of the variety that existed even before mana activated. They watched him for a moment, long enough to decide he wasn¡¯t going to bother them before the mixed flock resumed foraging.


    An hour of wading through the Everglades and Coop hadn¡¯t seen a single creature with a level. Thousands of birds, conspicuous against the backdrop of grassy vegetation, hundreds of frogs, lizards, snakes, and turtles, and limitless insects from dragonflies and butterflies to beetles and spiders crossed his path. Fish, molluscs, snails, and an unbelievable number of flowers were everywhere, but nothing that felt like a big enough threat to rise to an Infestation.


    The main, notable absence in all of the creatures was in the Primal Constructs. He hadn¡¯t seen a single example of the planetary sponsor¡¯s manifestations. The most likely culprit of the Infestation was missing. Every movement had Coop anticipating one of the metallic invaders, but thus far, he was disappointed by their lack of presence.


    When ripples appeared in a lane of clear water, formed between columns of sawgrass that led to a particularly thick cypress stand, Coop was immediately put on high alert. Back on Ghost Reef, the Mangrove Forest harbored a population of Primal Serpents. The Primal Constructs had already trained him to be wary of ripples in shady water.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    The water had been gradually deepening as he drew closer to the cypress trees, trading the shallow grassland for a section of lake-like habitat covered in broad-leafed lily pads. The wide trunks of the cypress trees gathered enough soil to establish their stand on the other side of the deeper water, but that left Coop on the edge of a section that was too deep for him to properly fight within.


    Coop avoided striking first, quietly shifting his stance while holding his spear forward and watching as whatever was hidden in the water angled toward him, pinning him against the even deeper section. If it was an animal, he expected to ward it away, but if it was a monster, he was ready to fight. Fish tended to flee with splashing turns as soon as they recognized his presence. However, he¡¯d never seen a Primal Construct retreat.


    The tip of his spear gleamed in the sunlight, just a few inches above the surface of the water, extending his melee range with its length. Coop¡¯s legs were slightly bent and both of his arms flexed as he braced for a potential charge, the water rising nearly to his chest. Whatever was creating waves was larger than most of the species of fish he had already encountered, and he doubted one of the agile diving birds, like a cormorant, would fail to notice him as long as this specimen had.


    The ripples stopped a mere 20 feet away, suddenly sending tiny waves scattering into the floating grasses from the submerged creature¡¯s now stationary position. Coop remained as still as a statue, feeling the sun beating down his shoulders, the heat contrasting with the cool shaded water. His muscles were coiled in anticipation of action, but he was left waiting. The water completely stilled, reflecting the sky like a perfect mirror, but Coop stayed vigilant, staring into the tea-colored water, straining his eyes to pierce the surface.


    A moment later, a bubble timidly broke the glassy water, preceding the reveal of the submerged sentry. Two unblinking yellow eyes breached the still water afterwards. A broad, bumpy snout followed, and a leathery hide of olive green scales emerged, scarred with long-healed slices, as if a propeller had crossed its back. An alligator floated to the surface with a primordial growl, presenting eight feet of ancient evolution in all of its glory. Its nostrils flared at the waterline as it surveyed Coop with slitted pupils in golden orange eyes that contrasted its deep gray-green hide.


    For all of Coop¡¯s developing confidence, coming face to face with the hidden predator lurking beneath the water¡¯s surface while feeling exposed by the environment made him swallow hard, feeling uneasy with the encounter. Coop identified the alligator, guessing that he had discovered the first creature with levels based on its aura alone.


    [Elite American Alligator (Level 152)]


    [(Strength)]


    [Minion]


    Coop noted that not only was the gator an Elite, but it was also a minion. As far as he could tell, that put the alligator at the top of the list for the culprits of the local Infestation. It was the only possibility he had discovered. The fact that it was just watching him from a distance placed the onus of making a decision onto Coop.


    After a few more seconds of the two staring at each other, Coop was the first to move. He stepped to the side, moving perpendicularly between the gator and the island, keeping the deeper water on his side rather than venturing through the watery barrier on his previous path toward what appeared to be dry ground. He kept his eyes on the gator as he went, alert to a potential attack. The animal kept the distance between them exactly the same, slowly drifting forward with slow side to side movements of its thick tail. It matched Coop¡¯s cautious speed, not getting any closer, but also not letting Coop put distance between them.


    Coop narrowed his eyes as the feeling of being stalked by an ancient predator settled in. He wondered if he should just kill it. An elite opponent with 150 levels was certainly a favorable matchup for the Champion. A minion of an Infestation should also be something that could respawn or otherwise be resummoned, but attacking the animal went against a part of Coop¡¯s personality that had gone unchanged since before the assimilation.


    Instead of fighting, Coop decided to escape from the slow pursuer. He threw his spear over the lily pad decorated water, straight into the cypress stand, and mistjumped away from his stalker. A small puff of mist settled in his place on the surface of the water, spilling into the thick bands of grass before disappearing.


    When Coop reappeared, he was firmly secured in the crook of a large tree, shaded by the thick elevated canopy and braced by carpets of tillandsia that covered its bark. Coop doubted that the alligator would know where he went, so he stayed still a few dozen feet above the ground and observed how the animal responded.


    To his surprise, the alligator knew exactly where he was. So did 50 more of the reptilian creatures that had been hidden in the nearby waters where he had explored throughout the morning.


    Alligators of various sizes converged on the cypress stand, leaving splashing wakes as they precisely tracked Coop¡¯s teleport into the shade without any problems. They came from all directions, revealing that Coop had actually been completely surrounded as soon as he entered the swamp. His attempt to investigate the Infestation without making any commotion until he encountered the first monster had been for naught.


    The alligators settled in a loose crowd, with only their yellowish eyes and dark nostrils breaking the water, but from Coop¡¯s perspective above them, he could see their bulky and scarred bodies suspended inches beneath the surface like the shadows of imposing dinosaurs.


    Coop shook his head to himself, still wanting to lose their attention. He threw his spear further into the unexplored territory, aiming for the next stand of trees in the distance, retreating from the potential challenge no matter how favorable it was for him.


    He mistjumped a full hundred yards away, leaving a splash of mists to cascade down the large cypress tree and linger in the leaf rosettes of the airplants. He timed his teleport so that he landed in another tall tree when he reappeared, bracing himself against the trunk with one arm, with one leg on a branch and the other suspended in the air, like he was hanging out the side of an elevated trolley.


    His sudden movement triggered what must have been hundreds more gators, spread evenly throughout the swamp as if each had claimed its own small pond in the flooded grassland.


    They abandoned their scattered positions and splashed toward him, flattening sawgrass, and leaving white water wakes as they bee-lined to his new hideout with hisses and bared teeth that silenced the bird calls. In the moment that he reappeared, they were already made aware of his position, like they were completely in tune with the swamp itself.


    As he watched their trajectories from above, feeling impressed, he noted that one of the lanes of water was clear enough to reveal the pavement markings of a highway. White lines separated lanes where rhizomatous aquatic herbs dominated the vegetation. On the side, a massive billboard had toppled over, leaving just its upper corner exposed to the humid air while the rest was covered by a foot or more of the gently flowing water.


    Coop read the submerged advertisement, unhurried, thanks to his confidence that alligators couldn¡¯t climb trees. The sign announced ¡°Airboat Rides! Skunk Ape Tours! Gator Wrestling! Fun for the whole family! - Next Exit¡± in brightly colored expressive letters.


    ¡°The hell is a skunk ape?¡± Coop muttered, glancing in the direction he believed the road would have gone. It was just more swamp, with thick scattered patches of either pine trees or cypress, depending on the water level, on either side.


    As he decided where to go next, staring into the distance, the sound of nails scratching on wet bark drew his attention back down to the alligators. Some of the smaller specimens, still upwards of six feet, were climbing up the side of the cypress. They were making easy progress, and Coop made an important discovery. Alligators could definitely climb trees.

 Chapter 246: Territorial Claims

    Ultimately, Coop decided to circle back to the Placid Lake Outpost after taking a quick survey deeper into the occupied territory. The reptilian sentries of the region were too adept for him to avoid with his limited stealth abilities, so he leaned on the other advantages baked into his kit. In this case, his speed.


    He couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that this particular Infestation was less of an invasion on Earth and more of a stronghold of native fauna. In fact, their claim was so strong, he felt like he was the one invading as he mistjumped in a wide semicircle away from the local alligator minions. He had never really been motivated to conquer new lands from others, and it was pretty clear that this land was already occupied. His actions would definitely be in line with conquest if he chose to open up with violence while intruding on their territory.


    Coop didn¡¯t need to defeat one of the creatures to recognize that they were almost certainly the reason for the system-created Infestation. The initial quest objective to settle the Infestation was to defeat 6,000 minions, and if he stopped to count his splashing pursuers, he expected the number to get pretty close to the total requirement. There were no other alternative minions, especially with these specimens actively maintaining their territory. It seemed like they were doing a good enough job to completely suppress the untamed Primal Constructs, unlike other wild areas that Coop had visited. The reptiles dominated the environment.


    The alligators may have been particularly suited to the Everglades, even able to climb trees, but they had no chance of matching the speed of Coop¡¯s unrestrained movement skill. He planned to lead them deeper into their own territory while he took a circuitous route back to the Outpost, using the opportunity to check for any other points of interest before he returned. It wasn¡¯t like he expected to find a corrupted Mayan pyramid being used as the home base for a High Priest, but it wouldn¡¯t hurt to check for other landmarks. If there was some other cult forming in the swamps, it would be better to discover it sooner rather than later.


    Coop didn¡¯t want to go directly back to his own claim either, just in case he would accidentally lead a wave of Elite Alligators to the small refuge and handful of guards. He suspected that if he did accidentally lead the mob to the doorstep of the Outpost, the Lighthouse territory would be subdued by the greater Infestation territory and one of his first Mana Pylons would be lost.


    Instead, he continued to mistjump deeper into the unexplored swamps, avoiding the minions as much as he could. If it came down to it and he still wanted to avoid confronting the animals, he thought they might need to fight a sort of cold war border battle, where the two territories competed with each other at the edges by pushing territory rather than actual physical combat. It seemed as though the alligators had already been engaging in that sort of passive competition, growing their Infestation one pool at a time, adding alligators to their assemblage as they went.


    Coop had experienced enough settlement territory, witnessing how it formed, expanded, contracted, and was destroyed to have some ideas for how it might work. His quick thought was that the Outpost needed to increase its population enough to encourage territorial expansion. As it stood, the Placid Lake lodge only ever had a handful of guards, but the Infestation was obviously raising its population. The difference in population trajectories put pressure on their perimeter, preventing the Mana Pylon from expanding its reach.


    Mr. Gibson had witnessed the quest requiring 5,000 defeats for its objective, but Coop could clearly see that it now asked for 6,000, and he was sure Gibson wouldn¡¯t have made such an elementary mistake like misremembering the most important detail of the quest. That meant the population of alligator minions had increased by 1,000 in three weeks while the Outpost remained static. While there was definitely some natural expansion of territory, the primary driver had always been the number of residents representing a specific territory.


    Coop understood the growth by looking at it in the context of Ghost Reef¡¯s population increases. 1,000 new residents was only impressive if ignoring the possibility of immigration. Certainly, there were more than a few thousand alligators in Florida before the assimilation, probably closer to one or two million, but they were typically solitary reptiles. Even the golf course near Empress City was home to at least one well-established individual. If there was some way to get some of them to work together, he didn¡¯t see why they couldn¡¯t actively recruit more, especially if the individuals had a chance to grow accustomed to the uplifting power of the first few skills granted by mana.


    When Ghost Reef received influxes of residents, their territory was typically granted further expansion as the settlement iterations improved. Other settlements held even greater territories by virtue of their absurd populations; the Yucatan Settlement being the first, obvious example. The same principle could be applied to any kind of territory, from Settlements and Outposts, to Mana Wells, Infestations, and Hives. Whether that was because the living populations acted as conduits for their representative territory¡¯s mana, or if the numbers were unstated objectives and meeting a certain requirement triggered the increases as a reward wasn¡¯t exactly clear. At the moment, the end result was all that mattered anyway, and it was clear enough that territories and populations were directly correlated.


    He may not have ever received an explanation for how Infestations worked, as the contracted aliens that would have been able to give him one weren¡¯t exactly the most inquisitive by nature. They simply accepted that Infestations were a phenomenon that occurred according to the system¡¯s authorization. Even recognizing that it was the system, and not some kind of mysterious god, was already a step beyond the typical attitude in the galactic community, so he had to give them some credit. Still, Coop could put two and two together and understand that the system was merely recognizing individual bulwarks within the assimilation, and providing quests for others to wipe them out.


    The assimilation was essentially an enclosed tournament for survival, run by the system, while mana did its own thing, expanding, and judging them in the background. The conflict was primarily centered around the civilization shards, but Infestations and Hives were like unsanctioned ramparts for the defenders or staging grounds for the planetary sponsor. Coop guessed that, because of the way mana worked, the system had no choice but to allow them to exist, and by recognizing them, it could include them in the competition.


    Coop shrugged, dismissing the minutiae of the system and keeping with the present as he kept mistjumping ahead of the stampeding gators. He completely eschewed his effort for subtlety while he developed some preliminary plans to bolster the Outpost. He wondered what barrier the alligators wouldn¡¯t be able to climb. A regular fence probably wouldn¡¯t work, but they had the kind of magic that meant he needed to use some imagination. Maybe a fence of pure electricity would be enough of a deterrent to keep them away.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    After building some distance from his pursuers with a continued series of rapid mistjumps, he landed on a damp mound of discarded shells surrounded by stalks of grass that barely broke the surface of a shallow pool. While the gators chased in the distance, he took a few stutter steps before planting his foot firmly and absolutely blasting his spear up and away, trying for speed and distance instead of precision and control.


    The missile shot like a rocket, erupting in a series of sonic booms before dispersing clouds high in the sky and winking out of sight.


    When Coop activated his mistjump, he disappeared from the Everglades, leaving a puff of mists to drift into the surrounding sawgrass. It was almost like he hadn¡¯t even been there in the first place. No way some basic gators kept on his trail.


    Ever since completing the Path of the Mistwalker, his mistjumps skipped the sensation of being dragged through the monochromatic world of ethereal mana. Instead, he flickered in and out of the mist-painted overlay, popping back into existence with his armor and weapon reunited as if it was as simple as taking a single step. The only delay was caused by the time it took for the mists to condense and solidify into his form, and of course, the time it took for his weapon to physically reach where he wanted before he activated the bonus skill. Coop loved the improved efficiency. His skill was drawing closer to the phantoms¡¯ default ability to teleport short distances with its latest evolution.


    When he reappeared, catching up with his unrestrained spear throw, he was high enough in the sky for the distance to transform the region into a painted sea of every shade of green. He couldn¡¯t imagine an alligator capable of tracking him when he was darting across such distances. Then again, Coop wasn¡¯t sure how they followed his shorter mistjumps in the first place. His theory that they were actively cooperating with each other to form their own type of stronghold was the only one that made any sense to him in the moment, but after really launching his spear, it would take something special to keep track of his movement.


    Coop was becoming something of a skydiver with his mistjumps. He fell with his arms spread, balancing so that he had a panoramic view of the Everglades. It had been some time since he fully flexed his Strength to test the distance he could get on a proper javelin throw. Normally, when he was throwing his spears, he had a specific target or destination in mind. The desire to avoid missing kept him from just sending it.


    Coop blew air out of his nose in surprise at the result, falling through clouds and feeling good after properly unleashing an enormous pitch. The height was far beyond what he expected. If only he had the time, he would spend a day with Emmanuel testing his limits with actual weights. For now, it was enough to observe that, even with diminishing returns applied to the bonuses of stats, he was pushing crazy levels of Strength. Even the aliens would have a hard time matching his movement ability, if they had one at all, thanks to how it was enhanced by his passive skills.


    Now that the Lighthouse was official and the contracted residents could demonstrate the levels of power that Coop believed he would need to catch in the future, he had a better idea of where he stood in the galactic community. Frankly, despite needing to multiply his level by at least a hundred times just to have a fighting chance, he was feeling more confident than ever. The scaling of his attributes and the interaction his extraordinary stats had with his abilities meant that he could genuinely punch far above his weight class.


    Where the Siege Event had demonstrated to the residents of Ghost Reef that they really were empowering themselves enough to stand up to the system-limited challenges presented by the Primal Constructs and their manifestations, the more recent battles had proven that the Coop¡¯s companions were also rising beyond the Chosen humans in the assimilation. The Endless Empire, the Sapphire Armada, the Unspeakable, and even the Breathless factions had angled to have their Chosen become the most powerful on the planet, but Coop and Ghost Reef had demonstrated the potency of their paths by defeating them all. How could he not feel confidence in himself and his allies going forward?


    It seemed like he was actually the last one to get onboard. His companions in Ghost Reef already understood their favorable position within the assimilation. Assuming Balor and the others could prevent any faction from superseding the Lighthouse, the only real threat that the residents of Ghost Reef hadn¡¯t proven themselves against was mana itself. The Eradication Protocol was like the final boss in their ascent, and they would need to face it before they earned the right for humanity to continue to exist within the expanded universe. Their relationship with the factions of the galactic community would be a whole other story that only mattered if they survived the initial series of trials.


    Coop let a sigh escape his lips and it was immediately lost to the wind as he fell back towards the Everglades, cushioned by buffeting air as he was pulled by gravity, probably already several miles from where he started on foot. The fact that the challenges continued escalating wasn¡¯t missed by the Unchosen Champion. Still, they were progressing beyond the first two of the three clear barriers presented by the assimilation. ¡°One more to go,¡± he told himself, but Coop wouldn¡¯t be able to relax if he hoped to meet the forces of mana head-on. Even slowing down would open the door for either the Primal Constructs or other groups of Chosen humans representing factions to catch back up.


    Coop ceased his ruminations as he was brought back down toward the Earth. If not for the hazy clouds obscuring the distant horizon, he suspected that Neptune¡¯s Bridge might be visible beyond the last expanse of swamp to the north. As tempted as he was to pay a surprise visit, he didn¡¯t want to be distracted from his current task. Like always, he viewed the best path to tackle future challenges to be taking things one step at a time.


    He tucked his arms behind his back, streamlining his fall, and watched as he picked up speed and the features of the ground increased in resolution. He triangulated his position in anticipation of returning to the Outpost and deciding how to proceed with the Infestation. It might end up being a long campaign if he wanted to avoid direct conflict.


    As he drew closer to the ground, a splash of unnatural yellow contrasted with the revitalized greens that painted the environment. At the edge of a thick island of pine trees that even had enough elevation to be home to several ancient oak trees, embedded in the loamy dirt was an old pine needle covered school bus. From ground level it would be hidden behind the outer layer of cypress trees that masked the island in the river of grass, but from above, it clearly stood out against the deep greens and tea-colored water.


    Coop spread his arms again, marginally slowing himself down while holding his spear out, as he realized that the island had a larger makeshift shelter constructed on its interior, among the oaks. Rusted metal sheets were stacked and layered like a post apocalyptic fortress, hidden among the vegetation and masked by the woods. The perimeter was even camouflaged by a bold pattern of elaborate diamond shapes and contrasting colors. The interior held stained concrete pools that matched the swamp on the exterior, housing native plants in an artificial recreation of the natural habitat.


    Coop shifted positions, adjusting in the air to mistjump in the direction of the shelter. It seemed like too significant of a landmark to ignore before heading back. He aimed his spear and let it fly.

 Chapter 247: The Swamp Lord

    The sheltered landmark tucked into the Everglades demanded Coop¡¯s attention. Once he spotted the stained concrete and rusted corrugated metal sheets, the entire structure stuck out like a sore thumb. It might as well have been lit up with runway lights with how it lacked camouflage from above.


    Coop aimed to make a soft landing, controlling his descent by repeatedly throwing and catching his spear while he was still high in the sky. Instead of one long throw, he made precise adjustments to better regulate his fall, fully utilizing the improvements to his skills to avoid crashing down like a meteor. Over time, he had become an expert in passing the spear to himself, acting like a quarterback throwing over the shoulder of an imagined wide receiver, and setting himself up to always be in comfortable positions as he reappeared at the end of his mistjumps.


    Like most things, mistjumping was a learned skill that had benefited from practice. Even being considerate of his destination was somewhat of an art that required many trials before it worked properly without forcing his body into unexpected contortions to right himself before falling. At this point, the precision of his spear throws and the timing of his mistjumps came naturally, decided more by Coop¡¯s instinct than any conscious calculations.


    When his feet met the concrete near the center pool of the hidden sanctuary, he barely made a sound. The days when he had to smash into surfaces and make dramatic entrances were gone, at least unless he was looking to make a certain kind of impression. This time, he wasn¡¯t coming in hot, and there didn¡¯t appear to be an audience, so there was no need for any sort of posturing, though it was still an option. The solid, worn patio beneath his soles was quite a contrast after wading through the submerged swamps. It was smooth and weathered from the elements before the assimilation began. Vines weaved across the surface and patches of grass formed their own belts along the edges of concrete.


    Rather than being hidden, the structure was merely overgrown. The camouflage was a natural result of the encroachment of the Everglades and all the pioneering flora that thrived with the environment. There didn¡¯t appear to be any deliberate attempt to mask the landmark¡¯s presence.


    Coop concentrated on his aura, checking for potential enemies as routinely as glancing around a room upon entering. Presence of Mind filled his senses, revealing his immediate surroundings more clearly than his own sight, though he combined his natural senses to be more thorough. The sections around the large central pool were empty of potential enemies, no matter how hard he looked. Coop recognized the layout now that he viewed it from a more typical angle rather than from a bird¡¯s eye view.


    It seemed like Coop had discovered what was once a kind of specialized petting zoo that had somehow avoided being completely subsumed under the gently flowing expansion of the Everglades. The outer paths were elevated boardwalks, protected by rusted and leaf-stained tin roofs, leading to the edges of the swamp, while Coop had landed in the interior in the largest empty paddock for whatever animals were featured inside. It didn¡¯t take a detective to figure out what the main attraction would be. Judging by the layout of the sloped concrete pools, the sanctuary was meant for alligators.


    Coop squeezed his spear, holding it upright, but ready to defend himself. He recognized that the only structure he had seen within the Infestation was likely to hold some significance, especially since it was an alligator habitat in a place inundated with alligator minions.


    The carved pools were covered in broad floating leaves and thin-petaled white flowers that obscured anything that might be lurking below. Coop kept his eye on the edge of the water, anticipating an ambush that never came. Instead, he spotted a handful of baby alligators hiding among the aquatic vegetation, staying completely still as if they were rubber bath toys. Coop watched, but they didn¡¯t have much of a reaction, seemingly confident that they were hidden by the surface of water, despite his attention.


    Eventually, feeling comfortable enough that he wasn¡¯t in danger of a larger creature¡¯s ambush, he turned his attention to the rest of the paddock. What he had assumed were elaborate camouflage patterns from above turned out to be a series of trophies. The walls that separated the observation decks from the animal pens were lined with python skins, hung over the top edge to dry out. Numerous snakes had been defeated, ranging from enormous monsters exceeding thirty feet in length to smaller, but still intimidating, five to six foot snakes.


    If the skins had been hung before the assimilation, Coop expected them to be more deteriorated, either faded by the sun or otherwise eroded by the elements, exposed as they were. Instead, they seemed brand new, as if the collection had been started after the assimilation had begun and was actively growing as time went on.


    Coop wandered closer to the wall, checking out the snake skins with a bit of consternation. In a way, the invasive species was almost as much of an invader as the Primal Constructs to the local creatures, but the overall scale of the destruction the two types of non-natives would cause wasn¡¯t exactly comparable. Neither the consequences, nor the motives aligned in a way that would allow Coop to consider the invasive snakes to be as much of a threat as the alien invaders. It wasn¡¯t like he was in any position to judge the morality of reptiles fighting each other, considering the conflicts he had participated in, whether he was justified or not.


    If he looked at it from an alligator¡¯s point of view, he supposed the end result of a snake invasion was pretty much the same. Their survival was at stake either way, whether it was challenged by pythons or alien manifestations. They were fighting over habitat, and clearly, the alligators had taken the upper hand over both challengers for the time being. They had been the ones to claim the territory and establish an Infestation.


    As Coop slowly strolled along the perimeter of the main animal pen, he felt as though the story of the local Infestation was being presented to him like a museum exhibit. The battles that had been fought were between parties that he hadn¡¯t initially expected. Rather than the Primal Constructs taking a preeminent role, the alien planetary sponsor was a third party at best.


    The evidence was in the damage to the snake skins. Coop examined jagged bite marks, imagining equally large gators wrestling with the massive snakes as the constrictors wrapped their bodies. He traced scrapes that terminated in lost teeth, still embedded in the thick reptilian armor. Coop had to assume that far more Primal Constructs had been defeated overall, but they didn¡¯t leave any evidence beyond experience and maybe the occasional title. On the other hand, the war between reptiles had left a clear testimonial in the form of snake skins and lost alligator teeth.


    Coop watched the pond as he considered the circumstances that formed the Infestation, with a pseudo faction of alligators being established after prevailing over both types of invaders. It wasn¡¯t like they had a civilization shard or mana pylon to act as a focal point for the territory¡¯s mana. Instead, they were effectively excluding other claimants by establishing their own stronghold. He concluded that the absence of other representatives was the essential element that allowed an Infestation to be created.


    From the perspective of the vast majority of factions in the galactic community, the entire assimilation was a territory grab. The civilization shards created individual city-states that started with the ability to radiate their own territory, expanding with population and settlement upgrades. If they survived and upgraded to the necessary levels, they were granted further tools to expand, including the ability to evolve into what were essentially nations by taking control of other civilization shards to make them subordinates, or settling even more territory with mana pylons.


    An Infestation seemed like an inferior formation compared to the more structured systems, something like a barbarian territory in a competition of nations. They lacked the crucial elements that made settlements a permanent feature, like the ability to passively suppress the development of Primal Constructs and the system connections provided by the shards. Infestations could be toppled at any point, and the system actively encouraged such conflicts by granting combat quests to outsiders that discovered their territory.


    However, Infestations clearly had a role in the assimilation, being useful for factions to develop footholds and stage their forces before holding more permanent claims. As far as the galactic community was concerned, these were actions reserved for those with more advanced knowledge of assimilation, far more than could be expected from Unchosen indigenous populations.


    Coop shook his head as he reconfirmed that their planet wasn¡¯t exactly what the galactic community anticipated. When it came to Earth, it wasn¡¯t solely human civilization that threw off expectations for a baseline planet, instead, it was the underlying pressures that had led ancient human predecessors to group together in the first place. Human society was merely the most obvious consequence of those pressures. The forces of evolution that resulted in adaptation and speciation had sculpted all of the planet¡¯s inhabitants into hardened survivors on a genetic level.


    Maybe wild animals were getting a free pass from mana¡¯s Eradication Protocol thanks to their lack of technological development, but the fact was that they had been under the same pressures as humanity. Life on Earth was defined by the survival of the fittest, and the more Coop learned about the rest of the galactic community, the more obvious it was that the competition to survive was rarely as excessive as it was on Earth. The aliens were uplifted from planets that acted as incubating cradles, never being forced to develop the desperate instinct to survive or perish due to a complete lack of environmental threats, competition for resources, or interspecies predation.


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    It was almost like an allegory for Coop¡¯s own process for leveling up. Where Coop felt like he was truly earning his levels, collecting experience through blood and sweat while others sought shortcuts under the guidance of factions. Historically, it was the same for life on Earth. Every species won the right to live, whether by dominating their habitats or adapting to environments that would otherwise be too extreme, carving out their place in the world and being forced to maintain it in a perpetual cycle of life and death. Ignoring humans, any of the uplifted animals would have the drive to establish a dominant faction within the community based on instinct alone.


    As Coop distracted himself with thoughts on the different experiences extraterrestrial life had undergone, he wandered through the make-shift shelter, leaving the baby alligator pond behind to check the others and explore the core of the Infestation¡¯s territory.


    His thoughts on the difference between the extremes of Earth and what had been described to him by Balor as what was standard elsewhere were interrupted when he turned a corner and detected the aura of another person beside an empty, clear water pool. The other sections had all been empty.


    Coop froze, eyes immediately scanning the water before finding the man lounging on a lawn chair. The stranger was in the shady corner of a concrete pen, with the small pool at his side, sleeping beneath a ragged umbrella that barely clung to life as a shield against the sun. His erratic snores choked his breathing and he shifted his head to the side to hide his eyes from the sun, unaware of Coop¡¯s presence.


    The man was covered in dirt, splotched with mud, with a grubby bandana tied around his forehead that was barely suppressing a wild greasy mullet. His eyes were still closed, and he had bits of debris stuck in a scraggly, unkempt goatee. His dark blue coveralls were equally dirty, folded down so that he seemed shirtless, revealing small colorful tattoos scattered on his torso like an amateur artist had used his skin for practice.


    The pant legs of his coveralls were rolled up to his knees and he had one leg propped on the armrest of the chair with the other leaning off to the side at the edge of the water. He had sturdy untied combat boots on his feet, painted in dried muck that extended beyond his ankles. If Coop was inclined, he could trace the man¡¯s path by following the mud-stained footsteps that meandered to the edge of the paddock, near a table with an impressive combat knife jabbed into a board that held another snake skin.


    A white-topped red cooler was open next to the lawn chair that held the man, and one of his hands was dangling inside of it, as if he had fallen asleep while retrieving another beverage. Scattered all around his corner of the derelict zoo were crushed beer cans, including a handful that floated in the shallow pool at the man¡¯s other side. Coop inspected the unconscious specimen¡¯s aura, wondering if this man was somehow responsible for the Infestation.


    [Human (Level 106)]


    [Feral Grappler (Body)]


    [Untamed]


    Coop grunted at the man¡¯s level, finding it ironic that he had been subconsciously building up the feats of Earth¡¯s inhabitants, just to find such an uninspiring example at the center of the Infestation. He supposed the man was more or less keeping up with the assimilation, but he certainly wasn¡¯t overachieving like they were as a species.


    Coop stepped forward, planning on nudging the man awake with the tip of his spear so that he could ask a few questions. Despite the lanky man¡¯s appearance and relatively low level, the fact that his class was a grappler seemed like a hint that it would be best to keep him at a distance, just in case. He certainly fit the bill for a scrappy fighter.


    As soon as Coop closed the distance by a single step, the small clear pool at the man¡¯s side exploded in a churning froth as a massive unnoticed gator shot from beneath the surface. Coop stepped backwards, caught completely by surprise despite specifically eyeing the pool of water as he turned the corner. The fact that the small circular pond was completely free of vegetation had given him a clear view of the white colored bottom, but his eyes had played a trick on him. The shallow pool was deeper than he thought.


    The alligator that occupied this pool was albino. The white surfaces beneath the water weren¡¯t layers of concrete, but actually the scales of the massive coiled beast. Coop inspected it as he shifted his spear protectively, drifting further backwards as he prepared to fight the red-eyed monster.


    [American Alligator (Level 296)]


    [Alpha Concept (Strength)]


    [Primordial (Exotic)]


    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± Coop assessed, satisfied to find a level that made more sense for forcing untamed territory into a properly organized domain.


    At the same time, the sleeping man fell out of his chair, sending aluminum cans clattering across the concrete while his umbrella toppled over and he struggled to make sense of his surroundings.


    ¡°What the hell, Dorothy?¡± The stranger exclaimed in a heavy accent only found deep in the backwoods, spoken by those who would properly describe themselves as Florida crackers. He furiously wiped the water that had splashed him awake away from his face . When his eyes focused and he spotted Coop¡¯s spear he put a hand up as if to stop him. ¡°Woah man, let¡¯s be cool!¡±


    Coop and the alligator were both holding their ground, but the man had said enough to cause them to hesitate before escalating into outright conflict.


    ¡°Who¡¯re you, stranger?¡± The man asked Coop as he climbed back to his feet, rubbing his lower back as strolled over and leaned onto the white alligator¡¯s hide. His relaxed demeanor did more than words could have done to ease the two fighters away from combat. It seemed like the man was a natural beast tamer.


    Coop kept his eyes on the gator, judging it to only be the second largest example he had ever seen, despite its level. It was slightly smaller than the SUV sized Apex Predator living in the golf course outside of Empress City, only around the size of a fully featured sedan. When the Alpha Concept didn¡¯t seem like it would escalate the confrontation to a physical fight as long as Coop didn¡¯t, he slightly lowered his spear.


    ¡°I¡¯m Coop.¡± He responded to the question long after the question had faded back to silence, still watching the larger threat. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Coop?¡± The man muttered like he was chewing on the name. ¡°Where have I heard that one before?¡± He asked himself. Coop just shrugged slightly, waiting for the man to introduce himself. After a few more seconds of muttering, he slapped the albino alligator on the back like he got it. ¡°Pearl¡¯s kid that went off to work the gas station in Yeehaw Junction, right?¡± He guessed, snapping his fingers, but frowned in a way that tilted his thin facial hair to the side when Coop failed to affirm his guess. ¡°Nah, that¡¯s not right, his name was Hoop wasn¡¯t it? Or was it Scoot?¡± He fell back into contemplation.


    ¡°You from around these parts?¡° He finally asked, leaning forward as he struggled to recognize the spear-wielding stranger.


    Coop shook his head in response.


    ¡°Welp.¡± The man gave up with a shrug that resembled one of Coop¡¯s before getting into his own greeting. ¡°I¡¯m Bobby Jon Walker, owner of this here establishment. I¡¯m afraid we¡¯re closed for business. None of the airboats work, most of my gators got too big or too smart for wrasslin¡¯, and the skunk ape wasn¡¯t real unless you counted Dwayne when he got too drunk and wandered off every other weekend.¡± The man introduced himself with a light-hearted laugh and unsuppressed hospitality.


    ¡°You getting a lot of business these days?¡° Coop wondered, not sure if the man was playing around or had managed to stay clueless to the state of the planet.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t seen another soul since I drank something funny and the gators got all organized and had their rebellion after the storm.¡± The man answered. ¡°Thank goodness for the silo.¡± He chuckled to himself. ¡°I reckon I¡¯d have sobered up already without it. I hope you weren¡¯t hoping for a gator show.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m here about the Infestation.¡± Coop admitted.


    ¡°Ah, I think I know what you mean. You gotta talk to Ol¡¯ Dorothy. She¡¯s the Swamp Lord now.¡± Bobby Jon responded, pointing at the white alligator.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop grunted, not sure if he should be surprised by the hierarchy. In any case, he wasn¡¯t. Forming a system designated Infestation wasn¡¯t a complete departure from the natural order for animals on Earth.


    Bobby Jon turned away like with the reveal of the leader of the Infestation his role was complete. He retrieved the empty cooler from the side of his toppled over chair, hoisting it up onto his shoulder after shaking the last few empty cans out.


    He turned back to Coop and nodded his head to the side once. ¡°I¡¯m gonna head down the silo to restock. Ya¡¯ll play nice, now.¡±


    Coop watched with a bit of confusion as someone treated him with the same nonchalance that usually came from his side. It was a little taste of his own medicine. Bobby Jon wandered over to a nondescript heavy door inlaid into a thick concrete wall, off to the side. Coop expected it to be a simple shed, but the door revealed a second bulky blast door inside. When the second interior door opened, it exposed a series of solid concrete steps leading down into the darkness. Bobby Jon didn''t hesitate as he took the steps.


    Coop looked back at the unmoved albino alligator and tilted his head. As the two stared, Coop received an update to his quest.


    [Eliminate the Swamp Lord 0/1 or Establish an Alliance 0/1]

 Chapter 248: Cultural Victory

    Coop found himself in the unusual position of negotiating with an alligator, and it wasn¡¯t even the first time. The two didn¡¯t exactly have a standard meeting of the minds, given their inability to directly communicate, but Coop did his best on behalf of both of them.


    Rather than a negotiation that included a give and take with regard to different conditions as they came to an agreement, it was more of an offer for them to decide if the compromise was acceptable. Coop tried to fill two sides of the mediation as he came to the conclusion that the alliance option was only available when each side was amenable.


    He found it interesting that almost every Infestation that he encountered had been open to the possibility of a relatively peaceful resolution. Only the Primal Constructs had forced the elimination option without any potential for negotiation, as far as Coop had experienced. Of course, all of the Undead Chosen, from the Zombie Lord to the Lich would have used an alliance as an opportunity to establish themselves in the role of a superior. It didn¡¯t seem like an active posture, but rather the system dictating the relative stations of the two parties. This was the same logic between forced membership of factions and why the alien contracted residents sought to accumulate their own power to escape.


    When Coop was a factionless nobody, the factions took priority and would have painted Ghost Reef in their colors. Now, the roles were essentially reversed. He wondered what would have happened if, instead of the Champion of a settlement, one of his companions was the one who reached the boss of an Infestation. What kind of deal would they be offered? He doubted it would have ever been favorable. In fact, he suspected they would have simply been absorbed by the Infestation if they chose to align with it. Now that they were representing a faction, they would certainly be in a better position as defined by the system.


    Naturally, Coop rejected the elimination option of the quest and concentrated on establishing an alliance. Thankfully, the Infestation quests provided more details than most other system messages so he could gauge what they were getting themselves into before committing one way or the other. He read the result carefully, considering each perspective as much as he could while keeping in mind that he also had the liberty of simply leaving the quest incomplete.


    Establishing an alliance would bolster the strength of Ghost Reef with the minions of the Swamp Lord, transforming them into the same level of unit as the phantoms while also forcing an evolution upon Dorothy that would effectively turn the lead alligator into the equivalent of Guard Captain Alaric; a manifestation of the core settlement. Coop would have walked away from the deal if he was the one being forced into an evolution, but the alligator didn¡¯t have any particular negative reaction when he explained his perspective. Dorothy seemed content to retain her status as the Swamp Lord, even if it meant letting the system dictate her specific standing.


    She evidently recognized Coop as someone worthy of respect, and he hadn¡¯t even needed to get into a fight. If only humans were such excellent judges of character.


    Knowing a little more about factions gave Coop additional thoughts on what such an arrangement would mean for them. As far as the Lighthouse was concerned, it meant that the alligators and the Swamp Lord herself would be possible manifestations in the event that they became a planetary sponsor. Aside from pirate phantoms and ethereal soldiers, they would have amphibious beasts, and albino alligator raid bosses alongside haunted armors, ghost admirals, and spectral generals. It also meant that they had more units available for the interfaction conflicts if it ever came to that.


    Unlike the previous deals at the end of Infestations, Coop didn¡¯t see any real downsides involving a forced change on his current residents. Most of the costs would be applied to the Swamp Lord and her minions, but there was one condition that he had to take note of. The Swamp Lord would be granted something like an independent kingdom within their territory.


    After they formed the Alliance, the Infestation territory would become the same kind of territory as that of Ghost Reef¡¯s mana pylons. Coop thought it was undeniably a good thing, especially given how effective the alligators had been in claiming the Everglades. The vast untamed lands between Empress City and Neptune¡¯s Bridge could be claimed by the Swamp Lord and her minions in the name of Ghost Reef. It would add a significant chunk of land that the forces of mana would need to contend with during the Eradication Protocol, while simultaneously preventing the Primal Constructs from setting up their own shop on the Florida mainland. This was the kind of arrangement that the Underlayer Event was designed to counter, but Coop had no intention of ceding anything to the invaders.


    Coop accepted the Alliance, and a few moments later, Dorothy did the same. It took several more seconds before a gentle pulse of energy cascaded across the swamps, spreading from the nearest mana pylon as the two territories became one. Coop patted Dorothy on the head in lieu of a handshake, feeling like it made the agreement official. She hissed in a non-threatening manner.


    ¡°I look forward to working with you.¡± Coop added, easily treating the albino alligator like a person, given how much practice he had interacting with other animals. She just eyed him with her pink eyes before returning to her pool.


    Coop headed over to the entrance of the so-called silo, letting his curiosity lead him to follow Bobby Jon¡¯s path into the darkness. He still had a few questions regarding the state of the Everglades, and he hoped the alligator wrestler would have answers.


    Coop followed the stairs down several floors into what was clearly an enormously robust construction that had been dug deep into the limestone beneath the swamps. Thick concrete walls were dimly illuminated by the light bouncing down from the blast doors on the surface. When the rough surfaces finally gave way to an expansive opening, Coop paused to look around, surprised by the size of the installation.


    He had walked through what seemed to be a secret entrance to some kind of underground military facility. When Bobby Jon said it was the silo, Coop had automatically assumed it had something to do with farming, like a grain silo. The alligator wrestler had actually meant missile silo.


    ¡°What the heck is this?¡± Coop mumbled to himself as he stared into the center, where an empty cylindrical chamber sank even deeper into the darkness.


    ¡°Bravo-6.¡± Bobby Jon announced from one of several siderooms where shelves of canned goods were being stored. ¡°Old missile silo from Cold War times. Built to withstand a nuke and retaliate with some kind of ICBM. Got it for real cheap in an auction.¡± He explained with a chuckle as he came out of the supply room. ¡°Don¡¯t look down.¡± He added as Coop wandered closer.


    Coop looked down. As soon as he leaned over the railing to see the bottom he understood the warning. He stared into a dark abyss that sank far into the Earth. He quickly leaned away, taken aback by the incredible space created for the missile. It must have been absolutely enormous.


    Before Coop could ask what the heck kind of missile was meant to be there to require such ridiculous depth, Bobby Jon explained, passing a beer before popping his own open. ¡°It weren¡¯t always that deep. Seems like the bottom fell out.¡± He took a noisy sip. ¡°Got no idea how far it goes.¡±


    Coop raised his eyebrows, before he started nodding to himself. ¡°The Underlayer probably.¡± He took his own sip, and confirmed what he already knew. Cheap warm beer was nasty.


    ¡°The what?¡± Bobby Jon asked, giving Coop a suspicious look, like he was worried his visitor might be just a little nuts.


    ¡°Do you know about mana?¡± Coop asked carefully, like he was making first contact with the blissfully ignorant.


    ¡°The what now?¡± Bobby Jon responded and Coop just sighed.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll try to start at the beginning.¡± Coop muttered, but before he began Bobby Jon interrupted him.


    ¡°Can you walk and talk? I gotta do some tinkering around the farm before I pass out again.¡± He smirked at himself, self aware at least.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Coop agreed, following the man up the steps back toward the surface. ¡°What farm?¡± He asked after he had a moment to think.


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    Coop spent several hours being put to work repairing fences, moving supplies, and cleaning up the alligator farm while he explained everything about the assimilation to Bobby Jon with Dorothy following them around. Coop was able to give both Bobby Jon and the officially christened Swamp Lord a full rundown on the threats that Ghost Reef, the Lighthouse, and ultimately all of humanity would be facing, from the Primal Constructs to the Icons of Mana.


    In exchange, Bobby Jon shared what his experience had been like, which was basically a blur of fighting the flood of water, giving up on corralling the alligators, focusing on maintaining the facilities, and working his way through the massive supply of alcohol he had stocked up for emergencies. In typical Floridian fashion, his method of hurricane preparedness was making sure there was enough alcohol to keep the hurricane party going until regular services were restored. It seemed like he had overstocked, and the party could go on for years.


    The alligators basically did their own thing, leaving Bobby Jon be, though he did mention that they had been fighting the python invasion even before the assimilation began. Apparently, the snakes had official government sanctioned bounties on them and Bobby Jon was a designated hunter, back when human authorities still meant something. The alligators were now the ones who did all the hard work, but he figured he would still get credit for the skins. He tried offering them to Coop instead, once he realized there were no wildlife officials anymore, though that was a hard sell. Coop suggested he trade them with the burgeoning artisans in Empress City or Ghost Reef rather than hawking them off on him.


    Bobby Jon wasn¡¯t kidding when he declared there was work to be done around the farm. Coop had been fooled by the lackadaisical drunkenness. The island hadn¡¯t been spared from the expansion of the Everglades so much as it had been bolstered against it. Coop joined Bobby Jon in digging small guidance canals to channel the water away from the edge of the island in the river of grass, following beneath the boardwalks around the perimeter and using the excess to establish flood protection.


    Once Bobby Jon realized just how strong Coop was, he put the Champion to work doing all sorts of other tasks that had been delayed in the preceding months. He didn¡¯t seem particularly disturbed by the alien invasion, claiming to have already known about aliens all along. Coop was subjected to a dozen stories about spotting them in the years before the assimilation. It took a while for Coop to convince him that these weren¡¯t little green men, though he worried that there were some that looked like that out there in the galactic community that would make him seem like a liar.


    Bobby Jon had just assumed he had slept through a particularly big hurricane and had been maintaining his property against the elements. The alcohol apparently helped explain the change in alligator behavior. He had never guessed it was the aliens finally making their move, but to him it made a bit too much sense.


    Long after Coop had finished giving Bobby Jon the rundown of the assimilation, aliens, and how magic was real, Coop had volunteered himself into  hauling a series of airboats further onto high ground from where they were secured to old trees with fraying ropes. Most of them were easy enough to find, wedged among the cypress trees near the island, but not all of them were accounted for.


    Coop was venturing further away from the alligator farm, rescuing the airboats that had escaped from their eroding ropes months before. Bobby Jon was laughing while he drank beers with Dorothy at his side as he watched from the boardwalk, kicking his legs over the edge like a child. Coop was accomplishing impossible tasks as proof of what he had been explaining and a favor more to the Swamp Lord than to Bobby Jon, since he was expecting the alligators to take care of the untamed mainland, turning the peninsula of Florida into safe territory similar to Ghost Reef itself.


    Coop was enjoying himself in classic fashion. Simple labor always gave him the chance to sort his mind out and he was always happy to set his allies up as much as he could, with both knowledge and material help. Pulling boats across the marsh was as worthy a distraction as anything else, bringing his thoughts back to simple tasks that had him flexing his strength instead of contemplating intergalactic politics.


    Sweat was beading on Coop¡¯s brow as he slogged through the cypress swamp, dragging escaped boats back to their home. He was developing an idea for the airboats. It was difficult to explain to Bobby Jon, but Coop imagined having Charlie power the giant fan and wondered if they could actually use them in that way. A sailboat wouldn¡¯t really work in the Everglades thanks to the shallow waters, but a flat bottomed airboat might be even more effective in patrolling between the two Florida settlements. The boardwalk was a good start, but traversing off the beaten path remained a challenge that the airboats might solve.


    Each step he took with the nearly one ton boats weighing him down was a battle against the sucking mud that threatened to swallow his feet whole. They had drifted far from their docks thanks to the months of neglect. While Bobby Jon tried to maintain the property, the alligators had their own priorities, so Coop was the first to attempt to retrieve them. It was a scavenger hunt around the marsh just for him.


    The evening air was thick with the smells of swamp flowers, moss, and mud. The incessant drone of crickets hidden among the oaks around Bobby Jon¡¯s alligator farm echoed across the water. Over Coop¡¯s shoulder, the ropes strained against his skin, heavy from dragging the damaged airboats that had been caught in grasses further away in the murky shallows. The alligators had left him alone after the alliance was formed.


    Coop paused, wiping a stray bead of sweat away from his eye. The atmosphere was only broken by each of his sloshing steps and the distant laughter of the increasingly drunken Bobby Jon as he told Dorothy jokes that the alligator seemed to ignore.


    An unsettling prickle crawled up Coop¡¯s spine, the kind that comes from being watched. He glanced around, but the dense swamp foliage offered no clues of any spies. If there were alligators lurking, they were allies now, and presumably they would know it as well as he did. This section of the Everglades was now home territory, but he couldn¡¯t rule out the presence of Primal Constructs. His heart beat just a little bit faster, and it wasn¡¯t due to the satisfying physical exertion.


    Coop ignored the feeling, attributing it to some unconscious nerves caused by wandering inside of a swamp, a place that he wasn¡¯t necessarily adapted for. He continued with his task, but just as he tried to move on, a ripple disturbed the glassy surface of the black water ahead of him. The ripple was once again too large to be a fish, and he squinted, searching for what must have been a curious gator beneath the surface. Coop stood still, just in case, breath catching in his throat as he considered how to approach what might have been a case of mistaken identity.


    His ethereal spear reappeared in his hand, and his gladiator armor manifested to protect his skin before the first ripple reached him. Slowly, like a shadow detaching itself from the darkness beneath the drooping branches of a leaning cypress, an elongated orange head emerged from the water, contrasting with the murky environment. While it was a reptile, it was apparent that it was no alligator, both in size and shape. It was a massive snake. Its thick body easily exceeded the width of Coop¡¯s shoulders and its reptilian eyes were locked onto his, glowing with purple energy. Eye contact sent a jolt of instinctual terror right up his neck.


    [Everglades Rat Snake (Level 216)]


    [Hypnotic Constrictor (Mind)]


    [Scalecommander of the Mandate of Scales]


    [Ancient (Dishonorable)]


    The abnormally large snake lunged with deceptive speed, its body moving with a powerful sinuous motion as it propelled itself through the water. Coop shifted the end of his spear from the side, long past the point of fumbling his own weapons when caught by surprise thanks to what must have approached millions of repetitions. The snake lunged at the same time, seeking to wrap around Coop¡¯s body before the stun wore off, but Coop¡¯s Agility far surpassed the Chosen animal, smashing it in the side of its head before it could complete its ambush.


    The snake was dazed, splashing into the water, caught by surprise that its hypnotic ambush had been completely ineffective on the Champion of Ghost Reef. Coop¡¯s magic defense was no joke, but he frowned at the result. Somehow, he had gone this long in the assimilation without killing any Chosen animals.


    He hesitated before finishing the animal off, giving it a moment to recover that it didn¡¯t ignore. The snake lurched itself awake and tried to retreat, but Coop dismissed his spear and grabbed it right behind the head, not so forgiving as to let it simply escape after attacking him. When its tail tried to whip around and wrap him up, he used his other arm to grab it part of the way down its body and lift it in the air, stealing away its ability to swim and preventing it from finding any leverage.


    The rat snake was a pretty orange on top, but lifting it out of the water exposed the gradient of scales and its bright yellow belly. The snake kept struggling to constrict Coop, but it only managed to wrap its tail around his arm up to the elbow. Its eyes smoldered with purple mana as it desperately cast spells in an effort to free itself, but to no avail.


    Coop abandoned the airboats that he had been dragging in favor of returning to the alligator farm with his prisoner. The snake wasn¡¯t so large that it compared with the overgrown alligators or burmese pythons that evidently warred within the region, but it was still large enough that it could have made a meal of Coop if that¡¯s what it was after. Coop suspected that it was more sophisticated than that, being both a Chosen and over level 200. It either saw Coop as a threat or an opportunity, and either way, it had struck first.


    As he approached the alligator farm with the captured snake still struggling in his arms as he presented it to the sky, like a thick golden rope, Bobby Jon spotted him and stood up, pointing at him with one hand still gripping a beer can with the rest of his fingers and the other squeezing the boardwalk¡¯s wooden railing.


    ¡°Hot damn! You found Buttercup?¡± Bobby Jon exclaimed. ¡°Look how big she got!¡± He added with a laugh of disbelief.

 Chapter 249: Animal Farm

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you found my Buttercup!¡± Bobby Jon rejoiced long after the brightly colored snake was safely placed into a plainly broken exhibit. He slapped Coop on the back with unbridled relief. His gratitude was undiminished regardless of Coop¡¯s more grounded concerns.


    The return of another one of the unique farm animals had slightly sobered him up, but not nearly enough in Coop¡¯s opinion. He had to be impaired to not notice that half of the transparent walls inside of the so-called ¡®Reptile Room¡¯ were just plain missing. Any animals placed in one of the displays wouldn¡¯t even need to be clever to wander back out. They would be completely free to come and go as they pleased. Buttercup could just slither through one of the gaps whenever she felt like it.


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t find her.¡± Coop tried explaining once again as he eyed the snake with some suspicion. ¡°She found me.¡± He glanced back at Bobby Jon, growing slightly more exasperated at the stars in the man¡¯s eyes directed at the subject of their conversation. ¡°Seriously man, she would have eaten me if I didn¡¯t smack her away.¡± His recounting of the events that led to the return of Buttercup seemed to go right over Bobby Jon¡¯s head no matter how he rephrased it.


    ¡°She was probably just terrified from being out in the wild for so long. She¡¯d never harm a soul. I¡¯d be a tapdancing catfish if she had an aggressive scale on her body.¡± Bobby Jon argued. He just refused to accept that the snake was way more dangerous after being empowered by mana, treating the animal like a lost kitten rather than a level 216 survivor of the apocalypse.


    Coop felt like he should have anticipated the man¡¯s position. When he considered that Bobby Jon was so comfortable with the alligators he was willing to drink himself unconscious inside of their pens, his blind trust made sense. The guy clearly had a few screws loose. ¡°I bet you just caught her by surprise.¡± Bobby Jon added while Coop reassessed his newest ally with a touch more skepticism.


    Bobby Jon extended his hand over the edge of the acrylic enclosure, through the ajar top, and Buttercup lifted her head for him to scratch between her eyes. ¡°Aww, I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t find you sooner little baby.¡± He cooed, ignoring that the snake was probably longer than eight feet from nose to tail now. She certainly knew how to act cute.


    Coop had a moment where Bobby Jon¡¯s adamant defense of the snake made him wonder if he was being overly biased because he had been the one ambushed. Coop had been attacked plenty of times by different animals and it was never a problem for him to forgive and forget. He was just trying to express that a little caution was healthy in this situation and the man wasn¡¯t hearing him. Coop was fine with forgiving the snake, but a tiny bit of wariness wouldn¡¯t hurt anybody, especially because the person he was trying to warn was far lower level than the animals he was surrounded by.


    Coop wondered if this was how he made his allies feel back home when he expected them to just be fine with living side-by-side with powerful animals, aliens, and ghosts. Coop couldn¡¯t help but dryly laugh at the situation. The tables had been turned.


    ¡°Look at her, man.¡± He obstinately kept trying to convince Bobby Jon after he gathered his composure. ¡°You said she was two feet long when the assimilation began. She¡¯s definitely been out there hunting.¡± Coop looked at the albino alligator that lingered outside. ¡°Back me up here, Dorothy.¡±


    The alligator was completely unconcerned as well, dozing off while Bobby Jon enjoyed the reunion, though Coop had noticed other alligators coming and going from the farm with slightly higher frequency. Coop wondered if the real authority of the territory had already been aware of Buttercup¡¯s active presence. Maybe they were already allies.


    He couldn¡¯t imagine that the alligators would have been diligent and coordinated enough to completely crush the Primal Constructs and their constant respawns while simultaneously not being aware of what else was living in their swamp. They were immediately aware of his own presence, and were even capable of tracking him through his mistjumps, so it stood to reason that the gators were capable of tracking whatever else was out there. It made sense for Coop to assume that the alligator intelligence network was both real and effective.


    Coop shook his head, still trying to warn Bobby Jon to be careful while wondering if this was what it was like dealing with himself under slightly different circumstances. It was pretty typical behavior for him to bring seemingly dangerous animals home and decide to keep them despite others¡¯ skepticism. The thought didn¡¯t dissuade him from trying to have his warnings acknowledged by the new ally.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, that snake is different now. She probably understands every word we¡¯re saying, and she¡¯s even got a special rank from her faction. You can¡¯t be sure what side she¡¯s on yet.¡± Coop hoped he would get through to him.


    Bobby Jon scoffed as Buttercup gently coiled her neck around his wrist. ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about any of that. She¡¯s absolutely on my side. I¡¯ve been taking care of her since she hatched.¡± He smiled to himself. ¡°I¡¯ve always said, if you treat ¡®em right, they¡¯ll never let you down.¡± He glanced at Coop with the smile still on his face. ¡°I put my head inside of alligators¡¯ mouths for a living, I know which ones I can trust.¡± He concluded with a wink.


    Coop sighed. He couldn¡¯t really argue with a statement like that. Instead, he just shrugged it off. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll keep an eye out for the rest of the animals while I bring back the other airboats.¡± Coop addressed the snake directly. ¡°No eating people.¡± He directed with a pointed finger. The snake¡¯s tongue flicked in and out, letting Coop make his own interpretation of the docile creature.


    Coop shifted his gaze back to the alligator wrestler. ¡°You good to assist with the Placid Lake Outpost?¡± Coop asked Bobby Jon.


    ¡°No sweat. I¡¯ll take the canoe and check them out when the sun comes up. I already know where the boardwalk can connect. It¡¯ll be good to have some new faces come through.¡± Bobby Jon confirmed. He was the kind of guy that understood a certain kind of honor; if he said he would do something he¡¯d do it. Coop could appreciate that.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure they¡¯re expecting you.¡± Coop added, confident that Bobby Jon would follow through as he stepped back outside, passed the albino alligator.


    Coop had ended up dealing with the so-called Infestation in swift fashion, thanks to the convenience of forming an alliance rather than grinding through what would have been a sprawling open-air swamp dungeon. He would be heading back much sooner than expected, with plenty of time to prepare for the Underlayer Event. There was a week to go, and he could be back home in a single day, including the boat ride from Empress City to Ghost Reef.


    With Buttercup safely returned to the alligator farm, Bobby Jon had excitedly described the rest of the missing inhabitants in order to convince Coop to find them as well. The fact that Coop hadn¡¯t found Buttercup as much as she had ambushed him in an effort to eat him was apparently unimportant. Instead, Coop was given a full accounting of all of the different exhibits that had previously filled the roadside attraction. Coop doubted he would be able to distinguish between wild turtles and the ones that had been a part of the alligator farm, especially as night blanketed the marshes, but he would do his best to keep his end of the bargain.


    Bobby Jon had given up on recovering all of the previous occupants in the months prior, forced to focus his attention on preventing the farm from being swamped by the glades instead, but from his perspective Coop represented a change in their luck. Coop did his best to remind him that, because of the assimilation, the animals would likely be able to escape on their own even if they were brought back, but Bobby Jon ignored his concerns. Buttercup was of no help, settling in like a satiated pet upon being returned to the alligator farm. The snake¡¯s eyes remained inert when gazing upon the other tenants and Coop took it as a sign that she really wasn¡¯t completely hostile. He still wondered about the circumstances that surrounded the snake.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Before he got out of range, he reinspected the creature¡¯s aura.


    [Everglades Rat Snake (Level 216)]


    [Hypnotic Constrictor (Mind)]


    [Scalecommander of the Mandate of Scales]


    [Ancient (Dishonorable)]


    Coop would have loved to know exactly what being designated a Scalecommander by Buttercup¡¯s faction entailed. He knew from past experience that the faction must have invested extra into making her their Chosen, but beyond that, he was still in the dark.


    Thanks to his own faction, he understood that the special rank represented a specific contract, likely with slightly better conditions than the default regular Chosen would receive. Typically, these were granted to special individuals, like Charlie with her Legend rank in the Endless Empire and the various ranks for the Chosen of the Undead factions.


    The factions identified them as valuable individuals to their plans and gave them extra privileges through the sponsorship in order to cultivate them as much as possible. Charlie had an entire party of Chosen built around her with the idea that she would become a powerhouse in group conflicts as the Endless Empire conquered other settlements. The Chosen of the Undead were given excessive resources relative to others to establish footholds that could help them spread across the planet when the time was right. Whatever the snake had been granted wasn¡¯t as immediately obvious.


    It was pretty clear he would never convince Bobby Jon to take any special precautions regarding his animals, but Dorothy was the real boss anyway. The albino alligator had no faction, but was the de facto leader of the Infestation. Since Infestations were a system mechanism typically employed by the more knowledgeable members of the galactic community, who knew the conditions to better create them off the bat, Coop thought it was odd that an Unchosen alligator would be the one to successfully establish the formation.


    Coop hummed under his breath as Bobby Jon¡¯s influence settled on him and he formed another conspiracy theory. Perhaps the snake had returned with a strategy from its faction, but had handed the plan over to the alligator and other animals of the farm instead. Maybe there was more coordination around the alligator farm than he anticipated.


    The Dishonorable title that Buttercup had was the main source of his elevated uncertainty. It was another title that had clear negative connotations, but Coop reminded himself that a few of his own certainly made him seem villainous as well. That didn¡¯t mean that they were specifically evil. The real qualifier that defined how he would look at titles were the conditions necessary for acquiring them.


    He recalled the Deathstalker the last time he checked her aura. The High Priest Assassin had betrayed the Lich and been punished with a racial evolution that transformed her from an Oathsworn to an Oathbroken Human, and also had her affinity corrupted while granting her a new defining title: Cursed. The title may not have been the specific source of her punishment, but it certainly exposed it. Perhaps Buttercup had experienced a similar situation where she betrayed her faction by roping in the other roadside attractions into a scheme designed for her specifically. Maybe the pythons even had their own role in the original plan. Obviously, the punishment appeared to be less dire than the Assassin¡¯s, but it seemed like a possibility given Coop¡¯s understanding of system contracts.


    Frankly, Coop thought it was about time he found some circumstantial evidence of wild animals ascending to another plane of consciousness. He already believed that mana was a sort of cognitive equalizer, blurring the lines between sentience and sapience as they understood it on Earth. He had been expressing those thoughts since the real early days, probably to the extent that others looked at him a little weird, the same way he was looking at Bobby Jon. Between the two basic skills assigned by the system to everyone caught in the assimilation, he fully expected animals to be capable of the levels of coordination, planning, self-awareness, reasoning, and foresight that might give rise to an Infestation. Why not? They had gone above and beyond simple territorial aggression countless times already.


    Coop''s suspicions that there was a conspiracy between the animals continued to rise as he kept turning the thoughts in his head and he finished the tasks around the glades. Every time he retrieved an airboat from wherever they had drifted, he also discovered a curiously domesticated animal. They always had excessive levels, like both Buttercup and Dorothy. Each time he came back to the farm he and Bobby Jon went through the same song and dance, where the drunken alligator wrestler celebrated the return of Stinker, Poppy, Lulu, Pinky, or Nibbles, individually recognizing mammals, birds, and reptiles despite 200 or more levels gained by each of them.


    The physical changes brought by mana weren¡¯t always obvious, but when they were, they had Coop questioning the limits. There weren¡¯t any humans doubling or tripling their sizes, but for animals, it seemed like such an alteration was no problem. Then again, there were no animals adopting the humanoid appearance that the galactic community appeared to drift toward. The standard appearance that involved a bipedal upright posture seemed unappealing or unnecessary to the animals of Earth. They preferred to accept smaller changes that better matched their personal identities rather than to adhere to some arbitrary standard defined through the assimilation.


    The one that frightened Coop the most was Bitsy. Speaking of creatures that had embraced growth, she was a 50 pound level 240 tarantula that was just hanging out in the fork of an oak tree. As Coop dragged a boat from where it had been beached she adjusted her previously motionless bulk, making it clear she was there in a subtle way that let Coop discover her on his own. Despite the spider¡¯s consideration, Coop didn¡¯t even notice its fuzzy body until he was staring directly at it, from right below. He barely stifled a fearful yelp, his spear manifesting before he got a hold of himself.


    Bobby Jon¡¯s only reaction to the eight foot spider sitting in the airboat as Coop pulled it along was to remark that she wouldn¡¯t fit inside of her terrarium anymore.


    Bitsy was the last animal Coop retrieved despite another dozen or so missing. By the end, Coop fully suspected that Dorothy was pulling strings, and sending gators around the swamp to have the previous occupants of the alligator farm conveniently appear for him to find. There were no more airboats for him to pull through the mud, so he figured the rest would need to find their own way home. The ones that he had found just happened to be close enough to make the arrangements, but if their goal was to control the entire Everglades, they were most likely spread across a great distance. It seemed like they were sufficiently capable of coming and going as they pleased.


    Coop kept his farewells quick, expecting to be neighborly with Bobby Jon and the Swamp Lord. He refrained from taking another look in the old missile silo before he left, mostly because with all of the extra time he had created, he would want to throw himself over the edge and start exploring.


    He wasn¡¯t worried about being injured or having a difficult time escaping the Underlayer, thanks to his abilities. What he was worried about was triggering the event too soon. For all he knew, reaching the Underlayer while the Underlayer Event was already slated would cause it to start immediately.


    Instead, he went straight back to the Placid Lake Outpost. It was a good 20 miles away, meaning that both the lodge and the farm would end up existing separately, along with all of the other stops that were being installed along the boardwalk.


    To his surprise, the donut shaped lake that surrounded the lodge¡¯s stilts was already filled with alligators. Dorothy was acting swiftly, further fueling Coop¡¯s conspiracy theory surrounding the sophistication of the animals that had taken control of the Everglades.


    He had to spend some extra time consoling the fearful sentries, filling them in on the new arrangement. Of course, it took some convincing, but he was able to prove the alligators were allies by treating them the same way that he had scolded Bobby Jon for treating Buttercup, like big old reptilian puppies. Word would certainly spread through the ranks of Empress City. They were the most rumor hungry of the different groups Coop had encountered.


    The day after he engaged with the Infestation, he was already making his way back south. Coop was satisfied with the efficiency.

 Chapter 250: Vanguard

    The chores were done. Coop spent a single day working hard, using all of his non-combat strengths to their full extent, and his diligence had earned a few days of free time. The Underlayer Event was still six days away from starting. The period was too short of a gap to tackle any of the larger projects that needed doing, like exploring the Fallen Zone north of Neptune¡¯s Bridge, but it was more than enough time for what he needed most.


    Coop was officially going on spring break. The timing worked out perfectly. It was Day 119 of the assimilation, and if old calendars were still applicable, they would be in the second week of March. It was prime spring break time and he intended to make the most of it.


    He could have made his way directly back home after leaving Bobby Jon and Dorothy behind. It wouldn¡¯t have taken long before he reached the expansive Empress City territory with the improvements to his travel skill. From there he could have passed through the lively port and hopped on a ferry for the rest of the journey back to his island. He would have been home by the end of another day, and what could be better than spending his spring break on Ghost Reef¡¯s picturesque beaches?


    But he held back. Instead, he slowed down in order to more closely explore the limits of the Swamp Lord¡¯s territory before he got too far from the Alligator Farm and Placid Lake Outpost. It wasn¡¯t so much that he was looking for trouble, though it might have seemed that way. Rather, for the invaders, he was trouble.


    On his way north, he had passed over the environment in a rush, letting the pressure of the past, present, and future add wind to his sails. If he wasn¡¯t directly defending the Lighthouse from the factions that sought to conquer it, he still felt the need to be equally productive, especially since it was up to him to make sure that the domestic threats to Ghost Reef and the core shard of their faction were under control. He couldn¡¯t rest while his companions took on the obligations that he intended to keep, so he committed to his delegated task with a full head of steam. Making sure their broader territory was secure was his indirect contribution. A few days earlier and it would have been the most direct contribution possible, but new threats had been added as a tradeoff for new allies.


    It wasn¡¯t until he stopped to explore the Infestation that he paid closer attention to what was actually happening in the untrodden lands of Central Florida. At that point he was already beyond the fringes of the Infestation and in the midst of the system-designated dungeon thanks to the island formed by the Placid Lake Outpost. He wouldn¡¯t find any Primal Constructs where the alligators had already taken control.


    The only leveled non-minions he encountered were the former residents of Bobby Jon¡¯s alligator farm. Most of the wild animals he noticed in close proximity to the farm were unleveled, but he had been focused on seeking out the minions that threatened the Outpost rather than understanding the lay of the land.


    The urgency of an uninhibited Hive and his enthusiasm to do his part had driven him to skip over any potential Slayer grinds in favor of aiding his Empress City allies. It was a formation that should be taken care of before it escalated further. Now, with the Infestation dealt with and roughly five days before he actually needed to get back home for the initiation of the Underlayer Event, he could satisfy his curiosity while pursuing his own progression. Instead of a beach vacation, he was angling for a road trip and traveling was always more fun when rushing wasn¡¯t necessary.


    The boardwalk was the most obvious development in the region, and had been the main feature he followed on his way up the state. He continued to use it as an anchor point to assess the area. It was continually defended by steady patrols of Empress City sentries, but it was merely a narrow line that zigged and zagged across the landscapes in a total area that spanned a few hundred square miles. The singular tract did little to reveal the full scope of the region.


    Along the boardwalk, word of their alliance with the alligators was already spreading. It had only taken a day for Dorothy to start making her moves, further demonstrating the level of coordination that existed between the reptiles in this section of the Everglades. Frankly, they put the efficiency of Coop¡¯s own networks to shame. Patrolling sentries nervously tiptoed around their newest comrades on the relatively narrow wooden path, heading south to relay the message that they had established new allies and could continue their northward expansion. The alligators were already fully on board, literally. They appeared to be utilizing the elevated path as a central bulwark to stage their units.


    Non-minion alligators had no issue climbing onto the wooden slats to bathe in the morning sun, completely ignoring the apprehensive humans. On the other hand, it seemed like it would take some time before the Empress City residents grew more comfortable around the large reptiles. Coop supposed it was only fair that the guards were uneasy. They were frequently at a level disadvantage that approached the triple digits. As far as they could see, the alligators were monstrous, battle-scarred threats with question marks for levels and backed up by equally powerful minions. Coop would have hesitated to get too close if he was in their shoes as well. A healthy dose of caution was as important as ever when leaving the consistency provided by settlement territory.


    Outside of the boardwalk, there were entire ecosystems stretching across hundreds of miles that were in flux. The Everglades were expansive, and the Swamp Lord¡¯s territory was merely a small patch centered in a particularly underdeveloped rural area. Coop wanted to explore it all.


    There were hints at the previous developments from before the Everglades took over if he looked close enough. A fallen highway sign poking beyond a stand of trees or a collapsed gas station canopy partially submerged in the gently flowing river of grass hinted at previous human civilization, but even before the assimilation, the region was dominated by upland hardwood forest, drainage canals, and sugarcane-based agriculture.


    The evidence of past civilization, in this case a rural highway corridor, wasn¡¯t particularly interesting to someone like Coop. His main fascination was with the wildlife. Like on Ghost Reef and in the rainforests of the Yucatan, most animals appeared to have remained Unchosen and hadn¡¯t yet started the process of leveling. Birds in particular were better able to stay removed from the action, and the pristine white plumages of herons and ibises were obvious against the natural backdrops.


    The few animals that had begun their progression were safeguarding pockets against the Primal Constructs and were clearly becoming powerhouses out of necessity until the Swamp Lord¡¯s minions took over, spreading her territory and pushing the Primal Constructs back toward their spawn points.


    Without incorporating Fog of War into his unscientific survey, Coop didn¡¯t spot any major activity, but he detected the auras of several wild animals with Presence of Mind. He was still within the limits of what had been the Infestation and was now considered Lighthouse territory, but the Primal Constructs had been slowly suppressed by the gators even before becoming a part of his faction¡¯s holdings.


    Coop noticed the first independent creature before he had reached the edge of controlled territory. It was in the crown of a slash pine that was an extraordinary 300 feet tall while only being three or four feet in diameter, thanks to the effects of mana. A level 264 Florida Black Bear was snoozing comfortably in the tree as it leaned in the breeze. The bear hadn¡¯t been a part of the Swamp Lord¡¯s Infestation, but it hadn¡¯t succumbed to the invaders either. There would be many examples of such individual resistance.


    Coop was being watched by a kettle of level 90 Turkey Vultures, gliding on thermals high above even where he mistjumped. The large carrion feeders had become opportunistic hunters, gaining levels by becoming third-party combatants against Primal Constructs. They didn¡¯t need to scavenge for food with the supplementary impacts of mana, but they didn¡¯t abandon their watchful nature, spotting weakened monsters and curiously finishing them off to gain their first levels.


    A family of Marsh Bunnies dozed in a fluffy pile at the entrance to their warren in an elevated mound of grass. A single pine tree provided scattered shade on the small island in the river that they had made home. Dozens of pine cones were scattered around their pile, propped up by short stalks of chewed grass.


    The bunnies would have been the picture of cuteness except that they were very clearly hardened warriors with the scars and levels to prove it. None of them had avoided battle. Their smaller rounded ears had rips torn in the edges and chunks of fur were missing from where they had received what should have been mortal wounds to their diminutive bodies, but were instead slowly recovering with the help of mana.


    Life had been harsh before the Swamp Lord had tamed the land around their burrow. Now, the marsh bunnies slept innocently in the sunshine, each exceeding level 150, forming a colony of battle-ready veterans that would make petting irresistible. Maybe it would be a mistake to try, but Coop wouldn¡¯t have held back if he was within arms reach.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    South of the bunny haven, a pit viper that was barely above level 250 finished a quick swim before weaving into the thick grasses that secured the wet shore. The Florida Cottonmouth was only a few inches beyond a foot long, but of all the animals Coop detected, it had the most intense aura. It was heading further south, toward the edge of the Swamp Lord¡¯s territory, as if it was on the hunt.


    Even further away from the boardwalk, to the west, in the center of a particularly wide section of slowly drifting water, a pair of North American River Otters floated on their backs, holding hands with their eyes squeezed shut. They were so still, Coop wondered if they were stuffed animals that had escaped into the wilderness, but their auras were clear beacons to Presence of Mind. Their levels came as an even bigger surprise, one at an easy level 305 and the other at 303.


    The amount of combat these animals had experienced was hard to imagine, even for someone like Coop, who was constantly dreaming of the grind. He was even planning to turn his spring break vacation into a grindcation, but he was thoroughly overshadowed by some otters.


    If he applied his own understanding, their progress bordered on the impossible. Forget about the two levels a day that made his progress absurd, they were pushing toward three, putting him to shame. He could only assume that Central Florida had barely avoided letting the Primal Constructs transform the area into a similar formation that had created the Fallen Zone to the north of Orlando. The Swamp Lord had prevented a lot more work for the Champion of Ghost Reef.


    Coop guessed that the Primal Constructs naturally targeted places some distance from established territories, following the path of least resistance, so the space between settlements was where their minions thrived. The loss of any civilization shards made their overall strategy more feasible. The gap between Empress City and Neptune¡¯s Bridge was expansive enough to be the perfect staging ground. The sooner they added mana pylons the better.


    The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like he should be thinking about the assimilation in terms of spreading territories. The Underlayer Event would be a tactical way of penning settlements in, allowing the untamed lands to be conquered by the invaders. On a smaller scale, wasn¡¯t that what the Primal Tracker invaders were trying to do in Peacock Park, spreading from their spawn points in the golf course to try and dominate more territory? Even the Ruin Excavators were moving from chamber to chamber until they spilled out into the basement of the fort. Now that Coop had more perspective, the general strategy of the Primal Constructs seemed obvious.


    On a more sparsely populated planet, with a single organized species to concentrate on, it would be an effective way to rapidly claim vast domains. They would dominate the planet from the start. Especially because the Primal Constructs had a huge variety of minion-types, providing their forces as a whole with elevated levels of flexibility in dealing with diverse environments.


    The isolated civilization shards could be picked off one by one after the land was claimed, left alone and surrounded by hostile monsters. The assimilation had them focused on fighting over shards, so while they were distracted, the planet itself would be taken from the indigenous species¡¯ grasp. The first event, being a siege, even encouraged the survivors to concentrate on bolstering their positions rather than expanding.


    The Primal Constructs hadn''t accounted for such stubborn resistance outside of settlement territories. People and animals alike had refused to play along with the norms of the assimilation, with varying degrees of success. Wildlife were proving why they couldn¡¯t be ignored, refusing to roll over and die at every stage. Add the many people who would refuse to be moved from where they lived previously, preferring to hunker down and wait out the storm, like those in the Yucatan Peninsula, and a clear resistance to the Primal Constructs¡¯ specific strategy was accidentally formed. Even if the people who stayed put couldn¡¯t defeat the invaders completely, they would still significantly slow the progress of the invasion.


    Then there would also be people like Coop, who would turn their attention to untamed lands sooner rather than later, actively seeking unique challenges to fuel their progression for their own purposes. Coop might be hunting for Slayer titles and Field Bosses, but others would have their own motivations to venture beyond the limits of settlement territory. Forging connections between neighbors was natural for people on Earth, like what had kept Neon Park¡¯s alliance together and led to them sending their own scouts across the country.


    Coop was sure that similar stories were occurring all over the world, and the Primal Constructs would be having a harder time because of them. If it wasn¡¯t for the settlement events, and more importantly, the Eradication Protocol, it felt like Earth was developing a real fighting chance against the assimilation itself. Humanity may have taken a large, potentially devastating blow when mana activated and they were caught by surprise, but the survivors were stabilizing.


    Locally, the lay of the land was becoming more obvious, with a clear distinction between the area claimed by the Swamp Lord and the completely untamed lands that covered the rest of the state in between Neptune¡¯s Bridge and Empress City. The Swamp Lord¡¯s minions were making sure that no Primal Constructs were able to establish themselves in the swamps, and at the same time, making the area safe for other wild animals for the first time since the assimilation began. The Marsh Bunnies and Black Bears were taking their first breaks, thanks to the more organized army of alligators pressuring the invaders until they were forced away.


    Before the Infestation moved in, the Everglades had been yet another battlefield. Earth was evidently covered in conflict. It was hard to visualize, since the invasion was coming from all directions without a clear frontline established until individual groups were able to clear their own territory. There was finally a line drawn in the sand when it came to the Everglades, thanks to the Swamp Lord. Coop had been deep in the alligator territory, but as he made his way south, he approached the no man¡¯s land where Primal Constructs still resisted the push and fought with the local fauna.


    The alligators were scattered throughout the region, concentrated on the wetlands, but they were unafraid of venturing across the dry strips of pine rockland or expansive grassy meadows. Coop spotted individual minions sliding up banks and trotting across territory before diving back into shallow waters with clumsy splashes. They were actively seeking sections of unclaimed territory, barely beyond the edges of what had been the Infestation and was now Lighthouse territory. They just made themselves comfortable, waiting for the territory to follow them as the population of alligators increased. They settled into muddy bottoms, mere inches beneath the surface, and went idle, camouflaged, patiently waiting.


    Coop thought it was interesting that the alligators were all originating from the Swamp Lord¡¯s base in Bobby Jon¡¯s farm. At first, he had assumed that they were forming minions from the existing alligators across the habitats, and he had used the pre-mana numbers to make assumptions about their potential. However, as Coop evaluated further, he was constantly discovering regular non-minion alligators existing side-by-side with the minions. It seemed more like the Swamp Lord¡¯s representatives had some way of being summoned, more like the phantoms in Ghost Reef than the creations of someone like the Zombie Lord. Bobby Jon¡¯s base might be more important than he initially recognized, like it was a spawning pool for the minions.


    The alligators had spread miles beyond the Placid Lake Outpost, even before the alliance had formed, in their effort to expand their hold. As Coop made his way south, he began to encounter individual alligators fighting against the local Primal Construct variants over unclaimed territory.


    Coop couldn¡¯t pass up the opportunity to grind, especially since he had an entire spring break to kill before the event started. It seemed like this was the perfect way to both stay out of trouble while also not actually wasting his own time. No one could fault him for standing by the side of their newest allies and helping them defeat Primal Construct enemies.


    The Everglades weren¡¯t exactly his preferred beachy environment, but there was more than enough natural beauty to be appreciated. What better way for someone like Coop to appreciate it than through a mucky grind?


    He chuckled to himself, happy to have found a suitable excuse for his grindcation. A greedy grin had already planted itself onto his face.


    Coop landed in the swamp, splashing in the mud, near the current front line of the Swamp Lord¡¯s territory. He greeted an Ancient Vanguard Primal Construct variant with a vicious spear, thrown from hundreds of yards away, still smiling to himself.


    The giant mechanical ant, closer to the size of a bull than a regular insect, was facing down an alligator minion that was baring its teeth. Then, the monster was gone, shattered by an ethereal weapon leaving the monster in pieces that disintegrated into mana smoke before the splashes of water landed in the pond.


    The alligator minion froze in confusion, watching as mists thickened around the shaft of the weapon that had annihilated its enemy, embedded in the mud below the shallow water. Coop solidified from the mists and took a deep breath. He was filled with relief as long-ignored tension was finally being released. Nodding at the alligator minion like they were old friends, he yanked his spear out of the mud and turned away. Coop squinted into the distance, watching a dozen Ancient Vanguards struggling with the mud as they pulled themselves out of burrows due to the disturbance that he caused.


    Coop channeled a Fog of War that would settle across this arbitrary portion of the wetlands and make it his own, taking over for the minion as if it was a shift change on a factory floor.


    Once the fog coalesced, he could still see the shadows of the Vanguards on the other side of the channel of water, and if they relied on vision, they would be able to see him as well. It was a thin formation that extended his Presence of Mind more than it would obstruct the invaders¡¯ senses. He didn¡¯t want to cause problems for the other gators, even if it wouldn¡¯t bother them while they were submerged.


    He raised the spear over his head, aiming the point at the bright sky, and closed his eyes, imagining the warriors that would be his companions on this hunt. He called upon the Legacy of the Mists. If he was going to do this, he might as well go all out.

 Chapter 251: Persistence in Resistance

    Mud splattered onto Coop¡¯s cheek, adding a fresh layer to previously dried stains that decorated his face. His lunge carried him forward, through the spray, and he pierced the metallic head of an Ancient Vanguard with all three prongs of his ethereal trident, firmly gripped with both hands. A crunching sound reverberated through the thin fog bank as he struck the monster and followed through. The fiery red-orange glowing weak points hadn¡¯t been something he looked for in a long time, but target practice had become a part of his grind for no reason other than precision training.


    The Primal Construct cracked as Coop leveraged his momentum and drove himself forward, pinning the monster onto its abdomen before it started to disintegrate. The water kicked up by Coop¡¯s footsteps finally splashed back down, like the delayed applause for an extremely brief but dramatic exhibition match.


    Mana smoke wafted into the misty domain that had been gliding across the Everglades until the sun set. The grind continued into the dark of the night with the haunted mists lingering above the shallow waters that defined the environment. They were the type of mists that would cause the more vigilant to lock their doors to keep the chill away, and anything else that might be lurking outside.


    Coop didn¡¯t stop moving, his expression frozen in concentration with just a hint of the smile that couldn¡¯t be suppressed. He let the notifications of his progress wash through his consciousness, absently assigning his attributes as he redistributed his weight to the side, already flowing into the next movement while the initial giant ant monster disappeared.


    [You defeated Ancient Vanguard (Level 207)]


    [+378 Basic Credits]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Ancient Vanguards IV]


    [You have a new quest!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    His intense aggression persisted, unceasingly, as it had for the last 16 hours, occasionally punctuated by the glowing spotlight of a level gained. Grinding was meditation and it had become one of his more reliable therapeutic tools. Sometimes he just needed to put his head down and let physical actions drown out all the thoughts and worries that piled on. Beneath a universe of stress, Coop had a dependable way to center himself.


    The trident¡¯s prongs melted into mists, reforming into a flat blade, plainly dangerous with its excessively sharp edge, and the grip of the shaft followed suit, morphing to match the new weapon. Coop¡¯s hands shifted with the change as if his body and the weapon were in perfect alignment. He was a simple weapon and the ethereal weapon was an extension of himself.


    The mists resolidified in the brief moment it took for Coop to flex his abs and twist his arms, lashing out, and slicing the lingering droplets of water with a powerful strike that wouldn¡¯t have been as devastatingly effective with the trident. The blade sang as it cut through the misty and humid night air, letting the droplets add faint percussion.


    An ethereal glaive exited the wafting mana smoke, striking at an ambushing monster that had leapt toward Coop¡¯s right shoulder as soon as he destroyed its companion. Another burst of mud and water preceded the low level regular monster as it was split in two, with three of the red weak points fading on each side before the rest of the monster began to dissipate. Its momentum carried the mana smoke forward, past Coop as he held his posture and completed the strike.


    [You defeated Ancient Vanguard (Level 211)]


    [+384 Basic Credits]


    [Defeat Ancient Vanguards V (1/11111)]


    Coop already had the glaive over his right shoulder, letting the backswing carry it into position, as if he was preparing to throw it forward, back end first. The weapon was still transitioning into his ethereal spear, reversing its orientation, while he went through the motions. Coop was demanding that his skills kept up with his body, practicing with an intensity that was complete overkill for his current opponents.


    The instant that the ethereal spear solidified, his foot was already firmly planted in the soft ground, and the projectile was blasting through the thin fog bank, carving a channel in the water with its backdraft. Coop was fully in the zone.


    The lead monster of the next pack caught the tip of the spear exactly between the six illuminated eyes and crumpled. As it began to disintegrate, two monsters on its right flank and one on its left caught spears of their own, thrown with demonstrably less force, but still accurate and deadly.


    Similar ethereal spears had been launched in a volley along with Coop¡¯s, but they hadn¡¯t been thrown by him. The small squad of phantasms that had joined him on his hunt continued to follow his lead, coordinating themselves on an unnatural level. Hunters and warriors representing the predecessors of the Calusa, Tequesta, Muscogee, Seminole, and Miccosukee had formed a small warband that supported Coop¡¯s grind. They remained in the wings of the fog, flanking Coop as he picked his way through the marshlands.


    These were the same phantasms that he had summoned at the very beginning, almost a full day earlier. They defied their time limits, revealing another layer of evolution to his skills that had come with the previous upgrade.


    Coop¡¯s Acumen still only granted them a few minutes to exist on their own, but within Coop¡¯s Fog of War and while defeating a constant stream of enemies, they were able to persist indefinitely, so long as they had mana flowing to them. The unification of his skills had provided more benefits than he had been able to test without actual combat. It seemed like the combination of Legacy of the Mists, Fog of War, and Infusion had provided this specific advantage, letting the phantasms draw from the mists to passively sustain themselves. After 16 hours of grinding, Coop was ready to conclude that they would last as long as they had enemies to defeat.


    [You defeated Ancient Vanguard (Level 209)]


    ¡­


    [You defeated Ancient Vanguard (Level 214)]


    [+390 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Piercing Mandible Part]


    [Defeat Ancient Vanguards V (5/11111)]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    Coop didn¡¯t even acknowledge his progress, mistjumping to his spear and continuing his slow journey south. His profession level was benefitting from the grind even more than his class level, but it would take time and several Slayer grinds before it caught back up. He stepped out of the mud and onto a dry patch, seeking to draw out another pack of monsters.


    He had intended to cycle between Ancient Vanguard spawns at the edge of the Swamp Lord¡¯s territory, contributing to its expansion, but the alligator minions had followed him too closely. The spawn zones were too far away, and the minions cleared any monsters that returned before Coop had a chance to create a suitable route. They encouraged him forward, forming an enormous wedge that warped the battle lines between the Primal Constructs and the minions of the Swamp Lord.


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    Coop had become the tip of the spear, at least for a little while. It hadn¡¯t taken him long to outpace the territory¡¯s ability to expand, but he kept his grind going regardless. His contribution was greater by resetting their future opponents rather than holding back for the limited time he could spend fighting at the side of the reptiles and their minions.


    The Ancient Vanguards were pack ambushers, most closely similar to the Ancient Prowlers that had a small spawn zone outside of the fort, on the interior of Rock Key. Rather than stealth fighters with a nasty stacking debuff, like the monsters he was already familiar with, the Ancient Vanguards were burrowers that dug underground, and they were straightforward combatants. They were physically strong and had powerful attacks based on pointed limbs and spiked mandibles, but compared to the Champion of Ghost Reef they lacked a few thousand attributes to be a proper threat. In their current state, they were fodder.


    Oddly enough, it seemed as though they struggled with the muck that they had made their home, as if the environment was just slightly beyond their limitations. Coop wasn¡¯t an opponent that they could afford to have any disadvantages against, and he punished them for their greed.


    Coop kept his hunt going far beyond the Swamp Lord¡¯s territory, entering the untamed areas in search of more challenging examples of the monsters, and in doing so, he discovered dozens of other conflicts already occurring.


    Early in the day, his thrown spear ended a stalemate between a level 182 Common Snapping Turtle that had shattered two of an Elite Ancient Vanguard¡¯s legs and was clinging to a third. The area around the duelists had been transformed into a mud pit as they scrambled with each other in a struggle with no clear advantage. The two had been locked in combat for some time, with the turtle¡¯s defenses being too much for the monster to overcome, but the monster¡¯s size advantage gave the turtle a hard time and prevented it from being finished off.


    Coop¡¯s spear annihilated the Primal Construct and the turtle quickly scooted into the nearby shallows and swam away into the murky waters without so much as looking back.


    Later in the afternoon, an individual Wood Stork made a spectacle of itself as it battered an entire pack of monsters by itself. The large wading bird was finishing the Primal Constructs off by flapping a single time to launch itself into the air with a beat of its feathers. Then, using its oversized feet, it slammed into the muddy, entrapping ground with earth shattering force, stomping the life out of a slowed monster. It repeated the aerial attacks, jumping out of range of counters and crashing back down on another before Coop had the chance to help.


    As the sun set, Coop avoided a dry section of oaks, noting the circular webs that engulfed the interior of the tree stand. The webs were an asymmetrical, tangled tapestry, but clearly still effective. A dozen Ancient Vanguards were twitching in resistance to the spider webs. They had no chance of escape, and judging by their various states of decay they were already defeated, they just didn¡¯t know it yet. It took a careful survey with Fog of War and Presence of Mind before he noticed the level 302 Golden Silk Orb Weaver that had turned the copse of trees into a horror show. It was only the size of a quarter, with long red and yellow legs, but Coop had less than zero interest in messing with something like that.


    As Coop¡¯s grind continued into the night, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the Primal Constructs had any regrets about becoming the planetary sponsor of Earth. The galactic community had many factions that had mistakenly spent fortunes to sponsor individual humans to try and take over the entire planet in what anyone actually on the planet could have warned was a fool¡¯s errand. By now, at least some of them, like the Endless Empire, would be lamenting their lost credits.


    The Primal Constructs had committed even further than any other faction by going for the whole planet. If the Everglades were anything to go by, it was way too much to chew. Then again the Everglades were one of a kind, but if even the environment was hindering the monsters, he couldn¡¯t imagine their prospects were much better in even more extreme habitats. He supposed the settlement events would also be the ultimate decider in regard to how wise of an investment they had made, but if he were in their shoes, doubt would certainly be creeping in.


    The Ancient Vanguards that sought to dominate the central portion of the Everglades hadn¡¯t been having an easy time, that was for sure. Though the native fauna wasn¡¯t coordinated in its resistance, the individual battles still made it difficult to control the territory, delaying the inevitable takeover that the invaders aimed for. The delay had gone on long enough for the Swamp Lord to establish a clear opposition as well.


    As the sun rose and Coop kept finding regular monsters further and further away from both the boardwalk and the Swamp Lord¡¯s territory, he recognized that the Primal Constructs were never given an opportunity to continue developing. When he was in the Yucatan, he had been the one that needed to reset the region, defeating Elite versions of the regular monsters just to make it possible to complete the Slayer quest chains. In the Everglades, he only found one Elite for every three or four regular monsters. Only one from every pack of Ancient Vanguards existed long enough to accumulate mana and develop into an Elite, and that was without human intervention.


    The Primal Constructs were still on pace to control the region, but they were lagging slightly behind the progress they had in Central America, and both regions had obviously slipped behind the developments in the southern states if the rumors of the Fallen Zone were anything to go by.


    He wondered how the rest of the world was doing. The Primal Constructs had been relegated to the back of his mind ever since human-represented factions had become a more pertinent challenge, but if there were places where the invaders were left alone, they would probably become problematic.


    Coop did his part to ruin the Primal Construct¡¯s chances in Central Florida. The sun was rising on Day 121 when he defeated the last monster necessary to complete his quest chain. For almost 50 hours he had killed a normal monster every 10 seconds while the elites that were interspersed with them didn¡¯t contribute to the count.


    [You defeated Ancient Vanguard (Level 217)]


    [+378 Basic Credits]


    [Quest Complete! Defeat Ancient Vanguards V]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Slayer title upgraded!]


    Coop took a deep breath and gazed across the oddly shaped body of water that had replaced Lake Okeechobee, satisfied with reaching Slayer X. Ten titles in 121 Days.


    ¡°Not bad.¡± He decided, capping off his grind at the top of a mound overlooking the water.


    The lake itself had simply become a deeper portion of the Everglades. There was no clearly defined shore, but there was a tree line in the distance, opposite to where Coop stood. He felt fulfilled. If everything else failed him, he could always go back to grinding, whether Slayer titles were on the line or not.


    The phantasms all returned to the mists while Coop watched the sun rise. The east had ignited with a fiery palette. Streaks of orange and red bled across the long wispy clouds that spread from horizon to horizon as the sun conquered the night. The reflection off the tranquil surface of the lake magnified the spectacle. The line between the water and the sky was impossible to decipher except for the trees that dotted the horizon, silhouetted giants that swayed in the morning breeze like they were stretching themselves awake.


    A thin layer of natural mist clung to the water, tinged with a soft orange glow reflected from the sunrise. It felt like the lake was rousing itself beneath the kindling sky. Then, at the moment that the sun peeked above the horizon, golden beams shot across the landscape. The thin mists burned away and a new day began. The sky brightened to the point that Coop had to look away, back to the west, where the sky was still shimmering.


    In the distance, moving across soggy grassy meadows, he identified a solitary monster skittering in the fresh light. It skulked through stalks of grass, trampling cattails on a hundred needle-point legs. A metal centipede roamed like it owned the place.


    [Elite Primal Lurker (Level 251)]


    [(Agility)]


    [Minion of the Primal Constructs]


    Coop chuckled to himself as he assessed the new enemy, the satisfied smile that had found its way on his face as he witnessed another dramatic sunrise transitioning with a bit eagerness seeping into the expression.


    ¡°Why not?¡± He asked himself as another monster type baited his attention. ¡°I¡¯ve got a few days, don¡¯t I?¡± Another Slayer title before the Underlayer Event was certainly in the cards.

 Chapter 252: All Bets Are Off

    Former Prime Commander Zalanth was paying as close attention to the events that were taking place elsewhere in the galaxy as anyone. In spite of her relatively high expectations for the Humans of Earth, the scenes that played out on desolate battlefields managed to leave her shell-shocked.


    She rubbed the outside of her pale blue arms in a desperate bid for self-comfort, feeling the thin faded scars that crossed her skin through calloused hands. She tried to use the texture of her skin as a device to ground her thoughts, but the stress she was experiencing wasn¡¯t so easily soothed. It was a bit like learning of the depths of space for the first time: difficult to understand and even more difficult to accept.


    Many in the galactic community never had to struggle with such a revelation even a single time. They lived in isolated settlements, born into their faction, believing whatever they were told by their elders. Maybe the elders instructed them that they were the center of the universe, or they were the favored people of the galaxy, but no matter what, the extent of the galactic community was always a challenging acknowledgment if it came at all.


    Zalanth felt pity for herself for being forced to deal with such a significant disclosure twice in her lifetime. She was afraid she would never restore the blissful ignorance that had given her unblemished confidence in their continued existence. Losing confidence in the defining rules and structures of the system was proving to be unsettling, to say the least. She shivered as she touched upon the sore spot in her thoughts.


    There was an extra complication that made her uniquely affected by it all. Even though she was a mere warrior, a tool of her former faction, not expected to think too much outside of her own militaristic area of expertise, it seemed like she was the only one who had an inkling of what was really happening. Based on her experience and credentials, Zalanth was among the last people that should have been deducing intangible threats to the bedrock of the community.


    Assessing combat effectiveness should have been as far as she ever went when it came to evaluating these battles, but what she saw as a tear in the carefully crafted fabric of their reality was impossible to overlook. The easy dismissals of what she was observing were disconcerting and made her feel like she was growing unhinged. That there weren¡¯t public outcries mirroring her unease riddled her with doubt and confusion, but she couldn¡¯t deny her judgment.


    Despite all of the experts and casual observers who spent their time noting the oddities of the galactic community, she appeared to be the only one recognizing the alarm bells that were going off. The events surrounding the planet Earth were a revelation. Humans weren¡¯t just a curiosity, they were a disruption. She wanted to grab someone and shout in their face that they should be terrified! If they managed to break this many rules in this short of a time, imagine what would happen if they were allowed to fester.


    She was personally connected to the species of newcomers by pure happenstance and it only added to her uneasiness. In fact, she wasn¡¯t simply connected to the events that were taking place, she was directly benefiting from the outcomes. There was this sense building within her chest that she hadn¡¯t earned the fortune that was being bestowed upon her, and more importantly, it felt like there would be a severe cost extracted by humans, one way or another. Who or what would pay or how wasn''t yet clear to her, but she thought it might come from everyone in the galactic community and everything that constituted their way of life.


    She thought she had some sort of responsibility to do something, to warn someone. They needed to prepare themselves for change, to resist, to be ready for anything, but who would listen to the disgraced former Prime Commander? There was no one. Her previous subordinates would assume she had lost her mind after being exiled, and that was if they would even hear her out in the first place. Everyone else was a stranger. There were no friends in the community. The feeling of helplessness was crippling and only served to further verify her isolation.


    She cycled through battle recordings, trying to decide which to review before settling on the newest one, as if she had to keep watching, and clenched her fists. She had viewed more than a thousand battles on her own, but she couldn¡¯t look away.


    The scariest part of all was that she didn¡¯t think her assessment of the new faction should or would be unique. Once the peculiarities of humans were exposed more broadly, that they would potentially shake the foundations of normality, there would be an opposing reaction. Those that stood to lose would almost certainly be unhappy, and that would be anyone satisfied with the status quo or fearing of the unknown. In the galactic community, that was basically everyone. Humans would be even more isolated than she was, and what would they do when they were forced into a corner? She couldn¡¯t imagine a scenario where they would accept their place. She need only watch the total annihilation of yet another army for proof.


    There wouldn¡¯t be many that had fallen so far from grace that they would both be cognizant of the current careful balance in the galaxy and low enough within it to embrace the chaos that humans represented. Humans would find no allies waiting for them, offering guidance or solidarity. The only ones to look at humans favorably would have to be the rubbish of the galaxy, tossed away after being used up, the weaklings who had been torn from their position in the hierarchies, and the pawns of the more powerful who were capable of dreaming of a different existence. Who else would cheer for havoc bringers?


    Zalanth caught herself frowning at her miserable assessment of those people. Wasn¡¯t she firmly among them? She was already welcoming the inevitable upheaval by siding with humans in her wagers, clearly taking advantage of her unfair connection with them. But her newly captured riches hardly changed her state as an exile of her faction that was existing in precarious independence.


    ¡°Maybe, I shouldn¡¯t fear them¡­¡± She experimented with the idea of seeing them as something else and shuddered involuntarily, not ready to readjust her thinking yet again.


    She flipped to the next scene as the new battles constantly updated, and did her best to mentally prepare herself before she let it play as she spiraled once again, unknowingly working her way through existential crisis after existential crisis. There had never been a species like the humans of Earth to join the galactic community. Zalanth couldn¡¯t stop herself from wondering if there was a specific reason for that.


    It was practically unheard of to even get a preview of a new species before their assimilation was complete in the first place. Normally, the system provided information for sponsorship bids, and those who won the auctions had an opportunity to interact with their Chosen, but that was it until the assimilation concluded.


    Contractors would bring their firsthand accounts of the assimilation after it was all over, but by then it would be old news and few would have more than a passing interest in the new additions to the community. There would have been 10 more species presented in the meantime. The connections with the new planet would have already been planned and established long before the indigenous species had any say in how they went.


    More importantly, contractors were typically those on the outs of their factions, expendable, with their superiors hoping to extract at least some value from their most worthless subordinates or hoping that the experience would shape them up. Zalanth herself had assigned failed soldiers to the Endless Empire¡¯s service offerings on more than one occasion. Contractors were rarely the type to be taken seriously. They had a tendency to exaggerate their experiences in order to elevate their own standing within the factions that they represented.


    Ignoring the notifications that five more battles had completed while she stared at the idle screen, Zalanth changed her mind and switched back to the first recording and let it play from the start. Somehow, she had been naive, even then.


    The introduction of a new faction under unusual circumstances had drawn the attention of the entire universe to Earth¡¯s primary species, and for a few days, everyone watched with excitement, including herself, though her feelings were closer to trepidation. She was, after all, a step ahead of the rest, uniquely situated to anticipate the surprises that would inevitably be exposed. Bets were placed, and predictions as to how long the human underdogs would last were broadcast from every direction.


    The most confident in the newcomers didn¡¯t expect more than around five successful battles before they fell. Those factions who had hesitated for even a few minutes before they declared war would have missed their chance, and those who added their hats to the ring after a few hours were merely advertising themselves with no expectation of having to follow through. Zalanth herself only bet on the side of the humans for the first 100 battles.


    The first battle completely changed the mood of the galactic community in a tangible way.


    Zalanth hadn¡¯t moved from her private cabin in the nearly five days since. The tight warrior braids that normally kept her deep indigo hair out of the way had become disheveled, making it seem like she had been the one physically fighting over and over. Instead, she was merely spectating, reviewing the feeds that were distributed after each battle and growing increasingly agitated by the results.


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    All eyes were on Vronk the Worldbeater as he reintroduced himself to the galactic community in dramatic fashion. Only those from militant factions steeped in strategic intelligence would recognize the ancient veteran for exactly what he was, but the power he demonstrated was enough for all to pause and take note. Zalanth also had to seek more specific information from a broker, and there was no one in the Endless Empire that would have more data on hand than she still held in her head.


    Before he was Vronk the Worldbeater, he was Vronk the Prince. The simplified story was that his faction experienced a horrible defeat at the hands of one of their most bitter rivals. They were effectively wiped out in a War of Elimination. The faction was dissolved, the planet¡¯s settlements ruined, and his species shattered.


    Vronk had been spared only due to his absence, ignoring the call to arms while experiencing the leisure that only members of royalty were ever permitted. He disappeared into the vastness of the galactic community afterwards, presumably to continue being spoiled with little thought given to his own lost people. They were, after all, a notably uncivilized species.


    When he returned thousands of years later, with a rare personal quest for revenge, there was nothing of the pampered royal savage remaining. He single-handedly destroyed the core planet of his rivals as a vicious barbarian warrior, the perfect representation of his nearly extinct people. In returning the favor, he created a legend while joining the ranks of those called Worldbeaters. It was a simple designation among thousands of recognized titles, and its meaning was clear enough: he had completed a quest to kill an entire world on his own.


    The popular theory of the time was that after his revenge, he returned to his life of indulgence with the few members of his species that had been spared at his side. Zalanth felt the need to revise that assumption, as he had evidently become an independent contractor accepting work during assimilations some time in the thousands of years since.


    It was a completely inconceivable calling for someone of his stature. She couldn¡¯t even attempt to guess what professional service he could offer that would be befitting his status and experience, or how any humans could have possibly afforded his contract.


    Then again, Zalanth was well-aware of her own precarious independence. Maybe offering a service to assimilations would be a good way to stay out of the way. She would have to reconsider the utility of such a proposition. If it worked for Vronk, it could work for her as well. She couldn¡¯t be considered anywhere close to his equal.


    As Vronk abandoned his obscurity and turned the promising next generation of the Xyl¡¯thari Brood into paste, giving them a drubbing that would take years to overcome, he exemplified why she thought humans were dangerous. He converted what was popularly described as a B-Tier faction with S-Tier bloodlust into fodder beneath his club while a handful of humans passively observed.


    The galactic community quickly excused the unpredictable outcome by reframing what the Lighthouse was. Obviously, it was Vronk¡¯s personal faction. The former Prince had found a novel way to reestablish the faction that was his birthright. Humans were dismissed as a factor with his overwhelming presence.


    At the same time, he was only a single individual. Alone, he would still be conquered, but the predictions were adjusted to account for his unfair experience advantage. Whether it took a hundred declarations of war or if it took a thousand was where the new wagers were being made. Most didn¡¯t think he would actually be defeated in combat until the additional restrictions brought by the ongoing assimilation were lifted and a faction serious enough about victory declared a War of Elimination.


    The fresh meat trapped within assimilations simply didn¡¯t have the time to develop such power, so Vronk had been completely unexpected. A faction forming during an assimilation was already unheard of, so the idea of flipping a contractor to their side was never a consideration, and even if it was, those assigned to assimilations by their factions would be failed soldiers or the less competent crafters in desperate need of experience. In other words: weak. They would hardly move the needle in the predictions. Vronk was special, but he was only a single obstacle preventing the Lighthouse from collapsing.


    Instead, the community anticipated a forfeit loss soon enough. One true warrior couldn¡¯t withstand the surge of factions that greedily nipped at the faction he defended. Suddenly, those who had hesitated before declaring war were looking to have timed their conquest perfectly. Those that had struck first would face an impossible battle with Vronk on the other side.


    Zalanth felt like the broader galactic community failed to ask an obvious question. If it was Vronk¡¯s faction, why was the founder the human called Coop? There was no royal she had ever heard of that would willingly bow their head to an unassimilated Unchosen without good reason, even ones known for rolling around in mud for fun like Vronk.


    As the second battle began, the answer was unambiguous, at least to Zalanth. It was Coop¡¯s faction and he and the humans had somehow subdued more than just Vronk the Lost Prince.


    The Silent Hive¡¯s army was confronted by an infuriated demoness on the second battlefield. When she appeared, flanked by 10 spectral humans, her opponents were already laughing at the poor display from the defenders. She looked down her nose at the 25,000 greedy and confident enemies and addressed them scornfully while their jeers slowly faded and her aura flooded their senses.


    ¡°You dare seek to destroy the Lighthouse?¡± She demanded with an echoing voice dripping with disgust as colored flames ignited and rose around her, causing her human companions to step back. It was a message directed to the rest of the galactic community as much as it was for her doomed opponents.


    The challengers¡¯ hesitation as they realized how outmatched they were wasn¡¯t enough to spare them from her withering contempt. She disappeared, leaving a streak of energy that rose into the sky, then reappeared in the same instant, slamming into the middle of the enemy army as if she had fallen from beyond the planet¡¯s atmosphere.


    Pink flames erupted in all directions from the crater she formed, chasing the individuals unlucky enough to be caught in the blast as they were ejected from the area. The flames annihilated a siege engine and scorched those that shielded themselves from flying debris as they suddenly found themselves in close quarters combat. Their carapaces weren¡¯t so silent when cooked by her attacks.


    She became a whirl of chopping strikes, flattened hands empowered by colorful blades of fire, before disappearing with another beam, reappearing at the other end of the attacking army, destroying another of their engines, and penning them in with the abrupt transition. Her opponents stumbled as they were cut down, confused and struggling to decide on a direction to retreat. They were already staggered by her aura alone and were doomed, no matter what.


    The demon wasn¡¯t on Vronk¡¯s level, but even Zalanth would avoid facing her if she had the option. That was doubly true if the demon was as passionately enraged as she was during her battle with the Silent Hive.


    At the same time, the third battle was beginning, revealing a clear pattern. It was similarly one-sided. A second demon saluted his opponents, granting far more respect than the weaklings deserved before flashing forward, crossing the battlefield in a single step that left a streak of silver glimmering in his trail. His needle-point blade pierced the throat of the foremost Silicon Vanguard leader before the victim recognized he was in danger.


    The deceptively simple, but precise thrust sent a chill down Zalanth¡¯s back for it would have been lethal even to her. Then a blast of silver light exploded forward from the blade, cleaving a line that split the entire army in half and vaporized the automatons the army had brought with them for reinforcement.


    There were countless peoples within the galactic community, but most were hardly worth notice on their own. They usually became members of other larger factions upon their conquest, or if they were lucky, occupied a singular unimportant faction for themselves, languishing among the hordes of others.


    However, there were some that were important to recognize, regardless of their active affiliations, like the Undead, the Stonebound, the Mechanoids, the Crystalline, and of course the Demons. There were many more examples to take note of, but they all shared one important feature. They had multiple factions that most frequently fought among themselves, but were still more closely aligned with each other than anyone else. Though they jockeyed for position within their own hierarchies, they would still side with each other to destroy external opponents above all else.


    It would be a mistake to assume a low threat isolated faction of the Stonebound would make an easy target, for their distant cousins were always possible reinforcements. Demons were recognized to be the most loyal to themselves, very rarely existing outside of their own demonic factions, due to negative echoes creating an implicit bias against them, but this pair demonstrated their loyalty to humans instead.


    The combination of Vronk the Prince and the pair of demons was enough for Zalanth to be sure that this was truly a human faction. It was breaking well-established rules and ignoring expectations right from the start. Who, other than humans, could bend a royal to their side while willingly embracing demons? It was exactly like her orientation with the seditious humans.


    Unfortunately, the presence of the demons caused even more confusion within the community at large. Was the Lighthouse a demon faction? Should the other factions be worried about demonic retribution? Or was it Vronk¡¯s faction? Just how many powerhouses would defend the Lighthouse?


    The collective excitement of the galactic community faded as it became clear that the fights would be completely one-sided. The feeling was replaced with general discontent. That the battles were one-sided in the opposite way to what every analyst expected prevented the whole game from becoming uninteresting, but most turned away with disgust, already developing a prejudice toward the Lighthouse faction. Even various demonic factions issued statements to disassociate themselves from the humans, but that didn¡¯t prevent others from watching Earth with an air of suspicion, hesitating as they reassessed the planet as more threatening than anticipated.


    No one liked their expectations going unmet and it seemed like everyone was losing vast quantities of credits. Everyone except Zalanth.


    Zalanth watched every single battle between the Lighthouse and their legion of challengers. She honestly believed that out of every being in the galaxy, she had the most faith in the ability of the humans to defend themselves, but even she hadn¡¯t expected to witness the utter destruction of so many armies. It had just come from an angle that was utterly impossible for any of them to predict.


    She kept watching, winning, and trembling.

 Chapter 253: When Luck Runs Out

    Zalanth watched as the one called Erasimus Doomthread utilized a storm of needles to puncture the skulls of 15,000 Undead of the Arisen faction in a showman¡¯s demonstration of his lethality. The unperturbed defender used the battle as an opportunity to advertise his business as the remaining minions meandered without direction, their masters defeated.


    Then, during the next battle in what she thought was a satirical twist, a proper Undead Lich called Abithik appeared on the side of the Lighthouse, summoning his own legion of minions that dwarfed the soldiers that sought to subjugate in both numbers and size. The army of the dead included winged creatures, ghoulish agents, geists, gargoyles, and skeletal soldiers, along with unique bone-plated monstrous abominations, revealing the maturity of the Lich Lord as surely as the rings in a tree.


    Afterwards, a slime creature pulled off a risky imitation of a feline, apparently unconcerned with drawing the ire of any that might be offended by her imperfect replica, but then she ripped through her enemies with enough grace to establish that the form might be satisfactory after all. Perhaps it was good enough to even be condoned by a representative of the cats.


    Another Undead, this time a rare essence predator, split into a pair of twins with complementary styles of combat, one a leather-clad assassin and the other an incorporeal psionic caster. They efficiently tore through their enemies, impossible to pin down with their support for each other. The reveal of multiple Undead fighting on behalf of the Lighthouse didn¡¯t draw as much turmoil as the Demons, merely due to the timing, but Zalanth could only shake her head at the reveal of another problematic connection for the Lighthouse, adding it to the list of reasons for her current state of mind.


    A custom combat mech shredded a ravenous horde, apparently lacking an aura intimidating enough to rout its enemies with its mere presence like most of the other defenders, but more than powerful enough to stand against the conquerors regardless. The mech was obviously crafted by an extraordinarily advanced crafter, but Zalanth couldn¡¯t imagine that it would also be piloted by someone of such value, and yet that was the only explanation she could give for the strange anomaly among the powerhouses of the Lighthouse. It was the first time she had seen one of the defenders¡¯ auras fail to stagger the attacking army.


    She couldn¡¯t decide if that bode well or not for the Lighthouse, having such a valuable crafter appear in a battle. Vronk and the others were clearly established soldiers in their own times. Whether they had retired or were on the run when they ended up becoming contractors, they were certainly veterans of combat that had somehow ended up in the employ of the Lighthouse¡¯s settlements. The crafter that constructed the mech could have demanded a contract that bankrupted more established settlements in the galactic community, but here was another valuable individual slumming it with the humans. Zalanth was befuddled.


    When a quartet of what should have been the ultimate in pacificity entered a battlefield, holding hands opposite 20,000 bloodthirsty enemies, Zalanth had had enough. She audibly groaned as she comprehended the set up. They were clearly Sisters of the Merciful.


    It wasn¡¯t completely unheard of for the altruistic faction to lend its members out, but to have them participate in an actual battle was simply not under their regular purview. For a moment she thought they might be a sacrifice as the Lighthouse was evidently depleted and she found herself feeling disappointed in the mettle of the human faction.


    Instead of the expected pacifism, explosions of golden light repeatedly pulsed from their position, clearing the confused enemies at least as quickly as any of the monstrous warriors that had come before them. Zalanth had only heard rumors that they were capable of defending themselves, but she had never had a confirmed report of any of the Merciful engaging in direct combat. She could only shake her head at the continued capriciousness of humanity.


    She supposed these were former Merciful, after humans had thoroughly corrupted them. Whatever figurative mind virus that had influenced Zalanth when she was in contact with the humans had obviously infected them as well.


    The battles kept bringing surprises, but the frequency of war declarations dropped off as the threat assessment of the Lighthouse adjusted. How many thousands of battles would it take to overcome the power demonstrated by the defenders? The factions of the galactic community hesitated before throwing their fledgling armies against the iceberg of monstrous defenders. More hidden depths just kept being revealed.


    The final nail in the coffin for the anticipated conquest of the human faction was when a second creature that lived in absolute infamy appeared on a wasteland of a battlefield. Zalanth, like any warrior of repute, immediately recognized Caisalya, the Bloom of Annihilation, one of the most heavily admonished individuals in the entire galactic community.


    Zalanth knew her story well. In some ways, it was the opposite of Vronk¡¯s. Caisalya was among the absolute lowest ranks of one of the greatest factions in the community, born into her position with no possibility of change. Her people were conquered so long in the past, the exact circumstances weren¡¯t even properly remembered. Instead, they had been made into popular display pieces among those in the upper echelons of their faction. They were living art, confined to small greenhouses with individual planters to tend to for their own amusement. Caisalya maintained a single unique flower that was said to me among the most beautiful and fragrant that any of her people could hope to keep.


    The Bloom of Annihilation had been the centerpiece of an elder¡¯s greenhouse for decades, though she hadn¡¯t earned the moniker yet. Back then, her flower was well-known, but she was not. The designation only came after she escaped her internment, executing every member of the residence and turning the compound into her own personal stronghold: a tangle of vines that crumbled stone and scattered flowers across the defiled edifices. The single beautiful flower had experienced monstrous growth, towering above the ruins after being bathed in the mana-filled blood of her former masters.


    The faction sought to recapture her, but she used them for fuel to spread, and she didn¡¯t stop. Like Vronk, she killed an entire planet, but unlike Vronk, the system had never granted her a quest to do so. Instead of being rewarded with a title, she was penalized for the unsanctioned killing, and that was on top of attracting the ire of significant portions of the galactic community for decimating one of the most well-connected factions in the known universe at the time.


    The faction that she had permanently ruined by destroying all of its core planet¡¯s civilization shards was among the top ranked before her rampage. Its allies put bounties on her head, but she had never been captured or killed. In fact, every sighting of the Bloom of Annihilation resulted in the same conclusion; an effervescent and vibrant destruction. Of course, that just meant she collected more penalties.


    The experience debt she would need to resolve would send Vronk¡¯s overwhelming accumulation into the void, and yet she persisted. Zalanth wondered if gardening was truly so fulfilling a calling. Perhaps she should give it a try.


    On the battlefield, the fugitive smiled with deceptive friendliness. It would have been properly disarming if not for the flashing warning that accompanied any sighting of the most notorious of the Viridi people. Anyone who defeated her would be rewarded with untold benefits as the penalties she had accumulated would finally be realized, and that was before considering all of the factions that would poor riches upon her conqueror.


    Zalanth viewed the temptations to challenge her as a trap: the attractive flower that disguised poisonous scents or viciously barbed thorns. She was, after all, the closest to Vronk¡¯s level among those that had defended the Lighthouse. Without her experience debt, she might even exceed his heights.


    During her first battle, Caisalya kneeled to test the brittle soil, innocently humming like she was tending to her own personal garden without an audience at all. While it was the expected behavior of her species, it was hopeless, given the battlefield¡¯s location on an unlivable integrated planet, devoid of life or sustenance. But that was the thing about the Bloom of Annihilation; she would grow anywhere.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    She rooted in the bare soil of the uninhabitable moon and rose into the sky, growing rapidly at the end of a thick vine that splayed thin tendrils in all directions, her arms spread wide as she embraced a dim foreign star like it was an exotic treat. She rose until her chaste smiling face was the focal point of the feed, eyes squeezed shut in contentment. In the background, flowers bloomed all across the landscape, painting the gray regolith in a medley of vibrant colors. Pinks, blues, and yellows extended to the horizon, opening delicate petals on the end of healthy green stems despite the lack of life otherwise.


    It was a beautiful, painterly scene, easily appreciated even by someone like Zalanth who barely understood aesthetics. An expansive field of flowers spread beneath the climbing vines that crawled across the landscape, calling invitingly to be traipsed through.


    At least it was beautiful until Zalanth looked closer at the background behind Caisalya¡¯s gently flowing features, and realized that the flowers bloomed from the not quite fully defeated bodies of the opposing army. They writhed in tortured pain as their mana was stolen by the seedlings. Puffs of pollen drifted around flowers that budded from their eye sockets, with root tendrils breaking ground through their skulls with curt crunches, and thorny stems slowly squeezing around limbs until bones snapped, forming a beautiful garden that would be impossible to visit for more reasons than simply its remoteness.


    The battle ended abruptly, the feed cut, with the Lighthouse as the clear victor. The integrated planet was quarantined by the system as the participants were returned to their respective settlements.


    After that, there were no more new declarations of war against the Lighthouse. Those who had already committed could only accept the consequences of their mistake, either in the form of system penalties by breaching their contractual declarations or through a crushing defeat on the roulette wheel of possible devastating opponents.


    Zalanth leaned away from the screen, exhausted and agitated.


    The shocking reveal of senior pariahs, outcasts, and hibernating monsters had overshadowed what Zalanth was by far the most preoccupied by:  the Humans! As the galactic community¡¯s interest waned in the primary species of the assimilating planet, focused instead on the powers that dominated the battles, she felt like she was going mad!


    Accompanying every single powerhouse were squads of spectral humans. It was like they were sending a message. They didn¡¯t even need to lift a finger to crush these challengers. The challengers who were some of the most aggressive in the entire galaxy; they weren¡¯t even worthy of human attention.


    The battles where the humans actually did participate were the scariest of all, though they were few and far between. They were utterly dominant to the point that it was clear they didn¡¯t actually need their surprise allies to fight their battles. Letting the established members of the galactic community take the lead could only be interpreted as a warning shot, but it seemed to fall on deaf ears.


    Zalanth leaned forward in her seat, toward the terminal, and returned to the first battle where the roles were reversed. She observed the humans as they crushed an army of Rotaks while being significantly outnumbered, nearly 1,000 to 1. How could they be overlooked after such ridiculous victories? It was almost as though, because it was the most traditional of all of the battles, the rest of the observers had glossed over it in favor of more unanticipated oddities.


    The humans should not have been favored in any sense of imagination in the match up, but they were even scarier than Caisalya and Vronk, in Zalanth¡¯s expert opinion. She could see that they were essentially amateurs, and yet they moved with the decisiveness of the most elite veterans in established factions, carving through an army with a butcher¡¯s familiarity. Somehow, they expertly broke through formations against a species they should have never seen before, using completely novel tactics. Zalanth would have had to drill her soldiers for months to replicate even a single maneuver, and even then it would have been clumsier without the smooth movement abilities universally employed by the evolved human manifestations.


    That wasn¡¯t even the full extent of it. Another battle with a full complement of 5,000 of the human soldiers managed to completely annihilate 25,000 Ossazoans without losing a single point of health across the entire army. Ossazoans, in particular, were a difficult enemy due to their malleable combat styles. The species were a sentient jelly that used the bones or solid cores of others to provide their bodies with structure. This meant that their tactics tended to be on the more unpredictable extreme of the galactic community, not following specific rules for the species as a whole, and yet humans danced between lethal attacks, adjusting to their maneuvers in real time with such teamwork they never left any of their soldiers exposed to a single blow.


    Zalanth had to rewatch the battle several times, finding it impossible to meld the obviously inexperienced humans with the incredible result. These human soldiers were actually as green as any of their challengers. The system hadn¡¯t made a mistake by forcing the lowest level armies to be the ones to face them, but humans had something that simply wasn¡¯t present in their opponents.


    After a hundred reviews of their battles, Zalanth thought she had some idea for what humans had that others lacked. If she had to diagnose it, she would call it a natural instinct for self-preservation that only the most hardened warriors ever learned, and usually only after countless near-death experiences. Humans had it as a default attribute. They were seemingly born understanding the struggle of mortal conflict and were naturally stimulated to survive.


    It was so bizarre, because at the same time and in her experience, humans refused to acknowledge the hierarchy that all those in the galactic community relied on to understand individual danger. It was like their self-preservation instinct was broken, only applying in actual physical combat encounters rather than at all times. Or maybe it was always active and they had treated her and her instructors like competition even when they were in training. If everything was always combat, it might explain their resistance.


    Zalanth tugged at a loose braid, as she reconsidered whether or not the humans had been prepared to actually fight their instructors. Were they already testing them, even back then? These humans were just too alien to fully understand, and watching them perform as if they were under chemical stimulants did little to clarify their characteristics.


    What made the humans truly fearsome was their incompletely realized potential. If a single ounce of the discipline exposed in battle had been present in her Chosen during orientation, she would have been sure the Endless Empire could have conquered the entire planet. If not for the rest of the assimilation being filled with more humans with equally rare mana affinities and the same natural instincts, they would have been unstoppable.


    As she chewed on her knuckles and rewatched the battle over and over, trying to decide if it was racial bonuses, evolutions, or strictly assigned skills that gave them their movement skills, and wondering exactly what kind of a training regimen they underwent, a firm knock rapped against her cabin gate.


    She paused the feed and looked at the entrance suspiciously, using her fingers to clear the loose strands of indigo that had drifted into her vision. This was an integrated territory where she knew no one and no one knew her. She certainly wasn¡¯t expecting any guests to call upon her.


    While she silently watched, a physical note slipped between the thin gap at the edge of the doorway. The message floated for a moment before slowly falling to the floor where it slid to her anchored feet.


    A direct notification made far more sense to send a message within the galactic community, but a physical note was a message in of itself. It wasn¡¯t something that she could ignore. The fact that they had delivered a physical message said plenty about the sender before she checked the message. It was just about the only way to actually tear her attention away from the humans.


    To make things worse, the unmistakable markings on the back of the message made it clear the sender was more than serious. There were only a few reasons for her to have such attention placed upon her. She was factionless and she was rapidly amassing a fortune using inside information on the humans. She scowled from behind another liberated lock of blue-purple hair.


    Before she reached down to see what was demanded of her, she exited from the battle records of the Lighthouse and calmly navigated to a financial page. In a few minutes, she had already opened up a new credit account with a specific beneficiary. She transferred all of her recent winnings with a simple note that declared it as ¡®Tribute.¡¯


    She closed out of the account after the transfer was complete, hoping that Coop and his Lighthouse would forgive her once his assimilation was concluded and they received the offering.


    Zalanth took a deep breath, adjusting the mana-weave robe back over her broad shoulders before she retrieved the note from the floor with shaky fingers. The distinctive paw print marked it as even more significant than she originally imagined. She was being summoned.

 Chapter 254: Universal Cattitudes

    Zalanth would carefully follow the directions she had been given, down to the letter. Luckily, she had received a simple request to meet at a specified location, so she would make no mistakes. There was no room for argument or excuse when it came to almost any of the largest or more influential factions, and that was more true for the Blessed Mau Collective than it was for any of the others. Unlike a faction of Demons or Undead, the solitary group of felines had a wider variety of willing agents. It would be better to avoid unnecessary delay.


    As a factionless individual, the last place Zalanth wanted to be was the stronghold of any particular faction, especially ones that were powerful enough to conscript her into their service using system contracts. She would have no opportunity to negotiate terms, no matter how much they valued whatever they saw in her. The power disparity between herself and the faction was too great. At the very least, she was thankful they had not descended straight to force from the start, but the fact that she had been summoned was not a good sign.


    Nevertheless, she subtly prepared to fight for her life. She thought she¡¯d make humans proud by hanging onto at least a small thought of rebellion.


    Before leaving her private compartment for what would inevitably be the last time, she refreshed her braids and donned the limited equipment she smuggled through her exile. A dark silver band protected her forehead, wrapping beneath her newly braided hair. Matching metals lined the lower edge of her ears, clamped to her defined jawline, and rested along her collar bone. Armlets, bracers, and anklets completed the accessories she had kept while the brand new dangling bracelets were stashed away. The subtle battle tattoos that had been carved in her limbs with invisible ink shone with mana if viewed from precisely the correct angle as the arrangement focused her might. She nodded to herself and prepared for her own battle.


    She exited through the sliding gate confidently, with her head held high, letting the golden mana-weave silks of her sheer robe hang in the breeze behind her. The accessories she equipped completed the look, melding the dichotomy of her current existence. She had become prosperous, but she was still a warrior at heart.


    She glanced down both directions of the muted hallway. The corridor was lit by a series of mana lamps on small platforms beside each room¡¯s gateway, and they each gently hummed in their solitude. She was clearly alone. The guests of the luxury cruise didn¡¯t spend a fortune for a ticket just to hide away in their private compartments, and there were no suspicious characters keeping an eye on her movements from the shadows.


    Zalanth marched toward the main lounge, following the tinkling chimes that accompanied the stellar views through the hushed hallways. Her footsteps were silenced by the plush patterned carpeting, but her steady stride was unburdened.


    She opened both heavy double doors at once, letting them swing away, and found the scenes of opulence completely unchanged as they washed over her. The affluent continued to be pacified by their delicacies and expensive views. The rumbling in the foundation of the galactic community caused by humans hadn¡¯t reached these heights. They had been a passing fascination at best.


    She kept to the perimeter, moving with purpose as she rounded the area and approached the vessel¡¯s main gateway. She only hesitated for a moment before exiting, snatching one last bead of namanin fruit while glancing back to see if any of the guests were paying extra attention to her.


    The looks she caught were only the typical leering, impossible to avoid while being a relative giant, and they quickly averted their eyes, recognizing the danger of her aura. Whoever the agent of the Blessed Mau Collective was, she couldn¡¯t spot them.


    She stepped onto the utilitarian gateway to be transported to the Lankir Sector¡¯s main hub settlement. A rush of mana that suppressed all of her senses gave her a moment to consider her position and develop a preliminary plan.


    If the Blessed Mau Collective sought to turn her into a soldier, would she refuse? As far as fates within the galactic community went, it wouldn¡¯t be a particularly poor outcome. It wouldn¡¯t even be on the bad side of the spectrum. Being a low-ranking member of the Blessed Mau Collective would actually be a relative promotion over being Prime Commander for the Endless Empire. She probably wouldn¡¯t resist, but she felt a small twinge of pride that opposed the idea of restarting from the bottom. Either way, a congenial recruitment was the most optimistic of outcomes, one that she doubted she qualified for.


    Other demands were far more likely. If they sought to turn her into a servant or a pet, she would rather be dead. That was one principle that the rebellious humans had firmly exemplified during their sponsorships, and it was a principle she would gladly adopt. It would be a warrior¡¯s death on her own personal battlefield instead. There was no higher being necessary to justify her actions, no deity to lay her life for. It was hers and hers alone after her exile. That was enough.


    They could also be after the credits she had accumulated on all of her wagers. She felt like it was unlikely the Blessed Mau Collective of all factions would be the one to make a move so decisively to secure her credits, but it wasn¡¯t impossible. The amount of credits she had gathered was that tempting and paying tribute hadn¡¯t left her stack empty, nor had it canceled her continued wagers.


    As her senses finally returned, she reconstituted in the center of a busy terminal, carved from an obsidian-like rock. Beings, the vast majority of which were humanoid, rushed to their destinations across the polished platform while crafters hawked their goods from single person carts parked along the outer edges.


    The residents of the settlement had wisely created a merchant zone at the primary entrance and exit of their city, but they sold useless trinkets and consumable items to help commemorate a visit. Anything useful would need to be commissioned in advance from one of the trade houses.


    Zalanth ignored the market booths, heading toward the upper district of the settlement territory that loomed in the distance. The city itself was a narrow strip of protected territory, snaking between a series of flanking walls that curved like ribbons along the outer edges. The terminal was in the middle district, so she didn¡¯t have too far to go.


    The dim light left deep shadows beneath the eaves of the more immediate black petrified wood buildings. The darkness was exacerbated by the way the buildings loomed out and over the street, blocking the limited natural light from ever reaching the road. They all had wider upper levels than ground floors.


    She glanced in the star¡¯s direction, having trouble deciding if it was night or day, before concluding that it didn¡¯t matter. The protective domes shimmered in a way that was meant to confirm security, but she didn¡¯t appreciate how they blocked nearly all of the light and forced the roads to rely on artificial illumination. She continued forward, sticking to the main path that connected all of the districts, unable to behave like a curious tourist.


    Guards of the Lankir eyed her with interest as she made her way past their stations. They didn¡¯t shift their positions in the slightest, but they watched her movements carefully. The guards subtly nudged their weapons, fighting their recognition of the natural hierarchy of power¡¯s demand for deference toward her with their sworn responsibilities in keeping the settlement secure.


    Zalanth had never had any need for masking her power in the Endless Empire, but if she was going to survive as an independent individual, she was becoming more and more aware of the need for discretion. Guards at the corner of every alley had the same reaction. There was even a gap in the crowd immediately around her at all times. She stood out for many different reasons. Becoming a contractor like Vronk the Prince and the Bloom of Annihilation made more and more sense, though she couldn¡¯t imagine any settlements that would recruit an independent service over one offered by any notable faction.


    It only took 20 minutes to reach her destination, and it would have been a relatively pleasant journey if not for her swirling thoughts lingering on the human battles that continued elsewhere in the galaxy. She was left alone in a pocket that hushed conversations as she went by. The brief walk turned into a much-needed confidence boost as her place in the hierarchy was reaffirmed by the other pedestrians. The order of the galactic community hadn¡¯t broken down yet.


    She still briefly hesitated outside of the heavy gate that separated the most prominent embassy in the city from the rest. At first, she was only mentally preparing herself, but then she realized there was no way to communicate that she had arrived.


    Zalanth considered shouting to announce her presence, but before the thought had fully formed, the gate swung open under its own power. She paused, gazing upon the pathway to a mansion, before stepping inside the property. The air shimmered as she crossed the threshold, revealing the illusion that had been hiding the surprisingly modest official residence. Rather than an entire estate, there was a short tower standing alone in the center of the plot of land.


    One of the rare humanoid felines stood at the entrance, dressed formally as if to receive an important dignitary. Before Zalanth could react, thinking she might be in the way of someone else more significant than she was, the female cat bowed graciously and began to speak.


    ¡°Greetings, Lady Zalanth.¡± She hailed with excessive politeness, standing straight after completing her bow. ¡°I am Genevieve Solange Seraphina the Fifth, a humble ambassador from the Blessed Mau Collective, and I have a request for you, if you would accept it.¡±


    Zalanth was unnerved by the formality and respect being presented to her. She tried to avoid falling back on Endless Empire protocol, but outside of that, she had no basis for behavior. She was a complete novice in all areas outside of being a soldier or commander. She wasn¡¯t even sure how the Collective had become aware of her existence, let alone her location.


    Genevieve detected her guest¡¯s hesitance and adjusted on her behalf. ¡°Would you prefer to be referred to as Prime Commander Zalanth?¡± She asked politely, offering far more respect than the disgraced Commander knew she deserved.


    ¡°I liked the sound of Lady Zalanth, actually.¡± Zalanth admitted to her own surprise.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Genevieve smiled, revealing the distinct fangs of her species, glad to get her guest to relax even slightly. ¡°Lady Zalanth, would you be so kind as to provide a service to the Blessed Mau Collective? We would greatly appreciate your expertise.¡±


    Zalanth knew she was in no position to decline, but that the powerful faction was extending so much courtesy toward her had to be a good sign. Maybe she was being given an option to escape.


    She decided to play along and see if it was possible to simply decline. She would absolutely become a factionless contractor if she could walk away from this meeting on her own terms. Maybe some human settlement was in need of a combat trainer or a general laborer and sheer luck would guide them to her. No one else would contract her, that was certain.


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    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t imagine what I could offer the Blessed Mau Collective.¡± She matched the cat lady¡¯s politeness, unsure what she could offer anyone at this point.


    Genevieve¡¯s expression continued to be as pleasant as ever, certainly a positive signal. ¡°Indeed, there is little that we cannot acquire ourselves. However, there is one area in which we believe your input would be of extraordinary value.¡±


    For a moment, Zalanth suspected that the Endless Empire was in deep trouble. Perhaps they had done something to anger the felines in particular, and this was a play to get secrets on her former faction in order to thoroughly crush them. The problem with that theory was obvious, though. The Blessed Mau Collective wouldn¡¯t need any help destroying the Endless Empire.


    Genevieve continued, erasing Zalanth¡¯s theory in the process. ¡°We would like you to provide insight on the Humans of Earth. We believe you to be among the foremost experts on them. If you accept a temporary contract, you shall be handsomely rewarded. Discussions are already taking place as we speak.¡±


    Zalanth¡¯s pupils dilated as she finally concluded that this summons was also the humans¡¯ fault. Her next thought was that she knew this would happen eventually, she just didn¡¯t expect it to be so soon, or to involve her specifically. The established powers of the galactic community would absolutely be interested in the disruptive humans. Wasn¡¯t this what she had wanted in the first place? The opportunity to warn someone?


    ¡°I suppose I could do that.¡± Zalanth timidly agreed, though her previous desires felt uncertain as the opportunity was suddenly thrust upon her.


    ¡°Wonderful!¡± Genevieve grasped her hands together before extending one out from her side. ¡°Right this way, Lady Zalanth.¡± She led the way inside the small tower.


    As Zalanth reviewed the contract, doing her best to uncover the catch, she realized that this was a sincere effort to understand humans and develop a preliminary stance for one of the greatest powers of the galactic community. This was an inflection point and she knew it, but she wasn¡¯t convinced that her trepidations toward humans were completely warranted anymore. It might even be time for her to pick a side. Didn¡¯t her updated position in the galactic community default her to advocate for the side of the rebels of Earth?


    It only took a few more minutes before Genevieve escorted Zalanth through another high-end runed gateway, and her mind was swirling the entire time. The gate brought them somewhere far across the universe. It was an expense that Zalanth could barely comprehend, even with her newfound riches, though she struggled to appreciate it, due to the circumstances of her adventure.


    The sun on this new planet was extraordinarily powerful, and she was forced to raise a hand to shield her eyes. Desert sands extended as far as she could see and the heat radiated from the ground, blurring the land in the distance, giving the whole place a dream-like quality. If it was just a smidgen warmer it would have been intolerable. Instead, as it was, it made Zalanth want to curl up in the shade and take a nap while ignoring all of her concerns.


    Genevieve carefully led Zalanth down a white stone path toward a pyramid of thousands of carpeted platforms that had been stacked individually over millennia. Giant statues of felines watched them as they weaved around sleeping cats that basked in the sun on the smooth path, completely oblivious to the world around them.


    Others dozed on the statues, their limbs and tails hanging in the heat. Zalanth couldn¡¯t stop herself as she gaped at the different sleeping cats all the way up and down the sides of the enormous monument and all along the trail. Obviously, this was their paradise.


    When they finally reached the entrance, Genevieve motioned for Zalanth to enter on her own. Zalanth followed her directions and was immediately confronted by another humanoid cat. ¡°Greetings, Lady Zalanth.¡± He welcomed her politely from the center of the hallway, completing his own bow. ¡°I am Alistair Sebastian Julius the First, a humble ambassador from the Blessed Mau Collective. Please, come with me.¡±


    Zalanth obediently followed along as they walked into an enormous hollow space that made up the bulk of the area within the pyramid. A fire pit was dug in the middle, surrounded by benches. The seats that circled the pit held a handful of humanoid cats, lounging in various positions, as they debated important topics.


    Zalanth couldn¡¯t help but put her head on a swivel as she noted the details in the interior of the pyramid. It was nearly the same as the exterior: covered in napping cats on all sorts of tiny platforms, in hammocks, and hanging over edges all the way up as if they had no fear of heights at all. Small dangling frills were batted by the few that were awake, and the occasional burst of energy would leave several naps disturbed as one or another pranced across the precarious ledges. Others were in secluded nooks, hidden from the rest, and several passively watched as Zalanth entered their domain. It seemed like only a tiny minority of felines opted to evolve their forms and be drawn toward the galactic midpoint. She had never known.


    As she approached the meeting, she overheard the elders already discussing humans.


    ¡°We must respond with a show of force, Sterling. Cancel the treaty negotiation. It was made prematurely, without a proper agreement.¡± The largest of the seated cat people articulated gruffly. His long orange hair matched the facial hair that was braided at his cheeks and subtle yellowish stripes ran down what she would describe as his mane.


    He eyed Zalanth as she stepped toward them like he was a proper predator. She hesitated, recognizing that he was indeed stronger than she was by the hints of his aura he allowed her to detect.


    Undisturbed by her presence, he continued his argument, shifting his attention back to the original subject. ¡°To imitate us like that was a challenge. We shouldn¡¯t respond to insults with cowardly talk.¡±


    ¡°What would you have us do, Tervel?¡± The man with silver-tipped hair, called Sterling, responded, cat ears swiveling toward the orange-haired man. ¡°They are safe within the incubation period of an assimilation, not to mention they are proving that no one in their bracket will be a match.¡±


    ¡°Call upon our allies to overwhelm them with war declarations! Prove that we aren¡¯t the kind to be mocked!¡± Tervel demanded. ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been a single cycle. They will crack eventually and we can guarantee such an outcome by forcing them to battle for the entire duration of their assimilation. To stand against both would be impossible!¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Tervel.¡± A female gently chided from her leisurely position on another bench. ¡°You are embarrassing us in front of our guest.¡± She added as she gently stroked her own shiny black hair, held in front of her chest. Her cat eyes were locked on Zalanth.


    Tervel growled, but stopped talking.


    ¡°Welcome, Lady Zalanth.¡± The one called Sterling finally addressed her directly. ¡°Have a seat by the fire and be warmed, most of us would welcome your insight on the Humans of Earth.¡± He glanced at the orange-haired man as he spoke and Tervel looked away, rolling his eyes at the casual callout. He was obviously not included with the rest.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Zalanth stated, keeping her voice steady despite the overwhelming auras of what she assumed were the elders of the Blessed Mau Collective. Human influence at it again, she supposed.


    As she took a seat, as far away from the others as possible, the ones that introduced themselves as Genevieve and Alistair quietly joined the group. So much for humble ambassadors, she thought.


    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind if we skip some pleasantries. I am dying to know what you think of these humans?¡± Sterling opened up what was sure to be a series of more specific questions with one that could only be answered broadly.


    Zalanth fought her desire to dither, answering honestly despite the setting. ¡°Well,¡± She glanced at the orange-haired man. ¡°I don¡¯t think they should be underestimated.¡± Zalanth¡¯s pupils dilated as she immediately recognized her mistake, disagreeing so directly with someone of such higher standing, especially by suggesting they weren¡¯t as powerful as they believed, could be a death sentence. They may have stated their desire for her honesty in the temporary contract, but that wasn¡¯t how the galactic community worked at all.


    The black-haired woman laughed raucously at her response, sitting up from where she lounged. ¡°Oh, I like her!¡± She flippantly gestured with one hand toward Zalanth while facing the others. ¡°Recruit her immediately.¡±


    ¡°Calm down, Madelina.¡± Sterling gently suggested, smiling as well. ¡°Underestimated in what way?¡± He prompted her to follow up.


    Zalanth gulped, continuing despite her fear. ¡°They won¡¯t be defeated in any declarations of war while the assimilation is active. They haven¡¯t demonstrated their power at all.¡± She concluded, doubling down on her mistake.


    Before the one called Tervel could speak up, prepared to argue about the strength of the human faction, Sterling spoke over him. ¡°I agree. They were already a numerous species, and yet they haven¡¯t fielded a single fully-committed army. Their agents have been impressive enough.¡±


    ¡°Hmph!¡± Tervel snorted, though he held his tongue.


    Sterling smiled at Zalanth, silently promising her security before he continued. ¡°There are many of our unrelated cousins on the planet Earth. If Humans are truly the primary species, what kind of relationship do they have with the local felines?¡±


    This time, Zalanth really did pause. What surprised her in his question was the inherent skepticism applied to the system. The brazenness to openly suggest that they had believed the system was mistaken in one of its original assessments suggested a level of distrust she had only been introduced to through the humans themselves.


    She blinked absently as her mind swirled with new thoughts and questions about the galactic community. Could it be that the scarily disruptive humans might have natural allies already embedded elsewhere? What did she even know about feline behavior? For all she knew, they could be as difficult to order and direct as the humans, they were just never in the position to be disciplined by anyone outside of their own faction. Was it even possible to herd cats the way that would be necessary to make them Chosen?


    Sterling had not so subtly suggested the fallibility of the system with a simple statement. If she still believed in the God Empress, she would have been deeply offended by his question. But if she was honest with herself, she was already leaning toward siding with what humanity represented as they tore down their Gods. Her lack of defense of the system demonstrated that much at least. How valuable was the current order of things, anyway?


    Zalanth finally came to a conclusion. She had become a heretic. Let the humans break some rules. It wasn¡¯t her responsibility to make sure they failed to make their mark on the universe. In fact, she wished them luck; may they never be completely subdued.


    Zalanth¡¯s expression broke and she returned Sterlings smile, finally ready to reveal what she experienced without the additional baggage of her loyalty toward the God-Empress and a lifetime of unquestioning respect for the system. She was a completely changed person from the Prime Commander that hated the rebellious human Chosen that her God-Empress had saddled her with the task of training. She took a deep breath and she shed the last of her mental baggage, and prepared to pay the penalties that would be enacted upon her for revealing details of the Endless Empire¡¯s campaign.


    ¡°Humans won¡¯t be simple to understand.¡± She began, speaking with more certainty than before. ¡°Nearly half of our Chosen refused to cooperate with their sponsorships, and nearly all of them gave their own individual reasons if they felt inclined to share at all.¡± Her self-assurance was rising as she felt empowered by the memories of renegade humans casually repudiating her instructors. ¡°Let me share a few that you might find interesting.¡±


    Pertinent to her current audience, she had plenty of examples of humans refusing to remain with the Endless Empire because they had to get home and feed the cats, as if the felines controlled their schedules. She conveniently left out how that same excuse applied to literally every creature family she had ever heard of, from canines to arachnids. Sterling had only asked about felines.


    ¡°They treat our cousins as pets.¡± Tervel grumbled after Zalanth outlined a self-described cat lady¡¯s aggressive resistance to being kept for her orientation. The human had been willing to fight to the death with an obviously superior officer of the Endless Empire in order to avoid missing the specific time that the cats were fed, as if the treats couldn¡¯t be given even a single minute later.


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Madelina disagreed with a purr. ¡°They serve our cousins appropriately. I for one will welcome our future human friends. Let them treat us the same.¡±

 Chapter 255: Touched by Madness

    Coop approached Empress City on foot, looking like the Skunk Ape that Bobby Jon had enthusiastically advertised to ignorant tourists on their way to the amusement parks. Beneath the layers of mud splatter, Coop felt absolutely fantastic.


    He had strolled across half the state of Florida, grinding monsters the entire time in what was essentially a marathon of high-tension combat, the likes of which would leave a better-adjusted person exhausted. For Coop, it had taken at least that much focus to shake off the stress of campaigning through the jungles of Central America and dealing with the Cult of Chakyum. Without the ability to linger on his thoughts, running through hypothetical scenarios, and asking what if he had acted sooner or done something differently, it gave him the opportunity to put space between any regrets that might have formed. There was a pep in his step that most people only got after an excessively refreshing vacation.


    He thought it was a bit scary how easily he bounced back. The human mind was surprisingly pliant, or there really was something to be said about time healing all wounds. Less than a week of focused concentration and it felt like all of the misgivings and self-doubt that lingered in the back of his mind, threatening to take root and kill his growing confidence, were erased. He was as good as new, maybe even better than ever, and all it took was defeating 30,000 some odd manifestations of alien invaders that lingered within marshlands.


    Admittedly, he could have used a shower and a nap, but with a full day remaining before the Underlayer Event, he had time for both. He hummed to himself happily as he followed the remnants of a state road and confirmed his progress. With the way he was feeling, he was already prepared to conclude that the grindcation had been an overwhelming success, but it didn¡¯t hurt to keep track of his changes.


    [Status]


    HP - 22250/22250


    MP - 42000/42000


    Class - Revenant (Level 250)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 181)


    Affinity - Spectral, Abyssal


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - The Lighthouse


    Strength - 125 (+4200)


    Agility - 125 (+2100)


    Body - 125 (+2100)


    Mind - 3360 (+840)


    Intelligence - 125 (+4200)


    Acumen - 125 (+2100)


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion IV, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper II, Slayer XI, Dauntless, Stacked, Defiant, Siegebreaker, Mindbender, Valor XXIV, Dedicated, Dynamo


    Skills (Active) - Mistwalking


    Skills (Passive) - Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension, Clarity of Purpose


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (22/50), Upgrade City to Metropolis


    Basic Credits - 17,611,836


    Though Coop tried to keep things in perspective as usual, he couldn¡¯t prevent his initial reaction to his progress from being the imagined sounds of air horns and fireworks going off in his brain. That he had recently been exposed to the insane numbers accumulated by the newest alien members of his faction did little to rain on his parade. He basked in the vision of his attributes, feeling like maybe he should challenge Vronk to an arm wrestling match to see if he had a chance of winning.


    The nice, smooth progress was just so satisfying when contrasted with going days or weeks without seeing any gains before jumping through the tiers. Realistically, he had only received 13 levels in around 9 days, so the rate wasn¡¯t exactly going above and beyond his limits, but it had been consistent in a way that spoke to him.


    The individual levels demonstrated that he was making incremental progress, accomplishing things, and had momentum. It was like cleaning his room before buckling down to study, or setting out the next day¡¯s outfit the night before going to sleep early. He would find opportunities to progress faster, but he would rarely have such well-rounded and gratifying sessions of progression, and it was the steady sessions that set him up for the bursts of growth that came later. His first Slayer title had empowered him to take on the zombies of the oil rig, and the most recent additions would definitely get him through the next challenge.


    Obviously, he wasn¡¯t actually ready to challenge Vronk to anything, let alone any feats of Strength. Really, with his current stats matching 3,500 levels worth of unmanipulated attributes, he couldn¡¯t even hold a candle to Balor¡¯s class level, let alone the highest levels in the Lighthouse. Imagine including the grandmaster¡¯s profession level into the competition. He could only shake his head as he acknowledged the long way he had to go.


    Coop reminded himself that, though he was far behind, he had the whole assimilation to catch up. Theoretically. They actually had what seemed like a million challenges to overcome just to ensure they survived the full duration, but otherwise, assuming they could rise to the occasion, he had time to close the gap.


    His profession levels in particular had recovered nicely, gaining 19 levels in the same time frame as the 13 class levels. If he maintained such a rate, it would only take around 140 more class levels before the two steady sources of stats evened out again. Coop felt excited by the prospect, feeling like building his profession back up to his class was totally doable.


    Slayer titles were always a welcome prize. Adding two more to his stack was extremely satisfying by itself. However, he had finally hit a milestone in the Slayer track as well. The eleventh title was an even greater reward than the usual +100 to his highest stat. Slayer XI came with an upgrade. The eleventh iteration of the title now also evolved to grant an additional +5% to his highest attribute in addition to adding the expected total of 1,100 to the same stat.


    The +5% to his highest stat combined with the +10% bonus granted to his selected stat for being the top performer during the Siege Event, designated by the Siegebreaker title, and the +10% to Mind applied by his Spectral-Infused Under Armor. He now had an additional +25% applied to Mind in total.


    When Coop first viewed the title¡¯s upgrade he could have cartwheeled through the swamp all the way back to Empress City with his excitement. As if he needed another reason to grind Slayer titles! Slayer XI had already contributed a third of his raw total stats, but adding a multiplier bonus to the entire amount meant that it was edging out his class levels to be the largest contributor to his attributes. For all of his excitement for the rate that he gained levels, it was the title reward that was fueling his progression more than anything else. Due to his earliest choices, class levels, profession levels, and Slayer titles all came from the same source - grinding monsters.


    Throwing every single one of his attribute points into Mind couldn¡¯t possibly get more efficient. It was absolutely nutty. His dedication to his build was continually rewarded by the system as he accumulated further bonuses, whether it was through stat increases, passive conversions, and now more multipliers.


    All he needed to do in order to reach this result was decide on a build from the very start, based on extremely limited second-hand information, and really commit. Before he simplified his experience too much, he reminded himself he also refrained from taking skills that would help his immediate chances of survival in favor of passive skills that would only be potentially advantageous in the long run. Then, he also needed to synergize his profession with his overly specific style of skilless early combat to grow two sources of stats simultaneously, grind 180,000 normal monster variants, and get first place in a planet-wide competition to earn a unique title. He couldn¡¯t forget he also had to claim a civilization shard to become a Champion, complete the first bonus objective before upgrading his settlement to infuse the territory with mana that matched his own, and specifically recruit factionless services that included a grandmaster clothier who could use legendary materials to custom craft an item that specifically worked for his build.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that much. Why didn¡¯t everyone do that?¡± He pondered sarcastically.


    Honestly, when he laid it all out like that, it kind of lessened his enthusiasm. There were constantly opponents that managed to challenge him without all of that effort. The right combination of skills or affinities, equipment, and even just knowledge had elevated many of his enemies to the point of real danger. It wasn¡¯t even that many monsters to defeat when looked at in isolation, though there were so many others that didn¡¯t count toward the quests. Elite variants, event monsters, infestation minions, and creatures in the mana wells had all occupied some of his attention by being interspersed in his adventures.


    Coop shrugged, telling himself that it was still relatively early. His build was meant to snowball. The more time he had to build up, the better off he would be. If someone tried to do what the Lich did, years in the future, he couldn¡¯t imagine he would be pushed as far as he was. If he developed into a simple Revenant that didn¡¯t need to rely on Apparitions to rise to the heights necessary, he would be satisfied. It was possible. He just needed more time to grind.


    With the two new Construct variants of Central Florida, in the Ancient Vanguards and Primal Lurkers, his Fortune Seeker quest had gone up by two. Coop sighed at the profession quest. It wasn¡¯t even halfway done. He was growing to hate the presence of the quest and how it polluted his status. It didn¡¯t annoy him enough to abandon it, especially since as slow as it was going, he was making some progress, but he wished for it to complete sooner. He just wanted it gone.


    He¡¯d made a ton of credits while grinding for almost a week straight, but the actual amount was being dwarfed by another unexpected source. Every time the Lighthouse was victorious in one of their defensive battles, they won a purse that had to be provided by the attackers. Part of the cost of attacking was throwing in a pot of credits. So, in addition to the participants gaining experience when they won, they also brought a large stack of credits home.


    At this point, the core settlement¡¯s coffers were positively overflowing. Coop couldn¡¯t imagine a situation where he would need to contribute funds to anything the settlement wanted to do. With thousands of battles already concluded, and a few million awarded each time they were victorious, he was pretty sure they were becoming rich on a galactic level. He supposed it was abnormal to have to defend against so many factions at once. Or maybe the abnormality was in winning them all. In any case, he wasn¡¯t sure if he would need to be considerate of credits ever again.


    At the rate that they were collecting their winnings, they would be able to afford Charlie¡¯s entire underground project right away, though he couldn¡¯t imagine the girls had cleared far enough down to justify spending so much on residences. A few layers would be more than satisfactory for Ghost Reef to be prepared for potential influxes of people, but the option was there.


    Finally, at level 250, Coop had unlocked another potential skill choice. He liked to check them last. Most of the time it was because he wanted to take his time and really consider the possible synergies of his skills. It wasn¡¯t like he thought he was particularly insightful, but it had become a habit. Maybe he was giving the system ideas for how to work with him on his build by manifesting his visions.


    This time, he had procrastinated for a slightly different reason than normal. He had an ominous feeling regarding his path. The Path of the Abyss had already broken what had seemed like a fundamental rule by presenting him with a single choice at the start. Ixia, the moth girl gardener, had described to him the reliable structure of paths before he had even reached his first crossroad, but Coop¡¯s second path had started in a different way. It made him wonder about how adaptable the system really was.


    With a deep breath, he opened up the choices, only half expecting the largest selection of choices he would see during the path.


    His incomplete expectations were half met. There were more choices than the singular option to add an affinity that he had received on the first go around, but it still wasn¡¯t the proper start of a path. A normal path would have revealed 20 or 30 choices according to his understanding. Instead, there were seemingly only nine options to choose from.


    Could he be on the shortest path ever? At least it could lead to a clean triple choice at the end. He would have been really confused if it had offered him an indivisible number of options.


    Even weirder than the minimal number was that every option appeared to be identical. Was it really nine options if they all had the same name? Coop had no idea what he had gotten himself into, but whatever it was, it seemed unusual by galactic community standards.


    The evolution of his active skills at the end of the Path of the Mistwalker had resulted in the feeling of an overbearing parent finally letting their child accomplish things on their own. Coop could cast the skills he had learned along the way without the specific guiding hand of the system. On the other side, the Path of the Abyss seemed like it had all of the system¡¯s attention being placed on it. It was as if the system was creating a custom experience just for him.


    Coop knew he wasn¡¯t that special, and he suspected that this was still the standard within the system, it was just that normally the subjects had simple expectations that were easily met, or no expectations at all. By introducing the full breadth of human history and imagination into his build, the system was having to accommodate for some interesting abstractions. Coop suspected that there were others on Earth besides him that were forcing the system off the rails. It must have been a tough job being every living beings¡¯ dungeon master, especially after adding humans and their unique demands to the game.


    For his current choice, Coop could select between nine different passive skills, each called ¡®Dedication.¡¯ He could only furrow his eyebrows and read the description of the first option before making any judgments, though the name alone had his ears ringing. He liked passive skills, after all, but he wasn¡¯t sure about the multiple choice non-choice being designated a dedication. He already had enough commitments to Ghost Reef, the Lighthouse, and all of his allies to be adding any more. Still, he read on.


    ¡®Dedication¡¯ was a formal petition to a greater authority for the purpose of acquiring a benefactor of the abyss. It wasn¡¯t much to go on, but he got the idea: the abyss was multifaceted and he was choosing a specialization.


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± He muttered.


    The first option was a dedication to Ashevoth, the Hunger in the Mists. Upon reading the name, he had the vague impression of a warped eldritch creature with extraordinarily long limbs looming in a thick night-time fog. Its presence was enormous, but it wrapped itself in the shrouds, as if the weather was its cloak, masking the monstrous entity so thoroughly it was impossible to detect.


    The monster moved without disturbing the dense formation with even the slightest sound and the domain drifted along with it, swallowing a cold swamp that was filled with gnarled and blackened trees, but no life at all. The fog extended so high that Coop wasn¡¯t sure where the overcast sky began and the mists ended. The same obscuration applied to the horizon.


    As the vision faded, Coop put his frozen foot down where it had paused midstep. He shuddered like his body was trying to rid itself of the cold swamp atmosphere despite the heat of the sun baking the mud on his skin.


    Coop¡¯s eyebrows went up as he tilted his head slightly in contemplation. The first ¡®greater authority¡¯ sounded like a twisted deity related to his first path rather than the current one. It was certainly creepy, though. A mere glimpse had given him an uncomfortable shiver. Before he got stuck thinking about just the first option, he went to the next.


    The second was a dedication to Balaros, the Force of Silence. The image that flashed in his mind was a massive ghastly claw that was suspiciously familiar, like a corrupted version of his own hand, warped by darkness, gripping a planet with features similar to Earth. The claw kept squeezing until the structure of the globe abruptly cracked beneath the strength of the fingers, collapsing the planet like a dropped ceramic pot, leaving the shards to float in the emptiness of space.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Coop mumbled at the drastically different image being presented. He thought he was beginning to have an idea of what was happening, but he kept checking the choices before he confirmed the pattern.


    The third was a dedication to Chaug-lith, the Faceless Inevitability. It was a misshapen nightmare that endlessly returned in order to consume all. Unlike the others, it was roughly person-sized, but it made up for its stature with relentlessness, like a ghoulish starving wolf-horror. Coop immediately understood it was meant to be an eldritch deity flavored to the Revenant.


    He went through the rest, and recategorized them according to what he instinctively understood they were associated with for his own benefit. They were presented in alphabetical order, but he sorted them the way he viewed his status.


    Chaug-lith, the Faceless Inevitability - Revenant Class


    Hauvian, the Cosmic Remembrance - Spectral Affinity


    Ashevoth, the Hunger in the Mists - Path of the Mistwalker


    Balaros, the Force of Silence - Strength


    Zuldaldru, the Unimaginable Chaos - Agility


    R¡¯thorvun, the Writhing Mass - Body


    Sethrak, the Deep Dweller - Mind


    Yaggath, the Eldest Nightmare - Intelligence


    Rashogoth, the Light Eater - Acumen


    Ignoring the flavor of the skill, not letting the images of galaxies being wrought dry or nebulas smothered, he concentrated on their focus. He was adding another skill to his build, so he wanted to make sure it continued to elevate his abilities. As difficult as it was, he tried to ignore the lore around the skills and focus on the practicality of a path dedicated to a specific aspect of his build. He didn¡¯t see any reason to change how he fundamentally constructed his set of abilities.


    The only options he felt comfortable passing over at first were the five attributes that were not Mind, and that was only because he wasn¡¯t in the market for a shift in direction at the moment. Frankly, he thought even those would have been perfectly feasible options, though he was presuming that the Path of the Abyss would eventually give him more traditional skill choices. Unfortunately, even eliminating five left four viable options, one of which was a bit too familiar.

 Chapter 256: Reverence

    Thick stands of unkempt canal grass, topped with distinctly feathery flowers, lined the water-filled culverts that separated the road from uninspired apartment blocks. The two-story buildings were united by unmanned and rusted gates, and shared unshaded parking spots. Cars partially filled the lots, visible to Coop whenever the breeze caused the overgrown grasses to lean the long blooms to the side. The vehicles looked like they belonged in a junkyard rather than having been commuter vehicles just a few months prior.


    Coop was the only commuter these days, strolling down the middle of a road into the deteriorated suburban sprawl at the outer limits of Empress City. The sun burned the back of his neck, and heat rose from the cracked pavement beneath his feet, but he was totally distracted. His concentration was entirely on the current skill choices that awaited his decision.


    The little vacation, trekking through the Everglades for spring break, had culminated in enough levels to bring him to his next skill choice, but level 250 had left him with a relatively uncertain dilemma. He had to decide which of four Abyssal Old Ones he wanted to pledge his current path to, each of which corresponded to an established element of his build. After eliminating more than half of the choices, he still had too many to choose from.


    If the skills he would be offered for the foreseeable future would be defined by his current choice, he wanted to anticipate as much as possible, but he only had eldritch names and the impression their presence left on him to guide his decision. He reviewed the top contenders, treating the choice as seriously as when he had to choose a class with limited information, though this time all he had to go on were vibes and even less information.


    Chaug-lith, the Faceless Inevitability - Revenant Class


    Hauvian, the Cosmic Remembrance - Spectral Affinity


    Ashevoth, the Hunger in the Mists - Path of the Mistwalker


    Sethrak, the Deep Dweller - Mind Attribute


    The Path of the Abyss hadn¡¯t really begun yet. Apparently, there were several hoops for him to jump through before setting off, starting with gaining an affinity, and now an eldritch patron deity, but the prerequisites didn¡¯t change how he envisioned paths. Before, he had likened them to the streets between blocks of skills, much like the real road he currently followed, with each intersection representing a choice of path, and the neighborhoods encompassing related classes. The street established by the Path of the Abyss just had multiple lanes. Coop thought that was simple enough for him to envision.


    The concept behind the Abyss was broad enough to have room for several tracks. There was a large gulf between the vast void of space, and the depths of the ocean, or bottomless pits, overwhelming darkness, smothering silence, isolation, and even more ambiguous notions like moral despair, but they were all parts of the abyss, conceptually interconnected while potentially distinct.


    Of the four Dedication options, the Old One that stood out the most was Sethrak, the Deep Dweller, since it wasn¡¯t completely unfamiliar. When he used Inheritance of the Mists to defeat the Lich, the one that appeared was the Apparition of the Deep Dweller. Notably, it had granted him Mind-based abilities that were enough to overwhelm the fully powered up Undead Chosen. The fact that it was the representative of Coop¡¯s primary attribute didn¡¯t seem like a coincidence. The Deep Dweller had even been the impetus for putting him on the Path of the Abyss in the first place, transforming his active choices at the time by granting him its blessing.


    Coop hadn¡¯t forgotten the taste of power he had been granted. If Sethrak had only given him a small sample, the horrible entity had done a good job of making it enticing. He couldn¡¯t deny the fact that he wanted to feel that power all the time.


    Still, Coop was trying to make his decision strategically. In a way, he thought Mind was the most generalized of the representative Old Ones he was selecting from. As far as he knew, literally everyone within the system had the Mind attribute.


    While Sethrak was easily the top contender off the bat, he didn¡¯t want to dismiss the others before giving them sincere consideration. He would ignore that one of the Old Ones had called dibs on him and consider the others with equal care.


    On the opposite side of the spectrum of something as broad as one of the basic stats, if he was interested in doubling down on his already extremely effective and proven kit, Ashevoth, the Hunger in the Mists was right there. Coop was already a Mistwalker, after all.


    When he was contemplating the original path choices, before the Deep Dweller had carved a new one for him, he had all but decided on following the Path of the Mistweaver, chasing the Path of the Mistwalker with as similar a trajectory as he could imagine. He thought Ashevoth might be a good choice if he wasn¡¯t completely sold on shifting completely to the Path of the Abyss.


    A Dedication to the Hunger in the Mists was almost like a refutation of the abrupt change to his path. He could turn the Path of the Abyss into something similar to the one that had caught his eye in the first place, only with the addition of an eldritch benefactor, proving how relatively close the Mists and the Abyss were in the natural order of mana. He didn¡¯t need to lament how the choice of path had been lost, because the path itself actually gave him even more options, including one that would be comparable to what he had wanted originally.


    Then again, the Hunger in the Mists itself wasn¡¯t that much more inviting than the Deep Dweller. Ashevoth was an enormous abomination that lurked within wafting mists as it stalked helpless victims that never knew it was there, despite its absurd mass.


    Coop had often hyped himself up to be the monster in the mists when comparing himself to the invaders, but he never meant to equate himself to an actual eldritch horror. As far as his current choice was concerned, he only wanted to borrow power, not be defined by it. He worried about staining the mists with the abyss and what that would mean for himself. For Coop, there was always the fundamental idea toward retaining his humanity as much as possible lingering in the back of his mind, ever since the start of the assimilation and the introduction of mana.


    When he received his second affinity, he wasn¡¯t completely sold on how much the Abyss reflected in himself. In the end, he accepted that it fit far more than he originally recognized, but that didn¡¯t mean he had any interest in letting it completely redefine his current build. He wasn¡¯t even sure if he was content with diluting the mists with the influence of the Abyss at all.


    Coop had really become the embodiment of the Mistwalker, at least in his own mind. With a completely new path, he had this idea of keeping the two distinct from each other and using his own judgment to incorporate them together. If it was possible, he wanted to avoid altering his current skills with the unknown.


    More tactically, when it came to Ashevoth, it seemed pretty clear that physical domains of mists would be integral to tapping into its strengths. Coop didn¡¯t want to become too dependent on Fog of War, no matter how it might evolve with the additional influence.


    None of his skills had proven to be insurmountable. Each and every skill had been overcome in one battle or another. Dedicating himself to the Hunger in the Mists seemed like he might be hindering the potential diversification of his strengths granted by a second path, forcing him to lean on Fog of War even more.


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    Coop picked the dried mud off his forearm as he struggled with a bit of indecision. He boiled his overall dilemma down to whether or not he was happy with the breadth of his current build and therefore the mists. The answer was easy. He was definitely satisfied. If he wasn¡¯t, he could clearly see using his new path to manipulate whatever deficiencies remained. The limitations that he previously identified had long been overcome with the addition of more and more stats. Mostly, all he really wanted these days was more levels.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Coop vented his uncertainty, something in the back of his mind resisting change from being applied to what he already built. It wasn¡¯t like he was opposed to doubling down, but he was more afraid of veering off course.


    Maybe that hesitancy actually pushed him toward dedicating his path to Chaug-lith, the Faceless Inevitability instead. What better way to demonstrate his satisfaction with his class than to choose the representative of the Revenant?


    The Faceless Inevitability even spoke to him in its depiction. Not that he thought of himself as an undying horror any more than a mist-lurking abomination, but he did view himself as just some guy whose primary advantage was relentlessness. He was something like the faceless inevitability of humanity¡¯s defiance. If the resistance to the assimilation didn¡¯t come from him, it would always come from someone else. In that sense, he wasn¡¯t special. He was essentially faceless.


    Chaug-lith may have been inevitable, but Coop wasn¡¯t sold on the idea of dedicating his path in that direction either. The problem was that he had specialized his Revenant build in very specific ways that ended up excluding other clearly viable strategies. He had never really become the magic tank for a five man party that the initial class skills and description had suggested. As soon as he added mobility and firepower, he transformed himself into a stout skirmisher rather than a traditional tank. He didn¡¯t need to revisit discarded strategies that would be rendered redundant by his current kit.


    He would rather avoid having to cherry pick from skills that he had already diverged away from needing at the start. The Faceless Inevitability would almost certainly concentrate on the original promises of the Revenant class, but Coop was more than comfortable with his existing stoutness and the other ways his build had evolved. All he really needed was more levels.


    When he looked back, he always returned to the idea that the combination of Retribution and Salvation plus the passive attribute bonuses formed the bedrock of his Revenant build. The skill evolutions that provided Legacy and Inheritance of the Mists had ultimately been the solutions to the gaps in his kit that he no longer needed to fill.


    Both the phantasms and the apparitions summoned by Legacy and Inheritance were the clear embodiment of his Spectral Affinity. He thought it was interesting that the Path of the Abyss, which had initiated itself by offering the Abyssal Affinity, maintained a track for his original connection to mana.


    ¡°So, what about Hauvian, the Cosmic Remembrance?¡± Coop asked himself. He didn¡¯t expect the Spectral Affinity to cause him to deviate from his perceived advantages, but how would it impact them?


    His current build regularly called upon the collective power of the human species through the phantasms and apparitions, but going even further back, his proficiency in combat had been boosted by something he might define as human remembrance. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to wield the skills he considered the foundation of his build without the subtle guidance granted by his affinity through the Haunted title.


    The Cosmic Remembrance certainly embodied that aspect of his experience. But Coop had already theorized that part of his and other humans¡¯ relative strength was due to their shared history. The Cult of Chakyum¡¯s High Priests had tapped into cultural power that simply didn¡¯t exist in the broader universe, and Coop believed he was benefitting from the same aspect with simple combat experience throughout the ages.


    What if dedicating himself to the broader cosmic entity actually diluted his ability to tap into human-specific experiences, replacing them with those of the galactic community? He shook his head, feeling like if there was any dedication he might need to avoid, it could be Hauvian. It was similar to the problem he had with Ashevoth, the Hunger in the Mists, where he was worried about both relying on and altering Fog of War, only Hauvian was linked to an even more fundamental aspect of his current build in the form of access to the recorded history of humanity.


    Coop summoned his ethereal spear, watching the ghostly aquamarine wisps drift from its surface. He was already leaning toward Sethrak, the Deep Dweller, and even when considering the others, his mind wasn¡¯t changed. The Deep Dweller seemed to be the most likely to actually provide him with the opportunity to create a distinct build to weave into his current one without contaminating his current skills with its influence.


    He tried thinking about the choice from a different angle. Reflecting on his experience with the Apparition of the Deep Dweller, he shivered at the crushing weight of its attention. The immense pressure of the depths, the absolute and inescapable force of gravity: they were distinct from his mists, and they had been addicting, but they made more sense in the context of what he was looking for. How many eldritch entities did he really want to get involved with anyway? None preferably, but if he wanted to progress further, maybe just one.


    ¡°Better the devil you know than the devil you don¡¯t.¡± He muttered to himself, twirling his spear with one hand at his side.


    The Deep Dweller hadn¡¯t been all that bad. Maybe there was some retroactive analysis happening, but the apparition had ultimately allowed him to use its power while ignoring its demands for allegiance. Coop had declined servitude, keeping hold of his purpose and the Deep Dweller had been content to simply share its hunger. Then again, wasn¡¯t this skill choice actually forcing Coop into pledging himself to one of them anyway? Maybe Sethrak had been confident in its influence.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine...¡± Coop spoke, willing it to be true. He didn¡¯t feel manipulated.


    These weren¡¯t actual Great Old Ones, they were just the system stretching its own limits to provide Coop with an appropriate path based on human lore. Surely, he could handle it. The line between fiction and reality was blurred by mana, but there must have been restrictions. Mana itself was certainly limited, though what those limits were was so far beyond human understanding, it seemed like magic as a whole. Since these eldritch entities were merely representations created by the system, he thought they might be better considered to be Mid Old Ones instead.


    Coop winced at the thought, finding it less reassuring than dangerous. ¡°Should probably forget that before I choose.¡± He decided. The Deep Dweller had been directly in his mind, after all. The last thing he needed was a pissed off God entity accompanying him during his grinds.


    In the end, he had to pick the Dedication to Mind. Ideally, he could build a second package of Abyss-related skills alongside his Spectral skills that would absolutely be powerful, thanks to his distribution of stats. Coop thought that a Dedication to Sethrak had the most possible upside with minimal potential for downsides compared to the others.


    He shrugged, reminding himself that Paths were temporary and it was his class and affinities that truly defined what would come. None of the other potential benefactors could really be upset with how much consideration he had given them. He selected the Dedication to Sethrak, the Deep Dweller, ready to explore his new Abyssal affinity.


    ¡°Serve a starving man and he will be nourished. Serve a voracious God and it will grow insatiable.¡±


    Coop raised an eyebrow as he received his new passive skill. Before he could review the changes, a subtle rumbling sound echoed in his head, simultaneously distant and near, vaguely similar to ominous laughter.


    Coop stopped his casual walking and looked over his shoulder. The empty road was as it should have been, with the sun causing the pavement to shimmer in the heat. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.


    He squinted his eyes, and spread Presence of Mind in all directions, confirming that he was alone. There were no tentacles stretching across the horizon or dangling from space. Coop paused for a few moments before he shook his head and started walking again, confused by the sinister feeling beneath the bright light.


    His new passive skill appeared at the end of his list, but more specifically, he had been granted Reverence (Rank 1) rather than a simple skill name. It seemed as though the system was implying there would be more ranks to come.


    Upon review, the description of Reverence was simple, ¡®Supplicant of the Deep Dweller.¡¯


    A single black wisp of mana caught his eye as it drifted from the tip of his spear. Coop supposed he really was starting on the Path of the Abyss.

 Chapter 257: The Mud Boss

    Empress City had grown significantly after Coop claimed the civilization shard in the name of the Lighthouse. While the population had gone unchanged since he left them to reconcile the expulsion of the Endless Empire, the actual physical base was flourishing.


    With the change in leadership, the subordinate settlement had refocused its efforts away from ill-advised global conquest, aiming instead at providing beneficial living conditions and safety for its current residents on a longer term basis. They were following the model previously established by Ghost Reef, attempting to build a safe harbor against the assimilation as a unified population, and it was working.


    The threat of the Eradication Protocol was enough to initiate teamwork, but the specific efforts that took place bonded them in a way that simple words and promises couldn¡¯t. Animosities faded when fighting side-by-side against alien invaders, and as former rivals helped each other build the homes that would become their shared haven, they found their perceived differences disappearing. The only beings that benefited from their strife weren¡¯t present on the planet at all. It was a changed world and it was better to face the challenges together.


    Even from beyond the walls, Coop could clearly see a burgeoning downtown skyline in the center of the airport that would soon eclipse the ruins of the pre-assimilation urban center. Colorful sparkling lights decorated the tops of the new and upgraded apartment buildings, forming a rainbow display that guided the residents home even in the light of day.


    They were developing a compact city on the airport grounds that was full of its own character. It contrasted the untroubled vacation vibes of Ghost Reef, replacing it with the hustle and bustle of a spirited population. His island had accepted the refugees from Empress City that were slower to adjust to the assimilation and were indecisive when it came to conflict. That left the mainland settlement with only those that had taken action, one way or another, and the end result was a dynamic population working beneath proactive leadership.


    Coop was impressed with how much Empress City had changed. An important factor that made Ghost Reef so successful was in engendering a sense of cooperative pride in its residents. Empress City had somehow captured a similar sense of mutual belonging, applying it on a grander scale than was necessary on his island. In his case, it hadn¡¯t been a completely intentional plan to have the residents feel that way, but starting with himself and Jones, they had set a template for others to follow.


    The challenges presented by the planetary invasion combined with the tiny population of Ghost Reef had forced Coop to warn every resident of their need to contribute before committing to the island. It was pretty much the only thing he asked of any of the people that were offered sanctuary. If they were taking advantage of the safety of Ghost Reef, they would have to help ensure that it persisted for those that might follow. The variety of challenges presented to the brand new settlement meant that there was something for everyone to do.


    The end result was that all who moved to Ghost Reef had made personal contributions to the ongoing survival of the settlement. They all helped defend against the various challenges, and they all helped build the settlement from the ground up. Other than the fort walls themselves, everything was due to their efforts.


    The residents had good reason to feel proud of the settlement, considering all they had accomplished, and that feeling of personal involvement had influenced those that came after. A cycle of experiencing the sanctuary and finding ways to contribute to its continuation had been established. Regardless of personal skills, they had convinced every resident to work hard on their own volition. Between system professions, administration and management of a blossoming city, and constant combat with invaders, there was something for everyone.


    Coop tilted his head to the side, mildly concerned over whether or not he had simply peer pressured desperate people into helping him with his own personal mission. In a way, that¡¯s how it started. Still, it was the apocalypse, what else were they going to do? Might as well learn a skill or two and spend time improving their own chances of survival. It wasn¡¯t like he forced them to do anything in particular. As long as they did something, he would be satisfied. It was up to the residents to discover what they wanted to do. Ghost Reef merely provided the opportunity.


    Coop reassured himself that it was fine. Derek, the biggest whiner in the apocalypse, hadn¡¯t complained too much about having to contribute, and eventually he had found something he actually seemed enthusiastic about. From what he had heard from Elly, the youngest Cleary sibling, even the children had a sense of purpose that led them to do their best in school while fostering grand dreams once they could participate in protecting their new home.


    The circumstances surrounding Empress City weren¡¯t exactly the same as they were on Ghost Reef. They started with a massive population compared to the island sanctuary and the mainland settlement was fertile grounds for internal conflict. Considering they had reformed off the back of a civil war that was only decided through outside intervention in the form of Coop, Camila, and Charlie, it was a shock that there hadn¡¯t been more violence. It was a credit to Jackson and Fabiana that they had managed to apply the same principles to a settlement full of differences compared to the model that had already worked.


    In Empress City, it had been necessary to be less passive when compared to Ghost Reef. They were forced to work together under strict supervision that would be difficult to find on his own island. The system of tracking the contributions to the settlement ensured their participation, and while their involvement was technically voluntary, the alternative was to take their chances elsewhere. He had to praise the leadership of Empress City for peacefully keeping it together.


    Marcus also deserved his share of the acclaim. He had really been the one to offer the organizational ideas that had carried the day in Empress City. Rather than force the entire population to work together in a loose consortium the way Ghost Reef operated, the Guild Houses had been the key to providing the structure and companionship necessary to make it work. The hierarchies of the guild houses motivated and guided the residents into being productive around the much larger settlement on a more personalized basis. Instead of being rendered a tiny part of a much larger group, the individual residents were able to play a greater role through the segmentation of the population through the guilds, and the guilds themselves were focused on the cooperative success of Empress City by design. Ghost Reef¡¯s Viceroy had been there at the beginning to provide the early guidance to make the guilds official and long-lasting.


    Coop was too hands-off to do anything but provide a simple example for others to follow. He supposed that was one form of leadership, but it certainly would never have worked without the people that surrounded him, especially on the scale necessary to get nearly 80,000 disparate people on the same page. That many people required a level of compartmentalization which was established by the Guild Houses.


    Coop approached the outermost gate of the large city, already impressed with the city for the simple fact that it was still standing. Coming from north of the settlement, he found the reinforced metal barrier wide open as patrols in various uniforms constantly came and went.


    The settlement had taken on several responsibilities, including the maintenance of the rest of the pre-mana city and the lands further beyond the settlement¡¯s territory, not limited to just the boardwalk. They were vigilantly preventing the Primal Trackers from growing into any serious threat, Infestation or otherwise, while establishing the basis for future territory expansion, gaining levels, and gathering resources. South Florida was nearly as stable as Ghost Reef due to their diligent and expansive efforts.


    In addition to farming the local Primal Construct variant, the regular longer patrols along the boardwalk came and went with high frequency. They were extending the reach of the Lighthouse north, far into the Everglades, in order to eventually reach Neptune¡¯s Bridge and establish the entire Floridian Peninsula as safe territory.


    The overland connection would be possible now that Coop had formed an alliance with the Swamp Lord, and hopefully, that would mean the Orlando settlement would have the relief necessary to make their settlement one that could continue on into the future as well. Being penned in on both sides had been enough for the previous leadership to abandon the shard, but Coop¡¯s faction wasn¡¯t so easily buckled.


    As he drew closer, one of the patrols that exited the open northern gate stopped as they noticed his casual approach. After a few more seconds, they turned around and sprinted back into the settlement. Coop chuckled to himself, guessing he really needed that bath after all.


    The gates slammed shut shortly afterward and he heard muffled alarms sounding inside. He winced as he realized just how much of a scare his presence was giving them. Mistjumping past the defenses probably wouldn¡¯t do anything to resolve their panic. At this point, he¡¯d have to clear things up at the gate.


    Guards started to pop up along the walls, many of which were wearing a variant of the Ghost Reef Standard Issue armor, certainly created by his crafters at home. Coop kept his pace steady, not wanting to give them any reason to get too jumpy.


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    On the brightside, they were disciplined enough to maintain their positions and wait as well. He felt a twinge of pride at the changes since the last time he was turned away from an Empress City gate. Comparatively speaking, the current iteration was positively professional. It felt like he was nearing the border of an organized country.


    Defending a mainland settlement was a difficult position to be in, considering they needed to be wary of all sorts of threats brought by mana and the assimilation, but also balancing that circumspection with the fact that they were establishing a sanctuary for other people to hopefully reach. Being on an island was yet another advantage for Ghost Reef. They were able to keep things a lot simpler.


    Coop stopped once he was within shouting distance, raising a mud-covered arm in greeting to try and calm them down, but before he could start a loud voice that he recognized as the Champion of Empress City demanded he identify himself and what he wanted from them.


    Coop smiled to himself as he responded in kind. ¡°I¡¯m Coop and I want a shower!¡± He shouted back.


    Several guards looked at each other at the recognition of his name and a few moments later the gates opened back up. Jackson Hobbs was the first out, rushing to apologize. ¡°Ah, Champion Coop, sorry about that!¡± He jogged closer, waving for the rest of the audience to get back to work. ¡°Some idiots told the wall guards a raid boss was approaching and put the whole settlement on alert.¡±


    Coop scrunched his face in embarrassment. ¡°Nah, that¡¯s my fault, I wasn¡¯t thinking about how it looked to walk up on you guys.¡± He tried taking some of the blame.


    Jackson paused and took a closer look at Coop with a raised eyebrow. ¡°They did claim it was an unnatural mud monster¡­¡±


    Coop just laughed. He had been distracted by his newest skill choice and the dark wisps of Abyssal mana that drifted from his spear every once in a while. He estimated that 1 out of every 100 streams that were emitted by his ethereal weapons had been transformed into Abyssal mana instead of Spectral mana.


    If the blend of mana represented how much influence Sethrak was applying, then Coop felt like he had absolutely nothing to worry about. The desire to re-experience the fragment of power granted by the Apparition of the Deep Dweller was barely a tempting whisper, much as it had been before Coop had dedicated his path to the eldritch entity. Coop had already wanted to be strong, so nothing had changed as far as he was concerned.


    In a purely practical sense, he had no idea what it meant to have his manifestations be a mixture of manas, whether it was something that should be alarming or exciting. He wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he would benefit from having another damage type mixed into his weapons and more resistance in his armor. Otherwise, nothing was out of the ordinary with either Retribution or Salvation.


    The potential functional aspect of his skill selection had occupied his thoughts until he drew closer to Empress City. It didn¡¯t even occur to him that he was just walking around without consideration of how his aura had changed with the new Abyssal influence. He needed to adjust Presence of Mind so that it wasn¡¯t blasting his newly evolved aura, with its fresh eldritch flavorings, to avoid scaring people. All it took was a simple thought to manipulate Presence of Mind and rectify his aura as much as his Mind stat would let him, which was to say, almost completely.


    Jackson was overly conciliatory as Coop made his aura more presentable, waving away Coop¡¯s admission. ¡°We should be used to you by now anyway.¡±


    The Champion of Empress City clearly meant that Coop had carte blanche when it came to the Florida settlements, but Coop thought it was probably a sign he should make himself more predictable to the people who he was now associated with, but who didn¡¯t really know who he actually was. He was really slacking off on his own presentation without the constant oversight of Marcus, Arthur, and even Camila, and he already knew how much Empress City¡¯s population loved to gossip and spread rumors.


    Being Champion of Ghost Reef hadn¡¯t really prepared him for becoming the Founder of an entire faction. Ghost Reef, no matter how its upgrades defined it, was more like a small town than anything else. Everyone knew enough about him to not be alarmed by his casual actions.


    However, factions were essentially entire nations that could stretch far beyond a single settlement. He had become an actual head of state on an intergalactic scale, so there were probably a few things he could change about his own presentation. His behavior would reflect upon a lot more than just himself.


    ¡°Do I need a PR person?¡± Coop mumbled to himself as Jackson escorted him into Empress City. Rather than learning appropriate etiquette for an intergalactic dignitary, Coop was such a beach bum he might need even more basic attention. The fact that he was now the equivalent of the Endless Empire¡¯s God-Empress was finally dawning on him. It was a bit much.


    Coop¡¯s concerns faded away to be reconsidered later as he got a better look at the development of Empress City. While it had only been two months since Coop handed the reins over to Jackson and Fabiana, they had managed to fill the interior of the runways of the airport settlement with residential buildings and services, just as planned. The wide runways were split down the middle with market stalls, almost entirely manned by resident humans rather than aliens. Closer, along the arcing road to the terminal of the airport, the guild houses had formed a bustling zone of activity. Coop found himself nodding in approval, seeing the settlement for the first time in the daylight.


    ¡°We¡¯ve accomplished a lot.¡± Jackson acknowledged, mirroring Coop¡¯s ongoing impression.


    ¡°It¡¯s really amazing.¡± Coop agreed. It may not have been Ghost Reef, but Empress City had already become a nice place to live. It was bordered on three sides by the transitioning ruins of the various zones of the former city as the region transitioned into the revitalized Everglades. On the other side it was linked to the rebuilt port, large enough to almost be a twin settlement, with its own beaches abutting the maritime connection to Ghost Reef.


    Within the protective inner walls, rather than a vacation destination, it was like a modern high-density urban center, complete with apartments, food venues, and service options along the runways. They were surrounded by wide green sections of recovering grass followed by a handful of farm-like structures that occupied the space between the outer and inner walls where the slums had been previously.


    ¡°We had almost 75,000 volunteers to join you in the Underlayer.¡± Jackson stated with pride while Coop admired the settlement. ¡°Essentially every single person that calls Empress City home is ready to take up arms for the Lighthouse.¡± Before Coop could protest, seeing that as way too many people, Jackson continued. ¡°Fabiana already cut it down to a force of 25,000 to make sure our local responsibilities don¡¯t suffer.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s still a lot.¡± Coop muttered, unsure of what he would even do with that many extra bodies.


    If Coop was still the guy from the start of the assimilation he would have let them decide on what to do and how to do it, but he had more confidence in himself and those already in Ghost Reef. Coop made a decision, feeling more assertive than he did in the past.


    ¡°Send no more than 10,000 with Captain Javier. I have something else I want you to do with the rest.¡± Coop concluded.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Jackson raised his eyebrows.


    Coop glanced at Jackson. ¡°I want you to take the rest and clear the Elites and Field Bosses in the Everglades all the way up to our newest allies in Central Florida.¡± He explained. ¡°Between your army and the alligators, I think you can turn the entire region into safe territory before the event is over.¡±


    Jackson hesitated, surprised by Coop¡¯s decisiveness. ¡°Are you sure? You¡¯ll be leaving me with way more than necessary for a monster subjugation force.¡±


    Coop nodded his head firmly. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving you with an easy job. If the Underlayer Event is anything like the Siege Event, monsters on the surface will also go into a frenzy. The increased aggressiveness was a major problem for the local forces in Central America. You might have to be outside of safe territory for the entire duration of the event¡± He explained. ¡°More than anything, I don¡¯t want you to lose any ground and I want you to make sure the Swamp Lord¡¯s territory doesn¡¯t get encroached by Primal Constructs. I wouldn¡¯t expect any backup for a pretty long time.¡±


    Jackson nodded along, actively listening until Coop was done with his warnings. ¡°Alright, I understand.¡± He accepted his orders, already making his own plans. He had more experience than most given his leadership in the local revolution, so Coop expected him to manage, and hopefully the alligator territory would survive and even expand during the tumultuous period of the event. ¡°Is the Swamp Lord really the king of alligators?¡± Jackson finally asked.


    ¡°More like the queen.¡± Coop shrugged.


    ¡°I swear, I thought those were more rumors that had gotten confused as they passed around.¡± Jackson mumbled before shaking it off. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go have Fabiana choose which groups will go. They¡¯ll be ready to depart in an hour at most since they¡¯re already on call. Are you going to go ahead?¡±


    Coop shook his head. ¡°No, I think I¡¯ll have someone hose me down first. I¡¯ll join them at the port afterwards.¡±


    Jackson chuckled with a tinge of disbelief as the leader of their faction presented a strange dichotomy between casual nonchalance and firm action. He suggested Coop head toward the Guild Halls if he wanted to find someone to shoot him with water beams, otherwise there were several taverns where he could get an actual bath.


    Naturally, Coop headed for the Guild Halls.

 Chapter 258: Winds of Change

    Before long, Coop was being baked by the toasty wind skills of a level 97 Hellsinger. The heat was nothing compared to the Avatar of Huracan¡¯s onslaught in the Central American heat, but combined with the warmth of the midday sun, it was enough to feel like a giant blow drier was being used to dry him off.


    A small group from the Forager¡¯s Guild had joined together to attack the mud monster with their spells before heading to their assignment on the boardwalk. Their eventual victory over the surprise raid boss had been hard fought, but Coop was the primary beneficiary. Unfortunately, there was no loot for them, just an appreciative Revenant.


    The locals that helped Coop freshen up were among those that hadn¡¯t been assigned to Empress City¡¯s original event army, despite volunteering. They had been slightly disappointed by being passed over, but instead of being disheartened, they were focused on holding down for Empress City while the rest were gone. They would be spending a full five days moving away from the settlement as they traveled from checkpoint to checkpoint on the boardwalk, rotating between guard houses until they reached the Placid Lake Outpost. Once they reached the end, they would take a rotation at the furthest point during the most difficult time while the event was ongoing.


    The news that Coop had provided a new mission to sweep the rest of South Florida hadn¡¯t reached them yet, but they were already itching to make their contributions obvious, so that they wouldn¡¯t be passed over the next time there was a volunteer possibility. They only paused briefly at Coop¡¯s request before setting off to meet the new alligator allies in the region. The fact that the extension of the boardwalk would be continuing had barely reached the city.


    However, they had an abundance of questions about the Swamp Lord¡¯s minions. The rumors of the intelligent reptiles had spread like wildfire. Coop did his best to share some wisdom on how he treated animals now that the system had provided the skills that would uplift them, but it was one of those things that required a touch of familiarity.


    Unlike Ghost Reef, Empress City¡¯s high level animal residents were concealed, avoiding the bustling city center in favor of their own hideaways. Therefore, the human residents lacked the experience of seeing animals as equal partners in the assimilation, but based on their conversation, Coop was confident that Empress City¡¯s population would get there. They already had several examples of powerful Chosen animals that they both feared and respected, and Coop thought it was only a matter of recognizing that potential in all animals that would be key in viewing them appropriately. He even considered letting them borrow Jett so that she could whip them into shape, but he doubted he¡¯d ever get her to even temporarily leave her lighthouse.


    Coop would have spoken with the group until it was time for them both to go, except that he had an unusual visitor who subtly demanded his attention after hunting him down herself. The Empress City residents were quick to avoid her presence, recognizing the jailor as someone to avoid messing with. She had taken a relatively prominent role in Empress City, but mostly as a disciplinarian. They took the first opportunity to excuse themselves once she started lingering around their conversation.


    The residents courteously bowed out and left him alone in the center of the former drop-off area of the airport, in front of the centrally located guild headquarters, to deal with the guest on his own. Coop shook his head as he watched them go at a slightly faster pace than necessary. So much for being Ghost Reef¡¯s backup, he thought, chuckling as they went. They retreated at the first sign of a challenge. He turned to the patiently waiting contracted alien resident with an amused smile on his face.


    ¡°God-Champion.¡± Eleza, the last remnant of the Endless Empire and the warden of the local dungeon-like prison, politely greeted Coop once he was alone.


    Eleza took the posture of a peasant seeking an audience with royalty. She lowered her head so that she was staring at her own feet, much to Coop¡¯s dismay. The effect of the upright bow wasn¡¯t that drastic, considering she was seven feet tall, but her intent was obvious enough, and it made him uncomfortable. Coop could still see most of her face as he looked up at her, but he understood that she was being exceptionally respectful.


    ¡°I¡¯m no God.¡± Coop tried correcting the pastel purple alien with his smile growing a bit awkward instead of amused.


    ¡°If you insist.¡± Eleza agreed obediently, though she didn¡¯t raise her head, keeping her eyes hidden behind her short and frosty lavender hair. ¡°I would humbly ask for an update on the cursed ones, but I am not worthy of an answer.¡±


    Coop blew air out of his nose, already weary of the veneration. ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡± Coop tried getting her to relax, so that they could actually connect on a person-to-person basis, but it was clearly a long shot.


    The contracted residents in Ghost Reef had a much longer time to get used to Coop and the other human residents that had adopted his general attitude. Eleza was far less influenced, and she was also treating him differently than even a Champion deserved. He thought it was a comparable situation to how the residents of Empress City would need some time to grow familiar with the concept of sapient animals. She needed a chance to get on the Ghost Reef wavelength.


    It would be a tall order to get her to change her mind after interacting with Coop only a handful of times, so he shelved the idea and gave her an update on Cap, Grizz, and Dan instead of struggling to get her onboard.


    ¡°They¡¯re all fine. The ones you pointed out even avoided the permanent consequences completely. They helped me a lot during my last campaign defeating the Chosen of the Unspeakable.¡± Coop reassured her.


    Eleza¡¯s pupils dilated at the mention of the Undead faction, but then she sighed with relief as she comprehended the rest of his words, soaking them in like they had come from the heavens themselves. She still couldn¡¯t bring herself to look directly at Coop, like it would be akin to staring at the sun. Coop tilted his head to the side and watched as she struggled to say something else, clenching her fists like she feared divine retribution.


    He wasn¡¯t comfortable with the way she was putting him on a pedestal. It made him wonder if he would need to go back to keeping his identity a secret to avoid others from getting the wrong idea about him before they had a chance to experience his personality. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t sure if he could suppress his aura enough to hide his status from any contracted residents. He suspected that he would need a lot more Mind stat to disguise himself from prying eyes.


    ¡°Eleza. It¡¯s fine, I¡¯m still just another human. You can say whatever you want. Do you want to come to Ghost Reef and see them?¡± Coop guessed, using as gentle a tone as he could without it feeling condescending. They were clearly disconnected by a mutual misunderstanding.


    He fought with his natural inclination to treat her like a skittish beast, worried it might be kind of rude despite how the same logic applied to the mana-enhanced animals scattered across the planet. If what he knew of the alien residents in Ghost Reef applied universally, the other members of the galactic community had been closer to the alligators of Earth before mana activated on their planets. He cast his concerns away, assigning the contradiction in his feelings to a sort of galactic seniority rather than a difference in consciousness. No matter how she felt about their standing, he believed she was his senior, but the various animals he interacted with were his peers in the process of assimilation.


    She shook her head curtly, shifting her bangs as she denied her desire to have him escort her to Ghost Reef. She was mouthing words before abandoning them, evidently surprised that he deemed it appropriate to use her name, revealing that he remembered it at all. His familiarity with her threw her off even more.


    Eventually, she formed her thoughts into a coherent sentence and spoke with barely grasped confidence. ¡°I wish to request a meeting with one of your God-Ministers to declare my allegiance.¡±


    ¡°Ah, God-Ministers? I don¡¯t have anything like that.¡± Coop disappointed her. ¡°I guess you could talk to Jackson or Fabiana, they¡¯re essentially my advisors for this settlement. Are they neglecting you?¡± Coop wondered, trying to be helpful.


    ¡°No!¡± She practically shouted. ¡°They are worthy attendants. Please do not punish them for my ignorance.¡±


    Coop sighed, wondering how to get her to be normal. ¡°You see my level right? I¡¯m a novice in the community compared to you, and I¡¯m not going to punish anyone.¡±


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    She hadn¡¯t been afraid to push him around a bit when he was her prisoner, though he thought it would be better to avoid reminding her of that time given how it might inspire some regrets. She may have given him a chance, due to his status as a Champion, recognizing him as a potentially valuable relationship. Letting him escape had been strategic, but she hadn¡¯t anticipated him becoming the founder of a faction as well. Due to what he viewed as her faction¡¯s brain washing, he had transcended to another echelon.


    Eleza was unconvinced by his modesty. ¡°You have established a new faction on an unassimilated planet and have not been subjugated. You have the leisure to visit subordinates while the galactic community has surely set its eyes upon your claim. I will not question that you are special. I merely desire to join the Lighthouse and abandon my contract with Empress City. I had hoped to extend my departure, but now I wish to make it permanent.¡±


    Coop scratched his sideburn with one finger. ¡°I suppose it probably looks like I¡¯m taking it easy, but we still have to survive the assimilation, right?¡± She bowed her head further to nod in agreement, though he was pretty sure she would agree to anything.


    ¡°Do you already know about the Eradication Protocol?¡± He wondered.


    ¡°I have heard the story.¡± She affirmed, repeating her bowing nod.


    ¡°It seems like more than a story, considering the Icons of Mana that pop up every once in a while.¡± Coop grumbled. ¡°We can¡¯t let our guard down on this planet, even if there are a bunch of other factions crawling over each other to take a piece from us.¡± He stated.


    ¡°I understand.¡± She declared, finally looking toward his chin, a moderate improvement. ¡°I would stand with you on this planet Earth in exchange for not having to return to the Empire. There is no honor for me there. They have already decided I am unfit to be a proper warrior, but I will have redemption and prove myself to you.¡± Eleza recited, seeming like her decision had been a long time coming, and she was practically bubbling over with her reasons. ¡°Please, give me a chance.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we can do that. As long as you understand the many threats we face, I won¡¯t turn you away.¡± Coop was happy to grab another alien for the faction. He knew this one had already been cast out by the Endless Empire. Her assignment as a prison warden was essentially a punishment, but extending a hand to the downtrodden was what the Lighthouse was all about. She certainly fit the bill.


    ¡°Really?¡± She asked with some surprise. ¡°I mean, I have already organized the merit system to be retained through personal contracts, but the Endless Empire¡¯s service will be lost without any refund, and I have no way to guarantee my worth.¡±


    ¡°Huh. You mean the prison will despawn?¡± Coop wondered, glancing toward the nearby parking garages. He had long suspected the system services weren¡¯t permanently attached to the planet, behaving more like the contracted resident¡¯s personal belongings. He supposed if the services weren¡¯t independent, they would belong to a faction instead, and the settlements only had them on loan.


    ¡°That is correct.¡± Eleza confirmed, sadly. ¡°You only stand to lose in any exchange involving me.¡± She added, disheartened by her own admission.


    Coop shrugged. ¡°Are there many prisoners?¡±


    ¡°None, God-Champion.¡± She responded with discipline.


    ¡°Call me Coop, Eleza.¡± Coop tried.


    ¡°Yes, God-Champion Coop.¡± She agreed.


    Coop shook his head at his failed attempt to slip in some familiarity while she was distracted. ¡°Fine.¡± He responded, causing her bow to deepen as she detected his slight frustration.


    He opened up his status and interacted with his officially created faction tab while she stared at the ground. His eyes wandered over the absurd and still growing credit total and he felt his heart skip a beat as he realized they would almost certainly reach a nonsensical 12 digits before the end of the battles. He was shaking his head in disbelief as he found what he wanted.


    Before he was able to send the contract offer for the selected individual, he could review the penalties that Eleza would be assigned for breaking her current contract. Beneath the floating three-dimensional image of the pastel purple, lavender-haired, muscular, seven-foot tall alien amazon, her details were listed. Highlighted in red were the penalties: a five hundred thousand credit fine, paid in a split between the system and her former faction, or a five hundred thousand credit bounty on her head permitted by any faction that acquired her, as well as ten levels worth of unavoidable personal experience debt. These were evidently meant to be extremely severe punishments, but Coop was unimpressed. It didn¡¯t seem like much money, but Scavenging might have started to warp his sense of the credit economy before thousands of battle victories completely destroyed it.


    Coop paid the fine on her behalf from his own savings without any hesitation, thinking that if any faction tried to hunt down any of his members he would want to personally hunt down whoever wrote such a thing into a contract in return. She would have to work through the experience debt herself, though 10 levels seemed pretty minimal to him.


    Eleza¡¯s head finally tilted toward Coop¡¯s and he watched as her pupils dilated for the second time, apparently the way her species displayed surprise. She received the contract much easier than she expected, without any of the many trials that were standard in the galactic community. The color drained from her face in the moment before she rushed to accept it, apparently ready to ignore the terms completely before one of the lines caught her eye, leading her to discover more and more anomalies.


    ¡°But these terms cannot be correct? 0% tribute? Purely voluntary participation? Fine already paid for?¡± Eleza muttered in disbelief, struggling between not questioning God-Champion Coop and the complete lack of mandatory bonds in her new contract. The Lighthouse would be following its own rules, and they were completely different from the standard within the galactic community.


    Coop nodded encouragingly, letting her come to an understanding of the structure of the Lighthouse herself before she finally accepted the terms. It only took a few moments, the alien refusing to let what she saw as a golden opportunity pass her by. Coop hadn¡¯t considered how the structure of the Lighthouse might have helped Balor successfully recruit the factionless aliens, but he supposed it had contributed.


    [Eleza Amara (Level 1,272) has become an ¡®Initiate¡± level Permanent Member of the Lighthouse]


    ¡°Welcome aboard.¡± Coop smiled as another joined the Lighthouse. ¡°Make sure to work hard.¡± He added, though she was five times his level already. He shifted his attention to the tower that poked above the parking garages as it deconstructed itself from the top down and disappeared. The solid black stone turned translucent, with red and blue mana highlighting the edges of each individual stone before they faded in a cascade of evaporating mana smoke.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Eleza mumbled, with a shaky voice that made her sound younger than he imagined she actually was.


    ¡°That won¡¯t happen to the direct purchases we made through the system, will it?¡± Coop asked from over his shoulder, referring to the tower with his extended thumb. There was a difference between the system services and system structures. He hoped they wouldn¡¯t need to worry about losing the structures that provided the vast majority of their housing.


    ¡°...No¡­¡± She whispered, struggling to keep it together.


    ¡°Alright.¡± He turned back to her while her head still hung low, this time in disbelief rather than respect. ¡°I¡¯ve got a settlement event to go take care of.¡± Coop forced eye contact by leaning closer and gave her an encouraging smile as he reached up and put his hand on her lightly scarred shoulder. ¡°Welcome home, Eleza.¡± He expressed, patting her arm, before turning to leave without lingering too long. He headed toward the port.


    Before he got too far away, he heard her whisper, ¡°...thank you.¡± with her voice still unsteady, spoken quietly enough that she probably didn¡¯t think he would hear. She sounded a bit too much like an orphan child in disbelief of being adopted for his taste.


    Coop¡¯s jaw was firmly clenched as he marched to the port where a huge portion of the Tempest Fleet was waiting. No one stopped him while he went, steering clear as his discontent swirled. For the first time he could consciously recall, he did the opposite of trying to keep his plans simple while focusing on the immediate challenges they all faced. Instead, he was thinking far beyond what was reasonably prudent. The galactic community had 110 years before he wanted humans to impose some changes upon the universe.


    They were halfway to Ghost Reef, with Coop at the bow of the lead ship, staring off at the horizon, before his jaw relaxed. It was Admiral Kayla, putting her hand on his shoulder in turn to pierce his tempestuous meditation.


    ¡°One thing at a time, Coop.¡± She advised him sagely, with eyes on the horizon.


    Coop nodded, staying quiet for a few more moments. ¡°I¡¯m gonna kick some Primal Construct ass.¡± He finally declared, embracing the ember of aggression that burned within.


    ¡°Damn right.¡± The pirate admiral agreed.


    Two hundred ships flanked the Eye of the Storm, with Coop and Kayla on the bow. The phalanx of vessels carried the first portion of the Empress City reinforcements in anticipation of the Underlayer Event. Coop wasn¡¯t alone in this fight.

 Chapter 259: Marooned

    Hai Yun diligently etched a subtle smile onto her face. She portrayed an unrealistic depiction of grace that embodied her station, but completely failed to capture her true mood. The feigned expression was directed at no one in particular. It was simple discipline that had her maintaining a charming visage for the benefit of everyone else.


    The smile did little to hide the hopelessness that defined her continued existence, but it was as much effort as she could currently give. If anyone looked beyond the strained expression on her sunburned skin, and into her weary eyes, it would be obvious that she felt utterly defeated. Rock bottom was when there was nowhere else to go, but the struggle just kept getting worse, and the hole, deeper. She dared not claim to have actually found rock bottom, cynical enough to avoid tempting fate into escalating her tribulations.


    She wasn¡¯t alone in her misery. Of her original mountaintop procession, maybe a quarter of the total number remained. Loyal warriors had lost their families and family members had become fighters in place of lost warriors. New people had joined her entourage, and been lost in the short time they spent together, but only after inspiring even more to follow. They had all been through many trials, and not all had made it. Her feelings were transparently reflected throughout her remaining attendants and the followers that had joined them along the way, but she did her best to seem calm and confident, as was appropriate for her symbolic role.


    If not for the honor of her attendants, she would have already been satisfied with the effort she gave. She wasn¡¯t born to be a leader. Without their support, she would never have stepped up to fill the void that her grandfather left behind. Perhaps she wouldn¡¯t have left her burning city in the first place without their expectancy, content to capitulate to the internal tension of civil unrest and the external pressure of an alien invasion. They propped her up, so it had become her duty to avoid toppling over and wilting under the pressure.


    She owed them too much to ever be worthy of their continued devotion, but as long as they kept going, she had to keep trying. The forced smile was a feeble refusal to completely surrender to apathy as her ragged followers shuffled around protectively, their torn clothes and the few dulled ancient weapons mirroring their fatigue-lined faces. The trouble was more for their sake than her own.


    The simple monster variant that occupied their current location was no match for their obstinate resistance, but that only demonstrated the wide variety of threats distributed across the planet. Only a handful of guards were necessary for keeping the rest secure, so they were taking the defense in easy shifts. As the current sentries acknowledged her before their hunt, she could barely keep her expression steady.


    The fake confidence conveyed by her smile felt like another small betrayal toward her loyal followers. It was a lie to mask the failures that had driven their journey across the hemisphere. Despair gnawed at her insides, but her regrets had at least faded. No matter what choices she made, they had all been doomed the moment mana activated on the planet. That was the nature of their new reality. Her experience had led her to a simple conclusion; the assimilation was never meant to be an orientation for new people to be introduced to a broader community. It was raucous oppression designed to pit them against each other before siphoning off the remnants of their homes to benefit alien tyrants. It was a battle royale with the final prize in the form of eternal serfdom at best and complete extermination equally conceivable.


    Hai Yun had already lost any real hope for herself long before. She could only explore the depths of anguish while the others looked to her for traditional symbolic guidance. The assimilation was too demanding, and no one anywhere could spare the resources or risk themselves by extending a helping hand to strangers. The moment she felt any self-assurance in their part in the apocalypse, by claiming the first mana well, they were brought crashing back down by the developments of mana.


    She sat on a jutting boulder, back straight, despite the sharp edges uncomfortably pressing against her delicate skin. Her hair was combed, held in place by butterfly hairpins that had been tarnished by the weather, and her posture was as close to perfect as humanly possible. The elegant travel gown that she wore had already been ruined by the elements, so she wasn¡¯t concerned about more damage. The rest of the collection was lost forever.


    She alone occupied the limited shade at their current location, provided by a mound of similarly eroded volcanic rock adjacent to her seat, poking through the limited gathered sand on a deserted island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. No matter her preference, her attendants granted her as much luxury as possible, as if her station was important for their own sense of equilibrium.


    A ring of rocky coral islands encircled an insignificant lagoon in front of her. There were only a handful of stunted palms growing on their own in the entire tropical formation. The trees weren¡¯t nearly enough to provide shade for more than just the faces of one or two people, making her protection from the sun an exclusive amenity.


    The idea of harvesting the trees to rebuild their destroyed convoy of ships and escape their situation was unfeasible. The few sad shrubs were so small, they might collectively form a single-person raft at best. The result would never be enough to sustain anyone for the necessary distance to escape the surrounding sea.


    Before he left with his sisters¡¯ party, Seki Kitawa had coordinated with her navigator and estimated their journey thus far. According to him, she and her attendants had covered approximately 5,000 miles worth of the pre-mana planet, half of which had been on their last leg at sea after being knocked off course. In reality, according to the wise young master, it would have been much more, given the changes to the Earth brought by mana, but Hai Yun knew nothing about those details. All she recognized was that, though she was far from the mountaintop she once considered an eternal home, she hadn¡¯t gone far enough. If this was the limit for Earth¡¯s most powerful collection of fighters, then the apocalypse had truly arrived. The planet stood no chance.


    Hai Yun¡¯s weary eyes absently roamed. The sandy shores of the uninhabited atoll gleamed in the insistent sun, alien in their own uniquely picturesque image. Countless bright magenta crystals, as fine as dust, decorated the surface of the beaches, twinkling as the light shifted. The sands were embellished with pink glitter, dancing with the sparkling waves as if competing to see which could reflect the glare the prettiest.


    Groups of the shipwrecked were scattered around, sitting idly in the sunshine, poking at the pink sand, or wandering absently along the shores, searching for something they couldn¡¯t consciously identify. Hai Yun suspected it was hope they sought, but they retrieved seashells and the occasional interesting debris in lieu of their hidden aspirations.


    The stranded guests had surmised that the beaches were decorated with the remnants of distant civilization shards that had been crushed and washed up on the remote island, the same way they had been. Many of the latecomers had at least seen a shard from a distance, unlike herself. Based on their descriptions, Hai Yun guessed that it would have taken hundreds of shards to spread such a fine scattering of dust across such a vast distance. There may have been a bit less than 250 civilization shards remaining, but it seemed as though Earth had been granted thousands to start with, then proceeded to lose a significant portion of them right away in the initial chaos of their collapsing society.


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    She supposed that if the valuable objects had landed in the ocean, there was nothing they could have done, but she desperately wished one would have landed in her city instead. Even if they had fought in the civil war between her brothers, at least the survivors might have had a better chance to withstand the external challenges being wrought upon them.


    She was sure that she was the last one from her family standing, and her attendants were all that was left of the broader merchant clan. Of their bolstered convoy, only three smaller boats had survived their attempt to travel through the seas south of Japan. Hai Yun hadn¡¯t bothered with a headcount since reaching the atoll, unable to bring herself to acknowledge the losses. All she could do was force her small smile and hope that some resolve would naturally return if she faked it for long enough.


    The last defeat had been the worst because it had been the most unreasonable. They had stumbled into hazardous waters late one night on their oceanic journey, weeks prior. Their presence disrespected the titans that competed for dominance in the deep and their ignorance led to a fatal mistake. Her ancient merchant ship was the first to be destroyed, almost as if it was an unintentional warning to the rest.


    A school of flying fish had shot across the surface of the ocean like silver-plated bullets, shimmering in the moonlight, fired from rifles somewhere distant in the starry darkness. The high level school of fish smashed through the hull of the antique ship, sending splinters of wood flying in a surprise explosion that barely slowed the animals. The catastrophic damage to the ship left the passengers of the largest vessel scrambling to stay at the surface of the sloshing dark water in a matter of seconds.


    Before they could be rescued by the rest of the convoy, the reason the flying fish were fleeing made itself known. Nearby, just ahead of where they had been sailing, a single pointed tooth emerged from the surface of the ocean. At first, it could have been mistaken for an errant unicorn¡¯s horn, but the swirling serrations across its stained ivory surface made it clear it belonged to a predator that relied on harpooning its unsuspecting prey before consuming them, and the way the surface of the ocean bulged indicated that it was connected to something enormous.


    The towering off-white structure may have resembled a spiraling horn at first, but it just kept climbing, growing larger and larger, until it might have been better placed as a skyscraper in a megacity than in the mouth of any legitimate animal. What kind of prey could it possibly be used for?


    After what seemed like way too long, a second pair of serrated teeth emerged, jutting from the bottom half of a jaw that finally let the bulging ocean collapse into waves. The mouth could have swallowed her entire ship at once, completely by accident, if they had wandered closer.


    Whatever this creature had started as, it had long since abandoned its original form. It was something from deep below, a behemoth that should have been far beyond where the light ever penetrated, mutated by mana until it was unrecognizable. It seemed unstoppable, like a whale compared to krill. However, the scaly jaw the teeth were attached to barely had the opportunity to break the surface, only briefly revealing their silvery countenance before shuddering to an abrupt stop.


    As Hai Yun struggled to comprehend the monstrosity, gripping flotsam while watching with rapt attention, she eagerly anticipated the rest of the colossal being, imagining a mana-enhanced angler fish, capable of violently conquering all the oceans with a spear in place of a light. Surely, no matter what, she would see a massive sea monster, the likes of which were only told in exaggerated stories or ancient epics. Its sudden halt left her confused.


    Then, the sea began bubbling before it had a chance to settle, as if it was being brought to boil, though the temperature had gone unchanged. The water seethed all around while the unlucky humans struggled to keep their heads above water among the increasingly violent waves, absently resisting being drowned while unable to tear their focus from the monstrosity that had pierced the heavens with its natural weapons.


    The churning of the ocean preceded a series of massive squid-like tentacles that erupted into the sky before folding back down, wrapping the set of spiraling teeth, and falling across the toothed monster¡¯s still submerged head, preventing the rest of the creature from breaching into the night air. The incomprehensible momentum that had brought the creature to the surface was nothing against the constriction of the gigantic flexible limbs that had been grasping at it from below.


    The tentacles raked the solid surfaces with spaded suckers, leaving injured tracks that oozed with blood and painted the dark frothing sea a deep red even in the night. The shouts of terror from her followers were drowned out by the splashing agitation of the environment. It only took seconds before innumerable tentacles smothered the toothed monster, and a second leviathan wrestled the first back into the depths, revealing why a monster of the deep had approached the surface in the first place: it was fleeing an even greater predator.


    The resulting tidal waves swamped the rest of the ships that remained on the sidelines, tossing them around like corks in a wave pool, and sending the vast majority of the passengers into the sea. They could only grasp at the overturned hulls and hang on to each other, wide-eyed with fear of what was hidden within Earth¡¯s most remote areas. Mana had unrecognizably transformed their planet, bringing to life what was meant to stay in their nightmares. They who had believed they were at the current pinnacle learned that they were but toddlers, stumbling around as they produced their first steps.


    Hai Yun¡¯s people spent over a week drifting at sea, hardly willing to speak of the horrors they saw, before they washed up on their current abode. Having solid ground beneath their feet had done wonders for their sense of security, but the monsters they had seen wouldn¡¯t be held back by a few yards of lonely beach. It had become a habit to keep an eye on the horizon, more so out of fear of ruin than anticipation of rescue.


    She took a small bit of solace in the fact that they weren¡¯t threatened by overly developed Primal Constructs. The alien invaders that ventured into the shallow waters of the coasts couldn¡¯t be making much progress. Beyond the physical challenges presented by the depths, they would also find themselves at the bottom of an extensive food chain.


    The obvious problem was that she and her people were equally low on the totem pole when it came to the deep seas. Though they had a few small boats that weren¡¯t completely inoperable, they lacked the will to return to the ocean after the close call that destroyed their original prospects. The time spent drifting in the sea, waiting to be consumed from below had done more damage than any of the previous atrocities any of them had experienced.


    Hai Yun¡¯s eyes fell upon the three overturned boats, now beached with barely a dozen people using them as backrests. While they could make the necessary repairs for a small number of them to take the surviving boats and seek help for the rest, none of them volunteered for either the role of staying or going. For now, they waited, biding time until something changed.


    There was no need to rush to a decision, at least not until Reina Kitawa and the rest of her party returned from exploring the single landmark on the atoll. It may have already been over a week, but the entire party was still on the leaderboards, so they weren¡¯t dead yet.


    Hai Yun maintained her position, like a sentinel in the shade next to the rocky mound. She waited for the Kitawa siblings to return with more bad news. What else could they bring?

 Chapter 260: Warchiefs

    A lonely track, made from the footprints of a single individual, was gradually being swept away. Dry, scouring winds erased any evidence of travel, preventing anyone from following, not that there was anyone that would be brave enough to try. At the end of the trail, a solitary figure slowly trekked across rippled sand dunes, unhurried, and confident that they would arrive on time. They followed a perfectly straight line with the destination never in doubt despite the lack of landmarks and the hypnotic repetition of sandy dunes.


    From head to toe, the figure was draped in thick cloth coverings, completely hiding their form from the baking sun and dry air. The distinct rattling of metal rings hanging in the loops of a salvaged khakkhara staff accompanied every other step, dispelling any effort of stealth. The staff was repurposed into a reliable walking aid, deceptive weapon, and a unique perch. The jingling sounds were carried by the wind like a warning to any that would challenge the traveler, but even the Primal Constructs were sparse in the regions they frequented.


    The alien invaders struggled to contend with some of the more extreme environments on their continent. In particular, the robotic aliens¡¯ joints tended to be weak to corrosion, leaving them as easy prey for those that were capable of hunting them down. It seemed as though the range of the weaker monster variants was more limited than the planet¡¯s terrain was diverse. Ignoring the occupants of Earth, the environments themselves proved resistant to alien conquest.


    A sharp call from above drew the wanderer¡¯s attention. They stopped to gaze at the sky, adjusting the face-covering hood to reveal crystal blue eyes with needlepoint pupils framed by naturally long eyelashes and deeply tanned, freckled skin. She adjusted the thick cloth to only cover her short hair, receiving the message from her animal companion before lowering her hood back down. They were drawing close.


    Wangmo Thaye lifted the staff up into the sky and her companion swooped from the clouds, landing on the end, ready to roost. The Saker Falcon companion used his beak to pull at the jingling metal rings for a few minutes before settling in as the wanderer returned to her solitary march.


    Despite her position as a high-ranking general in what they understood as the largest military force on the planet, the real powerhouse between the two was the falcon. He had already reached level 200, doubling her own. She may have been at the top of the leaderboards at one time, but she couldn¡¯t keep up with the falcon. That was fine with her. They had come a long way together and they had many days ahead of them. She wondered if he missed the Himalayan backdrop of their original home as much as she did.


    She spent the next half day reminiscing of the frigid mountains from beneath her cloth coverings. Her solitary journey went uninterrupted.


    As she crested the last set of dunes, the sprawling temporary camp that had become home for the last month presented itself. Over a million communal huts dotted the bright desert, each home to up to a dozen individuals. A significant portion of the same army she belonged to had been protecting a peculiar attraction while others delved into its limits.


    It was already uncomfortably dry by nature of the environment, but the heat above the gaping fissure in the center of the camp exacerbated the temperature. Even from a distance, the warmth caused the air to shimmer above the hole in the ground, warping the visible features of the various warriors that encircled the gorge protectively, already joined by the various bands that had arrived at the meeting point early. Flames licked the air, as if the canyon was meant to be a massive fire pit, but it was nothing so inviting.


    As she descended the final dune, the last excavation crew climbed straight through the flames, mana shields flickering as they joined the others in waiting among the white canvas huts. No one paid her approach any mind, leaving her to return without distraction. The scout-general was well-known among the forces. She was one of only a handful of carefully selected sentries that made sure their enemies couldn¡¯t catch them by surprise, so if she was unbothered, so were the guards.


    Individual grains of sand vibrated as the army she preceded drew closer. Small waves cascaded across the dunes, and soon, everyone would be aware that the reunion of all parts of their army was upon them.


    When she found her shared hut among the sea of others, a handful of the other leaders of the Grand Horde were already there. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± The boisterous turk named Alp asked as she stopped outside. ¡°We should celebrate!¡± He decided quickly, slapping the communal table and grabbing a canteen before holding it out for her.


    ¡°Can¡¯t.¡± She responded before he could get the others started, accepting his offering politely without taking a seat. ¡°The rest are almost here.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Then we should welcome them.¡± He grew serious, standing up and wiping his hands against the faded blue, now mostly gray windbreaker he kept tied around his waist. He was someone that clung to the past more than others.


    She just nodded as Alp stood up and took a deep rejuvenating breath. He had clearly only rested for a short period himself after returning from the depths of their excavation. The dark stains on his skin created by the fires were clear evidence of his efforts. Despite being another general, he was a faceless member of the trench team when he was underground among the flames of the pit.


    Together, with the other generals, they visited the lip of the central cavern. Alp explained all they had gone through to make it work, speaking for his own benefit more than anyone else. Countless tiny fires burned in an eternal vigil along the walls of the collapsed crater, lighting the way down, but escalating the temperature to uncomfortable levels. The flames had been the greatest challenge, stifling the air and threatening to burn them while they endeavored to fulfill their goals.


    He, along with the rest of the hundreds of Earth Shamans, had worked tirelessly to establish the stairway to Hell. They had only returned to the surface after completing their task, still looking like humble miners despite the magic that leaked from their fingertips, just in time to receive the final sections of the army.


    It was only a few more minutes of rest before the steady rumbling thunder of approximately 50 million hooves marked the return of the main cavalry band of the Grand Horde. The stampede caused the flames in the cavern to vibrate and the early arrivals to take notice of what Wangmo Thaye had already observed.


    A storm of dust appeared on the horizon, rising above the dunes that she had crossed. The timing meant that all was going according to plan.


    In the heart of the Karakum Desert, the hiss from the fiery pit was finally drowned by the return of the defining feature of their united force. The Shamans slowly returned to their feet in order to join the others that had protected their camp. Together, they would greet the portion of the army heralded by rolling thunder.


    Wangmo Thaye quietly observed the millions of varied individuals that already surrounded the crater, their faces painted by a tapestry of lightly colored caked dusts. They waited in silence as millions more returned from expeditions to keep their enemies cowering behind the walls of their strongholds. Her falcon took flight, rising high enough to be lost against the darkening sky. He would warn her if anything was amiss.


    Their war with the elitist Abundant Grasp had reached an insurmountable stalemate in the month prior, but the Grand Horde wished to avoid losing ground while they went deep into the earth. The Darvaza gas crater would provide the access they needed to the Underlayer, but their absence from the surface would put their vast network of settlements at real risk of conquest.


    While the Earth Shamans excavated, protected by the infantry, the various cavalry bands had been harrying the enemy settlements. The raids should have given the impression that the mountainous strongholds weren¡¯t as secure as they seemed. Hopefully, that would be enough to discourage their enemies for long enough to engage with the upcoming settlement event.


    The mixed nomadic army of the Grand Horde may have adopted principles inspired by the descendants of the Mongol Empire, but it was composed of countless ethnic groups, transforming it into a modern army that reflected the matured dynamics of humanity. They had formed a coalition that was successfully defying the basic Primal Constructs conquest throughout the region without the aid of expansive system-created territory. The invaders had no chance of establishing strongholds, or even evolving to more advanced versions of themselves, with the highly mobile bands of warriors patrolling across the land. Wangmo Thaye had been one of the earliest to find purpose in the Horde.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Before the apocalypse, their warriors had been regular people who lived all across the entire continent, from the Russian far east, throughout Siberia, the deserts and plateaus of China, and well into Central Asia. They had united people from as far as Turkey with those from Korea through a common cause. She and her falcon had wandered from Tibet until meeting one of the first cavalry bands.


    The Grand Horde¡¯s declared territory abutted some of the largest settlements on the planet, including the enormous Gangcheon founded outside of Seoul, and Can Gio in the Ho Chi Min district of Vietnam, both of which had spheres of territory with radiuses expanding over 500 miles. While they weren¡¯t aligned, they had open communications with both settlements. The Horde had even welcomed those who fled from the Chosen of the Abundant Grasp, expelled from the Indian subcontinent for being a part of unwanted castes or adherents of religions that no longer mattered in the face of alien invasion.


    As the cavalry crested the dunes, sunlight glinted off the polished leather armor of the warriors and Wangmo Thaye found herself smiling with the comforting reassurance that they had become strong together. The cavalry wore a blend of traditional lamellar cuirasses with hints of gleaming light steel. Helmets adorned with feathers and horsehair plumes signaled their membership to the Horde as they swayed in rhythm with the thundering hooves.


    Standards emblazoned with the symbols of a thousand different groups whipped in the wind, rising from the backs of the horses. They represented original nomadic tribes, various indigenous peoples, and their diverse ancestral connections. They sometimes displayed hometown emblems, or even football clubs and fictional nations. Even her communal hut displayed a series of five colorful rectangular cloths, strung along the poles that she had salvaged from her own home. It was all a direct refutation of the single jagged green and white design flown by the Chosen of the Abundant Grasp.


    Approximately 120 settlements flew their own various banners within the Grand Horde, and they were all represented in the temporary city that had been erected around the path to the Underlayer. None of the Grand Horde¡¯s settlements individually climbed the settlement leaderboards, but that was only because their populations were diminished by joining the nomadic armies that kept the entire empire safe. They were residents of none, but welcome in all. The temporary camp would be the largest gathering anywhere within all of the Horde¡¯s territory, and maybe the world.


    Their actual combined claims established the largest contiguous empire in human history, but it wasn¡¯t reflected in the leaderboards. Their territory wasn¡¯t even technically official as the system didn¡¯t recognize the sections between their settlements, and their settlements weren¡¯t officially aligned outside of regular human organization. The unofficial nature of their territory didn¡¯t prevent the bands from sweeping the lands on a regular basis.


    The settlements did their part, crafting for and supporting the army in every way possible. The Grand Horde was treating the alien invasion of Earth with the regard it deserved: absolute resistance and Total War.


    If not for the impenetrable physiographic features of the strongholds that remained along the borders of what had previously been India, they would have liberated and incorporated the nearly two dozen settlements held by the Abundant Grasp as well.


    None of the Abundant Grasp¡¯s holdings were high on the settlement leaderboards either, but that was due to the nature of their division. The strict residency requirements naturally excluded the vast majority of their population, forcing them to live in the outskirts of their territory, causing the settlements to appear smaller than they were. They sacrificed their rankings rather than taint themselves with the presence of those they deemed unworthy, using them for undesirable tasks with the vague possibility of elevation into the faction in the future. The mistreated had the option of joining the Grand Horde, but a majority seemed to prefer their lower standing in what they saw as a superior organization.


    Of the slightly less than 250 total remaining settlements on planet Earth, nearly 150 of them were represented on one side or the other of the conflict in Asia. The Grand Horde was an unofficial grouping of humans, organized in more traditional ways, but the Abundant Grasp was intergalactic. Their Chosen believed themselves to be Gods among men and the supreme beings of Earth. The Grand Horde disagreed.


    The leading contingent of the Horde¡¯s cavalry, clad in dark colors and riding handsome black stallions, were the elite guard. They traveled through the center of the camp, guiding the rest of the cavalry bands in approaching the main entrance to the cavern, right up to the grouping of leaders. Alp openly cheered for them as they filled the throughway, escorting the chief of them all. Wangmo Thaye remained solemnly silent.


    Their leader was the Great Khan, an older man who appeared grandfatherly, but had demonstrated a ruthless and strategic mind for conquest and whenever one of the settlements had been threatened. If it wasn¡¯t for his tactics, the Abundant Grasp would have expanded throughout the continent. Instead, they were hemmed in, always forced to guess where the Horde would test their defenses next. The Grasp openly sacrificed their underlings, many of whom turned around and joined the Horde rather than die fighting when they finally faced the truth of the conflict.


    Recently, the Great Khan had shifted his concentration away from the Abundant Grasp after the army defeated a Siege Boss that occupied the Xinjiang province of China, choosing to seek access to the Underlayer instead. The change in priorities had been rather sudden, but his generals followed their orders obediently.


    Many who had witnessed the battle and its aftermath claimed that the change had been directed by their own divine intervention, counter to the Abundant Grasp¡¯s claims of godhood. Rumors of western angels and more traditional demons spread, but the day-to-day life of most went unchanged. Wangmo Thaye continued to roam vast stretches of land until it was time to regroup.


    The Great Khan had never clarified what had led to a shift in his priorities. He only openly called for defense of every corner of their Empire, and that included fully committed participation in the settlement events. It wasn¡¯t exactly a refutation of the rumors, but it remained inline with expectations. No matter the overall purpose, not much changed when it came to their regular activities. The primary update to their missions was that every warrior in the Horde knew to be on the lookout for the person they called the Champion of the Unchosen, for the Great Khan demanded an audience with him.


    The elite guard reached the crater¡¯s rim, and the army fanned out, forming a semi-circle that reached beyond the city of camps. They dismounted, preparing to give their steeds a night to rest while they prepared to descend into the earth itself.


    ¡ª


    After night fell, halfway across the world, the Earth trembled beneath another stampede. This time rather than the rushing hooves of horses on dry sandy dunes, it was the stomping of millions of human warriors on extrusive igneous rock.


    At the foot of Mount Ngauruhoe, recognized worldwide for its representation as Mount Doom, Sila Tupua roared. The volcano responded to the Champion of Aotearoa.


    Bright orange magma splashed over the lip of the central crater while the other warriors stomped with a primal rhythm, crying out as they were inspired by Sila and their spirits were ignited. He turned back and gazed upon the braves.


    A sea of Maori warriors stood shoulder-to-shoulder with their allies. Their dark moko tattoos were already filled with mana, as were the kirituhi sleeves of the rest of New Zealand¡¯s vast army. The glowing mana beneath their skin stood in stark contrast to the backdrop of ash and magma-lit clouds. Bright blue, glowing green, and vivid red-orange sparked throughout the massive crowd before fading into the night.


    Two million fighters crouched low, eyes ablaze with the reflection of the distant volcano peak, waiting in anticipation for Sila to set them off. The rangers from Australia¡¯s final lost civilization shard watched from the side, wide-eyed as barely contained energy buzzed through the air. In total, a third of the surviving population of Oceania was present. They were all prepared to defend the last civilization shard in the region.


    As the warriors rose with their chests flexed and weapons held high, the deep, guttural chant began. First it was a low rumble, but as it grew in intensity, the illumination of mana magnified. They stomped their enhanced legs, synchronizing the movement, and shaking the very earth.


    Then, Sila¡¯s roar exploded, setting the war haka off. The warriors challenged the volcano, the invaders, and the galaxy itself. They slapped their chests, letting the sound echo off the mountainside. The chant rose, a raw power enhanced by mana coursed through the ensemble. Warriors slammed their thighs with open palms while others threw their arms forward, fingers stretched, and all their faces were contorted in fierce grimaces, revealing the whites of their eyes and their tongues as their individual spirits were swept with the energy.


    The effect was unmistakable. Geysers of mana exploded from their forms, climbing into the darkened sky. They were highlighted in the incompletely understood energy of mana mixing with their collective ideations. The dance became a physical manifestation of their spirit and an invocation of power. The system responded with group buffs that empowered them far beyond their not insignificant individual power levels.


    Sila¡¯s tattoos streamed with aquamarine colors, and a representation of Tumatauenga appeared from the channels, forming a behemoth at the head of their army, approving of their might. They were ready to enter the fumarole, weaving their way deep into the planet, to take on any challenge the system presented them.

 Chapter 261: Gangs of Neon Park

    A crisp spring breeze carried the sweet scent of maple sap through the hilly woods. Lush greenery, freshly sprouting, decorated the damp ground. The vibrant color was punctuated with radiant wildflowers and shaded by scattered, unsullied canopies. The enveloping buzz of cicadas droned on, the insects completely indifferent toward the intruders to the area, unlike just about everything else.


    There were no monsters lingering in the settlement territory, controlled as it was, nor were there any other animals. The rambunctious crowd of humans streamed between the trees of the tame forest, far too noisy for any of the local creatures to be caught by surprise.


    The trail they more or less followed was well-worn, but they spilled beyond its edges, taking the moderate hike as if they were a flood of water rather than a group of people. Babbling brooks with crystal-clear water could have made the scenes picturesque if not for the company. At least the mob treated the forest like a noble place, being mostly respectful of the environment as they mostly followed the example of their gang leaders.


    ¡°Why the hell are you walking through the woods with a meat cleaver?¡± A mocking exclamation rose above the clamor of voices, followed by rambunctious laughter that drew even more attention. A red-haired man carrying a black-jack at his hip pointed out the aspiring butcher to all who were nearby. ¡°You look like a damn psychopath, Tony!¡± He concluded with unmitigated amusement as he caught up with a familiar face, slapping his knee dramatically.


    ¡°Oh, get over it Mickey.¡± The cleaver-wielding man responded, not finding the jibe funny. He lifted the implement between himself and his friend before mana surged through the metal blade, demonstrating the effectiveness of his weapon as a focus for his particular set of skills. ¡°I ain¡¯t foolin¡¯ around.¡± He added as half a dozen people jumped away in surprise at the surge of energy, stumbling into bushes and splashing into shallow water. Several other skills were immediately prepped, forming floating firebolts and lightning lances, preceding outright violence between two rival groups.


    ¡°Hey! Knock it off you goofballs!¡± Platinum shouted at the circling crowd, already beyond exasperated with the freaks and knuckleheads she was heading to war alongside. They couldn¡¯t even hike through the woods without causing problems.


    Despite her personal movement abilities, she had been moving with the enormous crowd of fighters, much to her own annoyance. They represented a significant portion of the entire alliance of settlements, the vast majority of which had been consistently engaged in urban warfare with Primal Constructs. Most of them had successfully avoided openly fighting with other humans, maintaining a sort of code that at least prevented battles in the streets of Neon Park. If they hadn¡¯t, they would face the wrath of one of the many powerhouses that kept the peace within their settlements. In that sense, Platinum was among the most forgiving.


    Whether the punishment for disturbing the peace came from someone like Platinum, a borough lieutenant, or a block leader didn¡¯t really matter. It was accepted that they weren¡¯t meant to mess around within the settlement territories. Just because they were in the woods didn¡¯t mean they were outside of the rules.


    Taking them beyond the confines of the cities was akin to chaperoning a field trip full of extraordinarily deadly middle schoolers. Their excitement was barely contained. If it wasn¡¯t for the threat of Primal Constructs and the looming settlement event, the energy could easily grow uncontrollable. Thankfully, they didn¡¯t need to leave their territory completely in order to reach their destination, so external threats were well-under control.


    They were preparing a massive invasion of the Underlayer, but migrating the entire group into the woods within their expanded territory had been a multi-day undertaking. The settlement event hadn¡¯t even started and Platinum was already growing exhausted.


    On the bright side, she didn¡¯t have to personally be in charge of anybody. Most of the actual powerhouses were being given plenty of leeway to actually be effective, rather than babysitting the citydwellers from several different cities as they formed one massive warband. She would be unleashed once they made it into the Underlayer.


    Calling her company a crowd was actually rather generous. It was a rabble. Every block in the City had intensified its own characteristics after the assimilation began, latching onto unique personalities and amplifying them. They were like miniature societies with their own internal rules and hierarchies, and there were probably thousands of unique petri dishes developing who knows what in terms of collective identity.


    Off to her side, meandering along the edge of a deteriorated road on the opposite side of the creek, three dozen men and women were dressed like they were planning on attending an opera. Though their canes had been sharpened into deadly points, their top hats and parasols seemed purely decorative. Platinum shook her head at the nonsense, catching a peek at another group.


    Up ahead of them, people wielded pipes, mana-modified switchblades, and clubs while wearing leather vests covered in colorful patches. Another squad wore matching trench coats, and another coordinated in grease-stained jumpsuits. New York had changed, but in some ways it stayed the same. They embraced differences in a way that was strangely inclusive, and weren''t afraid to speak up for each other or speak their minds on their own. For as much internal drama as they tolerated, she almost pitied the external threats that united them.


    Behind her, a second ragtag bunch in baggy clothes pushed their way past others while singing made up folk songs about how they would free themselves from alien conquerors. Rather than continue to ignore them, she let their words reach her ears as she momentarily felt a kind of comradery with the various freaks of her home.


    ¡°The City gleamed, bound by chains,


    Under the cold, metallic reign.


    Primal Constructs, with eyes of fire,


    Steal our home, they do conspire.


    But the heart of man, it won¡¯t be swayed,


    By shadows cast, and words betrayed.


    We¡¯ll rise again, ¡®neath an open sky,


    And sing this song, as our tyrants die.¡±


    Platinum rolled her eyes as they finished the chorus. It was annoyingly catchy, but they were so dramatic it was actually embarrassing. She started to tune them out again, regretting the fleeting weakness that caused her to listen in, but the next verse personally drew her ire.


    ¡°In tunnels dark, where dreams grew thin,


    A whisper rose, hope within.


    Platinum¡¯s light, a rallying call.


    United our souls to resist the fall.¡±


    She swung her head toward them upon hearing her own name, and gave them a look that said quit screwing around, but they were already returning to the chorus, this time inspiring others around them to join in. It was like they were trying to piss her off.


    At her side, Neon hummed happily to the song, like they really were on a field trip hiking through the subdued forest. He was no help at all. At least the rest of the verses were about people other than herself.


    The whole mobilization had taken plenty of work on Neon¡¯s part. They hadn¡¯t run into any major hiccups while coordinating with the subordinate cities, and outside of small individual flare ups, things were smooth, thanks to his effort. Still, Neon¡¯s attitude pissed her off. She thought it was proof he needed to get out more, rather than living in the comfort of their mega settlement. Next time he sent her on an individual cross country trip, she would make him join her. Let him get a taste of what it was really like outside of settlement territory beyond what he learned from second hand reports. Heading to the Heartland would probably be a wakeup call, but entering the wilderness surrounded by reinforcements wouldn¡¯t be the same.


    Platinum had no idea how the actual battles would work with the entire alliance fighting together, but thankfully, she wasn¡¯t meant to think about it. Her job was to team up with Neon and mess the aliens up the best way they knew how. There was less than a day left before the settlement event was supposed to begin, but she just wanted to get it started already.


    As they approached the event, her main concern was with who they were leaving behind. She may have already committed to becoming members of the Lighthouse in the future, but she thought it was dangerous to leave Marcus behind, even if he was supervised. Neon was content with the arrangement, but she was worried they might lose control of their own settlement while they were gone. There was a reason one of them always stayed behind in the past. She viewed the Viceroy of Ghost Reef with the same esteem as Neon himself, which was to say he was a bit too smart for her to fully trust.


    ¡°What if we can¡¯t get back? What if it¡¯s a trap or something?¡± She grumbled to Neon, not fully accepting the sources of his research. She had already expressed her concerns multiple times in multiple different ways, but nothing moved her partner.


    ¡°I¡¯ll send you off to find another way out.¡± Neon answered with a smile, glasses reflecting the sunlight that streamed through the leafy canopy. He knew exactly how to get under her skin. She just grumbled under her breath, not excited by the prospect of adding spelunking to her constantly growing set of travel skills.


    When they finally emerged from the edge of the woods and entered a landscaped clearing, the cathedral-like cave opening greeted them all. The cave was an actual field trip destination for grade schoolers, with enough room to accommodate buses full of unruly brats: perfect for their army of gangs. It was called something like Stone Ridge Cave, but she hadn¡¯t bothered memorizing its old name. Instead, it would be known as their passageway to the Underlayer.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    She glanced across the variety of people who had already made it to the entrance and were soaking it all in. Springwater cascaded down part of the rock face, creating small trickling waterfalls that tumbled into a pool adjacent to the cavern¡¯s heart, feeding the creek that had been at their side. Hundreds of people leaned against trees and rocks, watching the newcomers like they weren¡¯t also tourists. She turned to join them, and caught glimpses at the canvas of people filling the forest, extending miles back.


    ¡°How many people are supposed to be here?¡± She asked Neon, finding herself surprised, despite herself.


    He waffled before giving an inexact number. ¡°Should be pretty close to five million once they all get here, give or take.¡± He answered, twisting his open hand back and forth as if he hadn¡¯t made exact calculations.


    She wondered if there was a greater force on all of planet Earth. The northeast alliance had mobilized enough people to match a third of Neon Park¡¯s entire population, though they did it on a purely volunteer basis. It was another of Neon¡¯s schemes, because not volunteering was also a roundabout way of volunteering, just for domestic protection duties rather than joining the expedition.


    Platinum was impressed by the quantity. They had managed to band a significant number of people together in a short time. Hopefully, they would be able to prove themselves worthy of the accomplishment.


    They prepared to start the procession into the darkness, with songs and arguments continuously ringing out, anticipating battle soon enough.


    ¡ª


    The atmosphere around Ghost Reef was unusually subdued. The time for the Underlayer Event to begin was approaching, and every available human resident was present.


    Rather than growing agitated with energy, they were quietly waiting for the bombardment of system notifications indicating the initiation of the event. Only the steady ocean breeze caressing the crisp fronds of the familiar palm trees and the mellow rhythm of calm waves beneath the tropical sun continued as normal.


    The hustle and bustle of regular activities in the center of the fort were momentarily on hold. Outside of Marcus and a handful of ambassadors scattered around the Lighthouse¡¯s sphere of influence, none of the human residents were missing. Everyone waited with rare collective focus that ran contrary to the easy vibes of their shared island.


    Coop stood dead center beneath Balor¡¯s Tower, in front of the primary gateway. His breath was steady, and rather than feeling nervous, he patiently waited while an intense hostility bubbled below the surface. Unfortunately, the object of his indignation was unreachable. The Primal Constructs would make a reasonable proxy for the galactic community as a whole, but he was beginning to see them as only a small part of the problem. Still, they had placed themselves squarely in his crosshairs by claiming the right to claim Earth out of all the factions out there. He would relish the opportunity to firmly repudiate their investment and make them an example for the rest.


    He took a deep breath and focused inward, concentrating on his physical presence, all the way down to his toes. He knew the seemingly endless chasm that dug deep into the Earth was directly beneath his feet, but he trusted in the stonemason¡¯s construction, so he stood with confidence, surrounded by his friends and companions, looking forward to being unleashed.


    Coop assessed the faces of his allies. They universally appeared calm, with only a few doing last minute checks to their equipment or warming up muscles, just in case the action started abruptly. Despite all of the advancements of the Lighthouse, Ghost Reef was small enough that virtually everyone would need to participate.


    Camila smiled at Coop reassuringly when his eyes reached hers. ¡°You ready for this?¡± She asked, causing Charlie to look up from the sleeves she was fidgeting with as well.


    Coop shrugged, reflecting for a moment before responding. Since returning from the Yucatan, he had taken a day to hang out around the settlement, made some new scaly friends, grinded out some Slayer titles in the Everglades, and had another day of rest before it was time to lock in. He had no regrets other than that his reach was finite.


    ¡°I¡¯m good to go.¡± He confirmed once he was sure. ¡°You?¡± He returned the question.


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯ve got something special we¡¯re dying to show off.¡± Camila proclaimed. ¡°Isn''t that right, Charlie?¡± She prompted, nudging the timid former park ranger.


    Charlie just smiled conspiratorially before turning away like she knew a secret that she could barely wait to share. Coop thought whatever the girls had cooked up, it was probably good if even Charlie was excited by it.


    Unlike the first time around, Ghost Reef was filled with confidence and ambition. They weren¡¯t aiming to claw out a barely achievable victory, just happy to survive another day of the assimilation. This time they were prepared to dominate. That attitude was reflected in the residents all around him, emanating from the people who had become teachers or waiters while pushing levels in their spare time, grinding monsters around the islands, in the mana well, and all the way to Central America.


    ¡°Woe to our enemies.¡± Coop muttered, recognizing the evolution of not only himself, but all of his allies.


    ¡°Here we go.¡± Camila observed excitedly, and whatever nervous energy that still lingered vanished. The residents watched their notifications as one.


    The moment the event launched, the citadel illuminated from within, with bright red light leaking through the pillbox gaps as the civilization shard activated. A spotlight shot straight up, like a laser through the skylight until it abruptly stopped at an invisible layer high in the sky. An absolutely enormous mana dome expanded from a point far above them, beyond even his spear throw range. The mana dribbled out, falling along the edges of Ghost Reef¡¯s settlement territory until it sank far beyond the horizon. It was visual confirmation that they had grown tremendously since the early days. The red haze barely reached the walls of the fort, the color dominated instead by the pleasant late morning sun.


    All of the settlements would be contained within their own mana domes once again, substantiating Balor''s declarations of the advantages in having a link to the Underlayer within their territory. Those who hadn¡¯t discovered one at all would be in deep trouble. Effectively, they had already lost. Coop sighed as he checked his notifications.


    [Settlement Event: Underlayer - Initiated]


    [Temporary Leaderboards Available]


    [025:00:00]


    [1111:11:11]


    Before Coop could do the math to figure out how long the event would last, Jones provided his observations. ¡°First countdown is the time allotted for reaching the Underlayer before the Primal Constructs arrive.¡± Jones explained. ¡°The second is the end of the event.¡±


    ¡°No waves?¡± Coop wondered, slightly perplexed by the lack of more timers.


    ¡°Just the one at the end of the first countdown.¡± Jones noted patiently. ¡°For each settlement, anyway.¡±


    The last time they did this, the first surprise was exactly how many timers they received. It looked like they wouldn¡¯t have any serious surprises during the second event, but the people around him started murmuring all the same. Coop looked at Charlie and Camila, but they were both frowning, eyes unfocused as they checked the system display together.


    Coop assumed they were already checking out the Challenge Assessments, recalling the second surprise of the Siege Event. He jumped to the leaderboards, finding the ¡®Individual Scores¡¯ unpopulated, but the ¡®Settlement Scores¡¯ already available. He sought what was holding the attention of everyone else.


    Underlayer Event Settlement Scores:


    <ol>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Shinjuku Gardens - 0 (x25)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Gangcheon - 0 (x15)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Neon Park - 0 (x13)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Nyiragongo- 0 (x13)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Can Gio - 0 (x11)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Silvervalley - 0 (x11)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Englischer Garten - 0 (x8)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Ordesa - 0 (x7)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Aotearoa New Zealand - 0 (x5)</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Arusha - (x5)</li>


    </ol>


    Coop scrolled and scrolled until he found Ghost Reef at rank 241 out of 245 with a Challenge Assessment of x1.


    ¡°Huh.¡± He grunted, unable to repress his disappointment in their initial rank. They were all primed to face anything, but they were being given an easier encounter than almost every other settlement on the planet. That meant their potential score would be significantly lower than everyone else.


    The Siege Event Challenge Assessments had been out of their control, based on the variety of monster types within their settlement territory. Clearly, they lacked something compared to every other surviving settlement for the Underlayer¡¯s assessment.


    ¡°Oh!¡± Charlie suddenly exclaimed, drawing the attention of all the gathered residents to herself. ¡°Sorry! I just looked at Empress City and Neptune¡¯s Bridge and realized the Challenge Assessment has us all ranked by population.¡± She timidly explained herself while averting her eyes, sounding genuinely apologetic for her insight.


    Jones made an excited noise while Coop scrolled through the list himself. As it stood, almost 150 settlements were small enough to match Ghost Reef in challenge assessment, and that included Empress City and Neptune¡¯s Bridge. Another 50 had x2 assessments, and a few more than 20 had x3. Population-wise, there was a large gap between the three settlements within the Lighthouse, so Coop didn¡¯t even know where to start.


    He wondered where the Yucatan settlement would have landed if it hadn¡¯t been destroyed, guessing it would have remained in the top five with the Cult of Chakyum, but fallen to the bottom 150 with only the Jaguar Sun.


    ¡°500 million.¡± Jones announced more to himself than anyone else. He explained himself shortly afterwards as others looked to him expectantly. ¡°500 million appears to be approximately how many could be accounted for as residents of all of the settlements worldwide¡­¡± His voice faded away as he looked at Elder Olani who tapped her gnarled staff on the stone. ¡°It¡¯s just a guess, based on a bunch of assumptions.¡± He added, sounding a bit regretful.


    Coop scowled, feeling vaguely frustrated as he watched the shoulders of his companions sink with disappointment. He wasn¡¯t sure what to make of the news, but acknowledging that billions were dead was one of those things that was difficult to know how to approach. It was disturbing even if he already knew it was the case in the back of his mind. Humanity had its fair share of evil, but he didn¡¯t think so many would have deserved to die.


    For a moment, he tried remaining optimistic. The event leaderboard wouldn¡¯t be able to capture the people still living outside of settlement territory. The assimilation didn¡¯t expect any of those without civilization shards to have lasted this long, but the Jaguar Sun was still out there. He hoped there would be more people digging in. Hopefully, the best of humanity was clinging to life.


    Without getting hung up on the state of their planet, he activated the central teleportation circle, dispelling the enthrallment of his allies. They had a job to do. Coop and the rest of them may not have been particularly special, but they were in a position to help.


    ¡°Let¡¯s save them all.¡± He insisted, glancing at the eyes of all those around him while the runes at his feet lit with energy. He didn¡¯t detect any doubt from any of them as they slowly focused back up, rediscovering their confidence with his example.


    Coop nodded as he took a deep breath and stepped onto the gateway. A moment later, his vision faded into blackness.

 Chapter 262: A Small Step

    The Champion of Ghost Reef would be the first on Earth to step foot in the Underlayer. He had demanded the maiden voyage for himself in a rare demonstration of his authority. Coop was leading the way, not out of a sense of pride, but because he wanted to make sure it was safe before all of his friends arrived. The position was less of a privilege and more of a nuclear first strike. Any ambushes or other deceptions would be met with overwhelming force on his part. Something inside him almost wished they would try something so he would have an excuse to vent.


    He had a few moments with his thoughts while the transportation took effect, experiencing an out-of-body feeling similar to his long distance mistjumps from before he became a Mistwalker. Instead of being pulled through a world of familiar mists, passing through the gateway presented his consciousness with simple empty blackness.


    There was no light able to reach his nonexistent eyes while he was in between places. Perhaps he just lacked the mana sense to detect his surroundings, or maybe the lack of scenery was entirely due to his own perception. It was possible that time wasn¡¯t flowing at all, and he was simply imagining things while he instantaneously moved to the destination. Either way he was alone with his contemplations.


    Strangely, while Coop experienced no sensations for himself, he could feel the desire of Sethrak the Deep Dweller as it lingered far in the background of his existence. Coop had practically forgotten about it, but his Dedication remained. It was only when everything else was silenced that his abyssal benefactor¡¯s cravings to consume barely brushed against Coop¡¯s awareness, and even then, it was like the subtle memory of a forgotten dream.


    As Coop touched upon the alien feeling without his own distractions, he had what felt like a small epiphany. The voracity of Sethrak wasn¡¯t an external influence at all. There was nothing alien about the desires that he sensed. He recognized them like the familiarity of his own bed. Sethrak¡¯s hunger was a clear reflection of his own vast appetite for progression. Coop was yearning for the defeat of his enemies. It was like his constant drive for more experience, even if it was always just a little bit at a time, had manifested into an unfillable abyss within himself.


    If he could have blown air out of his nose, he would have. He wasn¡¯t sure if he should feel offended that the system was personifying his own fundamental traits by revealing them as inhuman eldritch horrors, but he put the introspection aside, remembering his first priority was to Ghost Reef.


    Once the transportation into the Underlayer was complete, there would be two more minutes before the most eager of his allies joined him. He would need to act relatively quickly, but when it came to combat, two minutes was plenty. In the meantime, within the complete nothingness, his thoughts wandered as he tried to be patient and think about anything except his yearning to grind and whether it was healthy or not.


    The gateway to the Underlayer may have felt slow, but the distance was incomparable to anything he had previously experienced through mistjumping. Other than his single use of the Champion Projection settlement skill, he had never teleported such a distance. He supposed he had a good idea of how it would go, thanks to his test flight to Empress City, though he hadn¡¯t expected to equate the two. The comparison made him wonder how integrated individuals like Balor were able to accomplish such an incredible feat. They would usually be reserved to the domain of the system.


    Balor had actually established a configuration that enabled teleportation. Coop reiterated the thought to himself. The simple stonemason had built a teleporter inside of their settlement. It was genuinely amazing, but given the layout of the galactic community, it was also something that the system had evidently monopolized. It seemed as though the stonemason¡¯s design only worked because of the specific connection between the departure point and destination. The surface and the Underlayer were joined by the little-understood and often theoretical ley lines, apparently flowing through the chasm, but it was still an astonishing achievement.


    However, as Coop experienced what he imagined was the equivalent of a coma, he wondered if he should wait to sing the praises of his friend until after his journey was confirmed. For all he knew, he would open his eyes and find himself at the other end of a single blink, standing beneath the tower in the northern courtyard of Ghost Reef¡¯s fort after the transportation failed and nothing happened.


    Ideally, the teleport was working perfectly. Coop was hoping that with enough time, humans could harness that power for a wider variety of uses. He imagined Champion Projection without the mana cost and operable for any of their residents rather than the ability being exclusive to just himself.


    The grandmaster stonemason had carved several clearly designated areas into the northern courtyard, decorating them with runes of similar intricacy to what Madison had designed in her ritual chamber to remove the Endless Empire¡¯s blood curse. Balor¡¯s project had required the contributions of half a dozen other artisans, but they had finished well in advance of the event, working with the mission to simply establish Ghost Reef¡¯s connection to the Underlayer as soon as they discovered the convenience of their entrance.


    For the time being, Balor¡¯s Tower was the focal point of their teleportation network. From the elaborate access points carved into the surface, anyone with sufficient permissions from the settlement could utilize the teleportation features of the tower. A simple menu to select a destination was accessible through the tower¡¯s connection with mana. The tower itself was more of a conduit at the top of an exhaust vent for the ley lines than an actual building.


    They wouldn¡¯t need to take turns using the single magical elevator Coop used, and instead had access to 22 total points beneath the tower alone, arranged in an expanding circular pattern from the largest in the center. There were also smaller locations containing their own handful of rune-decorated access points on either side of both ends of the canal and at several points along the perimeter road within the fort. An additional 12 gateways, subdivided into 11 access points each followed the inner wall of the fort. In total, more than 150 gateways were already prepared.


    The gateways were like train stations in a miniaturized public transportation network, appropriately spread for the size of their city. Each spot could be used to access the transportation ability of the tower, giving the entire fort the ability to easily come and go to any of the layers along the chasm, as they were established, and they would provide equal access to anyone on the future lower levels. Coop loved that they had established their transportation infrastructure first, before demand for it became an issue.


    At first he was concerned with them being extremely limiting, like single-person elevators in an extremely tall tower, but each gateway was designed for groups to use at once, so long as they shared a destination. Coop had taken the main one by himself simply due to his insistence on going down first.


    While Coop led the way down for all of the human residents, the aliens and phantoms would be a steady presence up top. They continued to engage in intergalactic battlefields while making some time for their other duties to the fort. The Lighthouse still had a significant backlog of war declarations, with armies patiently waiting to be defeated, so even though the two groups couldn¡¯t participate in the settlement event while it occurred beyond their territory, they weren¡¯t without their own tasks.


    Beyond the walls of Ghost Reef, the Empress City soldiers staged themselves just outside the main gate, awaiting their turn on the teleporters. The groups that had come with Coop on the short trip over from the mainland were geared up for combat, led by the Flame Knight, Captain Javier, who had organized the cruise ship evacuation months before.


    The event¡¯s participation had already been carefully organized by the time Coop came back, and he just needed to touch base with everyone that was remaining on the surface. Garod and a few other crafters were temporarily off battle duty, instead tasked with crafting another group of Legendary items, utilizing Coop¡¯s growing collection of materials. Other than them, only Balor was overseeing the transport of human residents of the island, just in case any issues with his construction arose. Coop had successfully avoided thinking about what could go wrong with teleportation, and he had no inclination to learn more before he activated the portal.


    Unfortunately, now that he was mid-teleport, he was having second thoughts. He didn¡¯t think anything had gone wrong, but he had been left alone with his thoughts for a bit too long already. Hopefully, he¡¯d be reconstituted soon enough. He¡¯d have to ask his friends what the trip was like for them and compare notes.


    Charlie and Camila had successfully delved far into the caverns beneath the fort, preparing a dozen levels for future construction in their preliminary outings, all of which were already accessible by the Tower. At the moment, they were empty pearlescent chambers, but Charlie had high hopes for them. The girls had an easy time for the most part in the underground, thanks to the monster variant hiding in the darkness already being a clear target for some mysterious grinders. They strongly suspected that Jett had been taking care of the underground beyond what the Adventurer¡¯s Guild and Gibson¡¯s party had done. While they were down there, they only had minimally leveled regular monsters to contend with, but they also reconnected with some lost residents in the darkness.


    They encountered the colony of bats that had been missing from the island for so long, ever since the end of the Siege Event. Apparently, Charlie had successfully negotiated their return to the surface, introducing them to the enormous bat house that had been installed in the northern wall of the fort. Coop was proud of Ghost Reef¡¯s relationship with the animal powerhouses that lived among them and especially Charlie for taking up the mantle of recruitment on his behalf.


    The bats would be joining the other animals in remaining outside of the Underlayer, protecting the fort from encroaching Primal Constructs. Between the animals, the phantoms, and the settlement¡¯s extensive spread of territory, he sincerely doubted there would be any problems up top. Only the regular maintenance of suppressed invader variants would be necessary.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Coop had nothing to worry about when it came to the settlement. He could put 100% of his focus on the Pirmal Constructs and the Underlayer. Of course, he was assuming he actually made it. He mentally crossed his fingers, hoping that Balor hadn¡¯t steered them wrong.


    Once his vision finally returned, Coop was deeply relieved. He confirmed that everything was where it should be after it was immediately clear that there was no threat, according to Presence of Mind. He was doubly soothed.


    His eyes scanned his surroundings and he found he was completely and utterly alone. He squeezed his eyes and blinked, feeling odd sensations as his senses fully returned. For a moment, it felt like he had to relearn to see, hear, and smell. He tasted the earth and metallic underground in the air, and his skin tingled from head to toe.


    His ethereal armor manifested a moment later, adding specks of the abyss to its form while his spear and shield solidified, summoned with barely a thought. Though he was by himself, he was more comfortable when he was fully equipped, so he summoned his gear despite the apparent lack of danger.


    The oppressive silence was the most disorienting sensation. It felt like he had stepped into an enormous anechoic chamber. It was absolutely silent. He instinctively flexed his jaw, popping his ears, feeling the heavy quiet pressing down almost like a physical force. In the absence of any noises, he was forced to confront the unnaturally loud sound of his own heartbeat, the whoosh of blood in his veins, and the air being forced into his lungs. All combined, it made him feel unbalanced.


    The unmitigated isolation hit him like a wall. The familiar comfort of the world was gone. It was like being the only person on an entire planet, giving him goosebumps, but the Underlayer lacked the sense of wonder he had anticipated before exploring a new region.


    Coop breathed a muffled sigh as he confirmed that the system never failed to disappoint. Maybe this time the blameworthy entity was actually mana, but either way, the Underlayer had not lived up to his lofty expectations, though it was sufficiently alien in unforeseen ways.


    Coop had imagined a journey toward the center of the Earth to reveal mysterious, untouched environments that were teeming with undiscovered life, flourishing within unique landscapes. He had been mentally prepared to meet hostile mechanical recreations of dinosaurs, thriving in primordial fungal jungles that were tucked within rocky caves, or other scenarios that were equally exotic.


    Instead, his watery eyes were greeted with gently rolling, nearly flat plains and a clear sky that stretched all the way to the horizon. He slowly tilted his head up while stepping forward as he tried to find the oppressive feeling that would remind him of his position stifled deep underground. Rather than stalactites, he found loose cloud formations far above his head that formed a softening fog bank high in the sky that calmly flowed like a river of water vapor against what might have been a ceiling if his vision could penetrate the fluff. If there was a ceiling, it was miles and miles high.


    ¡°Where is this light coming from?¡± He suddenly wondered, doing his best to break the silence, spinning around without finding a source. It was the equivalent of broad daylight across the entire landscape, with illumination scattering from everywhere at once.


    For a moment, the thought that he was actually dead crossed his mind, and it seemed like he had no way to dispute it. This place seemed like a personal purgatory. He took a deep breath, doing his best to avoid jumping to conclusions, but the sound of his lungs filling and his heart beating were a reminder of his continued mortality. It was like his ears were stuffed with cotton with the way ambient sounds were missing. The whole experience was dizzying.


    As he turned around he finally found a landmark to center himself aside from the handful of footprints he had planted in the soft ground. A pillar of solid stone, completely unblemished by any sort of erosion, rose from the top of a barely discernible bank of earth. An extremely slight incline led from his feet to its base that he was pretty sure wasn¡¯t an optical illusion, but would require precise tools to actually measure. His eyes traced the column¡¯s rise, following it straight up until it disappeared among the hazy pillows of vapor at the top of the cavern as they bunched around its edges like it was a cotton candy topped baobab tree.


    Coop leaned so far backwards, he nearly stumbled. Calling it a pillar wasn¡¯t doing the enormity of the stone trunk justice. It was as thick as the entirety of Ghost Reef¡¯s fort, and given its assumed position, he could imagine it being a base to a tower that was capped off by their entire city. In a way, it made him feel better about the hollow existing far beneath their foundations. As uncomfortable as the chasm made him, it was a tiny pipe compared to the solid structure that existed far underneath them.


    Without the solid stone monument, Coop might have believed something went very wrong with Balor¡¯s teleportation. Instead of sending him into the deep dark abyss, he was standing in a picturesque desktop wallpaper of completely virgin land. The pillar made him feel like an ant at the base of a skyscraper, but it was different enough to confirm in his mind that he was underground.


    The only clues that he wasn¡¯t standing in more familiar wilderness on the surface was the hint at a concave sky and lack of a shining sun. If he concentrated on the horizon to his left and right, he thought he could also detect the suggestion of more stone walls, maybe, but he would need binoculars to be sure. The problem with his discernment was caused by the scale of the cavern. The Underlayer should have the expected tubular cave shape, but it was so large it could be confused with the actual outdoors.


    The sprawling land gave him the slight inkling of unplanted tracts of farmland, as if it had been prepared for sowing upon its creation. Maybe his lofty expectations for more complex ecology were misplaced, considering the Underlayer had only existed for a few months. It hadn¡¯t had time to establish any sort of ecosystem and instead appeared to be a sterile region of mana, untouched by life from elsewhere on Earth.


    The teleportation was also probably sterile, but the region was now contaminated with at least one human.


    Coop stepped forward, turning away from the column, feeling like the outstretched dark plains were free real estate. Beneath his ethereal gladiator sandals, the ground was firm with a light cushion of nearly black top soil. It compressed like what he imagined stepping on a fresh powder of snow would feel like. There were no rocks or even pebbles in sight. Other than the pillar that marked Ghost Reef for him, the land was featureless. Before he grew more discombobulated, he glanced back at the solid rock column, glad for the anchoring landmark.


    There were no Primal Constructs either. This was essentially the preseason, so that much was meeting expectations. They had an entire day to dig in before the event really started. If not for their knowledge of the existence of the Underlayer ahead of time, he imagined a long journey down the chasm.


    Coop took his time orienting himself, but after less than a minute he was more or less at a loss. Without the actual sky and the everpresent sun or stars, he felt like he would sincerely struggle with even general directions. The place had a strange way of befuddling his internal compass with its generic blankness.


    After his two minutes were up, the first of his allies phased into existence around where he had begun. Camila and Charlie were earliest, followed by Shane¡¯s entire party, then Gibson¡¯s, the Cleary Brothers, and more. A few hundred people had entered the gateways spaced around Ghost Reef right away, stepping into the unknown without any confirmation of what they would find, but not hesitating out of fear or doubt.


    He watched with amusement as they experienced the same process he did, wide-eyed and ready for threats before experiencing the strange return of their senses, then confusion as they glanced around at an endless empty expanse of untouched land. Thankfully, they provided the sound that was missing, though the Underlayer was still unnaturally quiet.


    Camila frowned before she grunted with disappointment, though the exact source of her consternation was unclear. She probably wanted to demonstrate what she and Charlie had prepared. As they collected themselves, other groups phased in as well.


    Charlie glanced up toward the sky and was the first to speak. ¡°Where¡¯s that light coming from?¡± She questioned, causing Coop to nod as his first question was echoed.


    ¡°That¡¯s mana for sure.¡± Buck Cleary declared. ¡°The pure kind.¡± He added while his brothers nodded, all watching the clouds flow.


    ¡°Feels like we should be planting instead of fighting, Boss.¡± Tiny added, directing his statement toward Coop.


    ¡°Right?¡± Coop responded, glad he wasn¡¯t completely off base with his own initial impressions of the landscape. ¡°How was the ride?¡±


    ¡°Uneventful.¡± Camila declared while Tomb Blade from Shane¡¯s party added ¡°Dark,¡± and the others agreed.


    ¡°Did it take long?¡± He followed up, but it seemed like no one was exactly sure, giving contradictory answers.


    ¡°C¡¯mon people! Make way for everyone else!¡± Madison shouted, disregarding the muted atmosphere by clapping her hands, reminding everyone that this wasn¡¯t a vacation outing before Coop could get them all off track.


    Coop watched as the residents diligently marked off their arrival points, cordoning them off so that they wouldn¡¯t be overlooked later. There was no chance of the crazy teleportation accidents that might result in two people existing in the same place at once, but the activation of the gateway might be delayed if there was insufficient space on the other end.


    Jones was already drawing complicated runes into the ground at the gateways, using his skills to make permanent glowing stamps when he was done, while everyone else worked the tingling sensations from their limbs. Coop watched from over the old caretaker¡¯s shoulder, out of curiosity.


    ¡°We need to establish our connection to the Tower in order to use it from this end.¡± Jones answered Coop¡¯s question before it was asked. ¡°We¡¯d have to wait for the event to end so that Balor could come down, unless you wanted to climb back out.¡± He chuckled, knowing that¡¯s exactly what Coop would have tried first.


    It only took another 15 minutes before all of Ghost Reef¡¯s human residents were in the Underlayer. None of them left the immediate proximity of the column, subconsciously clinging to its reassuring solidity in a sea of vacuity. They would have a few hours before the Empress City soldiers started their own trips down.


    In the meantime, Shane took over as had been planned. He was ordering those with the right skills or simple Strength to start digging out a trench and mound around a wide area that would protect their preliminary staging area. Coop rolled his metaphorical sleeves up, ready to help with the excavation.


    Amanda and Mikey B began a single lap around the pillar with Cap, Grizz, and a clearly dazed Dan in tow. Coop wished them luck on what seemed like the impossible task of making sense of their location before he got to work.

 Chapter 263: Tabula Rasa

    ¡°You sure you¡¯re okay?¡± Coop tried confirming, not for the first time.


    Grizz put a scarred hand on the shoulder of the fragile seeming member of his little group in solidarity, supporting Dan as the mana guide gulped and nodded that he really was alright. Coop tilted his head to the side, trying to get a read on the guide.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Champ.¡± The older veteran spoke on behalf of the scout. ¡°Dan¡¯s a soldier.¡± He concluded, and Cap bowed her head like his words were profound. Dan smiled weakly at the support of his party.


    Dan had nearly been overwhelmed by the currents of mana flowing through the enormous cavern when he first tried to make sense of their surroundings. When Coop only saw a pristine wilderness of untouched dirt, Dan was subjected to the deafening roar and crushing weight of an avalanche. He described the ambience like mana was slowly rolling across the landscape with the inevitability of a glacier: an unstoppable force of nature, less guided by the tunnels and more responsible for them. The potential energy was terrifying.


    By his own account, he had things under control after having a little time to acclimate, but his initial experience was staggering. Even after hours of adjusting, he was pale and clammy as a result of the inundation of mana. Coop frowned at his sunken eyes, genuinely worried for the guy. It was like he had been forced to march across a desert with no relief.


    Just for fun, Coop toggled his own Vaporform to see what he could witness for himself after hearing Dan¡¯s impressions. He figured it would be better to know ahead of time what he was getting into if he had to use the ability in the middle of combat.


    He toggled the skill back off a fraction of a second after testing it out, feeling like he had been punched directly in the retinas. It felt like his very essence could have been smothered in a molasses-like cascade of mana that threatened to drown and suffocate his spirit all at once. While he could jump in and out of Vaporform, he thought it would be best to avoid lingering with the skill toggled on. He was extra thankful that his mistjumps had been streamlined to the point that he wasn¡¯t dragged through the mists anymore. They were really in the thick of it in terms of mana density.


    The galactic community had compared the Underlayer to a planet-wide mana well for good reason. The same drifting tides that Coop had witnessed for himself in the Coral Forest were present in the empty underground, but magnified by thousands of times. The difference between the Underlayer and a Mana Well was like comparing the global ocean conveyor belt with a local drainage canal. Dan had needed time to adjust before he could make sense of the seemingly empty caverns, and Coop couldn¡¯t blame him.


    ¡°There¡¯s something major in that direction.¡± Dan insisted, eyebrows furrowed with concern. He pointed off to their left as his squadmates huddled at the foot of the Ghost Reef pillar to share their findings with Coop.


    ¡°Otherwise, you can go that way.¡± Dan pointed past the right side of the monument as he continued his assessment. ¡°Or that way.¡± He pointed straight left from where Coop stood, away from the pillar. ¡°Those seem to be the passages that continue further.¡± He let his hand drop after indicating each way.


    ¡°And what directions are those actually?¡± Coop asked for his own sake. The complete lack of landmarks was confusing enough. Having every direction be defined by pointed fingers wouldn''t help much.


    Cap answered for the strained mana scout, having already organized their presentation after they explored the immediate vicinity of their landing point with Amanda and Mikey B. ¡°The point of interest is to the west northwest, but the major flow of mana seems to split between southwest and northeast.¡± She lifted the palms of her hands out like the intel could have been more concrete, but they had to work with what they could get. ¡°We¡¯re making educated guesses based on our orientation when we came through the teleporters.¡±


    Dan nodded before adding his own emphasis. ¡°The main thing I wanted to highlight for you is that whatever is over there is really strange.¡± He pointed toward the point of interest again like it threatened to hypnotize him. ¡°I haven¡¯t felt anything like it before. It¡¯s kind of similar to a civilization shard, but sort of inverted.¡± He frowned, struggling to relate his extra senses in a way that would make sense. ¡°This place really is an ocean of free mana. Mana is drifting in both directions very slowly, with a small amount leaking toward the surface as if it''s guided by the pillar, but there¡¯s a large gyre over there that spins like a drain. It¡¯s concentrating mana that would otherwise simply flow through the rest of the caverns.¡± Dan turned back toward the group. ¡°Shards normally emit as much as they absorb, like a filtration device, but that thing is a sink, guzzling mana down.¡± Dan frowned a bit as he considered what else it could be.


    ¡°Hm.¡± Coop gazed across the blank, dirt-filled plains, and did his best to make note of the direction.


    The only things that absorbed mana, as far as he was aware, were people and animals when they defeated enemies, or monsters as they passively leveled up and evolved. In that sense, mana was a corollary with experience, but there weren¡¯t any monsters in the Underlayer.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s an Icon.¡± He mumbled, causing Amanda and Mikey B to perk up as they remembered the powerful enemy from the siege. It wasn¡¯t like the rules applied to the forces of mana. ¡°Or maybe there¡¯s an Under-Underlayer?¡± He added.


    He shrugged, setting it aside. ¡°I think I can manage to go straight when I go on my own.¡± He looked back at the scouting party and tried reassuring them as they looked at him dubiously. ¡°I¡¯ll probably be able to find the pillar if I get lost anyway.¡±


    ¡°If you get lost, just follow one of the walls.¡± Grizz advised with a serious expression. ¡°That¡¯s how I solved mazes as a kid.¡±


    ¡°Dunno if that applies to three dimensional cave systems.¡± Cap muttered skeptically. ¡°Especially if they¡¯re potentially hundreds of miles across.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about any of that yet.¡± Shane butted into the small meeting, shadowed by Arthur, who politely bowed his head toward Coop. Shane was as covered in the rich dirt as everyone else, despite taking the role of foreman while the other residents constructed earthen fortifications around their staging area. ¡°We need to make sure the event goes smoothly before you go off on any adventures.¡±


    ¡°You have to go that way, first.¡± Arthur chimed in, somehow the only person among all of Ghost Reef¡¯s residents to avoid being caked in a layer of the soft soil. He was pointing in the direction that had been described as northeast. ¡°Empress City and Neptune¡¯s Bridge should be that way, assuming our trajectories were consistent and the tunnel doesn¡¯t diverge.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t encourage him.¡± Shane gently scolded the older gentleman, but Arthur remained unapologetic.


    ¡°Coop thinks there might be an Icon of Mana out there.¡± Amanda shared with the pair of Ghost Reef advisors.


    ¡°Really?¡± Shane wondered, turning more serious as he immediately added another priority to their preparations to-do list.


    ¡°Nah, I was just guessing what else could be absorbing mana.¡± Coop tried to avoid starting a panic.


    ¡°Amanda, would you be so kind as to scout for us?¡± Arthur suggested, ignoring Coop¡¯s attempt at reassurance.


    ¡°Of course.¡± The Outrider confirmed.


    ¡°Hang on.¡± Shane stopped them. ¡°Make sure to come back before the event begins, even if it means turning around before you figure out what it is. We might need every little bit of help with the Constructs.¡±


    ¡°You got it.¡± Mikey B chimed in as he and Amanda rushed toward the northwest, setting off at a brisk pace.


    ¡°I have a good feeling about our chances.¡± The Intelligence Advisor countered Shane¡¯s barely hidden concern, glancing across their makeshift defenses. ¡°We¡¯re certainly more prepared than any would expect, and there are still some hours before our guests finally arrive. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if any third-party observers thought the roles of attacker and defender were flipped thanks to our improvised stronghold.¡±


    Coop glanced at the timer, confirming that they had eight more hours before the Primal Constructs were scheduled to make their entrance. Looking beyond the system¡¯s display, he admired the configuration of their defenses. They may have been improvised, as Arthur noted, but they were impressive, considering how hastily they went from plan to reality. The focused efforts of Ghost Reef¡¯s residents with Shane¡¯s oversight had resulted in an entire complex of trenches and embankments.


    The 10,000 soldiers from Empress City were the closest to the pillar where Coop had grouped with the scouts, hidden behind large mounds that protected them from long distance linear attacks. The mounds were around 10 feet tall, and had a smoother ramp on the inside than the steep slope on the outside, establishing an inner wall with a slight elevation for anyone with long range skills. A majority of Ghost Reef¡¯s original residents had specialized into becoming the equivalent of snipers due to their experience defending the fort. They would have an ideal place to leverage their abilities along the innermost embankment.


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    Behind the interior of the mounds, the visiting soldiers were establishing a series of rest areas that could combine to fit every single person they had brought into the Underlayer. The scars from Ghost Reef¡¯s Siege Event hadn¡¯t faded, so the plan was to prepare to fight for the entire duration of the event, just in case. They would be able to rotate soldiers to the back if they had non stop fighting for the 44 days of the Underlayer Event and provide much needed rest from unceasing combat for those who required it.


    The diligent preparations of the more powerful Ghost Reef veterans had freaked the Empress City soldiers out enough to have them working equally hard. They had arrived with enthusiasm, volunteering for war with complete confidence in Ghost Reef and its Champion, but Coop could see in their faces that they were harboring fresh concerns due to how seriously Shane and the others were taking their preparedness. They were working extra hard, finally realizing that, even though they had imagined the victory parade, they had to fight a war first.


    Within the mounds of the inner stronghold, channels had been carved that ramped down into relatively narrow trenches. Three people could walk side-by-side into what they were calling the supply trenches. These connected the central rest areas to the first battle trench, which had a low wall of dirt facing away from Ghost Reef¡¯s pillar. The battle trench was wide enough for full parties to stage ranged attacks while remaining behind the cover that had been dug into the ground. It was the second layer of protection.


    Another set of embedded supply trenches connected the first battle trench with more forward support areas. They were designed to be smaller versions of the main rest areas for immediate relief to those at the forefront of battle. Those were then connected by more supply lines to the front line trench, which was their third and final layer.


    The excavation had been nonstop, but the residents of Ghost Reef were relatively familiar with that kind of physical labor. For the most part, they just needed to dig holes in the soft ground and they had no reluctance toward getting dirty. They took to the task intensely, their severity inspiring those unfamiliar with the struggles that an out of control system event could generate.


    Beyond the front line trench was a no man¡¯s land of mostly empty dirt, visible from the inner mound, the first battle trench, and the even lower front line trench all at once. There were some areas with small mounds in the distance, but they expected it to largely be a place to engage in open field battles, the way the event was advertised. The dirt was freshly disturbed by the preparations of smaller squads of residents, micromanaged by Elder Olani.


    The exact challenge they were facing was still something of a mystery. They expected Primal Constructs to have strongholds placed some distance from the pillar, but within the range of Ghost Reef¡¯¡¯s settlement territory, correlating with locations on the surface that the invaders intended to take over. Unfortunately, that meant the defenders had to anticipate enemies anywhere from their immediate vicinity to the miles and miles that their territory had expanded.


    While it was possible they would need to stage assaults across large tracts of land, they focused on establishing a headquarters first. No matter what, Shane decided they would treat the pillar like their core, since its base protected their gateways back to the surface. The trenches would be their lines of defense from which they sent their assaults. No matter how the event was framed by the system, they saw themselves as defenders first.


    They were able to travel to and from the surface as they pleased so long as they controlled the runed portals and either the settlement or the individuals had enough mana for the transport. The Underlayer was essentially their backyard. Even if they failed to dislodge the Primal Constructs, maintaining the gateway would be a priority throughout the duration of the event.


    When it came to the actual Underlayer, there were a few oddities to the region that would impact someone like Coop more than most others. Mainly, he had noticed the way the density of pure mana interfered with manifestations. Coop¡¯s weapons were slowly taking durability damage, which wouldn¡¯t be of concern given the ease that he could manipulate and refresh them, but it also meant that his more fragile summons would deteriorate at a more rapid pace than anywhere else.


    The phantasms from the Legacy of the Mists might only be good for a single attack, reminiscent of their original iteration before his investments into Acumen, and Fog of War would require virtually all of his mana to temporarily maintain the domains that he had gradually grown accustomed to applying when he wanted to take over a battle. Add how he would limit his implementation of Vaporform to be as brief as possible and he was looking at quite a few little disadvantages that collectively might make a difference.


    Coop¡¯s alternative to selecting specifically designed area skills would be diminished within the Underlayer, but he wasn¡¯t so weak that he couldn¡¯t compensate with his own power. As annoying as any of the limitations were, he was glad he hadn¡¯t put himself on a path that would rely on his more delicate manifestations. The challenges seemed easy enough to overcome through tactical usage of his abilities.


    He wasn¡¯t the only person that would have a slight handicap. Everyone in the Underlayer had to deal with the same quirks. Charlie, for instance, wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain her storms for the amounts of time that made her the anchor of their siege defense. That meant there wouldn¡¯t be walls of tornadoes allowing their casters to cycle through abilities. Many others were already adjusting their own skills, happy to have the first day to prepare themselves before combat began.


    The direct connection back to the surface also gave them the chance to test what they could bring down. Their equipment, despite being made through magical processes, was fine, stabilized by their own presence, but other manifestations were dispersed like a defeated monster as soon as they were exposed to the Underlayer. Construction materials had disintegrated in the mana-infused air like they were submerging a sugar cube in hot coffee.


    The Cleary Brothers had already gone back and forth dozens of times trying to figure out the rules, but in the end it seemed like everything infused with mana was soluble in the pure currents that flowed through the Underlayer, it was just a matter of time. Garod promised free repairs to their equipment now that he was a part of the Lighthouse, but he didn¡¯t think any combat implements would be degraded enough to cause concern until the very end of the event at the earliest.


    In the meantime, they built an entire complex of trenches in the dirt using the non-mana based tools they had built themselves, along with their bare hands. The original rake from Coop and Jones¡¯s first days of combat continued to make important contributions to the security of Ghost Reef, this time wielded by Shane to outline where he wanted the trenches in the first place.


    After the first half of the day, smoke had begun rising from one of the rest areas. Laurie and Greg, the couple that ran the coffee shop, had taken some volunteers and started experimenting with creating mud bricks. They were using their personal skills to wet and heat the ubiquitous dirt within molds. If they were successful, they would then use mud bricks to reinforce the hand-dug construction.


    Depending on how long humans were left alone down there, Coop thought they would go through an entire series of structural upgrades as they experimented and rediscovered new materials. They might still prove the galactic community wrong about the utility of Underlayers.


    ¡°This event was supposed to be an open field battle for us against entrenched Primal Constructs.¡± Arthur observed as they all looked across their encampment. ¡°But look at us. Perhaps human ingenuity will carry the day this time.¡±


    Other than those who were retrieving tools or experimenting with the Underlayer and the gateways, none returned to the surface. They were mentally locked in for the event, and for Coop it felt wrong to essentially return to the sidelines, even as they waited for the first and last countdown to arrive. He assumed his allies felt the same way, since they all remained, covered in dirt, waiting for the battle to start while perfecting their hasty constructions. Even Dan refused to head back up, insisting that he was growing accustomed to the Underlayer.


    Having received the information from the scouts, the meeting concluded, and Coop went back to assisting the residents that toiled in the dirt. He helped put the finishing touches on the front line trenches, extending them around the south side of the gargantuan pillar in a strange recreation of Ghost Reef¡¯s moat beyond the outer fort walls. In a day, they had created the foundation of a massive fortress, making it resemble an archaeological dig for an actual ancient castle city. It was meticulously organized, but completely lacking in actual structures. If they had more time, they could have kept adding outer layers, but the event would be upon them soon enough. What they had would need to be sufficient.


    Amanda and Mikey B returned when there was less than an hour left on the timer.


    ¡°Not an Icon.¡± Amanda broke the news, happy that they hadn¡¯t discovered the worst case scenario. ¡°It¡¯s that meteor mountain.¡± She declared to Coop, chest heaving after she and Mikey B had rushed to cover as much ground as they could. Mikey just nodded behind her, leaning forward on the shield he carried the entire time while struggling to catch his own breath.


    ¡°The what?¡± Coop asked, having no idea what they were talking about.


    ¡°Y¡¯know. The mountain.¡± Mikey helpfully added, using his free hand to gesture in the general direction. ¡°Pokes out of the ocean off in the distance. Huge. Gets in the way of the sunset sometimes.¡± He spoke between breaths.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Coop exclaimed, suddenly realizing what they meant.


    They were talking about the absolutely monstrous meteor that had blocked out the sky and dragged all the other mana crystals in its wake before crashing somewhere far off in the Gulf of Mexico on the day of the apocalypse. Somehow, the ever-present meteor mountain that loomed off the coast of Ghost Reef had slipped into Coop¡¯s subconscious. It was just a part of the background at this point, especially since it was hundreds of miles away.


    ¡°That thing?¡± Coop wondered, recalling the enormity of it dragging across the sky.


    ¡°Definitely.¡± Amanda confirmed. ¡°It penetrated all the way through the ground and planted itself firmly in the Underlayer.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop thought it was crazy for such a huge meteor to have landed without annihilating the planet. He considered it for a few moments in silence.


    ¡°If it¡¯s a mountain on the surface that reaches all the way down here, wouldn¡¯t it need to be, like, a 100 times bigger than the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs?¡± He questioned.


    ¡°For sure.¡± Mikey B agreed with a completely serious expression.


    ¡°Cool.¡± Coop concluded as his eyebrows rose.


    Amanda just looked at them both like she had no idea how their minds worked.

 Chapter 264: The Final Wave

    With the settlement safely in the hands of the nonhuman residents and no Icon of Mana to hunt down, Coop would be able to fix his attention on the Underlayer Event itself. The meteor mountain wasn¡¯t going anywhere, so like on the surface, he put it out of his mind and concentrated on the battles to come. Maybe, when the event was concluded, he would take a touristic trip to the bottom of the meteor mountain, just to satisfy his curiosity. As far as they could tell, there wasn¡¯t much else to visit within the Underlayer.


    When the event countdown finally began, no one needed to say anything before people were taking up their positions in the front line trenches. People rubbed the dirt off their hands on their Ghost Reef Standard Issue Armor, activating their full-face helmets and readying their weapons ahead of the initiation of the event.


    Each of the last 10 seconds were punctuated by an unnatural beep that echoed through the tunnels of the Underlayer. Coop imagined the sound mirrored within the mana domes of each settlement. He couldn¡¯t help but smile a little as he took his place front and center in the front line trench as the anticipation built.


    The traumatic time of the Siege Event had somehow evolved into battle scars that made him proud. The patterns in the system¡¯s events were a forced reminder of their experiences, and Ghost Reef was heartened by them. They had made it through that ordeal, so they could make it through this. Coop¡¯s ethereal spear was held with a loose grip, comfortable, but ready, and his allies wore grim faces of confident determination beneath reflective visors and dirt-streaked skin. The Primal Constructs had picked the wrong battle.


    Every time the number counted down, shifting from 3 to 2, and finally 1, a strangely nostalgic alternate tone rang out. Coop watched as the timer finally hit zero and a loud buzzing announced the start of the Underlayer Event. His eyes left the system display and darted across their dirt covered no man¡¯s land, seeking the first hints of their enemies.


    ¡°Southeast!¡± Jonah the waiter called out from the rear battle trench before the system¡¯s ringing broadcast had completely faded from their ears. Immediately afterwards, Coop heard the gravelly voice of Fred Brown, the renowned architect that had helped design all of the buildings on the surface yell, ¡°Southwest! It¡¯s close!¡± from behind the interior mound.


    Coop didn¡¯t need to turn his head in either direction because looking directly south presented him with a similar scene to what the others were witnessing. A large disc of energy appeared first, like a ceramic plate that superimposed itself onto the ground, claiming a large area of the empty dirt and transforming it into a clear cylindrical arena with translucent borders. A distinct red light glowed from mana embedded in its center, and rather than being a solid object, it seemed more like a marker, designating the area as an objective.


    Once the bottom plane was completely formed and the walls of light stabilized, a different set of tall metallic walls began forming from the ground up, beyond the outer edges of the arena-like objective. The structures grew one pixel at a time, outlining the foundation of an extremely simple square metal castle that climbed up from the dirt with the clear intent of guarding the cylindrical arena, confining the objective within its borders.


    The construction process was similar enough to purchasing a service from the system to be completely familiar to the defenders. The invaders were arriving from off-planet.


    When the protective castle was completed, obstructing the central platform from view mere seconds after it appeared, a formation of Elite Primal Constructs climbed to the top. They posed like proud sentinels on a tall wall, with energy from their spawning still wafting from their shoulders and drifting into the Underlayer¡¯s glacial current.


    If the defenders had never seen the aliens before, they would have seemed imposing and dangerous. Unfortunately for these particular Construct manifestations, they had arrived beneath Ghost Reef. The residents were unimpressed.


    The outer walls of their fort formed a roofless square fort that was around 50 yards across and several stories tall. The defenses were made of what appeared to be a lightweight lusterless metal that matched parts of the alien manifestations. To Coop, the structure seemed modular, with jigsaw-like connections at each corner and around what he assumed was the main entrance. Otherwise the walls appeared solid. Coop expected a few thousand Primal Constructs to be waiting inside, at most, and there were four of the structures.


    The standard design lacked any consideration for different environments and completely lacked the type of defenses incorporated in Ghost Reef¡¯s relatively simple brick fort. There were no moats, cannon portals, or pillbox slits to be found. Instead, it relied on manual defense and manufactured high ground. Nothing else. It was in complete contrast to the trench system the defenders had already established. Even the parapets and battlements just seemed like a simple walkway with a half-height wall protecting the outside. With all the time in the world to prepare, the aliens had only brought the most basic of defenses.


    ¡°Tch.¡± Coop expressed his disappointment with a scowl.


    The red light emitted from the control point the invaders guarded gave their gray utilitarian strongholds an eerie haze that silhouetted the mannequin-like features of the soldiers who had appeared at the tops of the walls, one group at a time. The color made them seem wicked as their layered group shields started powering up across the edifices, ready to protect against an early assault while catching the sinister light.


    A second disc followed the same pattern off in the distance, further establishing the Primal Construct formation. If Coop imagined the positions of their castles overlayed onto the surface, they seemed to be trying to claim each of the main islands in Ghost Reef¡¯s chain beyond Rock Key, plus the entrance to the mana well. They weren¡¯t quite close enough to cover for each other, and they swung out and away from the dirt trenches that the defenders had prepared, mirroring the natural sandbar formations on the surface.


    Though their positioning would require the defenders to climb out of the trenches to reach the furthest structure to the south, the fact that the invaders were forced into that arrangement made him glad that they were surrounded by the ocean. It seemed like the Primal Construct strongholds were bound to dry land, and that meant that he wouldn¡¯t need to run around the Underlayer to confirm there weren¡¯t any hidden Construct lairs closer to the edges of their territory. The one directly in front of him would have been in the shadow of the lighthouse, on the opposite side of the shallow channel. It wasn¡¯t far at all.


    Before Coop could tap into Presence of Mind, stretching it in order to inspect the nearest auras of his enemies, taking the first action of any encounter, an explosion of deep purple shadow spikes erupted to the southwest. Clods of dirt were sent flying across the battlefield, raining into the trenches, and setting off a chain reaction of violent turbulence.


    The roaring clamor of the initial bouts of upheaval were followed by a green-tinged mushroom cloud that marked the spread of decaying venom, eroding whatever the shockwave touched at the barely formed alien fortress. Icy snowflakes sharpened like shurikens swirled in a vortex around the explosions, forming twisters of frozen blades, and bone pillars blasted from the dirt as if connected to enormous springs, finishing off the amalgamation of destructive assaults while the human defenders peeked above the edges of their trenches and protective mounds.


    When the chaos finally settled down, a cheer rose from the closest portion of Ghost Reef¡¯s soldiers. Coop squinted through the debris and wafting clouds of mana smoke to see what had happened for himself.


    One of the four fortresses was destroyed as soon as it had solidified, spawning in a section of the no man¡¯s land that had been rigged with traps under Elder Olani¡¯s direction. After the torn and twisted back and side wall disintegrated, only the presence of the circular platform indicated that anything had been among the craters. The control point was glowing red, and had somehow gone undamaged despite the destruction painted in the dirt throughout the area.


    Coop blinked in surprise as the haze drifted away. If all they needed to do was topple these enemies, they were a quarter of the way done in the first seconds of an event meant to last a month and a half. That couldn¡¯t be right, could it? He checked the individual scores, trying to properly comprehend the potentially excellent start.


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    Underlayer Event Individual Scores:


    <ol>


    <li> Zach Miller - 573 (+573)</li>


    <li> Elder Olani - 522 (+522)</li>


    <li> Jessica Littenberg - 299 (+299)</li>


    <li> Jose Molina - 251 (+251)</li>


    <li> Jacqueline ¡®Jackie¡¯ Simpson - 215 (+215)</li>


    <li> Guillermo Echeverra - 212 (+212)</li>


    <li> Bowman King - 189 (+189)</li>


    <li> George Prado - 137 (+137)</li>


    <li> Henry Foster - 102 (+102)</li>


    <li> Platinum - 1 (+1)</li>


    </ol>


    Even though there were a bunch of names he didn¡¯t recognize, he was pretty confident they were all newer residents of Ghost Reef. Just to be sure, he checked the settlement scores as well.


    Underlayer Event Settlement Scores:


    <ol>


    <li> Ghost Reef - 5,000 (x1)</li>


    <li> Neon Park - 2 (x13)</li>


    <li> Shinjuku Gardens - 0 (x25)</li>


    <li> Gangcheon - 0 (x15)</li>


    <li> Nyiragongo - 0 (x13)</li>


    <li> Can Gio - 0 (x11)</li>


    <li> Silvervalley - 0 (x11)</li>


    <li> Englischer Garten - 0 (x8)</li>


    <li> Ordesa - 0 (x7)</li>


    <li> Aotearoa New Zealand - 0 (x5)</li>


    </ol>


    Coop wanted to call a timeout just to digest the opening moments of the event, but as he shook his head to himself a gate opened in the central fort with the hiss of metal hinges, revealing more of the enemies that intended to defend the middle control point. A Field Boss, framed by the red light, led the way with a handful of Primal Construct squads at its flank. The invaders at the top of the walls leaned back and flailed their weapons in a silent salute, posturing as if they were unconcerned with the loss of one of their forts.


    This event seemed like a game of territory control, but the invaders started with possession of all four objectives. The closest fortress to the southwest had already been annihilated by the prepared skills of the human residents, but the defenders still needed to claim the point to maintain the autonomy of the shard¡¯s territory. That left the two central structures, one hidden behind the closest one, and a single stronghold at the east flank of the middle base, as well as claiming all four points. Despite the early losses, the invaders didn¡¯t seem discouraged.


    Coop concluded that this was an objective based event. The manifestations weren¡¯t as important as the control points. As long as the cylindrical arenas were claimed by the Primal Constructs, they were unconcerned. Coop nodded to himself as the Field Boss stepped forward with its companion parties.


    Even without seeing the auras of the enemies, Coop recognized their forms. They had the same structure as the Constructs that appeared during the tenth wave of the Siege, which is why the defenders hadn¡¯t been surprised by humanoid opponents. They were the same 5-man parties with a melee tank, melee damage dealer, a physical ranged attacker, a caster, and an armless support that had already been soundly defeated upon their invasion on the surface by much weaker iterations of the current defenders.


    The defenders didn¡¯t have the phantoms to run interference on the Primal Constructs, but they weren¡¯t as severely outnumbered or outleveled this time around. Those who had faced them before were excited by the prospect of a rematch.


    Coop¡¯s Presence of Mind finally revealed their exact details while he prepared to engage with the Field Boss that had made its presence known. He would aim to mistjump straight in and demonstrate their mistakes by crushing the biggest threat himself.


    [Elite Ruin Construct (Level 170)]


    [(Strength)]


    [Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]


    [Elite Bane Construct (Level 170)]


    [(Strength)]


    [Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]


    [Elite Spite Construct (Level 170)]


    [(Agility)]


    [Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]


    [Elite Scourge Construct (Level 170)]


    [(Intelligence)]


    [Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]


    [Elite Ancient Construct (Level 170)]


    [(Acumen)]


    [Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]


    ¡°170? That¡¯s it?¡± Coop hesitated. He remembered thinking their levels combined with their elite status made these enemies seem completely unfair during the Siege. This time, he was worried about diminishing returns for his own experience gains given how small they were.


    ¡°Wait a moment, Champion.¡± Arthur requested during Coop¡¯s moment of hesitation. Shane was shouting to hold fire while Camila climbed out of the trench herself. She was smiling in a confident way that bordered on deranged. Her expression made Coop wonder about his own unhinged grin. He inspected the Field Boss, letting his allies fill their roles.


    [Field Boss: Ancient Defender (Level 170)]


    [Axorzon the Tarnishing Pike (Body)]


    [Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]


    ¡°Oh¡­ That¡¯s an Ancient Defender Boss! We never got to see one of those.¡± Coop pointed out, excitedly, as his mood changed with the reveal. He was ignoring the change in air pressure and whipping winds that threatened to strip the topsoil from the surface of the Underlayer. Charlie was building something while Coop had a rare opportunity to spectate.


    The Field Boss was pretty similar to the four-legged mechanical crab variant on Ghost Reef¡¯s beaches, except this one had two extra legs and its protective shell had layers of red-brown protection overlapping each other like the scutes of a turtle shell, and of course, it was the size of a house. Coop was delighted to see it, though he suspected it wasn¡¯t long for this world. The reveal of the Ancient Defender Field Boss made up for the disappointing initial presentation of the Primal Constructs.


    ¡°Keep an eye on me.¡± Camila commanded those in the trench, leaning forward like a long-distance runner preparing for a sprint. ¡°You won¡¯t want to miss this.¡±


    A flash of light sparked from somewhere high in the sky, despite a lack of visible clouds, and Charlie¡¯s opening salvo began at the exact moment Camila shifted forward. A thick column of lightning slammed toward the ground, with fingers of electricity sparking around its perimeter, just as Camila blasted across the no man¡¯s land with superhuman momentum. The crackling energy and bombastic elemental roar even made Coop flinch.


    The cataclysmic blast of thunder as the lightning struck was punctuated by the sound that always reminded Coop of an aluminum bat hitting a homerun. Coop tried to keep an eye on Camila, but he wavered when the light nearly blinded him while she extended a straight right punch, bracers glowing an impossibly bright searing blue. She connected with Charlie¡¯s magnificent lightning bolt with perfect coordination. The image that burned into his vision as he blinked was of Camila¡¯s slender body in front of a wall of incandescent energy that overwhelmed every other feature of the already plain Underlayer, while her arm extended in a classic right hook.


    When his eyes opened again, Camila¡¯s Perfect Counter ability had redirected Charlie¡¯s lightning strike so that it rushed forward, parallel to the ground, still flicking fingers of brilliant white that arced into the air and across the dirt. Orange streaks of superheated soil skipped into the air in its trail, briefly turned molten by the energy along the perimeter of the blast.


    An instant later, the combined attack vaporized Axorzan, reducing the Field Boss to a temporary flash. The multiplying of Charlie¡¯s already absurd damage with Camila¡¯s counter ability empowered the attack to continue through the boss¡¯s armored metal carapace and into the newly formed fort that the monster had intended to protect. The metallic walls were illuminated with superheated energy, and the sentries on the wall melted as they were caught in the resulting blast, their energy shields popping like overstretched soap bubbles, sending colorful sparks soaring across the horizon.


    Camila followed the lightning, not particularly far behind thanks to her ridiculous speed and unfair manipulation of momentum, snatching the lives of the remaining Primal Constructs while they were stunned by the side effect of being too close to a lightning strike made exponentially more powerful by the combination attack. The ones that had avoided the lightning through pure luck were crumpled like empty aluminum cans by the Interceptor¡¯s follow up attacks.


    The second fort of the Primal Constructs began despawning before a minute of the event had gone by. Coop batted his watery eyes in disbelief as Camila triumphantly strolled back, the air still buzzing with residual energy. As he watched, a thought came unbidden: maybe they had over prepared a bit for this level of challenge.

 Chapter 265: The Strongest Mascot

    Coop was sitting cross-legged in the fluffy dirt with a playful frown plastered onto his face. The unused Champion was doing his best to pout dramatically and make his supposed grievances apparent. He was situated in the middle of the furthest control point, arms folded across his chest, openly sulking while the threatening red lights slowly transitioned to a less harsh shade of blue.


    A crowd of defenders had assembled within the artificial confines of the final control point as it transferred into Ghost Reef¡¯s possession. They were decompressing in groups, not completely sure if it was truly appropriate to relax so soon. Coop was right there with them, finding the opening of the event to be nothing but jarring.


    No matter what they concluded, it seemed as though they had no choice. Their uncertainties were reflected in the semi-serious conversations that were taking place between themselves, briefly recalling the battle while wondering if that was really it. They were braced for significantly more conflict than they had experienced and all of that intensity was difficult to ease out of.


    Coop went through similar feelings every time he started farming Primal Constructs. There was something about momentum in combat that drove him forward and reinforced his grind. It was always difficult to let the impulse to keep going fade away. He thought he understood what they were feeling. They had generated all this motivation, but lacked an outlet.


    The build up and preparation for the event had been substantially more arduous than the event itself. They spent weeks hyping themselves up, readying themselves for a repeat of the Siege Event, not to mention the months of calculated progression, but Ghost Reef had essentially been given a freebie for the Underlayer Event. They didn¡¯t really know how to react. All of that potential energy didn¡¯t want to go unrealized.


    For Coop, when a grind ended in such a way, it usually motivated him to chase the next one as soon as possible. It was a bit scary how much he mirrored the habits of an addict, but as long as he occasionally stopped to smell the roses, he was able to convince himself that he didn¡¯t have a problem.


    He shook his head at the scene. It seemed like their tiny island settlement was an anomaly that even the system struggled to properly manage. The wild swings in difficulty between events were wild. Coop wasn¡¯t alone in finding the whole situation surreal.


    The diversity of invaders around Ghost Reef had empowered the original residents considerably, but the side-effect was in the staggering number of waves during the siege. Those waves further conditioned the population, preparing them to contribute far more than should have been expected on a person-to-person basis. Then, the Underlayer Event based its challenge on raw population numbers without consideration of individual strength. The end result was an island prepared to fight the most difficult battles, but only confronted with the most minimal of assaults. The difference in expectations versus reality was staggering, but it could be to their advantage.


    The Primal Constructs were logically distributing their forces across the assimilation, but logic failed to account for Ghost Reef¡¯s experience. It made perfect sense to assess settlements by population when the purpose of the event was to establish bulwarks within settlement territory. The primary contributor to territory was population, after all. The largest settlements would naturally end up with the widest areas and the most defenders.


    Coop would see for himself exactly how the Primal Constructs dispensed their forces soon enough. In the long run, the residents of Ghost Reef intended to prove that the invaders had made a mistake in failing to occupy their tiny settlement. They would be free to influence other assaults, at least once they were liberated from Shane¡¯s supervision.


    At the moment, he was sitting with Charlie and Camila in the middle of the fourth control point. They were being subjected to another round of experiments. This time, Shane was testing for differences in capture rate based on location within the control point itself. It was boring work. Coop was distracting himself by acting up with the girls.


    ¡°You know, I try pretty hard to make sure I¡¯m prepared to deal with whatever gets thrown at us.¡± He complained, still brooding. ¡°And this is how you guys reward me? By making me completely redundant? Why am I even here?¡± He asked dramatically.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been over this. You¡¯re our mascot.¡± Camila responded a little too quickly, rolling her eyes, while Charlie nodded along. Camila poked him in the shoulder as she continued. ¡°You just sit back and look pretty while the rest of us handle things.¡± She suggested playfully, mocking his feigned annoyance. ¡°That¡¯s the role of our little Champion.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like you really appreciate all I¡¯ve done for you.¡± He continued on the same line, exaggerating his pridefulness.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Camila countered, leaning away from him and turning her head fast enough to flip her ponytail. ¡°We don¡¯t.¡±


    Coop scoffed at her flippancy. He sighed even more dramatically. ¡°The days and nights of constant combat, making sure I¡¯m high enough level to confront whatever the system sends at us aren¡¯t just for fun.¡± He argued. ¡°I do it all for you guys!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie.¡± Camila countered, quick to call him out for pretending he wasn¡¯t a weirdo that rejoiced whenever he had the opportunity to grind. He giggled at how she got him there.


    ¡°You¡¯ve just been holding us back.¡± Charlie added, going straight for the kill with uncharacteristic brutality.


    ¡°Oof.¡± Coop put his hand protectively over his heart. ¡°I just wanted to make you proud with my place on the leaderboards.¡± He responded sadly, trying to appeal to Charlie¡¯s compassion.


    ¡°As if they matter.¡± Charlie dismissed his excuse with a wave of her hand. ¡°You don¡¯t see me complaining about how Camila stole all of my contributions on this one.¡± She pointed out, earning another giggle from Coop as the target of her exaggerated animosity transferred to Camila. She gave her friend a challenging look.


    ¡°Hang on!¡± Camila tried to stem the tide as it shifted against her, losing the air of superiority she cultivated toward Coop after taking a critical blow from her closest confidant. ¡°My score is our score, Charlie. We¡¯re like a single unit. The system just hasn¡¯t caught up with our relationship yet.¡± Her voice noticeably pitched up as she ran through excuses like a kid caught lying.


    Coop shook his head in artificial disappointment. ¡°Can¡¯t believe you would use our poor innocent Charlie like that. That¡¯s really low.¡±


    Camila turned to Charlie pleadingly before shifting her strategy, turning her head and closing her eyes as the tone of her voice changed. ¡°Now hang on. Shouldn¡¯t you just be happy you aren¡¯t stuck in the back making tornadoes over and over? We got to do something really cool this time and it was only because of how much we trust each other.¡±


    Charlie crossed her arms, not backing down. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you afraid they''re going to make us dig more trenches, now that we¡¯re all done?¡± She responded by bringing up a concern that was a bit too real, suggesting that at least she wouldn¡¯t be digging around in the dirt if she was anchoring their defenses.


    Camila just groaned, realizing that Shane probably would want to fully secure the control points before providing any leniency. They couldn¡¯t really be sure that the event was completely over for them, and they had already allotted the next month and a half to handle it. They could turn the Underlayer into the equivalent of an ant farm with all the free real estate.


    ¡°I guess we can¡¯t really start celebrating.¡± Camila sadly admitted, flicking a speck of dirt from her knuckle.


    ¡°Celebrating?¡± Coop chuckled, preventing them from getting too serious as he imagined the sequel to their Beach Bash taking place in the barren dirt plains of the Underlayer. ¡°What would you even celebrate? You barely did anything! One punch and you already want to bring out the champagne?¡±


    ¡°You only say that ¡®cause you were napping the whole time.¡± Camila argued back.


    Charlie shook her head at Coop, switching back to Camila¡¯s side. ¡°Oblivious Champion. Doesn¡¯t even understand how much coordination and practice was necessary for our super cool ultimate move. Such little appreciation.¡±


    Coop sighed dramatically, thinking that was his line, before gazing around the control point. The truth was Coop was sincerely impressed with the residents of Ghost Reef. They were dominant in a way he hadn¡¯t been able to imagine. Sure, they had presumably been given a remarkably easy challenge when it came to the Underlayer Event, based on the system¡¯s assessment, but they had handled it with a level of comfort that went above and beyond reasonable expectations.


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    The Primal Constructs had been Elites that were still slightly higher level than the defenders on average, and the invaders had the additional privileges of arriving with their own fortresses already positioned in key locations. They even outnumbered the residents of Ghost Reef, though the reinforcements from Empress City hadn¡¯t been engaged and would have flipped the numbers around.


    The Constructs essentially held every advantage over the human defenders, but the planetary sponsors were completely overcome by Ghost Reef in a single hour, giving him a bit more time to spend with his friends before setting off on what would surely be a long trip.


    After Elder Olani¡¯s pre-event preparations had resulted in the first fort being demolished seconds after it appeared, Camila and Charlie had annihilated the second. They cleared another quarter of the invasion force, along with the apparent champion, in a single minute of the event¡¯s initiation. The next fort to fall succumbed to the continuous, focused ranged attacks of those posted inside of the interior mound, sniping from a distance while Shane decided on how to press the most distant of their opponents¡¯ strongholds.


    Apparently, it had been like shooting fish in a barrel. The defenders were already familiar with the personal shields of the Primal Constructs, and they used volleys to temporarily bring them down while individual snipers picked the support monsters off one after the other, letting their mannequin-like bodies tumble off the walls of their stronghold. The high ground turned into a carnival-style shooting gallery.


    In the end, the Cleary Brothers led an exceedingly simple charge on the final fort while the freed up ranged combatants provided cover fire and support classes powered their own mana shields above the assault. The fully armored warriors smashed straight through one of the walls of the fort, exposing the Constructs within to the experienced and remarkably bloodthirsty melee fighters of Ghost Reef. They were eager to get a piece of the enemies before they were completely wiped out. Gibson¡¯s party, Emmanuel, and even Edith Buford smashed the robotic manifestations without any reluctance.


    While most of Ghost Reef¡¯s residents leaned toward ranged combat, those who specialized in close quarters were excessively serious about their role. They recognized the importance of making sure the ranged combatants were able to maintain their distance. It was a lesson learned when the walls broke during the Siege Event. But that didn¡¯t mean they were satisfied sitting back and spectating.


    Ghost Reef¡¯s Underlayer Event was effectively over after barely more than one hour and Coop had been the one to do nothing but watch. It was a complete stomp. Shane assured him he had been held back to make sure he was available in case any more difficult challenges popped up that might catch them by surprise. They had been spooked by the thought of an Icon of Mana appearing, so they had kept the idea of escalating threats in the back of their minds, and therefore Coop was the insurance that allowed the rest to go all out without holding anything in reserve.


    So Coop just sat around in the trenches, waiting, until it was time to experiment with the control points, at which point he sat around, waiting even more, but in the open ground rather than behind cover. Instead of simply jumping into the claim areas, they had tested how they worked a bit while checking to see if the Primal Constructs would respawn or otherwise retaliate.


    They had a better understanding of the event, the control points and the scoring after their careful and patient analysis, but it was boring for the battle-ready residents.


    The Primal Constructs sent one force, and that was it, as far as they could tell. The allotment of enemies was decided by the population of the besieged settlement. Ghost Reef¡¯s population was among the smallest on the planet, so they received an excessively minor force. In total, there were 10,000 Elite Primal Constructs worth a single point each, split between four encampments, and a single Field Boss worth 1,000 points by itself.


    The Primal Constructs were leveled in a way that was appropriate for the amount of time that the assimilation had lasted. The event began on Day 125, but the event would end as they approached Day 170. If the Constructs were meant to last the entire time, their level was exactly correlated with the days. The experience curve that the galactic community espoused was clearly delineated in the Underlayer Event, not slowing down just yet.


    The system limited the invaders in such a way that they were barely a threat to Ghost Reef. The tenth wave of the Siege Event had been nearly equal to the entire Underlayer Event¡¯s assault on Ghost Reef. The main difference was the single Field Boss and the fortifications the invaders were able to implement. Even trying to compare a single wave of the siege to the entire second event only served to highlight the extraordinary difference. The Underlayer Event was a joke if viewed only through the lens of Ghost Reef¡¯s experience.


    But that wasn¡¯t all they had planned to do this time around. Once they confirmed everything they needed to about holding their own control points, they would send an appropriate force to their subordinate settlements. If things continued to go so well, Coop would venture even further.


    ¡°Can I get going, now?¡± Coop finally broached the topic directly, raising his voice to get Shane¡¯s attention where he stood at the outer edge of the objective, as the last control point¡¯s illumination fully transitioned to a gentle blue. It pulsed once to indicate the conversion was complete, sending light all the way to the ceiling for a brief moment.


    ¡°Wait just a few more minutes.¡± Shane requested. ¡°We should see what happens when all four control points are under our governance, but none of us are within their areas.¡±


    There was an audible groan from more than just Coop as they realized they weren¡¯t free yet. So far, they had tested whether the rate of capture changed by having one person, then several people enter the control points. They tested if levels had any impact on increasing the rate of capture. They even experimented with rotating people in and out to see if progress continued, reset, or changed rate.


    As Coop removed himself from the control area with everyone else, wiping the dirt off his hands, they all watched to see if they lost any progress. Nothing happened. All four points remained blue, designating Ghost Reef as the group in possession of their territory. In a twist on their expectations, it had taken twice as long to check everything they could think of with the control points than it had to actually defeat the Primal Constructs.


    Coop checked the leaderboards again, believing that they would be moving into the next phase of their plan soon enough.


    Underlayer Event Individual Scores:


    <ol>


    <li> Camila Alvarez - 3,364 (+3364)</li>


    <li> Kenny Wolfe - 743 (+743)</li>


    <li> Zach Miller - 717 (+144)</li>


    <li> Gibson - 623 (+623)</li>


    <li> Platinum - 602 (+601)</li>


    <li> Elder Olani - 590 (+68)</li>


    <li> Sila Tupua - 522 (+522)</li>


    <li> Buck Cleary - 501 (+501)</li>


    <li> Jacqueline ¡®Jackie¡¯ Simpson - 487 (+272)</li>


    <li> Neon - 429 (+429)</li>


    </ol>


    Camila was the clear frontrunner thanks to the unshared point distribution of this event. During the Siege everyone shared contributions on individual kills, but this time around the sharing was only done between the settlement and its residents. For each individual Primal Construct defeated, one point went to the person who landed the killing blow, one point was given to that person¡¯s settlement, and one point was applied to the settlement that the Construct was assaulting. That meant that for every individual Construct that Camila defeated, Ghost Reef also received two points.


    Underlayer Event Settlement Scores:


    <ol>


    <li> Ghost Reef - 22,000 (x1)</li>


    <li> Neon Park - 5,212 (x13)</li>


    <li> Aotearoa New Zealand - 1,855 (x5)</li>


    <li> Shinjuku Gardens - 0 (x25)</li>


    <li> Gangcheon - 0 (x15)</li>


    <li> Nyiragongo - 0 (x13)</li>


    <li> Can Gio - 0 (x11)</li>


    <li> Silvervalley - 0 (x11)</li>


    <li> Englischer Garten - 0 (x8)</li>


    <li> Ordesa - 0 (x7)</li>


    </ol>


    Ghost Reef had taken an initial lead, but it clearly wouldn¡¯t last, and when the final scores were tallied, they had no real hope of winning this event. Higher challenge assessments inevitably correlated with far more enemies to defeat, meaning that Ghost Reef was completely disadvantaged compared to the larger settlements. Neon Park was already technically ahead, and they were just getting started.


    If there was anyone that was truly disappointed among the residents, they kept it to themselves. Even Coop hadn¡¯t complained about the fact that they were safe. No one would trade their security for a higher score. On the bright side, Coop was also the first candidate to explore more opportunities to get individual points elsewhere. There was still hope that he could top the individual leaderboards while finding opportunities to advance himself during the Underlayer Event.


    He watched Shane expectantly, bobbing his head as if he was nudging his own advisor into giving him permission, waiting for the vocalized go ahead as if he needed the authorization.


    ¡°Alright, Coop.¡± The often stressed guard captain finally spoke what the Champion wanted to hear. ¡°Just make sure to check the leaderboards every once in a while. If it looks like we need help, come back and check on us.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Coop agreed, feeling like it didn¡¯t need to be said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get the Empress City soldiers mobilized soon enough, but if you could capture any control points you manage to liberate before you move on, that would be great.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna capture them all.¡± Coop concluded with a thumbs up, seriously intending to circumnavigate as much of the globe as he could to do just that.


    ¡°Not if we capture them first.¡± Camila taunted him with a challenge, several other residents who were near enough to listen in nodded with her. He smiled with a tinge of pride, having a better idea of what they were capable of. Ghost Reef¡¯s expedition would head the opposite direction as their Champion while Empress City¡¯s force would follow in his wake. He would leave first, while they all reorganized themselves.


    There was no real concern of getting lost. He would be guided by the confines of the Underlayer. If he went fast enough, theoretically, he might even be able to return to Ghost Reef from the other direction before the event was complete. He rotated his shoulder as he planned to unleash his movement abilities in a way that he never did on the surface.


    The only landmarks in the Underlayer were control points guarded by Primal Constructs and enormous pillars that marked the connections to the surface. The complete lack of features in the dirt-filled desert worked in his favor. If he saw anything at all, it would be something that he was looking for.

 Chapter 266: First to Fall

    Specks of soil swirled around Coop¡¯s feet after he disturbed the pristine earth with his sudden appearance. Behind him, a blank canvas of untouched loam stretched to the horizon of the Underlayer, passed over by his long mistjump. Ahead, the endless expanse of repetitive dirt plains reached out like a stagnant sea of black and deep browns, barely reflecting the mysteriously sourceless light. It was a whole bunch of unoccupied emptiness, yet another abyss.


    It had only taken ten long spear throws before Coop was feeling overwhelmed by the solitude once again. There was something truly alien about the cavernous underground that he couldn¡¯t quite pin down, and it wasn¡¯t helped by the infinitesimal hunger that was unsatisfied whenever he wasn¡¯t actively on the hunt.


    The next mistjump¡¯s considerable distance placed him near the first landmark he had discovered since leaving his companions behind. He paused after he landed, taking a second to double check the surroundings while reconsidering the vacuity of the caverns.


    Coop tried to assess how his disposition was affected by the Underlayer logically. His initial diagnosis was that he was instinctively detecting a complete and utter lack of life and it was triggering some prehistoric defense mechanism.


    Before the assimilation, if he had wandered into a natural location that was totally devoid of any life, he would hesitate to explore it in fear of some invisible danger. The lack of living organisms would be taken as a sign that there was a deadly gas or some other imperilment that should be avoided. A completely dead place was just unnatural on planet Earth and at some point, ancient humans had learned to be wary in a way that carried on through the ages.


    Coop had never been in a place so devoid of life before he entered the Underlayer. There were no trees, no burgeoning grasses, no molds or algaes, not even pioneering insects to break up the monotonous silence with their buzzing. Whatever breeze was present felt artificial, as if it wasn¡¯t the stagnant air being refreshed, but rather mana flowing in a way that was barely discernible to human senses, causing a flow that was more similar to water beneath the surface of a turbulent ocean than the winds on a mostly flat plain. The air hardly moved, and if he let his mind zero in on it, the open expanse felt suffocating despite being sizable. The feeling wasn¡¯t improved by the way the blanket of soil absorbed sounds.


    When he was far off the coast, lost in the ocean, the constant waves and the occasional small disturbance on the surface reminded him that time was still flowing. When he was high in the sky, the clouds drifted and various birds glided to high elevations, untethered to the firm ground. In the Underlayer, there was no sun slowly shifting across the sky, no tiny critters proving they owned the habitat, and no real weather patterns to break up the monotony. There weren¡¯t even regular Primal Constructs variants waiting to be confronted.


    Coop cleared his throat for no reason other than to make a sound, but the effect was dampened by the ubiquitous dirt, making it seem even more stifling. It would take some effort to make the Underlayer seem comfortable even if it appeared to lack significant hazards.


    He gazed at the giant pillar that had drawn his attention in the first place, tracing its edifice with his eyes as it climbed into the vaporous silvery clouds toward the top of the cavern. Unlike Ghost Reef¡¯s column, this one was off to the side, occupying an area near enough to a wall for Coop to clearly see the slight curvature in the edge of the Underlayer, constructed of the same uneroded stone as the solid monument. Ghost Reef had been placed in what seemed like a central hub in comparison. The entire tunnel seemed more than 100 miles wide, so there was plenty of room for variance in the placements of landmarks.


    There were no control points around this pillar and no Primal Constructs claiming territory for the miles around that he could see. Coop took a moment to consider if there was a correlation between the connections of the Underlayer to the surface with the locations of civilization shards. It was clear that this one wasn¡¯t near anything at all, but perhaps it had originally been representative of a shard that was already lost.


    The connections had all been made at the start of the assimilation at the same time that the civilization shards were landing on the surface, waiting to be claimed, so he thought it made sense that there would at least be a similar amount of coverage, if not a direct correlation. Having a direct connection like Ghost Reef would be rare, but having access to a way down proportional to shards seemed logical.


    Coop shrugged his thoughts away, wondering where exactly he was. He had no internal odometer and the way he blasted his spear forward meant that he had no real sense of the distance he was traveling. The fact that the Underlayer shortened the equivalent distances on the surface didn¡¯t help clarify his travel either.


    He could only assume that, because he hadn¡¯t discovered Empress City¡¯s Primal Construct assault, he had simply reached a spot in the Florida Keys where a settlement could have been established in the beginning. Otherwise, Empress City¡¯s nearest entryway to the Underlayer might be completely inaccessible.


    As far as he knew, the chain of islands at the end of Florida had been completely submerged in the tumultuous start. However, his brief investigation of the pillar didn¡¯t reveal any water leaking into the Underlayer, though he expected mana could easily establish a barrier, so that didn¡¯t mean he was necessarily wrong in thinking this could lead to one of the Keys.


    The enormous structure was a simple lonely monument, situated all by itself, with its only company the solitary Champion as he passed by. He supposed someone like Balor would need to fully establish the connection before the chasms connected for anything other than mana.


    Coop left the pillar behind with another immense throw of his spear. He took a running start through the cushioning dirt, launching the missile with all of his Strength. The spear was lost from his vision in less time than it took for him to regain his normal posture, leaving spiraling rings of mana as it reached the speed of a fighter jet. It shot forward with no discernible arc.


    A twitch of his fingers as he prepared to catch the spear helped him activate the mistjump, like a physical mnemonic device that remembered the natural process he had practiced so many times. He flickered from existence, reappearing some miles ahead, with the spear firmly in his hand.


    Another splash of dirt left evidence of his arrival, and another running start initiated another massive throw. Without specific knowledge of his mode of transportation, someone tracing his path might think he had a stride that extended for miles and miles.


    Coop was generally someone that was satisfied being alone. He had never been a person that needed to recharge his social battery with groups of people. Voluntarily becoming a lighthouse keeper would have been a mistake if he was worried about loneliness, but he had never considered how the general presence of plants and animals influenced his consciousness. He had only been in the Underlayer for a short time, but he already missed the beach like it had been ages.


    He wasn¡¯t sure if it was the seclusion of the underground cavern that was really bothering him, or if it was what the emptiness it represented. The Underlayer was lifeless in a way that seemed intentional. It was like a sterile room, quarantined from the rest of the planet. In the strictly cleansed underground, he was the contaminant. He could sense that he didn¡¯t really belong.


    Mistjump after mistjump sent him further away from his companions, but he didn¡¯t slow down beyond making sure to glance around each time he landed. If there was anything to see other than dirt, he would notice it, even if he overshot it by a few miles, but other than the single stone pillar, it was always more of the same.


    The Primal Constructs weren¡¯t bothered by the stillness, though the whooshing of air in the distance did finally draw their attention. To their perception, the endless dirt shimmered with mana, blurring the glowing horizon with a haze of energy.


    The invaders were silent aside from their limbs tapping their alien fortresses and the soft crunch of the soil compressing beneath their pointed limbs as they patrolled the area. They were the temporary custodians of a desolate landscape, but it was only a staging ground. They would take their positions on the surface if they could hold their ground. They would establish zones of complete dominance.


    The most powerful warrior of the Primal Construct force assaulting Empress City, Andamarius, the Blight Howler, lifted its canine head, detecting danger a moment before the rest due to its elevated status as a Field Boss. Its stats were incomparable to any single Elite, and it was gifted with far superior perception.


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    For a fleeting moment, an almost imperceptible flicker of mana ripped through the shimmering mana on the horizon, carving a channel in the blinding energy like a bullet through steam. The Field Boss was the only one to react before the swoosh of air became a resounding thud. A missile embedded itself straight through his curious head.


    The impossible glint of the fleeting streak of ethereal mana had been a silent harbinger of death for the alien invaders. They only had a moment to recognize it before violence exploded in its wake.


    Andamarius¡¯s decapitated body collapsed onto its side and began dissipating as the Primal Construct army that had camped around their fortress spun in the direction of the projectile¡¯s origin, caught by surprise. They silently understood that they were under attack and quickly adjusted their orientation, reforming their battle lines while desperately seeking their mysterious opponent as mana shields activated. The attack had come so swiftly, they had no choice but to preemptively defend themselves from another salvo.


    Coop appeared from behind them, like a specter shrouded in quickly evaporating mists, and he wasn¡¯t alone. The second attack came from himself and a full complement of phantasms already in melee range. A single attack from an entire phalanx of spear-wielding warriors decimated the backline supporters of the army as they wagged their torso and powered the shields. The spears followed through, cleaving straight through the mechanical bodies. They had no warning thanks to the attackers¡¯ ethereal existences.


    The spear thrusts crippled the ranged Scourge and Spite Constructs as well, deeper in the formation, but the phantasms evaporated into the Underlayer before reaching the back of the shield bearing frontline, leaving Coop alone after piercing into the interior of a massive group of Elite Primal Constructs. Coop wasn¡¯t disheartened by his solitude on the battlefield. It was different when compared to the loneliness of the Underlayer. This was better. He smiled as the hunt he desperately sought was finally upon him.


    Dirt bounced off Coop¡¯s cheek, as his lunge carried him forward, through the spray generated by his opening attack. He pierced the metal armored head of a Ruin Construct with the tip of his ethereal spear, firmly gripping it with his right hand, making it seem like a natural extension of his forearm. The crunch reverberated through the stagnant air of the Underlayer as the Construct¡¯s life was extinguished.


    Coop didn¡¯t stop moving, having practiced with a level of intensity that was appropriate for this battle during his most recent grinds. At this point, his truculence came naturally. The speartip melted into mists, expanding until it reformed into a flat blade that was already tearing out of the dissipating body. The stagnant air whistled as the blade cleaved a second Ruin Construct before it could even set its feet.


    Each time he struck one of the mannequin-like enemies, a phantasm burst from the mists, joining him for combination attacks that caught additional targets equally unprepared, multiplying his damage to the enemy formations.


    Coop¡¯s glaive ripped forward as the army collapsed upon his position, firing ranged attacks that he ducked beneath, or attempting to strike his blindside only to be met by phantasms too powerful for them to push. When he spun and the glaive transformed back into his ethereal spear, he pitched it forward in one smooth twirling motion, turning his tactics into an aggressive dance.


    The missile cut a hole through the army before Coop mistjumped into another bunched up crowd. He swapped again, this time to his sword, and used the blade to slice down multitudes of the enemy casters, then when the shieldbearers attempted to get Coop¡¯s assault under control, they were crushed beneath the immense weight of his enhanced morning star, leaking streams of spectral mana with just a slight touch of the abyss.


    Coop had an answer for each of the five enemy types if he needed it, and their small party formations lacked the ability to match his personal adaptability, requiring their specific strengths to be leveraged before their weaknesses were exposed. Coop pierced their cores and whittled them down while they attempted to adjust. Their only advantage was sheer numbers, but repeatedly defeating monsters in extended periods of combat was Coop¡¯s absolute specialty.


    When Coop finally discovered some enemies in the Underlayer, there was no hesitation in his actions. His mistjump had continued as planned, though the most dangerous enemy was targeted first. There was only a single fort within range, nearly identical to the ones that had spawned around Ghost Reef¡¯s trench-lined stronghold. The main difference was that rows of the alien soldiers were organized beyond its exterior, too numerous to all fit inside the metal confines of their walls.


    Coop was a whirlwind of violence, finally unleashing his pent up frustration with the galactic community on the hapless Primal Constructs. He didn¡¯t bother holding back. He was completely unwilling to give them even a single second to delay him further.


    The organized columns of alien invaders were torn to bits as Coop crushed their invasion force before turning his attention to the fort itself. Between the Champion and the Legacy of the Mists, the representative of Earth had carved through 2,500 Elite Primal Constructs and a single Field Boss in less than an hour, leaving the fort¡¯s defenders alone on the walls and within the parade grounds.


    Coop used his knuckles to wipe dirt from his brow, creating a smear as he decided on how to proceed on their stronghold. It wasn¡¯t like he needed a siege engine to break their defenses.


    A single spear throw blasted a hole straight through the side wall, revealing the other half of the preliminary fort¡¯s forces. The interior Constructs were organized to defend the gate that he had completely ignored, anticipating the attack from the weakest point of their structure. Coop crashed into their side, a single flanking force accompanied by fleeting ghosts of silent human vanquishers.


    The remaining 2,500 system limited Primal Construct soldiers didn¡¯t stand a chance either. They were slaughtered, trapped within their own defenses with someone that had exceeded expectations on a level they could never have calculated for. Phantasms made wild leaping attacks that prevented the aliens from establishing any sort of coordinated defense, and a repeat of the fight club during the siege event took place. The main difference was Coop¡¯s multiplicative growth since that time.


    Once the walls faded away, dissipating with the last of the defenders, the control point began transitioning from red to blue. The Champion was left alone on the southwestern corner of Empress City¡¯s blockade, and he waited with a bit of impatience. His heart was pounding, 5,000 enemies were defeated, but he wasn¡¯t feeling fulfilled. Like a fiend, he wanted to kill more, to defeat them all.


    He took a deep calming breath, forcing himself to be disciplined and remember the objectives before he greedily chased more kills. He planted the butt of his spear in the ground and stood like a statue, dirt sticking to his sweat while his ethereal armor hummed with energy. Spectral mana drifted from his torso, making him the mirror image of one of his ghosts, though the rare black wisp added an eldritch flavor that the human phantasms lacked.


    Broadening his horizons beyond Ghost Reef was making him feel a different kind of urgency. It almost felt selfish, but if he was going to let even more people rely on him, it seemed necessary to take another step forward.


    He watched as the nearest fort on the horizon, miles away, mobilized its own army to prevent him from capturing the point. They hadn¡¯t reacted until its possession was contested, much too late to make a difference. Once it was clear that the first fort had fallen, they committed to its defense, not that he thought it would have mattered if they had been more timely.


    They marched toward him in orderly columns, evidently seeking to engage the army that had caught a quarter of their entire assaulting force by surprise. The absence of an opposing force hadn¡¯t dawned on them.


    Coop couldn¡¯t wait. He met them in the field near their fort of origin, repeating his opening spear throw with an explosive volatile attack that formed a crater in the dirt while sending the enemy forces into chaos. It seemed like they didn¡¯t expect his aggression in the slightest, but Coop had been fettered by responsibility and modesty for too long. He would kill all these aliens before he captured any of the control points. The Champion of Ghost Reef was feeling bloodthirsty. A new grind was finally getting started.


    He left the first control point unclaimed, instead seeking his second conquest while he was revved up. The slaughter was a repeat of the first, though the second point lacked a Field Boss leader. Another 5,000 Primal Constructs were sent back to wherever they came from with several ethereal weapons slipping in and out of existence and countless phantasms providing bursts of power.


    Coop didn¡¯t wait for the third to mobilize their assault force before he blasted into them. He was upon the third fort while they were still lining up to face the second exposed control point. When he was done, he moved on to the next, relentlessly seeking the defeat of his enemies.


    The fourth fort collapsed before its army. The Primal Constructs had sent their last army to reclaim the first partially captured control point while he attacked their other strongholds in a clockwise rotation. The exposed army of the final stronghold were crushed where their first brethren had been defeated after their fort was stolen out from under them.


    The Primal Constructs had placed their forts equidistant from each other. Coop assumed they were surrounding Empress City, placing a fort on each intercardinal point. There were no landmarks designating the location of the settlement, but he doubted the Primal Constructs were camping out randomly. The first stronghold would have been located approximately where Peacock Park was on the surface, assuming the empty central area would have been the airport, while the second fort might be near the golf course, if he tried to account for the differences in distances in the Underlayer. That meant the other two would have been north and south of Battery Park and the accompanying port.


    Unlike Ghost Reef, the Constructs had sought to completely enclose Empress City¡¯s settlement. A stronghold of alien invaders would have trapped the entire center of the pre-mana city within their net. It was less of a foothold in the civilization shard¡¯s territory and more of a complete takeover.


    ¡°Ambitious.¡± Coop muttered as he settled into position in the center of the first capture point, 20,000 Primal Construct defeats later. Since he was just getting started, he figured he could let himself be a bit more ambitious as well.

 Chapter 267: Recalibration

    Coop felt unsatisfied. If he was going to eschew any modesty and embrace the most ambitious of his aspirations, he would need to rise to the occasion in a way that was currently impossible for him.


    His first battles in the Underlayer Event revealed multiple problems with his typical straightforward approach. It wasn¡¯t that he was ineffective in defeating monsters, as that absolutely wasn¡¯t the case, but his overall approach would need to change if he wanted to fulfill his broader goals. His ambition demanded innovation.


    The issues were almost entirely macro scale problems. Since he had slowly solidified his methods, he worried that altering them would create major obstacles to overcome. He simply couldn¡¯t individually kill monsters much faster than he already was with his normal strategies, but he really needed to increase the rate that he cleared enemies. As he was, he was limited by stats, but waiting for more levels wasn¡¯t an option.


    His actual efficacy was absurd. He was easily a one man army, but he needed to be better. The Underlayer Event demanded more than his usual relentless tactics if he wanted to have an outsized influence on the global results. The goal wasn¡¯t exclusively experience and long-term progression this time around, so his reliable grinding tactics designed to keep him at the best possible condition through steady battles had serious room for improvement.


    At this point in the assimilation his build had snowballed to the point where it felt like he was smurfing against the system-limited opponents. He had an inkling of what it would have been like if any of the formerly contracted aliens had been unleashed into the events, and it wouldn¡¯t have been pretty. It was a shame he couldn¡¯t tap into them as a resource to increase Ghost Reef¡¯s coverage, but they had their own important role to fill with the galactic community¡¯s attention on the Lighthouse.


    He shook his head at himself, slightly unsure about how to proceed. He gazed out along the Underlayer¡¯s unchanged sterile horizon and frowned to himself. Unfortunately, there would be no underground sunsets or sunrises to count on bookending his days. His usual anchors were unavailable in the sterile underground and he would be steadily moving away from his friends.


    Coop consciously inhaled a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment to reset. The problem wasn¡¯t whether he was capable of defeating the Primal Constructs. He had already proven that he could, back when he was significantly weaker and lacked his current experience. The problem was with how quickly he needed to do so much. If he was really going to keep going, defending more and more settlements and the residents they protected, he would need to be significantly more efficient. It was basically a logistics issue. He had just defeated 20,000 enemies at a rate that exceeded one per second, and it wasn¡¯t enough.


    Thankfully, several of the limiting factors on his usual grinds were eliminated by the event within the Underlayer. He didn¡¯t need to sweep a natural expanse, seeking out his targets in varied environments, and there was no waiting for respawns to refresh his grind areas. All the monsters were already there, gathered up and waiting to be farmed.


    Efficiency had been a constant pursuit for the Revenant ever since the first grinds on the beach. This was no different. He simply had less time to adjust, with a strict, firm deadline looming over the entire journey.


    As he waited for the fourth Empress City control point to turn blue from the center of the ring of pale light, he used the tip of his spear to carve small channels in the soft dirt, squatting on his toes as his mind recalibrated his role in the event. Behind him, dug into the sediment, ¡®Coop was here¡¯ was prominently displayed in bold blocky letters, like a teenager¡¯s first attempt at graffiti. He¡¯d tagged each of the control points with random phrases and symbols for no real reason while he thought about how he would accomplish what he wanted for the Underlayer Event.


    The challenge in the underground wasn¡¯t one that required him to scrape and claw another day of survival. It was about properly wielding the strength he had already accumulated in order to seize a broader victory over the assimilation itself. He naturally held back when he fought, avoiding overexerting himself against any individual opponent so that he was always prepared for possible escalations in his encounters.


    The assimilation had trained him to anticipate surprises, and wasting effort on the equivalent of overkilling would normally be detrimental to his grinds. Usually, he only wanted to expend exactly the amount of energy necessary for each individual opponent so that he would be as fresh as possible for the next unknown challenge. Entering any individual fight at less than 100% was a risk that he did his best to mitigate.


    Applying his normal combat philosophies to the underground, he cleared the first Primal Construct assault without ruining his mana income, making sure to only spend as much as he could recover as he fought. He limited the number of phantasms he summoned as he sought the equilibrium that was necessary for his infinite grinds, though their mana cost was approaching zero. The fact that he needed to summon them more frequently due to the ley lines of the Underlayer countered the improvements they had made in efficiency. He also avoided wasteful Fog of War domains in favor of leaning on his personal stamina to individually take care of the enemies with what he viewed as another much more renewable resource: his own effort.


    In the grand scheme of the Underlayer Event, Empress City¡¯s assault was small potatoes. With 245 settlements on the planet, humanity would need to collectively clear the assaults of something like six settlements a day, though they were each clearly designed to run all the way to the end. Defeating the invaders was one thing, traveling to them was another, and actually capturing the points was the extra cherry on top. It didn¡¯t seem possible to contribute as much as he wanted with the way he operated in the past.


    Empress City had taken him more than five hours, including the travel time, to claim. It was fast, considering it was the first day of the assaults, but it was also way too slow if he wanted to clear the whole thing on his own. The settlements with the lowest challenge assessments couldn¡¯t take so long. He would definitely need to adjust his tactics once he reached Neptune¡¯s Bridge, but what he could change didn¡¯t come to mind right away.


    He couldn¡¯t travel any faster and he couldn¡¯t make the points transfer control any quicker. The only thing he could change was how rapidly he defeated his enemies. He shook his head as he chewed on his lip. He was already at his limit, as long as he continued to operate with his usual tactics. More stats would incrementally improve his ability, but that wasn¡¯t a short term solution. It was almost like he needed to flip his regular gameplan on its head.


    He grunted at the thought of turning his tactics upside down, putting a pin in the idea. Before the last of the Empress City control points turned blue, he checked the leaderboards, not intending to stop again until he was claiming another set of the objectives.


    Underlayer Event Individual Scores:


    <ol>


    <li> Coop - 21,000 (+21,000)</li>


    <li> Camila Alvarez -3,364 (+0)</li>


    <li> Platinum - 1,024 (+422)</li>


    <li> Sila Tupua - 864 (+342)</li>


    <li> Kenny Wolfe - 743 (+0)</li>


    <li> Zach Miller - 717 (+0)</li>


    <li> Gibson - 623 (+0)</li>


    <li> Neon - 619 (+190)</li>


    <li> Carlos Alvarez - 606 (+606)</li>


    <li> Callagun - 565 (+361)</li>


    </ol>


    Coop chuckled at himself, letting himself be distracted from his tactical considerations. He looked so selfish, taking all the points while his allies stagnated.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    In general, his aid would probably go completely unappreciated once he was fighting for the sake of complete strangers outside of his faction¡¯s influence. For now, his actions were expected, but if things went well, he would be fighting for places he had never reached. He figured he would need to put on a good show if he ran into anyone. He was representing Ghost Reef and the Lighthouse after all, but somehow it felt unlikely he would have many opportunities to show off.


    The state of the Underlayer seemed like it would be relatively lonely. Clearing the invasions on his own was the far more likely outcome. If they hadn¡¯t made it into the Underlayer, they would probably remain oblivious to his contributions, not that he particularly cared. If he could drag anyone forward with his momentum, that would be great, but if he was honest with himself, he was primarily motivated by his desire to flick his nose at the Primal Constructs and the galactic community more broadly. They might not know what his middle finger raised toward them meant, but his score would be a statement they should universally understand. Ultimately, his ability to send the message necessitated continued progression.


    His actual point total was off to a running start. Empress City, despite having a human population that was around 15 times larger than Ghost Reef, only had twice as many Primal Constructs assaulting it. Maybe it was less than expected, but that was plenty of enemies to put him way into the early lead.


    He already knew that using Ghost Reef as a baseline would be a bad idea, and his first comparison was good enough confirmation that he was correct. The Underlayer Event clearly took the settlement¡¯s population into account, but there was also a minimum assessment, a floor so-to-speak, and Ghost Reef¡¯s population was making itself comfortable in the basement. 10,000 Elite Primal Constructs and a single Field Boss was the minimum attacking force, regardless of population.


    Coop was unhappy with the thought that there were other settlements with challenge assessments as low as theirs, undergoing an unfair assault while they hadn¡¯t been endangered in the slightest.


    Not everyone would have 15,000 phantom humans backing them up, enabling them to send their entire population into the underground. They would need to pick and choose who would stay and who would go in order to ensure the security of the settlement on the surface while defending themselves in the Underlayer, and that was if they had access at all. Then the event wouldn¡¯t dynamically scale down to their population in the first place if they were below the minimum threshold. He thought it was unfair. The assimilation was too lazy.


    He moved on to the Settlement Scores to see how others were doing.


    Underlayer Event Settlement Scores:


    <ol>


    <li> Ghost Reef - 43,000 (x1)</li>


    <li> Empress City - 21,000 (x1)</li>


    <li> Neon Park - 12,521 (x13)</li>


    <li> Aotearoa New Zealand - 5,952 (x5)</li>


    <li> Kyzyl Cross - 2,500 (x1)</li>


    <li> Gangcheon - 1,404 (x15)</li>


    <li> Can Gio - 847 (x11)</li>


    <li> Silvervalley - 117 (x11)</li>


    <li> Shinjuku Gardens - 0 (x25)</li>


    <li> Nyiragongo - 0 (x13)</li>


    </ol>


    Pushing Empress City to number two was pretty amusing. It was almost a shame he couldn¡¯t keep forcing its score up the same way he could with Ghost Reef.


    Empress City may not have received any credit for resident contributions, but their entire Primal Construct assault had been eliminated, giving them full credit for each of the Primal Constructs and the single Field Boss that had assaulted them.


    Ghost Reef continued to benefit with a proportional increase to his own score. He¡¯d keep grinding, but beating the challenge assessment multipliers didn¡¯t seem like a real possibility at his current rate, as impressive as they were. Ghost Reef shouldn¡¯t be able to place first this time around, even if he was the clear frontrunner on the individual scores. He expected the larger settlements to have Primal Constructs in the millions to destroy, and the large settlements would receive double credit for each one they defeated. Ultimately, it was a completely lost cause if he couldn¡¯t adapt his tactics to the demands of the Underlayer.


    The actual settlements that had started fighting were mostly among those with the largest populations, and therefore the ones with the best chance of building high scores. He supposed that made sense. They would have the manpower to explore the underground as well as having the largest territories around their settlements to capture a connection to the Underlayer. It wouldn¡¯t make it any easier for him to stay at the top of the leaderboards, but it was fine.


    However, other than the battles he was present for, only five total settlements appeared to have even begun defending themselves. It was the first day, but he didn¡¯t think it was a good sign that so few had established themselves during the first 25 hour pre-assault window. He suspected that most were using that time to enter the Underlayer in the first place. Compared to Ghost Reef, it was a completely different situation.


    The only real chance for Ghost Reef to stay at the top would be for most of them to remain inactive while Coop figured out a better way to clear them all on their behalf, but it wouldn¡¯t be great if they were that reliant on him. That was just adding unnecessary pressure onto his back. Did he even have the bandwidth to meet his own expectations? He shrugged, betting that he would find out.


    The only surprise among the settlement leaderboards was another of the smallest settlements, Kyzyl Cross, with its own x1 challenge assessment appearing among the others. With a flat 2,500 score, he guessed they had fully cleared exactly one of their four control points.


    ¡°Good for them.¡± Coop declared, wishing for them to be one settlement he wouldn¡¯t have to visit. If more of the smaller settlements could handle themselves, Ghost Reef would be in better shape with Coop free to find the larger Primal Construct armies and take advantage of their numbers to boost his scores.


    Unfortunately, the state of the rest of the world wasn¡¯t making him feel particularly optimistic. How many Primal Constructs would Neon Park have to defeat, if they were being assaulted based on a population they assumed was 13,000,000. They were talking something like 2,500 times more than what Ghost Reef dealt with. It was insane, really.


    No matter how the numbers scaled, Coop fully expected the larger settlements to be forced into battling for the majority, if not the entire duration of the event. Even the smaller ones would need to pace themselves if they hadn¡¯t developed any powerhouses ahead of time. Of course, that was all by design. The event was meant to last until the end, though Coop intended to break expectations himself.


    Ghost Reef may have been off to a good start in the Underlayer Event, but they hadn¡¯t forgotten the difficulties the system events could impose upon them. It was because they had survived the Siege Event that they understood what others might have to face this time around, but this time, they were in a position to help. They also had plenty of reasons for offering aid, whether altruistic or not, and every intention to follow through.


    Coop went to check his own status, knowing he had defeated 20,000 Elites and a Field Boss, but he noticed almost nothing had changed. They didn¡¯t drop any materials, so it wasn¡¯t a surprise that Scavenging hadn¡¯t leveled up, but the real shock was that he had only received a single level.


    Non-elite regular monsters of relatively equal level on the surface, in the same numbers, would have given him just as much experience, and that was without considering any associated quests. The Primal Constructs seemed like another scam.


    He grunted in disappointment, stabbing his spear deeper into the dirt. Maybe the real scam was the Underlayer. The mana that would have normally gone to his progression was dispersed into the underground instead. Combined with the diminishing returns he would inevitably experience after progression nearly 100 levels beyond his opponents, and thought he was looking at a disappointing amount of progression when he looked at it from a raw numbers point of view.


    ¡°Actually...¡± Coop tilted his head to the side as he reconsidered.


    On the other hand, it had only been five hours in total. One level in five hours was really not that disappointing at all.


    Coop nodded to himself, realizing that the entire Underlayer Event might need a shift in his perspective. Everything needed to be reconsidered, from his style of combat to the rewards he was pursuing and the progression he could expect.


    ¡°Alright, I can do that.¡± He reassured himself.


    When the control point¡¯s perimeter pulsed a thin blue ring, rising up toward the ceiling, confirming that the point had been captured, Coop stood, facing north. With a running start, he threw his spear as hard as he could, aiming to reach Neptune¡¯s Bridge next.

 Chapter 268: The Azure Colossus

    Time spent alone in the Underlayer was like being placed in some sort of stasis. Coop felt as though reality had broken as he landed on the same dirt plain over and over. Each massive mistjump failed to break him out of the illusion. No matter how hard he threw his spear, fully incorporating all of his ridiculous Strength while shifting the rest of his bonus stats with Mindbender, he ended up in the same place. Everytime he landed, he was vaguely surprised he didn¡¯t see his own footprints somewhere in the dirt.


    ¡°Like running on a treadmill.¡± He muttered to himself as he waited for his spear to transform into a tiny speck beyond the horizon before he teleported forward, yet again. If it wasn¡¯t for the occasional stone pillar acting as an unmistakable landmark he really would have begun to question the influence of ley lines on his travel skill.


    On his way north from the four freshly claimed control points around Empress City, he crossed paths with another three of the giant uneroded rock columns. Each was more or less the same, though they varied in their exact position within the Underlayer¡¯s caverns. Thankfully, there was enough variance in their relative locations to confirm that he wasn¡¯t visiting the same pillar repeatedly. None of them were exactly centered, though Coop was beginning to believe their approximate spots in the underground had more to do with the geography on the surface of the planet than any intelligent design on the part of mana.


    The enormous columns almost seemed to be the demarcations for peaks within the Underlayer. The points that were closest to the surface were occupied by giant guideposts, but they weren¡¯t necessarily for a traveler like him. Instead, a small portion of the mana that flowed through the ley lines was guided up toward the surface at what must have been the most convenient locations.


    Based on the distance he traveled, he suspected that the last of the pillars that crossed his path would link to the bottom of Bobby Jon¡¯s missile silo. If Coop hadn¡¯t taken it as a sign that he was close to Neptune¡¯s Bridge, he would have stopped to pay a visit to the Swamp Lord¡¯s home base and get an update on the efforts to take the Everglades. The monotony and loneliness of the Underlayer was already starting to eat away at him, so sharing a beer with the alligator wrestler and catching up with the petting zoo would have been a welcome diversion.


    Of course, what he really wanted was to kill more monsters, so he refrained from delaying his arrival to the next subordinate settlement even for a bit of relaxation. Though it wasn¡¯t his settlement on the line anymore, for many others, it was, and he was taking his presumed role more seriously than ever.


    If Coop didn¡¯t stretch his coverage, even people outside of shard territory, like Bobby Jon, would have a much harder time in the future. They would have to deal with potential Fallen Zones forming all across the planet, giving the Primal Constructs the footholds that they needed to reestablish themselves as an existential threat to the future of humanity. Coop thought there were already enough of those to go around.


    When he landed, sending a splash of dirt in all directions, and finally spotted Primal Constructs in the distance, he was genuinely relieved. It felt like he was escaping a glitch in reality. He took a deep breath and stretched his neck, tilting his head from side to side in an effort to relieve the build up of anxiety he felt between his shoulder blades. As he got himself back into fighting shape, he observed his target, happy to get some more action.


    The Underlayer was a strange place. He was simultaneously covering an unbelievable amount of ground without it being nearly enough. Rather than having an issue with distances, he knew his mind was playing tricks on him with respect to time. It was only the first real day of the event, despite feeling like ages, and all of the travel was making him feel wistful towards the memories of unending waves of monsters.


    ¡°Back in my day, the monsters came to me.¡± He joked, from less than a quarter of a mile away from an army of targets.


    Ahead, four fortresses were positioned in much closer proximity than either of the previous examples he had already witnessed. Three were aligned in a row, while one was positioned behind the central structure, like a three-man offensive line protecting a quarterback.


    The invaders stuck out like a sore thumb against the monotonous backdrop of dirt. The monotonous scenery continued in all directions with nothing else of note to distract from their metal surfaces. Thanks to the consistently dark landscape and steady illumination, the Primal Constructs stood out enough that they would be obvious from miles and miles away. If that wasn¡¯t enough, the control points emitted a subtle spotlight of red light that extended all the way to the ceiling of the tunnels, indicating that they were controlled by the aliens.


    Battalions of Primal Constructs were positioned in orderly rows in front of the forts, with one Field Boss representing each of the three forward structures, all on the opposite side of the metallic walls from where Coop stood. They were facing away from him, looking in what Coop believed was north, assuming he hadn¡¯t somehow been turned around during his travels. Unfortunately, the route could have twisted in subtle ways such that he didn¡¯t notice, thanks to the extreme scale.


    Coop ran his fingers through his hair while chewing on the inside of his cheek as he tried to make sense of the patterns that were emerging among the invaders. Empress City and Ghost Reef, both with populations less than 100,000, had a single Field Boss each. Neptune¡¯s Bridge, with a population over 300,000 had three Field Bosses.


    The actual Constructs intending to claim Neptune¡¯s Bridge were too numerous to count at a glance, but Ghost Reef had exactly 10,000 total and Empress City had 20,000. He guessed Neptune¡¯s Bridge was facing close to triple the Primal Constructs when compared to Empress City which would at least match their relative populations.


    He shrugged, content with some quick math to estimate that for every 100,000 human residents, the Primal Constructs were allowed one Field Boss and 20,000 soldiers. Whether or not that was a rule, or something that only applied to settlements small enough to only have an x1 Challenge Assessment, he couldn¡¯t know for sure without more data, but he would figure it out over time. At least it gave him a sense of the challenges to come.


    Though the forts ahead of him were in the middle of nowhere, he knew for sure that all four would be positioned at the end of the southern entrance of Neptune¡¯s Bridge. The north of the settlement was already a confirmed stronghold for the Primal Constructs, and with the Underlayer Event, the invaders would seek to finish the entrapment of the beleaguered city.


    ¡°Not this time.¡± Coop established, swapping his spear for a different ethereal weapon before he engaged the invaders, completely changing his usual approach.


    The Primal Constructs were apparently unconcerned with their flank, probably more aware of the chasms that connected to the surface than he was, though he was happy to use their experience to triangulate his own position. Unfortunately for them, they didn¡¯t expect anyone to be as far ¡®offsides¡¯ as he was, so they were momentarily unaware of the threat he represented to their blindspot.


    It seemed as though the invaders had positioned themselves entirely based on where they would end up on the surface, with no regard for particular strategies within the Underlayer. Coop thought that was probably a mistake on their part.


    Rather than simply mistjump into combat, taking advantage of the element of surprise, and claiming as much momentum as he could, he paused, gripping the ethereal trident that had replaced the spear with both hands. He had already concluded that his standard tactics weren¡¯t sufficient for broader coverage, so he was trying something completely different, no matter how uncomfortable it made him. While it ran counter to his more natural inclinations, it was time for some tactical experimentation.


    Coop took another deep breath before letting the stale air slowly escape his nostrils, and for the first time as a Mistwalker, he cast Inheritance of the Mists. What had previously been his final, desperation ability would be replacing his opener this time.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    He had summoned his trident with the idea of connecting with an entity appropriate for the nautical settlement named after a Roman God. Maybe Neptune himself would grant him the strength to sweep the Primal Constructs from the planet. Coop would take what he could get, but imagining the angry ocean rising up against his foes was a nice thought that led to a greedy smirk already forming on his face.


    Before the possession took root, Coop had a moment of clarity that wiped his expression clean, feeling the pure mana rush through his being. The experience was completely unlike any of the times he had cast the spell before, but he hadn¡¯t done anything incorrectly. This was just what it meant to actually be a Mistwalker. He could subtly sense the thousands upon thousands of potential sponsors among the mists, the collective capacity of humanity, some nearer and some more distant based on their¡­ willingness? Compatibility? Maybe the appropriateness of their presence?


    Existing among the full breadth of power was dizzying. It made the attention of the Deep Dweller while he was in the Yucatan seem like a minor incidental spectacle, a tiny fraction of the potential hidden within Earth. For a moment, Coop commiserated with mana. A glimpse was enough to conclude that the Eradication Protocol made complete sense. Humans were dangerous. Combined with mana, they were a lit fuse. It was almost fortunate that they had only ever been a danger to themselves before.


    However, there was no going back. They were present now. Whether the galactic community received a benevolent humanity or a belligerent one was uncertain, but it wasn¡¯t really up to him. Coop was only sure that he wouldn¡¯t let his friends suffer, whether they were human, animal, or alien, and he was open to making more friends.


    Coop inherently understood that he could barely control even a miniscule fraction of what was available in the mists. He had to humbly take only what was reasonable, but it was like trying to make a decision in a dream. If he forced the issue, he would wake up. He didn¡¯t really have control so much as he merely had awareness. Still, he wasn¡¯t just waiting for the first willing guide to take him by the scruff of the neck and show him what real power was. He had become more shepherd than sheep with the evolution of his skills.


    What did he want from Inheritance? That was easy. He wanted to brush the Constructs aside, saving Neptune¡¯s Bridge before he moved on to the next settlement. He didn¡¯t have the leisure of steady combat. There were more and more challenges awaiting him all across the planet.


    Coop¡¯s spirit was swallowed by mana as time slowed. His perception stretched and the avalanche within the Underlayer transformed into a spectral drift, sensed only by him, as if to confirm that mana was universal. It swept through the cavern and Coop shifted the trident to one hand as he spread his arms, seeking to embrace the mists simply because it felt right.


    The mists that swept across the landscape, blasting into him like an ethereal headwind, thickened until they were on the verge of condensing into a shower of water droplets, collapsing throughout the Underlayer. The avalanche transformed into the bubbling froth at the edge of a curling wave, all around his position, and Coop, the defender of the Lighthouse¡¯s settlements, stood defiantly on the precipice of the furious water. All around him, roiling waves churned with agitation, crashing against invisible obstacles adjacent to his position, as they underwent a conversion from pure mana to his apparition¡¯s power, mirroring his own anticipation of violence.


    This time, Coop didn¡¯t feel like he would explode as the energy empowered him. The Mistwalker was at home, reveling in the strength of the spirit world, formed by all the records of the world.


    The Primal Constructs had come for the wrong planet, and Coop had every intention of showing them every possible way that their planetary sponsorship was a poor investment. He could sense that the apparition was on board with his stated purpose. A violent eviction would take place.


    Coop closed his eyes, feeling the mists converge into an imaginary ocean spray on a warm breeze. Half of his mana was reserved, expelled into the froth, and the buffs and debuffs were settled, less detrimental than ever. When he opened his eyes, they were streaming with sapphire energy. A surge of power coursed through him and he clenched his jaw, slamming the butt of the trident into the dirt with titanic authority. The muffled thump sent a pulse of energy that crossed the dirt plains, finally alerting the Primal Constructs of their opponent as he finished powering up.


    The Apparition of the Azure Colossus rose from the mana pooling around Coop¡¯s feet, growing taller and taller until it was standing protectively behind Coop. The muscular titan of ocean-stained bronze had his arms crossed and head tilted back, curling hair carved down his back, matching a thick beard. From the waist down the apparition faded into nothingness, using Coop as its anchor in the real world.


    ¡°...Yes¡­¡± It bellowed in Coop¡¯s mind, mouth unmoving while speaking with exaggerated thickness that drove any extraneous thoughts away. ¡°...Agreed.¡± The deep voice concluded, letting the simple statement echo in the Champion¡¯s skull. The invaders would be expelled.


    Coop raised his empty left hand, instinctively applying the first skill that had been granted to him, and he poured all of the remaining resources of his enormous mana pool into activating it. This strategy eschewed the idea of holding back anything in reserve and he fully intended to follow through. There was no room for any inhibitions.


    A monstrous wave rose from the shimmering dirt at his sides, this time fully realized and visible to the shifting Primal Constructs. The possession had only taken fractions of a second, and the invaders were reacting with the experience of elite soldiers within the galactic community after being pummeled with the pulse of power, but Coop would still have the first strike.


    The three Field Bosses were the first to step forward, recognizing the challenge, and Coop noted their auras, nearly identical as they were, ignoring the Elites as they struggled to reorganize their parties.


    [Field Boss: Ancient Vanguard (Level 170)]


    [Zannoris the Reaper of Purpose (Strength)]


    [Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]


    [Field Boss: Ancient Vanguard (Level 170)]


    [Zaphiel the Harvester of Hope (Strength)]


    [Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]


    [Field Boss: Ancient Vanguard (Level 170)]


    [Zororin the Collector of Convictions (Strength)]


    [Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]


    The Primal Construct variant that attempted to claim the Everglades was well-represented in the Underlayer, but Coop was unimpressed. He scowled at the enemies while they braced themselves, looking down his nose like a mirror image of the Colossus at his back. The disdain was thick.


    As the aggressive wave that grew from the dirt rushed forward, it refused to break, instead transforming itself. The foaming curl took the form of charging cavalry, frothing at the mouth; countless horses chased by a wall of water. When the lead stallions collided with the Field Bosses, the monsters collapsed like they had been struck by a train while others galloped past. The giant ant monsters were trampled before being engulfed by the trailing wave, like flowing chariots running down hapless soldiers. The mangled limbs of the Field Bosses crushed the smaller Elites, and any attempts at personal protection collapsed beneath the inundation.


    Coop followed in the wake of the wave, walking casually with the Apparition of the Azure Colossus matching his movements exactly, like a massive dimensional projection. Coop crossed through hundreds of yards of soaking dirt, bare chested and barefooted, with an absolutely enormous adamantine trident in the grip of both hands.


    He picked up his speed, lifting the three-pronged spear over his shoulder, before leaping into the chaos. The celestial weapon was over seven feet long, barbed with pearlescent seashell tips that were shaped like individual spears, wielded by depictions of sea horses wreathed in seaweed, all thrusting forward. It took all of his expertise to prove he was worthy of wielding the weapon, but his movements were empowered by the multiplicative effect of the possession.


    Coop demolished the remaining Constructs, using the absurd weapon to pierce their wrecked forms as the survivors struggled to regain their positions. The Azure Colossus used his own impossibly immense trident to crush the auras of the monsters, combining ethereal attacks with physical lacerations as the Apparition and Mistwalker united their efforts.


    The cleanup of the stragglers that weren¡¯t completely crushed by the horse wave was short, and Coop was released by the possession with no problems as soon as the threat was contained. He was left standing among the four control points, in the completely dry dirt, with all of the enemies and their forts dissipated as if nothing had happened at all, though the dirt had been sculpted with the ripples of mysteriously absent waves.


    ¡°Damn.¡± Coop uttered in disbelief, struggling to catch his breath as he fell to his hands and knees.


    The scent of salt lingered in the stagnant air, the only remnant of the mana that had been spent. He was exhausted, completely lacking his own mana, but he couldn¡¯t find any reason to be disappointed in the final result.


    ¡°That was pretty much exactly what I was hoping for.¡± He concluded, unceremoniously planting his butt in the dirt in the center of the first control point, on the verge of collapse. He had some time to recover before he could move on anyway. He wished he could shoot the breeze with his friends again while he waited.

 Chapter 269: Imperfections

    A clump of dirt, around the size of a quarter, bounced against a haphazardly stacked pile of similarly shaped chunks before tumbling down the side. Coop had one hand planted on the ground while he sat, sifting across the surface of the earth with his other. The larger clods crumbled in his hand, giving him more appropriately sized ammunition for his little game.


    ¡°I wonder what Shane is making everyone do.¡± He muttered, feeling lonely again now that he had no enemies to kill.


    As he recovered from casting Inheritance of the Mists, he reanalyzed the results and gradually realized that the first iteration of his new tactics still had room for improvement. Quite a lot, actually.


    In the future, he was guaranteed to reach settlements that were large enough that each of the forts would have armies as large as the entirety of Neptune¡¯s Bridge assault, maybe even larger. Coop couldn¡¯t afford to exhaust himself after only a quarter of the enemies were defeated when he confronted more expansive forces.


    When the numbers climbed to such extremes, even most of the mist-granted skills would be insufficient to strike all at once. Even a fully empowered Aeromancer, like Charlie, would lack the coverage necessary to crush the distant forts of Primal Construct forces in a single bombardment, and that was ignoring limitations on firepower. The Underlayer Event just wasn¡¯t designed for a single actor to have so much influence.


    If Coop expended all of his resources before the advantage was tipped in his favor, leaving himself weakened with significant forces still standing against him, he would wind up being even slower than if he had simply paced himself as usual. Treating the larger battles like a simple grind would overtake the explosion of violence given a large enough pool of enemies and a long enough period of time. His rate of recovery after Inheritance was simply too much of a burden to ignore.


    It wasn¡¯t the first time Coop had considered the tortoise and the hare when it came to his battle tactics, but the allegory was once again suitable. The difference this time was that there wasn¡¯t a binary choice forcing him to do one or the other, like when he chose his skills. The scope was also different, encompassing 44 days rather than 111 years. The assimilation may have been a marathon, but the Underlayer Event was more of a middle-distance race at most. The skills granted by Inheritance of the Mists condensed any race into the final leg, but it could only do so much.


    Now that he was a Mistwalker, he had a lot more flexibility with how he interacted with the mists. The obvious changes to his ability to manipulate his weapons, or flicker through his mistjumps were representative of a larger, more esoteric change in his relationship with mana. When it came to Inheritance of the Mists, he wasn¡¯t as bound by crippling debuffs that required him to make the most of the connection while it existed because he would be left completely vulnerable afterwards.


    Coop would still be confronted with crippling exhaustion if he expended all of his resources, but it was caused by the depletion of his stamina instead of the instability created by seizing power he wasn¡¯t ready for. The fact that even his endurance was stretched thin by the utilization of Inheritance was testament to the demands of the possession. Coop¡¯s greatest strength had to be his tirelessness, and even he was knocked down by the Apparitions.


    His issue was no longer with the Apparitions threatening to cause his aura to burst. It was his inability to pace himself while using their skills. However, he was underutilizing another feature of Inheritance of the Mists that hadn¡¯t really been a factor to consider in the past.


    While he gained access to the Apparition¡¯s arsenal, he was also granted multipliers to his stats by being bolstered by their presence. He thought he was making a mistake ignoring the empowerment and focusing only on the flashy skills now that the mere appearance of an Apparition wasn¡¯t overwhelming by itself. He didn¡¯t have to forcefully utilize as much as he could before the power was withdrawn or something within him broke now that he was a Mistwalker.


    He hummed, wondering if that was also part of the lesson the Battlemaiden had left him. The devastating power was a double-edged sword. Coop expected there to be a happy medium in between, where he still found a way to pace himself while incorporating the Apparitions, but he was wrestling with undefined concepts while he waited to recover from his last bout.


    There was hope for his change in tactics, he just needed more iterations. In the meantime, he was content with gaining another four levels during his last battle. As the day came to an end, he thought it was a decent start. He earned the expected five levels and three settlements had been cleared on the first day of the event.


    The steady growth that he craved was available for the taking within the Underlayer. The diminished experience gains were compensated by sheer numbers and superb monster density. When had he ever found three Field Bosses clumped together in a single place? Not to mention there were enough monsters grouped together to complete the equivalent of three Slayer titles at once, and Neptune¡¯s Bridge only had a Challenge Assessment of x1. Coop would be eating good in the future, he just knew it.


    Coop checked the leaderboards as the fourth control point shifted from red to purple and his resources slowly recovered.


    Underlayer Event Individual Scores:


    <ol>


    <li> Coop - 84,000 (+63,000)</li>


    <li> Platinum - 3,511 (+2,487)</li>


    <li> Sila Tupua - 3,387 (+2,523)</li>


    <li> Camila Alvarez - 3,364 (+0)</li>


    <li> Neon - 2,284 (+1,665)</li>


    <li> Jung Suh - 1,821 (+1,821)</li>


    <li> Sofia Alvarez - 1,406 (+1,406)</li>


    <li> Wangmo Thaye - 1,377 (+1,377)</li>


    <li> Cole Walker - 651 (+651)</li>


    <li> Bao Nguyen - 644 (+644)</li>


    </ol>


    Coop was already running away with the individual lead. He wouldn¡¯t be surprised if his score after the first day was already enough to keep him near the top until the very end of the event. There wouldn¡¯t be many people capable of killing almost 2,000 Elite Primal Constructs a day until the event concluded, just to catch up, and the only alternative to keeping that rate would be to supplement their score with a steady count of Field Bosses.


    Judging by how some of the scores had leapt forward, a handful of other individuals were defeating Field Bosses, but even among Ghost Reef¡¯s forces, experience with the boss monsters was relatively rare. This event would almost certainly be many peoples¡¯ first encounter with a Field Boss, and gauging by the challenge assessments, there would be a tremendous number of the boss monsters bolstering armies of Elite Primal Constructs.


    The points were there to catch up to Coop, but he wasn¡¯t going to suddenly go idle. In fact, as his tactics improved and he made adjustments for the novel challenge established in the Underlayer, he expected to ramp up. It was the standard cadence of any one of his grinds, only this one was expanded to encompass the entire planet.


    Coop had already killed four Field Bosses. Based on the leaderboard, he guessed that another seven or eight had been defeated elsewhere.


    ¡°Not bad for the first day.¡± He observed, sitting up as he ran out of dirt clumps in his immediate vicinity.


    Compared to the Siege Event, the Underlayer was a significant jump in overall difficulty. Ghost Reef may have received a free pass, but he believed the larger settlements would have more monsters this time around than the island faced in the first event, and they would all come at once. Hopefully the defenders around the world were sufficiently prepared. He checked the settlement leaderboards to see how things were getting started.


    Underlayer Event Settlement Scores:


    <ol>


    <li> Ghost Reef - 106,000 (x1)</li>


    <li> Neptune¡¯s Bridge - 63,000 (x1)</li>


    <li> Neon Park - 28,781 (x13)</li>


    <li> Empress City - 21,000 (x1)</li>


    <li> Aotearoa New Zealand - 14,472 (x5)</li>


    <li> Gangcheon - 6,286 (x15)</li>


    <li> Kyzyl Cross - 6,000 (x1)</li>


    <li> Can Gio - 1,998 (x11)</li>


    <li> Silvervalley - 1,249 (x11)</li>


    <li> Nyiragongo - 0 (x13)</li>


    </ol>


    Coop snorted, wondering how long he could prop Ghost Reef¡¯s score up. It might be a fun personal challenge to see how long he could pin it to the top. Could they keep the first position all the way until the challenge assessments applied? His companions hadn¡¯t encountered any enemies since he left, but they would need a few days before forming their war party and reaching any potential opponents, so he was sure he would see the numbers going up independent of his battles as well.


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    Travel times would be their biggest obstacle. Only Camila¡¯s Interceptor and maybe Amanda¡¯s Outrider class could hope to cover the distances necessary to match Coop¡¯s goals, but they knew to be more modest with their expectations than the Champion. Unfortunately, the lack of a decent score multiplier would cripple their standing in the end.


    Only a handful of settlements were prepared to get started on the first day, but Coop thought even those might need time to get sufficiently organized. He fully expected them all to slowly ramp up as they were empowered by their experience, much like how the Siege Event boosted Ghost Reef along its duration. He reminded himself that the trip down was a hurdle that Ghost Reef had been able to conveniently skip due to the advanced preparations of Balor and he should probably lower some expectations for the other settlements.


    Other than Neptune¡¯s Bridge, there weren¡¯t any new additions to the list. Coop thought that probably wasn¡¯t a good sign, but it was still early enough not to panic. He shook his head to ward away his growing concern, noting that Kyzyl Cross had fully claimed a second control point, this time with a Field Boss, based on their perfectly round number.


    ¡°Nice.¡± He muttered, always rooting for the underdogs. The small, unknown settlement was doing a fantastic job and he hoped they would keep it up.


    As he skimmed the bottom of the top 10 he realized something was missing. His stomach dropped and he slammed his hand in the dirt as it hit him, leaning forward as if it would bring him closer to the system¡¯s display. He was horrified for the largest settlement on the planet after it apparently disappeared. Shinjuku Gardens should have been above Nyiragongo even if they were both still at 0 score, just by virtue of Challenge Assessment, but it was gone.


    ¡°No way.¡± Coop uttered, realizing he also hadn¡¯t seen the usual Japanese names on the individual leaderboard. Could it be that the Kitawa pair had been wiped out, along with their entire settlement? 25,000,000 people gone? How?


    Coop cursed, scrolling through the list to see if something was wrong with the rankings. Eventually, he got his answer, but it didn¡¯t bring as much relief as it should have. Instead, it revealed another wrinkle in the Underlayer Event that he had completely missed due to the privileged position of Ghost Reef.


    Underlayer Event Settlement Scores:


    <ol start="236">


    <li> Tahoe - -135 (x2)</li>


    <li> Crescent Bay - -144 (x3)</li>


    <li> Yosemite - -152 (x2)</li>


    <li> Cherry Hill - -272 (x3)</li>


    <li> Lordship - -382 (x1)</li>


    <li> Niagara - -404 (x1)</li>


    <li> Sonora - -459 (x2)</li>


    <li> Beantown - -466 (x5)</li>


    <li> Toronto - -526 (x2)</li>


    <li> Shinjuku Gardens - -760 (x25)</li>


    </ol>


    He blinked at the negative scores, confused and in disbelief. He remembered the Siege Event had penalties to their scores based on damage to the settlement, but in the Underlayer there were only the residents. Coop squeezed his eyes shut as the implication fully dawned on him. People were dying.


    He climbed back to his feet, and paced back and forth within the control point, forced to wait despite the compulsion to hurry and kill more Constructs to rejuvenate his resources, personal stamina be damned.


    There were almost fifty settlements with negative scores. Based on the ones that he recognized, he concluded that many of them were simply the subordinate settlements of others that were positive on the leaderboards. Their residents were fighting the Primal Construct forces assaulting the main settlement first, much like how Empress City planned on assisting Ghost Reef.


    The north eastern alliance was clearly represented, as was the west coast. He tried to tell himself it looked worse than it was due to the preliminary introduction to the event. The scores would settle and all of the currently sinking settlements would rise back into the positives once the alliances shifted focus.


    The thought didn¡¯t really calm him down though. He wished they would just chill out until he got there. It wasn¡¯t like he was personally taking losses, but then again, he hadn¡¯t challenged any of the larger settlement assaults yet, so he had no idea what they were up against.


    He cursed again, damning the control points and urging them to be captured faster. Coop already had his spear summoned, and though his mana was hardly recovered, still below 20%, the burst of adrenaline caused by the shock of Shinjuku Gardens dropping from the top 10 left him ready to go. He would recover enough mana as he went and he hadn¡¯t forgotten that Inheritance was a mana reservation, rather than a mana dump. Without the debuffs he would be able to tap back into the mists, feeding his craving for the power necessary to defy the invaders and take a more prominent role among the defenders.


    Coop kept pacing until he finished capturing the Neptune¡¯s Bridge control points. He was immediately off again when it was done. All of the Lighthouse¡¯s official settlements were reclaimed, but that was no reason to celebrate. The only festivity, if it could be called such a thing, was the small pile of dirt toppling over as Coop flickered from existence after throwing his spear.


    Coop¡¯s jaw was set as he pushed forward, launching his spear and hopping back onto the underground treadmill, stubbornly planning on never stopping for longer than it took to capture the control points. Moving in what he believed was a northward direction, he only completed a handful of mistjumps before he paused in the face of a new feature of the underground. He sighed as he faced a decision when he just wanted to be hunting.


    Rather than another pillar, Coop discovered what was effectively a fork in the road. The impact of the decision wasn¡¯t exactly the same, given how the paths through the Underlayer were probably wider than the entirety of the Floridian Peninsula, but he still had to choose which side of the tunnel to follow.


    Coop stood beneath the tip of compacted stone that separated a route veering to the left from one that only drifted slightly to the right. He didn¡¯t linger, choosing to stay right, hopefully angling toward the northeast alliance. They should have been the nearest force within the Underlayer, but he couldn¡¯t be entirely sure that the Underlayer would guide him to where he wanted. For all he knew, the path would curl beneath the Atlantic Ocean, leading him to Europe or even Africa.


    There wasn¡¯t really anything he could do about where the Underlayer took him. Alternatively, he could double back, maybe only to the Alligator Farm, exit the Underlayer through the connecting chasm, cross the much larger surface, and find his way back into the underground closer to his desired destination. He knew it would be a monumental waste of time, even when ignoring the increased travel times, since the mana domes would prevent him from actually approaching any of the settlements, and discovering another way into the Underlayer was anything but guaranteed.


    He took his chances, committing to the strange space between layers of the Earth, and followed the right side of the wall after leaving a mark in the dirt at the base of the stone separation. If he somehow returned to the same place, at least he would know which way he already checked, but he still crossed his fingers, hoping the Underlayer wouldn¡¯t turn out to be so maze-like.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the isolation to settle in once again. It only got worse as the first day officially ended and the second day began. The mistjumps blurred into each other, and he lost count of how many it took to carry him through the underground. Even without a way to measure distances, he was confident that he was crossing significant distances, but it had taken him roughly half as long to cover all of Florida.


    He crossed paths with more and more of the monumental stone pillars as he went. After the fifteenth column, he grew increasingly worried that he had somehow passed over Primal Construct forces. There was no way, with how they contrasted the barren landscape, but he couldn¡¯t help feeling doubt. The picture on the surface was looking bleak if there really hadn¡¯t been any settlements that he missed. So much ground was lost already.


    From Ghost Reef to Neptune¡¯s Bridge, there were five pillars marking chasms to the surface. There were three surviving settlements in the same distance. Triple the number of chasms without a single civilization shard was awful. The lack of shards left him refusing to imagine the early days of the apocalypse.


    If he was beneath the ocean, he thought it would make sense that none of the civilization shards were protected, but if he was going up the East Coast of North America, which is what he thought was more likely, he could only shake his head. He didn¡¯t need to wonder what happened to all the people given the numbers presented by the event. Most of the survivors would have needed to make it all the way to either Orlando or the Northeast to connect with settlement territory.


    When he finally discovered an army of Primal Constructs, some hours later, he was relieved. The forts hiding the control points represented another group of people that were alive, in a roundabout way. The nearest army of invaders was actually much larger than the size of any of the previous ones he had seen, but Coop took it as a good sign. Wherever he ended up, people were succeeding on the surface on some level.


    The four control points were spaced out over an absolutely enormous area, in a rather narrow pattern, like they were following the contours of a river or trapped within a valley. He was too far to assess the other three, but the one closest to him had around 25,000 Elites with a single Field Boss pacing back and forth by itself.


    ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± Coop muttered toward the impatient Field Boss.

 Chapter 270: Dispersive Prisms

    A thick sheet of illuminated mana slammed into the ground, embedding itself firmly in the soil like a road block. The barrier formed a bullet-proof shield in the nick of time, absorbing a dozen piercing shots from the firing squad of Elite Spite Constructs as they sent another volley into the desperate human defenders downrange from their position.


    The deadly projectiles bounced off the glowing plate, ricocheting into the soft dirt with dinging reverberations, failing to reach their targets. Dirt sprayed in all directions, both from the shield implanting itself in the ground and the bullets colliding with dirt, adding to the chaotic atmosphere.


    ¡°Get your ass up!¡± Platinum shouted over the cacophony, wincing as she noted how many solidlights she had already expended. Even under the best conditions, she was in trouble, and the conditions of the Underlayer were anything but the best.


    The last of the soldiers she had saved snatched his singed cowboy hat from the dirt as he struggled to his feet, falling back with relief, chasing the rest of his squad and getting lost in the crowd, as Platinum¡¯s shield absorbed a series of attacks that would have killed him. He correctly recognized that he was one of the lucky ones.


    An angry shout drew her attention to the side, where a red-headed man crunched the firmly held shield of an Elite Ruin Construct with a leaping one-handed smash of his black-jack. He injured the monster, causing it to drop its guard, but his opposite shoulder was punctured by the spear arm of his mechanical target. The monster flailed as it stumbled backwards, barely counter attacking, but still finding enough strength to cause the spike to erupt out of the man¡¯s upper back and leave him gasping in shock with his free hand weakly gripping the shaft, dragging them both down to the ground.


    Next to him, further away, an elegant woman jabbed a parasol forward, piercing the glowing weak point in a dual-wielding Bane Construct with the sharpened tip. Then she activated the cap, causing the mechanism to spring out and slice the torso of the monster into several pieces. The ribs of the umbrella were even more dangerous than the pointed end. She scowled from behind fashionably curled bangs as she braced herself for the counter attacks.


    The canvas panels of the umbrella vibrated as they caught a bolt of mana from one of the casters in the backline of Primal Constructs, but the protection held long enough for her to step to the side and allow another burly warrior to step forward, wearing suspenders while holding a comically small round wooden shield that absorbed a second magical attack. The big, bearded man thrust a wand forward, held in his hand opposite the sparkling shield, sending the exact bolt of mana back at its caster. The alien caster had its exoskeleton melted, leaving its body as nothing more than a smoking husk.


    At the same time, another man rose up from one knee where he had been battered into the dirt by the first shield-wielding Elite. His face was covered in blood from a wound above his hairline, but his eyes were clear enough. He raised his arm over his shoulder and a blade shimmered to life. The energized meat cleaver sliced the kneeling Construct in half, cutting from the shoulder that terminated in a spear to the opposite hip and gouging the dirt, causing the impaled red-headed man to fall the rest of the way into the dirt . They both leveled with the kill.


    Before the spotlights diminished the butcher grabbed the shirt of the black-jack wielder and dragged him backwards, making room for others to push forward. ¡°Mickey, you dumb bastard.¡± She heard the bloodied man mutter as he stumbled away while the more severely injured party shouted curses.


    Arrows and other small projectiles shot across the sky with a steady cadence, landing deep in the sea of Primal Constructs, chased by larger arcing stone boulders, bolts of living wood, and winged missiles. A blue meteor briefly lit the battlefield directly above Platinum¡¯s position, slowly traveling across the underground sky, before landing among the invaders with a muffled thump. It exploded against an urgently erected series of mana shields, splashing a cascade of bright blue flames that ignited dozens of the invaders beyond the edges of the protective barrier. They flailed, crashing into each other before collapsing beneath still burning fires, spreading the flames across a swath of invaders.


    It hardly made a difference. Their opponents were innumerable. Platinum avoided contemplating beyond the next five minutes, too skeptical of their long term chances to expend the energy.


    The Primal Constructs responded to the ranged volleys with their own arcing bolts of mana, all along their battle lines. Unlike the aliens, who used the same exact shields every time, the humans utilized countless alternatives. Flak missiles exploded in the air, popping the bolts of energy and raining ash upon the battlefield, then others ducked behind manifestations of Czech hedgehogs, dragon¡¯s teeth, summoned earthen walls, and personally held armored shields, decorated with spikes and aggressive slogans, taking cover from the ranged attacks that reached the ground through the counter spells.


    People charged into the organized lines of their enemies, having various amounts of success before being repelled with their own casualties. Volunteer medics desperately worked despite the Primal Constructs lack of respect for the red crosses emblazoned on armbands or scrap helmets while others dragged their compatriots out of the lines of fire. Thankfully, with the help of mana, even the worst, seemingly fatal wounds were recoverable.


    Further down the line, probably a hundred yards from Platinum, she caught the sight of one of the scorpion-shaped Field Bosses leaping into the air above the battle, somersaulting, before slamming straight down into the ground as if propelled, causing the earth to quake. Primal Constructs and humans alike were launched into the air where it landed, ejected by the force, and those far enough away from the bodyslam to avoid the physical wave, but still too close, were struck by a blast of rolling mana as the creature called Felrog rampaged.


    The Elite Primal Constructs were a significant challenge to the individual fighters, but they weren¡¯t completely unmanageable. Scrappy combatants could take down the higher leveled Elites, fighting dirty or swarming the metallic aliens as they isolated them from their parties. The real problem was the presence of so many raid bosses. Field Bosses required too much attention in the disorder of a Middle-Ages style battle, like dragons wreaking havoc among peasants.


    An orange spike, ringed with a series of electric yellow halos appeared from above Felrog with a snap and stabbed down, pinning the monster into the dirt like a stake anchoring a tent. Platinum recognized the attack as one from Sofia Alvarez, and sure enough, as Felrog struggled to escape the energy piledriver, flailing its arachnoid metal legs in the air and scraping gouges into the dirt, Gabriela Alvarez leapt through the air, barely dodging the panicked claws before crushing its face with her bat. The spike exploded afterwards, shredding the armored exoskeleton of the raid boss while a shield of blood magic protected the Street Sweeper from the shrapnel.


    ¡°Thank god.¡± Platinum whispered, watching the dismembered metal scorpion tail as it careened across the battlefield before crashing into more Constructs. She was happy that someone had finally taken care of another Field Boss. The humans didn¡¯t lack their own powerhouses, though the actual scale of the battle made it hard to demonstrate their influence.


    On the opposite side of her fading shield, one of the block leaders from Harlem held both hands behind his lower back while he chained kicks that snapped in the air and folded his targets. He slid forward, practically gliding across the dirt, pressing almost as deep into the enemy lines as Platinum had. He used a rising knee to free his dual-wielding opponent from the grip of gravity before spinning his body into a high back heel that shot the metal enemy backwards, dragging a dozen more aliens with it.


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    As the block leader calmly stepped forward, metal spikes, decorated with barbed wire emerged from the ground, protecting his flanks. They held the Elites back until another Field Boss crashed through. One of the block leader¡¯s allies, a powerhouse from Manhattan, used some kind of sonic attack that stunned the massive opponent before a series of shattering kicks forced the monster to stumble backwards, back into the sea of Constructs.


    The small surge in the battle lines halted when the kick fighter was forced to leap backwards, barely avoiding one of the glowing white energy volleys from the fiercest of their opponents. It loomed in the back, secure in its strength, surrounded by what seemed like more than a million alien soldiers.


    The forces of Neon Park and its allies had entered the Underlayer after rushing through a long series of natural caverns, climbing down into the darkness by creating makeshift staircases the way school children would have organized a treefort. When they finally reached the empty dirt plains of the underground, they moved south. Only a few miles from their underground entrance a massive force of Primal Constructs awaited them, surrounding a single metal fortress, in the middle of nowhere.


    What came next was obvious. It was war. They were still engaging with that stronghold of Primal Constructs, but it was ugly. Platinum was shaken, feeling like she was participating in D-Day. People were bloodied, injured, and dying in the dirt all around her, and it was only the first collision between massive armies. Whatever limited achievements they had were erased by the sheer scale of battle.


    The conflict was positively medieval, with a jagged battleline forming the way a weak wave slid onto a beach, contouring to subtle differences in geometry as individual abilities found varying levels of success. Platinum had personally pushed the furthest, desperate to reach the most dangerous enemy, but even though she wasn¡¯t responsible for anyone but herself, she couldn¡¯t just ignore her allies, so she planted her feet and killed the monsters she could reach, using a solidlight like a glowing sword.


    Another wave of scattershot projectiles flew into the Primal Constructs, detonating into orange fireworks, and sending sparks clattering against their metal forms ahead of her. The Constructs countered with haphazard bolts that flew deep into the crowds at her back.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready!¡± Neon finally shouted to Platinum from where he had been preparing his own attacks. She immediately depleted the rest of her stock of abilities, leaving nothing in reserve in the hope that they could topple the anchor of the opposing army, though they hadn¡¯t closed the gap nearly enough.


    She sent three projectiles into the sky, setting up her partner¡¯s offensive abilities in what they assumed was the speed of light. Solidlights collided in the air, slamming into each other as they formed precise shapes from streaking illuminations. The two elongated tetrahedrons, one arcing to the left and the other to the right, were simple enough, only requiring her to slam four solidlights together each, forming the pointed pyramids before leaving them to gravity.


    She clenched her fists as the last piece, a small sphere of solidlights smashed together, high above them, arcing in the general direction of their primary target. Platinum could only give it as many faces as she had solidlights remaining, and she supplied every single one she had left, catching rays of perfectly white light, for their ultimate attack. It was essentially a disco ball, the final evolution of their experimentation with filtering Neon¡¯s energetic attacks with her solidlights.


    Neon¡¯s nose was already bleeding, his skin humming with chemical energy as his power reached its apex. He adjusted his glasses with his middle finger, causing them to reflect a candy red color, before he shot forward in a flash, leaving footprints that glowed with radiation.


    He blasted deeper into the Primal Construct army, turning himself into the weakest of lasers while chasing her solidlights from the ground, leaving a gap where a hundred of the aliens had disintegrated in his path.


    An instant afterwards,she heard the clap that initiated Neon¡¯s ranged attacks as he got into position, causing a chain reaction in his energy that sent a blastwave in all directions, extending into the air. The two tetrahedron formations were supplemented with a fluorescent light that burned her retinas to watch, as the edge of the wave approached.


    The air hissed before it struck the solidlights, and for a moment, it seemed like the energy would be contained within the pyramids, but the light bounced within them, escalating as they shimmered in the air. Then, a pair of violet lasers blasted out from the point of each, striking the disco ball with a short burst of energy, before a rainbow of colors scattered past.


    The ball glittered, almost as if it was actually meant to be decorative, before each facet of the solidlight container emitted a matching burst of light, sending streaking lasers across the Constructs, annihilating all that it touched before the bulk of the attacks collided with the Prime Construct.


    The Prime Construct Siege Boss manifestation, Alpha VII, raked the army of human defenders with one final superheated blast of mana. A thousand defensive shields exploded into existence, saved specifically for such a purpose, half of which melted beneath the pressure, and a wall of smoke climbed along its mile long path until the Siege Boss lost its balance, still emitting its beam of energy. The beam streaked across the dirt landscape, carving a line into the distant Underlayer wall before it disappeared among the clouds held by the ceiling in the sky.


    An explosion of colorful streaks shredded the titanic enemy, causing it to stumble and fall backwards. It had believed itself safe behind its army, as the humans struggled to make progress through the sea of robots, but it had underestimated the coordinated attacks of its opponents. Its final collision with the ground extinguished thousands of Primal Constructs and sent a wave of dirt in all directions.


    The humans of Neon Park and its subordinate settlements raised their weapons in the air and charged into the falling dirt, emboldened by the stumbling collapse of the most oppressive enemy. They skipped ahead, smashing Elite Primal Constructs with chains, pipes, and brass knuckles as they shouted to finish it off in more expletive laced ways.


    The tide of the first battle had barely shifted in their favor, but they weren¡¯t winning yet.


    Platinum charged forward right alongside the rest of the screeching lunatics as they dove into melee combat with the momentarily disoriented aliens. She met less resistance than most, able to follow the path Neon had used to force their attack into range, but she still chopped her way through the limbs of several Elite Primal Constructs that sought to obstruct her, using her solidlight sword while it lasted.


    When she reached the Champion of Neon Park, he was kneeling by himself in a clearing of completely smooth substrate that crackled with orange flashes. The dirt was decorated with the severed ankles of a dozen Constructs, caught where he had expelled the built up energy from his body. She didn¡¯t hesitate before reaching under his arm and dragging him back to his feet without a word. He needed to be protected.


    ¡°Told you we didn¡¯t need to wait until we pushed closer.¡± Neon declared, already celebrating despite being virtually surrounded by enemies, and hanging limply from Platinum¡¯s arm.


    Platinum raised an eyebrow, barely stopping herself from dropping him back into the dirt to argue with both hands. ¡°Oh really? What if you missed? What if we couldn¡¯t catch up?¡± She pointed at the enormous foot of the Siege Boss with her opposite hand, as it slid backwards directly away from them, digging a trench in the ground as it went, shifting its weight backwards. ¡°It isn¡¯t even dead!¡±


    The Siege Boss was struggling to sit up, but the fighters from Neon Park were already catching up, sending an inconsistent spray of ranged attacks as they desperately sought to finish it off while cutting down the Elites that blocked the way. The entire human army, millions strong, was converging on the vulnerable enemy.


    Neon just laughed as one final burst of energy shot straight down from within the vaporous clouds above them, as high as the ceiling of the Underlayer, painting the entire region with a gentle violet haze. Platinum¡¯s solidlight sphere faded after reflecting one final attack that had been agitated by countless reverberations inside the geometric formation. The high-powered strike pierced straight through the Prime Construct, from above, vaporizing its entire upper torso, along with its head, and all but two of its glowing weak points.


    The human defenders that had surged forward to help, hungry for the opportunity to take a piece of the titanic enemy, barely had the opportunity to tag it with a few attacks, but they all leveled together.

 Chapter 271: Vindictive Heavens

    Ethereal feathers buffeted the stagnant air of the Underlayer, forcing a rush of wind across the soil-covered ground. Small vortices of turbulence, created in the wake, lifted handfuls of dirt before redistributing them back to the surface. A powerful flap of angelic wings generated a burst of speed that propelled the Holy Avenger Spear and its wielder forward.


    The blessed weapon punched through the metal shield of an alien defender with a crunch, bypassing the meager resistance with the tip¡¯s extraordinary sharpness. The precise strike masked the crushing power behind the blow, but the way the weapon¡¯s victim exploded into mana, dissipating as if it always lacked a physical presence was evidence enough of the holy devastation wrought by the spear. Though the Elite Ruin Construct attempted to guard itself, the effort was futile against the momentum of the sacred strike.


    While the mana smoke from the defeated monster wafted into the atmosphere, the guiding spear twirled, whistling through the air, and the spiked butt found its mark in the center of the diamond shaped head of a second Construct. The attempt to counterattack only put the invader in range of a swift execution. The heavenly treasure was a blur of violence, and before the winged Champion landed, a third construct was ruined by the radiant tip of the deadly spear, failing to evade chastisement as it shifted to the flank of the attacker and was transformed into a burst of mana smoke.


    Coop slammed his feet into the ground, having destroyed three constructs in a split second, before taking two steps and bounding back into the air with a low grunt. He flapped his manifested wings once, generating another burst of speed that extended his leaping thrust five times as far as he could have normally moved. Holding the spear forward with a firm grip, he used the extra distance to catch a grouping of support Constructs by surprise, completely ignoring the protective line that failed to match his maneuverability and futilely defended the supporting Elite Ancient Constructs.


    The ranged Spite and Scourge Constructs fired projectiles into the air, doing their best to track his streaking path, but the bolts only pierced the trail of sparkling mists that lingered in the air, flying harmlessly off into the distance. Compared to the Champion, who was completely unbound, the invaders moved as if they were hobbled by tar. Coop dashed with speed granted by an Agility advantage equivalent to thousands of levels, then further boosted it with powerful wings.


    Holy light emanated from the tip of the golden hued spear as it bore down on his targets, bolstered by the encouraging strength of purpose. The last second dodges of the unarmed Elites barely delayed their demise, inevitable as it was. Coop expanded one wing to adjust his movement, twisting his torso and catching the monsters like a raptor hunting desperately fleeing prey.


    A steady chorus of gregorian chants accompanied Coop¡¯s actions, echoing in his head as if the Underlayer battlefield was actually an empty cathedral. The deep tones of grand pipe organs resonated in his bones as the Revenant was divinely inspired to smite those who sought to desecrate the planet. Holy mana burned from his eyes, transforming them into nebulous orbs of golden energy as he aggressively sought his targets. From his perspective, the Underlayer was witnessing an empyrean sunset, and it was glorious.


    His next sweeping attack sent a wave of holy mana chasing the pious weapon before emanating across the Underlayer, igniting another dozen Primal Constructs with smiting fire. He flapped his wings and burst through the flames, surprising the enemies that were further back and blinded by the shining flames. Even simple attacks were devastating.


    The next iteration of his strategy had been another tactical improvement. Rather than a burst of firepower granted by activating the skills granted by the possession, he simply embraced the empowerment and fought with his own physical attributes. The increase in stats improved his efficiency significantly, but as he speared his way through the enemies, the Apparition of Vindictive Heavens provided some divine guidance as well.


    Coop temporarily became the depiction of an archangel, borrowing the combat scheme of a celestial entity and incorporating them into his normal tactics. It was a feat only possible thanks to his experience with the Haunted title, but it worked beautifully.


    The multiplier to his stats set him far apart from his opponents, extending the already significant gap between himself and the invaders to absurd amounts. Even the four Field Bosses that accompanied the Primal Construct armies were relegated to desperately defending themselves for a few seconds before being sent to oblivion, as if they were sacrificial monsters better suited for a starter zone. They may have been meant to be the armored tanks to the Construct infantry, but Coop dismantled them with equal ease.


    All of Coop¡¯s success had come without an expenditure of a single point of mana. Other than the reservation for Inheritance of the Mists, he was adroitly conserving his resources. The pressure of combat was instead being applied to his well-trained stamina, but a few hours in the dirt was nothing compared to days hustling through beach sand, especially when he could supplement his sprints and mistjumps with winged flight.


    The final squads of Primal Constructs hopelessly defended their claimed control point as Coop leapt high into the air and expanded the wings to their full extent. The invaders had a moment to simultaneously look up and admire the otherworldly silver sheen that silhouetted Coop¡¯s temporary form as he hovered down upon them. The heavens as recorded by the system leaked into reality, carried by the mists that drifted around the Revenant. The feathers of his wings left slight gaps for the radiant golden light to filter through, forming rays of heavenly light that matched the tip of his transformed ethereal spear. A moment later, and he was tucking his wings to dive bomb the Primal Constructs.


    The Apparition granted the monsters salvation through Coop¡¯s hand, but it came at the cost of their manifested lives. Coop swept the platform clean with the avenging spear, attacks infused with holy light. When the last of the invaders dissipated into the flowing mana currents of the Underlayer, the undisturbed fort walls, breached by Coop¡¯s flight rather than his strength, pixelated and despawned.


    Coop planted the rear of his spear into the dirt while folding the enormous wings that had transformed his normal tactics into something completely new behind his back. As the Apparition of Vindictive Heavens faded away, the ethereal wings that had sprouted from between Coop¡¯s shoulder blades disappeared and his spear transformed back into the blank slate manifestation of spectral mana. Coop cast his gaze upon the now tranquil battlefield and exhaled into the renewed silence.


    He already missed the feeling of adding another axis to his movement. Leaping into the air without the additional maneuverability of the angelic wings wouldn¡¯t be the same. It took a second for Coop to accept that he was tethered to the ground again.


    Being freed of the possession had no real adverse effect on his fitness. He had completely refrained from using any of the grand smiting skills that could have destroyed masses of invaders at once, granting them deliverance, instead opting to fight as normal. He was grinding it out as he would have at the start of the assimilation, only with the added benefit of divine power.


    As he assessed his health, he nodded to himself, feeling good enough. The slight fatigue was less than he would have expected after hunting regular monsters on the surface for the same period of time. In the Underlayer, the Primal Constructs were kind enough to group together.


    Coop slowly clenched and unclenched his fist, feeling satisfaction and relief at his adaptability. The only remaining problem with utilizing Inheritance of the Mists was how the debuffs from being possessed lingered in his status. They would probably be gone before he encountered another assault force, but if he had to fight the truly large armies, he might have to take intermissions to reset Inheritance. With how things had been going, he anticipated being able to fight while possessed for significant periods of time, so long as he refrained from wielding the skills granted by the apparitions. However, the longer he remained possessed, the longer the debuffs would last afterwards.


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    His tactics weren¡¯t quite where he wanted them, but he was close. He felt like he was on the verge of rediscovering the flexibility of his build. Treating Inheritance of the Mists with the pliability of Retribution itself was next on his agenda. What would actually happen if he tried chaining Inheritance casts after shortening the debuff durations? It was a question he would answer in his next engagement, but he had high hopes. The worst case scenario would be that he had to fight as he had hundreds of thousands of times before, at least until the debuffs faded again.


    He checked the leaderboards in an effort to triangulate where he was after successfully defending yet another settlement, already anticipating the next.


    Underlayer Event Settlement Scores:


    <ol>


    <li> Neon Park - 268,612 (x13)</li>


    <li> Ghost Reef - 210,000 (x1)</li>


    <li> Shenandoah Confluence - 104,000 (x1)</li>


    <li> Neptune¡¯s Bridge - 63,000 (x1)</li>


    <li> Aotearoa New Zealand - 59,671 (x5)</li>


    <li> Empress City - 21,000 (x1)</li>


    <li> Can Gio - 13,909 (x11)</li>


    <li> Akagera - 13,868 (x2)</li>


    <li> Kyzyl Cross - 11,000 (x1)</li>


    <li> Silvervalley - 9,775 (x11)</li>


    </ol>


    ¡°Wow.¡± Coop spoke. He was stunned by Neon Park¡¯s leap ahead in score.


    The primary settlement of the northeast alliance gained almost 250,000 points. They more than doubled his own personal gains and therefore Ghost Reef¡¯s increase as well. Coop grunted, thinking that was probably it for Ghost Reef¡¯s place at the top. He hadn¡¯t expected the other groups to achieve so much progress so soon.


    If the larger settlements were capable of such an increase in scores before the challenge assessment multiplier even came into effect, his tiny settlement had no chance of keeping the top spot. As fun as it was to see the Ghost Reef settlement in first place, he was mostly just glad that others appeared to be finding success. The negative scores at the bottom of the leaderboards had stressed him out, and he was growing concerned that no matter how hard he pushed, he wouldn¡¯t be able to compensate for the rest of the settlements¡¯ vulnerability.


    Judging by the other scores, Coop concluded that he had reached a settlement called Shenandoah Confluence. Beyond the awareness that Shenandoah was either a valley or a river in Appalachia, his geography skills failed him. He supposed the arrangement of the Primal Construct forts had clued him in on the physical features of the surface, but it was a bit much to expect him to have a finer understanding of exact locations he had only heard of through cultural osmosis.


    On the bright side, he knew enough to conclude that the Underlayer hadn¡¯t taken him beneath the Atlantic Ocean. He was on the right track to reach their allies in the northeast. He figured he was around the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, beneath one of the smaller settlements that had joined Neon Park¡¯s alliance.


    As far as he had heard, mostly from Charlie, there were seven civilization shards split between significantly more groups that had independently organized without official territory. As the territories spread, those who had held out on the fringes naturally drifted into becoming residents of the settlements by default, but they were always allowed at the table in Neon Park. Eventually, they would all be swallowed up by the Neon Park shard, but in the meantime the gaps were filled by slightly smaller developments forming bubbles of safe territory.


    The mana pylons were pretty much doing the same thing in Florida for the Lighthouse, except rather than groups of human survivors gradually being incorporated into the broader alliance, it was alligators and swamp people.


    Coop shrugged at the comparison. ¡°Same difference.¡±


    Beyond the top 10, two more smaller settlements had made their first appearances. Barsa-Kelmes Reserve was the higher of the two, with a score of 3,500. The other was called Aydar and had a score of 2,500. Coop¡¯s suspicion of another alliance somewhere else in the world was further supported, though he couldn''t be sure who belonged to what. If the forces that liberated Kyzyl Cross had moved on, why would two settlements be partially liberated at the same time? Perhaps there was more than one alliance out there.


    Either way, he guessed that the two settlements, each with a x1 challenge assessment, had a single control point freed from the Primal Constructs, while the one with the higher score had also conquered a Field Boss. Maybe he would have more help clearing the world than he thought. It seemed like every time he checked the leaderboards, his feelings swung from one extreme to the other. Instead of leaping to conclusions, he needed to wait until the event stabilized, but he couldn¡¯t stop his mind from racing during the downtime created by solo capturing the objectives, especially before the momentum of combat had faded.


    As he moved to the second control point, he checked the individual scores, thinking that it might be the last time he bothered. If any name other than his own was at the top he would be genuinely shocked.


    Underlayer Event Individual Scores:


    <ol>


    <li> Coop - 188,000 (+104,000)</li>


    <li> Neon - 104,946 (+102,662)</li>


    <li> Platinum - 10,492 (+6,980)</li>


    <li> Giovanni Ferraro - 8,152 (+8,152)</li>


    <li> Hannah Silberstein - 7,228 (+7,228)</li>


    <li> Gabriela Alvarez - 6,037 (+6,037)</li>


    <li> Sila Tupua - 5,831 (+2,444)</li>


    <li> Reggie Crawford - 5,629 (+5,629)</li>


    <li> Alex Nova - 5,469 (+5,469)</li>


    <li> Layla Itunu - 5,338 (+5,338)</li>


    </ol>


    While Coop¡¯s name was at the top, he was still caught by surprise. His lead hadn¡¯t continued to grow at all, let alone at the absurd rate he anticipated. Neon, the well-known Champion of Neon Park, had nearly matched his gains.


    Coop had to give him props. At this point in the assimilation, Coop had been pretty confident that his ability to grind was unmatched, but someone that had never really appeared on the leaderboards, yet established themselves as a powerhouse with a dominant settlement in his name, exposed their ability to keep up.


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m not as far ahead as I thought.¡± Coop considered. Levels were only one measure of power. Just because it was sanctioned by the system didn¡¯t mean it was the best method of comparison. Perhaps he had taken on a more prominent role in the struggle of humanity a bit prematurely.


    The fact that his performance was matched made him itch to get moving, feeling like he had accepted a challenge, but he had to capture the control points first. He paced a bit, wondering how Neon had gained so many points, and whether or not he could maintain it for a longer period of time.


    As far as Coop could tell, Neon Park¡¯s population would have enabled the Primal Constructs to establish an assault force in the millions. That meant that his potential rival would have the opportunity to rack up points while Coop was mistjumping through the Underlayer and idling in control points.


    Coop moved to the third control point, reconsidering the features of his own build. There were constantly ways to improve and iterate with how he employed his skills, and he could always refine his technique, but his last few skill choices had been kind of inert.


    Wasn¡¯t it weird that Sethrak was so quiet? He had originally been concerned he was adopting a passenger with the Dedication to the Deep Dweller, but as time went on he was growing convinced that his assumptions had been completely incorrect.


    The connection he had with the abyss seemed to simply be the system¡¯s interpretation of Coop¡¯s obsessive desire to grind. Perhaps as long as he kept feeding the beast, so to speak, it would stay dormant, but that wasn¡¯t exactly what he had hoped to gain from his second path.


    Admittedly, he had wanted to keep his paths distinct and separate, but so far the Path of the Abyss was basically absent. Other than the occasional wisp of abyssal mana mixed with his spectral manifestations, there wasn¡¯t much happening.


    Coop¡¯s newest passive skill had granted Reverence, but it was only at Rank 1. The conclusion he reached was that he needed more ranks in Reverence before he would start to see more effects, and more importantly, new skill options. That meant he wanted more levels, which was nothing new for him.


    Thankfully, the Underlayer was providing him with significant quantities of experience. Nine levels so far, and the second day of combat had just begun.


    Coop took a deep breath as the last control point transitioned to human control. More levels awaited him.

 Chapter 272: Ragnarok

    Landing in the dirt, scanning the area, then throwing a spear as far as possible was a series of actions that were becoming so rote, Coop¡¯s brain was practically switched off while he went through the process. The unwavering Underlayer lacked the personality that made local trips on the surface more engaging. There were no interesting stories being told by local flora and fauna, no hints of previous action in decaying ruins, and no real suggestion of future prospects. As far as Coop could tell, the enormous tunnels were a pristine environment for sterile mana to circulate, and nothing more.


    Coop had checked out from the potential of an exciting discovery, instead mechanically noting how many stone pillars he encountered so that he could compare the number to how many settlements were being assaulted by Primal Constructs. Of course, the state of the Underlayer led him to ask questions about its formation. Was it intentionally made this way? For what purpose?


    Unfortunately, there weren¡¯t any reliable ways for him to get answers. A worldwide assault was occurring anyway; it wasn¡¯t an appropriate time to deviate from the simple mission he had given himself. Capturing objectives wouldn¡¯t become easier if he could confirm a purpose for the Underlayer or determine the survival rate of civilization shards during the assimilation of Earth. Those were simple curiosities that didn¡¯t change his current mission and would be better sought out after the fighting was over.


    Instead, he pushed all thoughts out of his mind and eagerly sent his spear across the plains, aiming to cross as much distance as he could, as fast as possible. He was at ease with being a single-minded hunter.


    That¡¯s why he almost tripped over himself, sending his spear off into the distance before recognizing the mass of Primal Constructs off to the side of the Underlayer tunnel. Discovering another settlement had come much sooner than expected. His pursuit had almost concluded too soon.


    Shenandoah was only a handful of mistjumps in the distance behind him, but a second settlement was right there. It was close enough to have been more to the side of the massive tunnel than it was farther down, less than 100 miles away from the previous control points in total. Coop had to return his weapon to his armor due to prematurely launching it when the next challenge was so close.


    ¡°Damn¡­¡± He whispered to himself, quickly escaping the mindset for a long haul in favor of visiting an unexpected attraction.


    Coop gaped at the mass of enemies for a moment, losing some of the confidence that had been bolstering him as he grew in the assimilation. From his position, near the center of the tunnel, he could clearly see a single fortress, significantly larger than any of the previous ones he had already conquered, as if the Primal Constructs rediscovered their own modular designs and used them to expand a fort into a massive castle.


    In the distance, closer to the edge of the tunnel, masses of Constructs extended to the limit of Coop¡¯s vision, protecting their own hazy castles that each undoubtedly housed individual event objectives. The other three control points were tucked against the outer wall, at the edge of the tunnel, but the quantity of enemies was so large, they were forced to put significant distance in between each other in order to avoid overlapping.


    Coop hummed in awe as he tried estimating their numbers. The armies of invaders had to be pushing nine figures across all of the control points.


    ¡°The territory of this settlement must be huge.¡± He concluded to himself, wondering exactly which it was.


    He was pretty sure the civilization shard¡¯s control would rival Ghost Reef¡¯s claim, but the event objectives weren¡¯t limited to being placed on a chain of islands and therefore covered much more ground. Coop absently pinched at his eyebrow with his empty hand as he approached what must have been a truly enormous settlement, at least compared to any he had witnessed.


    Surrounding the nearest fortress, at least a quarter of a million Elite Primal Constructs formed orderly columns, transforming the empty dirt into a dense grid of metal aliens. However, it wasn¡¯t the sheer number of invaders that had Coop momentarily hesitating, though the giant increase was a leap he had not expected.


    The nearest stronghold also had 14 Field Bosses rotating up and down the armies, behaving a bit like officers inspecting their troops, or lions pacing through a circus tent¡¯s audience. But even they weren¡¯t the real surprise that had Coop reconsidering the event as a whole.


    What ultimately shocked the Champion of Ghost Reef was the sight of a single Siege Boss, looming in the vast expanse of the Underlayer. The gigantic enemy put the scale of the underground tunnels into perspective, making it seem truly massive. The skyscrapers of a fully developed city could comfortably fit, leaving an expanse of artificial sky wide open for aviation, if such a development was possible with the eroding pure mana flowing through the caverns. The scale was truly immense. It was a complete contrast to the dark and claustrophobic caves he had anticipated before the start of the event.


    The titan construct stood protectively among the nearest army, adjacent to a stadium-sized castle, making it look small. One stronghold was near Coop¡¯s position and three were further in the distance, with what seemed like miles of Constructs in between. The Prime Construct Siege Boss during the Siege Event had been a fluke, and though he expected to see another one eventually, he hadn¡¯t really anticipated them for years yet. He especially didn¡¯t think he¡¯d see one idling beneath an unknown settlement.


    To throw his expectations off even further, he knew the settlement this army was preparing to conquer wasn¡¯t Neon Park. There were no humans embroiled in battle, despite the scores surrounding the high ranked settlement constantly climbing. The Constructs here were left waiting in the dirt. That meant one of the subordinate settlements in the northeast alliance had been large enough to grant the Primal Constructs a full contingent of their known forces, and it was a settlement that wasn¡¯t even on Coop¡¯s radar, insignificant from a perspective based on leaderboards.


    ¡°...Crazy.¡± He muttered, shaking his head. The more he thought about it, the more he realized being on a deserted island had really transformed his perspective.


    Hopefully, the Underlayer was following the contours of the surface evenly, and he wasn¡¯t unknowingly navigating tunnels that twisted themselves into knots, only to reveal this was some other top-ranked settlement. If he needed to double back to completely cover the settlements he wanted, the trip underground would quickly become extremely complicated. If it came down to it, he would simply push forward and wish for the best. For the time being, he would assume they were continuing to appear in order as they had in Florida.


    That left a question on his lips. ¡°What¡¯s Neon Park fighting?¡± He briefly considered the possibilities, concluding that their assault must have been truly huge. He hoped Marcus was safe, though he doubted his Viceroy would unnecessarily volunteer for battle, no matter how hard he was working on getting on their good side.


    Coop flipped his spear onto his shoulder, letting it rest for a moment as he planned his next moves. He left a series of footprints in the dirt, stamping his confident stride into the Underlayer as he recontextualized the massive army in front of him. The invaders were the perfect opportunity to experiment with Inheritance of the Mists. If he could adapt his tactics in a way that enabled him to efficiently defeat these Constructs, his confidence would be justified. A satisfying victory here would represent an escalation in scale for the way he applied his strength. It was exactly what he needed.


    The Primal Constructs hadn¡¯t even noticed his solitary presence, or if they had, they felt no need to react. He was just one person, after all. They had no context for the power humans could tap into, but how could they? The aliens were permanently handicapped after being integrated into the greater domain of mana, and that was before being further limited in power by the system in order to fit into the scaling of the assimilation. He was nothing to them.


    Coop took a deep breath, lifting the ethereal spear off his shoulder, taking a firm grip as he picked up speed, jogging forward, before solidly planting his foot in the dirt. He felt the energy rise up from his toes, through his flexed thigh, across his hips, and into his rotating torso, all while his upper back, shoulder, and arm flexed.


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    His empty hand was elevated toward his target, with two fingers extended directly at the central weak point of the Siege Boss, no arc planned. The arm that gripped the spear was almost fully extended, windmilling from back to front while he hissed an exhale, braced by his tensed abdomen and balanced by a shift of his back leg as all of his weight transferred forward. When he released his clenched fingers, still rotating with all of the momentum generated by his entire body, the missile shot forward like a laser.


    A drumroll of sonic booms echoed through the Underlayer, only slightly muted by the dirt, and at what seemed like the exact same time, the Prime Construct¡¯s tremendous chest imploded. The metal monster was in the process of raising one of its enormous, pointed arms, as if to point in Coop¡¯s direction and warn the army of the tiny threat in the distance, but it was too slow. The glowing red weak point located in what would have been its solar plexus erupted like an explosive clay pigeon, its wreckage flowing out of the exit wound in its upper back.


    Coop disappeared a fraction of a second later, flickering from existence only to reappear in the immediate aftermath of his devastating ranged strike, among the flying debris escaping the posterior of the Siege Boss. He threw his caught spear again, twisting his body after sudden destruction rained upon the invading army, sending his weapon above the already debilitated Prime Construct, and mistjumped again.


    While in the air above the head of the enormous titan, he quickswapped from the spear to his two-handed battle axe, and cast Inheritance of the Mists. Time appeared to slow, allowing Coop to witness the chaos he had already caused. Coop embraced the perceived time dilation, mind racing.


    [Siege Boss: Prime Construct (Level 170)]


    [Alpha XII (Agility)]


    [Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]


    The Prime Construct was mostly familiar. It was a clear variant of the titan that had climbed from the ocean to stomp toward Ghost Reef¡¯s fort. If anything was different, it was that it had a sleek finish, more like a mech designed for speed and aerial combat than the mass killer that had assaulted his island. This one was already off-balance, falling backwards with what would have been a mortal wound if not for its ability to self-repair.


    Unfortunately for the Siege Boss, Coop was already well aware of a Prime Construct¡¯s capabilities, and he was in the middle of landing the coup de grace. As Inheritance of the Mists activated, he single-mindedly answered the question that emerged with every possession, one way or another.


    ¡°What is your purpose?¡± A woman¡¯s voice spoke, enunciating his understanding while echoed by a thousand others, the query sometimes reworded but always with the same intent. It was a question Coop had asked himself in the earliest days of the assimilation, as he realized the opportunity Ghost Reef had given him, and evidently it was a topic the system had latched onto as it shaped his experience.


    As Coop dragged the battle axe down, flying through the air, high above the ground, he responded with vehemence. ¡°Death and destruction.¡±


    Roaring laughter, crackling like a wildfire responded, taking the initiative over the rest of the potential apparitions. Coop¡¯s battle axe exploded into flames, retaining its corporeal shape, but burning like a meteor crashing through the atmosphere as it bore down on the stumbling head of the Siege Boss.


    A tornado of flames blasted from the Revenant, engulfing him in a terrifying heat that would have caused his skin to blister if it had not been generated from his own mana. The Apparition of the Greatest Fire Elemental burned with unadulterated indignation.


    Time finally caught up, and the Elite Primal Constructs that had only had a moment to flinch as the Prime Construct Siege Boss was struck by an unexpected missile, struggled to brace themselves. The debris from the first attack clattered across a long strip of the invaders and the shock and awe had them fumbling as they tried to recover their composure. Fragments of the Siege Boss splashed toward the castle, clattering against its wall.


    At the same time Coop brought the double-bladed flaming battle axe down into the top of falling Siege Boss¡¯s head, aiming for a killing blow. The axe seared through the metallic armor, then cleaving flames sliced through its neck, carrying the barrage down its body. Flames erupted from each of the glowing red weak points that defined the Primal Constructs as the hungry flames exhausted the Siege Boss¡¯s mana before it could be used to regenerate, then sought to consume the mana in the air.


    The massive titan fell, crushing thousands of Elites as it went, taking down the outer walls of the castle and revealing the surprise attack to another contingent of Constructs. Flames danced from its joints like volcanic geysers and ignited those who barely avoided its bulk as the fires spread.


    Coop, drunk on the hysteria of a burning apocalypse, fell into the momentum of the Fire Elemental as he targeted the masses of enemies, like an ember caught in the wind. After he landed in the dirt, between the dissolving feet of the largest opponent, he turned up the intensity, and the fiery tornado that spun into the sky from his form was bolstered by more of his own mana. He couldn¡¯t let the possession go, when he had so many more enemies to kill. The destruction was just beginning.


    Flames extended the range of his attacks, letting him cut down entire squads of the desperately reorganizing Primal Constructs. He leapt into a melee, aggressively pursuing the nearest Field Boss and with an incoherent roar, he accepted the desires of the Apparition as they matched his own.


    ¡°Ragnarok!¡± The Apparition howled with a voice of flames, and Coop raised his axe to the sky with an enthusiastic bellow that sent a blaze from his throat. He had to go all in.


    The sky turned into a swirl of crimson and orange while Coop crushed his enemies. Embers twisted in the searing winds as mana ignited along the edges of the fiery inferno that followed his steps. As Coop slammed the battle axe through a mannequin¡¯s head after melting its shield, the first extra projectile landed on the ranged Construct the tank had attempted to defend.


    Flaming meteors began landing in Coop¡¯s proximity, at first like a deadly hail, but larger chunks crashed into earth, splashing dirt and flames as they cratered the Constructs. The ground shook as the largest demolished squads of Constructs and the Field Bosses that they accompanied.


    Coop embraced the role of harbinger of destruction, carrying the Fire Elemental as he went, aggressively chasing down groups of enemies as they desperately formed bulwarks. The Primal Constructs were granted a brief glimpse at the sort of apocalypse humans had envisioned. Perhaps they realized theirs was inadequate in the seconds before a flaming axe cut them down.


    Thousands died at once whenever the largest meteors crashed into the surface, ravaging the otherwise uniform dirt of the Underlayer, planting incomprehensible craters. Pools of magma formed where the dirt was struck, forming rivers of fire that broke up the formations of the army as it spilled onto the surface, and the searing winds from the hungry tornado viciously stripped the armor of the Constructs.


    It wasn¡¯t until the battle was winding down, some hours later, that Coop truly realized what he had done.


    ¡°Oops.¡± He muttered awkwardly, pressing a hand against his sweat-covered forehead as the fatigue set in.


    Viewing the destruction with clear eyes was stupefying. The exhaustion really hit him once he was standing still. He exhaled dramatically as the drain was fully realized and he confirmed that he had overdone it by quite a bit.


    It would be some time before he could cast Inheritance again, maybe even days, but he had learned something more specific about the way the skill worked. The possessions were directly related to the purpose for which he accessed the apparition¡¯s power. More severe penalties were applied for imprecise uses that were further beyond his own capacity.


    While he was possessed, he was acting as a channel for mythical power to flow into the real world using mana as the catalyst. When he attempted grand, sweeping attacks with indefinite limits, he strained his physical presence beyond its rational depths, forcing downtime, or even risking more severe consequences.


    He shook his head at himself, realizing that Inheritance of the Mists was a direct reflection of Legacy of the Mists. They were far more similar than he had previously considered. When he summoned phantasms, he could provide clear instructions to have them take specific actions upon their manifestation. When he was possessed by an apparition, they were granting him power for a specific purpose, like a sort of inverse relationship with different costs. He needed to make that purpose more precise just like he had evolved his coordination with the phantasms.


    ¡°I can work with that.¡± Coop confirmed with a hoarse voice, lungs no longer filled with fire, feeling encouraged despite his weakened state. He was still conscious, after all.


    Beyond the countless craters and charred dirt, he watched as the nearest army, bolstered by Field Bosses, shifted, sending a portion to reclaim the control point he was in the process of conquering.


    Coop grit his teeth at the challenge, excited by the revelations granted by the Apparition of the Greatest Fire Elemental, and accepted the price of earning a bit more knowledge. He may have to fight on his own for a while, but another layer of his abilities was emerging.

 Chapter 273: King of the Hill

    Without the bolstering power of Inheritance of the Mists, Coop spent triple the amount of time to defeat one third of the equivalent number of enemies. It wasn¡¯t exactly a fair comparison, considering his personal capabilities were diminished by the previous expenditure due to simple fatigue, but the broader conclusion was the same.


    Finding a way to effectively weave Inheritance into his regular tactics was a worthy goal with the potential to yield exceptional results above and beyond his normal standard. If he was going to conquer as much of the Primal Constructs in the Underlayer Event as he desired, leaving the impressions that he intended, he needed to adapt yet again, and exploring Inheritance if the Mists was a viable avenue to do so.


    The assimilation was a series of challenges presented to the entire planet. Coop never had the desire to take on all the burdens of the entire world, but the Underlayer Event presented a temporary situation where he could afford to ease the weight for people outside of his current sphere of influence. By taking up that mantle, he had committed to pushing himself in a different way than he had in the past. No matter how much power he accumulated, he was still just a single person, but that didn¡¯t mean he had reached his limits.


    That¡¯s why he would keep iterating on his use of Inheritance of the Mists. He felt like he was on the verge of establishing an optimal use for a unique application of the skill. The upgrade to Salvation multiplied his abilities in unpredictable but extreme ways. Utilizing the powers granted by apparitions came with risks, penalties, and restrictions. As he explored the limits, and occasionally played with fire, he had to accept the consequences.


    He had already learned to tamp down on the power, using restraint to avoid being completely incapacitated by the ability, but there was still plenty to learn about restricting downtime. The Battlemaiden, and in a way, the Lightning Lord, had taught him the lesson in humility. In the meantime, while he waited for another chance to summon an apparition and apply all that he had learned, he used his other skills to turn the first control point into a perpetual meat grinder.


    It wasn¡¯t like he was helpless without being possessed. The fact of the matter was that Inheritance produced such impressive results because it was building off the carefully laid foundation that was the rest of his build. Otherwise, the skills of the apparitions would just be a flash in the pan.


    The Champion of Ghost Reef staked his claim on an area inside the glowing perimeter that marked the area as an objective of the Underlayer Event. The objective was pinned to Primal Construct colors, since they consistently outnumbered him within its area, but for them to maintain their advantage, they had to throw a steady stream of bodies into a turbulent fountain of mists. None who entered survived for long.


    Coop was maintaining a tumultuous field of Fog of War, establishing it within the borders of the control point, but the mists struggled to resist the pure mana of the Underlayer. The formation couldn¡¯t be considered a proper domain, as anyone viewing from the outside would be able to catch clear glimpses of the Revenant roaming within. At best, it merely established a haunting milieu of danger.


    Gaps repeatedly coalesced throughout the mists, only to be swallowed by swells of vapor that were in turn torn asunder by the invisible forces in the air. Even at its thickest, lower to the ground, shadows were still clearly visible inside the struggling domain, revealing the motions of the warrior at the heart of the fog as he kicked through the vaporous arrangement.


    Elite Primal Constructs weren¡¯t hampered by the obscuration of mists anyway, but Coop was using it for his own abilities. Presence of Mind and the phantasms from Legacy of the Mists both benefited with the addition of his haunting fog. He was using all of his other abilities to their fullest, whether they were active skills or merely practiced techniques.


    A clenched fist, gripping the hilt of an ethereal weapon extended beyond the fog for a moment, attached to a shadowy silhouette of a spectral gladiator as it pummeled the challengers unlucky enough to draw his attention. When he spun on another target, a window in the fog appeared, revealing his grim, determined eyes, contrasting a subtle smile that told a different story of zealously kept momentum and fully indulged abyssal hunger.


    Coop¡¯s ethereal shield deflected ranged attacks that pierced the formless cover, ripping thin strips in the fog as volley after volley tried to suppress his resistance, only to clash against the solid manifestation and be flicked into the air. Counter attacks from the Revenant were relatively rare, but when they came, they were devastating.


    Ghostly warriors whipped from the billowing mists, as if they incorporated the fog into their forms when they dashed beyond its limits, dragging fingers of vapor along with their attacks. They leapt into the ranged attackers, matching the fervor of their summoner. Explosions of violence ensnared the invaders, and dozens were lost before the phantasms lost cohesion and drifted into mists themselves, undefeated, but limited by time in the Underlayer.


    The other Primal Constructs had no choice but to enter the control point, and Coop took advantage of their commitment to the objective. His spectral short sword flickered through the inconsistent mists, its edge glinting with reflections of the indefinite light source in the underground. It found gaps in the melee Constructs¡¯ guards, despite the wielder¡¯s ability to overpower each and every challenger.


    Coop was king of the hill and he wouldn¡¯t be dislodged, no matter what the Primal Constructs threw at him. They were physically limited in their encounter, only able to collapse an insignificant portion of their armies on the control point at once. The Revenant was a solitary point of resistance when they were prepared to battle across vast tracts of land. Naturally, a lonesome neophyte gladiator would be overwhelmed by the sea of opponents under typical circumstances. At least, that¡¯s what they thought. He was proving them more and more incorrect as their forces diminished.


    The absurd part of the situation was that the immovable object within the mists was the Revenant engaging in recovery mode. The invaders fed him mana and he transformed their contributions into resistance. He was bruised and battered by errant attacks and lucky shots, but his layered defenses easily absorbed everything the invaders managed to land. As far as he was concerned, he could go all day, but he already had. Make it all week. All month even. The meditative combat refueled him.


    The Primal Constructs refrained from sending their entire forces, splitting them into armies that were either anchored to the castles or dedicated to the field. The other three castles remained manned, watching the armies in the field be crushed one after the other, as if they had a different set of priorities compared to the rest of the aliens. They defended points they already controlled while the armies outside of the fortresses worked to recover any lost ground.


    Unfortunately for them, the first control point beneath this settlement was unrecoverable as long as Coop was there. It wasn¡¯t even a matter of skill, though that played some small part. The reality of the situation was that, looking at raw levels, he was far beyond what should have been allowed. Tack on his particular strategy of multiplying his attributes, and he was thousands of levels their superior when the time frame stretched beyond the fluctuations created by active skills. Even the Siege Boss had fallen far enough behind to be rather unimpressive. The limits of the assimilation doomed all who attempted to conquer the strength of humanity¡¯s current highest level.


    However, the misfortune swung both ways. While Coop had been gaining steady, if slightly diminished, levels before, he had finally reached another point where they really slowed down. The first bout while he was possessed by the Apparition of the Greatest Fire Elemental had given him a burst of levels, a total of 12, as he destroyed hundreds of thousands of Elites,  and including the major contributions by the Siege Boss and all of the Field Boss minions.


    The levels gained while conquering the first control point put him at level 271 in something like four hours. Since then, a full day of steady grinding later, Coop had defeated an equivalent number of Primal Constructs and twice as many Field Bosses. Day 128 had begun and Coop was still defending the first objective, but his efforts had only added another three additional levels.


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    The gap between himself and the invaders had grown beyond 100 levels and with the additional difference, another diminishment of the experience was applied. Or at least, enough experience was required for gaining more of his levels that he really felt the gap. Coop would have been sincerely frustrated by the difficulty in maintaining his leveling pace, except that the enemies were so numerous and so densely packed, his progress remained insane. He couldn¡¯t actually ask for better conditions.


    Three levels a day was still a number he would be more than happy with. It was just that he was climbing to a point where he would have to measure the defeats of his enemies in numbers that were exponentially larger than before. He fully expected his growth to slow down as the event went on, but that didn¡¯t mean he wouldn¡¯t be taking every advantage he could get in the meantime.


    As he danced in his volatile mists, he spared a portion of his vision to the system¡¯s display, checking his status.


    [Status]


    HP - 22717/23000


    MP - 20194/43500


    Class - Revenant (Level 274)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 181)


    Affinity - Spectral, Abyssal


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - The Lighthouse


    Strength - 125 (+4350)


    Agility - 125 (+2175)


    Body - 125 (+2175)


    Mind - 3480 (+870)


    Intelligence - 125 (+4350)


    Acumen - 125 (+2175)


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion IV, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper II, Slayer XI, Dauntless, Stacked, Defiant, Siegebreaker, Mindbender, Valor XXIV, Dedicated, Dynamo


    Skills (Active) - Mistwalking


    Skills (Passive) - Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension, Clarity of Purpose, Reverence (Rank 1)


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (22/50), Upgrade City to Metropolis


    Basic Credits - 15,111,836


    A thrown shield ricocheted into a pair of charging invaders before Coop flickered from existence, reappearing on one knee in the dirt with the protective manifestation held against his forearm. The ethereal short sword, swung from his other hand, cleaved through the leg joints of a third Construct, and as Coop rose to his full height, the falling monster received a devastating blow from his one-handed warhammer that crushed its torso before its body was embedded into the ground. The enemy disappeared from the mannequin shaped crater, leaving a cloud of mana to drift away.


    A pair of phantasms leapt through the turbulent mists, each armored in dark iron suits, back where Coop had mistjumped from. They simultaneously smashed another pair of confused Elites that believed they were attacking the Champion, the ghosts matching the swings of their ethereal hammers as if they were reflections of each other in a mirror.


    Coop threw his hammer like a tomahawk, and reappeared on the opposite side of the control point as bolts of mana pierced the fog where he had been a moment before. His abrupt arrival caught a full party by surprise, and his war fork was already puncturing their metallic heads before they recognized that combat had begun, still exploring the swirling domain like visitors of a haunted house.


    Preventing the Primal Constructs from comfortably reclaiming the control point was the single best grind he had ever found. Diminishing returns on experience be damned, he was having the time of his life. How many times had he wished for a situation where multitudes of enemies would come to him, saving him on all the travel time that typically fought to put a ceiling on his efficiency?


    If it wasn¡¯t for the event¡¯s deadline and the consequences of the Champion of Ghost Reef stagnating in his efforts, he would be in heaven. Unfortunately, this was one of those times where he wasn¡¯t fighting for himself, no matter how badly his deeply seated desire to selfishly prioritize his hunger hammered his soul. As soon as he was able, he would summon another apparition to push himself that much harder in order to protect those who were absent.


    While Presence of Mind gave him a picture of his battlefield, he used his eyes to steal glances at his status. His health was good, with every few kills recovering what was briefly lost. He made sure to spend his mana on Fog of War at a reasonable pace, refusing to allow his mana pool to be diminished too far beyond 50%. Anything more than half would be consumed by the reservation of Inheritance anyway, but he didn¡¯t like to spend too much more than 50% in order to always have room for Mind Over Matter to completely protect his health pool. That was one of the self-imposed rules that he tried not to break too often. Thankfully, the Primal Constructs were generous with their mana pools so he could keep dumping resources into his imperfect misty domain.


    Coop bent backwards, letting a single bolt pass through the mists where his neck had been a moment before. At the same time, a phantasm appeared behind the attacker, piercing it through the back with a barbed polearm, lifting it up like a ragdoll, before tearing it in half above the edge of the mists. Coop twisted his torso before he fell, getting his feet beneath him so that he could lunge in the same direction as his phantasm with his shield and sword solidifying as he went.


    The dirt rumbled as a massive snake entered the control point, half submerged as if it wanted to get deeper, but couldn¡¯t. When it burst into his mists, he inspected the aura just as he assaulted it directly, sensing the subtle vibrations with Presence of Mind before it had made its appearance.


    [Field Boss: Ruin Serpent (Level 170)]


    [Bol the Hidden Lance (Body)]


    [Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]


    A massive worm raised itself up, and Coop cut straight through its body, finding the equivalent of a spine as he exited its back. Its bulk collapsed before it even identified him as its target.


    ¡°Gaol?¡± Coop wondered as the Field Boss dissipated, recognizing the form as a familiar boss during the Siege Event. Though he didn¡¯t get an answer, Coop thought it was weird to see another familiar face, even if it was a mechanical horror and labeled differently. ¡°Do the Primal Constructs have variants of variants?¡± He asked himself as he smoothly transitioned his target onto another Elite.


    Gaol was the Primal Serpent Field Boss, but it seemed like he had a Ruin Serpent cousin. Coop figured he should pay some attention to the Field Boss types rather than treating them as more of the same. The difference between a Primal Serpent and a Ruin Serpent seemed hard to distinguish.


    In any case, the kill gave him another level, bringing him to level 275 and opening up another skill selection. He multitasked during the grind, checking the options as Presence of Mind guided him from invader to invader.


    He was looking for a way to advance his Dedication, and of course that was all he found. When he snorted, the mists swirled like the smoke from a dragon¡¯s nostrils. Every choice was another Dedication, as if he was being given the option to betray his current benefactor in favor of any of the other previously offered connections.


    As his levels climbed and he received more and more skill choices, he was beginning to better understand how Ixia and the other alien contractors had managed to gain thousands and thousands of levels while their toolkit of skills remained modest. The system had a way of putting them on shorter tracks of upgrades and alternative choices.


    Coop would just keep plowing forward. His primary goals were always centered on gaining levels to stack his attributes anyway.


    He found the Dedication to Sethrak, quickly noting that the other options had nothing extra to sweeten the deal and entice him to reset his progress. His was a build optimized for doubling down, and he wouldn¡¯t be switching things up. He selected the offering to Sethrak again, confirming his original choice and another rank of the passive skill was added.


    The description of Reverence (Rank 2) declared Coop as an Adherent of the Deep Dweller, rather than a Supplicant. It seemed as though he was climbing through the tiers of his very own cult, one dedicated to the grind.

 Chapter 274: Divine Spark

    For what purpose did he need power? What was his goal? Coop had his current answer at the forefront of his mind, immersed as he was in developing his mastery over Inheritance of the Mists. There was nothing he wanted more than to smash his current target - simple and to the point.


    Every fiber of his being was focused on his current action. Despite all of his combat sense, the messiness of the surrounding battle, his broader concerns for his allies, his own progress, the state of humanity, and all of the other pressures of the event, for a fraction of a second only he and his target existed. The rest of the world was shrouded in a self-imposed veil. Any attempt to break his concentration would be for nought. No enticements and no temptations could shift the Revenant¡¯s fixation away from its prey.


    He wasn¡¯t sweeping an army away, nor was he becoming the harbinger of death and destruction. It was one swing. An isolated action necessitating zero guidance.


    Time slowed as yet another possession took place. Coop maintained his immersion, engrossed in the singular crushing action, aiming for a demonstration of power that went beyond overkill. He had something to prove with regard to his skill usage.


    The ethereal morning star was raised above his head, securely grasped with both hands, as he leapt up and toward a skittering raid boss. His knees were bent as he flew through the air, abs stretched, and back curved in preparation for whipping the weapon down upon his target.


    In contrast to his taut muscles, his expression was calm. He looked down at his target, eyes locked in as his breath escaped his lungs. His consciousness expanded, while his focus pinpointed into his motion, fully entering the zone.


    Dozens of Elite Primal Constructs were frozen in place beneath him, desperately reaching for their soaring adversary, but falling short in every possible way, like a dramatic renaissance painting. They couldn¡¯t even succeed in subduing his attention, let alone suppressing his actions, as he rose above.


    Bolts of energy were fired from the orbs at the ends of twisted metal staves, physical projectiles shot from arm cannons, blades fiercely snapped up into the air, and polearms jabbed at the Champion, all sluggishly sliding in his direction before revealing one of two fates.


    Either the attacks would miss and their ineffectiveness was never realized, or they landed true and were forced out of the way by sheer momentum, like hollow twigs being used to stop a speeding semi truck, bouncing off his armor and layered defenses as wisps of mana flickered across the surface. For a single attack, he had become the personification of vehemence, asserting his will on the battlefield.


    A noticeable amount of abyssal mana trailed the spikes of the mace. The dark mana mixed with the more familiar ghostly mists, painting the solid manifestation with patterns of inscrutable black energy that were mirrored from within his set of gladiator armor. The patterns flared as the defenses in his equipment contended with Construct attacks.


    Instead of 1 out of every 100 wisps of mana, a small enough amount to go unnoticed by someone unfamiliar with the regular designs, the abyss was making up closer to 10% of the effluence after his level of Reverence ranked up. The darker streaks stood out against the cool backdrop of aquamarine vapor that normally accompanied his manifestations, all trailing behind his aggressive motion, transforming him into the ethereal gladiator he had established within the assimilation.


    Despite revealing the growing fusion between his affinities, the newer color still seemed primarily decorative. Coop had already stopped worrying about it. So long as it didn¡¯t negatively impact his combat fitness, he didn¡¯t mind the aesthetic change, though he suspected it was slightly more than purely cosmetic. Another line in the obscure damage formula devised by the system was irrelevant to him as long as his enemies were defeated when he struck them.


    As the moment stretched to impossible lengths, his brain working overtime, he was entirely immersed in receiving a brief flash of strength before he released the possession. All he wanted was a soft touch from a supernatural power to test how low the cooldown could get before he connected with his monstrous target. His racing mind only had one thought: smash!


    The Field Boss he intended to kill was mostly legs, with a small spiked oval body housing a single glowing red eye, fit like a crimson orange crown. The elongated spidery limbs were doing their best to rise above the range of his mace, carrying the spiked body into the air and its weak point out of reach, but the boss had underestimated the Champion¡¯s tenacity. The vaulting high jump demonstrated by its human opponent easily cleared the length of its spindly legs.


    Coop hadn¡¯t hesitated before implementing Inheritance of the Mists. As soon as the last of the debuffs faded from his status, he was reapplying them with his most powerful active ability. A heavy jab, shoving a guarding Elite into range of a powerful side swing preceded his rush forward, stomping on its fading shield before he leapt and activated the skill. His aggressive motion had been unexpected by the invaders that shuffled through the Fog of War, searching for him as he flitted between waves of mists, and the gap between him and his opponent closed instantly.


    The first of four control points remained contested, with Coop¡¯s scattered mists swirling across its arena, though he and his target rose above the wafting vapors, dragging fingers of smoke after them both. The illumination of the event¡¯s objective silhouetted each of them in an urgent rouge, as if an ongoing emergency just wouldn¡¯t lapse.


    It was all Coop¡¯s fault. A quarter of a million Elite Primal Constructs had been defeated during their effort to defend the objective, falling to the apocalyptic power of the Greatest Fire Elemental, and even more than twice as many had fallen during their attempts to reclaim their lost control. He was preventing the objective from settling into any sort of stability, but with the help of Inheritance, he would be pushing toward the inescapable conclusion. The Revenant would capture all four points soon enough.


    Coop had already spent almost two full days satiating his runaway appetite. It was time to finish the job. When the morning star¡¯s teeth eclipsed his own head, smashing down through the air as every muscle in his body tensed, he was fully bolstered by a multi-armed celestial entity.


    His perspective shifted, and he could see himself in the third person, flying higher than the Field Boss as the mace crashed through the thick, stagnant atmosphere. A glass fist overlayed the ethereal morning star in his mind¡¯s eye, and punched straight into the ground, smashing the sizable boss into the dirt.


    The bang that followed seemed to ignore the muffling sensation of the Underlayer, instead pummeling his ears like a crashing drum, loud enough to travel through the tunnels and reach the empty Shenandoah objectives that had been left behind. The impact turned the solid surface in its immediate proximity into liquid and a wave of pure kinetic energy melted the topsoil, expanding outwards with a rush.


    While the shockwave wasn¡¯t particularly large, it had enough force to rip the nearest Elite Primal Constructs in two, tearing legs away from torsos, dissolving the metallic limbs into liquid mana before they reacted, let alone attempted to escape. A clear gap in the army of invaders appeared, thousands eliminated at once, replaced by a cloud of dirt that slowly settled back down to the freshly leveled ground around the crater in the center.


    As soon as the FIeld Boss crunched, pulverized beneath the celestial knuckles, Coop freed himself from the possession. It was one single attack, merely bolstering his own strength rather than borrowing it entirely from the mists, exactly as he intended.


    Mana smoke wafted from the exaggerated imprint of knuckles in the dirt, the last of the FIeld Boss¡¯s corporeal presence, and Coop heaved his mace from the center indentation with a satisfied grunt, letting it rest on his shoulder. He checked his buffs and debuffs, noting that he hadn¡¯t avoided the consequences of tapping into power beyond his means, but he could immediately tell that it wouldn¡¯t be long before he could do it again.


    ¡°This is it.¡± He confirmed to himself as the mists drifted around him, sighing with satisfaction.


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    It wasn¡¯t like he had cracked some super complicated secret code, but he felt gratified all the same. Finally combining all the little bits that he had incrementally learned was like pressing the last jigsaw piece into a high-quality puzzle. Supplementing his regular standard tactics with individual bursts of divine power may not elevate him to the highest of highs, but it would raise his floor far beyond what it had been before.


    There was no additional fatigue to his body, and the cooldown on Inheritance of the Mists was drastically reduced. In exchange for a single empowered strike, he traded half of his mana pool in the form of a momentary reservation. Whether or not the trade off was worth it would depend on how he applied the divine spark, but his overall mana pool was extensive.


    The ongoing benefits of his concentrated investment into Mind continued to reveal themselves. He wouldn¡¯t be restricted from using his other abilities with only half his mana available, since his pool was huge, though he would probably need to reevaluate his standards for Mind Over Matter. Even the summons created by Legacy of the Mists had their flat mana cost reduced to zero by Practical Application after their continual use, so the drains on his mana wouldn¡¯t be excessive whether it was a reduced total or not.


    Coop quickswapped to his shield and spear, throwing his weapon in order to mistjump back into the Primal Constructs. The single strike of his mace had cleared a massive circle, leaving him with no immediate targets as the first control point finally found a moment of peace after days of conflict.


    The Revenant, on the other hand, went on the hunt, targeting the left most of the protective castles. When he reappeared at the end of a mistjump, through a hole blasted into the outer wall of the stronghold, he immediately went to work. The idle Constructs within the parade grounds of their fort were dragged into his torment.


    Mere minutes into the evolving battle, the interior of the castle was as chaotic as the first control point had been. The monsters did their best to contain the raider, but his baseline was much too high. Disorderly columns of mist leaked over the tops of the remaining walls as the inside turned into the domain of the Revenant.


    When the time finally came again, Coop shifted gears and lunged forward. He thrust his spear beneath the double bladed guard of a dual wielding Construct before abruptly lifting it up, flinging the manifestation up and over his shoulder before letting a summoned phantasm finish the hapless victim off. He then used the butt of his spear to batter the next armored invader, forcing it backwards, and gave himself more space.


    Satisfied with his position, he planted his foot and rotated the spear up and over, preparing a forceful jabbing strike while casting Inheritance of the Mists once again.


    Time appeared to slow as Coop envisioned the single forward attack he intended to empower. This time, his spear was already crashing down, aiming for the raised shield of the stumbling Elite Ruin Construct as if daring it to block whatever would come next.


    Coop felt the tempest build in his heart, turning his haunting aura into one filled with the fury of a storm god. The rage was channeled into his weapon and the air touching its surface crackled with volatile energy. A powerful glow emanated from the surface, already stinging his eyes, but unable to discourage his motion. The ethereal weapon had a focused beam of white-hot power temporarily contained in its core.


    As the tip of the weapon met the Elite Primal Construct¡¯s shield, the flow of time seemed to freeze rather than resume. For a single heartbeat, there was a stalemate between the two weapons, but it was never meant to last. Everything afterwards happened in quick succession.


    The shield glowed like overheating metal before it gave way, shattering like porcelain, and the searing spear punched through. Then, the energy was released with a deafening boom. A blast cone turned the Construct to ash in an instant, continuing forward with tendrils of light lingering in its wake before fading away as Coop escaped the possession.


    The attack had been a singular thunderclap, but it devoured a large enough slice of the army that it made Coop¡¯s conquest of the second control point a foregone conclusion. He turned his attention to cleaning up the rest of the castle, as sparks continued crashing into the dirt. A rotating army of phantasms supplemented his individual attacks before moving onto the third objective as he carried his momentum forward.


    Coop was settling into the new cadence of his abilities. The rhythm had slightly changed, incorporating massive punctuations of power whenever Inheritance of the Mists was ready. His steady grinds turned into a build up that culminated in dramatic outbursts of fantastical proportions. His momentum transformed into an ocean of waves rather than a steady pressure. The Mistwalker rotated through a pantheon of significant figures, revealing them a single blow at a time, and the Primal Constructs were all the worse for it.


    Even after the fourth and final control point was cleared of Primal Construct invaders, Coop was awestruck by Inheritanceof the Mists. While he tried to remember that its effectiveness wasn¡¯t truly tested against enemies that were anything above 100 levels his inferior, he couldn¡¯t deny feeling astonished at the difference between his normal attacks and ones boosted by the equivalent of a true active skill. He knew it was coming eventually, and in specific aspects of his build had already reached the point long before, but among the lower leveled masses, he truly felt overpowered.


    Coop distracted himself from the giddiness of successfully adapting the ace up his sleeve with the leaderboards, letting the control points slowly capture while he caught his breath.


    Underlayer Event Settlement Scores:


    <ol>


    <li> Neon Park - 1,916,054 (x13)</li>


    <li> Ghost Reef - 1,360,000 (x1)</li>


    <li> Cherry Hill - 1,136,618 (x3)</li>


    <li> Aotearoa New Zealand - 112,871 (x5)</li>


    <li> Shenandoah Confluence - 105,510 (x1)</li>


    <li> Akagera - 78,506 (x2)</li>


    <li> Neptune¡¯s Bridge - 63,000 (x1)</li>


    <li> Silvervalley - 46,946 (x11)</li>


    <li> Empress City - 21,000 (x1)</li>


    <li> Barsa-Kelmes Reserve - 21,000 (x1)</li>


    </ol>


    ¡°Tch.¡± Coop clicked his teeth. He couldn¡¯t help already feeling brought back down to Earth after seeing his settlement officially lose the top spot.


    As glad as he was that others found some success, he was still competitive enough that he didn¡¯t want to let his own settlement fall behind. He¡¯d just accomplished something unbelievable and it wasn¡¯t enough to keep up with a larger settlement¡¯s progress. Neon Park was pulling further ahead.


    ¡°That¡¯s just how it goes, I guess.¡± Coop grumbled, trying and failing to feel some acceptance as he jabbed the dirt with his spear and retraced his progress through the control points.


    He squinted at the rest of the list, having a moment of confusion as he sought the nice round numbers that would indicate the settlement he had cleared. It took him a minute, but he figured it out.


    Cherry Hill was the recipient of his aid, but residents of the settlement had actively participated in the battle for Neon Park, so they independently contributed to the score, one way or another. Shenandoah had also gained some points, so he assumed the same for them.


    The other big gainers were Akagera, New Zealand, and to a lesser extent Silvervalley, as was more or less expected of settlements that were relatively larger. The real story was buried deeper in the list.


    Barsa-Kelmes Reserve had cleanly finished their defense, as had Aydar, joining Kyzyl Cross and Empress City with perfect scores. However, they were also joined by the previously dormant settlements of Syr Darya, Gora Zarkasa, Bugunskoye Hold, and Amu Basin Camp. In addition, there were another eight places with x1 challenge assessments progressing their scores all at once. It seemed like every time one settlement was cleared, two more were reinforced.


    While Coop had spent a significant amount of time on one settlement, the event was continuing, and he didn¡¯t seem to be the only one progressing. Thankfully, the number of settlements making progress against the Primal Constructs was continuing to expand, even while he was working in one place.


    He checked the individual scores to see how he was doing relative to the other big gainers.


    Underlayer Event Individual Scores:


    <ol>


    <li> Coop - 1,338,000 (+1,150,000)</li>


    <li> Neon - 108,155 (+3,209)</li>


    <li> Platinum - 14,278 (+3,786)</li>


    <li> Azizi - 11,901 (+11,901)</li>


    <li> Imara - 11,862 (+11,729)</li>


    <li> Sila Tupua - 11,729 (+5,898)</li>


    <li> Sefu - 11,274 (+11,274)</li>


    <li> Carlos Alvarez - 11,109 (+10,503)</li>


    <li> Callagun - 10,650 (+10,650)</li>


    <li> Layla Itunu - 10,533 (+5,195)</li>


    </ol>


    Coop choked on his own breath as he checked the individual scores. They were far more lopsided than he ever imagined they could get. He actually felt guilty. His adapted tactics combined with his absurd level meant there was no competition anymore.


    ¡°Yikes.¡± He muttered, feeling like he was truly getting out of control.

 Chapter 275: Initial Assessments

    Platinum¡¯s fuming gaze was fixed on the single exposed control point that Neon Park had managed to reveal. The glowing arena was no longer protected by the alien fortifications of the Primal Constructs, the metal walls having been torn down, but that was only a small consolation given its current state.


    Her brows were furrowed and she clicked her tongue against the back of her teeth as she replayed the battles in her head, unable to suppress her agitation. A flame of frustration burned inside her, causing her features to smolder with impatience.


    To the residents of Neon Park, she was an open book. They had long since grown familiar with the moods of their Champion¡¯s right hand. If they had to pick an individual who best represented them, it wouldn¡¯t be Neon, it would be Platinum. Neon was the leader of leaders, but Platinum was the hero who embodied the character of their settlement. She was a reliable bellwether that they all looked up to, one way or another.


    Throngs of people watched her as they rested in the dirt, naturally separated into groups of those familiar with each other. Spirits were surprisingly high, at least relative to her own, but the reality of their continued mortality was upon them. They were all being confronted by the fact that they hadn¡¯t taken full advantage of the regular variants on the surface now that the enemies were significantly more advanced in both power and sophistication.


    Those of the Neon Park residents who were wounded were nearest to the chasm that had brought them into the Underlayer in the first place. They were receiving treatment by the handful of people who had skills in healing, but more likely being attended to by those who simply knew first aid from before the assimilation. As a result, what could have been a cataclysmic loss of life was moderately allayed.


    Platinum didn¡¯t look back. The wonders of mana provided no relief for her anger. Her eyes were locked on the cylindrical illumination of the arena they had fought and bled for. It was a solid crimson color once again, indicating that the human defenders had completely lost control of the objective. Though they had briefly initiated their claim on the point, they had not held it, and that pissed her off.


    ¡°Hmph.¡± Platinum made a frustrated noise as she changed directions.


    Her body language said it all. Though she stood tall, surveying the army of Elite Primal Constructs that had come to reclaim the event¡¯s control point, she repeatedly clenched her fists, kicked clods of dirt out of her way, and paced like a caged predator. Regardless of logistical nuances, she just wanted to keep fighting, even if it was on her own. Half a million Elite Primal Constructs formed orderly columns and watched the makeshift camp form in the distance, as if they didn¡¯t care that their opponents weren¡¯t defeated.


    ¡°A stalemate? After all that?¡± She expressed her disappointment, interrupting the ongoing conversations among the decision makers.


    The burrough leaders who were present with Neon, discussing how they would proceed at the front of the still massive army, raised their eyebrows. It was a rare event for Platinum to voluntarily share her thoughts during one of their meetings. They may have been holding an informal conference at the head of their army, but the mood was as official as it got in Neon Park. Normally, Neon would have to prompt her to provide her perspective, though he was more likely to simply share it on her behalf.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a stalemate.¡± One of the other leaders corrected. ¡°We have the upper hand, especially now, but we can¡¯t be greedy.¡± He reiterated the popular opinion among them.


    ¡°We regroup, we fortify, and we push again.¡± Another added.


    ¡°The war will be won through individual battles.¡± They continued along the same line of solidarity.


    The leaders went around the huddle, essentially agreeing with Neon¡¯s tactical retreat in various different ways as if they had suddenly become military generals. However, Platinum wasn¡¯t one to argue with the properness of the decision. She acknowledged that it was the smart move, especially as it allowed their already superior force the chance to recover, but that didn¡¯t make it less frustrating.


    They had barely overwhelmed the army of Primal Constructs, defeating over a million Elites, dozens of Field Bosses, and the gigantic Siege Boss that overlooked them all, thanks in large part to outnumbering them by multiple times. Once the walls of the enemy castle were torn down and they finished the last of the invaders off, they naturally began capturing the objective, finally understanding the point of the event after days of battle. The humans occupied the control point they discovered within, but alien invaders appeared on the horizon, leaving one of the other glowing control points with the intent of reinforcing their holdings in the underground caverns.


    Neon and the others had opted to pull the army of humans back the way they came, avoiding more conflict on the heels of their first multi-day battle. Thus, they had to watch the point that they had fought and sacrificed for as it was reclaimed by the enemy. It made Platinum feel dissatisfied, wishing that she could have done more, especially when she checked the individual leaderboards and found proof that it was possible. The whole battle had been a major endeavor, and they had nothing tangible to show for it.


    ¡°We can¡¯t afford to make unnecessary sacrifices. A battle of attrition isn¡¯t our winning strategy here.¡± Neon declared, sensing her reluctance.


    They had proven that the robotic enemies could become fatigued over the course of their battle, so she was prepared to keep pushing.


    She didn¡¯t vocalize her arguments, but Neon knew her too well, so he continued. ¡°Our lives are too valuable to throw away, and unlike these Primal Constructs, we will get stronger over time. Now that we¡¯ve seen just how many we are facing, we can¡¯t simply rely on overwhelming them with our numbers while absorbing losses, especially because every person lost now represents an even greater loss in the future.¡±


    The other leaders nodded along with what was already the consensus. Platinum¡¯s frustration was mostly directed at herself and everyone from the observing residents to the other leaders already knew it. Her sense of responsibility, no matter how much she denied it, was part of the reason she was so respected. They needed to go back in time and put more effort into developing themselves with easier opponents before facing the more organized Elites of the Primal Constructs, but after the Siege Event, they had grown too relaxed.


    ¡°That Siege Boss was a serious problem.¡± Another leader observed, correctly pointing out the most dangerous part of the enemy armies, far beyond even the escalation to Elites.


    ¡°We need a more efficient way of taking them down.¡± Neon confirmed. ¡°It seemed to be designed to counter mass assaults, but they didn¡¯t send a second one with the reinforcements. If possible, we should avoid them unless we are prepared to isolate and destroy them before they spin up the wider attacks.¡± The others nodded solemnly, recognizing that in order to be prepared, they would need to find times to rest. Platinum scowled, unwilling to admit her agreement.


    They were lucky to not take more damage after encountering the new types of enemies, let alone the amplification of danger brought by higher tiers of bosses. Even the more basic Elites were a surprise in terms of complexity and teamwork, contrasting with the normal variants on the surface.


    The Viceroy from Ghost Reef had done his best to describe the possible enemies when they exchanged intel, but seeing the change from mindless swarms to squad based combatants took getting used to. Recognizing that the Primal Constructs truly were an intelligent species manifesting armies to mess with the inhabitants of Earth was revelatory.


    ¡°We¡¯re on a good pace, so we can take our time to gather information before making another move.¡± Neon repeated the plan, getting more acceptance all around.


    The vast majority of those who had climbed down into the Underlayer would stay put and prepare for another attack while awaiting instructions as to where it would take place. The newly formed opposition around the first control point seemed like the optimal target, but that was only compared to the reinforced army they had already encountered. If there were other, more convenient options, they wanted the opportunity to explore them.


    They would be scouting the region first, gauging the invasion¡¯s forces, and confirming the locations of the subordinate settlements, their control points, and the extent of the armies that claimed them before they made another move. They had only fully arrived in the Underlayer as the event was already starting, and the presence of an enormous army formed in opposition had goaded them into battle right away. As the dust settled and they confirmed that the Constructs were taking a purely defensive stance, the humans were regrouping, unsure if they truly outnumbered them or not.


    Depending on the stance of their enemies, they might liberate the nearby settlements before continuing with their war for Neon Park. Softer targets would be sought after for a combination of reasons: whether they wanted to hedge their bets or build up morale and experience. That the primary settlement had the highest challenge assessment was not lost on their minds, and the fact that two of the subordinate settlements were making large amounts of progress independently of the alliance made them feel the need for more information.


    For all they knew, other forces were attempting to make moves in the same way as the Primal Constructs. If they were tied up with the most difficult challenge while a third party found a way to claim their territory out from under their noses, they needed to know so that they could adjust. It was a worry they all agreed on.


    After the meeting broke up, Neon was bombarded by requests to have private conversations, so Platinum was left on her own. She wandered along the edge of their encampment seemingly unaware of how she was watched by the crowds. Her eyes were only on the enemy.


    ¡°Hey! A pretty face like yours shouldn¡¯t look so glum.¡± A handsome voice suggested before she got very far, drawing a glare from not just her, but from others who heard as well.


    ¡°Whoa! I just meant it because we¡¯re in relatively good shape.¡± Carlos put his hands up before either Platinum or Gabby could whack him. ¡°Seriously. We¡¯re even ahead of Ghost Reef.¡± He placated. ¡°That¡¯s not something I ever imagined seeing.¡±


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    ¡°Me neither.¡± Gabby conceded with a sigh.


    ¡°It¡¯s crazy. Even without that guy, Cici is a beast. We¡¯re doing something right if we can compare ourselves with them.¡± Carlos added. ¡°Uh. Don¡¯t tell her I said that.¡± He mumbled as Gabby rolled her eyes.


    Platinum wasn¡¯t happy to have the leaderboards brought up. They just made her think of excuses for why she wasn¡¯t at the top, though her arguments seemed cheap given the gap that had been formed. For someone that was supposed to be so strong, she had been unable to make her presence truly felt on the battlefield. It seemed like no matter how many monsters she destroyed and how many people she aided, it was a drop in a bucket. The scale was too much and there were too many priority targets demanding attention while she wasn¡¯t strong enough to do it all.


    Honestly, it made her wish that Neon had taken her up on the offer to abandon the settlement they had stumbled into claiming and just worry about themselves. The burden of responsibility made her feel gross.


    How could anyone play a truly meaningful role when millions fought at once. She would have taken solace in the understanding that no one could possibly live up to such lofty expectations, except it seemed like one person out there actually would have. Her scowl deepened.


    Gabby was the one to put her hand on Platinum¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t be hard on yourself.¡± Carlos nodded vigorously. They had won the battle after all, and they had done it with so many people working together with relatively minimal losses compared to their opponents. It should have been proof of power and a source of confidence. They had even received a title for being among the first in the world to defeat a Siege Boss, a feat that had only happened a handful of times across the planet, apparently.


    ¡°I know.¡± Platinum agreed, but her brows stayed furrowed. The brutal battle put a damper on what was a relatively positive outcome, all things considered.


    ¡°Which way are you going?¡± Carlos asked, trying to change the subject as he correctly noted Platinum¡¯s hardened feelings.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be circling south to get a count for the Neon Park control points.¡± Platinum answered. ¡°Then we¡¯ll see what there is to see further down.¡±


    ¡°Dang, looks like we¡¯ll be leaving in opposite directions.¡± Carlos grumbled. ¡°It could have been fun to travel together for once.¡±


    ¡°Be careful out there.¡± Gabby recommended, guiding Carlos away to give her space.


    ¡°You too.¡± Platinum responded as they waved and walked away. She didn¡¯t have to wait long before she was leaving as well.


    She and Neon left after he had appeased all the other leaders. It hadn¡¯t taken much time, since they were all on the same page when it came to external threats. No one was jockeying for position within the alliance when it was possible the whole structure would collapse at the hands of an enemy. The entire City had rallied together in a way that had been inspirational until the actual brutality of battle became a reality check.


    It didn¡¯t take the pair long to discover all four control points scattered within Neon Park¡¯s territory. Neon could be nearly as fast as Platinum, as long as she was taking it easy. The only others that could reliably keep up had been split into their own groups, heading in different directions to scout the alliance territory more efficiently. The two didn¡¯t speak much, silently agreeing to take care of business first.


    In total they estimated the enemy forces to hold four or five million Elite Primal Constructs, more than 100 Field Bosses, and exactly three more Siege Bosses. Neon¡¯s judgment was correct once again. They had defeated approximately a quarter of the initial forces in one tenth of the event¡¯s duration, meaning they were on pace to succeed.


    While they had responsibilities toward all of the subordinate settlements, assuming the challenges were truly proportional, they could barely make it out of the settlement event with a complete victory. Unfortunately, they had to go undefeated for what they estimated would be approximately 30 battles.


    ¡°I dunno.¡± Platinum muttered, voice revealing her ongoing doubt. Each of the Siege Bosses could spell their doom.


    ¡°Now that we know about them and their capabilities, we can plan ahead.¡± Neon assured her, already knowing her thoughts. ¡°Next time, you and I can blast it as the battle starts.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯d both be useless.¡± She remarked, genuinely opposing the idea.


    ¡°Maybe I would be.¡± He agreed self-deprecatingly. ¡°But we¡¯d be freeing up a ton of firepower and energy for everyone else.¡± He added a bit more seriously.


    ¡°We¡¯d probably die before anyone caught up.¡± She continued being gloomy. Neon may have been able to easily focus on the bigger picture, but she would always prioritize themselves. It wasn¡¯t just a personal stance, but it was also basically her job to make sure Neon was as safe as possible. It wasn¡¯t like she was any kind of leader, at least as far as official titles went.


    ¡°Half the settlement would line up for the chance to rescue our hero.¡± Neon chuckled, baiting her out of her mood with a light shove.


    ¡°Can you not?¡± She grumbled, though her expression relaxed for the first time since they entered the Underlayer. Neon had been under just as much pressure during the whole campaign but he still understood how to distract her from the frustrations that built up.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna win.¡± Neon declared for both of them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you can be so sure.¡± Platinum stated somberly, shaking her head. ¡°We¡¯re so weak¡­¡± She paused for a few seconds. ¡°So many people died.¡± She admitted what was really bothering her under her breath.


    Neon sighed, revealing his own exhaustion when only Platinum was in his presence. ¡°I know. But it really could have been worse.¡± He shook his head. ¡°It is the apocalypse. We might all die.¡± He conceded.


    They were both quiet afterwards.


    50 miles later and they spotted a completely empty control point in the distance. The cylindrical arena was illuminated in a pleasant blue that they hadn¡¯t seen before, though they correctly figured that¡¯s what the objectives would look like if they were successfully captured. There was no army, but there were plenty of signs that an enormous battle had taken place if they just looked at the dirt landscape.


    They wandered closer, entering the area of the objective and confirming that it was fully captured. Their presence had no effect as if they had been the ones to capture it themselves.


    ¡°Look at that¡­¡± Neon indicated a section that had a perfectly delineated area of smoothed dirt, pockmarked with tiny scorched craters, like an electric claymore had exploded, covering an area that was larger than a full-sized basketball court.


    Platinum pointed out the giant arrow pointing away from the direction they came, clearly offering directions to anyone that stumbled into the control point with the word ¡®sanctuary¡¯ drawn in its stem. Neither of them said anything, though the symbol raised their eyebrows even more than the signs of battle.


    Two more control points were further south, running along the wall of the tunnel, and they each matched the peaceful blue color of the first, though the blast cones and debris piles provided clues to what kind of extraordinary violence had taken place in the recent past.


    The final control point, further in the distance toward the interior of the tunnel, was off by a few shades of blue. They slowly wandered closer so that they could see it better, noting the massive craters and cooked dirt that formed dried rivers of solidified black stone throughout the landscape, like scraggly roots of enormous obsidian trees. Following the flowing patterns with their eyes as they swept toward the objective, they finally realized that the control point was currently occupied.


    They stopped while they were still more than a mile away, but the lone figure that occupied the empty dirt stood up from its crouch, and Platinum felt a chill run down her back as she did her best to identify it from so far away. Moments later, the control point burst with color, sending a spotlight of light blue all the way to the ceiling. Obviously, it had just been fully captured.


    ¡°Uh.¡± She muttered.


    Neon hesitated at the same time, humming to himself as his mind raced. ¡°Maybe we should head back. We can at least confirm there aren¡¯t any Siege Bosses, though I¡¯m afraid whatever that is might be worse.¡± He murmured, having detected danger just as she did, now unwilling to gesture too quickly, despite the distance.


    ¡°Too late.¡± Platinum stated. ¡°It already saw us.¡± She pointed out, abandoning any stealth by drawing a soldilight blade and reinforcing it with extra layers that shot into her hand from the sky like white lasers at a rave.


    Platinum¡¯s instinct was to run or fight with absolutely no in between. ¡°What do we do? I could hit it from here.¡± She offered, pointing her offhand, still finding confidence in her build, especially with Neon at her side. She had a rare mix of offensive, defensive, and supportive capabilities that made her dynamically dangerous to any opponent. As long as there weren¡¯t a million enemies, she was self-assured.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Neon warned her, putting his hand on her forearm to put it back down. ¡°Let¡¯s just back away. Pretend like we didn¡¯t see it. Just don¡¯t provoke it.¡±


    They only took one step before the figure appeared to shout at them, though the Underlayer had a way of stifling sounds, it waved its arm all the same. They looked at each other and sped up a bit as they turned and retreated.


    All that did was invite the chase. Both Platinum and Neon ignited their abilities, but as they turned their backs, a missile shot past, like a bullet, battering them with wind, followed by the booming echo of the sound barrier being shattered. Then, the ghost of a spear-wielding gladiator appeared directly in their path, with one hand held up in greeting, as if it had popped out of a cloud of mana.


    ¡°Yo-¡±


    Platinum¡¯s solidlight weapon whipped through the air, snatching the momentum of her rush to retreat into a horizontal strike that would free them from obstruction. Instinctively, she knew they had to escape.


    In the next instant, her manifestation shattered into a cloud of illuminated glitter. It was nonchalantly blocked by a bracer-covered wrist, using the exact amount of movement necessary, as if she hadn¡¯t engaged her enormous amounts of Agility.


    The shiny debris formed a blast zone that could have been perfect for a surprise party. As the light reflected off what should have been her most sturdy weapon, but had been reduced to shiny dust, both she and Neon froze in their tracks.


    ¡°Wow.¡± The man commented from within the center of the gleaming cloud, apparently distracted by the sparkles. ¡°Pretty.¡±


    Platinum¡¯s eyes grew as wide as saucers at the comment. She slowly turned her head to look to Neon for guidance. Her neck practically creaked with how rigidly she moved.


    The complete collapse of her soldilights left her flabbergasted. To have them break like they were brittle glass was basically unheard of, especially when they had been layered in that way. She had never felt so put in her place, and it had come with such casual disregard toward her power that she had no idea how to react.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Neon caught his breath, adjusting his glasses, seemingly realizing something.

 Chapter 276: Diplomacy of the Mists

    Coop took a second to appreciate the light show. It seemed like it was always the little things that brought him happiness, and this was no exception. The lustrous sprites shimmered before they faded into the Underlayer after he harmlessly swatted a reflexive attack away.


    He was already in a pretty good mood after adopting a new strategy with Inheritance of the Mists. No longer was the advanced skill exclusively an ultimate move that he could only reasonably use for the conclusion of a kill or be killed scenario. Instead, it would be the key to saving as many settlements as possible from the Underlayer Event, and more importantly, might give Ghost Reef a better chance at the top spot while declaring their place in the world.


    Therefore, Coop easily forgave the panicked attack from the stranger; there was no damage done anyway. It was his own fault for being too excited to find people wandering in the underground expanse. Did they need assistance? Were they lost? He could probably help either way.


    The dreary Underlayer, full of nothing but stagnant air, comfortless dirt, and silence, was briefly decorated with silver filigree in the aftermath of his errant attempt to say hello. He openly smiled, barely suppressing a giggle as he embraced his inner child before he resumed greeting the two strangers. He thought it was inappropriate for him to treasure irrelevant little moments and simple pleasures during an apocalypse, but he didn¡¯t care. His lightheartedness was a spontaneous personal rebellion against the tragedy of integration.


    When he did turn his attention back to the pair of strangers in the aftermath of the ephemeral glitter bomb, he noted that neither of them had a particularly good complexion. He tilted his head slightly to the side in concern.


    The silvery girl¡¯s face was looking a bit too pink as she stiffly turned away from Coop and stared at her companion with wide eyes, expressing clear uncertainty. In her partner¡¯s case, his skin was an even shade of reddish orange that made him seem kind of radioactive. The color was evenly spread on his entire body, glowing through his cream-colored shirt wherever his protective vest didn¡¯t cover, extending from his fingers to his ears. Coop had never seen aposematism in a human, but maybe this was his first example.


    Coop did his best not to openly stare. It would probably seem rude if he pointed their strange features out, so he just shrugged and started over.


    ¡°Hi!¡± He greeted cheerily, raising his empty hand again in a motionless wave. ¡°If you¡¯re looking for safety, you should go that way.¡± He stated clearly, pointing in the direction of Ghost Reef. He guessed he would need to make the arrows he absently drew in the dirt a bit bigger so they would be easier to notice for them to serve any purpose at all.


    Coop smiled at them encouragingly, naturally feeling friendly, especially after his sparkly entrance. The man¡¯s color was slowly returning to a more expected shade found in humans and he adjusted his glasses while Coop explained further. ¡°You guys seem pretty fast, so I think it¡¯ll only take like half a day before you reach Ghost Reef. My friends will make sure you can relax once you get there. No need to worry!¡±


    He tried to calm them down with a few reassurances, feeling like he was advertising an all-expenses paid vacation. He basically was, considering the amenities of his tropical island. Should he suggest visiting the Clumsy Shark or was that too much?


    The man looked at the still frozen girl and released the tension in the air between them with a hearty laugh at her flushed appearance before returning his bespectacled gaze at Coop as he calmed down. ¡°You¡¯re Coop, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    Coop was only a little surprised to hear his own name, given the context of meeting a solitary gladiator on a peaceful battlefield with no enemies in sight and a couple leaderboards that provided all the clues necessary to figure it out.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± He confirmed, before double checking. ¡°How¡¯d you know?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re exactly as advertised.¡± The man observed, subtly shaking his head. ¡°Marcus has told us all about you, and even knowing what to expect, you¡¯ve caught us completely by surprise.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Coop¡¯s generous smile got a little wider. ¡°You know Marcus? Am I getting close to Neon Park then?¡±


    The man chuckled knowingly. ¡°Pretty close.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good. I was worried the Underlayer would be more like a maze.¡± Coop admitted, letting his genuine relief spill into his voice. ¡°It¡¯s confusing enough as is.¡± He added, lowering his voice like they were discussing a school exam during a break.


    ¡°Marcus didn¡¯t tell us you would seem like a wrathful god from so far away.¡± The girl muttered, seeming a bit disgruntled by Coop¡¯s introduction, though she was visibly softening as he slowly made a better first impression.


    ¡°Haha¡­¡± Coop laughed awkwardly, shifting his hand from a peaceful wave to rubbing the back of his head shyly as his eyes closed. ¡°Sorry. I guess my presentation still needs some work¡­¡± He sighed. ¡°I thought I made it better already.¡± He added a bit sadly as the pair seemed to take a closer look.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. There¡¯s no harm done.¡± The man quickly forgave Coop while the girl slowly nodded in agreement, clearly losing herself in thought as she reassessed him, though Coop would keep trying to adjust things regardless of their approval.


    ¡°There¡¯s probably nothing you can do about the level difference.¡± The man continued, already identifying the root of the issue that had gone unaddressed by Coop. ¡°Seems natural for the system to enforce position in such a way.¡± He astutely concluded.


    ¡°Still¡­¡± Coop was discouraged by the fact that it seemed like he was always working against his own aura when it came to making friendly connections. Presence of Mind could only do so much if the system itself was doing its best to maintain its own internal hierarchy even on individual perceptions.


    The girl offered Coop a supportive smile since he looked so disappointed in himself. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t think you really need to change anything.¡± She waved her hand as if dismissing his concern. Then she paused and hummed, tilting her head as she continued to evaluate him.


    Coop glanced at the man who seemed to be doing the same thing. They were both breaking him down with their eyes like people who understood advanced concepts behind establishing an image. Coop suddenly felt shy as the pair took charge of the interaction. At least they weren¡¯t fighting?


    ¡°The contradiction between aura and personality has a certain appeal...¡± She spoke quietly to herself while tapping a finger against her chin in consideration, and the man hummed along with her, before they ultimately came to a conclusion. ¡°A surprise that doesn¡¯t quite meet expectations, but in a good way, like seeing a delinquent help an old lady cross a crosswalk, or finding out a gangster fosters kittens.¡± She bobbed her head once as if that was that and the man nodded the same way, confirming the accuracy of her read.


    ¡°What the heck?¡± Coop mumbled, unsure if he was being clocked or made fun of.


    The man laughed at Coop¡¯s befuddlement. ¡°Anyway...¡± He gave the girl a look that she received from the corner of her eye, communicating far more than Coop could hope to grasp, though he could understand they had been through a lot together. She responded to the bespectacled man with a one-shouldered shrug without taking her assessing gaze off Coop. With a quick look and a silent gesture the pair had made a decision.


    The man cleared his throat and spoke with businesslike authority. ¡°I¡¯m Neon, Champion of Neon Park, and this is our finest warrior, Platinum. It¡¯s nice to finally meet you, Coop.¡± He skillfully articulated, stepping forward while offering his hand.


    Coop shook it automatically, suddenly feeling impressed by the celebrities in front of him. ¡°Oh! It¡¯s you. You¡¯re famous.¡±


    ¡°Pretty much.¡± Neon confirmed with a confident smile.


    ¡°Seriously? You couldn¡¯t tell?¡± Platinum asked, pointing to her own hair.


    Coop winced. ¡°I mean, isn¡¯t it more silver?¡± He tried excusing himself.


    She raised her eyebrows in surprise. ¡°Huh. That¡¯s right.¡± She looked at Neon with a bemused expression.


    ¡°But is it really okay to just tell me you¡¯re Champion of Neon Park?¡± Coop wondered. ¡°I could be dangerous.¡± He pointed out the obvious risk.


    ¡°Would you like to become Champion of Neon Park, Coop?¡± Neon questioned.


    ¡°Nope.¡± Coop responded quickly. He already felt like he had enough to worry about.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Neon nodded. ¡°Consider it a gesture of goodwill. Besides, we obviously have a common enemy and other connections forming. We might as well be friendly.¡±


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    ¡°True enough.¡± Coop confirmed, deciding to get straight into it. He didn¡¯t really have time to play the role of ambassador with the Underlayer Event ongoing. ¡°I noticed Neon Park¡¯s score stopped moving, did you finish clearing the Constructs?¡± He asked, letting his curiosity take over.


    The annoyed sound that Platinum made drew both Coop''s and Neon¡¯s attention. When she offered no elaboration, Neon responded for her. ¡°We defeated an army protecting one control point, but retreated as alien reinforcements arrived. Before continuing with the raid, we decided to check our subordinates to allow for some time to recuperate and consider a change in priorities.¡± Coop nodded along, then Neon waved back toward the four control points representing the Cherry Hill settlement. ¡°What kind of forces were here? And how did you overcome them?¡±


    Coop had an accurate count already, so he didn¡¯t hesitate to give exact numbers. ¡°In total, there were one million Elite Primal Constructs, 50 Field Bosses, and one Siege Boss split between four castles.¡± He recited with confidence. ¡°Over there, I found 100,000 Elites and four Field Bosses.¡° He pointed toward the Shenandoah objectives. Both Platinum and Neon raised their eyebrows at the casual way he threw around such large numbers.


    ¡°As for how¡­¡± He leaned on his spear as he considered how he would explain that he mostly just grinded it out while occasionally being empowered by human myths. He decided it would be too hard and he really only wanted to get to the next fight. ¡°Better to demonstrate it on the next army, I guess.¡±


    Neon laughed, but Platinum still looked a bit annoyed, though it didn¡¯t seem to be his fault exactly, and she stayed silent about it either way.


    ¡°Alright Champion Coop, what can we offer to have you help us?¡± Neon asked, clearly prepared for a serious round of negotiations. The way he tilted his glasses and spoke, it was like the concessions had already been decided as he calculated how the discussions would go, but Coop wasn¡¯t angling for anything like that.


    ¡°Normally, I would just ask to be pointed in the right direction, but it¡¯s a pretty linear tunnel.¡± Coop noted, implying even that much was unnecessary if it came with a cost. ¡°I guess you can tell Marcus I said hello.¡± He added offhandedly, feeling like he had to ask for something given the atmosphere.


    Neon seemed taken aback. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± He asked, clearly a bit confused. The negotiations weren¡¯t what he expected. Coop had so much leverage and just wasn¡¯t engaging at all.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to do it anyway.¡± Coop pointed out. ¡°You¡¯ll note I¡¯m not asking for permission either.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± It was Neon¡¯s turn to seem a bit put out, and Platinum laughed at his expense. It seemed like he hadn¡¯t imagined a reason to need permission.


    ¡°We won¡¯t leave them all for you.¡± Platinum declared with a glint of comprehension in her eye, more closely in tune with Coop¡¯s line of thought than the leader of Neon Park. Her statement wasn¡¯t a threat, just an expression of understanding.


    ¡°Good.¡± Coop approved of Platinum¡¯s attitude, recognizing her potential. ¡°We all need to get stronger.¡±


    ¡°For the Eradication Protocol?¡± Neon asked, and Coop nodded in confirmation, happy that they could all understand that much.


    Coop turned to leave. ¡°So, it¡¯s nice to meet you, but if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ve got a lot of ground to cover.¡± He tried to head out, but they ended up quickly directing him to a specific location anyway, hoping to guide his efforts in a way that was mutually beneficial.


    After Coop moved on, he was feeling good about the impression he had left on the prominent leaders of Neon Park. However, he wasn¡¯t done with the statement he intended to stamp on their alliance of settlements. For the next part, he would give those with some ambition something to aspire to, and for the ones who needed confidence, someone to depend on. If he was going to do it, he might as well go all out in terms of building Ghost Reef¡¯s reputation. That was the full extent of Coop¡¯s diplomacy.


    When Coop engaged with the most massive Primal Construct army he had seen, shortly after leaving the pair of Platinum and Neon behind, he approached it in the same way as any other. He immersed himself in the rhythm of combat, opening the song of battle with an empowered ranged assault.


    The Siege Boss went down first, being crushed beneath an empowered opening salvo that clouded the entire encampment in deep shadows thanks to Inheritance of the Mists. For a brief moment, sinister eyes formed from within a light devouring miasma, high in the underground sky above the Champion, lending murderous power to the ethereal spear that he wielded.


    Anyone that witnessed the fixated glare in the distance felt instinctively grateful to be away from the darkness. The Apparition of the Moonless Midnight was the kind of thing that went bump in the night - the sort of fearful superstition that drove ancestral humans to embrace the comfort of fire.


    After defeating the Prime Construct, the foreboding presence faded away. In seconds the illumination of the Underlayer returned to normal, but it was clear a battle had ignited. A few million people far in the distance shared a moment of solidarity, relieved to have avoided whatever had caused a portion of the Underlayer to darken.


    Meanwhile, Coop drove through the alien castle and lodged himself within the control point. His actions made his intentions crystal clear to the aliens. He was planting a flag and daring the Primal Constructs to tear it down. The single control point was defended by roughly the same number of enemies as he had already defeated in the entire trip from Ghost Reef to Neon Park, but that hadn¡¯t added a single second of hesitation to his actions.


    Half an hour into his fight, Platinum and Neon appeared at the edge of the reorganized battlefield. The light show they created flashed in the distance from Coop¡¯s arena. He couldn¡¯t see exactly what they were doing, but he imagined a glittering spectacle of as they chipped away at the enemies enough to satisfy their own desire to contribute. They had effectively flanked the army by merely approaching it from the outside since it was oriented to contend with Coop who had penetrated directly into the objective.


    Coop put his head down, summoning his fragmented Fog of War and settled into the new cadence of his cherished grinds. The punctuation that cleared thousands of enemies at once repeated periodically, multiplying his efficiency by several times, but that didn¡¯t mean it was a short battle. Time was a blur within the Underlayer, and he had more than a million opponents, but soon enough, the last of the local Primal Constructs fell.


    Coop stood like a statue, in the center of the control point as it transferred control, facing the next objectives in the distance as he held onto the feeling of being in the zone. It was no time to relax.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you can do that.¡± Neon jokingly observed between deep breaths as the dust settled, finding Coop fully focused. It was clearly just the beginning of Coop¡¯s grind.


    The shrinking number of enemies had inevitably drawn Neon and Platinum toward the control point as the invaders concentrated on Coop¡¯s assault. While Coop was fully warmed up, with few smears of dirt on his skin, his ethereal equipment cleansed itself, combining with his unfatigued posture to make him seem unaffected. It made him seem more machine than man.


    Both Platinum and Neon were clearly worse off, despite engaging only in a tiny fraction of the enemies he had dealt with. Their exhaustion sent them into the dirt as soon as they breached the edge of the objective. Platinum collapsed face down onto the ground, comically, with her light sword fading with a shimmering fizzle.


    Coop wasn¡¯t sure if he could really explain all of the incremental progress that had gone into turning himself into such a single-minded grinder, even if he was sure anyone could easily follow in his footsteps. ¡°Practice, I guess.¡± He conceded to the still conscious Neon.


    ¡°Which one next?¡± He asked, completely ready to keep going.


    Neon lifted an arm and used his whole hand to line his eyes up with a specific direction of glowing control points. ¡°That way for the one that still had its full army.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to capture this, then.¡± Coop decided, sending his spear on the path that Neon had described.


    By moving right away, he was able to catch the Primal Constructs that intended to reinforce the freshly contested objective while they were still with their castle.


    It took over two hours before Platinum and Neon joined him again, but this time they had invited a few dozen more people. Coop let them work at one edge of the army as it converged on his position, dead center within the control point. As before, they were careful to stay on the edge, only fighting what they could handle, which turned out to be quite a lot. They picked off Field Bosses and made a significant contribution to reducing the mass of Elites, demonstrating that they weren¡¯t weak, Coop was just at an absurd level for this event. There were even some familiar powers thrown into the mix as members of Camila¡¯s family joined in.


    Coop tried to be cognizant of the bursts of power he invited into his rotation through the brief appearance of apparitions, but the forces of Neon Park kept their distance all the same. Seeing the ghosts of gods superimpose themselves into the battlefield in order to unleash dramatic elemental strikes was enough to encourage care. Coop was like a lightning rod in a spectral mana storm that they preferred to stay away from.


    The enemies were eliminated in due time, measured in hours rather than days, but as soon as they were done, Coop was itching to keep going. He hated the downtime.


    ¡°Next?¡± Coop prompted while the others licked their wounds, struggling to catch their breath or even keep on their feet.


    ¡°That way.¡± Carlos gestured, having arrived with the groups that reinforced Neon and Platinum. ¡°We can show you.¡± He offered generously, clearly pushing himself.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright, you can rest while you claim the point.¡± Coop answered, already raising his spear.


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten stronger.¡± Gabby added, rubbing a smudge from the end of her baseball bat, barely a change in her consistently stoic expression.


    ¡°A little bit.¡± Coop replied as he threw his spear and watched it fly.


    ¡°Understatement of the century.¡± Carlos mumbled as the Champion of Ghost Reef flickered away, leaving a gentle cloud of mists in his place. He turned to Gabby as he sighed. ¡°I actually thought we were pretty close last time.¡±


    Gabby shook her head. ¡°That guy is a monster.¡± She observed.


    The third Primal Construct army was only half the size of the others, having split its forces before Coop arrived in the region. Still, it had a Siege Boss for him to destroy before he tore down the walls of their castle and settled into making himself king of the hill once again.


    Neon Park¡¯s entire army joined for Coop¡¯s third battle, picking off distracted Elite Primal Constructs at the edge while the rest of the invaders packed themselves together in an effort to reach the contested control point.


    The battle transformed into a living art piece. A single point in the center of a glowing ring, surrounded by a mass of flowing metal forms, which were also completely encircled by the chaotic masses of human warriors. If the invaders ever reached the center, they only found themselves shrouded in waves of mists, confronted by one of a dozen ethereal weapons, unreasonably powerful phantasms, or the ascendant strength of humanity¡¯s cultural scions.


    The fourth and final objective was challenged by all of them together, though Coop shot ahead while they captured the point. Without a Siege Boss and with the bolstered confidence gained by having Coop on their side, the battle was more like a victory lap for the local fighters. When it was done, the relieved cheers almost drowned out Coop¡¯s repeated question, this time seeking the nearest subordinate settlement so that he could keep fighting.

 Chapter 277: The Heavy Hand of Ghost Reef

    The color of Neon Park¡¯s final control point was transitioning away from the sinister red that represented the Primal Construct invasion, gradually softening as swirls of soothing blue mixed into the glowing illumination.


    Rather than a blend of colors, the blue and red each cast a weak haze along the rings on their own, like two separate flashlights of cosmetic light powered independently of each other. The red glimmer was fading while the blue was energized. If the lights were more prominent, it would make an interesting spectacle, but outside of the moments when control was claimed by one or the other, they were a bit too subtle to invite anyone to sit down and enjoy the show.


    Once the objective was in the process officially being claimed by team humanity, Coop was ready to move on to the nearest subordinate settlement. He was riding a wave of incitement, and he had no reason to let it fade.


    Days of combat were par for the course for the Revenant of Ghost Reef. He didn¡¯t need rest after so little. As long as there were more enemies out there, just waiting for him to come and defeat them, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to linger anywhere in particular. The opportunities to grind were too nice to pass up, even before considering all the other reasons to keep moving.


    The assault on Neon Park was certainly on the extreme end of the Underlayer Event, but he outleveled the enemies by far too much to let mere numbers deter him. The settlement was in the top four of the world¡¯s challenge assessments, but the tremendous army of invaders had merely whet Coop¡¯s appetite. The effective use of his evolved skills was immensely satisfying, and the enemies were sufficient to continue feeding his constant desire for more progression.


    Elsewhere, millions more of the non-respawning Primal Constructs were tucked away in their cute little castles among the dirt plains, just waiting for him to pay them a visit. The greedy giggles the thought elicited from Coop only added to the inevitable notoriety his actions were establishing in Neon Park.


    Fortunately for his human colleagues, it wasn''t a selfish desire that motivated him, at least not entirely. The Underlayer Event was also a real opportunity for the Champion of Ghost Reef to conduct the style of diplomacy that he would be most effective at performing, and in what was probably a rare moment of recognition, he knew it.


    Marcus and the people who had been trained to become diplomats for their tiny island nation behaved like proper ambassadors, concentrating on persuasive arguments and peaceful treaty negotiations, but Coop represented the other side of the diplomatic coin. He was the ultimate manifestation of Ghost Reef¡¯s hard power, and he was demonstrating their effectiveness, not just on a global scale, but on an intergalactic one.


    He didn¡¯t suppress his bloodthirst, openly letting it add to his image. The Champion of Ghost Reef was a force to be reckoned with, possessing serious combat capability, and maybe he was a little unhinged when it came to how much he delighted in exercising his proficiency. The image he was establishing was perfectly appropriate for his role.


    The combination of The Lighthouse¡¯s friendly approach backed by its verifiable strength would certainly be more compelling whenever it came to encouraging open dialogue. But it wasn¡¯t like his people were asking for too much from their human compatriots in the assimilation. They were primarily declaring their sovereignty to the rest of the world, stating clearly that they shouldn¡¯t be messed with, just as any other independent settlement would.


    However, they were also forecasting more dangers and presenting themselves as the remedy. The Eradication Protocol was coming, but it was a dubious prediction without further proof. Unfortunately, Icons of Mana were rarely available to provide as a reference.


    Notably, they hadn¡¯t appeared in the Underlayer at all, though Coop wasn¡¯t sure if that was due to increasing requirements to have them show up, or if the Underlayer itself provided some sort of deterrent with its flow of pure mana. It seemed like prime real estate for the mana monsters, but he supposed that if the underground didn¡¯t have some way to discourage the Icons it would have been the first place they established themselves. The Icons themselves might avoid it for the reason that it was distinctly separate from the subjects of their interest.


    No matter the case, Coop understood it would require a certain amount of credibility to heed Ghost Reef¡¯s warning without their enemies making a convenient appearance. His actions would contribute in a small way. It demonstrated that he was driven by purpose beyond simple competition because he recognized further threats in their future. At the very least, Ghost Reef believed what they were saying to be true and were taking sincere actions based on their convictions. That would add integrity to their arguments.


    The people of Neon Park were celebrating their survival in a way that reminded him of Ghost Reef¡¯s relief after their own successes during the Siege Event. It didn¡¯t matter how dire the situation really was when lives were put on the line. The alleviation was substantial. Of course, Coop¡¯s contribution to their victory had been considerable, so he was given plenty of credit. They were happy to rely on him, seeing his drive as dependable instead of what he imagined should have been alarming.


    Despite his apparently monstrous aura, random people approached him without any reluctance, slapping his back and inviting him to come visit their homes whenever he wished, like he was part of the family. They wanted him to share their meals, or come meet their parents, or even joked about letting them introduce him to their daughters. He did his best to gracefully decline, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck as he reminded them that the event wasn¡¯t over until the last Primal Construct was defeated but somehow that made them even more insistent.


    They made it as clear as possible that he¡¯d have a hero¡¯s welcome whenever he took the time to stop by, and in turn, he invited them to visit Ghost Reef and consider it a safe haven should they ever desire it. Whether or not they really understood the Eradication Protocol, they could at least associate Ghost Reef with security.


    Platinum had straightforwardly pointed out how the contradictory impressions his aura and presence caused were actually rather charming, and he supposed it must have been true, given his reception by the people of Neon Park. No matter how much he controlled his aura with Presence of Mind, the difference in levels was subconsciously recognized by everyone he encountered thanks to the system. During his adventures, he had met enough enemies with question marks for levels to understand the feeling. Even The Lich had put the fear of god in him, but it was a very human thing to put those notions aside and apply their own assessments.


    On the surface, Coop was simple, strong, and good-natured. In general, he never felt like he made a particularly good first impression due to his own internal doubts, but it still seemed relatively easy to make friends. As soon as the power differential shifted from danger to assurance, it became an asset that worked in his favor.


    Looking back, he wondered if the contrast had helped him recruit for Ghost Reef when he first ventured to the mainland. At the time, he had been surprised by the willingness to take a chance on him and his island, but maybe even back then he had been projecting a certain dynamic image that revealed greater potential. People like Laurie and Greg saw him defeating a few monsters and after briefly meeting him, decided that was enough. He supposed his impression didn¡¯t need to be that amazing when the alternative was staying put with the growing monsters and the Endless Empire, but still, he had done something right.


    It was ancient history at this point, but Coop¡¯s self-confidence had been steadily improving since those days. With the Underlayer Event, he was finally ready to actively fill a role instead of simply letting the leaderboards do the talking, and frankly, it seemed like it might be effective. He had landed a critical hit on the consciousness of Neon Park, that much was certain.


    Coop casually declined the invitations to spend any time celebrating Neon Park¡¯s liberation, already looking for the next fight and more opportunities to progress. He didn¡¯t need to put on an act either, he really just wanted to grind, which made his insistence all the more authentic.


    After he finally found one of Camila¡¯s cousins and got him to confirm the order of the distant objective spotlights, Coop escaped the escalating celebration. As usual, it seemed easier to let his actions demonstrate his priorities. Of course, the man of the hour refusing to rest wouldn¡¯t go unnoticed.


    Neon Park was in a similarly centralized location within the Underlayer when compared to Ghost Reef, but its control points had been spread across a much wider area and its subordinate settlements were much closer. Those two factors combined to make the trip surprisingly brief. Rather than travel down the tunnel, Coop only needed to angle toward the edges to reach the smaller allied shards on a direct path.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The first settlement Coop reached after leaving Neon Park was a place he immediately felt a special kind of kinship for. The brief description was enough for him to want to secure the settlement with all the strength available to him. It only took a handful of mistjumps before he was there, in a place called Lordship, prepared to engage the Primal Constructs with all the power of various pantheons inspiring individual attacks.


    The Lordship settlement had been established in what he understood was previously a neighborhood in Stratford, Connecticut. The civilization shard only boasted a limited amount of territory with a relatively small population compared to its two nearest neighbors, but what Coop felt an affinity toward was the fact that the settlement had been founded on a tract of land shared by a lighthouse.


    Of course Coop, an admittedly novice Lighthouse Keeper, but also the founder of a faction called the Lighthouse, would want to secure another lighthouse settlement. It was only natural.


    Coop enthusiastically cleared the enemies seeking to conquer the small settlement¡¯s control points, making sure the residents on the surface wouldn¡¯t have any problems in the future. Lordship only had a Challenge Assessment of x1, so it didn¡¯t take the newly empowered Coop long. Only the Apparition of the Ferryman made an appearance, providing a single devastating attack that cleared the first control point in its entirety, adding a creeping wave of shadows and dark water to an already destructive opening assault from the Champion of Ghost Reef.


    Still, despite Coop¡¯s speed, by the time he was done with the monsters, more people from the alliance were catching up, ready to capture the points on his behalf, and freeing him to keep it rolling. Coop didn¡¯t need to be told twice.


    Next, a bit further north and east, was a larger settlement representing Boston¡¯s apocalyptic efforts at civilization. The armies of metallic enemies were so large he couldn¡¯t really tell the difference between their numbers, Cherry Hill¡¯s, and Neon Park¡¯s. Basically, once the monsters exceeded a million, Coop¡¯s eyes just glazed over. How was a regular person supposed to gauge such massive quantities at a glance?


    ¡°Take more than a glance?¡± Coop mumbled as he dove in, ignoring the obvious solution. Knowing wouldn¡¯t make that much of a difference on what he needed to do.


    With Inheritance of the Mists bolstering his finishing attacks from the start, he made much quicker time than when he challenged Cherry Hill, not spending multiple additional days grinding through enemies as they tried to maintain the objectives that he challenged. It wasn¡¯t until afterwards that Coop realized the amount of Primal Constructs had been approximately double what he fought in Cherry Hill, despite how much speedier they were to defeat.


    The control points of the Boston settlement were right at the edge of the Underlayer tunnel as it swept northward, but the closer proximity of settlements gave him a better idea of the distance that the Underlayer was covering. Coop found it easier to ignore that the local underground was a tunnel at all, and consider Neon Park¡¯s territory its own region, where it was surrounded by subordinate civilization shards. The fact that the wide open plains were, in fact, tunnels was easy to forget, due to their scale. They were literally hundreds of miles across and the vertical distance was comparable to their width, best measured in miles.


    In order to reach the last two settlements within the Northeastern Alliance, it was necessary to double back and head almost straight west, crossing to the opposite side of the vaguely north-south tunnel. Maybe an hour after he left Boston, he was already destroying the Primal Construct armies responsible for claiming Niagara and Toronto.


    They were a pair of settlements that were basically on top of each other when compared to the rest. In fact, as Coop cleared the control points, letting the density of enemies guide his path, he inadvertently started fighting the second set of strongholds before he was done with the first. Niagara¡¯s population happened to be much smaller and the objectives naturally acted as stepping stones to the larger groups of opponents.


    His continued efforts after leaving the celebratory atmosphere had instigated others to join in. Whether they were from Neon Park or one of the subordinate settlements that he was already liberating didn¡¯t matter so much as they wanted to repel the invaders. At first, they followed his path, but Neon Park¡¯s army was less of a monolith and more of an aggregation of individual tribes that competed with each other within the greater organization. Individual groups anticipated Coop¡¯s movements and spread in different directions to avoid missing the battles and elevate their own contributions relative to the rest while hopefully getting on his good side.


    The luxury of having other people capture the control points was something Coop greatly enjoyed. He could have easily grown accustomed to such a convenience. He was almost sad to leave the Alliance behind for that reason alone, but as far as they knew, there weren¡¯t any other settlements nearby after Toronto and Niagara were liberated. Coop sighed as he anticipated his lonely future.


    On the bright side, the list of fully cleared settlements had grown substantially. Adding the seven in Neon Park¡¯s alliance to the three in the Lighthouse officially put the number he had completed into double digits. More importantly, the rate that the last five had been cleared gave him hope for the rest of the event. Coop took a deep breath, facing north, as he prepared to simply leave.


    ¡°Champion Coop!¡± Neon shouted, gesturing for Coop to wait for a second before he wandered away through the tunnels in search of more Primal Constructs.


    As Coop acquiesced, others grouped up, and before he knew it, Neon and a handful of serious seeming people had roped him into a huddle, sharing what they knew of the surface to help guide his choices. All of a sudden, Coop was attending some kind of leadership meeting as it took place in the final shifting control point of Toronto¡¯s settlement.


    ¡°While we aren¡¯t aware of any settlements, there¡¯s no way the tunnel just ends, right?¡± They debated amongst themselves, including him as naturally as anyone else, apparently doing their best to leave a good impression on Coop in their own way. Platinum watched him with an amused look on her face, that made it seem like this sort of thing happened all the time.


    ¡°I agree.¡± Neon stated after one of the others gave her opinion before explaining for Coop¡¯s benefit. ¡°We¡¯ve thoroughly scouted the region all the way to Newfoundland on the surface, and while there were signs of abandoned smaller settlements, we believe any shards that landed up there have already been destroyed.¡±


    ¡°The nearest known settlements to our alliance are the Heartland to the west and your Neptune¡¯s Bridge to the south, both of which would have been a thousand miles away before the assimilation, and now are much further with all sorts of obstacles in between.¡± Neon continued. ¡°However, we have already made contact with the Heartland and the group of settlements on the west coast of the continent, so we believe we can take responsibility for contacting them and letting them know what you¡¯re doing.¡± He concluded, Platinum nodded along from behind him, apparently being the volunteer for such a mission.


    ¡°I mean, I can¡¯t guarantee I¡¯ll arrive anywhere in particular¡­¡± Coop hedged, seeing what they were suggesting. ¡°Especially if I¡¯m deliberately going in a different direction.¡± He would be gambling with the unknown if he continued north as opposed to heading where settlements were already confirmed.


    ¡°We can still offer our own support to them. Hell, our entire army might be able to reach them if the Underlayer has shortened the distances as much as it seems.¡± Another leader declared, feeling particularly gungho about their completion of the event.


    ¡°Being passive during this event is also a viable strategy.¡± A different woman added. ¡°If they are aware of our offers of support, they can better decide if they need to engage immediately or delay until we can help.¡±


    Neon bobbed his head in agreement. ¡°As long as they know that immediate sacrifice is unnecessary, we will have done our job.¡±


    Coop shrugged, thinking Neon wasn¡¯t wrong. Though he was worried about letting the Constructs establish themselves on the surface, it was certainly better than people unnecessarily throwing their lives away. Getting the word out that Coop was speedrunning the event wasn¡¯t a bad idea, and if the event ended before Coop was done, what was stopping him from using the tunnels to visit all the places he hadn¡¯t reached anyway? Maybe he actually could promise to visit every settlement in the long run.


    ¡°Alright, fair enough.¡± Coop ultimately conceded to their more thought out arguments.


    Sending him in one direction while they took the other was as good a plan as any. He was just going to blast his way through the tunnels and let his intuition guide him, so he could go along with their suggestion, giving them their own chance to contribute in a material way. If Coop went ahead of them, they might as well stay home.


    It occurred to him that some of them might be trying to get ahead of the big continental meeting that was supposed to occur after the event, preemptively connecting with the West Coast Settlements to form a coalition that could stand in opposition to Coop and Ghost Reef. He had revealed himself to be a bit too much for them to handle on their own, but he wasn¡¯t particularly worried about such an effort.


    It wasn¡¯t only because he believed that even combining their forces with others, he doubted they could compare to Ghost Reef, but also because he already understood the distinct competition that played out within Neon Park. They were a giant conglomeration of smaller individual groups, all doing their best. None of them would be able to force the rest to do anything in particular, and he trusted that he had made enough of an impression on the people in general that they wouldn¡¯t ever make him their enemy.


    From another perspective, he also thought it was only fair. Ghost Reef had already been networking with major factions within Neon Park long before the Pacific Republic had a chance, not to mention the embedded familial connections. Besides, worrying about those types of politics was Marcus¡¯s job. Coop had a role much more aligned with his personal preferences.


    So like with Ghost Reef, the decision was made to split up. Coop went north and he left the rest to prepare themselves and head west.

 Chapter 278: Fork in the Road

    It didn¡¯t take long before Coop was presented with another fork in the road. Despite the compelling advice granted by Neon Park¡¯s leadership, he ended up having to make his own decisions soon enough.


    ¡°Figures.¡± He mumbled to himself. No matter how much he desired to embrace the mindless grinds, he sometimes had to use his brain.


    The Underlayer blurred time and distance more than the manipulations of mana already had, but he was still confident in his own actions. Despite feeling like he made no progress at all, his mistjumps had carried him a few hundred miles away from the tamed territory of Neon Park and its subordinates. If he had to assign a specific number he would have said he passed over 350 miles of smooth dirt plains. How many miles that translated to on the surface was unknown, but depending on the exact direction he was actually traveling, he imagined he was anywhere from Northern Ontario, to Quebec, or Newfoundland.


    Other than the rare column acting as a landmark, he hadn¡¯t encountered anything of note. He knew enough about Canada to recognize how sparsely populated it grew in its north, so not finding any control points representing settlements on the surface was relatively unsurprising.


    There, approximately 350 miles beyond Neon Park¡¯s territory, the tunnel of the Underlayer presented him with a choice. Continue in what he assumed was north-ish, or veer left in what he imagined was a more westward direction?


    As far as he could tell, the Underlayer had consisted of completely linear, but extraordinarily wide tunnels. He found it unlikely that it was actually perfectly straight, but the deviations from Ghost Reef up the east coast of North America had been so subtle he wouldn¡¯t have been able to identify them if they were there at all. Somehow, it felt like the tunnel had traveled in an entirely straight line from Ghost Reef to Neon Park and beyond. It encompassed locations as far apart as Boston and West Virginia without any obvious turns, stretching wide enough to mask its walls behind a veil of clear pure mana that thickened the air when he peered into the distance.


    Coop would never be able to tell if the path shifted as he was only a tiny speck within its massive framework. To make matters worse, for all he knew, the tunnels could also be fluctuating up and down at small angles, or growing wider in certain sections. The dirt plains offered no real clues on elevation changes either. He shuddered at the idea of the tunnels actually including sharp turns and steep inclines, like a massive roller coaster, while mana played with his senses, making it all seem straight and flat. Luckily, he had already encountered enough connections to the surface to be relatively sure such extreme changes were unlikely.


    His efforts to compare the underground layer to the surface probably weren¡¯t helping himself draw a picture anyway. The surface of the Earth had been drastically changed at the start of the assimilation, probably as a result of the formation of the Underlayer in the first place. He might as well have been exploring a completely new planet that merely imitated Earth¡¯s geography. If he fingerpainted the globe from memory it would be more likely to be accurate than a precise replica of the surface as they knew it before mana activated.


    Coop shook his head at the thought. It wasn¡¯t like they could do anything about that. He¡¯d have to rely on his more cartographic minded companions to make sense of everything in the long run.


    The path in the Underlayer was wide enough that he had been forced to drift hundreds of miles east or west in order to investigate possible landmarks in the distance, further throwing off his own grasp of direction. While he was confident he hadn¡¯t missed anything, the distances still revealed the full extent of the underground.


    Objectives had appeared beneath settlements all across the underground, falling on either edge of the tunnel he happened to occupy. Did settlements always have the Underlayer directly below? It sure seemed like it, but did that mean the entire planet contained a hollow layer, and the walls of the Underlayer abutted more tunnels in order to account for the small amount of mobility of the civilization shards? If that was the case, the massive pillars must have been doing a lot of work, structurally, to maintain the globe.


    The one fork in the road north of Neptune¡¯s Bridge had been the main exception to the linear path he followed from Ghost Reef. He could add the one onramp that Neon Park was planning on traveling, assuming it took them across the continent as a second known extension of the highway.


    Coop only spent a few seconds recognizing the fork beneath Canada before he stuck to the right side, continuing in the same direction he had already been going. His logic was simple, preferring to avoid accidental redundancy while keeping an eye out for any sneaky settlements that hadn¡¯t been contacted by Neon Park. If there were Primal Constructs marking their locations, he would find them.


    As he repeated his mistjumps, he had a few second thoughts. The north pole wasn¡¯t exactly known for established settlements even before the assimilation, but he felt confident that he would find something eventually. If it was Ghost Reef after completely circling the globe, it would be all the better, so he pressed on.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the gap between settlements to start feeling like the one between Neptune¡¯s Bridge and Shenandoah. It was oppressively empty, presenting fewer columns than even the largest stretches he had seen before. He checked the leaderboards to distract from the loneliness of the empty world of dirt.


    Underlayer Event Settlement Scores:


    <ol>


    <li> Ghost Reef - 7,702,671 (x1)</li>


    <li> Neon Park - 5,808,973 (x13)</li>


    <li> Beantown - 2,108,542 (x5)</li>


    <li> Cherry Hill - 1,141,211 (x3)</li>


    <li> La Piedra - 690,000 (x3)</li>


    <li> Toronto - 446,831 (x2)</li>


    <li> Aotearoa New Zealand - 324,247 (x5)</li>


    <li> Akagera - 252,,582 (x2)</li>


    <li> Shenandoah Confluence - 106,566 (x1)</li>


    <li> Niagara - 104,465 (x1)</li>


    </ol>


    Coop grunted to himself in between mistjumps as he made some quick estimates. Was there a chance for Ghost Reef to beat Neon Park? They were approximately a fifth of the way through the duration of the Underlayer Event and Neon Park¡¯s score wouldn¡¯t increase much further than it already had, if it gained at all.


    Their final score would be around 75,000,000? Ghost Reef was on pace to reach almost 40,000,000 but he was just ramping up. If he cut out the first days of progressing his skills and exploring the extent of the event, only counting the time he spent after Cherry Hill, the numbers actually looked to be in favor of Ghost Reef. Say, three days to get six million? Ghost Reef could end with more than 80,000,000 points at that rate. Coop hadn¡¯t thought it would be possible to even get close enough to spark hope at all.


    If Ghost Reef could be in range of Neon Park, he had to reevaluate their chances overall. The other mega settlements hadn¡¯t really made much progress either, but it was too soon to count them out. Most of Neon Park¡¯s score that had been earned without Coop was accumulated in the first four or so days. Any other force could take their time and organize themselves before doing the same. It would only take a few days to gain millions of points before adding the multipliers.


    Then again, there were really only about eight settlements that had high enough multipliers to beat Ghost Reef¡¯s current pace. Coop ran through the list as he traveled, wondering if he could glean their geographic locations based on their names. Would it be too much gamesmanship to prioritize visiting them over others?


    He wasn¡¯t sure, but it wasn¡¯t like the tunnels of the Underlayer gave him that much flexibility. But if he could clear half their control points for the super settlements, as a favor, there was a possibility of Ghost Reef competing for the top spot.


    He convinced himself that it wouldn¡¯t hurt to keep them in mind, and a few of them seemed like they genuinely needed help. Shinjuku Gardens, the single settlement with a x25 challenge assessment was firmly in the negatives, though after its initial faltering it had simply disengaged completely. Then there was Gangcheon, the Korean settlement with a x15 multiplier which while positive, had also stagnated after gaining around 10,000 points. He supposed if he was in the neighborhood, he might as well prioritize visiting both places.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    In the solitary confinement that was the Underlayer, his aspirations provided his only amusement. Recognizing that making it to what was basically the opposite side of the world was a bit too ambitious, even at his current level, so he just chuckled at himself. There were hundreds of settlements he would surely see before then.


    It seemed like a major factor determining scores would be in others¡¯ ability to deal with the Siege Bosses. Neon Park had four by itself, and though they had managed to defeat one, the experience had been discouraging enough that they were already exploring alternatives by the time Coop arrived. He wouldn¡¯t be surprised if some of the other larger settlements had only fought until they realized the escalation of power the Primal Constructs had been allowed to bring into the Underlayer Event.


    Coming back down to reality, the Shinjuku Gardens multiplier was actually still far out of reach. Even if they killed zero monsters, if Coop cleared their settlement on their behalf, and they only had an invasion force equal to Neon Park¡¯s, when it would logically be even larger, they would end up with a final score as high as 125,000,000. Coop shook his head at how far out of reach it was, and no matter how competitive he was feeling, he wouldn¡¯t leave their objectives alone just to secure his own settlement¡¯s victory, should it come to that. The system was unfair like that, almost encouraging the victims of an assimilation to fight amongst themselves until a single final stronghold stood against the planetary sponsors.


    The others with high enough multipliers to watch out for were Nyiragongo, Can Gio, Silvervalley, Englischer Garten, and Ordesa. Other than Silvervalley, which he knew was the hub of the Pacific Republic settlements, his ignorance was too much. He wasn¡¯t even willing to guess on the locations of the first two, but the latter two seemed vaguely European. Maybe they weren¡¯t too far to stumble upon.


    He checked the individual leaderboard just for fun, guessing that he was firmly extending his lead.


    Underlayer Event Individual Scores:


    <ol>


    <li> Coop - 6,990,671 (+5,652,671)</li>


    <li> Neon - 123,829 (+15,674)</li>


    <li> Emmanuel Seraphin - 121,164 (+121,164)</li>


    <li> Sila Tupua - 121,048 (+109,319)</li>


    <li> Sefu - 120,836 (+109,562)</li>


    <li> Charlie Seraphin - 56,612 (+56,612)</li>


    <li> Gibson - 35,905 (+35,905)</li>


    <li> Platinum - 34,761 (+20,483)</li>


    <li> Jose Molina - 29,495 (+29,244)</li>


    <li> Camila Alvarez - 29,120 (+25,756)</li>


    </ol>


    Coop winced at his own score, actually finding it hard to look at. It didn¡¯t really make sense for him to be that far ahead of everyone else. But compared to Ghost Reef¡¯s score, it was actually lower than it should have been, not that he was complaining about a surprise boon. It was when he started looking at the rest of the list that his apprehension for his own score was quickly replaced by concern for the others. Familiar names were taking up half of the top 10.


    Was Ghost Reef under attack? He hesitated before letting another mistjump carry him even further away, planting his feet in the dirt as he reassessed the leaderboard. At this point he was getting pretty far from home. If he had to return, he guessed it would take less than half a day of straight mistjumping without stopping before he made it to familiar ground, but in an emergency that was a long time. If he had to walk, he imagined it would take closer to a week.


    However, it seemed unlikely that they needed his help, especially considering the actual scores they were putting up. There was no way one of the smallest settlements on the planet was being assaulted by enough enemies for the defenders to gain hundreds of thousands of points in a few days. For all the faults of the system, it was pretty consistent about strictly limiting the planetary sponsor during the assimilation.


    It seemed far more likely that they had begun their own campaign to clear settlements. They¡¯d had enough time to get organized while Coop was working his way through Neon Park¡¯s holdings. Several notable names were also maintaining the exact same score as they had been after the start. People like Elder Olani, Shane, Arthur, the Cleary Brothers, and even Jones hadn¡¯t gained any points at all, which made him think they had split up in some fashion. If they were defending an assault on Ghost Reef, they all would have increased their scores.


    He double checked the settlement leaderboards and came to the conclusion that La Piedra had been visited by Ghost Reef¡¯s expeditionary army. That was a relief in multiple different ways. It took pressure off him, increasing the settlement score aside from his own contributions and also reduced the number of settlements he would have to aim to visit. For all of his success, he wasn¡¯t on pace to clear every settlement on the planet before the event ended, though he wasn¡¯t sure how important that still was when he could help clear the surface in the days after the event as well.


    Emmanuel had apparently defeated a Siege Boss. He joined the likes of Neon and two names that periodically made their way onto various leaderboards in Sila Tupua and Sefu. Meanwhile Charlie was proving the strength of her build and its massive area damage, climbing the leaderboards with what he guessed were primarily Elite Primal Construct kills. She really was in a league of her own when it came to area effects.


    Coop may have been overshadowing the rest of the world at the moment, but they weren¡¯t slacking off either, and he wasn¡¯t only considering his companions from Ghost Reef. They were awesome in their own right, but others were clearly excelling elsewhere in the world.


    The fact that two other groups had downed a Siege Boss was a major accomplishment, adding to what Neon Park had also achieved. While there were plenty of locations that would need Coop to visit, the rest of the world obviously wasn¡¯t completely helpless, and many were showing that they were prepared for the level of challenge presented by the system events, at the very least.


    Coop kept it moving, confident that Ghost Reef didn¡¯t need his help. It seemed like parts of the rest of the world wouldn¡¯t need it either, but that just shifted his priorities back toward accumulating points instead of saving lives: a much more comfortable position for him to be in.


    The hypnotizing effect of the Underlayer weighed on his consciousness, but it was easily overpowered by his desire to find more Primal Constructs. He glanced at his own status, finding comfort in the fact that he was already averaging five levels a day for the duration of the event so far. The simple increase in levels, adding five attribute points to his Mind stat each time was satisfying, even if his skill choices continued in the same vein as before.


    [Status]


    HP - 23500/23500


    MP - 44500/44500


    Class - Revenant (Level 290)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 181)


    Affinity - Spectral, Abyssal


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - The Lighthouse


    Strength - 125 (+4450)


    Agility - 125 (+2225)


    Body - 125 (+2225)


    Mind - 3560 (+890)


    Intelligence - 125 (+4450)


    Acumen - 125 (+2225)


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion IV, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper II, Slayer XI, Dauntless, Stacked, Defiant, Siegebreaker, Mindbender, Valor XXIV, Dedicated, Dynamo


    Skills (Active) - Mistwalking


    Skills (Passive) - Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension, Clarity of Purpose, Reverence (Rank 2)


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (22/50), Upgrade City to Metropolis


    Basic Credits - 15,111,836


    Could he actually gain 200 levels in one event? While he expected the experience gains to continue to taper off, he also thought he could keep ramping up the kills. 40 levels was already a ridiculous amount, but settlement events were substantially rewarding. Even people around Neon Park had gained that much, and they had only really interacted with a small portion of their assault, thanks to Coop.


    They were all getting stronger, though Coop was having to work a bit harder to keep his gains proportional. It might have seemed unfair, but he was completely unbothered.


    While he dreamed of unreasonable progress, he spotted yet another pillar in the distance. The sight shook him from his daydreams since there was a thin string of smoke rising from near its base. Coop surprisingly stumbled upon more people before he found more Primal Constructs.

 Chapter 279: Rock Climbers

    A trio of explorers made a temporary camp beneath the edifice of another enormous column that connected the Underlayer¡¯s surface with its ceiling. At a glance, Coop could tell they were experienced and determined. Though they were in an unfamiliar place, they didn¡¯t seem lost.


    They rested around their crackling fire, made in more traditional ways that didn¡¯t require magic, using materials provided by themselves. The orange glow from the small flames made the campfire seem hospitable, especially compared to the mysterious and directionless illumination that engulfed the underground tunnels. Coop was attracted like a moth to a flame.


    Dangling ropes, anchored into the rock, were coiled all the way to the floor, originating from an impossible distance beyond the mana clouds at the top. Carabiners clicked together, tethered to the extensive chords after being disconnected from the climbers. Each of the three strangers wore bright red helmets and harnesses that clipped around their shoulders and chests. They even carried bags of chalk among their packs while wearing special flexible shoes. If Coop didn¡¯t know any better, he would have thought he stumbled upon a small rock climbing club that was testing new routes.


    Coop was no detective, but he could tell they had made it down the ridiculous rock wall through regular physical efforts. Spelunking what could have been a thousand miles into the depths of the Earth was pretty absurd. Then again, the ragtag citizens of Neon Park had stumbled their way down, hammering boards and summoning jutting platforms as they went. Coop had to recalibrate what was realistically accomplished by people. The limits of human capability had changed.


    As they recuperated from what must have been a tremendous climb, an ethereal spear stabbed into the dirt, 20 yards opposite their small campfire, and their conversation abruptly cut off. All three stared at the weapon, more confused than surprised. Rather than witnessing its flight, as far as they could tell, it had simply appeared in the dirt, like a flagless pole that had somehow gone unnoticed until it made a sound of dirt being displaced.


    Coop figured he should just rip the band aid off when it came to introductions for the foreseeable future, so he went straight to it. His mistjump would place him close enough to say hello before they noticed his distant approach.


    His sudden appearance, emerging from a wave of mists that briefly engulfed the spear caused all three to have different reactions. Before they actually recognized what he was, his aura swept across their camp.


    The one in the center fell off the back of his makeshift stool, landing in the dirt with his feet up in the air after he attempted to leap backwards. The one on the left froze, like a deer in headlights, eyes wide as her mind apparently worked overtime to understand what they were experiencing. The one on the right stood up, drawing a hatchet from her waist and grimacing as if she accepted death, but was prepared to fight anyway.


    Coop inspected them from left to right as he lifted the palms of both his hands toward them, doing his best to overcome their fright with a harmless greeting.


    [Human (Level 145)]


    [Skald Invoker (Acumen)]


    [Tailwind (Vanquisher)]


    [Human (Level 118)]


    [Housecarl (Body)]


    [Chosen of the Rendolyant Stand]


    [Ward (Slayer)]


    [Human (Level 123)]


    [Pathfinder (Agility)]


    [Nature (Dauntless)]


    ¡°Easy there.¡± Coop said, a wry smile appearing on his face. ¡°No need to get too excited.¡° He added, keeping his voice low and reassuring, like he was calming a group of stray cats. Unfortunately, his controlled movements were a bit too smooth, and to the frozen explorers, he seemed like a graceful predator that had already cornered its prey. They each reacted accordingly.


    ¡°The hell are you?¡± The Pathfinder lady with the hatchet demanded, raising it slightly higher, desperate for an explanation.


    ¡°I¡¯m Coop.¡± He answered cheerily. ¡°I was hoping you could point me toward some Primal Constructs, or at least let me know where I am.¡±


    They all paused for a moment that seemed to stretch on. Coop smiled awkwardly, realizing he had no idea how to consciously give the right impression to overcome his presence. Trying to force it was impossible.


    The man in the center jabbed his finger at Coop from where he had landed in the dirt. ¡°That Coop? You¡¯re that person?¡±


    Somehow, the exclamation caused the other two to calm down a bit, and the tense silence that had started to fill the air between them was broken. The frozen Skald took her first clumsy breath, like her lungs needed to relearn the action. It seemed like Coop didn¡¯t really need to verify his identity beyond stating his name and letting his aura provide the evidence. He felt almost as relieved as they did.


    ¡°Coop?¡± The Pathfinder spoke again. ¡°What are you doing here of all places?¡±


    ¡°Hunting monsters.¡± Coop responded as if it was the same as taking an evening stroll. ¡°Where is here?¡± He prompted.


    She answered readily, having done the best job managing her composure in the first place. Unfortunately, the syllables that came out of her mouth in response were too foreign for Coop to make sense of, so he just absently nodded as if he understood all the v¡¯s and g¡¯s and r¡¯s.


    ¡°It¡¯s Iceland, Sir Coop.¡± The Skald finally said something, correctly recognizing his befuddlement even if he tried to politely suppress it.


    ¡°Iceland?¡± Coop repeated, surprised himself. He thought for sure this would still be Canada. That was quite a bit farther than he had assumed.


    ¡°It¡¯s an island nation in the North Atlantic.¡± She added, a bit too helpfully, making him wonder what impression he was actually giving them.


    Coop chuckled at himself as much as her clarification. ¡°I know what Iceland is. I just thought the tunnel was heading more North.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve come from the West.¡± The Pathfinder noted before pointing exactly 90 degrees clockwise. ¡°That way is North.¡± Then she pointed the way he was going. ¡°That way heads toward Scandinavia,¡± She pointed to Coop¡¯s right. ¡°And that should go to Britain and Ireland.¡± All three directions would have made his spear throw impossible, obstructed by the massive column.


    ¡°...We think.¡± The Skald interrupted. ¡°We were just discussing exactly where the tunnels would lead, but we didn¡¯t want to stray too far from our way back out.¡± She explained, pointing toward the ceiling.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Coop looked around in the distance and realized there wasn¡¯t even a hint of the walls of the Underlayer. It was as if there weren¡¯t any barriers at all, just a ceiling and an endless expanse of dirt. He supposed it was an intersection of sorts. It was good that he had run into people, because he would have blown right through the crossroads without noticing the change.


    ¡°Dang, you¡¯ve got a real hub here.¡± Coop observed before returning his attention to the trio. ¡°Where¡¯s your settlement? Want me to take care of the invaders?¡± He offered eagerly.


    The two women that hadn¡¯t ended up in the dirt exchanged a glance as if wondering how to explain, but the man on the ground answered willingly, just sitting up as if he had always intended to relax on his back among the packs of supplies with his feet facing the fire. ¡°We don¡¯t have one anymore. The shard blew up during the Siege Event.¡± He clarified.


    ¡°Ah, sorry.¡± Coop responded, unsure if he had inadvertently brought up some trauma. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to come to Ghost Reef.¡± He added, gesturing with his thumb over his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯ll be the tenth settlement if you go that way. Tell ¡®em Coop sent ya.¡±


    ¡°The tenth?¡± The Invoker and Pathfinder both clarified simultaneously.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m just getting started.¡± Coop gave an excuse for his apparent lack of accomplishments. Ten might not have seemed like that many, but it was half of an entire continent, though their question had been expressing surprise from the opposite direction.


    They all exchanged more looks before the Skald spoke. ¡°You uh¡­ How much room do you have? Do you mind if we bring our friends?¡±


    ¡°Friends, family, pets.¡± Coop shrugged. ¡°Bring your belongings too if you don¡¯t mind carrying them down. We¡¯ve got room as long as you¡¯re willing to help out once you get settled in.¡± Coop flipped his hand as he quickly made some estimates. ¡°Probably take a week to walk it.¡±


    The Pathfinder stared at him skeptically. ¡°Help out how?¡±


    ¡°Keep the settlement safe, keep getting levels.¡± Coop answered. ¡°You know, the usual stuff to survive the apocalypse.¡±


    The Skald looked confused. ¡°Don¡¯t you pretty much have safety covered?¡±


    ¡°For now.¡± Coop stated before sighing as he figured he should explain more. ¡°Alright, you¡¯ll probably want to sit down for this.¡± He stated as he resummoned his spear to his hand for something to lean on while he stood on the opposite side of their fire. ¡°So believe it or not, the Primal Constructs aren¡¯t really the main threat in this whole thing. You see, there¡¯s something called the Eradication Protocol¡­¡±


    Coop gave them the rundown, answering any questions they had to the best of his ability. Unfortunately, a lot of the information was speculative, but they were quickly on the same page as he was, at least as far as his knowledge was concerned. If they believed it was obviously another story.


    ¡°Whether or not this scenario is real, you and your people genuinely treating it as if it is a threat means that Ghost Reef is the safest place on the planet.¡± The Skald observed. ¡°We¡¯d be fools not to take up your offer, regardless if you are confused or not.¡±


    ¡°Better safe than sorry.¡± Coop added, essentially agreeing with her, even if she was suggesting he might be nuts. He tapped his spear into the ground as he moved on. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll leave you to your own decisions, but before I go, which way do you think has the nearest settlement.¡±


    ¡°That way, south.¡± The Pathfinder pointed. ¡°Glenveagh is in the north of Ireland.¡± She stated with confidence, indicating a direction that would have Coop taking his first obvious turn on his journey through the underground. He nodded for a moment as he confirmed the route.


    ¡°Well, it was nice to meet you all. I hope I see you again.¡± Coop bade farewell to the trio of explorers, keeping his eyes on the path forward. Glenveagh had been a settlement that rose in the ranks after subordinate settlements became a factor for upgrading the shards. He was vaguely excited to see how big it was.


    He left them behind, coming and going like a whirlwind, satisfied to have offered his help, even if it had delayed him by a few minutes. As he mistjumped away, they were carving a giant compass into their pillar, clearly demarcating which path aimed toward Ghost Reef while they prepared to climb back to the surface. It seemed as though it had taken multiple days to reach the Underlayer, so they were in for a long series of climbs. Hopefully, their recommendation would wind up saving him some time even if his had sent them on a bit of a quest.


    Coop quickly fell back into the routine of mistjumping through the desolate dirt plains, expecting the solitude to last a bit. His ethereal spear, blasting through the stagnant air, was the only excitement most of the regions had ever seen. The more time he spent traversing the underground, the better he was able to gauge distances, but the more he compared it with the surface, the less he understood.


    How had he ended up below Iceland? He was ready to conclude it would be impossible for him to decipher anything about the surface by studying the Underlayer, especially because his own knowledge of the globe wasn¡¯t perfect. The gaps between settlements seemed to vary in ways that were independent of the relative distances on the surface.


    While he waited for the spear to travel beyond the horizon, he shook his head at the thought that he had reached what had always seemed like such a remote place. Iceland was way too far, even if the leg after leaving Neon Park had been long compared to any of the others.


    It didn¡¯t take him nearly as much time to discover another army of Primal Constructs. The tunnel south from Iceland had led him to another settlement that appeared to have a population comparable to Toronto. He counted 14 Field Bosses with each fort protected by three or four each. A bit disappointing, actually.


    Coop teleported straight above the first control point, opening up with a quick cast of Inheritance of the Mists, intent on making up for the time spent talking. As time slowed, the invaders hadn¡¯t noticed his presence in the slightest. The Apparition of the Cruel Impaler empowered his downward spear throw, and the ethereal weapon took on a bloody countenance, streaming darkness from its shaft as it sped toward the ground. The dark, sanguine mana formed an enormous banner as it drifted in the Underlayer, longest at the top.


    When the spear struck the dirt, dead center in the middle of the control point, it implanted itself like a heavy stake, vibrating with the abrupt stop. An instant later, spikes erupted from the ground, all across the inside of the metallic fortress and even partially beyond its walls, tall enough to have been carved from entire trees after the branches were removed.


    Each barbed pike impaled a Primal Construct from below, lifting them into the air as they were destroyed, momentarily transforming the plains into a horror show of effigies. It was a graveyard of the manifestations.


    As the possession lifted, Coop returned his ethereal spear to his hand and landed within the billowing mana smoke with a muffled thump. The completely cleared control point immediately started changing color. He didn¡¯t stay to capture the objective, instead throwing his spear into the next stronghold to start his own personal grind.


    The time required for him to destroy the alien conquerors had shrunk massively. Even without tapping into Inheritance, he was fast. He cleared all three of the other control points in record time, activating Legacy of the Mists liberally, in place of empowering himself. The army of ghosts that streamed in and out of existence made short work of the invaders, though the way they supernaturally appeared and disappeared made it seem less like the aliens were engaging in battle and more like they were being cursed.


    As Coop waited for the first control point to transfer ownership, he carved a line chart into the dirt. Starting with Ghost Reef, it listed each settlement he had cleared. The list concluded after he checked the leaderboard and determined that this settlement was Loch Bridge, which had a clean 294,000 point total.


    Apparently, the Icelandic explorers had been mistaken as to which settlement Coop would find first, though their guess had been better than his. As long as he was finding enemies, he didn¡¯t really care. Maybe this was Scotland, then? That was pretty close, geographically speaking, probably.


    After all four control points were captured, Coop mistjumped a dozen times before spotting another gathering of Primal Constructs to his right. He assumed that was west, but accepted that he could be easily confused.


    Compared to Loch Bridge, the second European settlement was even smaller. 120,000 Elite Primal Constructs and 6 Field Bosses fell to the ethereal weapons of Coop¡¯s arsenal.


    As it turned out, the second settlement was Glenveagh, despite evidently having roughly half the human population of the already relatively small Scottish settlement. Coop was both surprised and impressed that a smaller settlement had so successfully climbed into the top ranks of the leaderboards. Given their apparently smaller population, he supposed they must have a significant number of animal residents who didn¡¯t contribute to the count as it pertained to the Primal Construct allotment, but embarrassingly, Coop had no idea what kind of wildlife even lived in Ireland.


    ¡°Maybe foxes? Badgers?¡± Coop muttered as he drew in the dirt with his spear. ¡°Pretty sure they don¡¯t have any snakes¡­¡±


    On top of their mysteriously small human population, they had to also have at least one subordinate settlement in order to advance through the ranks. Could it have been Loch Bridge even though it was larger? Coop was feeling curious as he captured the control points and prepared to continue his journey.

 Chapter 280: Famine Beast

    As the Revenant of Ghost Reef moved into European territory, the alien invasions were falling like dominoes. Loch Bridge had been reclaimed in short order and Glenveagh was cleared almost immediately afterwards thanks to the settlements¡¯ relative proximity. Following the second settlement, a mere handful of additional mistjumps carried Coop to yet another set of control points. This time, there were about 250,000 Elite Primal Constructs split between the four fortresses housing the objectives.


    Coop paused for a moment, assessing his quarry from a safe distance. Without any Siege Bosses, they wouldn¡¯t even know he was there. He tilted his head left and right, stretching his neck as he considered how the situation was developing. Even after such a short time, he was getting the impression that Europe would be different.


    Ever since leaving Iceland, Coop was finding settlements at a decent clip, barely having time to climb back onto the dirt tunnel treadmill before being interrupted by opportunities for combat. Travel times were cut down relative to North America in what was undoubtedly a positive development, both for Coop¡¯s grind as well as the prospects of humanity¡¯s assimilation. The less time he spent traveling, the better, and the more surviving shards, the easier time survivors would have in finding tame territory.


    However, less enemies concentrated beneath individual super settlements gave Coop¡¯s grinds less time to establish themselves as well. With the way he was implementing Inheritance of the Mists, the larger the enemy army the better, but his initial impressions of Europe had him wondering if they had avoided as much population consolidation when compared to North America.


    Glenveagh had been assaulted by a surprisingly small group given its rise in the rankings. With only 120,000 Primal Constructs and 6 Field Bosses, it certainly wasn¡¯t highly populated with human residents. Though he had considered a few explanations for their prominence on the leaderboards; the settlements also weren¡¯t too far from other surviving civilization shards. Europe had a higher population density than North America in general, so he wondered if shards were more likely to be both found and protected due to that convenience.


    More density also meant that the Primal Constructs had less opportunity to establish themselves in remote places, with more people nearby to disrupt their development and more pockets of tame territory limiting their growth. Perhaps that would partially explain why there hadn¡¯t been any obvious standouts on the individual leaderboards as well. The gains were distributed more evenly across the region.


    He suspected that the local people had been able to cooperate with each other, more like Neon Park¡¯s territory than the North American continent as a whole, giving what seemed like smaller settlements the chance to succeed. Establishing connections to the different territories would be easier just by virtue of having less ground to cover, assuming they could establish solidarity.


    In comparison, each of the areas that had joined the Lighthouse felt extremely isolated, forced to endure the assimilation on their own, for better or worse. Ghost Reef was all by itself in the ocean, the Endless Empire¡¯s strategy had failed due to a lack of neighboring settlements for their Chosen in Empress City to blitz, and Neptune¡¯s Bridge was engulfed by Primal Constructs even before the Underlayer Event had given them a means to establish strongholds. Then there was the Yucatan settlement being the solitary civilization shard in all of Central America, and the Swamp Lord¡¯s base being so isolated within the Everglades, the sole surviving human hadn¡¯t seen another person until Coop arrived months into the process. Coop was already anticipating a more consistent distribution of settlements in Europe, and that mostly signaled good things for his hunt.


    Of course, he was simply making some preliminary assumptions based on the first few settlements that he discovered at the edge of European territory. Time would tell if he ended up encountering more settlements on average, but Europe did have a population greater than North America in an area that was less than half the size. Even if the continent didn¡¯t actually start with more shards, depending on their distribution, they could have had a better chance of securing them in the early days. Basically, as Coop made his way further into Europe, his expectations were rising.


    The third Primal Construct invasionary force since he hooked a right at Iceland was twice the size of Glenveagh, as was the Loch Bridge shard in what he presumed was Scotland. Coop aggressively assaulted the alien invaders as he found them, though this time he adjusted his tactics to account for his improved understanding of Inheritance of the Mists and the assumptions he was making toward civilization shard distributions.


    Given the flexibility of the Revenant class, he saw no reason to become rigid with his ability usage. He had confirmed an efficient way to use Inheritance as a tool for more lengthy sessions of combat, but that wasn¡¯t the only way to use it.


    The variable number of enemies at each settlement meant that a single combat style wasn¡¯t necessarily optimal for every situation, and as long as he recognized the adaptability of his class, he could seek to refine his tactics. After running through Neon Park¡¯s subordinates, he realized that implementing the single possessed strikes to clear thousands of invaders at once made the most sense for the longest battles, where it essentially added punctuations to the regular cadence of his extended grinds. The proportional reduction in cooldown from brief empowerments was beneficial to his overall coverage, allowing the ability to spread its influence throughout the battles.


    On the other hand, for more moderately-sized settlements, the battles for objectives didn¡¯t last long enough to get more than two or three possessions in total, and he also couldn¡¯t build a proper rhythm where he played king of the hill against the masses in between Apparitions. Dismissing the possessions to maximize their appearances negatively affected his efficiency in that case, like when he cleared Lordship and only benefitted from a single Inheritance cast. While Inheritance sped up the overall process relative to not bolstering his attacks with an apparition at all, they didn¡¯t have as much of an impact as they did in the more extended battles when things ended too quickly.


    The debuffs preventing him from reusing the skill were disproportionately longer relative to the amount of power he channeled from the mists. Using the skills granted by Apparitions was a quick way to lengthen the debuffs as they turned him into a conduit of significant force, but retaining the possession for longer periods would gradually accomplish the same result. He believed that was why dedicating his Inheritance to a more specific objective successfully lowered the cooldowns. He was able to avoid empowering himself in unproductive ways by acutely focusing on individual actions.


    The total amount of time spent on any settlement with less than around 1,000,000 collective enemies was short enough that he didn¡¯t need to dismiss his possession early. The time spent personally capturing the objectives would be equal in all situations, and it would be enough time to reset Inheritance of the Mists, so long as he only applied the skills in emergencies, streamlining the experience.


    It was the longer battles, where enemies had numbers much higher, that he couldn¡¯t afford to keep Inheritance active the whole time, because the cooldown on his next cast would be pushed further and further out. Waiting a day or more before he could access the power was just too long to meet his current goals.


    Coop¡¯s current level of development had him turning the entire Underlayer into the equivalent of his first grind on the beach, where he gradually adjusted his tactics until he could run circuits through the Ancient Defenders. The premise was the same, with minimizing downtime and efficiently distributing his personal resources at the forefront of his considerations. He shook his head for a moment, appreciating his progression before engaging with the 250,000 Elite Primal Constructs that awaited him. They were certainly a greater challenge than individual regular Ancient Defenders with single-digit levels.


    Deciding on his gameplan, Coop let his spear fly, preparing to cast Inheritance of the Mists as soon as he mistjumped into the waiting enemies. What did he want? This time, it wasn¡¯t a single empowered strike. He wanted something that would help him go into a frenzy and temporarily sate the hunger he held within through the destruction of the Primal Constructs. The enemies were clearly less than a million, closer to a quarter of what he viewed as the threshold that made possessed strikes more efficient than an extended possession. That meant he would hold the apparition for his assault.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    A frenzy was what he wanted, and a frenzy was what he got. The ethereal spear punched into the crowd, crashing into the largest target with a crunch, and as Coop appeared from the mists, gripping the shaft, the possession took place. His normally athletic shape and gladiator chic transformed with a series of grotesque rattles.


    A skeletal humanoid with a ragged fur cloak that had deteriorated beyond recognition manifested in his place. The Revenant was transposed by the Apparition, red eyes aglow with power inherited from the mists, emerging from the mana smoke of the Field Boss that had been unlucky enough to catch his spear. He drove forward into the unprepared Primal Constructs, starving for kills.


    Rather than being completely human, the skeletal figure that bore down onto the alien invaders had the skull of a stag, topped with a giant rack of bleached antlers, and ornamented with swinging bone trophies secured by dried tendon ropes. The skull established a uniquely horrific helmet for the Champion to wear into battle. The Apparition of the Famine Beast introduced itself with a truly monstrous presence.


    Coop¡¯s spear morphed into a jagged ivory bone, terminating with a chipped black tip, with a single rotten feather dangling beneath the barb as decoration. Coop¡¯s glowing eyes barely escaped the darkness within the skull, transforming him into an undeniably horrific figure that would strike fear into any human that saw him.


    The strikes that followed matched his grisly appearance. His normally precise techniques were abandoned in favor of a vicious rampage. A crazed storm of violence engulfed the Champion and the Constructs collapsed beneath the pressure.


    Clods of muddy dirt flew into the air, kicked up by his feet as he rushed forward, mixing with a stream of mists as Fog of War did its best to give the dirt plains the haunting atmosphere of the thick woods that would have been natural for the legendary beast he had become. A skeletal hand snatched the shield of the nearest Construct, ripping it out of the way. The invader¡¯s arm resisted, the metal squealing as it was forced into the wrong direction, before breaking off with a snap.


    With his other hand he stabbed the spear into the exposed metallic torso, once, twice, three times, feeling the tip enter the dirt even after the alien was savagely defeated. When movement drew his attention and he leapt into another group, antlers first, he used the spear to gore the metallic aliens, and somewhere in the back of his mind, he was glad they were only manifestations. Coop fought like a crazed monster, but with stats so far beyond the Primal Constructs, they could do nothing but be ravaged.


    The Apparition that possessed Coop was distinct in a way that made Coop take notice even as he allowed instinct to take over. The Apparition didn¡¯t communicate at all. Instead it was snarling in his mind, completely enthralled by the desire to satisfy its hunger. In lieu of guiding Coop through ancient techniques, it showed him what pure unadulterated aggression was really like. This thing wasn¡¯t the type of entity that provided advice, it was the type of monster people made up and used to warn their communities of the dangers found in the wild.


    This was an evil spirit from folklore, not a being from an ancient pantheon of gods. Coop embraced its insatiable greed, finding it surprisingly familiar when measured against his push for progression, all while obliterating Primal Constructs one after the other. Coop rode the fury of the Famine Beast, wielding his spear with pure hostility, like he held a deep-seated grudge against each of his opponents for their failure to satisfy his hunger. The dark tip of the bone spear didn¡¯t only seek to defeat the invaders, but to desecrate their very existence in his territory, punishing them for their trespass.


    The possessed version of Coop shambled through the tumultuous mists, ivory limbs catching the Underlayer¡¯s illumination in strange ways that cast shadows upon the man within. He aggressively hunted down the bewildered Primal Constructs. The bones of the Apparition clicked and clacked and his own ragged breath only added to the atmospheric effect of a monster on the hunt, teaching the invaders fear. If only the domain was established in a proper forest, the atmosphere would have created the true scenario of a beast unleashed among sacrificial offerings.


    The Famine Beast¡¯s overall silhouette had become lanky and grotesque. Rather than flexing his muscles, the emaciated figure contorted itself to drive into parties of invaders, sending the spear into their imagined hearts and digging them out. Unlike his normal tactics, he was willingly incorporating the other skeletal limbs to claw and pierce the metallic victims at the same time. He knocked them down with the clattering antlers, then stomped on them with clawed feet, while grabbing and spearing their desperate allies.


    He fought insatiably, like a starving zombie, until all four control points were wiped clean of Primal Constructs. When he released the possession, he was covered in sweat, finding that the frenzied style of combat of the Famine Beast was more demanding than normal, but also like he had been living a nightmare. He shook his head at the sense that he had tapped into something that existed inside of himself that was a bit dark.


    As he caught his breath, he observed that the slightly extended possession had placed Inheritance of the Mists on a cooldown that would last longer than it took to capture all of the control points. Adding the time spent traveling to the next settlement and it would be near perfect, depending on the distance. Tactically speaking, holding the possession had been a success.


    Scanning the leaderboards, he confirmed that he had cleared a settlement called River Shannon. While it was another feather in his cap, there was no reason for him to hang around. None of the residents of the local settlements had made their way down into the Underlayer.


    Once the objectives were turned blue, he kept going, and once again, the next settlement was close. It was like he was revisiting Neon Park¡¯s subordinates from the main hub.


    Coop grunted at the armies around the settlement, confirming that it was much larger than the previous three. The control points had been placed nearer to the center of the tunnel, south and west of River Shannon. Two Siege Bosses idled among the armies, silhouettes slightly hazy due to the distance alone. Judging by the numbers, he guessed that this settlement was comparable to both of the larger subordinates of Neon Park in Boston and Cherry Hill. This would be a battle ideal for single empowered strikes rather than an extended possession.


    Coop dove in, targeting the nearest Siege Boss before making himself comfortable inside of the control point with his partial domain and phantasmal companions. Forcing the Primal Constructs to him was his favorite part of this event and utilizing all of his abilities to make their attempt to secure the objective would never cease from bringing him satisfaction.


    The additional percussion of empowered strikes as he was joined by Apparitions for individual attacks created a gratifying rhythm. Coop danced among the invaders, smashing through their coordinated parties with his own strength, building his momentum, and drawing more and more enemies into combat. Then, once he reached the climactic point, time slowed as a possession took root, peaking his anticipation with the brief pause. Finally, all the power was released in a devastating attack that essentially reset the battlefield.


    As long as there were more enemies, the cycle would continue, and Coop relished every moment. He just wished he could live in a world without the consequences of the Settlement Events, which was admittedly a bit unhinged. Just let him fight, preferably near a beach.


    Coop defeated 1,500,000 Elite Primal Constructs, 70 Field Bosses, and 2 Siege Bosses while liberating the control points of a settlement called Gwydir Forest. While the number of Elite Primal Constructs was exactly in the middle of the two larger subordinates of Neon Park, Gwydir had an extra Siege Boss, introducing the first time Coop noticed true variance in the invasion forces. While it was interesting, he could only speculate that the difference was the result of a specific rule he hadn¡¯t caught onto.


    Gwydir was not a place he had ever heard of, but the fact that its population could sustain such a massive enemy army could only mean that it was huge. He figured it would be a good idea to make a note of such a place, even if it didn¡¯t sound real. To Coop it sounded more like the name of a sword for one of the knights of the round table than a settlement, but he already knew his knowledge was limited.


    Another day was winding down and Coop was pressing forward. He could see the glow of control points in the distance to the west, so he went straight there after leaving Gwydir Forest. The shorter possessions meant that he was ready to keep the grind going, with no limitations on his skills.


    To his surprise, the next challenge was even greater than the previous one. As Coop did his best to estimate his enemies, he could at least confirm he wouldn¡¯t be finishing before the next day started. The next settlement had twice as many Elite Primal Constructs and 3 Siege Bosses for him to play with.


    If Europe¡¯s high population density resulted in more settlements of these sizes, they would be in good shape. Coop aimed his spear, happy that his grind would continue.

 Chapter 281: Bureaucracy

    ¡°You there! What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± The voice of a man pierced through the renewed silence of the Underlayer once the sounds of combat faded. The man seemed to be the leader of a little group that had spectated as Coop fought. Coop watched them from his peripheral vision, still undecided on how to interact with their unusual posturing.


    ¡°This is a restricted area, and you are not a registered actor! Why was I not informed of this operation?¡± The man huffed, shadowed by what were clearly his loyal underlings.


    Coop had no idea what this guy was talking about. Did they really not see what he was doing? They had been watching as Coop cleared the last control point of the fifth settlement since he passed beneath Iceland. It was the first to have any other people around, and they started off by saying some weird things.


    A quick inspection of their auras when they first showed up revealed that they weren¡¯t a threat to the Champion of Ghost Reef, so he had been happy to ignore them until his battle with the invaders was over. None of them had reached level 100, putting them far below the threshold necessary to contribute to the Underlayer Event, let alone challenge Coop for his kills, and yet the man spoke with far more authority than would be expected. They were certainly confident in their action of approaching Coop, despite the level difference surely weighing on their subconscious.


    They had arrived while Coop was cleaning up the Primal Constructs that were protecting the control points beneath a place called Chee Dale. Somehow, a place that sounded even faker than Gwydir Forest had generated an allotment of 3,000,000 Elite Primal Constructs, 100 Field Bosses, and 3 Siege Bosses. The invasion force was approaching the size of Neon Park¡¯s, which seemed crazy, but Coop¡¯s expectations had been based on the early estimates using data from the relatively small Florida settlements. The number of invaders he expected to find might have been slightly off for the mid-sized territories.


    He called them mid-sized, but he was considering all the settlements with a Challenge Assessment above x1 that weren¡¯t in the top 10 or so to be in that category. Nearly half of the existing settlements fit in that segment, with populations between 2 and 6 million. There were almost 100 examples, revealing humanity¡¯s ability to coalesce against common enemies.


    Places that Coop had never heard of, like Chee Dale and Gwydir Forest were large enough to invite one or more Siege Bosses into the Underlayer Event, but none had previous experience dealing with them. As Coop saw it, protecting such places would be a valuable endeavor for the sake of humanity.


    Without him, he could easily imagine a scenario where only the absolute largest settlements were able to win, and at great cost of life, while the rest slid toward their downfall, assuming they were all forced to contend with invasions on their own. A gradual reduction in settlements until only the largest and most secure were fighting for their survival was exactly how the assimilation was meant to go, but Coop was throwing a wrench into that progression.


    The group of onlookers kept their distance until Coop was finished fighting, standing off to the side while clearly wanting to be noticed. He didn¡¯t pay them any attention, preferring to keep his grind¡¯s momentum while imagining all the Siege Bosses he was going to kill during his underground adventure.


    When he did notice their body language, it felt like Coop had somehow slighted the local homeowner¡¯s association, so he was already dreading the point when the last monster was defeated. He anticipated something annoying, like he would be scolded for some misbehavior. If he didn¡¯t need to capture the control points, he would have mistjumped past what would clearly become a headache.


    Instead, Coop sat down in the middle of the control point after dismissing his equipment, letting the strangers come to him while he rested. He leaned back on his hands, as if he was people-watching on the beach, waiting to see how they would proceed. From their perspective, he was obviously the one in the wrong, based on some structure he wasn¡¯t aware of, but even if he knew it, that didn¡¯t mean he felt the need to play along. It was the apocalypse, after all.


    Surprisingly, they weren¡¯t overly concerned with his aura, nor the feats of strength he had demonstrated while defeating the last 1,000,000 or so Elite Primal Constructs, despite having front row seats to witness his abilities. Unfortunately, the Siege Bosses were the first to go, so they didn¡¯t get the chance to see them fall over, but somehow, he doubted the experience would have diminished the apparent bolstering effect of cultural or social authority. The system would need to work harder to force humans into its hierarchy because even with concrete examples demonstrating how dangerous he was, some people wouldn¡¯t be swayed from speaking their mind if they believed they had a good enough reason.


    ¡°Did you hear me? Who authorized this activity?¡± The man continued as his group approached, raising his voice in case the muffling effect of the underground had stifled his questions.


    Coop tilted his head slightly to the side as he held back from responding too aggressively. He wasn¡¯t exactly trying to start fights with humans, but he planned on clearing the Primal Constructs with or without anyone¡¯s permission.


    The twelve people were dressed something like what Coop would describe as business-athletic. It felt like they should have been biking to their office jobs rather than stomping around in the Underlayer like surprise health inspectors. They each carried their own clipboards and wore lanyards that just seemed out of place in the assimilation.


    Coop blew air out of his nose as he reassessed his company against his previous encounters. The trio of explorers from Iceland made more sense with all their climbing gear. Even the wild and theatrical characters of Neon Park felt more appropriate for an apocalypse. These people were clinging to a level of civilization that Coop believed was long gone.


    The main man harrumphed as he put his fists on his hips, silently demanding that Coop explain himself like the man believed himself to be a school disciplinarian, stopping just shy of the control point. The others subtly glanced at each other while quietly supporting the leader, occasionally taking notes on who-knows-what. They actually made Coop feel like he was trespassing, though he supposed he kinda was.


    ¡°Is it safe to enter this mana zone?¡± The main guy asked, shifting his eyes to the reddish illumination as it slowly transitioned to blue.


    He certainly behaved like he was some leader, but with his low level, Coop was bemused. The man¡¯s question revealed that they hadn¡¯t even seen the event¡¯s objectives yet, despite over a week having passed since the start. Coop had to admit he was much more bought into the hierarchy of the system and levels than this group seemed to be, and he wasn¡¯t sure if that was necessarily a good thing.


    Coop looked askance at the group, feeling unimpressed. ¡°I guess that depends if you¡¯re friend or foe.¡± He responded. ¡°Right now, I¡¯m not so sure.¡± Coop warned.


    While the gaggle of followers grumbled amongst themselves, one spoke up. ¡°Sir! This is a restricted area designated for consolidation. Commissioner De Witte is only concerned for your safety!¡± One of the underlings chimed in, defending her leader righteously. She grabbed at the pen that had been secured behind her ear to furiously write a note.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Coop couldn¡¯t help but crack a smile at what actually seemed like a sincere explanation despite the ridiculousness of worrying about his safety at this stage. ¡°Well, I appreciate it, but as you can tell, it¡¯s not necessary.¡± He tried waving them away.


    ¡°But you lack the proper certification, have none of the mandated support parties for a subjugation action, and have obviously abandoned your admin team!¡± Another underling added, clearly agitated for different reasons than the previous. ¡°There is no first aid station! No courier tent! How are we supposed to interface if you lack the proper handlers?¡±


    Coop stared blankly at the complainer, feeling like he was looking at an alien. ¡°Certification? Handlers? Bro, what are you talking about? Who are you people?¡± He wondered, more confused than continuing to antagonize them.


    It was like they were living in a completely different world than the one the assimilation had created. If he didn¡¯t know any better, he would have suspected they were members of some faction that had come with its own structure, but none of them were Chosen, which in itself was peculiar, now that he thought about it.


    ¡°Show some professionalism! This is Commissioner De Witte!¡± The agitated underling declared, using his hands to present the main guy as if that answered all questions. ¡°And who are you! I will be personally filing a formal complaint to your representative commissioner!¡±


    Coop stood back up with a sigh, causing them all to take a step back as he resummoned his ethereal armor and let his spear manifest in his outstretched hand, leaning into his more threatening aura with the ghostly equipment. The extra wisps of abyssal mana magnified the effect.


    ¡°As the Champion of Ghost Reef and Founder of the Lighthouse, I will personally receive any of your complaints.¡± He smiled at the loudest of the complainers. ¡°Aren¡¯t you lucky? Why don¡¯t you step up and let me hear it first?¡±


    The man shied away in spite of being directly called out. The others huddled together to whisper amongst themselves and Commissioner De Witte raised an eyebrow. ¡°Champion of Ghost Reef and Founder of the Lighthouse? That means you are Coop?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Coop agreed without a change in expression. He supposed lots of people presented with nothing but question marks when they were that low level, but they still seemed slow on the uptake.


    Commissioner De Witte seemed contemplative before choosing his words. ¡°I hope you will forgive me, Champion Coop. We had assumed Ghost Reef was in Australia, and never expected to meet so soon. We¡¯ve been operating under the assumption that we are entirely on our own.¡±


    ¡°Who is we?¡± Coop prompted, happy with the change in tone, though the underlings continued to both whisper among themselves and furiously take notes.


    ¡°The European Emergency Community.¡± De Witte answered proudly.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Coop supposed having a name was one step toward being official. ¡°Have you formed some kind of alliance then?¡± He wondered.


    ¡°All surviving settlements within Europe have been organized into a coordinated resistance to the alien invaders. None have been left behind, though it has been decided to further centralize power and consolidate our strength to maximize our rates of survival.¡± De Witte explained before asking his own question. ¡°Why and how are you here?¡±


    Coop raised his eyebrows at the definitive ¡®all¡¯ that the man used before responding to his question. ¡°I¡¯m following the tunnels and killing monsters.¡± Coop stated, gesturing toward the objectives. It was obvious wasn¡¯t it? ¡°If you don¡¯t mind capturing these control points, I¡¯d like to keep going.¡±


    ¡°Is Ghost Reef that way?¡± De Witte asked, pointing down the tunnel.


    ¡°You gotta hang a left at Iceland.¡± Coop responded, unworried about having the location of his settlement revealed these days. The Underlayer Event was becoming their coming out party, after all. ¡°It¡¯s an island in the Gulf of Mexico.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± De Witte confirmed while his underlings took notes. ¡°And you¡¯re saying you will clear the invaders from our territory?¡± He continued.


    ¡°Unless you can stop me.¡± Coop answered with an expression that invited him to try.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not.¡± De Witte chuckled.


    De Witte cautiously stepped into the control point, testing its safety, and nodded as nothing harmful happened to him. ¡°Hold one moment, Champion.¡± He turned back to his little entourage. ¡°Simon, Garret, Katrina, please go and stand in each of those other mana zones. I will take this one.¡± He directed them, including the one that had grown agitated, toward the illuminated rings representing the rest of Chee Dale.


    He indicated to the woman that had defended him. ¡°Ursula, please submit the appropriate support request forms on behalf of Champion Coop and have them backdated and expedited.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Commissioner.¡± Ursula agreed and turned to leave, revealing some agility based skills in her steps.


    De Witte wasn¡¯t done with his orders. ¡°Charles and Sven, have subjugation requests fast tracked for each of the underground enemy militias, be sure that each one is submitted individually. Patrick, go to the reconnaissance corp and have them send a team through this tunnel. Make sure they don¡¯t stop until they reach Ghost Reef and have a complete transcription prepared to be filed. The rest of you, please split up and report to the admin departments that Champion Coop of Ghost Reef will be operating throughout our territory and that I have personally requested his registration be streamlined and the appropriate support groups be dispatched.¡±


    They each confirmed their directions and jogged off into the distance, one by one or in pairs, leaving De Witte alone with the Champion of Ghost Reef. A few of the underlings had abilities that made them quite a bit faster, but most of them would be jogging slow enough that Coop expected to overtake them shortly.


    ¡°You some kind of big shot? What are you doing out here anyway?¡± Coop wondered once they were alone.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not so important, merely a mid level bureaucrat, but I can definitely facilitate a more pleasant visit.¡± He smiled hospitably. ¡°We all have ways to contribute.¡±


    ¡°Not gonna treat me like a trespasser anymore?¡± Coop questioned.


    ¡°The official policy of the EEC with regard to the individual known as Coop is to avoid antagonization. The same for any representative of Ghost Reef.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good policy.¡± Coop observed. ¡°How many settlements are in this EEC?¡±


    De Witte¡¯s expression turned boastful as he answered. ¡°25 settlements from Portugal to Poland, North Africa to Norway, and Ireland to Greece, though we plan to evacuate 8 settlements during this event as protecting the whole continent is proving difficult when the enemies appear throughout. Our first census counted almost 57,000,000 residents, but it has been some time since then and we have been having challenges.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a lot.¡± Coop was impressed. ¡°And they only sent you and your interns over here?¡± Coop questioned, feeling like there must have been better candidates to patrol the tunnels.


    ¡°I took it upon myself to make sure anyone that wandered into the Underlayer knew to return to safety.¡± De Witte explained. ¡°We were planning on setting up a checkpoint at the outer edge of our territory.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop just grunted at the answer. It made enough sense, he supposed.


    ¡°What about Ghost Reef? We projected you to have a population approaching 10,000,000 after your performance in the Siege Event. Many wished to make contact, but we had assumed you were isolated in Oceania. In North America, we would have multiplied that amount by several times.¡±


    Coop shrugged. ¡°Your projections were way off.¡±


    De Witte frowned. ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°That being said, we¡¯ve got plenty of room.¡± Coop added. ¡°I wonder if we could handle 57,000,000.¡± He mumbled to himself. They would need Charlie and Jones to work a bit faster on preparing the underground layers, but it might be possible.


    Commissioner De Witte looked at Coop suspiciously. ¡°Are you planning something?¡±


    ¡°Not me.¡± Coop denied. ¡°Mana.¡±

 Chapter 282: Difference of Ambition

    An endless expanse of dirt stretched across the interior of the planet, adding another plane to the basics of geography. The subterranean level was essentially undisturbed by anything except a corrosive breeze of mana, though the invaders had been content to temporarily make themselves comfortable with the system¡¯s permission.


    The Underlayer wasn¡¯t entirely featureless, but specific characteristics were difficult to distinguish without closer inspection. When compared to the surface, the Underlayer was a completely blank canvas, lacking the effects of weather and erosion, like a freshly plowed and unused field. It was the type of landscape that would put a passenger to sleep if they were on a road trip.


    Slight hills rose here and there, contouring to natural fluctuations in the subterranean surface, creating a rolling effect across the boundless stretches of dirt. Insignificant ridges ran across nearly imperceptible channels beneath the soil, bumps that might grow over time persisted, and clods of fresh dirt that naturally stuck together gradually formed fist-sized clumps, increasing one speck of debris at a time.


    One of those small clods of dirt exploded into dust as a gleaming beam of light sliced into the soil surface. The light beam solidified as it dragged its summoner across the vast emptiness. Platinum was flying through the Underlayer, heading West with renewed purpose. She had no time to dawdle.


    It had already been several days since she met the Champion of Ghost Reef, but his dependable presence was still on her mind. That stupid amount of power had lit a fire within her, having so clearly exposed the extent of her deficiency.


    Even with the amplification of strength caused by combination attacks that she and Neon used to ensure their position in Neon Park, they couldn¡¯t hold a candle to what had been demonstrated by Coop. He crashed through armies of invaders like a tsunami, demolished Field Bosses with masterful ease, and crumpled Siege Bosses as if they were discardable sheets of paper. He left nothing behind before he drove forward in search of more. On the other hand, the combined efforts of her entire alliance had left thousands of people defeated in order to accomplish the same feats just one single time.


    She was thankful someone with the personality of Coop had been the one to climb so high. The things that motivated people weren¡¯t always so honest, but he was clearly just unwilling to let an alien invasion kill his vibe. Platinum didn¡¯t know what was going on inside his head, and everyone carried their own internal baggage, but Coop¡¯s composure never broke while she observed. He was solely devoted to his cause and seemed to revel in his niche of responsibility, unbending in his urge to grind the enemies into dust and earn himself a vacation.


    Coop displayed a level of commitment that Platinum couldn¡¯t claim she had even attempted to reach. To her, it seemed like Coop was shouldering responsibility for all of humanity, while she ran away from anything beyond what Neon could force upon her. She had tricked herself into thinking she was doing her best when she was really burying her head into sand by ignoring anything beyond her immediate challenges.


    The fact that Coop was reaching such highs meant that others not only could, but outside of Earth¡¯s assimilation, already had. Platinum felt like she needed to increase her own efforts, because while Coop was content to ask nothing of them, she could easily imagine the demands that would come in the future from alien overlords if not human tyrants.


    She needed to climb higher, independent of any relative comparisons to her peers, essentially broadening her horizons. Being a big fish wouldn¡¯t work when their small pond was swallowed up by a galactic ocean. The system¡¯s limitations on the assimilation had caused people like her, who had more potential, to grow complacent. It was weird to consider Neon Park, or even North America as a small pond, but it simply was.


    Keeping ahead of the Primal Constructs, who were restricted by the system, wasn¡¯t the end goal for humanity. It was the bare minimum to survive the introductory period of the galactic community. Ghost Reef had wisely set their sights higher.


    In a way, Coop was like the breakaway rider in a bike race. The rest of humans on the leaderboard were in the peloton, conserving their energy with the expectation that the leader would exhaust himself. His pace was too extreme to maintain when compared to everyone else. However, now that Platinum had witnessed that leader with her own eyes, she knew he wasn¡¯t slowing down. If anything, he was speeding up, taking advantage of the indolence of others. He was the only one straightforwardly chasing the true potential of humanity.


    She had been frustrated by her inability to make a truly meaningful difference in the battles against the Primal Constructs, but she only had herself to blame. If it wasn¡¯t for Neon, she wouldn¡¯t even have done enough to maintain her position as a regional power, let alone become someone, who like Coop, was properly representing their planet.


    There was a reason Neon was always sending her off on her own, where she might encounter what she previously viewed as annoying difficulties, but was coming around to the idea of them being genuine opportunities. It wasn¡¯t because he was trying to get rid of her. She looked at all the incomplete quest chains that she had planned to abandon, thinking that was a project she needed to work on once returning to the surface.


    With things like the Eradication Protocol and further encounters with hostile alien life on the horizon, they all needed to rise higher. She had to give Coop credit; he had what appeared to be incredible foresight and strength of purpose. Platinum could admit that she had been small-minded, but she was turning a new leaf thanks to his influence. Coop may have come out of the gate sprinting, but she would make him work if he wanted to keep ahead; that was the promise she made to herself as she herself sprinted across the continent.


    That¡¯s why, when she reached the Heartland settlement¡¯s control points, she didn¡¯t bypass the idle Primal Constructs that were defending their small strongholds in a sea of otherwise undisturbed dirt. The Heartland was a tiny settlement, and it was well within her capability to secure the objectives. It may have been difficult to do on her own, but it was also an opportunity. Most people might need to return to the surface and start from the beginning, fighting the normal monster variants that occupied tamed settlement territory until they grew strong enough to challenge more advanced enemies, but Platinum was among those that were a step above. The Elites weren¡¯t too far beyond her capacity.


    The golem-like Field Boss was her first target as she shot across the surface of dirt. It was a familiar boss enemy that she had already defeated with the help of Alex Nova and the others of the Heartland settlement on the surface. This time, she would face it alone, while it had the backup of 2,500 Elite Primal Constructs.


    She tagged the monster with a cascade of solidlights that arced from above as she whipped across the empty expanse. Each beam sliced through the Construct¡¯s body, causing it to lurch in surprise, ready to counterattack, but when the lights solidified, it found itself pinned.


    It jerked its body while the Elite Primal Constructs shifted their attention, recognizing that they were under attack by a solitary individual that bore down on them like a silver bullet. The Field Boss desperately tried to free itself, but Platinum slid into range, wielding a reinforced solidlight sword in one hand while using her other to continue summoning an aerial bombardment.


    When she landed in the battlefield among the alien enemies, kicking up a wave of dirt, she rushed forward, transitioning the solidlights that would have been propelling her into the deadly projectiles that cut their numbers down. She was already experienced with the weaker variants of the Primal Constructs, and slicing through their formations as they rearranged themselves to defend against her assault was well within her skills. Her weightless light blade sliced through them like they weren¡¯t even there, easily clearing her path while their comrades fell in the backlines.


    Her off-hand was repeatedly pointing to the sky, causing more of her store of solidlights to manifest from above and shoot down. The effect was as if a localized meteor shower was concentrated on her surroundings. Beams of light smashed into unaware invaders like shooting stars, coming from an unexpected angle that was difficult to account for under normal circumstances, let alone while she bore down on them. The lights solidified before shattering from within their bodies, giving her spinning sword attacks the cover necessary to be unyielding and aggressive.


    Platinum fought like a firework, with a dazzling, bombastic assault that would certainly burn out over time as she exhausted her resources.


    Platinum¡¯s swordplay was inelegant, lacking the kind of practice demonstrated by the Champion of Ghost Reef, but that didn¡¯t stop her from wildly swinging at the Elites who had to contend with the aerial bombardment at the same time. If not for the distraction, she would have been outmatched by the more organized parties of invaders.


    She took advantage of momentum with her abrupt assault, copying the Champion of Ghost Reef in that way. When she reached the pinned Field Boss, a rising slice bisected the metallic monster, spotlighting her with another of several levels already gained. The rest was just a matter of cleaning up the chaff.


    The organized parties of Elite Primal Constructs converged on her, but she vaulted among them, dragging her light sword through their metallic bodies as she dodged forward. Her light shields slammed into the ground, corralling her targets while segregating the ranged attackers into their own pens. From there, she picked them apart, one squad at a time.


    By the end, she had exhausted her solidlights, but all four of the control points were hers to claim. 10,000 Elite Primal Constructs and a single Field Boss had fallen to her skills. To someone unaware, it would have seemed amazing. Embarrassingly, Coop would have defeated ten times as many, without using any skills, in the same time frame, and done it with no injuries.


    Platinum scoffed at herself, hissing as she tested the welts forming on her limbs where glancing blows had landed, watching as layers of bruises formed around scrapes and cuts. She had gotten the job done and she would be stronger for it, but it was disappointing to be unable to come away unscathed and ready for the next. To immediately seek out the next battle was still firmly within the realm of the Champion of Ghost Reef and no one else. She had to let herself feel satisfied with her much smaller achievement while she let her solidlights regenerate and captured the objectives. The battle had taken her nearly a day.


    She didn¡¯t expect to find many other Primal Construct invasions that she could take on at once, but after she left the Heartland behind, the next settlements caught her by surprise. She was too weakened to take on any more battles for the time being, but that didn¡¯t matter when the control points were all already captured, displaying the cool blue of team humanity.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Among the control points of the second settlement she encountered, a temporary camp had formed, full of tanned people dressed vaguely like cowboys. The older men had the kind of weathered faces that came from hard work outdoors underneath the unforgiving sun, completely lacking any hints of beards, and the women turned toward her with discerning eyes behind straight black hair that could have featured in conditioner commercials for all the shininess.


    Platinum blew air out of the side of her mouth to separate some split-ends that stuck to her cheek as she walked forward, completely unselfconscious. The groups stood up, one after the other, as they noticed her approaching, and a man in the lead raised both arms up toward the sky, like a double wave, and shouted a greeting.


    Platinum returned the wave with just one arm, though she prepared to run, given that she wasn¡¯t sure who this was and she was thoroughly outnumbered. Thankfully, the group held back and only one man walked out to meet her, calmly adjusting his worn cowboy hat as he went. When he stopped, he held the hat against his chest, and Platinum noticed his own silky smooth hair held in a knot with a white wooly tie at the back of his neck, as he tucked his other hand¡¯s thumb into a belt loop.


    ¡°Greetings little lady.¡± He spoke kindly. ¡°Where have you come from?¡±


    ¡°Howdy,¡± she responded, confidently slipping into conversational ease with the stranger. ¡°I¡¯m from Neon Park - that¡¯s New York. Uh, where am I?¡± She added, realizing she wasn¡¯t exactly sure. For some reason, the group of people didn¡¯t present like she expected General McCallister¡¯s troops, but she was definitely beyond Kansas.


    ¡°This is Navajo land.¡± He stated. ¡°You¡¯ve come a long way.¡±


    Platinum hummed like she understood. This was one of the two settlements that had avoided joining the Pacific Republic in favor of remaining fully independent. That meant she was around the border of New Mexico and Arizona.


    ¡°Do you need treatment?¡± He gestured to a particularly nasty bruise on her arm. ¡±There¡¯s a medicine man among us.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m alright.¡± She moved her arm to show it was fine. Then glanced past the man¡¯s shoulder at the blue rings that indicated human control of the objectives. ¡°I was going to offer our help with the invasion, but it looks like you don¡¯t need it.¡±


    He nodded once in agreement. ¡°We appreciate the effort, but those people from Ghost Reef swept through like a thunderstorm. There are no invaders on our land to help with.¡±


    Platinum raised her eyebrows, thinking there was no way Coop had ended up ahead of her, even with his head start, since he had gone practically the opposite direction. Her one stop hadn¡¯t really delayed her that much either compared to the trip as a whole.


    ¡°Ghost Reef?¡± She inquired, hoping he would elaborate.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He shifted his body to the side to point past his camp. ¡°They continued that way, two days ago, hunting monsters, they said.¡± He turned back to Platinum. ¡°They invited us to visit their home and to share their invitation freely. We were preparing to take them up on the offer, so I will extend it to you as well.¡±


    ¡°Was it more than one man?¡± She continued.


    ¡°Probably about 2,000. Men and women. Young and old.¡± He explained, not finding the question strange. ¡°Very organized, but unrestrained in a way that made them seem unsoldierly compared to our other neighbors.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Platinum muttered, somehow not surprised that the tiny settlement had so much reach.


    The Navajo man chuckled at her reaction. ¡°Are you that disappointed you couldn¡¯t help us?¡±


    ¡°No, no, it¡¯s just that they helped us as well.¡± She admitted. ¡°I¡¯m just kind of impressed.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯d like to journey to their base with us, you are welcome to.¡± He added, smiling as if he knew the feeling. ¡°We want to see what they have built to so openly beckon outsiders to their home.¡±


    Platinum was tempted, but decided against it. ¡°I think I¡¯ll try to catch up and see them for myself. You said they went that way? So they came from over there?¡±


    The pair freely shared information, feeling the kinship of humanity, possibly brought on by the actions of Ghost Reef¡¯s residents and its Champion. Before she left, she remembered to give them Neon¡¯s spiel about working together in the future, but given how underwhelming her presence was relative to the impact that Ghost Reef left on them, she felt like they were just politely acknowledging her effort while promising to meet again. On the bright side, she could share some news with Neon once she got back, having networked with two more settlements, just like he would have wanted.


    As it turned out, the Navajo Nation and Apache Bands were the two holders of civilization shards, but their mini alliance actually had half a dozen other tribes included, as well as the survivors of several cities. People from Santa Fe and Albuquerque, all the way to Phoenix and Tucson were members if not necessarily official residents, and they had grouped together in resistance to pressure from the Primal Constructs on their eastern flank.


    Geographically speaking, the southwest alliance didn¡¯t lose to Neon Park, though they held fewer civilization shards. As a consequence of a smaller starting population and less safe territory, they had far fewer overall residents, but other factors had given them a chance to survive.


    The local monster variants hadn¡¯t given them many problems in the early days, which allowed them to get organized and coordinate quickly. As a consequence, their territory stretched to the Grand Canyon. Apparently, the Primal Constructs found the Sonoran, and Chihuahuan Deserts unpleasant, even overheating as the days grew hotter. The way they saw it, that was the key to their continued success and what prevented the Fallen Zone from growing further. They had an easy onramp to leveling up and getting established and comfortable with contending with the aliens, entirely thanks to the ungodly environment of the desert basins.


    Platinum left them with a good sense of what was going on in a section of North America that she had only heard rumors about, though that hadn¡¯t been her mission this time around. She informed them of the meeting in the Heartland, feeling like it was only fair that they would be included if they so desired, but it seemed like they had already heard about it and would be sending a small party to witness the conference. They seemed a lot more excited about working with Ghost Reef than the continent as a whole. She couldn¡¯t blame them.


    When Platinum reached Silvervalley, all four control points were already captured by humans, once again. Another temporary camp had been constructed, separate from the objectives, though it was completely different from the Navajo gathering point.


    The camp was a sprawling, chaotic place, in stark contrast to the orderly behavior of all those within it. The place was extraordinarily active, with runners carrying messages to and fro, kicking up a consistent cloud of dust as they went. A patchwork of hastily erected structures, their desert camouflage color clashing with the dark surfaces of the Underlayer, spanned what seemed like miles.


    The atmosphere was relatively tense, despite the lack of nearby enemies. A palpable sense of purpose permeated throughout, and Platinum did her best to fit in, fixing her posture and moving with intent baked into her steps. She approached the obviously fatigued guards lining the perimeter of the base and introduced herself.


    They eventually found someone that could confirm her identity and would take her to General McCallister¡¯s tent. Once inside, the scale of Silvervalley¡¯s operation grew more obvious. Rows of tents stretched into the distance, each housing a variety of different functions, from communications to logistics. They consciously avoided drawing nearer to the control points, as if they had been prepared for a proper siege on the castles of the Primal Constructs before their plans were suddenly turned upside down.


    The difference between Neon Park and Silvervalley couldn¡¯t be more drastic. The gangs of Neon Park were nothing like the orderly divisions of the Pacific Republic, but power-wise, she didn¡¯t think they fell behind.


    She was ushered toward the General¡¯s tent, where she found him surrounded by maps with pins guiding strings between them and symbols that indicated relative strengths. Several advisors rushed out to make room for her, as if she was a VIP. She reminded herself that she pretty much was.


    ¡°Miss Platinum!¡± The cigar-chewing military man bellowed. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you alive and¡­¡± He hesitated as he noticed her injuries. ¡°...well?¡±


    ¡°You too.¡± She responded, noting that his level increased since she first met him, though his subordinates had been steadily progressing even further. ¡°I came as quickly as I could to offer our help and advice, but it seems like you¡¯re doing just fine.¡±


    McCallister nodded, though the wrinkles on his forehead deepened and the way his bushy eyebrows shifted made it seem like his feelings were complicated. ¡°I¡¯ll say things worked out for the best. Before we fully committed to an all out battle, Ghost Reef showed up and cleaned house.¡± He shook his head, apparently amazed. ¡°Our loss projections weren¡¯t low, but they took small squads and defeated the invaders without a single serious injury. Made those alien bastards look as brittle as dry leaves. It¡¯s like every one of their residents is as elite as my top guys.¡±


    Platinum snorted. ¡°I think I know that feeling.¡±


    She and the general spent some time commiserating and reconfirming the continental conference before she left to seek out Ghost Reef¡¯s army as it progressed through the alliance¡¯s settlements.


    When Platinum caught up, she stood in the distance with her hands on her hips, gawking as golden domes of energy climbed across enormous sections of the Underlayer, engulfing the pathetic attempts of the Primal Constructs to create their own shields. The inside was filled with flaming dragons that charged like freight trains, screaming through the monsters while leaving a trail of black smoke to rise inside the bubbles.


    From within the obstruction, purple clones of pleasant seeming ladies leapt forward, desperately grabbing onto Constructs before they self-destructed into swarms of butterflies that ripped through the monsters as if they were made of knives. Three matching iron men pushed into the gaps, physically punching holes through masses before viciously tearing the legs off of a hapless Siege Boss that failed to penetrate the golden dome with its tactical lasers and drone volleys. Platinum almost felt bad for it as the uniformed soldiers of Ghost Reef dismantled its collapsed form, swarming its exposed body while its allies were crushed by roaming squads of people.


    Other individual soldiers strolled along the flanks in matching black leather equipment, conserving their energy in a battle that should have matched the intensity of Neon Park¡¯s first foray into the Underlayer, but instead felt routine.


    When a clearly elderly lady, complete with tight white curls of hair on her head, summoned evil spiked black armor that included a full cover helmet, and planted a thick metal mace into the face of a Field Boss cousin of Felrog, ripping through the monster that had given her people so much trouble, while destroying it in one shot as it attempted to ambush the army from behind, Platinum gasped.


    She blinked slowly, a baffled expression cemented on her face as random residents of Ghost Reef set a pace that wasn¡¯t too far behind their Champion. When they were done, a single person remained behind while the rest rushed toward the next objective.


    ¡°Guess I should just go home?¡± She mumbled. ¡°I need more levels.¡±


    She looked to her side and noticed a dozen different scouts from Silvervalley, spread throughout the Underlayer, watching with the same combination of awe and confusion that she felt. Ghost Reef just kept moving, completely indifferent to the spectators, like a single-minded machine designed to defeat the invaders.

 Chapter 283: The Tip of a Spear

    ¡°Ahh..¡± Coop sighed, letting a bit of tension exit his chest. ¡°I miss the beach.¡±


    It had been an extraordinarily busy second week of the Underlayer Event, not that Coop had expected any less when he first entered the underground. The Underlayer was actually living up to the standard set by the Siege Event after what Ghost Reef saw as an unsatisfying start, with invaders galore to defeat. It was exactly the type of gauntlet he had dreamed of.


    Commissioner De Witte of the European Emergency Community had delivered on his promise to streamline Coop¡¯s experience within his faction¡¯s territory. As it turned out, the EEC was basically a well-oiled machine, and even though Coop was an unaccounted for variable, they quickly adapted to him, transitioning their strategy to one that reconciled his unexpected presence.


    Wherever Coop went, he found people with lanyards and clipboards manning canopied tents ready to guide or otherwise support his efforts to kill monsters. They had done such a thorough job, Coop could sense himself growing spoiled. De Witte had idly commented that they all have ways to contribute, and Coop saw what they meant. In the EEC, the vast majority of people were dedicated to supporting others in their efforts to fight.


    They waved glowing batons at Coop, directing him like he was a jet on a runway throughout the caverns. Given his travel times, they weren¡¯t that far off. His spear traveled across their territory like a guided missile and the Primal Constructs were demolished wherever he went.


    The EEC made every effort to escort him from one settlement to the next, spreading throughout their territory ahead of him from the beginning. The contested control points had teams of people dedicated to supporting his attacks with buffs and other reinforcements, camping out at a distance from the Primal Constructs as they eagerly anticipated his arrival.


    Squads of their elite combat operators were stationed with them, beneath every single settlement, showing what a proper mission might have looked like, and for their part, they were all decently leveled and extremely well-equipped with modified modern gear. Back on the surface, they represented individual settlements while maintaining mostly friendly rivalries with each other, but in the Underlayer they were all business. It was a reminder to Coop that the deadly tip of his spear was a small portion of his entire weapon.


    The EEC took every accommodation into consideration, practically rolling out the red carpet for the Champion of Ghost Reef. Rather than military-style logistics, Coop felt like he was participating in an exceptionally structured celebrity triathlon, where the organizers had spared no expense to make sure the contestants weren¡¯t distracted by an overly complicated course and could put their best foot forward.


    ¡°They even provided snacks.¡± Coop mumbled, shaking his head in awe as he remembered. He never expected orange slices, cups of juice, and packs of pretzels while he went to war, but the Europeans had even considered his caloric intake after planning his route, staging rest stops should he need them. Nothing would get in the way of his combat efficiency.


    Coop went through what was essentially a personalized guided tour across the entire European continent. Unfortunately, none of the actual attractions were underground for him to enjoy. Armies of Primal Constructs were a decent substitute for someone with Coop¡¯s sensibilities, but he still would have liked to see some of the sights. It wouldn¡¯t hurt for him to grow a bit more cultured, but for the time being he would remain some strange combination of beach bum and Champion of the Mists.


    There were some nice vacation destinations in Europe, and Coop¡¯s ambitions were at least partially predicated on securing the beaches of the world, but he hadn¡¯t visited even one. Instead, he was grinding with every possible convenience granted to his quest. They captured the points on his behalf and scheduled an itinerary for him that adapted to his speed as he went. The support groups kept him buffed as he shot past and the combat operators would have helped defeat enemies if he asked for it, but they were even considerate enough to let him do the killing, recognizing that Coop saw the experience as its own reward.


    By the time he had cleared the first set of control points they pointed him to, they were already more cognizant of his pace, making sure not to be the reason he slowed down. He only caught them setting up once or twice between the 20 additional settlements he cleared after leaving Commissioner De Witte and Chee Dale behind.


    Apparently, the strategy across Europe during the Underlayer Event was to engage the enemies on the surface after the event was over, while also sacrificing some of the more remote and isolated settlements to better maintain their long term objectives of human survival. It was a tactic that Coop had immediately dismissed as a bad idea, but the reason their survey teams were crawling all over the Underlayer in the first place was in an effort to triangulate the exact corresponding locations on the surface in order to prepare in advance.


    Elder Olani¡¯s traps had worked for Ghost Reef, so he could imagine an entire continent baring down and waiting for the Primal Constructs to arrive in specific spots. It might have worked out for them, but Coop showed up and provided the easiest alternative imaginable. Just point him in the direction of enemies and let him take care of it. They certainly didn¡¯t refuse his help.


    Despite all of the additional efficiency added to Coop¡¯s hunt, the rate that he was clearing settlements failed to rise to a level that would have met his goal of clearing every settlement on the planet. It was increasingly apparent that it wouldn¡¯t be necessary, due to other settlements participating on their own, but Coop couldn¡¯t help but feel vaguely disappointed that with all of his power, he still wasn¡¯t on a level that could completely sweep the global events aside.


    On the bright side, humanity as a whole was well on pace to completely clear the event, and he imagined their prospects would only get better as time went on, as those who were eeking out victories finally pushed toward the finish line.


    Underlayer Event Settlement Scores:


    <ol>


    <li> Ghost Reef - 64,487,388 (x1)</li>


    <li> Neon Park - 5,819,973 (x13)</li>


    <li> Silvervalley - 5,121,756 (x11)</li>


    <li> Englischer Garten - 4,460,000 (x8)</li>


    <li> Ordesa - 4,150,000 (x7)</li>


    <li> Serania de la Macarena - 3,550,000 (x4)</li>


    <li> Chee Dale - 3,400,000 (x4)</li>


    <li> Beantown - 2,108,542 (x5)</li>


    <li> Akagera - 1,365,655 (x2)</li>


    <li> La Piedra - 1,200,000 (x3)</li>


    </ol>


    While Ghost Reef was technically in second place thanks to the challenge assessments, there was no doubt they would surpass Neon Park at this point. The real question was whether or not they could compare to Shinjuku Gardens in the end.


    With two-thirds of the event remaining, the pace of Ghost Reef would be sufficient to surpass his estimated 125,000,000 score for Shinjuku Gardens, assuming they didn¡¯t take it upon themselves to clear the invaders. They hadn¡¯t made any progress, but he knew it would only take a few days for them to accumulate enough points to make themselves unreachable.


    Of course, Coop suspected that he and the residents of Ghost Reef were some of the only people in the world that had the luxury of even paying attention to the scores. Even the EEC, with all of its analysis and coordination, had put the leaderboards aside in order to try and maximize their rates of survival. They wisely valued lives over points in the event, and hadn¡¯t engaged with a single Primal Construct before Coop arrived.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    However, Coop was growing concerned about yet another issue that he had failed to consider from the start. Were there even enough invasions in the world to accumulate their maximum potential score? He was getting worried that they might run into an insurmountable roadblock as the event¡¯s enemies were defeated all across the planet.


    Underlayer Event Individual Scores:


    <ol>


    <li> Coop - 41,650,171 (+34,659,500)</li>


    <li> Charlie Seraphin - 1,026,420 (+969,802)</li>


    <li> Camila Alvarez - 510,195 (+481,075)</li>


    <li> Gibson - 508,912 (+473,007)</li>


    <li> Buck Cleary - 501,756 (+501,756)</li>


    <li> Emmanuel Seraphin - 491,092 (+369,928)</li>


    <li> Junior Cleary - 381,440 (+381,440)</li>


    <li> Tiny Cleary - 265,961 (+265,961)</li>


    <li> Jacqueline ¡®Jackie¡¯ Simpson - 254,003 (+253,516)</li>


    <li> Arthur Anonymous - 251,139 (+251,139)</li>


    </ol>


    While Coop was making an enormous contribution to Ghost Reef¡¯s score, the last week had given the rest of the residents a chance to get into the game. Comparing names with places and Coop could confidently decipher what his companions were up to back home.


    Ghost Reef¡¯s residents had split into two distinct groups. An expedition that headed the opposite direction compared to Coop, and another that stayed home, securing their connection to the Underlayer. The expedition that left split again, probably in the Yucatan, where they would have had to choose between letting the tunnels guide them into North or South America.


    The group that headed north cleared recognizable settlements in Mexico from Sinaloa to Sonora, and made it to the American Southwest, before reaching the mega-settlement in Silvervalley. They were led by Shane¡¯s party and the Cleary Brothers, among others. The scores of the northern group lagged behind the other group¡¯s because the first settlements they cleared were evidently smaller and lacked Siege Bosses, but Silvervalley had brought them back up to parity.


    The other half of the expedition headed south, into South America, wiping out the invasions from Colombia to Peru and the Western Amazon, starting with La Piedra and Serenia de la Macarena. That¡¯s where Charlie¡¯s family, Camila, and Gibson¡¯s party had gone. There hadn¡¯t been any obvious settlements on the leaderboards from South America, but there were apparently several larger shards from the start.


    Based on their individual scores, he assumed they had run into and defeated dozens of Siege Bosses. As a result of their ability to defeat boss enemies as well as masses of Elite Primal Constructs, the individual leaderboard was completely dominated by residents of Ghost Reef, and that pattern continued for thousands of positions. Only a handful of individual standouts, like Platinum, Neon, and Sila Tupua remained among the regular residents of his island as he scrolled through, and even the Neon Park powerhouses would fall out soon enough.


    The only Ghost Reef citizens that weren¡¯t topping leaderboards were people like Elder Olani, Jones, and Derek, who were the first candidates for those who would prefer to stay home. He imagined they had plenty of work with Laurie and Greg coming up with ways to bolster their temporary headquarters with more advanced materials.


    Basically, Ghost Reef was thriving even if Coop was removed from the equation. In fact, Coop was coming to the conclusion that without his adaptation of Inheritance of the Mists, they might have been able to actually surpass him as a group. He shuddered to think about Camila and the others¡¯ promise to clear more than he did. He needed to go even faster.


    Somehow, the Underlayer Event left Coop turning away from his own progression, which was normally his primary motivator. His levels continued at a ridiculous pace, and every time he applied another five attribute points into his Mind stat the satisfaction washed through like an ice cold drink after working in the sun all day.


    Unfortunately, that was it. As long as he was stuck building up his Reverence skill, he wasn¡¯t reaching what had previously been major milestones for him to stop and consider his build. If he wasn¡¯t in the middle of a global event, he might have stronger feelings toward the situation, but as it stood, being forcefully trapped in a rut couldn¡¯t have come at a better time.


    He was gaining absolutely incredible amounts of experience, meaning that the time it took to escape the cycle would be shorter, and he didn¡¯t have the distractions that came with making major decisions that would have long-lasting impacts on his build. Coop was happy to put his head down and grind. The repetitious actions, steady cadences, and reliable rhythms did something to his brain that brought him into a happy place.


    The representatives of the EEC had openly shared much of their collective intel, helping Coop understand the lay of the land more broadly. While Europe had 25 settlements, they concluded that both North and South America had approximately 20 each based on simple matching of names and research.


    From Coop¡¯s personal experience, he had no reason to challenge their accuracy. Between Ghost Reef, Empress City, Neptune¡¯s Bridge, they combined with Neon Park and its subordinates to make 10. The Pacific Republic was another 7 or so, including the Mexico and Cascadia settlements, plus the Heartland and the two indigenous settlements to add another 10. Combined that would make exactly 20, matching up with the EEC¡¯s estimate.


    If their count for North America matched up with his own, he felt comfortable accepting their numbers for South America as well. All that meant was that Ghost Reef¡¯s residents still had another dozen settlements to farm in their hemisphere, but Coop had to decide where to go next.


    The EEC reps provided him with multiple options. The first and what they believed the best option was for him to move south into Africa. They had been unable to do any prior reconnaissance on the continent due to the changes in geography brought on by the assimilation of mana.


    They explained that the absolutely massive Saharan Desert had been transformed into an inland sea. Only a ridge-like series of islands continued to border the Mediterranean, keeping the bodies of water separate with the northern parts of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt acting as a barrier. In fact, a few of the settlements Coop had cleared had technically been in what used to be North Africa, but had joined with the EEC once they were contacted.


    In any case, whatever lay beyond the Saharan Sea was largely unknown. They could only provide conjecture, based on the leaderboards that as many as 35 or 40 settlements remained in the rest of Africa, nearly matching the combined total of both Americas.


    The other options they provided were for Coop to head east, into central Asia, or back to the junction beneath Iceland so that he could explore one of the other directions of the crossroads.


    The reason they considered heading into Asia a lesser option for his goals was that they had heard rumors from their eastern most residents that a massive force already existed in that space. While none of their settlements were particularly large, the rumors told of nomadic armies that could stretch for miles and included millions upon millions of members. Half of the world¡¯s population was in Asia, so it stood to reason that they would have a proportional presence, regardless of what the leaderboards indicated. By the process of elimination, they believed more than half of all the settlements were there as well, but they seemed to be in good hands at the moment.


    Coop had already noticed small settlements being cleared in an ever increasing pattern while checking the settlement leaderboards. The EEC believed a giant army was sweeping across what would amount to more than a hundred settlements, none of which had challenge assessments beyond x1, which corroborated his suspicions. They were a third force, beside Coop and Ghost Reef¡¯s army, that were clearing the invaders at a brisk pace, but they were doing it through a massive stack of small settlements.


    Heading back through Iceland and toward the arctic was simply completely unknown, but they didn¡¯t expect any settlements to exist north of their own Jotunheim settlement, located in a glacial valley of northern Norway.


    Coop was gradually coming to accept that he wasn¡¯t one to argue with good advice. So, he set his sights on Africa, accepting their reasoning without much complaint. They simply pointed him in the direction of where they believed the largest challenges were, and he thought that was good enough.


    His whirlwind adventure across Europe ended with his arms full of chocolates, flowers, and other gifts. They had laid it on pretty thick, but he would be a liar if he tried to claim it didn¡¯t work. If they wanted to leave a good impression with the potential of future friendships, they had succeeded. Little did they know, Coop was easy to please. Just pointing him toward the Primal Constructs had been enough.

 Chapter 284: Beneath the Saharan Sea

    ¡°Haah¡­¡± Coop slowly exhaled, observing the shimmering horizon while acknowledging the feeling of reluctance that crept into his subconscious like a growing shadow.


    Crossing through the Underlayer on his own felt lonelier than ever. Knowing that he was leaving such a supportive system behind made the sense of isolation that much more distinct. Coop already missed the uniquely helpful guides that had turned his trip through Europe into a personalized tour, complete with every amenity available to aid with his grinds, but there was nothing left for him to do there.


    Pausing for a moment, he held his spear in both hands, arms straight out in front of his chest. He raised the weapon up before pulling it all the way behind his head until he touched his back. Rotating his shoulders, the exercise gave him a satisfying stretch before he went into his next mistjump.


    Coop wasn¡¯t naive enough to believe the representatives of the EEC had been helping him for entirely altruistic reasons anyway. Obviously, he was providing an enormous benefit by dealing with the Primal Construct invasions for them. He took on all the risk associated with the Underlayer Event on their behalf. Of course, that was what he had signed up for when he left Ghost Reef behind.


    Still, the least they could do was hook him up with some snacks. He chuckled to himself, glad that they had recognized that much as he set his feet and sent his spear flying down the vast tunnel.


    The EEC already had a policy to be friendly toward both Coop and Ghost Reef, just based on the reputation he and his allies had built with their presence on leaderboards. Once they actually met Coop, his demonstration of strength justifiably reinforced their commitment to staying on his good side. They knew as well as anyone that his support was invaluable, and they did their best to avoid seeming ungrateful the entire time Coop interacted with them.


    Their behavior wasn¡¯t forced by the system either. Regardless of his level, they made their own judgment, based on the disposition of their society. He supposed that was one of the problems with humans, having already established value systems that may or may not conflict with those of the galactic community. They had grown too independent to easily conform to the broader norms without asking questions and comparing them to their own principles. Whether there was an objective truth to morality didn¡¯t really matter to someone like Coop. The fact was that if something seemed wrong to him, crossing some undefined line, he didn¡¯t want to have to tolerate it.


    Coop shrugged to himself, unwrapping a chocolate while assuming most people would feel the same way.


    In any case, he had to admit that the EEC had done a good job getting on his good side, considering how much he would have liked to have them follow along and provide the same support elsewhere. He really felt appreciated, which was part of the reason why leaving was weighing upon his thoughts.


    However, Marcus would be responsible for establishing proper diplomatic channels, not Coop. Coop was merely carrying a message regarding the Lighthouse and the Eradication Protocol while properly illustrating the depths of Ghost Reef¡¯s power. They had received most of the message before he had arrived, just by watching the leaderboards, but a little reinforcement wasn¡¯t a problem for Coop, and now they had some future threats to consider.


    There were less regular citizens available to impress while he was in Europe, but there were enough regular low-level workers to have an effect. While Coop was polite toward them and always appreciative toward their offers to help, he was absolutely ruthless when it came to combat. He left no room for doubt that he was on a level that meant direct opposition would be absurd. Coop was sure they would talk about him after he was gone, and not always in official settings. Empress City had taught him the power of rumors, and he was more conscious of planting the seeds to build Ghost Reef¡¯s reputation as he traveled the world.


    After catching his spear, surveying his surroundings, then taking another running start before launching his weapon, he stretched his neck and sighed again, waiting for the weapon to travel through miles of pure mana. The emptiness he sensed within was like a migraine that grew in the absence of combat or comfort. Coop grunted at the observation.


    His desire to hunt had grown more insistent ever since Dedicating his path in the abyss, though he was pretty sure it was psychosomatic. Once he had entered the Underlayer there were just so many potential grinds, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little greedy about them. That would have happened no matter what, but Coop snorted, chuckling at the idea that he was feeding a cute little baby Sethrak as he went.


    ¡°Good thing there¡¯s plenty of experience to go around.¡± He jested before disappearing through the mists again.


    The meditation that came from long distance travel was something Coop didn¡¯t particularly enjoy. He needed something more strenuous to put him into his happy place. Exercise, combat, and manual labor all worked, but teleporting on what felt like a treadmill wasn¡¯t it. The stop and go nature prevented him from settling into the mindless rhythms that put him in the zone while doing other things. Constantly forcing himself to be diligent in checking for landmarks, so that he wouldn¡¯t miss meeting people or pass by places, weighed on his consciousness.


    After a few hours of boredom and frustration, snacking on delicious chocolates to pass the time as he crossed the endless expanse beneath the Saharan Sea, he actually considered an alternative. What if he refrained from mistjumping?


    ¡°I could just run.¡± He innocently observed, popping another treat into his mouth as he considered his options.


    His stats had exploded to such an extent that even without using his skills, he could chew through the distance and maybe find his happy place in exercise, staving off the void within. He could even cast Inheritance of the Mists for a non-combat purpose, right? Maybe Hermes could hook him up with an upgrade to his gladiator sandals, pushing his speed up to more acceptable levels.


    It was a nice thought, but unfortunately, no matter how fast he was, there was no way it would compare to his mistjumps. Unless he had Camila¡¯s Interceptor class, running wasn¡¯t a good enough alternative to his teleports. The fact that peoples¡¯ lives were still on the line meant that he would have to eschew the comfort of activity in favor of efficiency.


    ¡°It is what it is.¡± He mumbled as he mistjumped forward and repeated the process, watching as wisps of abyssal mana prettily mixed with the ghostly aquamarine spectral mana.


    The Underlayer beneath Africa was exactly as it had been throughout Europe, Canada, the East Coast of the United States, and Ghost Reef. Empty dirt, smothered with energy. It was all the same.


    Coop thought about decorating with some vegetation to spruce the place up. The sterile environment had already been contaminated as soon as the place opened to humans, so he was happy to imagine turning it into an enormous garden. Otherwise, how long would it take for pioneering species to make it down?


    ¡°Would the plants even grow?¡± He wondered as he threw his spear, doing anything to distract himself from the repetitive travel.


    The underground layer may have been thoroughly illuminated, but it wasn¡¯t sunlight filtering deep into the Earth. There were also zero fluctuations in the mysterious light source. No night time, no sunsets or sunrises, just steady illumination.


    ¡°I kinda hate it.¡± Coop mumbled as he reappeared at the end of another jump.


    The lack of variance made him imagine decorating even more. If only they could overcome the erosion caused by the flow of pure mana in the ley lines.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    The corals of the mana well outside of Ghost Reef came to mind, proving the adaptability of life. They were thriving in a sunless environment based on high concentration of mana alone, so it seemed possible to add a little something to the dirt plains. The Underlayer could also be the first place they really innovated with mana, building without the system¡¯s structured guidance, assuming they could overcome the corrosive effect of ley lines.


    Coop thought it would be nice, but in the back of his mind, he was worried if enough people would even survive the Eradication Protocol for it to make sense to imagine expansions beyond Ghost Reef¡¯s fort. Visiting other places had him getting ahead of himself when it came to his other priorities. Worse was coming. The thought was sobering.


    He focused up, searching for the distinct rings of illumination that marked the objectives like a heat seeking missile.


    Mistjump after mistjump took him closer and closer to the equator, and he passed the time by doing his best to envision his battles, planning his quick swap rotations around casts of Inheritance instead of snacking. If there were enough enemies, he could settle into a steady five minute rotation where the bursts of power would land with emphasis while he set up an infinite grind. The multi-minute crescendos were quickly becoming his favorite tactical cadences.


    When he finally spotted something new, he was genuinely relieved to step off the treadmill. He caught his spear and squinted at the profiles in the distance, wondering exactly what it was, and if he could fight it.


    What Coop spotted wasn¡¯t a fork in the path, nor was it a set of control points guarded by Primal Constructs. Instead, it looked like some kind of fence that spanned the entire width of the underground. Each of its posts were separated by relatively large gaps, but the fact that it extended across hundreds of miles was noteworthy, like some faction had decided this was their border, and they wanted the whole world to know.


    Coop stood still, assessing the structure from what could have been miles away before realizing that large posts were actually individual people wielding tall oval shields. The shields were decorated in a variety of ways, bunched in groups of matching patterns, like they designated specific affiliations within a larger conglomeration of people. The protective equipment doubled as banners of affiliation.


    ¡°Hm.¡± He hummed to himself, not entirely sure how he felt about such an endeavor.


    As simple as it was to have a bunch of people stand in a line, Coop recognized that it was a massive show of force. Coop got the message loud and clear; they had so many soldiers to spare, they could have more than 50,000 just standing around while the event was ongoing.


    If they went through the effort in this tunnel, he figured they had done the same on their other sides. Maybe they didn¡¯t have any forks in their section of the Underlayer, but he could at least assume they had to have at least one other shield wall. That meant having as many people idle as Empress City had residents, at a minimum.


    ¡°Insane.¡± Coop muttered.


    It wasn¡¯t a posture that offered the same type of hospitality that he had found from the EEC. They couldn¡¯t send a signal that said ¡®stay away¡¯ any more blatantly, but it was certainly impressive.


    Coop shrugged to himself, figuring he would introduce himself anyway. What was the worst that could happen? Most of the consequences would be on their side.


    He planted his spear in the ground, disarming himself to avoid the most obvious misunderstandings, and just walked. It was impossible for him to make himself any more unthreatening than a lone unarmed wanderer, though even in that state, he thought they would be wary. His level wasn¡¯t something he could leave behind.


    It took a while for them to notice him, but their reaction was relatively predictable. Coop was hoping they would send someone out to speak with him, but instead a portion of them grouped up, forming a simple two-layered phalanx with their decorated leather shields, clearly prepared to fight, no questions asked.


    Coop kept walking, undeterred, but as he drew closer, it grew more obvious that they weren¡¯t interested in anything he would have to say. He put his hands out in the most non threatening manner possible and they responded by launching javelins in his direction.


    Coop didn¡¯t flinch, but he did stop walking, frowning at the projectiles instead. He was still far too distant to actually communicate with words, though attacking him was enough to fully get the message across. They weren¡¯t particularly welcoming to outsiders.


    He briefly considered knocking some sense into them, but it would have only been to satisfy himself. He wasn¡¯t traveling through the Underlayer with the intention of fighting humans. It was the alien invaders he was after. Coop could turn back and help other groups that might be more appreciative, but the thought of doubling back through the empty Underlayer beneath the Saharan Sea made him annoyed.


    ¡°Nah.¡± Coop shook his head, refusing to be turned away when it would waste his own time to such an extent.


    Coop mistjumped back to his spear, disappearing from their view. The only trace of his presence was a small puff of mists that disappeared into the Underlayer¡¯s empty breeze. He wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they thought they had imagined his approach, lulled as they must have been by the emptiness of the Underlayer. The image of them glancing at each other and trying to understand the mass hallucination made him chuckle.


    Safely, from a distance, Coop lobbed his spear high in the sky, repeating the process several times as he mistjumped higher and higher before he was satisfied with his altitude. He was brushing into the vaporous clouds, making it impossible to discern the individual soldiers that had blocked his way. From there he pushed forward, sticking closer to the ceiling than the floor.


    The movement was slower, but more frantic, his throws necessarily shorter, so that he wouldn¡¯t fall while waiting for his spear to fly. He figured temporarily moderating his pace was fine. He couldn¡¯t be too far from some settlements, given the presence of such an organized force. Besides, he¡¯d rather take the extra precaution to avoid bumping into any sort of barriers or arrays they managed to install to keep people out. Remembering the turtle shield that protected Ghost Reef encouraged him to play it safe.


    Coop didn¡¯t come back down until he spotted the red illumination of objectives controlled by the Primal Constructs. The invaders received a nasty surprise when he crashed into them, already calling upon Inheritance of the Mists, in order to continue with his self-imposed mission of defensive conquest.


    If he was honest with himself, this was a much more appropriate strategy for his style. Rather than raise the Ghost Reef banner with his presence, he actually was like a ghost, haunting their territory, while killing the invaders. He hoped the additional intrigue would create a real legend that could pierce their obviously hostile approach to outsiders. The Revenant¡¯s hunt couldn¡¯t be discouraged by mere mortals.


    Coop let the relief wash over him as his stress and anxieties disappeared into the song of battle. Finally, a satisfying rhythm to go with his physical exertion. The Primal Constructs melted away, ultimately disappearing in a time that was too short to completely satisfy the Champion. A quarter of a million enemies wasn¡¯t enough for him. It was an appetizer at  best.


    Surprisingly, he only made it halfway through capturing the third of the four freshly liberated control points before a squad of human soldiers appeared on the horizon, rushing toward him. They were equipped in a similar way to their shield wall, presenting patterned decorations on their gear, though they had a variety of roles based on the items they carried.


    Coop sighed as he realized the objective spotlights didn¡¯t help him remain incognito, working against him by advertising his accomplishment, though the words he carved in the dirt would have done the same. This time, with the leverage of a cleared set of control points, he thought he might have a chance to properly introduce himself at least.


    He wasn¡¯t exactly wrong, but the reception still wasn¡¯t friendly. Coop was able to declare who he was, where he had come from, and what he was doing: killing monsters, but that wasn¡¯t enough for the human soldiers to change their stance. They didn¡¯t have the authority to change their own mission, it seemed. Conversation was out of the question.


    They took up a hostile posture, behaving like experienced combatants, with formations and roles that weren¡¯t entirely dissimilar to the standards of the galactic community, though they were arranged into larger squads. They had obviously taken some inspiration from some alien factions while maintaining their own human identity in their organization.


    A quick inspection of their auras revealed that none of them were associated with any alien factions, regardless of if they had been influenced by them or not. He supposed at least that much was similar to the EEC, where humans had ultimately decided to abandon the factions that had made them Chosen in favor of taking responsibility for themselves. If they were going to be left alone to fend for their lives within the assimilation, why should someone else get all the credit? He figured they could find common ground on some level.


    When the squad of 20 soldiers shouted their belligerence toward Coop, he simply left, moving to the next settlement. Their levels weren¡¯t enough to force him away, but he figured he could use their aggression to his advantage.


    ¡°If that¡¯s how it¡¯s gonna be, you can capture your own control points.¡± Coop muttered under his breath.

 Chapter 285: Slapboxing

    Safiri set his jaw as he crossed into the glowing ring, solidified determination emanating from each of his steps. Violating the threshold was a clear point of no return, but he hadn¡¯t traveled across the Underlayer, leaving their main army behind, to back down from a challenge of his own making at the last second.


    His bare chest was already slicked with sweat from the exertion of his trip, but his breathing was steady and his focus at its peak. He hopped on his toes, dancing back and forth in the dirt. He extended each arm as if further warming up, letting his fists snap in the air as his exhalations hissed. Each punch sounded like a whip cracking in the air: an undeniable threat.


    The tape around his knuckles flashed in the illumination of the underground, teasing at the potential velocity of his punches, though a tease was all it was. He would never reveal the full extent of his strength before the bout actually started. He was already in a mental competition with his opponent, but the man¡¯s facial expression was unchanged. He seemed completely neutral to the situation.


    Safiri wasn¡¯t the most massive fighter, but there was no doubt that he was among the most powerful in all of Africa, and therefore the world. There was a reason he had been the first sent to individually represent their side. He had the respect of his peers and the ability to send a firm statement to outsiders.


    He only wore light athletic shorts, showing off the striations of his muscles beneath his unblemished skin. Thanks to the effect of mana, weight classes were meaningless, but by his judgment, between himself and his opponent, they were pretty even, at least physically.


    Safiri was six feet tall, and a feather below 200 pounds, putting him firmly into the cruiserweight category before the assimilation. He was a statuesque example of human physique, sculpted from training before and after mana had activated on Earth.


    His opponent was a close enough match, even if he was, at a glance, at least one weight class below, probably two, and built more like a swimmer than a strongman. That didn¡¯t mean Safiri could take him lightly, especially after he repeatedly demonstrated his strength against the monsters. What the man lacked in physical foundation, he made up for with excessive levels.


    However, Safiri was also among the highest levels in the world, so the gap wasn¡¯t as extreme as it could have been if he was anyone else. Several hundred stats wouldn¡¯t be a critical difference when it came to an expert fighter like Safiri.


    The man that had defeated the alien invaders before he arrived watched him with curiosity, tilting his head to the side, subtly amused rather than threatened. It was an inappropriate response to meeting someone like Safiri as an opponent.


    The man¡¯s position within the control point had been a declaration that it was his, but Safiri boldly violated that claim, garnering his interest. The outsider may not have understood the shaky balance that had prevented open conflict between shards on the surface in Africa, but a formal challenge was clear enough. He would obviously have to accept it or otherwise admit his cowardice.


    The preliminary cooperative relationships between the different groups around the continent were largely based around simple give and take. In this case, during the Underlayer Event, the order in which they intended to liberate their settlements was predicated upon contributions to the army that would participate in the event itself. However, an outsider had butted in, and had already given some who withheld their solidarity a free ride. That was seen as unacceptable by those groups who willingly sacrificed their strongest for the good of others.


    While Safiri and most of the other actual warriors didn¡¯t see themselves as any type of sacrifice, and had no particular interest in what they saw as the petty politics of the old world playing out once again, they still couldn¡¯t just step aside and sit on the sidelines. It was not only their responsibility that was being taken, but also their pride that was being challenged. The leaders who remained on the surface would obviously demand an explanation, and the less that went wrong the better, if for nothing else other than to avoid unnecessary headaches that would come from misunderstandings. Maintaining a loose unity between what seemed like a thousand different groups was naturally complicated and everyone involved was aware.


    Beyond the man¡¯s nonchalant expression, Safiri felt waves of power emanating from his aura. This man was the most terrifying opponent he¡¯d ever stepped up to, and he had only recently participated in the continent¡¯s first Siege Boss subjugation. Not that he would ever let himself be intimidated, but this man¡¯s presence was far more oppressive than the Prime Construct that had its eyes set on Akagera.


    Behind Safiri, his supporters chanted his name in low voices, ominously introducing him like a formidable prizefighter as they had in hundreds of duels before. Their excitement rose in intensity as Safiri crossed the threshold into the arena, becoming a blend of cheers and roars. Safiri¡¯s expression remained one of silent concentration, not shying away from the curious gaze of his opponent.


    Within the Assembly of Settlements, which officially represented roughly half of the contacted settlements in Africa, Safiri was among the top rankers as well as a founding member. His strength provided the base for their overall organization at the start and he had maintained his position at or near the top since the initiation of their alliance. If steel sharpened steel, then he was a carefully honed sword.


    Rather than a leader within the coalition, he was a weapon. None of the warriors were leaders as the Assembly drew a clear line of separation between roles. Instead, he was merely one of many figures that inspired other residents to give their all in the name of survival.


    He didn¡¯t realize how similar he and his companion fighters were to the man standing in the center of the arena, barely suppressed excitement glinting from his eyes as he watched Safiri get into position, but the commonalities were there.


    Safiri was a powerhouse that had been rushed across their holdings in order to prevent the outsider from continuing on his warpath. The man who claimed to be the mythical Coop from Ghost Reef certainly exemplified the mystique of a champion of champions, but so far, he had only proven his ability to sneak past their warriors and defeat the same invaders that Safiri and the others were capable of handling themselves.


    On the one hand, that seemed to imply he wasn¡¯t interested in outright conflict with them, but on the other, it left the true extent of his authority unrecognized. Safiri would unravel the mystery behind his ability and see if his reputation was properly earned.


    The politics of Africa had grown further complicated with the additional influence of outside factions. Ultimately, they rejected the alien factions, seizing their independence and encouraging others to do the same while forming the Assembly. They didn¡¯t need even more difficulties added to the mix by would-be colonizers. Safiri put his foot down, leveling a stare at the man.


    ¡°Stop your interference, outsider.¡± He demanded, glare hardening as he spoke.


    The man slowly smiled, unable to continue suppressing his excitement toward Safiri¡¯s challenge. ¡°Nah.¡± The man flippantly rejected the command. ¡°You snooze, you lose.¡± He added with a casual shrug, like they were children at a playground, apparently not taking Safiri seriously at all.


    The man¡¯s aura was completely different when compared to his seemingly playful attitude, causing Safiri to scowl beneath his furrowing brows while judging the distance between them to be perfect for his attacks. He wondered just how effective that ghostly shield would really be when he opened up with his assault. It was clearly full of mana, given how much it emanated into the breeze. The short sword his opponent held in the other hand would be useless, lacking the range to contend with Safiri booming fists.


    ¡°We owe you nothing. We can handle ourselves.¡± Safiri added, rather patiently, as the gathered crowd encouraged him to get the show started. They taunted and jeered at the outsider.


    The man just kept a friendly smile on his face, completely unthreatened despite Safiri doing his best to give him the chance to back down before things turned ugly. A crowd of hostile warriors were barely appearing on his radar.


    ¡°Sounds good.¡± The man gave a nod of approval at Safiri¡¯s declaration. ¡°How about you handle capturing the points this time? I¡¯ll give you guys a break for this event, but make sure you keep getting stronger.¡± He advised, causing the crowd to glance at each other like they were wondering who the hell he thought he was. They were already warriors. They didn¡¯t need to be told to be strong.


    ¡°Just go back to wherever you came from.¡± Safiri continued offering chances, far more than were appropriate, given his task, but something about the man¡¯s demeanor made him subconsciously hesitate.


    ¡°I already said I came from Ghost Reef.¡± He pointed at Safiri with his sword. ¡°Don¡¯t forget it when you do need help.¡± The man reiterated, continuously reminding them that they would find protection in the legendary settlement, as if they were lambs that needed a shepherd.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°That day will never come.¡± Safiri declared, confident that he and his compatriots were strong enough to stand on their own. If they weren¡¯t, then no one was.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± The man refused to agree. He shook his head as if he thought some people needed to learn for themselves.


    ¡°Anyway, you came here on a mission, right?¡± The man bobbed his head toward Safiri, raising his eyebrows questioningly. ¡°So? We gonna fight or what? Quit stalling, bro.¡± The man stated, spreading his arms like he was waiting for Safiri to take the first shot.


    Safiri clicked his tongue before he put his fists up, answering with his actions, scowling at the man¡¯s flippancy toward someone as decorated as he was. Some people really did need to learn for themselves, but today it would be this outsider. Levels had inflated his ego beyond the limit and Safiri would bring him back to reality with his fists.


    The man that claimed to be Coop had an expression that said ¡®finally, something interesting is happening.¡¯ He flicked his sword into the dirt, embedding its blade into the surface, and let his round shield drop on his other side. Then his armor dissipated into thin wisps of black and gray mana, leaving him as exposed as Safiri.


    ¡°Sure. We can box.¡± He agreed, like a fool. ¡°That might be closer to fair, I guess.¡±


    Safiri thought his opponent must have been an idiot to abandon his equipment just because his opponent was a bare knuckle boxer. It wasn¡¯t like Safiri didn¡¯t have a class and skills that played into his style of combat. It wasn¡¯t honor that led to his arrangement, it was efficiency.


    He jabbed the air twice, like he was shadowboxing, from 20 yards away, but little did his opponent know, the battle had already begun. For someone unfamiliar with Safiri¡¯s fists, it would seem like he was showboating, but that wasn¡¯t the case at all.


    The crowd, on the other hand, saw it coming from a mile away, matching their shouts of ¡®Boom!!¡± with his final motion, like the kickoff of a rugby match.


    When he launched a straight right, directly toward his opponent, the air snapped, and an explosion erupted at the center of his target¡¯s newly unarmored chest, as if space itself tore.


    The crowd laughed and cheered as the smoke billowed and dirt splashed, all following the momentum of Safiri¡¯s punch, obstructing the view of his opponent. A direct hit after Safiri¡¯s opponents were caught by surprise had been the end of more than a few bouts, and normally he would have held back to avoid it being fatal.


    He felt no compunction this time, agitated as he was by the outsider¡¯s confidence. If he had earned such self-assurance to stand before someone in the top 30 of the non-event individual leaderboards, he needed to be able withstand a surprise attack of that caliber.


    Safiri relaxed his stance, letting his guard drop while peering into the smoke as it drifted in the breeze for a few more seconds. No sounds came from the smoke cloud. A smile began climbing onto his face as he prepared to raise his arms in victory and accept the adulation of his supporters. When the silhouette of the man reappeared, his position hadn¡¯t changed whatsoever, and Safiri¡¯s expression froze.


    ¡°Neat.¡± The man observed once his head exited the clouds of dusty debris, his own excited smile expanding on his face while a subtly crazed look appeared in his eyes. ¡°Show me more!¡± He demanded.


    Safiri put his fists back up, feeling his fear rise as his adrenaline surged, confirming that the man hadn¡¯t been posturing. Coop was for real. He had put enough power into his opening strike to evaporate a person that had been bluffing, but the Champion of Ghost Reef was completely unscathed. Safiri now knew for sure that this fight wouldn¡¯t be easy.


    To his surprise, Coop continued to act like they would have a traditional boxing match, putting his arms up as he rotated to the side, circling Safiri as if the 20 yard gap was a normal distance for a bout. He should have realized that this was a duel with skills after all, but Safiri knew better than to miss a chance, so he started another series of attacks.


    Jab, jab, boom! Coop shifted his body and an explosion erupted directly behind him, leaving a deep indentation in the dirt.


    ¡°...He dodged?¡± Safiri whispered, in shock as the crowd murmured, the atmosphere quickly changing in a way that wasn¡¯t in his favor.


    Even he believed his attacks were instantaneous kinetic blasts, appearing wherever he aimed them. How could anyone be fast enough to dodge something that was instant?


    Safiri changed tactics, neglecting his guiding jabs in favor of regaining the element of surprise. Maybe Coop¡¯s shift had been lucky timing. A straight left snapped through the air, but Coop switched directions, letting the invisible force strike behind him yet again. Could he already have a read on Safiri¡¯s ability? After a single example?


    Safiri tried a bombardment, ignoring precision in favor of a flurry of power. Rights and lefts chained one after the other, as he growled with effort, but Coop was bobbing and weaving like a man up against the ropes while fighting ghosts. A full 20 yards separated the contestants, but his eyes never left Safiri¡¯s. Somehow, every explosion appeared in the dirt behind his back. Craters left splashes of dirt scattered up and down the control point. The cheering crowd had grown silent, at least as confused as Safiri by the turn of events.


    Sweat poured down Safiri¡¯s forehead and his face was twisted by the effort of continuously generating massive spikes of energy through mana. Despite the sounds of explosions and crashing dirt, he swore he could hear his opponent¡¯s giddy laughter mixed into the Underlayer.


    Then, in the middle of avoiding an attack with a duck that put him into a crouch similar to a sprinter''s starting position, Coop kicked off the dirt and lunged across the 20 yards with almost the same speed as one of the kinetic blasts.


    Safiri wondered if it had really been just two steps before they were suddenly an arm¡¯s length from each other. He firmly established his guard, protecting himself on instinct, expertly trained, but Coop cleanly bypassed his defense, using his left hand to hook around to the side of Safiri¡¯s head.


    The perfect clap as the open palm connected below his ear was so loud it caused the members of the crowd to lurch in surprise. Safiri had no idea what hit him, but all of a sudden he was staring at the ceiling of a cavern as stars danced through his vision. It felt like he had been struck twice, but the second time was when he landed in the dirt after flipping almost completely upside down.


    A moment later, Coop loomed over him, checking his status before nodding once and looking around at the crowd. They couldn¡¯t help but react with dramatic ¡®ooh¡¯s¡¯ and gasps of shock as the duel ended with surprising abruptness.


    ¡°Who¡¯s next?¡± The outsider wondered, sounding faintly amused, but they all grew quiet, avoiding eye contact with the dangerous man. None of them were a match for Safiri, let alone someone that had slapped him down with such aplomb.


    When no one responded and the silence of the suppressing dirt returned he looked down at Safiri, a spear and armor forming from gathering mists, as if summoned from the mana that surrounded them all. Safiri expected execution, but he refused to look away, unafraid of even death.


    ¡°Go ahead and capture these points for me.¡± He instructed. ¡°Let¡¯s play again some time soon.¡± The Champion added with a nod, before throwing his weapon away and disappearing in a burst of vapor.


    ¡ª


    Paul Kagame laughed uproariously upon hearing the news.


    ¡°A single slap? Safiri?¡± He exclaimed between howls of derisive guffaws. ¡°Hah! There¡¯s no way! I wish I could have seen it!¡±


    Learning that one of his primary rivals had been caught by surprise gave him immense satisfaction, but also piqued his curiosity.


    Five seconds into Paul¡¯s bout with the outsider and he was cursing under his breath at his uncontained curiosity. The outsider Champion, Coop of Ghost Reef, was not a joke. Paul had thought Safiri¡¯s defeat must have been a fluke caused by overconfidence, and believed he had an opportunity to firmly establish himself as the superior fighter. He was so, so wrong.


    He scowled at his unarmored opponent, dancing back and forth in the dirt within another control point, several settlements away from where Safiri had confronted him. Paul was being picked apart. It was he who had been overconfident.


    Unlike Safiri, Paul was not a boxer. He was more like a tank, causing the earth to quake as he entered arenas, pushing 500 pounds of solid muscle and metal. Supreme armored plates expanded from his fists to his neck, marking a sharp steel contrast to his dark natural skin. The Assembly had many types of warriors. He was but one who used enhancing skills to give himself an advantage over his opponents.


    He desperately shook his left arm as it hung limply at his side, doing his best to wake it up, but the metal plates just rattled lifelessly. A single slap to his metal-coated shoulder had caused him to completely lose feeling in the entire limb. He looked up at the outsider with confusion. Was it some kind of pressure point that had crippled his fighting ability? Was this man a martial artist? Or was he actually holding back that much to avoid accidentally killing them?


    The man responded to his questioning gaze. ¡°Show me some more.¡± He demanded, bobbing left and right, growing impatient with Paul¡¯s inability to challenge him properly.


    Paul roared, enraged that he could be treated so casually, raising his good arm into the air. He sank to the ground, smashing the earth with his heavy metal fist as he activated his deadliest skill, an ability that was banned in formal bouts. A shockwave of pure physical energy shot forward, manifesting a charging rhinoceros that would pulverize anything it touched.


    Coop accepted the challenge, deciding in the split second before dodging to confront the energy directly. He burst through the manifestation as if it was made of unsupported drywall, sending dirt and stone scattering with the splash of visible energy as it broke against him. With a single step, he was suddenly upon Paul.


    The clap that Paul Kegame¡¯s supporters witnessed left them all wincing. They hissed in sympathetic pain as another prizefighter collapsed, this one shaking the ground when he fell.


    When none of them agreed to step into the arena, they were left to capture the points and wonder about the Champion of Ghost Reef¡¯s skills on their own.

 Chapter 286: The Assembly

    Coop hummed to himself, unable to contain his delight, before summoning an Apparition to momentarily possess his form and empower him while demolishing another set of Primal Constructs.


    His heavy morning star cracked as if shedding its ethereal shell, turning into a translucent weapon of black void and glittering stars that was cold within his palms. Coop was already swinging the weapon through his mists, challenging the invaders for the control point that they desperately held.


    When the glassy mace slammed into the Field Boss that boldly challenged the Revenant, the muffled boom obfuscated the power in the attack. The weapon sent a cascade of intensifying gravity waves away from the point of contact. The waves were silent and invisible to the eye, but their progress was easily tracked by how the monsters repeatedly lurched, crumpling further into the soil with unmistakable crunches until they were ultimately defeated.


    After one attack, he released the possession and slid into the objective. The crushed enemies he left behind dissipated into mana smoke on their own, leaving yet another control point transitioning to blue.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the joyful humming to return. Coop was in an immensely good mood. Africa was simply the best.


    Sure, he had to wander through the tunnels on his own, unguided and relatively inefficient compared to his experiences with Neon Park as well as the entire continent of Europe, but the local factions were way too fun. His addiction to the grind was ultimately satisfied either way.


    The locals chased him around, capturing the control points while challenging him to a series of specialized duels that Coop treated like sparring sessions. Once they caught onto his route, they had contenders arriving at nearly every settlement, sometimes multiple times, one after the other. They were genuinely interesting, and despite their hostility, they followed their own code, much like the EEC.


    He had been mistaken when he assumed they had been influenced by alien factions when they organized their combat styles. What they had developed was entirely human. They had actually formed medium-sized squads around supporting individual warriors that excelled all on their own. Rather than balanced parties, they had large support squads dedicated to powerful individuals, but there were so many, the strength of their heroes had been almost standardized.


    The primary warriors normally competed with each other, honing their abilities so that they were each worthy of being called champions, but with the classical definition as opposed to being people who controlled civilization shards. There were far more champions than there were settlements, and they seemed to largely be based around clubs and communities, maintaining more natural human connections than what had been forced upon them by alien influences. Every village had a champion, regardless of civilization shards.


    He supposed such a structure came with more baggage, but from what he had seen, they maintained rivalries in ways that elevated them all.


    They showed him all kinds of amazing skills, including him in the competition among their fighters, breaking up the monotony of the Underlayer with flashes of brilliance that activated Coop¡¯s imagination for builds. It was a blast. The Assembly¡¯s champions actually had him looking forward to defeating the monsters even faster to see what they had in store for him next.


    Unlike the European Emergency Community, they hadn¡¯t sent a single diplomatic official to meet with him the entire time he was in their territory. It was almost like they had no leaders at all. Instead, they repeatedly confronted him with warriors that he found far more relatable. It was like they inherently understood his style of diplomacy and played along, though that was purely a coincidence caused by how they separated their own roles.


    He had learned bits and pieces about their overall organization in the moments before and after his duels. The gist of it was that Africa was simply enormous, populated by an extremely wide variety of people, and for the most part they were only loosely cooperating with each other.


    The broader relationships between groups were driven by the regular people who naturally avoided larger conflicts, finding solidarity in their plights. They had a structure that was almost the exact inverse of Neon Park¡¯s top-down leadership, though he wasn¡¯t sure if even they were fully aware of their structure at all. The leaders were almost symbolic, debating and negotiating for their own visions of future peace while their warriors concentrated on the present dangers. More than anything, they all understood the real threats to their survival were external to Africa.


    Sure, Coop was included in that analysis as an external threat, but generally, they were speaking his language. He was completely confident they would come around, even before Ghost Reef sent proper diplomats to meet with them. That¡¯s because with every fight, he was being further integrated into their framework. He and their fighters were birds of a feather.


    The EEC had been quick to adjust to Coop¡¯s foreign presence, and in a way the Assembly was adapting in the same way. During some of the fights, he had even noticed how a handful of supporters gathered to cheer him on. Meanwhile, the leaders in name only had made no effort to understand Coop¡¯s presence, seeing it as a simple problem to be taken care of so that they could get back to debating with each other. They were totally hands-off.


    The Underlayer Event, for instance, was being entirely handled by squads from almost every group while their leadership remained on the surface, arguing about who was contributing the most. They were trying to clear the settlements in a certain very specific order, based on what the Assembly had decided, but Coop crashed the party.


    He would have been more apologetic if he wasn¡¯t completely confident in his ability to wipe out every monster that appeared. The order didn¡¯t matter to him at all. But that didn¡¯t stop the Assembly of Settlements from sending their people to individually challenge him over and over, either as punishment, to gauge his ability, or for a thousand other reasons.


    It was awesome. Coop was in heaven. Maybe the only thing he would appreciate more than chocolates and orange slices was some engaging combat. He was finding interesting warriors in abundance. He was careful not to kill anyone, accepting their challenges while handicapping himself as much as possible. He used none of his skills and none of his equipment, just treating their duels as opportunities to spar.


    Coop figured that some of his advisors would disagree, but the structure of the African Settlements seemed perfectly appropriate under the conditions of the assimilation. The human politics that drove international relations were secondary to the peoples¡¯ comfort and survival. It existed, but it was a sideshow until safety could be properly secured. The more local people he met, the more confident he was in their ability to motivate themselves in the same way that Ghost Reef¡¯s residents had done.


    Of course, it was only Coop¡¯s interpretation of the dynamic between leaders and fighters. He was admittedly biased, firmly believing himself to be on the side of the combatants. The leaders were the advocates for their warriors, and it was certainly a combined effort that had allowed for a partially united Africa to rise up during the apocalypse. Looking at Ghost Reef, wasn¡¯t that exactly what his advisors did for him?


    It probably helped that the truly irredeemable or depraved ended up lacking outside support. The most evil, selfish, and greedy among them had unintentionally isolated themselves from the growing continental power in their quests for individual domination. They were gradually being wiped out as they became islands on their own, if they made it through the initial turmoil at all, opening up the possibility of a still delicate unity for the rest.


    It was sort of a corollary to the rest of the planet, where people like the Endless Empire¡¯s Chosen Champion ultimately failed to plant roots deep enough to survive. Coop believed that as the assimilation went on, humans were becoming more cooperative with each other while growing more defiant toward alien factions in a sort of forced artificial selection. It actually made him feel hopeful enough to imagine how humanity might look on the other end of the assimilation.


    In the long run, even Coop could see that it would be better to avoid having fighters like him entirely in charge, so the existence of passionate leaders was fine. If might was the only determination for what was right, it would be too easy to slip into becoming a tyrant without the more diplomatic types being involved.


    ¡°And anyone who disagrees with me can test their might against mine.¡± He chuckled, amused by his hypothetical hypocrisy. They¡¯d have to come find him being a hammock tyrant on the beach if they got that far.


    The truth was that he could see any one of his recent opponents pushing themselves to the point that they caught up with Coop¡¯s progression. Just because he was currently far ahead didn¡¯t mean he could slack off. In fact, by showing them the extent of his lead, many of them would be motivated to close the gap.


    Once Coop was finished with the monsters, yet another group was already waiting outside of the control point. Coop grunted as he observed the entire squad of men and women, pretty sure he had seen them on a television program in the past.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    They held long narrow spears that were twice the length of his own as well as the typical shields of all the different groups he had seen throughout Africa, painted with their own matching patterns of red and blue checkers. As if in a uniform, they also wore loose red cloaks, and the ones without shaved heads had red coloring in their tight braids. They watched him stoically after jogging through the Underlayer to meet him.


    The one who would fight stepped into the ring with confidence, arms hidden beneath her cloth covering. Coop looked up at her, realizing the ridiculous height difference between himself and that of his challenger. It was hard to tell when the whole squad was together, because they were all freakishly tall, but this woman was probably a foot and a half taller than Coop. Rather than have slender limbs and a lanky appearance, she was muscular to the point that Coop felt like he was in the presence of an absolute giant.


    The woman spread her arms wide, letting her cloak fall as she revealed an absurd wingspan and knotted muscles, but no weapons. A simple wrap kept her decent.


    ¡°Sorry, Outsider Coop. Your win streak ends today.¡± The woman announced as her supporters broke into hungry smiles and hooted in excitement.


    Coop dismissed his equipment, feeling at least as excited as the supporters, but he wanted to clarify a few things first. Holding up one hand, he held his opponent back from starting. This was how he had learned anything at all about the region.


    ¡°How many more settlements are there in the Assembly?¡± He wondered. He¡¯d been having his fun wandering around Africa for longer than he had spent in Europe.


    The woman shrugged. ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve been to most of them, but many of the shards are concentrated in East and Central Africa. Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and DR Congo, where our army has been fighting.¡± She pointed behind herself, helpfully. ¡°The largest, Nyiragongo, is that way.¡±


    Coop raised his eyebrows, recognizing one of the largest settlements was nearby. He figured he should hurry and take care of the challenger so that he could secure the Primal Constructs for Ghost Reef¡¯s score.


    Coop nodded. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll head that way after our fight.¡± He stated to the amusement of his opponent.


    ¡°Even if the rumors that swirl around you are true, I¡¯ll be stopping you here.¡± The giant woman responded calmly. Coop inspected her, ready to get started.


    [Human (Level 228)]


    [Pacifist Soul (Body)]


    [Spirit (Master)]


    Coop grinned at his opponent¡¯s level. This was a major reason why he believed in the warrior¡¯s of Africa. While the global leaderboards were dominated by the residents of Ghost Reef and one or two scattered power houses from various places around the world, like Tzultacaj, Platinum, Hai Yun, or the Kitawa pair, he had met and dueled dozens of examples of extraordinary progression in Africa alone.


    Instead of a single powerhouse representing their regions, many African warriors made up the bulk of the rising tide of levels, exceeding the standards set by the galactic community, and setting their own benchmarks among themselves. Even without the additional motivation of the Eradication Protocol, the motivation to exceed limits had come naturally.


    He honestly thought they would be model survivors as long as they continued avoiding conflict amongst themselves. It seemed like they knew it too, which was the reason they resisted his presence so consistently. They acknowledged his aid while denying its requirement. He respected it, but he wouldn¡¯t concede either. He wanted to be at the top as well, after all.


    ¡°Do it, then.¡± Coop spoke, inviting the duel to begin. ¡°Show me what you got.¡±


    The giant woman didn¡¯t need to be told twice, slipping into a crouched fighter''s stance, hands held loose out in front. It was clear she understood the advantage she had in her extraordinary reach, but she still had to be wary of ranged abilities.


    Coop stepped straight into the edge of her range, avoiding any skills at all, exploring what the Pacificist Soul class could even do. When the woman jabbed from what felt like eight feet away, Coop took a step back, but to his surprise, the punch still connected with his forearm with a crack of wind purely borne of his opponent¡¯s strength.


    Coop actually glanced at his feet in the moment afterward, wondering if he had failed to step back due to some Mind attack, but his footprints were as clear as day within the craters of his previous war with the Primal Constructs. When the woman jabbed again, Coop took a much more dramatic pair of steps backwards, using his speed to his advantage, but the arm seemed to stretch, chasing after him.


    Coop slipped his upper body to the side, quick enough to change tactics and avoid the punch while it blasted through the air. He exercised the freedom that only came with his exceptional Agility advantage, but the punch turned into a grab as it bypassed him.


    The woman snagged at the back of Coop¡¯s neck, forcing his head down and his body forward while glowing with her own unique empowerment. Coop played along, letting himself be pulled, cooperating with the motion before lunging forward, using the momentum to his advantage.


    He shot for the woman¡¯s ridiculous legs, but she stretched away, pushing Coop down and sending him toward the dirt while using him as leverage to drag her legs out of reach.


    Coop felt like he was fighting a giant spider that used its excessively long limbs to keep its distance while it waited for the opportunity to strike. Instead of boxing, his opponent was wrestling. Coop¡¯s advantages were numerous, he was both faster and stronger, but he was so much smaller, and the woman knew how to take advantage of her superior reach after countless bouts with others.


    Coop darted further forward, then bounced to the side before he could be wrapped up. When Coop jabbed at the woman¡¯s outstretched arm, she used her flexibility to easily deflect the attack, then countered with a swift low kick that unexpectedly extended as Coop dodged, eventually connecting with Coop¡¯s right thigh with a thunderous clap.


    The crowd was quiet, mesmerized by the unusual spectacle of their champion combined with an unexpectedly scrappy opponent. Visually, Coop was the underdog, but that was hardly the reality of the situation. Still, it would be a challenge even for him to overcome such natural elasticity.


    ¡°Chick is made of rubber.¡± Coop muttered as they reset their stances.


    Coop was the first to step back into range again, relentless as he was. He was studying how the woman moved, learning the rhythm of her grappling and defense. They went back and forth for some time with no obvious advantages being taken. The turning point came when Coop predicted another low kick and grabbed the extended leg. With his ridiculous strength he pulled his opponent off-balance, overcoming her limberness.


    His supporters gasped as their champion was caught off guard and forced into a purely defensive position for the first time. Coop sensed the vulnerability and poured on the pressure, rushing forward as the woman struggled to hop with the shifting momentum. He could have attacked the leg, but he was playing by the unstated rules of their wrestling match. It was a spar for him, afterall, he didn¡¯t want to cause too much damage.


    The woman¡¯s face was framed with frustration and in a final attempt to regain control, she leapt off her back leg and tried to drag Coop to the ground with her weight, aiming for some kind of leg-based choke hold that Coop was unfamiliar with. The Pacifist Soul was obviously confident in her ability to grapple, especially given her consistent size advantage, so she sought to turn the competition into a ground match where she could subdue her opponent.


    Energy exploded within her limbs as she used abilities to empower herself beyond her previous limit, but Coop demonstrated the extent of his own advantages, reflexively shifting his weight to pull back and completely lift the giant off the ground before tossing her out of the arena, by her trapped leg, the way an irresponsible parent might launch their child into a pool.


    The woman rolled through the dirt before hopping back up. She stood still, frowning while her supporters cheered her on, encouraging her despite how she had been pummeled. She was obviously capable of continuing, and it had only been one round.


    Honestly, Coop was game. Grappling wasn¡¯t something he had any real familiarity with, so he waited patiently for his opponent to return.


    ¡°I am completely outmatched.¡± She admitted, putting her massive hands on her hips as she caught her breath, to Coop¡¯s mild disappointment. ¡°Thank you for allowing me to keep my life.¡± She stated her gratitude to the surprise of her allies. It hadn¡¯t seemed that dire from their perspective, but the woman recognized how Coop had held back from striking her in favor of competing in a wrestling match for no real reason other than sportsmanship. All of the fighters probably realized the same in the aftermath of their bouts.


    Coop nodded as his spear manifested in his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s have another round later, when there aren¡¯t any aliens to kill.¡±


    After bowing to Coop, she sat in the dirt explaining to her supporters that she had completely depleted her reserves, and began to meditate.


    He didn¡¯t hang around, angling straight in the direction that would take him to Nyiragongo.


    That was more or less how each of the duels went. Warriors with surprisingly high levels and their own unique combat styles tested themselves against Coop. He was like a wall of stats and battle experience. They repeatedly crashed into him before recognizing how far the difference had grown between themselves and the strongest person on the planet. Not a single one of them had seemed completely discouraged by the results. It was like every one of them thought that as long as they weren¡¯t dead, they could climb to those heights as well.


    Coop smiled to himself, welcoming the renewed competition. Meanwhile, in between duels, he was adding layers to the top of his wall. Leveling was what he did best, after all.

 Chapter 287: Master of Carnage

    Before Coop discovered Nyiragongo, he encountered an army.


    He stood still, observing from a distance as he tried to come to terms with the scale of conflict that was occurring across the planet. By this point, he expected to have grown numb to the expansive forces established by the Primal Constructs, but he was also inevitably surprised by humanity¡¯s capacity for adaptation and survival.


    Warriors stretched across the horizon, organized into their smaller squads that all carried matching shields. Where Ghost Reef had a standard set of equipment, Africa had settled on emblazoned leather shields. Casters and unarmed fighters kept them strapped to their backs while more standard warriors paired them with spears, axes, and one-armed glaives.


    This was the combined force of the Assembly of Settlements, the single major organization within all of Africa. Before, Coop had seen Neon Park¡¯s generous force and been majorly impressed by the numbers, finally getting some perspective on how many people were still out there. They had made the populations of Empress City and Neptune¡¯s Bridge seem quaint, and were better compared to the Cult of Chakyum¡¯s peak than what any of the Lighthouse settlements had scraped together. Neon Park had something like four or five million people in the Underlayer, and even bringing that many people was such a massive undertaking it would have been impossible without their complicated web of leadership delegations.


    In comparison, Coop was staring at a force that could have been two, three, even four times as many people compared to Neon Park. The difference between a continental force and a regional force was something he had completely underestimated. It was absolutely ridiculous, but if he considered the extent of humanity before mana had activated, it would seem rather bleak. The transition to apocalyptic survival had taken a toll that was difficult to comprehend.


    Still, the Settlement Events were designed by the system to be challenges for individual settlements to confront. Even combining subordinate settlements seemed almost like a cheat, because the intention of the events were for the settlements to contend for themselves, as they were literally competing against each other. The challenges were based on factors surrounding the individual shards.


    To have approximately 40 settlements, many of which were already large enough to generate ambitions for total victory if controlled by an alien faction, all working together at once seemed crazy. Even without his contribution, many places around the world would have handled most of the Underlayer Event with relative ease, and that was best exemplified in Africa.


    That wasn¡¯t to say he was useless. Inevitably, if humans battled the Primal Constructs, they would experience losses. Coop was sparing those who may have been unlucky or were simply outmatched at the moment from a premature defeat. The more time people had to survive the assimilation, the stronger they would become, and the more ready they would be for future challenges.


    If there was any chance they would die in the Underlayer, they should be gaining experience on the surface instead. Simple.


    It didn¡¯t take long for him to be noticed, conspicuous as he was just staring at their army as a lone ethereal gladiator in the distance. They had been carefully tracking his movement over the last full week as well, so his arrival was more or less expected. In a few minutes, various groups formed from the larger squads and drew close enough to get a better look at him, but none of them made any effort to get into range for a conversation. It seemed like they didn¡¯t want to accidentally step into a challenge with the one that was sweeping across their holdings, haunting their settlements like some kind of unstoppable conqueror.


    When Coop walked forward, they kept an even distance, pressing against each other to avoid encroaching on his path by a large 50 yard margin. Coop felt like a shark among a gigantic school of fish, but eventually a few broke from the crowd and approached him directly. Coop inspected them, finding the three highest levels yet, along with one familiar face.


    [Human (Level 231)]


    [River Lord (Strength)]


    [Typhoon (Dauntless)]


    [Human (Level 233)]


    [Blazing Tempest (Agility)]


    [Storm (Dauntless)]


    [Human (Level 231)]


    [Arithmetician (Intelligence)]


    [Order (Dauntless)]


    [Human (Level 219)]


    [Atomic Fist (Strength)]


    [Kinetic (Dauntless)]


    Coop smiled at the bare knuckle boxer that had inducted him into the championship dueling system, excited to see him again. Surely, they were friends at this point.


    ¡°Safiri! Are you ready for your rematch?¡± Coop called to him, remembering his name as it had been revealed to him after the fact by several other fighters that had been surprised to hear about his defeat. The Atomic Fist had actually been one of the coolest classes on the trip, in Coop¡¯s opinion, so he was looking forward to meeting him again.


    ¡°Hell no! My ear is still ringing you crazy bastard. I have 40 more hours on the tinnitus debuff you gave me!¡± Safiri shouted back, rubbing his jaw as if even the reminder caused him discomfort.


    ¡°Ah, my bad.¡± Coop responded, sincerely sorrowful. ¡°Maybe afterwards then.¡± He really felt bad, but at least he hadn¡¯t done any permanent damage. It was hard enough to hold back his stats in the first place.


    ¡°After I catch back up to your level.¡± Safiri stated, apparently confident he could do such a thing even though Coop had been dramatically extending his lead while the Underlayer Event was ongoing.


    Coop shrugged, open to the challenge whenever they wanted. ¡°What about you three?¡± Coop shifted gears. ¡°All at once?¡± He wondered, unsure if he could actually win without using any skills in that scenario. He was certain it would be interesting.


    He was curious about the lady in the center of the trio in particular - a Blazing Tempest that had successfully combined her affinities into the Storm Affinity, like Charlie and her Aeromancer class, but with what he thought was an unusual main stat. Coop wanted to know about her.


    Safiri spoke up, recognizing his interest. ¡°This is Imara. She is acting as Commander of our army as she is the strongest of all of us - you aren¡¯t allowed to fight her. The others are Azizi and Sefu.¡± He indicated the River Lord as Azizi and the Arithmetician as Sefu. ¡°They are basically her right and left hand during this campaign.¡±


    ¡°Cool.¡± Coop nodded before waving at them with his friendly, unbothered smile. ¡°I¡¯m Coop, Champion of Ghost Reef, and Founder of the Lighthouse, the only human faction in the system. Have you heard about the Eradication Protocol? Would you like to join our faction?¡±


    Though they seemed slightly taken aback by his random solicitation, Imara kept her composure. Coop felt like she was genuine royalty, though more of a warrior queen than someone that would have been pampered by servants, judging by her leather equipment and general demeanor.


    ¡°We have heard your warnings.¡± She confirmed, maintaining a certain poise that he found interesting. ¡°We will inform all of our leaders when we return to the surface. I will say it is doubtful we would submit to anyone.¡± She added for his benefit.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Coop nodded, in too good of a mood to be bothered. ¡°Alright, I wouldn¡¯t call it submission - more like broader cooperation, but that¡¯s good enough, I guess.¡± He glanced at each of them respectively, waiting for them to say something else, since they had approached him. When none of them continued, assessing him instead, he took it upon himself to ask. ¡°So? Are we really not gonna fight?¡±


    ¡°Are you actually so unafraid that you would challenge us in the midst of our entire army?¡± The Arithmetician, Sefu, wondered in disbelief. ¡°You couldn¡¯t possibly survive if things got out of control, which they would, since they know the role we are playing.¡±


    Coop shrugged. ¡°I¡¯d win though.¡±


    Azizi made a disgusted face and Sefu just looked confused, like the math wasn¡¯t mathing.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not gonna play, I¡¯ll keep it moving.¡± Coop stated, unaffected by the confrontation either way.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Imara put her hand up to stop his spear throw preparation. ¡°Actually, I would like to propose an alternative competition.¡±


    Coop put his weapon down, leaning on it as he expressed interest with his eyebrows. ¡°Competition?¡±


    The warrior queen barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes as Azizi glanced at her like he wanted to ask if they could believe this guy. ¡°There are only three settlements left. Let¡¯s have a race. Between yourself and our army, whoever clears their allotment first gets first claim on the final largest invasion.¡±


    ¡°Sounds fun. I wouldn¡¯t have stopped you guys from doing your thing anyway.¡± Coop agreed. ¡°Who goes where?¡±


    ¡°We will go that way, to Arusha, and you go there to Murchison Falls.¡± Sefu, the man on her left, pointed in two different directions. ¡°We will take the settlement with a x5 challenge assessment, while yours is only x3. Isn¡¯t that a fair handicap?¡± He explained.


    ¡°Nah.¡± Coop declined. ¡°Gimme Arusha.¡± He suggested, waving his fingers in a gesture of quick denial.


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you wish. The prize you will give us is Nyiragongo, our largest settlement.¡± Sefu continued.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± Coop remarked. Were they still underestimating him or were they that confident in their own abilities? He figured it was probably both. ¡°Let¡¯s get on with it.¡±


    ¡°On your mark, Champion Coop.¡± Imara stated, watching him with determined eyes as her lieutenants smiled confidently at each other. Safiri just shook his head at the whole exchange.


    In response, Coop stepped into his spear throw, launching it with full force, letting it break the sound barrier, just to see their reactions.


    Despite his demonstration, they didn¡¯t even watch his spear, instead Imara began shouting directions that were then repeated in a cascade through the different squads as the enormous army received their marching orders and set off at a brisk run. Coop thought the discipline might indicate they would have an actual competition, so he was already smiling as he mistjumped, flickering to his disappearing spear.


    It only took him a quarter of an hour to cover the ground to his allotted enemies. The first Prime Construct of the Arusha control points was innocently minding its own business when a missile pierced the crown of its head. His first advantage would certainly be his travel speed and his second advantage was definitely his firepower.


    The ethereal spear that had been aimed at its forehead was heavy enough that when its spectral tip collided with the metallic armor of the Siege Boss, it pulled the boss down toward the ground, yanking it off its feet. If the invader wasn¡¯t the size of a skyscraper, it would have seemed as though it was snagged by an invisible fishing line.


    The volatile spear exploded when it whipped the head of the Prime Construct into the floor. Spectral shrapnel cascaded across the dirt landscape, shredding the unsuspecting invaders and littering the dirt with pockmarks before their primary opponent even arrived.


    When he teleported into the chaos he had instantaneously created, he was already quickswapping to an ultra dense manifestation of his two-handed battle axe. He wanted it truly heavy.


    Time was slowing to a halt as he raised the ponderous weapon above his head with both hands, aiming the tip between the double blades at the obstructed heavens. When the possession began, red and black lightning arced from the vaporous ceiling before striking the raised axe. Roaring thunder announced the connection of crimson energy from the sky to the ground. It highlighted his weapon before melting through the handle into his posed form.


    The ghostly mists that flowed around him transformed into a ruby haze, framed by the mana of the abyss as an explosive metamorphosis took place. The Master of Carnage was the barbarian spirit that answered his call for the quick destruction of his enemies.


    Coop¡¯s armor shattered as his muscles swelled and he hulked out, smashing his raised weapon down into the nearest Field Boss with the fury of a thousand warriors.


    For a moment, it seemed like that was the extent of his empowered attack, the shining, blood red axe implanted in the ground, but as if delayed by the process of defying reality, a thin vertical string of black split the horizon, and remained still.


    The thunder had silenced the battlefield, and the only sound was a driving, deep bass, ¡®boom, boom, boom,¡¯ that shook the normally frozen dirt with such a low pressure, it actually smoothed out the battlefield with the vibrations. The bass grew louder and louder, until Coop realized it was his own heart, pounding with such force shockwaves were emanating from his position, staggering his opponents.


    Then, with the sound of shattering glass, the bass was finally accompanied by a crashing orchestra of destruction as the vibrations culminated, drawing a reaction from the frozen tear in the horizon. A still frame of the world all around Coop broke, cracking the forms of the staggered Primal Constructs, breaking the walls of their castle, and the very air they existed beside. He was sure that if they could bleed, the attack would have been a bloodbath.


    Thankfully, a wide section merely developed a gray haze of mana smoke instead as thousands of his enemies were destroyed at once. Thousands of Primal Constructs were evaporated from existence with the single empowered attack.


    He released the possession, sticking to his strategy despite the seductive call of power he held in his grasp. The Master of Carnage called for blood, but there was no way he would falter when there was an actual competition on hand. All of the grinding was training for this kind of moment.


    For exactly five minutes, he channeled his Fog of War and turned the first control point into a meat grinder that would have made the Master of Carnage proud, slaying the Primal Constructs with the diligence brought by rivalry. He guzzled the experience down, filling the void that had grown within, brought by his abyssal affinity, and he was satiated as another level was granted to the Revenant.


    The shadowy mana of the abyss swirled with the mists, adding an inscrutable layer to the haunting atmosphere. If the Primal Constructs could feel fear, there was no better time, but as manifestations, they threw themselves into his grasp, feeding his grind. Their preservation instinct was woefully inadequate.


    Fists of lightning and barrages of fire accompanied his possessions, generating enormous punctuations within his steady aggression that ultimately cleared the field. When he moved on and time slowed once again with the second Siege Boss in his sights, he repeated the process that had resulted in the Master of Carnage giving him power, demanding the destruction of his enemies while wielding the ultra heavy double-bladed battle axe. A slightly different result took place.


    The Siege Boss was whirling on its challenger, struggling against the limitations of its own speed as Coop watched it move in slow motion. From a storm of shadow at its flank, a giant coffin-like object seemed to manifest. Coop¡¯s weapon cracked and mutated into a sort of key blade while the Bringer of Pain presented its contribution to his struggle.


    The doors of the coffin opened, revealing the interior to be covered in dark iron spikes, dripping in viscous black blood. Heavy chains wrapped around the limbs of the much larger Siege Boss, and when Coop¡¯s overhead strike finally connected, they pulled taut. The invader was dragged toward the mouth of the iron maiden, regardless of the difference in size.


    When the lower back of the Siege Boss collided with the open doors of the manifestation, they slammed onto its form with crushing force as they struggled to close. Eventually, the boss snapped, folding a few times so that it would fit into the torture device. When the doors slammed shut, a cloud of mana smoke erupted from its hinges, and dark red energy glowed from within the keyhole as Coop released himself from the possession.


    His boosted motivation had been tapping into some truly brutal memorials to humanity. Somehow, he couldn¡¯t call himself dissatisfied, thinking the invaders were getting what they deserved. Admittedly, his feelings would have changed if they were more than manifestations, but as it was, he felt like their projections were fair game for all the cruelties he could summon.


    Coop continued his harsh campaign against the Primal Constructs with gusto. While seeing all of the various skills of other humans in the many duels he had experienced across Africa, there was something far more satisfying about seeing his own skills in action. He didn¡¯t let up until Arusha was completely clear of enemies.


    He left the control points uncaptured, carving a few messages into the dirt to taunt his competitors as he blasted his way toward Nyiragongo.


    The massive settlement was untouched, occupied by a pristine force of millions of Primal Constructs. Coop let himself in, continuing his grind with unstoppable momentum.


    ¡°Looks like I got dibs.¡± He happily declared, ready to feast on the enemies of humanity.

 Chapter 288: The Congo Basin

    The Nyiragongo shard had fostered an enormous settlement within its territory. Over the course of the assimilation, its original residents had been bolstered by massive migrations of people, the extent to which Coop would have had trouble imagining them. They mostly came from the nearer portions of West Africa, before and after the Siege Event, where an insufficient number of civilization shards to represent the human population had appeared.


    The survivors from nations all the way to the Atlantic Coast followed news that flowed out from the central rainforests, carried by people using their newly granted abilities to navigate enormous log rafts up and down the Congo River drainage basin. Flotillas of logs, once simple timber, had transformed into floating fortresses that were near impossible for the Primal Constructs to properly contest. The vessels were moving reinforced strongholds, actively protected by squads of warriors as they explored the vast network of rivers and tributaries, carrying news and rescuing survivors.


    The second largest rainforest on the planet was reinvigorated by mana, countering the degradation caused by logging and climate change, but unlike the untamed Central American forests, the distribution of rivers prevented the local people from being locked down and picked off.


    Those who were ferried by the floating citadels combined with other groups of people displaced by the flooding of the Saharan Sea to form a super settlement that rivaled the Yucatan for its individual prominence. People from a thousand miles away had settled around the civilization shard in Nyiragongo, joining the local population. Together, they formed one of the largest settlements on the planet.


    Nyiragongo also had close neighbors to its east, unlike how the Yucatan had been completely isolated. Many of those neighboring civilization shards also held populations that exceeded all but the largest settlements in the world. East Africa as a whole had allied early in the assimilation, embracing a little talked about advantage that they all shared. Places like Ghost Reef, The Heartland, and Punihuil had also been supported by the same resource. It was one brought by non-human animals being empowered by mana just as much as humans, bolstering the overall power of the settlements as a whole.


    Coop only heard rumors of powerhouses that many still believed could best him in a duel, but had remained on the surface. Overtime, he had come to the conclusion that titles like The Pride of Kenya and the King of Africa weren¡¯t actually nicknames so much as they were descriptors of leveled up lions. Perhaps it was for the best that he didn¡¯t get to meet them. Jett would have no reason to be upset with him when he made it home this time around.


    Either way, as a result of the consolidation of people in Nyiragongo, and the various factors that enabled their survival, Coop had the cleanest grind of the Underlayer Event. The local army was busy fighting Primal Constructs elsewhere, leaving the ultimate prize of their little race all to the ravenous Champion of Ghost Reef.


    Coop dove in, enjoying his gigantic advantage in levels, compounded by the escalating pool of stats granted by his progression. Was his current position within the assimilation completely unfair? Yes, yes it was. Did he feel any hesitance in leveraging his position against the system limited opponents?


    ¡°Absolutely not.¡± Coop declared to himself in the middle of the biggest grind session of his life. He was reaping the benefits of his earlier investments into his build, and in doing so, he was investing further into his own progression. The snowballing effect of his path had become a positive feedback loop, and for as long as he was able, he needed to keep it going.


    The specific processes of the assimilation were unknown to the extent that things could drastically change tomorrow and Coop could find himself facing what might be insurmountable challenges. The islands of Ghost Reef had graced him with the chance to grow strong, and if there was anything he learned as time went on, it was that they had to seize the opportunities as they appeared.


    The Underlayer Event had become a chance for all of Ghost Reef¡¯s residents to capitalize on their experience during the Siege Event and beyond, though he doubted there was anyone among his companions that would enjoy themselves to the same extent as the Champion himself.


    Coop had his foot on the throat of the Primal Constructs, and he intended to keep pressing. Metaphorically speaking, at least. In reality, it was his ethereal weapons at their throats. He carved his way through their forces in a blitz, his concentration bolstered by the pressure of competition from the assembled army of humans elsewhere in the Underlayer.


    He greedily assaulted the invaders, mists chasing his form as he rushed forward, seeing the monsters as less of a challenge and more of a reward. The Primal Constructs would probably hate how the settlement events were evolving, and any other factions that were watching the scores should take their losses as a warning. Earth wasn¡¯t for sale and The Lighthouse was here to stay.


    Coop repeatedly called upon Inheritance of the Mists as he settled into a smooth pace of steady destruction. For anyone else, the intensity was far too extreme. If they tried to keep up, they would burn themselves out and put themselves in dangerous situations.


    However, the fact that Coop could destroy the masses of enemies at a rate that seemed unmatched wasn¡¯t a good reason for him to slow down in the slightest. The gap that he had created was constantly working against him, like there was a set of heavy weights being placed upon his shoulders each time he added another level to slow his future progress down further and further.


    Eventually the weights would be enough to handicap his continued progress and force him to give ground to all those who were chasing after him. Coop told himself that the time hadn¡¯t come for him to let that happen. Not today and not tomorrow. Not until the Eradication Protocol, however many years it took to initiate at the absolute earliest.


    In that way he pushed himself beyond even his current limit, seeking to optimize every action, from his breathing, to his vision, and consolidate his effort. ¡°Just a little faster.¡± He chanted to himself, turning it into a silent mantra as he waited for another Apparition to provide the climactic crash of cymbals to the song of battle he composed.


    He accounted for every point of mana, maintaining exactly 50% of his pool in between casts of Inheritance. At this point Legacy of the Mists was a pure positive, with the ghosts siphoning mana at no cost of their own other than the durability of his weapons. If he wasn¡¯t in the Underlayer, limited by the strength of the ley lines, he would have maintained his own squads of supportive soldiers, much like those that had challenged him to duels. The many similarities between himself and the local warriors continued to be surprising.


    He managed to finish off the Primal Constructs before the local champions arrived, lighting himself with the spotlight of another level right at the end. He absently distributed his stats into Mind while thinking about his grind.


    After considering it for a few minutes within the empty objectives, he decided it was time to head out. He didn¡¯t need to wait for the others to arrive, and they had proven time and time again that they didn¡¯t necessarily need his help, despite how much he forced it upon them. They weren¡¯t the types to want to debrief with the Champion that had swept through their territory. It was enough that they recognized his contribution.


    In fact, he imagined that if he sought to help them with their last battle, he would get roped up into a series of duels that might keep him occupied for the foreseeable future. Since the Underlayer Event wasn¡¯t over, he couldn¡¯t stop, even for such an appealing scenario.


    After leaving a few sassy messages in the dirt, he angled his mistjumps north, prepared to leave the continent. Africa was effectively cleared, almost entirely by himself, and another chunk of the event was done. Though the local army fought the entire time, they had only cleared around five invasions, limited as they were with keeping to a specific order while traveling on foot.


    As he moved away, he checked the leaderboards for the first time in quite a while. He had defeated something like 60 invasions since leaving Neon Park¡¯s territory.


    Underlayer Event Settlement Scores:


    <ol>


    <li> Ghost Reef - 126,819,641 (x1)</li>


    <li> Neon Park - 5,819,973 (x13)</li>


    <li> Nyiragongo - 5,765,266 (x13)</li>


    <li> Silvervalley - 5,121,756 (x11)</li>


    <li> Englischer Garten - 4,460,000 (x8)</li>


    <li> Ordesa - 4,150,000 (x7)</li>


    <li> Arusha - 3,942,814 (x5)</li>


    <li> Serrania de la Macarena - 3,550,000 (x4)</li>


    <li> Chee Dale - 3,400,000 (x4)</li>


    <li> Aotearoa New Zealand - 3,118,245 (x5)</li>


    </ol>


    ¡°Well, damn.¡± Coop mumbled as he mistjumped through the Underlayer. Ghost Reef was popping off.


    Honestly, he had been so distracted by the duels and the grinds across the settlements of Africa that he hadn¡¯t been keeping a close eye on the rate in which he was progressing their scores. It was officially Day 22 of the Underlayer Event and he had confirmed two and a half continents were clear. The East Coast of North America, Europe, and Africa had been personally visited by the Champion of Ghost Reef. Meanwhile, the rest of North America as well as South America were being secured by the other residents of Ghost Reef.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Of all the settlements in the top 10, only New Zealand was proceeding without Ghost Reef¡¯s involvement. If he hadn¡¯t seen what the Assembly of Settlements in Africa were capable of, he would have felt a different way about New Zealand¡¯s steady progress, but after witnessing examples of other peoples¡¯ independent growth, he had to give them credit. They had been consistently contending with the event in a way that made it seem like they were in control. It was a good thing too, because they would probably be the last place Coop was able to visit.


    It was pretty clear that New Zealand was progressing like a model settlement, one that would have been the absolute pinnacle of any other assimilation. Coop looked forward to visiting so that he could see what they were up to. They might not need his help defeating monsters, but that didn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t worth visiting, even for someone specifically seeking fights.


    He hadn¡¯t really thought about it before, but the Underlayer Event wasn¡¯t only a good opportunity to network across the vast collection of settlements, but it was also a chance for him to uncover places that might become problems in the future. There was always a chance that another Endless Empire had properly established itself in the assimilation.


    ¡°So far, so good.¡± He decided. There hadn¡¯t been anything overly concerning so far.


    Meanwhile, Ghost Reef¡¯s score was already far beyond expectations. It had even reached the 125 million he believed would be necessary to contend for the top of the leaderboard after all the challenge assessment multipliers were applied.


    He shook his head as he considered that they were only halfway through the event¡¯s duration. It seemed like they might actually finish the whole thing early. The real limitation on the Underlayer Event scores would be the number of invaders. The thought had him throwing his spear just a little bit harder.


    As he went, he scrolled further down the list of settlements, trying to decide if there were enough invaders left for the humans of Earth to fight. While he hadn¡¯t reached Asia yet, and it likely represented roughly half of all the known settlements, they had also been clearing for themselves at a consistently escalating speed.


    In fact, as Coop explored the list, it seemed like only around 20 settlements in the entire world hadn¡¯t made significant progress in their battles. It was a huge contrast from the first days of the event when only a few places in the world appeared to have even reached the Underlayer, let alone begun fighting. In a way, he had underestimated humans, thinking they would need him to come save them from the alien invaders. As it turned out, only a few really needed help. For all the rest, he was just making things easier on them. Either way, Ghost Reef¡¯s extra effort was saving lives, and they were benefiting through experience as they worked.


    Among those that either hadn¡¯t started or had stagnated early were three settlements he was keeping an eye out for. Can Gio, Gangcheon, and Shinjuku Gardens were all frozen. Even if there weren¡¯t many settlements left for Coop, there were at least three decent enough grinds to keep him motivated. He needed to hurry up and get there before they cleared the invaders for themselves.


    He blasted north, heading back toward Europe with the intention of angling East, through one of the forks that would take him into the Middle East. He checked the individual leaderboards as he went.


    Underlayer Event Individual Scores:


    <ol>


    <li> Coop - 85,520,904 (+43,870,733)</li>


    <li> Charlie Seraphin - 2,529,096 (+1,502,676)</li>


    <li> Buck Cleary - 1,278,823 (+777,067)</li>


    <li> Camila Alvarez - 1,186,012 (+675,817)</li>


    <li> Gibson - 1,175,975 (+667,063)</li>


    <li> Emmanuel Seraphin - 1,132,564 (+641,472)</li>


    <li> Jessica Littenberg - 1,087,826 (+787,527)</li>


    <li> Tiny Cleary - 971,559 (+771,559)</li>


    <li> Jose Molina - 967,128 (+737,633)</li>


    <li> Shane Peters - 963,811 (+697,850)</li>


    </ol>


    Ignoring his own score, the points that the residents of Ghost Reef had accumulated were actually insane. They had completely forced the representatives of every other settlement in the world off the list.


    People like Neon were pushed all the way down to the bottom of the top 1000, and only those who had both defeated Siege Bosses and continued fighting could even crack the top 500. Warriors like Azizi, Sefu, and Imara, who had been fighting on behalf of their settlements the entire time were barely hanging in the later 400s, right around the places of Edith Buford and her grandson, the waiter Jonah.


    Trying to keep things in perspective, it was insane that individuals who had defeated 100,000 Elite Primal Constructs in a matter of three weeks, or even added a Siege Boss to their total, were relegated to such low rankings. They were absolute beasts, pushing the achievements of humanity forward by fighting enemies that were appearing for the first time in the assimilation, but Ghost Reef¡¯s residents were still a step ahead.


    As Coop silently sang the praises of his companions in the assimilation, he noticed a bird flying high above him. It was nothing more than a speck of dust caught in the vaporous breeze near the ceiling, but the mana it emanated was distinguishable from the shimmering energy of the Underlayer if he honed in on it.


    Coop paused for a moment to watch as it flapped vaguely in his direction, out of the corner of his eye. The bird¡¯s gaze glowed with a distinct crystal blue that Coop could detect even from an enormous distance, as if it focused the light on the subject of its stare. It seemed to be struggling to keep up with his more urgent mistjumps, but it was making good progress and anticipated his direction, causing him to wonder just how long it had been following him. He never would have noticed the bird while he fought, not unless it had swooped much closer, but now that he was winding down from bouncing between battles he had the mental bandwidth to distinguish its presence.


    Coop grunted, wondering how a bird had gotten into the Underlayer in the first place. Should he capture it and bring it to a chasm to make sure it could escape? He waited, letting it get close enough for him to barely inspect its aura as he decided just how much of a detour he could permit.


    When Coop¡¯s Presence of Mind reached far enough to identify the animal, he confirmed that it had quite an impressive level. The bird wasn¡¯t just a lost animal, and it also wasn¡¯t approaching him as if it sought aid, keeping its distance as if it was tracking him instead.


    [Saker Falcon (Level 291)]


    [Sky Piercer (Mind)]


    [Ice (Bound)]


    Coop wasn¡¯t sure what to make of it. He doubted it needed his help, based on its own level, and instead of engaging with him, it continued to circle his position once it caught up, apparently believing it was out of his range as long as it stayed high in the Underlayer¡¯s sky.


    It felt like Coop had picked up a stalker.


    He shrugged to himself, thinking for just another second before he continued on his journey. He wasn¡¯t about to be completely derailed by something as minor as a bird shadowing his path. If it had an owner, he hoped they were enjoying the show.


    But as he continued mistjumping through the Underlayer, he started noticing more little oddities. A few other birds drifted in the distance, equally out of the way, high in the sky. They were at a lower class level than the first, and they were completely different species, mostly vultures, but they gradually formed something of a flock that remained at his back for brief moments.


    After spending so much time in the solitude of the Underlayer, any company was conspicuous. It wasn¡¯t like he had seen even a single example of animal or plant life existing in the underground prior to these birds, so they were triggering his interest, and rather than simply travel, he started to test them.


    The newcomers only lasted a few mistjumps before he left them in the dust, but the Saker Falcon remained. Of the various raptors, it was clearly the most elite. The others joined it for a short time before falling behind, then new ones did the same, as if Coop was trailing a whole parade of birds while he mistjumped across the lonely desert. Most of them started ahead of him but failed to account for his speed before dropping to the wayside. It was certainly a sign, but of what, Coop was uncertain.


    Eventually, Coop reached another section of the African shield wall, marking the end of the Assembly¡¯s territorial claims. He sent himself right over. The individual warriors were milling about with their oval shields, waiting to rotate back into the army for the more exciting part of their jobs, but little did they know, the fighting was done. The Assembly of Settlements would be wrapping up their operation in the Underlayer soon enough, leaving plenty of time before the event actually ended.


    Coop figured he would take the checkpoint as an opportunity to pick up even more speed. If the Falcon wanted to keep chasing him, he would make it work a bit.


    However, his plan to test the bird¡¯s determination was put on hold after just two long mistjumps. When he reappeared at the end of a flickering teleport, already far beyond the shield wall, he stopped, temporarily abandoning his intention to put more distance between himself and the bird.


    Some 100 yards ahead of him, strolling through the dirt, was someone dressed from head to toe in lightly colored cloth coverings. The beige stood out against the dirt landscape, and just from a glance, he could tell they had been drifting for a long time, probably much longer than the Underlayer Event. He had the impression that they were a dedicated wanderer, perhaps a kindred spirit that hadn¡¯t found the right beach just yet.


    When Coop hesitated, observing their slow but steady pace as he considered if this would be another challenge due to his experience throughout Africa, the person just continued their steady approach. One foot after another, they extended an impossibly long trail of footprints through the dirt. As Coop watched, the Saker Falcon eventually caught up as well.


    Instead of continuing to maintain its distance, the bird finally swooped down, drawing Coop¡¯s attention to the air above. Rather than close the distance with Coop, it bypassed him in order to land on the person¡¯s walking staff and started pulling at the dangling chimes to entertain itself.


    The person never paused, gait unchanging, as they crossed through the dirt. They made it seem like they were taking just a few more steps among millions before. Coop¡¯s aura might as well have been nonexistent. He hummed quietly to himself, thinking that was odd, but he politely waited, planning on offering his help either way.

 Chapter 289: Divine Messenger

    ¡°Champion of the Unchosen.¡± The person who approached Coop spoke. Their voice was calm and they waited until they drew close to speak, still completely hidden beneath their loose clothes.


    The soft tone of the words revealed the first hint that the figure was a woman. Her robes had completely masked her form, and other than the hand holding the walking staff that doubled as a falcon perch, there were no other clues that a human was beneath the pile of fabrics at all.


    She used her empty hand, hidden by a wide sleeve, to pull the thick beige veil off of her head, keeping the walking staff secure with the other. Coop watched close, not particularly worried, but wary all the same, inspecting her as she planted her feet square in front of his.


    [Human (Level 191)]


    [Sentinel of Stars (Mind)]


    [Astral (Bound)]


    Her level wasn¡¯t particularly amazing compared to the champions of the Assembly of Settlements, and it was falling far behind what the residents of Ghost Reef were collecting, but it was still relatively high. The wandering Sentinel was only a step below the pinnacles of humanity that his companions represented. That was respectable in Coop¡¯s mind.


    When the veil fell to her shoulders, the Underlayer illumination finally reached her face. Her dark brown hair was cropped short, as if it had been shaved just a few months earlier, and she kept her eyes closed while she ran her fingers along her scalp, exhaling with honest relief. Thick black eyebrows, darker than her hair, matched the color of her long eyelashes, which fluttered open once her face was free from the cloth.


    The way she spoke, as if it was inevitable that they would meet, caused Coop¡¯s eyes to subtly narrow in suspicion. The first words she had spoken were a simple declaration of his presence. He was trying to decide if he should know her, but once she opened her eyes he knew there was no way he would have forgotten this person.


    She stared back at him with irises that were an unnaturally piercing blue, a color that Coop thought would glow in the dark. He had only recently noticed the Saker Falcon¡¯s eyes take on the same color, spotting them from a huge distance, better signifying the pair¡¯s connection.


    The Falcon¡¯s eyes had returned to those of a regular bird of prey, yellow and focused, but he didn¡¯t need any more confirmation that they were a team after it made itself at home on her staff. The bird ignored Coop as it pulled on the metal bits that were hanging from her potential weapon, releasing them so that they jingled in the heavy Underlayer air. When Coop returned his attention to the woman, he found her gaze fixed on his own.


    Coop wasn¡¯t sure exactly where he was, somewhere beyond the edge of the African territory. Whether he had already reached the Middle East was uncertain without a settlement marking his journey. No matter what, he was pretty confident that she had also traveled a long way before arriving at the edge of the Assembly of Settlements, but the way she locked in on Coop left no doubt that she was specifically seeking him out.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Coop responded. ¡°I guess that¡¯s me.¡± He confirmed her opening words after a few moments of hesitant observation, comfortably flipping his spear onto his shoulder as he spoke. ¡°If you need help, just point me in the direction of your settlement. I¡¯ll take care of the invaders. If you¡¯re looking for safety, you just need to¡­¡± Coop glanced around as he realized his directions were gradually getting more and more complicated.


    ¡°Well, if you head that way,¡± he gestured vaguely to the northwest, ignoring the distant contours of the tunnel in favor of general directions. ¡°You should find some European settlements, from there, they can direct you to Iceland, then it¡¯s a straight shot to Ghost Reef.¡± He kept it as simple as possible, pointing helpfully as he described the checkpoints.


    She suppressed a smile at his effort, politely letting him finish his directions before speaking again. ¡°Thank you, but we intend to help you.¡±


    Coop tilted his head to the side, glancing at the bird, feeling like she could explain things more clearly. She didn¡¯t seem like the conversational type, but that was fine with him.


    ¡°Alright, sure. All I really need is to be pointed toward some invaders, though. That would help plenty.¡± He suggested.


    She shifted her upper body, directing Coop to follow in the direction she had come from. ¡°Let¡¯s walk.¡±


    Coop matched her unbothered stride, a bit puzzled with her demeanor. ¡°You can really just point.¡± He suggested again. ¡°It¡¯ll be a lot faster for me than just walking.¡±


    She slowly shook her head, subtly smiling as she gazed into the distance with her icy eyes contrasting against her darker features. ¡°No need to rush. My Master is coming.¡±


    Despite her calm voice, Coop stopped mid stride. Someone being called Master had him immediately recalling the structure of the Cult of Chakyum and the Lich. He double-checked her aura, seeing if he had missed some Oath-related racial evolution.


    [Human (Level 191)]


    [Sentinel of Stars (Mind)]


    [Astral (Bound)]


    He hadn¡¯t, but her Bound title had gone under his radar since it was one he had seen a few times before, and it was shared by her animal companion. Juliana and her Black Jaguar, Felix, had the same title, so it wasn¡¯t something that raised his suspicions on its own. However, given the context of being Bound and having a Master, Coop was suddenly feeling alarmed.


    He could feel the heat emanating from his body in waves as his bloodthirst rose. He suddenly thought that his experience thus far in the Underlayer was a fluke. The remnants of humanity cooperating with each other relatively amicably had been too good to be true. Visiting Europe and Africa back to back and finding broader coalitions must have been a stroke of pure luck.


    He looked straight at the Sentinel of Stars, who had drawn a step ahead of him, putting his hand on her offhand¡¯s clothed forearm, opposite the staff. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely kill your Master.¡± He assured her.


    ¡°Huh?¡± She blinked in confusion at his sincerity, stopping and spinning as he halted her forward progress. She stepped back as Coop¡¯s aura overwhelmed her confidence and she fully comprehended his words. The Saker Falcon spread its wings as well, like they were suddenly experiencing turbulence despite the stifling atmosphere of the Underlayer. The bird took flight to get away.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± She started, turning his words over in her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­ Please don¡¯t do that!¡± She pleaded, eyes widening as she grew desperate. She stepped away from the Champion, glancing from him to the horizon and back. His battle readiness returned as easily as a change in facial expression, apparently catching her off guard.


    ¡°Whatever hold they have on you? I¡¯ll break it.¡± Coop continued, trying to give her the confidence to escape. ¡°You can come to Ghost Reef. We¡¯ll find a way to free you, and we¡¯ll obviously protect you.¡± He reached out, offering to guide her away.


    ¡°No, no, that¡¯s not¡­ I misspoke!¡± She continued. ¡°It¡¯s my fault, I am too used to being alone. Please, let me explain!¡± Her voice grew urgent, raising her palms toward Coop while letting her staff fall and abandoning the enigmatic confidence she had greeted him with in order to take responsibility.


    Coop waited, though he remained suspicious. Would it really be a surprise if she was prevented from reacting negatively toward her Master?Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I speak of the Great Khan, leader of the Grand Horde. I am his Ranger General, Wangmo Thaye.¡± She clasped her hands together, insistently. ¡°I promise that he is a good man. He has saved many lives and given us all hope that we can unite and resist the alien invaders. He only wishes to meet with you. He claims to have an important message that he was instructed to relay to you by a being of divinity. I have been seeking you for most of the event in order to have you meet.¡± She took a deep breath after rushing to get everything out before she let any misunderstandings fester.


    Coop wasn¡¯t entirely convinced by her assessment of her Master, especially because the man called himself the Great Khan and his army the Grand Horde. To Coop, neither had entirely positive connotations, though neither designation was as bad as the God of Death. He thought whatever she said would have to be understood through the context of the Cult of Chakyum. Still, he didn¡¯t want to jump to any conclusions, so he withheld any further judgment, especially if they would be meeting soon. If Coop needed to fight, he could decide then, when he laid eyes on this Khan.


    ¡°What¡¯s the Grand Horde?¡± He asked now that she was in the mood to explain. ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound particularly good.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a nomadic army that has secured almost all of Asia. We have incorporated all those who traveled from what was once Turkey to those from the edge of the broken peninsula of Korea.¡± She answered quickly, glancing over her shoulder in the direction she had been leading them before furtively returning her attention to Coop.


    ¡°Hm. I see¡± Coop muttered. The EEC had definitely informed him of such a force clearing settlements throughout Asia and he had seen the results of their small settlements finishing the event one after the other, but it made him more curious. ¡°What about Gangcheon?¡± He wondered, recognizing that it was a Korean settlement, but its score hadn¡¯t progressed.


    ¡°They are an independent nation that we have limited but friendly communication with.¡± She answered, with her eyes shooting back and forth from the horizon to Coop. ¡°Listen, Master Coop, no Mister Coop¡­ Champion of the Unchosen, you won¡¯t bare your weapons against the Khan will you? It would only result in a tragedy for the entire human race, no matter what happens.¡±


    Coop shrugged. ¡°I won¡¯t unless I have to.¡± How could he be sure this wasn¡¯t another Lich situation without assessing the man? But there was no use in telling her that. Once he reached this Grand Horde, he¡¯d have to make his own judgments.


    She sighed, seeming worried. ¡°Okay, that¡¯ll have to do, because they are almost here.¡±


    Coop¡¯s eyebrows rose at her comment, but she was kneeling to pick up her staff, turning so that her back was to Coop once again. When she stood, she fixed her veil and shook the dirt off her weapon before the Saker Falcon returned to his perch. They silently waited, staring off into space. Coop was about to ask what she meant after her cryptic declaration, but he realized why their attention had switched to the horizon.


    In the distance, a cloud of dust was rising. She must have had incredible senses to notice it before him. Coop stood next to her, and as they watched, the haze roiled, growing larger and larger until it must have been a hundred miles wide. It was like a storm.


    Eventually, Coop could hear a rumbling that had him expecting a volcanic eruption. It grew into an intense rolling thunder. When he started to feel the vibrations in his feet he really started to get the sense that he might actually be in danger.


    That¡¯s when Wangmo Thaye spoke again after seemingly regaining her calm. ¡°I first spotted you a week ago, but because the border to the African settlements is closed, I requested reinforcements to make sure the Great Khan¡¯s desire to meet with you would be fulfilled. It was fortunate that you returned north rather than further south. We have avoided what may have resulted in conflict between the warriors of the two largest continents if they would not have heard reason.¡±


    It seemed crazy that they would have escalated to open warfare just to relay a message, but the assimilation was a crazy time. Coop glanced over at her to confirm that she was serious, but she was watching the approaching dust storm with hope-filled eyes, the complete opposite of what he would have expected an Oathsworn to view the Lich with.


    ¡°Knowing him, he would have personally led the charge, so maybe you will meet sooner than expected.¡± She added, apparently feeling bolstered by the thunderous dust cloud after Coop made her worry about his bloodthirst.


    Coop tried putting on a brave face to watch the storm as it escalated. Eventually, the dust gave way to a charging cavalry of midnight black stallions. They were flanked by what seemed like countless other horses. As it turned out, calling the organization a horde was perfectly apt. Coop barely kept his jaw from dropping as the Underlayer transformed from a sea of dirt to a sea of horses, kicking through the soil with an intensity that made even him nervous. He rotated his spear in his hand, keeping it on his shoulder in a more confident position than he actually felt.


    As they drew closer, he realized that for every rider, there were three horses that they actively swapped between, making the army of millions seem even larger. As a result of changing steeds midride, all the horses were fresh and able to maintain speeds that even an enhanced human would struggle to match. This was as mobile an army of such a size could ever hope to be.


    The show of force was intense and overwhelming. Coop¡¯s confidence slowly seeped out of him, and if not for the way the ground shook beneath what might have been as many as a hundred million hooves, he thought his knees would be visibly shaking on their own. The fact that Wangmo Thaye and the Saker Falcon seemed at ease was the only reason he didn¡¯t attempt to flee or prepare for battle.


    He took a deep breath through his nose and out of his mouth, centering himself. There were almost as many different flags and banners as there were people among the sea of horses. Coop didn¡¯t recognize a single one, but the overall message was the same. A large number of people from thousands of different places had banded together into an improbable army.


    Once again, Coop was amazed by what humanity could cobble together from its own ashes. He couldn¡¯t imagine so many disparate groups of the continent willingly coalescing without the pressure of an apocalypse and beneath a particularly persuasive personality. Coop had even more concerns with the so-called Master of this army, concluding that they must have had an incredible presence to suppress the inevitable partisanship of so many different people. Was it mass manipulation, or was it some kind of charisma? Coop felt like he would need to judge quickly.


    He wanted to ask more questions of the Sentinel, but it felt like it was too late. The enormous cavalry army would be upon them soon enough and he would have to shout above the escalating sound of their stampede. All he could do was watch as they rushed toward the two drifters. If he tried to run, they would follow. He had the impression that they would circumnavigate the globe as many times as he led them. Of course, at this point, he would fight before retreating, even against this horde.


    The riders simply bypassed the two standing figures, making room for those who would follow as they surrounded Coop and Wangmo Thaye. They made sure to give the pair plenty of space as they slowed to a stop.


    Then, the whole situation grew even stranger. The first riders hopped off their horses and planted one knee in the dirt, bowing respectfully toward the center, where Coop was, still holding the reins of their horses while giving him a better view of the vast army that had spread itself all around him. Only the horses made any sound, huffing and rearing as the excitement of their charge gradually dissipated.


    Wangmo Thaye followed suit with the other soldiers, dropping to a knee, leaving Coop standing in the middle of a huge and expanding circle of horses that probably reached both sides of the massive cavern. One gigantic charger entered the clearing as the perimeter settled down. It was ridden by an older man with a wispy white beard that grew from his chin and mustache and flowed halfway down his leather-clad neck. Coop inspected him, assuming this was the Great Khan that they called Master.


    [Human (Level 225)]


    [Warlord of the Apocalypse (Body)]


    [Disorder (Scourge)]


    [Mongolian Warhorse (Level 305)]


    [Doombringer (Strength)]


    [Force (Bound)]


    ¡°Yikes.¡± Coop whispered, clicking his tongue as he gathered their information.


    The Great Khan didn¡¯t seem evil as he jumped off his horse and took long excited strides toward Coop, practically hopping as he did so. The generous smile on his face was disarming, bunching up his plump cheeks, but neither his class nor his defining title provided additional assurance.


    Even his horse seemed like a danger. Its thick black mane was braided and its tail flicked back and forth as if it was agitated to have stopped. Its eyes had a subtle red glow that leaked mana and Coop had the thought that it was possessed. The horse snorted as if it knew Coop was judging it, so he looked away.


    The rider openly sought Coop and his Ranger General, all smiles. Then, to throw Coop off even more, the Warlord of the Apocalypse followed suit with his army, suddenly kneeling before Coop, putting the Champion of Ghost Reef in the center of millions of people paying the utmost respect toward him, somewhere in the middle of nowhere within the underground.


    ¡°What the hell is going on here?¡± Coop muttered, drawing a look from the Saker Falcon who had thankfully remained on its perch, held upright by the Sentinel of Stars.


    ¡°Champion of the Unchosen! I, the Great Khan of the Grand Horde humbly greet you! Please hear me, for I carry a message from the divine!¡± The older Warlord shouted for the sake of his army¡¯s hearing, keeping his eyes fixed on the dirt.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Coop couldn¡¯t understand what was happening. Every time something new transpired, he was even more confused. ¡°Dude. What is this?¡± He addressed the man directly.

 Chapter 290: Tea Party

    Coop lifted the fanciest teacup he had ever seen toward his lips, uncomfortable with the delicate porcelain between his fingers. Compared to the sturdiness of his ethereal weapons it felt unnatural, like his hands weren''t meant for gripping such a fragile item. He gently blew into the liquid, before taking a hesitant sip.


    Despite trying to avert the tea party, Coop had been unable to avoid it. The expensive rarities that were brought out belonged in a museum, but the man who kept him company insisted that valuable items were best appreciated by being used for their intended purpose.


    It was a philosophy that Coop understood, but didn¡¯t live by. He was the type of person who hoarded his resources for a rainy day, overly concerned with wasting them when they would have been better applied at a different time. Coop was self aware enough to compensate for that fact. His remedy was in accumulating absurd quantities of useful resources so that he always had some extra as backup and was therefore more willing to use portions of what he collected. That¡¯s how grinding had become a natural habit when he sought optimization, even before the assimilation.


    The only exception was when it came to items with only one purpose. Even Coop couldn¡¯t find a reason to save them for later, so he begrudgingly made sure they would be used.


    But he was learning that actively using every possession possible was a philosophy that didn¡¯t only apply to objects. It could be applied to people and the human resources they represented as well. Coop felt like the Grand Horde was an example of actively using all that was available, taking the idea to an extreme that went beyond even what Ghost Reef had been implementing, and his island settlement had been operating that way out of necessity based on its tiny starting population. The Grand Horde didn¡¯t appear to be under the same limitations.


    The comparison made him reflect on how his own subconscious inclinations had changed the dynamics of the Ghost Reef settlement. There had been many situations where he had shouldered burdens that someone else in his position would have distributed to others. Things would certainly be different if someone else had been in his place, but not necessarily better or worse. Just different. He had delegated virtually all of the political and administrative responsibilities onto others, for instance, but when it came to any sort of combat, he consistently accepted the responsibility of going first.


    As Coop swallowed, he felt the soothing tea go down. It left a refreshing sensation that wasn¡¯t dissimilar to the health elixirs from back home. The sip was invigorating, causing him to lift the tea cup to look a bit closer, taking the description a bit more seriously after experiencing the taste.


    It had been characterized to him as snow lotus tea, made from a rare flower found in the Himalayas where the Primal Constructs failed to survive long enough to evolve into more advanced variants. It was supposedly a pristine environment that preserved some of what Earth once was.


    Coop took a deep breath that filled his senses with the light floral aroma as the hint of sweetness faded from his tongue. He could almost feel the snap of cold air in his lungs, imagining the harsh environment of towering peaks and high altitude meadows where the flowers thrived.


    A quick check of his status revealed a 30 minute ¡®satisfied¡¯ buff that regulated his temperature to maximize his comfort, an additional bonus tacked on to the taste. He wondered if there was a specialized profession that existed in the cross-section of alchemist and tea sommelier among the Grand Horde. They might make a decent rival for the coffee dominated territory back home.


    Coop let a satisfied exhalation escape and turned his full attention back to the man that had invited him to have the tea in the first place. Seated across the solid wood table, beneath the temporary tent that had been lined with thick rugs in the middle of the Underlayer, was the Warlord of the Apocalypse. The older gentleman was smiling so wide that his cheeks were turning rosy while the rest of his face was squeezed tight, ironing out the wind and sun borne wrinkles that otherwise lined his face. Once the Great Khan of the Grand Horde took his conical helmet off, his presence transformed to one that Coop couldn¡¯t help but find friendly, like a merry old uncle.


    Coop wondered if he was experiencing a similar effect to the presence he supposedly gave off himself, where his aura and personality conflicted in a way that undermined expectations. The other man had gone from Warlord of Apocalypse leading a Grand Horde of barbaric warriors while riding his Doombringer mount to jolly confidant and mentor once up close.


    The Great Khan was no Lich, and as far as Coop could tell, he hadn¡¯t manipulated people into following him. His position was more of a consequence caused by the environment and his early decisions triggering a domino effect where more and more people joined his cause.


    Across the world, the first to take up arms against the invaders and be successful created a stimulus that others were able to latch onto, so it wasn¡¯t an unheard of phenomenon to Coop. No matter the culture, it seemed like humans had that much in common.


    Rather than compare the man to the likes of the failed Champion of Empress City or the Undead Chosen Lich, as his reputation had led, Coop thought he was far more similar to Tzultacaj in the Yucatan. The Great Khan was more of a strategist and general than the aforementioned pure righteous warrior, but he had taken a resolute stand against the Primal Constructs early on, and slowly gathered an army just like how Tzultacaj had formed his rebellion against the Cult of Chakyum. Tzultacaj was a resolute fighter, but the Great Khan was something like a warrior poet, at least until he had become the messenger for the divine.


    The respect the rest of his army displayed wasn¡¯t manufactured for Coop¡¯s sake. A large majority of the settlements in Asia had joined the Grand Horde, fully committing themselves to the Great Khan¡¯s cause with manpower and resources, like the organization was a bulwark within the turmoil of the assimilation.


    When Coop pressed for details the stories he received were vague. As a consequence, he got the impression that they weren¡¯t afraid of showing force in order to expedite the process of generating allies. Especially because there was an opposing force of humans in the region that had coalesced, acting to exclude all those they deemed unworthy.


    In the end, whatever the Great Khan was doing, it was working. They were destroying the Primal Constructs, and other than what sounded like relatively local conflicts with the Chosen of alien factions, they were finding resounding successes in their war effort. Even without knowing the details of their conquests, Coop felt like he couldn¡¯t judge them too harshly considering how he had recruited his own subordinate settlements. The assimilation wasn¡¯t a place where violence could be completely avoided.


    However, Coop was struggling to come to terms with how the experience of millions in Asia had culminated in such respect toward himself, the so-called Champion of the Unchosen, a stranger and outsider. What the heck had he ever done for them? They practically revered him, going far beyond the way the EEC had regarded him through the leaderboards. The Grand Horde gave him the utmost respect, even more than his biggest fans in the Assembly of Settlements had shown. He shook his head as he tried not to spiral into his bewilderment, looking back into his tea cup for answers. The dark liquid had no comment.


    Coop didn¡¯t know the etiquette behind drinking tea, but he did his best to be polite. Was his pinky really supposed to be extended? He tested it, finding it uncomfortable and not wanting to risk losing the cup. He kept his fingers on the little handle while his other hand stabilized the porcelain and took another sip. The warm liquid gave way to the cooling sensation as it spread through his body a second time and he couldn¡¯t help but enjoy it. An inadvertent sigh escaped as he relaxed.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    The audience of people kept their distance, forming a wide clearing in the underground, occupied only by the tea tent. They actively tended to their many horses as they gave the leader of their army a chance to converse with the Champion of the Unchosen that had become the primary goal of their expedition into the Underlayer.


    Coop was amazed by so many different things about the army, including its size, but most of all, he was impressed by the number of animals. It wasn¡¯t only horses that bolstered the already enormous army, but thousands of other species as well.


    Countless falconers groomed and fed their birds which were a mix of predators and scavengers. Eagles, hawks, falcons, and various vultures were all present. Other beasts carried supplies, including those being used to set up their tea party. They had camels, sheep, and goats, all with levels and their own equipment forming rear guards and supply caravans. Then there were the packs of dogs that roamed like independently operating squads, protecting the supply trains with minimal guidance. It was all another example of how the Great Khan believed everything should be used, from expensive tea cups to the animals that had gained experience. Everyone was a valuable member of their coalition.


    Coop had started the conversation with the Great Khan confused, and by the end of the kindly gentlemen¡¯s opening spiel, he was still confused. It felt like another butterfly had flapped its wings and led Coop into a bizarre scenario.


    The man was attentive, despite his appearance, and he was reveling in how his people were admired by the Champion. After soothing Coop¡¯s nerves and letting him appreciate the Grand Horde, the Great Khan finally brought the conversation back to the tea that had been poured while he explained the situation, subtly guiding Coop¡¯s thoughts back to the main subject in a way that was considerate of Coop¡¯s pace.


    ¡°How is it?¡± The Great Khan referred to the tea after letting Coop collect his thoughts, his eyes still practically shut from his smile.


    ¡°Delightful.¡± Coop guessed. He really had no idea. It could have been the worst tea in the world with a made up backstory about the Himalayan meadows and he wouldn¡¯t have known the difference, but he didn¡¯t want to disappoint the good-natured uncle with his lack of refinement. Especially not in the middle of the largest army Coop could imagine, including the animal companions that multiplied their forces. Besides, he genuinely enjoyed the refreshing sensation and floral aroma, so what did his lack of sophistication matter?


    The Great Khan continued to let Coop marinate in the atmosphere for a few moments. The silence was more effective than words as Coop¡¯s train of thought reversed from the army to the tea and finally back to the main topic at hand.


    ¡°So,¡± Coop started, catching onto the subtle prompting while carefully placing the half empty tea cup back into its matching saucer. ¡°Let me make sure I got all this straight.¡±


    He pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as he summarized the story he had been told. ¡°A divine being appeared before you and gave you a directive. The directive was to deliver a message to me by any means necessary for the fate of our world and even the galaxy depended on it.¡±


    ¡°Exactly right.¡± The man confirmed, not the type to shy away from such an important mission.


    ¡°And that message was that I am in possession of the key, so when the Eradication Protocol has begun, I must enter the ¡®ark¡¯ and use it to destroy mana.¡± Coop continued, leveling his gaze on the man opposite him.


    The Khan nodded along, eyes still squeezed tight by his expansive smile. ¡°Correct. She, in all of her exquisite wisdom, knew you would understand.¡±


    But Coop didn¡¯t understand. What key? What ark? Would he even know when the Eradication Protocol began? And destroy mana? What did that even mean? It couldn¡¯t be exactly what it sounded like, given how mana had been woven into the fabric of reality. Was it some kind of metaphor?


    Coop sighed, trying not to let his exasperation expose itself by looking at the brightside. These people not only knew about the Eradication Protocol, but also wholeheartedly believed it was coming. Regardless of what they thought of Coop, they were aligned with Ghost Reef, based on the directives given by this divine messenger. That was undeniably a good thing. He hadn¡¯t even needed to impress them with his prowess before the diplomats moved in.


    Still, Coop shook his head in frustration. ¡°...Lyriel.¡± He muttered under his breath as he pieced together the timeline of events.


    Basically, around the time that Coop and Juliana were leading the Jaguar Sun in fighting the Priests of Chakyum in the jungles of the Yucatan, the Grand Horde had become the third group on the planet to defeat a Siege Boss. The Primal Constructs had begun forming an infestation on the edges of the Taklamakan Desert before the Grand Horde discovered them, but the humans assaulted them zealously, conquering the hive and its primary boss enemy with waves of cavalry. As a result of the battle and their victory, the Avatar of the System graced them with her divine presence, clearing the mana storm that had risen in the aftermath of battle.


    To Coop, it sounded like the Grand Horde had defeated an Icon of Mana, assuming it was simply the second stage of a Siege Boss battle, and hadn¡¯t even realized it. The resulting expulsion of mana was enough to open a window for Lyriel to make a visit, despite Coop failing in the aftermath of his fight with the Avatar of Huracan just weeks before their success. Coop wondered what he was missing at the time.


    In any case, the victors of the battle met the Avatar of the System. She demonstrated her divinity by draining all of the mana in the region, including their own, after shooting from the heavens in a celestial spotlight. They reported that at first she was disappointed by Coop¡¯s absence, but when she realized the Great Khan¡¯s Honorguard was a hundred thousand strong, entirely made up of high leveled warriors, she was satisfied, stating that ¡®that was more like it¡¯ and ¡®Earth was full of surprises.¡¯


    She provided the warning of the Eradication Protocol¡¯s inevitability, how humans were branded for their past deeds, but then gave them hope that the Unchosen Champion¡¯s settlement had the means to resist for some time. It was more or less the same spiel she had given Ghost Reef at the end of the Siege Event, but without granting a Purification Chip. Instead, before she left them, she personally gave the Great Khan the message to bring to the so-called Unchosen Champion.


    It had been almost a hundred days since Coop spoke with Lyriel. The last time they met, she had promised to give him the key that would unshackle them all, but he hadn¡¯t seen her since. It felt like she had skipped a step, and the most important one at that.


    Coop shrugged it off, concentrating on how she was still spreading the word of the Eradication Protocol. That was actually kind of nice on its own. Regardless of missed connections or jumbled messages, she had contributed in a major way to his current efforts. Still, thinking about her continued attempts at deception had him shaking his head.


    ¡°You know she¡¯s not really some kind of angelic being, right?¡± Coop asked, making sure he wasn¡¯t interacting with the first adherent of some new religion that had successfully been manipulated by the Avatar¡¯s presentation.


    ¡°Of course.¡± The Khan nodded, keeping his hands folded on the table. ¡°But she was certainly a powerful entity, breaching the sanctity of the assimilation, and she had far more knowledge of the system and mana than any of the sponsors my people interacted with. She or her people could be the ones who save us as long as we cooperate.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t count on it.¡± Coop objected. ¡°We need to save ourselves.¡±


    The Khan¡¯s smile never lost its enthusiasm. ¡°Perhaps with her guidance we will be able to do just that.¡±


    Coop shrugged. He preferred to try and take things one at a time. He took another sip of tea before the Great Khan delved into the details of his plans.

 Chapter 291: Sorceress of the Storm

    Charlie¡¯s eyes sparked with electricity as energy swirled through her. She had become the embodiment of the storm, hovering over the expectant battlefield: a conduit for storm mana. One hand gripped her staff while the other pinched her fingers against her thumb, holding back the first bite of lightning.


    Bolts crackled far above, warning them all of what would come, responding to the mana she expelled as she directed it to flow through the Underlayer. A vortex was building, using her as its anchor. The amount of power that was being generated was impossible to be completely held back, and it expelled electricity in bursts even as it accumulated more. It fought against her grip like a rabid animal fighting a snare.


    While the lightning storm came to life, miles above them all, eager squalls twisted across the surface. The winds tousled her already messy hair, and the thick cloak that she wore over her Ghost Reef Standard Issue armor snapped in the air as it was whipped by the impatient wind. Dust devils danced through the dirt, spinning out from her central vortex, but none of the human soldiers paid them any mind, comfortable with the turmoil that she was creating as if it was as regular as the afternoon rain showers that swept across their tropical island home. They had the utmost faith in the timid girl, as she was one of the greatest forces among them.


    The precipitation was the slowest to form, manifesting a more solid presence beyond the energy required for the other two ingredients of her storm, but Ghost Reef¡¯s army patiently waited for her to complete her combination spell. The truth was she was combining several different skills into one, ignoring the guidelines established by her class-based abilities. Rather than simply generate a storm, as her class was wont to do, she was making something she could control more directly.


    Eventually, tiny droplets formed, subtle compared to the booming explosions of lightning high in the sky, and rather than falling to the ground, the drops spun in the air, carried higher by the wind as they coalesced into even larger manifestations.


    This was the twentieth settlement they had visited in South America, and by now, the actions of destroying the invading Primal Constructs were practically routine. The type of opening salvo changed depending on the presence of any Siege Bosses, but no matter what, Charlie presented the first strike on behalf of Ghost Reef. It was her job to set the stage for their battle, putting the momentum firmly on their side, already becoming ritualized tradition.


    Over time, as she developed a better understanding of her Storm Affinity and how it interacted with the omnipresent mana of the environment, she relied on the system less and less. In the first place, her skills had provided her with a level of improvisation that was unusual compared to other classes, but after Coop described his skill evolutions to his allies as having his training wheels removed, she was among those who had begun experimenting even more, coloring outside the lines, so to speak.


    Basically, the way she saw it, the system gave them buttons to press that activated the skills on their behalf, like a video game, but if they mastered the skills they could deviate from the exact guidelines provided to them and do what felt like actual magic. Mana was pliable in that way, modifying itself based on the affinities of those it touched. The system¡¯s control over the power hidden within seemed rather superficial to her. She saw the presence of the system as more concrete through its stranglehold over the galactic community than through its ability to manipulate mana.


    Charlie was a step ahead of the rest of the residents thanks to how her class and build incorporated dynamic innovation into the system guided skills, compensating for the varying scales possible in her spells. Was there anyone more versed in the practice of sorcery than the Aeromancer of Ghost Reef? Probably not, but she still lacked the confidence to declare herself a powerhouse on the level of Camila or even her parents. The support of her family and friends gave her enough assurance to perform a role with them at her side, but unlike so many others, Charlie had yet to grow through the assimilation.


    Still, Charlie was no ordinary mage. She was an Aeromancer, a wielder of the tempestuous elements, and the second highest level human on the entire planet. The power of the storm was her speciality.


    As the invaders, an army of Elite Primal Constructs mixed with a few familiar Field Bosses, summoned their defensive bubble-like shields, she rose higher into the air, hovering with sheer power swirling around her. Her heart was pounding in sync with the flashes of lightning high above, forming claws of light that burned afterimages into the sky, silhouetting her elevated form, desperate to be given permission to strike. In response, she guided even more mana into the approaching storm. The invaders would be taught a lesson that the storms of Earth where she drew her inspiration were a bit more extreme than the community¡¯s standard.


    The Underlayer didn¡¯t make the process easy, turning what was normally like fanning smoke clouds in one direction into forcefully diverting a river¡¯s current, but she could manage something for a short while, and that would be enough for her to get the message across. Her allies would take care of the rest.


    The vortex of mana intensified around her, laboriously converting pure activated mana into her storm type, and sending it up into the sky where it expanded across the Underlayer and immediately started to erode. The hazy sky of vaporous clouds darkened as she continued siphoning more energy into the air, transforming the ceiling from a wispy white shroud to an angry purple and a gray that was so dark it was almost black as it was bolstered by the Aeromancer¡¯s authority. The clouds sank toward them, heavy with her contribution. The lightning provided most of the remaining illumination, but only in short bursts, establishing a haunting atmosphere for Ghost Reef¡¯s troops.


    Charlie raised her Unique Storm Staff as winds engulfed its form, adding her free hand to its surface. The head glowed with energy, becoming a single searing light in the storm shaded battlefield. The weapon was one of many gifts from Coop, crafted by the Grandmaster Artisans of Ghost Reef. While holding it tight with both leather clad palms, keeping the head directed toward her enemies. A low rumble echoed across the ceiling of the massive caverns, a final precursor of the storm¡¯s fury. She maintained her concentration, envisioning the first strike, as she finally unleashed the storm, sparks leaping from her fingers to her eyes and into the staff before reaching forward, a small hint of what was coming.


    A blinding flash of bright blue lightning exploded through the air, incomparably larger than the branches that had been arcing across the sky while the energy grew. The thick bolt crashed into the largest group of invaders like the broad trunk of an ancient redwood, carefully carved into a spear of searing firepower, less of a sharp bite and more of a crushing smash. Thunder boomed across the Underlayer, shaking the dirt beyond the first control point and well into the others, announcing the doom of those that dared trespass on Earth.


    The blast melted the protective bubbles of the Primal Constructs beneath a thousand scattered fingers of chain lightning. As soon as their shield failed, those caught in the immediate vicinity were vaporized. The excess energy leapt to the nearest Constructs, seeking them out with a life of its own. The raw power of the lightning was too great for them to resist.


    The lightning chained across the army, wiping out entire clusters as it bounced back and forth before growing too weak to destroy its victims. Even then, it wasn¡¯t done. Instead of outrightly defeating them, it left those that were struck momentarily stunned, twitching as they lost control of their faculties. The solitary lightning strike would have been a suitable assault, but it was just the beginning of the storm. The roiling clouds swirled while the lightning danced through the crowds and a cascade of smaller strikes followed before the second part of her opening salvo landed.


    Charlie continued to weave the storm, bolstering the formations with mana while guiding them like a conductor dictating an orchestral tempo. A wall of wind surged through the Underlayer, as if taking a miles long running start, slamming into the defensive formations of the invaders in the front even while they contended with the lightning storm. The soldiers of Ghost Reef stood firm, as if their feet were anchored in stone, while the wind knocked the aliens back, annihilating the enemy¡¯s forward formations.


    The blast of air wasn¡¯t as devastating as the lightning, but it still mangled the frontline, turning their shields into sails that tossed them into the backlines they intended to protect, which had already become a smoking storm of lightning. They became projectiles themselves and chaos reigned throughout the invading army.


    The lightning was the first to fade, but the Primal Constructs struggled to regroup as they were pummeled by gusts of storm winds, all while Ghost Reef¡¯s army patiently waited for their turn. Charlie¡¯s storm wasn¡¯t finished with just wind and lightning.


    The Primal Constructs were relentless in their own way, never surrendering, even in the face of such disruptive power, and they pressed forward, leaning into the gusts as they returned to their feet, intent on killing the source of the attacks.


    Their persistence was a mistake, for the wall of wind was a mere precursor to the storm of water blades that surfed on the squalls that followed. Clean slices carved through armor and shield equally, the edge of water impossibly sharp. Waves of wind carried the penetrating blades, catching the already pummeled invaders by surprise.


    The dirt was decorated with thin puddles, only as thick as a string, while wide sections of the Primal Constructs disintegrated into mana smoke. At this point of the event, after weeks of additional progression for the human defenders, the invaders were clearly outmatched.


    The whole assault was ending even while the initial blast of thunder still echoed through the cavern. Despite the multi-pronged assault, it all happened in a matter of seconds, mostly caused by the erosion effect in the Underlayer. The pure mana simply didn¡¯t allow for her storm to linger, but that didn¡¯t stop her from dramatically flashing the power of her Aeromancer build.


    Charlie let herself sink toward the ground, letting the others take their turn while using a gentler breeze to control her descent, but Emmanuel caught her before the toes of her boots touched the dirt.


    ¡°That¡¯s my girl!¡± He bellowed while holding her up in the air, proud of literally every action she took, no matter what it was.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Dad!¡± She squeaked as he brought her into an embrace and smothered her. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be cleaning up?¡± She tried to point out, but her voice was muffled by his broad chest.


    ¡°It¡¯s Mr. Gibson¡¯s turn.¡± He stated, understanding her attempt to redirect his attention, his voice so deep it resonated almost as much as her thunder.


    Ghost Reef¡¯s army rushed into the Primal Construct invaders, crossing the no man¡¯s land in bounding dashes, taking advantage of the destruction that Charlie had caused. Gibson¡¯s party cleaved straight through, taking the lead, while Camila rushed to the flank of the control point and disrupted any leftover organization among the metallic aliens. Without a Siege Boss to direct their combination attacks, she was free to roam on her own.


    Meanwhile, the squads of locals they had met from the various settlements enjoyed the spectacle, already knowing that the best thing they could do was stay out of the way. For the most part, they intended to join Ghost Reef after the event concluded, but for the time being, they were escorting them through the continent while learning more about those that had come to help.


    The battle would be done in a matter of minutes, probably even faster than Coop could manage. Though they lacked his mobility, they outnumbered even his phantasms. Still, Charlie and Emmanuel kept an eye on their progress until it was all over. The process of clearing and claiming the control points had become routine in the weeks that they had swept across South America and this settlement would most likely be the last before they reached Antarctica.


    After the first control point was secured, the army reorganized as they sought to meet the inevitable Construct defense in the field before taking the next objective. Charlie was responsible for capturing the first point, so the fact that she was being crowd controlled by her father wasn¡¯t a major problem.


    ¡°Release my daughter, you oaf!¡± Madison cut in, returning from where she was buffing fighters while giving her husband a threatening look.


    He spun, putting Charlie on the opposite side, defensively. ¡°She¡¯s my daughter!¡±


    ¡°Mine too!¡± She played along by dodging back and forth to try and get around the man¡¯s torso. ¡°And it¡¯s my turn to squeeze her.¡± She declared before he ultimately submitted. Charlie accepted their love, feeling lucky that they were together despite the apocalypse. There weren¡¯t many as blessed as she was.


    The next part of the battle would be routine, as the Primal Constructs split their forces in an effort to reclaim the lost point. They basically threw away any advantage they held in numbers by following a procedure that allowed Ghost Reef¡¯s army to take them on in smaller sections. The second point¡¯s army would be wiped out in the field, and the control point would be defended by half as many enemies, then the third point would do the same, and so on, until the objectives were all under human control. Even Charlie could see that the Primal Constructs lacked the in-battle tactical nuance that would be necessary for contending with human armies, relying entirely on their knowledge of the system and numbers to defeat their enemies.


    Once Charlie was firmly on the ground, standing in between her parents inside the first glowing ring, her mother assessed her performance. ¡°You need to tighten up your control of the winds.¡± Her mother observed astutely. ¡°It looked like manifesting the water blades distracted you, and the wind was weaker for it. The currents were already dissipating into the Underlayer before you released the squall.¡±


    Charlie was surprised. ¡°You could tell?¡± She wondered shyly.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Madison nodded. ¡°Though, when I manipulate mana, it¡¯s with only one general affinity, so it¡¯s probably a lot simpler.¡± She added before catching Emmanuel keeping his eyes elsewhere. He couldn¡¯t escape that easily. ¡°What about you? Any advice for your daughter.¡±


    ¡°Nope! She¡¯s flawless.¡± He declared, squeezing her beneath his arm. It was pretty clear he hadn¡¯t developed his insight into mana nearly as much as either of the women in his life.


    Madison shook her head, smiling dangerously. ¡°You should come to Olani¡¯s class when she gets them started. You¡¯ll probably learn something.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s gonna conflict with leg day with the boys.¡± Emmanuel pointed out. ¡°We¡¯re also exploring how to manipulate mana, you know, but it¡¯s mostly an internal thing when we do it.¡± He added after his wife seemed disappointed. As if to prove the usefulness of his exercise, he flipped his weapon onto his shoulder, flexing, while lifting the Unique Gravity Warstaff with ease, despite the fact that it weighed tons.


    His new weapon was the most recent unique crafted item created by Garod. Unlike Charlie¡¯s Storm Staff, which used three individual relics: the Tear of the Sea from the Sapphire Armada¡¯s surrender, the Charged Heartwood used to create Kukulkan¡¯s domain, and the Seed of Wind that was being held by the Avatar of Huracan, his weapon only needed the Speck of Collapsed Star that Coop took from the Void Queen in the Yucatan. Apparently, a relic of that particular affinity was far more difficult to find than any of the other three, but Coop was just dumping such things on his crafters, directing them to make this and that without any care in the world.


    As a result, the residents of Ghost Reef were gradually increasing their advantages, not only in areas of combat prowess and levels, but also in their equipment. Unique items were wielded by more than a dozen individuals already, and more were on the way.


    Emmanuel¡¯s Warstaff was basically a pitch black barbell, lacking the runed embellishments that Charlie¡¯s staff had carved along its surface, but he could freely manipulate his weapon, so long as his Strength held out. Whenever it was his turn to defeat a Siege Boss, he increased the length so that it was like he was wielding a fully grown palm tree, and added to its weight so that it was like swinging a school bus. Even the most massive monsters in the event couldn¡¯t handle it, but Emmanuel¡¯s internal manipulation of mana and free control over gravity meant that it was the perfect weapon for him.


    It seemed like there were two schools of magic forming as the residents of Ghost Reef better understood their affinities with mana. Charlie and her father represented examples of each type: internal and external control.


    Madison continued playfully reprimanding her husband. ¡°There¡¯s still so much about mana that we need to study and you¡¯re distracting our foremost researchers? Have you at least seen the updated Affinity Chart that the Cleary Brothers made?¡±


    Emmanuel chuckled. ¡°When they showed it to me, Tiny was still calling it a cosmetology chart and Junior had to explain to him the difference between cosmology and cosmetology. Apparently, the middle brother was the one prepping to teach Elly about makeup.¡±


    Madison laughed and shared a look with Emmanuel before they both gazed at Charlie with a nostalgic look. Charlie knew they were thinking about some embarrassing story, so she tried to keep them from going down memory lane. ¡°What does it look like now?¡± She prompted.


    Madison chuckled knowingly before going along with Charlie¡¯s effort. ¡°They put Mists in the middle this time.¡± She stated.


    ¡°Really? Don¡¯t they look up to Coop a little too much?¡± Charlie wondered. The Cleary Brothers were practically addicted to the leaderboards and had become Coop¡¯s biggest fanboys.


    ¡°Maybe. But it actually works.¡± Madison responded. ¡°Plus, Coop¡¯s affinity isn¡¯t mists, it¡¯s Spectral, which they shifted into the first ring on the Death side.¡±


    She drew a picture in the dirt to display the major Affinity Families as defined by humans. She paired the opposites, starting with Stellar on top and Void on the bottom. Then, she placed Chaos top left and added Order to the bottom right, followed by Life top right and Death on the bottom left. The last to be added were Infernal on the middle left and Divine on the middle right. As Charlie understood it, the last two were only included in the previous iteration and were the most speculative of the bunch, but now with Mists in the middle of the whole chart, it seemed like they were satisfied with how it balanced out.


    The process of building the chart had been a lot like deciding what color to paint a room by taping color swatches to the walls. A lot of it was just based on how various residents felt once they saw the chart come together. It was mostly for fun, and it got most of the settlement¡¯s residents involved, but it did have the potential to reveal more about humanity¡¯s ability to connect with mana and the interactions between affinities. Why did certain combinations magnify each other and why did some fuse together? The affinity chart had been a conversation starter for several weeks already.


    Though the drawing in the dirt lacked the colors of the real example, Charlie knew they were also being incorporated into the charts. The whole idea had been based on the color wheel, after all. Starting with red for Infernal and moving clockwise, they had red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple for Void, and black for Death.


    ¡°Where do your affinities go?¡± Charlie wondered. Both of her parents had relatively difficult to assign connections with mana, though the actual themes were pretty clear. Madison¡¯s Graceful Affinity was clearly Divine, and Emmanuel¡¯s Massive Affinity was almost entirely based on manipulation of Gravity through mass.


    ¡°Divine.¡± Madison answered confidently, confirming Charlie¡¯s assumption.


    Emmanuel shrugged. ¡°Probably Stellar, but maybe Void. They haven¡¯t decided where Gravity would go.¡±


    ¡°But those are complete opposites?¡± Charlie questioned the options he presented. Stellar was usually reserved for the Sun, Moon, and Star types in the previous iterations of the chart.


    Madison nodded. ¡°It¡¯s probably close to the middle. There¡¯s a bunch like that. If I recall correctly, Pestilence was another Affinity that might be Life or Death related and made things confusing, and it¡¯s why they gave up adding Light at all, finding various people that had light-based affinities that could fit all over the chart. The survey of the residents had almost 4,000 unique Affinities and they don¡¯t even know if the basic shape makes sense to demonstrate the relationships, so there¡¯s bound to be patterns we don¡¯t see yet.¡±


    Charlie¡¯s original Affinities had combined into a single Storm Affinity, but before that would have represented adjacent layers within the Chaos section and were the basis of the elemental assignments in that section of the chart. The separation of rain and water had been the cause of one of the previous evolutions to the chart. But even with just a single affinity, she didn¡¯t think she had necessarily lost her original connections to the different types of mana either. It was more like the advancement was a blanket that broadly held rain, wind, and lightning all at once. Assigning it an individual position in the chart didn¡¯t seem like it would work to completely explain her affinity.


    Then again, to make it all the more confusing, it was all the same mana. Charlie imagined the affinities like socket types, where Storm Affinity was compatible with several types of plugs, others would have to connect in different ways to the same network of energy and could therefore be more limited or less efficient in drawing the mana to their type.


    ¡°I think unraveling all of this stuff is gonna take a lot of time.¡± Charlie concluded.


    Meanwhile, the second control point was starting to transition to human control. The objective that she and her parents were claiming was just about to finish, so they prepared to rejoin the others for the third point.


    ¡°Are we going home after this?¡± She asked.


    Madison shook her head. ¡°We¡¯re going to press on. Even if we don¡¯t find more settlements, it¡¯ll help Amanda map out the Underlayer if we know how far south the tunnels go.¡±


    Charlie sighed, disappointed they wouldn¡¯t head back to Ghost Reef early. Being away from home was hard, and the island had become their home.

 Chapter 292: Inquisitor of the Deep

    Coop thought that it was about time to wrap things up in the Underlayer. Sure, there were still officially three weeks remaining in the duration of the event, but the Primal Constructs simply weren¡¯t up to the task of maintaining their invasion, and not just because of his personal growth. Several other forces of humans had proven they were capable of stemming the tide against their would-be alien conquerors as well.


    Many of those that managed to access the Underlayer had entered the underground prepared to grapple with whatever challenges they faced, already hardened by their experiences during the assimilation. They contended with the escalation in power allowed by the system and defeated the pinnacle of strength for the invaders in the enormous Prime Construct Siege Bosses. Most of the human armies were well on their way to securing their objectives with or without the contributions of the Champion of Ghost Reef, and if they weren¡¯t, they were considering other ways of maximizing their survival.


    While Coop had individually sought to rise against the invaders and prove that Earth would be an independent planet that didn¡¯t need outside factions, it turned out that the rest of humanity had something to say on the matter as well. All across the world, people were maintaining pockets of resistance, refusing to be defeated.


    Coop¡¯s efforts may not have been the main factor in their ultimate success, but he had become the catalyst for avoiding any unnecessary sacrifice specifically demanded by the Underlayer Event. Calculating exactly how many people survived to fight another day due to his efforts would be a difficult, if not impossible, task. Plenty of those who had entered the Underlayer were able to avoid the open-field battles in the dirt, and even more people would be safer afterwards, when their settlements wouldn¡¯t have to contend with fortified Constructs within their territory.


    The largest collections of people who were gathering within tamed civilization shard territory and forming alliances were the most obvious, but smaller groups were almost certainly making their stands in the wild as well. They also benefited from the timely prevention of more Primal Construct development on the surface.


    Coop¡¯s efforts had undoubtedly resulted in worthy results for the broader coalition of ¡®team humanity.¡¯ Whether or not it was entirely recognized by all of the beneficiaries was up in the air, but as far as he was concerned, that was barely a secondary goal.


    His personal progression, on the other hand, spoke for itself.


    [Status]


    HP - 28875/28875


    MP - 55250/55250


    Class - Revenant (Level 462)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 181)


    Affinity - Spectral, Abyssal


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - The Lighthouse


    Strength - 125 (+5525)


    Agility - 125 (+2762)


    Body - 125 (+2762)


    Mind - 4420 (+1105)


    Intelligence - 125 (+5525)


    Acumen - 125 (+2762)


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion IV, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper II, Slayer XI, Dauntless, Stacked, Defiant, Siegebreaker, Mindbender, Valor XXIV, Dedicated, Dynamo


    Skills (Active) - Mistwalking


    Skills (Passive) - Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension, Clarity of Purpose, Reverence (Rank 9)


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (22/50), Upgrade City to Metropolis


    Basic Credits - 15,111,836


    His stat totals, class level, and resource pools were practically unrecognizable compared to what they were at the start of the Underlayer Event. The amount of experience he had gained was truly astounding. Coop paused in between mistjumps to shake his head at his level in particular.


    It was Day 149. There was no point in considering standard leveling curves anymore. The main race was against the full activation of mana anyway.


    He looked up, imagining integrated members of the galactic community looking down through the vaporous underground sky. Would they start to feel nervous at some point? The assimilation was meant to last another 40,000 days. He chuckled at the notion before continuing his journey.


    He wasn¡¯t sure what he really expected when he decided to try and save the world, but considering the sheer number of kills he had accumulated across almost 300 control points, he thought he¡¯d contributed quite a bit, and he had gained over 200 levels to show for it.


    Since there was no loot to be found in the Underlayer, the only other change had been to the ranks of Reverence he had gathered over time. Previously, Rank 8 had designated him a ¡®Fanatic of the Deep Dweller¡¯ and Rank 9 upgraded his position to ¡®Inquisitor of the Deep.¡¯


    Every rank had a cultish feel, calling him a Supplicant or a Hound of the Deep Dweller, making it seem as though his Dedication skill ups were the work of obsession toward Sethrak. However, being designated Inquisitor was the first time it seemed to be recognizing his own autonomy. All the other ranks had been representative of increasingly fervent allegiance.


    Coop hummed at the change. Maybe he was turning a corner with his connection to the Abyss. Surely, whatever it was culminating into would be revealed in one or two more ranks. The dedications couldn¡¯t just level up forever.


    ¡°Right?¡± He asked himself, actually a bit unsure.


    Coop put his doubts aside, confident that something had to happen, though he was a little scared that if nothing happened at Rank 10 or 11 he really would be caught in a trap. The question he chose to focus on was where the path he was forging would take him. At this point it felt like as long as he was a Revenant and a Mistwalker, he couldn¡¯t go wrong.


    He had already grown accustomed to the dark wisps of Abyssal mana that accompanied his familiar skills, but once they had reached approximately 50% of his manifestations, around Rank 6 of Reverence, they stopped increasing. The forces of Spectral mana and Abyssal had found an equilibrium where they were balanced against each other.


    It was a pretty minor aesthetic change, all things considered. The dark wisps lended his haunting presence an additional depth, adding an inscrutable darkness to the ethereal mists, but ultimately he was the same ghostly gladiator when fully equipped. He figured diversification of his damage profile wouldn¡¯t be a bad thing, considering passive defenses, and the same went for his own protection, but the Primal Constructs weren¡¯t opponents that demanded that level of scrutiny. Certainly, the Path of the Abyss had more to it than the presence of a raw affinity, but he had yet to penetrate the surface.


    All he could do was keep going. Of course, putting his head down and grinding it out was what he was going to do anyway, so his plans didn¡¯t change. He teleported to his spear, catching and sighing to himself as he stepped forward, exiting the mists as smoothly as the phantasms that lived in the world of mana. He unconsciously sounded like an overworked salaryman, going through the motions.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Coop had been pushing a thought into the back of his mind, but as the end of his journey through the Underlayer approached, it bubbled back up to the surface, more insistent than ever.


    He was tired.


    The promise of the ultimate grind had kept him going, fueling his hunger for progression, but the end was in sight and he just wanted to lay down in the shade of a palm tree and listen to the waves while he slept. Optional or not, he was ready for a break.


    He shook it off, launching his spear into the distance with a grunt. ¡°Let¡¯s finish strong.¡± He muttered to himself as he watched the missile blast through the Underlayer. He still had a couple more continents to visit, even if they only had a few more settlements with active invasions.


    Coop flickered through the plains, reappearing through bursts of mists as he caught the flying spear and landed in the dirt. He was firmly back on the treadmill, stuck with his own thoughts. He was traveling across what promised to be the longest and most boring leg of his journey so far.


    Unlike the previous unexplored sections of the world, there would be fewer chances to grind and progress in this section, though the region seemed like it would be less lonely than normal. Even after he had crossed miles of empty dirt, he was continuing to find the roaming cavalry bands of the Grand Horde as they finished off the weakest invasions in the event, or foot soldier sentries diligently protecting already captured control points.


    The problem for Coop was that they had already destroyed all of the Primal Constructs. Just about every settlement in Asia was secured by the gigantic nomadic army that roamed across the continent on the surface. They had entered the Underlayer with a massive show of force, exercising that strength before he arrived. The settlements that weren¡¯t cleared by the Grand Horde were apparently far away. Unfortunately, Coop had a long journey ahead of him.


    He gazed forward with weary acceptance as the path extended into the distance, far beyond the horizon. No matter what, he couldn¡¯t be too annoyed about the complete lack of action. Every settlement in the region had a Challenge Assessment of x1. That meant that even if there were monsters for him to destroy, they would have barely whet his appetite. All together, they might have accounted for one or two more levels. Thankfully, the few shards they hadn¡¯t cleared were the largest settlements on the planet, so Coop had something to look forward to once he reached the independent shards in Vietnam, Korea, and after he moved on, to Japan.


    ¡°A light at the end of the tunnel.¡± Coop comforted himself with the thought.


    He left his meeting with the Great Khan of the Grand Horde with mixed feelings. Coop had intended to make a name for himself and Ghost Reef within the Underlayer, using the event to lay the foundation for his diplomats to make inroads with whoever he met, but when it came to the Grand Horde, he never had the opportunity.


    Poor Marcus would have way more work than he ever dreamed of, since Coop was circumnavigating the entire globe. Coop shook his head, amused by the idea. Even with Coop¡¯s unrefined manner, he had opened doors across the world for his Viceroy and the other diplomats.


    But before he had even met the largest force in Asia, they were ready to join him and support his causes. While it was mostly a blessing, Coop couldn¡¯t help but feel like it was too easy. So instead of inviting them to join the Lighthouse immediately, for the first time since he started recruiting, he tried to dissuade some potential allies a bit. Instead, he suggested that the Great Khan join the big continental meeting in the Heartland first.


    It wasn¡¯t that he would bar them from joining the human faction, it was just that he felt more comfortable giving his advisors a chance to fulfill their roles before taking such a major action. While the Great Khan had put on a masterclass of diplomatic courtesy, Coop was too straightforward to be coaxed in such subtle ways. He was still primarily thinking about his island, his companions, and his levels.


    In this case, Coop expected Arthur and his rogues to delve into the structure of the Grand Horde and make sure nothing was amiss. Coop had no real reason to be suspicious after enjoying the friendly meeting, but it was better to be safe than sorry.


    One of his main sources of concern was the regional conflict that was occurring between the Grand Horde and the Abundant Grasp. He needed to know more about the dynamics on the surface, outside of the underground, and his Intelligence Advisor would be perfect to analyze the situation.


    By allowing the Grand Horde into Ghost Reef, Coop was effectively putting himself in opposition to a group he had never met and knew nothing but rumors about. It was a step more sudden than fighting against the Chosen of the Endless Empire in their civil war since he had no personal experience with anyone involved in the conflict that existed in South Asia.


    The alien faction of the Abundant Grasp, whose Chosen had successfully formed a foothold on Earth through a similar early strategy to that of the Endless Empire, had never made contact with Ghost Reef. They hadn¡¯t proven to be a threat to his island. Coop didn¡¯t like the idea of putting all of his weight on one side of a conflict prematurely. He might capsize the boat without realizing what he was doing, ultimately making the situation worse.


    The Great Khan had expressed his interest in moving the entire Grand Horde to Ghost Reef, which, ignoring the logistical issues, was also a bit sudden. One tea date, no matter how much courtesy was involved, wasn¡¯t enough to convince Coop to move in together.


    He had to consider the power vacuum that would suddenly exist across Asia. Who would fill it? Other than the Primal Constructs, there was only one option; the Abundant Grasp. Would he be making another formidable enemy? Removing the Grand Horde from Asia would grant the Chosen of another alien faction massive amounts of territory and potentially over 100 additional civilization shards. Honestly, that much presence might put the Abundant Grasp on par with the Primal Constructs in terms of control over the planet. One alien faction claiming any portion of Earth was already too much, in his mind.


    Still he didn¡¯t want to just annihilate them before getting more information. Coop had no inclination to work with any factions within the galactic community, but he believed it was possible for any Chosen to be redeemable. His experiences had led him to understand that, most of the time, individuals were influenced by larger groups, and were naturally more concerned about their immediate survival rather than the battle for Earth itself.


    Unfortunately, he wouldn¡¯t have the chance to meet any representatives of the Abundant Grasp any time soon, as they hadn¡¯t entered the Underlayer at all. Everything he knew about them came from the Great Khan and testimonials from individuals that had left their territories in favor of joining the Horde. The Warlord didn¡¯t have anything positive to say about them, and neither did the soldiers. Still, Coop saw it as asking the lion about the hyena.


    When tasked with describing the Abundant Grasp, the Khan painted a picture of fortified settlements built upon a strictly stratified community. Joining the faction was restricted only to those they deemed truly worthy, as becoming an Initiate member elevated anyone who held the designation into the uppermost layer of their fledgling society.


    Everyone else within their territory was denied access to the safety of their settlements, instead forced to work or fight for the chance to become true residents. Achievements would effectively grant them citizenship, and to Coop¡¯s surprise, despite outnumbering the Chosen thousands of times over, the people went along with this restrictive system.


    Coop hated it. The whole stratification was antithetical to his own beliefs and the principles that Ghost Reef was built upon. It definitely sounded bad, but this was all information coming from the people they were at war with.


    The alien sponsors of the Abundant Grasp had given their Chosen specific instructions that revealed them to be a slightly less zealous faction than many of the others Coop had dealt with before. While they blitzed across portions of South Asia in the early days, claiming as many civilizations shards as possible, they didn¡¯t continue expanding with the goal of world domination after the first settlement event. Instead, the claimed settlements were bracing for the long haul.


    The Abundant Grasp was apparently satisfied with taking as big a piece of the pie as possible, rather than demanding the entire plate. That seemed more reasonable to Coop, not that he would allow any factions other than his own to exist on the planet in the long run. Maybe their members could be negotiated with, at least. The question was how much the faction had influenced the humans and how much human influence had bled into their actions.


    The Great Khan had given him a lot to think about, and unfortunately, not a lot else to do. The Grand Horde had two expressly defined goals and both had been accomplished with plenty of time to spare.


    Maintaining the security of their vast Empire by defeating the Primal Construct invaders that assaulted their own shards was their first mission because protecting the supply lines represented in each of their settlements was a top priority. Obviously, the task had gone well. If it hadn¡¯t, Coop would be having more fun instead of being stuck glumly traveling through a barren underground.


    Seeing how easily they could defeat the smaller invasions, they swept through the Abundant Grasp¡¯s objectives as well. In doing so, they denied their regional rivals some valuable experience and claimed it for themselves, but they also made it so Coop had to go all the way to Vietnam before he could see any opponents to fight.


    The other mission of the Grand Horde was to have the Great Khan meet with the Champion of the Unchosen. Once they caught wind of his exact location, after he was discovered by Wangmo Thaye, they spared no effort in forcing a meeting. It seemed like every member of the enormous empire was prepared to get involved in making sure their Great Khan¡¯s wishes were made possible. Their thought process was that if their leader wanted to meet Coop, then they would meet.


    And now, with both missions accomplished, their neighbors were left waiting. Rather than providing aid themselves, Coop had taken on the task, openly volunteering to take care of the rest. He expected that relieving Can Gio, Gangcheon, and Shinjuku Gardens would be the last bits of action before he took a well-earned rest.

 Chapter 293: Super

    ¡°Super¡± Siwarak Supitaya was doing his best to keep busy. He was resting after a set of 1,000 crunches, just laying in the endless dirt, watching his chest rise and fall as he caught his breath. His pair of shadow companions mirrored his actions at his side, despite being unreal manifestations of himself. They weren¡¯t really tired. The act of imitation was meant to make fun of him for even being able to feel exhaustion.


    He ignored them, as usual, instead staring at the ceiling while his breath slowed. The vapor high in the sky slowly drifted across the spacious caverns, giving him the sense that he was situated on the bottom of a massive lazy river, gazing up at the surface. The shadow companion on his left bent one leg and rested his other ankle over it, bouncing his raised foot impatiently, while the shadow on his right put both hands behind his head and silently pretended to snore.


    Super¡¯s experience with Settlement Events was that they were full of downtime. The Siege Event left days between waves for everyone on the planet except Ghost Reef, and the Underlayer Event was similar, except humans were in control of the timing of the battles. During the assimilation, they were periodically stuck within mana domes, forced to play to the beat of the system. Super had decided that, more than anything, the events demanded patience. It was a virtue his clones didn¡¯t have.


    Super tried not to waste the downtime, continuing the same bodyweight exercises he practiced before the assimilation, but multiplied beyond his previous limits. Off in the distance, over a million Elite Primal Constructs stood around like metal soldiers on duty, ignoring his presence so long as he didn¡¯t get any closer. Only the raid bosses shuffled around, catching the omnipresent light on their smooth surfaces and reflecting it across the Underlayer. The largest of them all, a Prime Construct, basically stared him and his clones down, daring them to draw a bit closer.


    When Super lifted his head, it was there like always, monitoring the closest potential enemy as if a single human was a threat to the massive Siege Boss. Super scowled at the towering being, though he didn¡¯t do more than that, staying on his back on the ground. He knew he couldn¡¯t do anything about his audience, forced to simply bide his time. His clones gestured rudely at the alien invader on his behalf.


    Super let his head drop back to the dirt. ¡°Just wait. We won¡¯t let you aliens have your way.¡± He threatened, still defiant despite the creeping feeling of helplessness that developed as time went by.


    Three other control points were set up in the same manner, with a single lookout making sure no new developments caught the locals by surprise. It was tedious work, like being a night shift security guard for a particularly uninteresting building.


    The small army of people who had entered the Underlayer with Super were set up around their connection to the surface, a full 10 miles away from the fortresses of the invaders. They formed an encampment at the bottom of the chasm they used to access the underground, more confident in their ability to secure their position than claim any new ones.


    In the meantime, the Primal Constructs did nothing but wait. For them, this part of the event was obviously not meant to be the main activity. This was their staging area. They had their sights set on the surface.


    He¡¯d love to take another shot at destroying the invaders before they had a chance to reach their goal, but his instructor had relayed the mission to hold off until the Grand Horde joined them. The scouts of the well-known cavalry army carried a message that promised reinforcement in the defense of Can Gio early in the event, but they still hadn¡¯t shown up. It had already been weeks and Super suspected they would need to save themselves, but the leaders of his settlement were far more patient than he and his clones were.


    Super took a deep breath and sighed with dissatisfaction, forcing himself to relax before he started his next set of exercises. Can Gio was one of the largest settlements on the planet, but they still needed reinforcements. The feeling of powerlessness that permeated his thoughts was discouraging, but as long as he was alive, at least he could seek to do something about it.


    Besides, the Underlayer Event was a rare chance for the two divergent forces to properly cooperate. Can Gio may have been one of the largest settlements, but the Grand Horde was an even larger empire. He doubted any could compare to them.


    The thick jungles of Can Gio¡¯s territory were not conducive to the Grand Horde¡¯s structure, but the same was true for the commandos of Can Gio should they venture further into the interior of the continent. In a short time, each civilization had specialized based on their environments. The lack of territorial competition between the two made them natural compatriots, especially against their common enemies.


    Super was merely a scout and sentry for the Vietnamese mega settlement, though he was originally from Thailand. Like most of the survivors from Mainland Southeast Asia, he had ended up in the expansive mangrove treefort city. Before the settlement territory reached his community, he was constantly hounded by countless Primal Constructs. Thankfully, Can Gio had grown rapidly because its initial population of both human and animal residents was quite large.


    Training out in the wilds was certainly valuable, but anyone who properly conditioned themselves recognized that rest was equally important. Repeated fights were already pushing Super beyond his limits before he connected with Can Gio. As much as he wanted to develop his powers, he wanted to survive even more, so he was easily recruited by their scouts. The settlement had become a haven.


    The southernmost district of Ho Chi Minh managed to protect a civilization shard, forming a stronghold that was hidden among its countless winding rivers. They used the territory in its immediate vicinity to develop a sprawling network of dwellings. People from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, the Malaysian Peninsula, and as far as Southern China all found safety among the local militia. However, the normally reliable Vietnamese commando teams weren¡¯t built for offensive actions.


    On the surface, they relied on camouflage, ambushes, and traps. They were extremely successful in securing hundreds of miles of their territory with concealed or stealth actions on the Primal Constructs. Unfortunately, an open field assault on entrenched positions just wasn¡¯t playing to their strengths. That¡¯s why they were waiting for reinforcements from their closest, and only, ally.


    He shook his head, wishing it were possible to grow strong enough to not need help. He thought the system was unfair, springing the assimilation on them with no warning. If they had explained the rules before the assimilation began, he was sure humans would be in a much better position, but it seemed like they were meant to start with a handicap.


    Super rolled over and started a set of 1,000 push ups, trying to sweat the frustrated feelings away. Thanks to mana, training was much easier these days compared to before. The intensity of his workouts had vastly increased, but his recovery times were practically nonexistent. When he was a motorcycle courier in Bangkok, aspiring to become a professional Muay Thai fighter, he could never do a thousands reps of any basic exercise at the gym the way he knocked them out now.


    His shadow companions continued to taunt him, one performing one-armed push ups while the other exercised at twice his speed, trying to double his count before he finished. They didn¡¯t seem to understand that they were merely passive skills to his build. Super refused to give them the attention they wanted so badly.


    Fight, exercise, rest, repeat. That was life now. A vacation meant being left behind, and being left behind meant a higher risk of death. More than anything, Super wanted to live, but paradoxically, that meant constantly risking his life by fighting alien invaders.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    People like Super, who roamed throughout the territory, were better equipped for offensive actions than the main commando teams, but too few had similar skills in Can Gio. If not for the Grand Horde¡¯s willingness to support their territory, all but the most loyal residents would have already been seeking alternatives to avoid an open field battle within the Underlayer.


    Coincidentally, joining the Grand Horde was the most popular plan of collective action, but the leaders of Can Gio valued their independence to a substantial degree. They left being absorbed as a last resort, though they had accepted one of the Grand Horde¡¯s settlements as their subordinate shard in order to upgrade the city. The way Super saw it, they were already so closely aligned, they might as well have been a part of the same group. Together, it may have seemed like they covered clear weaknesses of the other, but really they had adapted for completely different roles.


    Super wasn¡¯t so educated to truly understand all of the historical, political, geographic, and cultural reasons for Can Gio¡¯s commitment to independence, but he understood that their values of self-determination, resilience, and pride were major factors toward the success of the settlement in the first place. The region was close to being completely lost to the alien invaders, but their refusal to pick up and move was the reason it wasn¡¯t.


    They had kept their community open for people like him, so he didn¡¯t mind supporting their efforts with his shadow striking abilities. The towering mangrove jungle had become as much of a home as he ever had before.


    Can Gio¡¯s sprawling mangrove forest and intricate waterways housed over ten million humans and a multiple more if including the animals, expanding across a hundred miles of hidden coast. The lush mangrove forest was full of small collective abodes and hidden treehouses.


    Super shared his own elevated camp, hidden in a wide fork of branches high above the ground, with a family of colorful kingfishers. The cheeky armies of macaques that truly owned the forest often teased crocodiles in the river he used to access his spot, and they were so diligent about defeating the Primal Constructs, Super had never seen a single alien variant within the mangroves.


    He was sure that his tiny claim on the territory was safe while he was underground because of the miles and miles of twisted roots and confusing waterways filled to the brim with protective wildlife. It wasn¡¯t a place that any type of invader could easily penetrate; all the more reason to make sure the Primal Constructs didn¡¯t get any free fortresses through the Underlayer Event.


    As Super worked toward completing his 1,000 push ups, reiterating his resolve to defeat the conquerors that were staged beneath his current home, he thought he felt the ground shake. In the corner of his eye, he noticed the Prime Construct Siege Boss shifting its body away from his spot in the dirt, and he stopped his exercise to observe. Both of his clones did the same.


    Super was still on his hands and knees when the Siege Boss had its entire head blasted by what seemed like an invisible force of pure, unadultured momentum. Metal shrapnel blasted across the Construct army, catching them by surprise as much as he was. The metal soldiers staggered as debris smashed into them.


    Super was shifting his weight so that he was sitting on his feet, just in time for tiny motes of energy to start popping up all around him. He flinched, trying to avoid the balls of energy as they manifested right before his eyes. They emerged from the dirt and coalesced out of thin air as mana was gathered from all across the sector of the underground around the Primal Construct¡¯s control point.


    ¡°What are these?¡± Super mumbled, distracted by the developing light show.


    Confusingly, both of his permanent companions disappeared before he could look at them, unable to answer the question even if they hadn¡¯t. He frowned, trying to understand what was happening.


    Following one of the motes with his eyes, he watched it twirl through the sky on a roundabout path, spinning as it picked up speed and was drawn toward the air above the Primal Construct fortress. In moments, the otherwise completely empty plains revealed thousands upon thousands of the tiny fragments of glowing energy, all being attracted to a single spot over the panicked army of alien invaders.


    The aliens were discombobulated by the sudden demise of their foremost defender, struggling to reorganize themselves in the single second that had passed after the abrupt attack.


    Super, equally confused, tried to assess the battleground. His eyes immediately went to the center of the vortex of energy motes, and realized a lone figure was looking down on the monsters, hovering in the air with both arms raised above his head. Beyond the figure¡¯s open palms, the motes were coalescing into a rapidly growing ball of energy. The man at the center of it all had his hair whipping in the wind, rising straight up as he accumulated an unbelievable amount of power in such a sudden fashion.


    Even Super felt like he was standing at the precipice, approximately a mile away from the freshly chaotic battlefield. The stranger had gathered such an incredible amount of energy in such an abrupt manner, Super barely had time to form a coherent thought.


    The aura of the man was growing brighter and more intense with every speck drawn in. The air began crackling as mana raced into the glowing sphere of power at ever increasing speeds. The ground vibrated as if barely resisting the gravity of the man and his mana bomb.


    Then, after what seemed like an eternity, but was maybe ten whole seconds, the figure unleashed his attack with a roar that barely reached Super¡¯s ears. The massive glowing mana bomb smoothly sank down from his hands, moving with a deceptive slowness that made it seem delicate while simultaneously evaporating every Primal Construct that was even near its path.


    The light was so bright, Super had to shield his eyes to avoid being blinded before the bomb touched the ground. Even from as far away as he was, it felt like he was standing at the edge of a collision between heavenly bodies. Heat wafted across the Underlayer in a wave, a mere preview of what was to come.


    When the bomb finally sank into the ground, it caused a cataclysmic explosion that sent shockwaves of dirt rippling across the staging area of the Primal Constructs. Super was in the process of rising to his feet, but the ground shook so that he stumbled back to his hands and knees, and he had to lift his forearm to shield his face from the debris that flew through the air. Dirt, mixed with bits of disintegrating Primal Constructs, bounced against his skin.


    First the heated wind had blasted into him, forcing him away from the explosion. He barely avoided rolling through the dirt like a tumbleweed. Then, the actual explosion shook the world, making him fall. Afterwards, the direction of the air pressure abruptly switched, and he dug his hands into the dirt to avoid being blown into the battlefield.


    Super¡¯s only thought was that he needed to send his clones back to warn his instructor, but it was obviously way too late. They had no business lingering within the Underlayer. A greater force than the Primal Constructs had arrived, and it was horrifying. They would be lucky to avoid being swept up in the destruction.


    After the explosion, which somehow felt as though it lasted longer than the buildup, everything had grown silent, and even Super held his breath, still on his knees, not wanting to be the one to disturb the moment of peace. His visibility was reduced to a few feet as clouds of dust and mana slowly settled back to the ground.


    He gasped as a figure appeared in front of him as if it had manifested out of thin air. It was undoubtedly the culprit of the attack. He trembled as he realized he had inadvertently attracted its attention. Before he had the chance to beg for his life, the man spoke to him directly.


    ¡°Hey bro, you good?¡± The stranger tilted his head, but Super couldn¡¯t respond. The man shrugged at his silence before continuing. ¡°Sorry to interrupt your workout, but could you move into that control point over there?¡± The man asked as if he was someone that could be denied. ¡°I¡¯m gonna keep it moving, so I¡¯ll leave the rest to you.¡±


    Super had a blank look on his face as he sat back on his feet for the second time. He was turning the man¡¯s words over in his head. He said sorry? Why? He could do whatever he wanted. And leave the rest to him? Before Super could muster a stuttering response, the man vanished into the clouds of mana.


    As the atmosphere settled, Super finally witnessed the aftermath of the mana bomb¡¯s destructive power. The once mighty enemy army was gone, their fortress turned to dust, and the land they had claimed for their stronghold was completely charred, forming a massive shallow bowl. An empty ring representing the control point was all that remained of the previous daunting invasion. In the distance, the other three objectives were displaying various shades of blue that he might have noticed in between exercises if he had made it that far.


    Super, still in shock, staggered to his feet and trudged toward the control point, somehow feeling too exhausted to finish his workout. He¡¯d just sit and have a think instead. As he went, one of his clones stuck its head out of his shadow, as if checking if the coast was clear for both manifestations. Super couldn¡¯t even be mad.

 Chapter 294: Turmoil in Gangcheon

    Cho Sang-hoon was having trouble tamping down on his concerns as time went on. The turmoil in Gangcheon had been escalating for a long time, and to make matters worse, the Underlayer Event was a total disaster.


    They barely made any progress beyond their initial probes on the Primal Constructs. After their failed assault on the Siege Boss, they had been unable to properly regroup. Different factions within the settlement, organized into companies, challenged their strategy and demanded accountability while avoiding any commitments themselves. Something had to give.


    Despite being the global leader, the many internal organizations within the city had been slowly degrading the overall position of the settlement through their own selfish pursuits. Inter-company competition was an addiction that they hadn¡¯t been able to escape, even after the shuffle caused by the apocalypse. Their superficial inclinations for wealth and rank had resulted in all of the old corporate style underhanded tactics that would have been better left behind.


    If asked to help save the settlement, the question was always ¡®What¡¯s in it for us?¡¯ They only wanted to know about how they would profit, as if survival was a secondary consideration. Obsessive selfishness, driven by greed and vanity, threatened to drag them all into oblivion.


    The rankers thwarted each other instead of cooperating, unnecessarily ceding ground to the Primal Constructs while seeking accolades for their own companies rather than considering the settlement as a whole. It had become impossible to rely on anyone for important tasks such that delegation became completely impractical. Thus, even with a massive settlement, they could not pursue opportunities that couldn¡¯t be handled in-house. If not for their enormous initial population, they would have been just another settlement that had fallen by the wayside.


    To make matters worse, as their Champion sought to continue upgrading the civilization shard, she had welcomed a subordinate settlement into Gangcheon¡¯s greater territory, but that subordinate was under the complete control of an alien faction. They had no loyalty to the human race, seeing themselves as a step above. They proudly represented an external force that existed among the stars. Despite joining with the larger settlement, they never saw themselves as inferior, maintaining a facade of power that baffled until it became a real threat.


    The Knights of Time sought world domination and had been gradually expanding their influence over Gangcheon as whole, riling up various companies of residents into a vaguely nationalistic frenzy to suit their needs. They suggested that the future global capital had to be in Korea and it would become a hub for not just the world, but the galaxy as a whole.


    The subordinate shard was weak, but their convictions were not, and it had been a festering problem that the Champion¡¯s company recognized would have to be addressed sooner rather than later. In the days before the Settlement Event, it was increasingly common to see groups with the belt and sash combination representing the Knights among the residents while walking through the glowing streets of their city, as if they were converting citizens to their cause.


    For the most part, the companies that had formed around shared alien factions had behaved the same as any other group. They competed for position, as if seeking to maximize profits in a future integrated Earth. Somehow, it didn¡¯t occur to them that they had to do more in order to survive first. Cho Sang-hoon¡¯s temper boiled over at the thought.


    ¡°Greedy idiots! Money-hungry fools! Agh!¡± Sang-hoon shouted into the Underlayer, letting the stifling dirt absorb his frustration.


    Sang-hoon was a close confidant of the Champion as her senior secretary, and these days, he was the face of the centralized power within Gangcheon. Pressure on Champion Na Ho-jung had become so great, she wasn¡¯t able to move openly for fear of assassination. Instead, he acted on her behalf.


    Sang-hoon was of the opinion that they had to quell the growing insurgency definitively. It was time they made an example of someone, but he wasn¡¯t so brash as to try anything in the weeks before a settlement event. Still, he looked forward to punishing them with his own hand.


    Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t seem as if their internal adversaries had the same qualms as the good Champion. In fact, they waited until the event was actually active to make a dramatic move. Rather than aid in the effort to destroy the Primal Construct armies that sought to conquer their territory from underground, the Knights of Time coalition had sabotaged the most powerful top ranker of the settlement.


    If not for the recovery abilities of mana, Che Min-jun would have died to the Prime Construct Siege Boss, but even with rest, he wouldn¡¯t be the same. His left arm was gone.


    Sang-hoon clenched his fingers into a fist hard enough to feel his bones creak. The actions of the other companies had gone beyond the pale. They had to retaliate. The actions of the Knights of Time couldn¡¯t go unanswered.


    Weeks of recovery hadn¡¯t made Min-jun whole, and according to the man himself, he had a debuff that would last at least another month. He still held hope that afterwards he would recover, but when it came to mana, none of them knew for sure. Meanwhile, the Siege Boss survived their assault, leaving the Primal Constructs in an optimal position in the Underlayer. The invaders had control of all four of the objectives, and Gangcheon lacked the will to properly regroup and try again.


    One way or another, the Underlayer Event felt like it would be a turning point. Sang-hoon hated that it seemed like the tables were turned against them.


    Frustratingly, the Champion¡¯s company couldn¡¯t retaliate on the Knights of Time without risking the entire settlement. Such an overt action would turn the entire settlement against them. The Knights had made enough connections to be able to avoid a decisive surgical strike, and a dozen other neutral companies were waiting for an opportune moment to slide onto the throne. It would trigger a battle royale with control of Korea up in the air if Sang-hoon responded the way he wished.


    He growled at the thought, deciding that he was willing to risk the settlement if it meant getting his hands on the neck of the people responsible for their failed Underlayer expedition.


    However, Champion Ho-jung had directed Sang-hoon to find a way to defeat the Primal Constructs above all else. She didn¡¯t want to allow the settlement to fall into civil war and was biding her time to give an appropriate response. Against his best judgment, Sang-hoon continued to follow her orders. If nothing else, he was a loyal man. A very angry loyal man.


    Sang-hoon had ventured to the nearest settlement, Shinjuku Gardens of Japan, so close that the edge of their territories were pressing against each other, seeking cooperation. When he arrived he only found rabid opposition to his presence. Whatever disease had infected their minds wasn¡¯t the same as the one that existed in Korea, but it was equally destructive. The groups of roaming guards that spat at him just didn¡¯t know it yet.


    Japan had managed to unite itself in solidarity, shielding them from the conflicts that had arisen in Gangcheon, but it was only a matter of time before they recognized the global threat would require expanding that solidarity beyond their own shores. For now, they were obviously too myopic to see.


    ¡°Not that I am in any position to judge.¡± Sang-hoon grumbled, expecting his own settlement to collapse at any second, even if he was the cause.


    Shinjuku Gardens wanted nothing to do with anyone else, and in fact, didn¡¯t seem to want some of their own residents. A stream of people were carrying luggage through the tunnels, heading south as if they had been banished. Sang-hoon had no interest in learning more, wishing the super settlement nothing but the worst as he left.


    He was on his way back to Gangcheon without the reinforcements they had wished for. There was one more spark of hope left, but it was a longshot, in his opinion. Only Champion Ho-jung had ever met the Grand Horde that conquered Asia, using her gift of flight while they sought potential subordinate shards. Sang-hoon could only hope that the Horde was both inside the Underlayer and had been met by the messengers he sent toward their network. Uniting with the Grand Horde was less likely than any other option, but it was worth a shot.


    More than anything, the two civilizations were simply neutral toward each other. The Grand Horde relied on cavalry, and the Korean Peninsula lacked a land bridge to mainland Asia after the activation of mana, so they were conveniently separated. Gangcheon also lacked the internal harmony that would enable them to remain consistent in their relationships with outside forces, so both groups had mostly kept to themselves.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Gangcheon would forever be in debt to the Great Khan if he was willing to aid them in the Underlayer, but it would be worth it to survive this trial and shift their focus back to internal matters. Sang-hoon wasn¡¯t sure how Ho-jung would repay the outsiders for help, but even if it meant passing Gangcheon¡¯s shard over to the Grand Horde, he wouldn¡¯t mind.


    Sang-hoon made peace with the situation, choosing to ignore the possibility that they were on their own in the underground, and happily imagined denying every other company the chance to lead the settlement in favor of letting the Khan take over.


    If they failed to defeat the Primal Constructs in the Underlayer, the Knights of Time would use the disappointment to elevate themselves even further. They advocated for remaining on the surface and meeting the monsters in combat there, and many had politically agreed, hedging their bets more than actually ratifying the plans. The failed expedition into the underground would be used as a cudgel to force Ho-jung to step down even by those who were indifferent to either strategy. Too many believed that chaos was an opportunity to profit.


    To be honest, Sang-hoon thought that if they couldn¡¯t reach the Great Khan and petition him for aid, he and the others might as well not return to the surface at all. Between himself, Ho-jung, and even the one-armed Min-jun, they were all still rankers that would bring value to any settlement. Perhaps they could peddle their skills, turning mercenary for the rest of the assimilation.


    He shouted in frustration, trying to expel the idea of accepting failure from his mind. Making a backup plan was a step too far and it actually disgusted him. He¡¯d rather make those Knights eat their tongues if they spoke out against Champion Ho-jung.


    Sang-hoon watched the horizon as he approached his settlement¡¯s underground staging area, stewing with barely controlled anger. However, his expression changed when he noticed something in the distance. White smoke wafted beyond the shimmering horizon, rousing his suspicion.


    To his surprise, it seemed as though a battle had taken place, and his immediate reaction was abject fear. Had the Knights of Time taken their sabotage a step further? Without himself, their Champion, and Min-jun, the rest of the company was in serious danger of being overrun. The combined strength of rankers from other companies could easily overcome them. He ran the rest of the way, feeling disbelief that open conflict could have been a possibility.


    ¡°Those bastards!¡± He snarled through grinding teeth, terrified of the worst.


    As he drew closer, his fear gradually diminished because he realized the battle had been within the more distant control points and not in the camp at the edge of alien territory. Someone had come from the outside, rather than from Gangcheon itself. Perhaps the Great Khan was more benevolent than he ever imagined and had responded immediately.


    The Primal Constructs were missing from half the objectives, but so was whatever army had engaged with them. That was strange, to say the least.


    ¡°What is going on?¡± He wondered as he finally rejoined the company of trusted allies.


    ¡°Someone must have brought reinforcements back.¡± Little Kwon-yoo answered, obviously taking a guess as if the situation was a completely new development. No matter what, the fact that she was safe was an enormous relief to Sang-hoon.


    ¡°Reinforcements came already?¡± Sang-hoon asked after taking a moment to silently confirm that everyone was accounted for.


    ¡°It¡¯s only been about an hour.¡± Ji Young-woo added, referring to the battle. ¡°But none of our people came back yet. They must have sent the reinforcements ahead.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t want us to help?¡± Sang-hoon continued, feeling disbelief that anyone would be so altruistic. Even the people living in Gangcheon, who would directly benefit from defeating the alien invaders, wouldn¡¯t enter battle without assurances.


    ¡°Never asked.¡± Kwon-yoo stated. ¡°They just started fighting without introducing themselves.¡±


    ¡°Wait. You said it¡¯s only been an hour? And two of the objectives are already clear?¡± Sang-hoon was finally catching up to speed, having been distracted as he arrived by his concerns for their lives. ¡°Is that really possible?¡±


    Before anyone answered, the third control point experienced a shift in color as it was cleared as well. An instant later, they all flinched as the nearest Siege Boss suddenly exploded into shards of metal, utterly decimated by an unseen force. A sonic boom reached them as the much closer fourth control point was suddenly embroiled in combat.


    ¡°Haah? What in the world?¡± Sang-hoon managed to stutter as others cowered behind him. They were close enough to see and hear the battle between Primal Constructs and a single individual, but it went so far against expectations, it had to be an illusion.


    Twin red lasers swept across the Primal Construct army, slicing the Elite monsters in half with pure focused energy, searing them as they were split. Thousands upon thousands were cut down until the mana smoke thickened into a bank of fog. In the center, a man used his eyes to blast raw energy into the invaders for a few seconds, carving burning stains into the Underlayer walls in the distance.


    Sang-hoon¡¯s vision was clouded by the wafting smoke, but the explosions of light and energy that followed were distinct, lighting up the region, and provided substantial evidence of extreme violence. The camp was close enough to feel the power rippling through the thick Underlayer atmosphere and if they looked up into the sky, patterns formed in the vaporous clouds all the way at the ceiling, directly above the smoke, steam, and mists that swallowed up the Constructs.


    ¡°Uncle Sang-hoon? What do we do?¡± Kwon-yoo asked, desperation obvious. They were doing a good job simply by not running for their lives.


    His throat was dry, but the explosion of violence made him hopeful, rather than scared. This was a miracle, a gift, and he wouldn¡¯t look away.


    ¡°Just wait.¡± He responded, voice only slightly shaken. ¡°I think we are saved.¡±


    After the battlefield quieted, a mere quarter of an hour after the red eye beams appeared, they held their breath, but it didn¡¯t take long before the savior of Gangcheon personally greeted them after appearing from the smoke.


    ¡°Yo.¡± He waved at them. ¡°Would y''all mind capturing those control points?¡± He asked, using his thumb to point.


    The silence of the Underlayer thickened.


    ¡°You just gotta stand in them for a while until they turn blue.¡± He explained when no one moved for a moment.


    Sang-hoon coughed, then cleared his throat as he tried to speak and almost choked on his words. ¡°Agh- Ahem! Of course, Master Hero! We will have it done at once!¡± Sang-hoon took the lead, shaking off his awe and sending the undersecretaries into action while gesturing for the man to stay a moment. It was clear he was ready to leave, but this was an opportunity for Gangcheon¡¯s Champion Company and he wouldn¡¯t dare miss it.


    ¡°I am Cho Sang-hoon, Senior Secretary to Champion Na Ho-jung and I would be happy to host your visit.¡± He continued, barely suppressing the excitement of guiding such a powerhouse through the settlement while declaring the Underlayer Event complete. As it was, he had a huge smile on his face. The other companies would  be forced to know their place.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright.¡± The man casually declined. ¡°I¡¯m just passing by.¡±


    Sang-hoon quickly read the situation and changed his approach. ¡°We would love to provide you with a reward for your aid. We at least owe you that much. Surely you can stay long enough to receive something? Mr¡­?¡± The possibilities of who he was were actually limited to a single person, but Sang-hoon had to confirm to be sure.


    The man shook his head dismissively. ¡°You don¡¯t owe anything, dude. But I¡¯m Coop, Champion of Ghost Reef. Feel free to come visit, especially if you¡¯re seeking safety, but I¡¯m gonna be honest, I have no idea which direction would be fastest.¡±


    Sang-hoon¡¯s eyes widened as he confirmed the networking opportunity that had landed in their laps. He wanted to grab a hold of the legendary Coop and never let him go, but he remained as professional as possible, leveraging all of his training in hospitality and management. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to rest a bit? I can have a suite prepared for you and Champion Na Ho-jung would love to meet you.¡± Sang-hoon pressed as coolly as possible.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m almost done.¡± Coop calmly declined, but Sang-hoon could tell the man before him was completely determined to see whatever goal he had all the way to the end. He gave off the impression that he was a man on a mission. ¡°I¡¯ll send someone to meet you all properly, just, when they tell you about the Eradication Protocol, take it seriously.¡± Coop added as he threw his spear into the distance.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Sang-hoon accepted, though internally he was weeping.


    ¡°¡®Til next time.¡± Coop half-waved before vanishing into a cloud of mists.

 Chapter 295: No Tea Party

    Coop took a moment to admire the vast armies of Primal Constructs as they milled around their castle-like fortresses. The legions of invaders created a dramatic sprawl of gray metals. As they swarmed protectively around the final objectives, they established a stark contrast to the desert of dark brown dirt.


    It was quite the scene when viewed from a distance.


    The fortresses that the invaders surrounded were islands of activity within the otherwise stagnant underground. The directionless light illuminated the structures on the outside while the lusterless metallic walls barely contained splashes of sinister red from the control points glowing within.


    The setting made Coop nostalgic for Ghost Reef, with its pristine beaches standing out among the shallow tropical waters. He caught himself sighing wistfully as he gazed upon the last remnants of the invasion.


    After a few moments, he shook his head, focusing on the tremendous metallic armies instead of memories from home. As expected of the single largest settlement on the planet: there were a lot of enemies seeking to claim it. Coop would have plenty to sink his teeth into. Shinjuku Gardens would make a suitable end to the underground grind.


    Eight Siege Bosses were present, demonstrating the first time in the Underlayer Event that a civilization shard was assaulted by more than four. Other than that, each objective was also protected by over a million assorted Elite Primal Constructs and 30 animalistic Field Bosses.


    Double the number of Siege Bosses was quite an escalation. Coop couldn¡¯t blame the locals for making little progress. Having two of the enormous Prime Constructs covering for each other was a massive increase in difficulty that went beyond simple addition.


    For Coop it hardly changed things, but for everyone else, he could see how it would be an overwhelming challenge. He remembered how his first Siege Boss made him run around the beach at the end of the first event. A pair would have been impossible at the time.


    Coop was different now. His stats were hardly recognizable, he had new skills in his arsenal, and he had accumulated tremendous amounts of experience.


    His ethereal armor continued to emanate wisps of spectral mana, perfectly balanced with dark particles of abyssal power. The two energies swirled together, behaving like a single entity, reminding him of the time that had passed, even just within the Underlayer.


    His spear was pretty much the same, with the tip catching the Underlayer¡¯s illumination, glistening with danger. He tightened his grip on the weapon before loosening it a few times, enjoying the reassuring sensation of the familiar manifestation held between his fingers. Aesthetically it may have changed but it was the same reliable spear as it had been in the beginning.


    The corners of Coop¡¯s lips angled upwards ever so slightly as he found it within himself to get a little excited, despite the stress and fatigue that had crept up on him.


    ¡°Finally.¡± He whispered. ¡°This is it.¡± He declared to himself, taking a deep breath in through his nose. He would be free to escape the underground caverns soon enough.


    He started walking toward the nearest objective, assessing how he would open on the monsters. Due to the extended travel times he anticipated in between each of the last settlements, caused by the Grand Horde¡¯s progress on the intermediate invasions, he had concluded that there would be plenty of time to recover access to Inheritance of the Mists as he made his way through Asia.


    He had activated skills for the dramatic finales in both Can Gio and Gangcheon, but he had made a small mistake. He had been overestimating the gap between Korea and Japan. As it turned out, even with the global expansion caused by the activation of mana, the two massive settlements were right next to each other.


    Coop¡¯s geography skills failed him yet again, and if he was being honest, he had no idea the two countries were so close to each other in the first place. In any case, he¡¯d have to start the final grind without an Apparition, but that was fine. At most, it would cause him to take a bit more time in completing his task. Maybe it would take an extra hour. Two at the most.


    He had literal weeks to achieve total victory over the Primal Constructs, so it didn¡¯t matter nearly as much anymore. The extra time would give him a chance to enjoy the last battle a  little more.


    All settlements on the leaderboards had a score, and though many were quite small and he hadn¡¯t personally visited every place in the world, he was comfortable assuming that if any Primal Constructs existed outside of this last holdout, they were on their way out. Between the forces of Ghost Reef, the Assembly of Settlements, and the Grand Horde, just about every official settlement had someone accounting for them.


    While Coop knew he should have felt proud, relieved, or so many other positive emotions, he was mostly just exhausted. No amount of class experience could compensate for the extensive travel and sleepless weeks.


    Grinding was one thing that he could do forever, but combining all the different roles he had taken on was another. Coop was built for combat, but meeting people, visiting places, and everything else was pushing his endurance to different, mostly mental, limits. A nap was definitely in order.


    He promised himself to take it easy for a while after this last series of battles wrapped the Underlayer Event up. Finishing early would grant him some slack. At the very least, he was confident he wouldn¡¯t have any regrets once the event was over.


    It had been a long journey, and frankly, despite his own attempts to keep his goals within reach, he had bitten off more than he could chew. The fact that he was capable of demolishing Primal Constructs didn¡¯t entirely correlate with his ability to be everywhere at once. Thankfully, he wasn¡¯t alone in his efforts, and together humanity was able to send what had to have been a clear message to the alien factions: Earth wasn¡¯t up for grabs.


    He took his time approaching Shinjuku Gardens, recognizing that, unlike so many other places, there was plenty of human activity in its vicinity. His footprints were lost among countless others, even from miles away. They must have circled their territory several times in the early days, exploring the extent of the Underlayer before deciding to stay put. Coop¡¯s spear became a walking stick as he strolled through the disturbed dirt and added his own trail to their collection.


    There were multiple large groups of people spread all the way around the territory, not quite as aggressively posturing as the African shield walls, but still establishing a clear border around what they saw as their space. In the distance, beyond the control points was one of the giant pillars. It was also protected by groups of humans.


    All in all, Shinjuku Gardens had a presence in the Underlayer that rivaled Neon Park, but was less than the Assembly of Settlements or the Grand Horde. The main difference compared to those other places was that they were entirely concentrated around a single settlement. There was no way Coop would be able to clear out their monsters without them noticing, so he¡¯d take the chance to exchange words first.


    After a few minutes of walking, a group of people left their station, approaching him at a rather brisk pace. If he was a regular person, he might have been intimidated by their aggressive movement.


    They wouldn¡¯t find many regular people alive at this point of the assimilation, so it felt a bit unnecessary. Coop gave them a friendly wave, smiling as he prepared to meet yet another collection of strangers with their own unique quirks. This time, there were 10 people at once.


    ¡°Hi there-¡±


    ¡°Go away! We have nothing to offer you, stranger!¡± The leader cut him off, even before they had set their feet. They blew past his greeting, drawing close enough to make it clear they really meant to intimidate.


    Coop stood still, taken aback by the declaration. Once he comprehended the words, he started to explain that he didn¡¯t need anything from them. ¡°That¡¯s alright, I-¡±


    ¡°Your kind aren¡¯t welcome here!¡± ¡°Leave before we hurt you!¡± Two others interrupted him yet again, causing Coop to lean back in surprise at the rudeness of repeatedly talking over him.


    ¡°My kind?¡± Coop mumbled with an expression of pure confusion as their actual words finally hit him. He inspected the auras of the three who had spoken.


    [Human (Level 125)]The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    [Kitsune Spirit (Intelligence)]


    [Chosen of the Charred Hegemon]


    [Sanctified (Beloved)]


    [Human (Level 118)]


    [Oni Blade (Strength)]


    [Chosen of the Charred Hegemon]


    [Demonic (Possessed)]


    [Human (Level 123)]


    [Martial Striker (Agility)]


    [Chosen of the Charred Hegemon]


    [Corporeal]


    The leader was the Martial Striker, the woman on the left that had declared he wasn¡¯t welcome was the Kitsune Spirit, and the man who threatened him was an Oni Blade.


    For a moment, he had the thought that they were telling him that they weren¡¯t human, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. Each was just a plain old person, just like Coop. He was even more confused, especially that they would jump straight to threats given their positively limp auras.


    ¡°Hurt me? You?¡± Coop scoffed at the absurdity. ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    He inspected the rest who had settled into a concave formation, blocking him from making any forward progress, and found nothing interesting there either. The most notable thing about the group of 10 was that they were all Chosen of the same faction.


    ¡°You don¡¯t belong here. Go back the way you came.¡± The first man continued, pointing away with one hand while his other hand rested on the hilt of his sword as if it could add weight to his demands.


    Coop¡¯s face couldn¡¯t hide his distaste at the words that came out of their mouths, but he didn¡¯t move. Was it his fault they behaved this way? Had he unknowingly committed some faux pas? Perhaps he should have borrowed some tea from the Grand Khan and made his greeting more of a ceremonial event. It certainly wasn¡¯t his style, but maybe it would have lended his presence more formality. Either way, these people needed to calm down.


    Coop planted his feet, contemplating the situation for a second. When Coop didn¡¯t react the way they wished, the man in the lead continued, speaking slower at first, but mostly just louder.


    ¡°Do.. you.. under.. stand? We don¡¯t want, need, or welcome you here. You will get nothing from us and we have nothing to do with you. Begone!¡± He emphasized his final demand by flicking both arms forward.


    Coop ignored him, looking over the man¡¯s shoulder to make eye contact with others that were standing around him, one after the other. It seemed like the soldiers were all on the same page.


    They were all wearing loose off-white shirts and equally baggy pants, men and women. Their outfits weren¡¯t traditional kimonos or anything like that, but one look and Coop could tell they were Japanese in style. If he didn¡¯t know any better, he would have believed they were like modernized samurai, without their armor, though the swords at their hips were made of hardwood rather than steel.


    Instead, because of their levels, they just seemed like a joke to him.


    Coop released Presence of Mind and completely stopped suppressing his actual aura. Obviously, the level gap alone wasn¡¯t enough for these uppity little punks. His aura, empowered by so many kills and titles hit them like a wave. As soon as they felt it, they all subconsciously stepped back, but to his surprise their attitudes didn¡¯t seem to change. Frankly, he expected them to collapse into weeping apologies, but the human spirit was resilient, for better or worse.


    He should have known, considering that the alien sponsors had been unable to completely suppress human attitudes, and Coop still had thousands of levels to go before he matched up with them.


    Coop took a step forward, keeping the distance between himself and the group the same, just a bit too close for the strangers. From there, he leaned forward, peering into the leader¡¯s eyes as if he thought he might find something hidden inside, like a tiny alien pulling levers or anything else that would explain the man¡¯s obvious death wish. His companions looked back and forth between their leader and Coop, slowly losing some of their resolve as the heaviness of Coop¡¯s Slayer title-filled aura weighed on them, and more importantly, his human attitude equaled theirs.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Coop contemplated his would-be adversary, actually unsure about what to do. He didn¡¯t want to fight as many humans as there were Primal Constructs left in the Underlayer, especially after navigating the rest of the world while avoiding such conflict, but he was sure that¡¯s what would happen if he fought this group. He had to believe they had their own circumstances, so he kept his spear planted on the ground for the moment.


    Tiny beads of sweat formed on the man¡¯s forehead, perhaps finally recognizing that he was severely underclassed to be the one able to deter Coop from doing whatever he wanted. Coop¡¯s unleashed aura had drawn the attention of other groups on both sides of their perimeter line, and a few appeared to be moving in order to join the conversation.


    Coop wouldn¡¯t wait for more suicidal mooks to join the party. Instead, he flicked his fingers at the Martial Striker. ¡°Go find someone more important to speak to me.¡± He lifted his spear, causing them to flinch, but he was pointing the tip beyond the squad of guards toward the nearest Siege Boss. ¡°I¡¯ll be over there.¡±


    He stepped forward, encroaching on their personal space even more as he angled toward the Primal Constructs. They shuffled out of his way, splitting their party in half as he passed them by. The other squads of guards joined them and they seemed to be having a heated discussion as Coop added some heft to his spear. After he threw his weapon into the monsters, a quick inspection of the other groups revealed similarly underdeveloped builds.


    [Human (Level 132)]


    [Sorceress of the Fallen Leaves (Acumen)]


    [Chosen of the Bond of Revelation]


    [Sapping]


    [Human (Level 108)]


    [Moonlit Shadow (Intelligence)]


    [Chosen of the Syndicate of Shadows]


    [Lunar]


    Coop only had a moment to grunt in acknowledgment, noting that each group of guards was representing a different alien faction, before his attack landed. He wouldn¡¯t let people that weak distract him from a good grind. Somehow, it felt wrong to do anything before finishing off the invaders.


    The volatile spear ripped the first Siege Boss in half, sending its upper torso in one direction while its lower limbs slowly toppled to the sides like felled trees. An explosion of ethereal shards ripped through the metallic manifestation, shredding its structural shell, and perforated the weak points. Gouts of orange-red mana blasted into the atmosphere, as if they had been contained under pressure within the raid boss.


    Coop flickered away while the guards ducked at the sound of a hissing explosion, caught completely by surprise. He was gone before they could regroup and try to regain his attention. Coop appeared in the middle of the destruction, as if his appearance had been what caused the giant enemy to explode.


    He was already resummoning another spear, this time throwing it across the fortress toward the second Siege Boss. The monster was fast enough to react to its partner¡¯s demise, sensing Coop¡¯s aura as soon as it was in range, but not fast enough to provide any type of support.


    Coop¡¯s second mistjump put him on the shoulder of the giant armored being, even while it twisted toward the sudden destruction of its companion and braced itself. Coop¡¯s spear melted into his sword as his bonus stats poured into Strength, adding to its already extreme numbers. In the time it took for him to sweep the ethereal blade through the air, his Strength shot up, Mindbender pushing it toward an absurd 20,000 total.


    The Siege Boss didn¡¯t exactly have a neck, but it was beheaded all the same. Coop had stats that were approaching the equivalent of 5,000 levels, while the poor Primal Constructs were stuck at level 170.


    His sword was barely the size of a needle compared to the Prime Construct, but it had been swung with enough force to send bits of metal in a spray that surprised some of the local groups of guards, minding their own business on the opposite end of the control point compared to where Coop approached. Coop would have to wait a bit longer for his next Apparition, but he was capable of putting on a show even without being possessed.


    As the second Prime Construct fell, Coop let himself drop to the dirt, directly in front of its ruined body. He landed first, slamming into the ground with his shield and short sword held at the ready, knees slightly bent, and head facing forward. The Primal Constructs had a moment to recognize his presence while the collapsing metal Siege Boss fell at an angle that followed his original strike, sending a wave of dirt across the battlefield. The Elite Primal Constructs were pummeled by the debris.


    Coop turned back to the crippled monster, casually jogging into position before leaping onto the Siege Boss torso and hustling across its broad chest to stand over the central weak point. He stabbed straight into it, making sure the monster was really dead, finishing it off nearly as easily as he would have with the aid of an Apparition.


    With both Siege Bosses already destroyed, he leveled his focus on the fortress walls, picking up speed as he rushed through the dirt with his shield held up like a battering ram, smashing through struggling Elites as their formations fell apart.


    The booming crash between his armored shoulder and the metallic wall was nearly as loud as the falling titan. The wall gave way, teetering for a moment after splitting at the corners of the castle, before ultimately falling inward.


    The solid structure slammed into the soft dirt with a muffled thump, sending another cloud of dirt to roll across the control point that had been hidden inside.


    Coop stood for a moment at the mouth of the gaping hole he had created, letting the dirt settle before he stepped onto the smooth surface and entered the control point, allowing Fog of War to spread into the interior of the castle. The Primal Constructs followed him inside, approaching his flank while he faced the interior defenders.


    He smiled to himself, satisfied that he would have his fun with or without the blessing of the locals.

 Chapter 296: Lord of the Abyss

    Mists were coursing into the Underlayer and Coop flowed along with them. He practically danced through the billowing clouds, letting the rhythm of his strikes dictate his movement. The streaming motions added a transformative hint of elegance to the Revenant¡¯s typical brawling.


    His stats had been elevated to such high default values compared to his opponents that his actual combat style was altered. As a result, he was developing a measure of gracefulness that would have surprised his friends back home. Pure aggression was giving way to something approaching refinement.


    The natural distribution of his stats firmly established the Revenant as a brutish skirmisher with all the advantages that came from superior power and durability. He had twice as much Strength compared to Agility due to the differences in their respective passive skills. Adamance applied a Strength bonus at a one to one ratio with Mind, but Practical Application only added half the value in exchange for reducing flat mana costs as he repeated actions.


    As a consequence of the disparity in his stat distribution, he typically forced his opponents into submission with more muscle than technique. Planting his feet and digging deep into his well of power or leaping into his attacks to go all out were his routine methods of leveraging his attributes.


    There was nothing wrong with doing things his way. He thought it made perfect sense to lean into his greatest strengths when faced with a challenge. It kept things simple.


    However, in a situation where all of his stats were far beyond what his opponents could hope to achieve, he could afford to truly express his lesser advantages and practice with a bit more complexity. He didn¡¯t need to put all his power into his attacks to defeat something that was 300 levels his inferior. It was complete overkill and lacked the efficiency that he was always overtly chasing in combat situations. Of course, overkilling was fun, but there was a time and place for such things.


    Back during his earliest grinds, he had grasped another angle for development. Managing his resources by letting go of some of the savage attacks in favor of enhanced precision to avoid wasting energy had already proven to be more efficient. He was applying that philosophy to his current battles, but it went beyond merely conserving his stamina and moved into the economics of movement.


    He didn¡¯t smash through the Elite Primal Construct bulwarks, leaving craters in the battlefield as he had before. Instead, he engaged them with Presence of Mind and Fog of War at the forefront of his strategy, minimizing his motions and effort while accurately targeting weaknesses. More often than not, he found it easier to avoid a guard than to simply crush it.


    It wasn¡¯t necessarily as intricate as it seemed before he got into it. Basically, Coop¡¯s current strategy involved more slicing and less smashing. No need to overcomplicate things.


    Coop twirled through his mists, skipping into a backswing that cleanly severed the protective shield arm of a Ruin Construct, bypassing the solid defense in favor of an easy strike. Then he crushed its exposed triangular head with the edge of his round gladiator shield, maintaining his spinning momentum with a flourish before using the impetus of his motion to dive into the rest of the Construct¡¯s freshly exposed party.


    His ethereal short sword flashed as it caught a hint of the external illumination, raised above the fog. A slight red tinge highlighted the streaks of aquamarine spectral mana that chased the blade, providing a colorful deviation that contrasted with the dark shadows of abyssal mana that dripped from its edges. The sword sheared the air before repeatedly cutting his targets down with whirling slashes. The party of Constructs fell to the most elegant iteration of the Champion of Ghost Reef yet.


    The next party of alien invaders experienced something completely different, meeting Coop as his debuffs faded and Inheritance of the Mists became available for the first time since Gangcheon. The Apparition of the Autumn Wind possessed Coop, enhancing his short sword with energy as it surged forward.


    A blast of wind extended beyond the edge of his weapon, using the pointed blade as a focal point while dispersing the mixed spectral and abyssal pigments. As the gust crossed the dirt layer, inundating the Primal Constructs while carving a path through his Fog of War, the air carried a series of new colors. At first it was a bold, healthy green, but it quickly faded through a series of yellows and oranges, before culminating in a vivid red that shone with one last explosion of vigor before rapidly fading back into the color of his mists and disappeared entirely.


    A slice was carved out of the Primal Construct army as they suddenly experienced something akin to a warped passage of time. They rusted until they deteriorated, and ultimately fell apart beneath their own weight. A cone in the control point was temporarily decorated like a junkyard of discarded mannequins. The manifestations dissipated as Fog of War returned to the empty space, rolling across the dirt like snow, burying the bones of the alien invaders.


    Coop had already dismissed the possession, spinning away from the momentarily vacated portion of the battlefield in favor of continuing his dance with the rest. He had no intention of letting spring come for the Primal Constructs.


    It took two hours before Coop was done with the first control point beneath Shinjuku Gardens. While it had been the largest army he engaged with so far, if he was being honest, he had milked it a bit.


    Playing king of the hill with the desperate Primal Constructs while the local human forces were forced to watch from a distance was a bit too much fun. The additional refinement he was cultivating for his repertoire was just a bonus.


    He knew the local soldiers weren¡¯t getting a clear look at him or his abilities, but he still kept a few tricks in his back pocket. If the worst case scenario ended up becoming a reality, and they fought, his opponents would still be able to experience a few surprises before their unavoidable deaths.


    Either way, they still had quite a demonstration to enjoy as over a million Primal Constructs melted away into his mists. A voracious layer of fog had filled the remaining walls of the three-sided castle and mysterious dangers lurked within the domain. Coop¡¯s phantasms were all over the place, causing small bits of turbulence and isolated bursts of mana wherever they were summoned.


    From the outside, it gave off the same feeling as peering into depths of dark water that churned with the occasional scaley fin or powerful tail. A feeding frenzy occurred just below the surface, unable to be fully observed, but there were enough clues to understand the danger.


    Quite a few of the Shinjuku soldiers grouped up, forming groups within the crowds. Their ability to be organized in such a short time was impressive, but they stayed far beyond where the Primal Constructs would actually engage with them. It seemed like they had no interest in preventing the alien conquest of their own territory, seemingly taking offense that he was dealing with it on their behalf. It was a different kind of offense to that of the champions of the Assembly, like it didn¡¯t matter what he was doing so much as it was him that was doing it.


    Coop thought it was a bit strange they weren¡¯t even trying to take care of things themselves, considering he had been sure there were a handful of highly leveled powerhouses among their forces. The Kitawa pair had been the first to claim a mana well, after all, and they clearly had what he assumed were Japanese names. It was possible they were simply members of a different settlement somewhere else in the world, but he had expected to find them at his last stop. It was a bit disappointing, really.


    Instead, an army of matching soldiers gathered in anticipation of meeting Coop. It was a lot of people for the simple conversation he had demanded, but maybe whoever was in charge needed a little help being propped up. Coop wouldn¡¯t judge.


    While they got themselves organized, Coop gained two more levels. It was an excellent result for a single battle at the end of the Underlayer Event. That it took over a million enemies, including two Siege Bosses and a few dozen Field Bosses was hardly a surprise considering the absurd level gap that he had generated. The real astonishment was the extent of Primal Construct forces in the Underlayer.


    Can Gio¡¯s invaders added five levels to his total and Gangcheon had provided six. Shinjuku Gardens was already on pace to reach seven or maybe even eight if he leaned into his optimistic side. It seemed like the last three mega settlements would provide a quarter of the levels he gained in all of Africa, despite being less than 10% of the number of settlements. Not a bad final leg of his trip, he decided.


    The additional stats of a level were always welcome, but more interestingly, the last increase pushed him to 475. He quickly checked his skill choices, growing impatient for something new to happen with his path.


    As expected, the skill choices were more of the same on the surface. It was a series of familiar passive skills that led him to select yet another level for his Dedication to Sethrak. He shrugged to himself as he made the predictable choice before checking for other hidden changes.


    Adding yet another Dedication increased his passive Reverence to Rank 10, the description of which declared him Lord of the Abyss. Coop grunted approvingly, raising his eyebrows before remembering what he was looking at.Stolen novel; please report.


    Lord of the Abyss sounded like a strong epithet, but Reverence wasn¡¯t even a proper title. It was just an inert passive skill that continually evolved as he poured the equivalent of over 250 levels into it.


    He sighed to himself, growing a bit worried that the Path of the Abyss would be a never ending series of Dedications. He had gone from a Supplicant of the Deep Dweller through a whole series of upgrades until finally graduating to Inquisitor of the Deep, but still nothing changed. Finally, even as Lord of the Abyss, all he had to show for his overall development was an aesthetic change to his ethereal manifestations.


    Coop stared at his open hand before slowly clenching it into a fist and flexing his arm, trying to sense any undocumented changes to his build. While there wasn¡¯t anything that came to mind, he certainly felt strong. His levels were becoming ridiculous and he ended up smiling to himself despite his annoyance.


    Acknowledging his growth melted any frustrations away. He shook his head at how easily he was satisfied.


    Still, if nothing happened with Reverence at Rank 11, he would be reconsidering before sinking more skill selections into the same Dedication. Once the Underlayer Event ended, he wouldn¡¯t have millions of Elite monsters waiting for him to engage, so skill selections would feel even more precious. He didn¡¯t want to keep wasting them on a path that went nowhere. Choosing other dedications might be equally futile, but he would have to give them a try if just for the sake of hope.


    Coop put his worries aside, letting a future version of himself deal with what would come. Instead, with the last of the Primal Constructs in the first point fading away, he needed to exchange some more words with the Shinjuku soldiers.


    He propped his shortsword onto his shoulder, treating it more like a stick than a blade, and left his shield with the gradually disappearing mists in the middle of the control point, just in case he needed to make a quick reset. It was a trick that tended to come in handy in the past.


    His head was held high as his misty silhouette revealed his unbothered posture, as if he hadn¡¯t been in battle with a massive force of alien invaders immediately before taking a stroll through the dirt. From the outside he painted a figure of easy dominance, highlighted by the glow of the objective as its colors scattered in the thinning mists.


    As he approached the crowd of humans, there was some jostling until a blindfolded old man with a walking stick appeared in the front. Otherwise, they waited patiently for Coop to fearlessly saunter up to their army.


    ¡°Now¡¯s your chance, Senior.¡± The familiar Martial Artist declared with a sneer. He pointed at Coop. ¡°Deal with him.¡± He ordered before shoving the old man forward.


    The old man stumbled a bit before surprisingly maintaining his balance. He angled his head a bit, assessing Coop from behind a ragged blindfold. Whatever he detected caused him to click his tongue in displeasure before grumbling under his breath.


    The old man was only ten yards beyond the frontline of soldiers, hunched slightly and leaning on his worn walking stick, but somehow the distance between the man and his army seemed enhanced by some intangible separation, as if they weren¡¯t really aligned.


    Meanwhile, Coop was by himself, a glowing control point at his back, more than a hundred yards away, and even further beyond the objective, an army of Primal Constructs was mobilizing to retake the lost objective. The aliens seemed like a sideshow for the moment.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Coop openly wondered, raising his voice so that the Martial Artist would know he was subject to his inquiry, nodding his chin toward the old man.


    The Martial Artist had a smirk on his face that made Coop want to knock him down a peg. ¡°Someone important.¡± He responded, and his party snickered among themselves as if they were enjoying some inside joke. ¡°Just as you demanded.¡±


    Coop raised an eyebrow as he inspected the old man.


    [Human (Level 225)]


    [Crystalline Breeze (Mind)]


    [Serenity (Defiant)]


    ¡°Oh?¡± Coop mumbled, intrigued by finally seeing a respectable level among the local humans, especially from an Unchosen person when every other person he had inspected in the region was associated with a faction.


    More importantly, the man also had the title granted for being among the first to defeat a Siege Boss. The fact that none of the control points were missing a Siege Boss in the Underlayer implied that he had received the title from the surface. The old guy was definitely interesting, compared to the rest, just based on his status.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop grunted, remembering the name of the person that claimed the first mana well. ¡°Are you Akari Kitawa?¡±


    ¡°Bahaha!¡± The old man bellowed derisively, grabbing his staff with both hands to avoid doubling over as the silence between the pair was destroyed. He angled his face toward Coop as he calmed down. ¡°If you think I¡¯m that pretty, just say so! However, I¡¯m afraid you aren¡¯t my type.¡±


    The various soldiers glanced at each other, unable to fully hear the conversation thanks to the muffling of the Underlayer, but they had clearly heard the laughter.


    ¡°Pretty probably isn¡¯t the right word to describe you.¡± Coop chuckled along with him. ¡°Who are you then?¡± Coop asked, unembarrassed by his obviously incorrect guess.


    ¡°Whole bunch of those youths are calling me Senior Warden these days. I¡¯d rather just be left alone.¡± The old man stated, clearly some kind of curmudgeon.


    Coop glanced at the still amused looking soldiers before looking back at the blind old man. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Are you in charge of these dunces or what?¡±


    ¡°Not at all, not at all.¡± The old man reiterated. ¡°I¡¯m just a blind old hermit that lives in the mountains and wants to be left alone.¡±


    ¡°I hear that.¡± Coop commiserated, often feeling something similar about his lighthouse and the aliens invading the planet.


    Coop hummed to himself as he took another look at the old man. He gave off a confident aura, and seemed quite strong despite his posture and apparent handicap, almost like he was embellishing a bit. ¡°How are you blind anyway?¡± Coop openly wondered.


    ¡°What? You can¡¯t just ask someone that. Didn¡¯t you learn any manners?¡± The old man scolded Coop, lifting the walking staff as if he wanted to use it to hit Coop in the shins. ¡°Kids these days are rude.¡± The man continued to himself, putting the gnarled stick back down after Coop lifted his leg away.


    ¡°I mean, because of mana, doesn¡¯t it repair everything?¡± Coop tried explaining himself, realizing they were quickly getting off track.


    The old man shook his head. ¡°It only changes us through those evolutions, otherwise we are what we are to ourselves. Maybe you¡¯re the blind one if you haven¡¯t figured that out.¡± He scoffed.


    ¡°Get on with it!¡± The Martial Artist shouted as the soldiers grew more impatient.


    Coop bobbed his head at the protesting soldier. ¡°What¡¯s his problem?¡±


    The old man grumbled a bit. ¡°We are to be exiled with the rest, but if I kill you, they will let me and my Unchosen followers keep our place on the mountain. Obviously, if we fought I would lose, so I am at something of an impasse.¡±


    ¡°Kill me?¡± Coop¡¯s sword finally came off of his shoulder. ¡°I just wanted to talk to someone in charge instead of those losers.¡± Coop stepped forward, bypassing the Warden. ¡°Hang on a second, old man.¡±


    Coop supposed it was his fault. It seemed like people on the whole had grown so much more cooperative, but that didn¡¯t mean everyone would be. Somehow, despite his experiences throughout the assimilation, he was still a bit too innocent.


    As he crossed the ten yards to confront the Martial Artist, the wooden swords of his party were all drawn. Coop''s, on the other hand, was flicked into the dirt as he disarmed himself halfway before reaching the soldiers. The rest of the army was slower on the uptake, but they were all watching closely, hands on weapons.


    ¡°You think you¡¯re clever or something?¡± Coop spoke with a low voice as the weapons failed to deter him, a single finger pointed threateningly at the Martial Artist.


    The subject of his confrontation swung first, suddenly feeling a bit desperate in spite of what he believed were the numbers on his side as Coop appeared solely attentive to his singular presence. The attack was a practical one, ignoring any unnecessary flourishes, aimed to strike its target in the temple. It whooshed through the air as energy emerged from the Martial Artist before stopping abruptly.


    Coop caught the solid wooden sword with his left hand, yanked it out of the man¡¯s grip, and squeezed until the blade snapped within his fist. Before anyone else had the chance to react, he stepped forward and struck the man down with a well-practiced slap, using his empty right hand.


    The sound echoed loud enough for the entire army to hear, but Coop wasn¡¯t done. He continued by snatching the man¡¯s collar with his left hand and his belt with his right before taking another step forward that dragged the falling man fully off his feet. Coop tossed him the way someone would throw a bag of concrete out of the bed of a pickup truck, but he soared through the air as if launched from a catapult, easily clearing the army.


    Everyone watched as the man regained consciousness mid flight and flailed for a few seconds before bouncing in the dirt with a satisfying puff of dust, about halfway to the pillar that would bring them back to the surface.


    While Coop had generously spared his life, it was his last warning shot for the rest.


    As the eyes of the soldiers returned to him, filled with animosity, Coop held his empty right hand for them all to see. While mists appeared, solidifying into his resummoned ethereal short sword, he wrapped his fingers around the hilt. ¡°Next person won¡¯t survive.¡± He warned.


    Coop was inspecting them all, but none of them even rose to the level of the blind old man, let alone his own ridiculous status. There were Chosen of one or another of approximately six different factions. He didn¡¯t understand it, and they obviously weren¡¯t interested in explaining it to him, but somehow several different forces seemed to be sharing control of Shinjuku Gardens.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for you all to leave the Underlayer.¡± Coop warned them, letting his aura carry his words, and the ones nearest to him flinched away, despite drawing their weapons along with their squad leader.


    Some of the soldiers got the picture right away, and turned to leave, but most were a bit slower. They looked back at Coop with bitter expressions and hatred in their eyes as if weighing their chances until one among them with more sense led them away.


    Coop swept his eyes across the army, refusing to let any of them have the last look. The sword was resting on his shoulder again as he showed no signs of fear whatsoever. It was no skin off his back if any of them wanted to throw their lives away in a fight with the Revenant of Ghost Reef. Combat was firmly his domain.

 Chapter 297: Burdens

    Coop watched as the army from Shinjuku Gardens begrudgingly vacated the Underlayer. Most realized that it wasn¡¯t worth defying his order to leave and risking the consequences, having personally witnessed how easily he destroyed the Primal Constructs, but that didn¡¯t stop them from stealing spiteful glances at him as they went. He let them see him, standing unbothered at their backs.


    None of the soldiers had the right combination of courage and stupidity to test his resolve. Coop wondered if perhaps that was wisdom, but the truly wise wouldn¡¯t have antagonized him, regardless of whatever prejudice they were operating with. They messed up by failing to embrace his aid the way so many others had.


    Coop simply waited, ignoring the event objective behind him, keeping his sword on his shoulder and his other hand on his hip. The Primal Constructs reclaimed the control point while the human soldiers retreated, sending a pulse of red light when it fully returned to the possession of the invaders.


    The aliens would just have to wait for their turn. Meanwhile, the mass of humans streamed away, unnecessarily ceding ground to the enemy. It was almost symbolic of the assimilation as a whole.


    Coop kept his eyes on the soldiers, making sure he was staring back whenever one of them turned to take another look at him. He didn¡¯t feel any particular way about them. If they wanted him as their enemy, that was something they could choose for themselves. Presumably, they would know what they were getting into.


    It seemed as though the representatives of Shinjuku Gardens didn¡¯t have any particular desire to actually take control of the underground. Judging by the settlement¡¯s negative score, they had already given up on clearing the invaders. They had only stayed in the Underlayer to ward people like Coop away.


    After some time, when most of the people disappeared into a tunnel within the nearest giant stone column where they had evidently created a path that led to the surface, a disturbance occurred. People fled back into the underground, and as Coop watched the last portions of the masses congregate near the pillar, a muffled thump echoed across the underground, generated from within the stone.


    The remnants of people trying to enter the column turned to escape while smoke and dust billowed away. They scattered, in all directions before stopping and regrouping.


    It was as if some explosives had been used to destroy the internal path to the surface. Coop peered at the disorder, not knowing enough about the local settlement¡¯s dynamics to make any real judgment.


    Coop didn¡¯t care about their access to the Underlayer, but the evacuation seemed incomplete given the people stumbling away from the enormous stone column. If they were trying to prevent him from following by destroying their path, their actions had been rather premature, not to mention poorly thought out. There were still nearly a thousand more people within the Underlayer that had scattered from the exit, slowly regrouping as the route back to the surface became obstructed.


    He really didn¡¯t think he had threatened the soldiers to the point of panic, so why had they gone and destroyed their own path? It wasn¡¯t like he had revoked permission to enter the Underlayer forever, but maybe that was how they interpreted his opposition to their presence. That, or they really believed something so simple would be enough to prevent him from traveling to their settlement and wreaking havoc.


    ¡°Hm.¡± Coop hummed, rubbing his temple with a knuckle on his sword hand, wondering what he would do with the people they left behind. He had already exhausted his patience with the soldiers.


    The old man had just been leaning on his walking stick, sagely minding his own business up to that point, but as Coop tried to figure out why the soldiers had prematurely closed the door to their settlement, he sighed rather dramatically. Coop finally turned, giving the old man his attention.


    ¡°You¡¯ve put me in a bad spot.¡± The man complained once Coop was facing him. ¡°You don¡¯t intend to kill me as well, do you?¡±


    Coop raised an eyebrow. ¡°It wasn¡¯t on my schedule, no.¡±


    The man sighed again, acting like he was disappointed to have to keep living. He gazed upon the collection of people that were slowly closing the distance from the pillar. They appeared to be moving directly toward the pair. Coop joined the man in observing the crowd.


    The freshly dusted clothes of the remnants weren¡¯t as uniform as the rest of the soldiers, but they moved as one decently-sized group, and Coop suspected they shared some affiliation just by the way they looked after each other. Perhaps one of the Chosen factions disagreed with following an outsider¡¯s directions and intended to make a stand against him. Coop adjusted his grip, relieving the tension in his fingers.


    ¡°Why¡¯d they leave so many people behind? Those the ones that want to fight me?¡± Coop wondered out loud, hoping the old man could provide some context for his settlement¡¯s actions. The people had never actually left the range of his spear throws, after all. Coop could start the battle at any moment.


    ¡°Those must be the fools that have been calling themselves the Keepers of the Mountain.¡± The man reluctantly explained. ¡°You won¡¯t need to fight them.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± Coop grunted. He would decide for himself once they drew closer. ¡°Some internal conflict, then?¡± He asked, still wondering why they were excluded from the evacuation.


    ¡°Yes, internal conflict.¡± The man responded, seeming like he was constantly exasperated. Coop patiently waited for him to elaborate, turning his head and insisting just a bit with his expression, not entirely sure if the man could use mana to perceive it.


    The old man shook his head before he finally gave in, acknowledging Coop and proving he had some aura sense replacing his vision.


    ¡°The clans in power have all claimed affiliations with alien factions as another way of differentiating themselves. Ever since the Kitawa party left with the foreigners, the unaffiliated residents have been slowly isolated from society, forced to either pick sides to bolster the clans or be seen as lacking dedication to the settlement on the whole.¡± The man made a disgruntled sound, clearly stubborn enough himself to refuse to join in the face of any threats. ¡°During this event the Unchosen that hadn¡¯t yet joined one of the clans were given an ultimatum to join or leave. The Keepers of the Mountain would be the last group of Unchosen, as the clans wouldn¡¯t have been able to force them to choose. They¡¯re the ones that have been bothering me these days.¡± The old man slowly shook his head, acting as if they were a real headache.


    Coop opened his mouth to ask about some specifics, but the old man lifted his staff up to shush him. ¡°Nu uh! Don¡¯t ask. Whatever it is, I don¡¯t know. I just wanted to take care of my tomato plants. Those people are a pain in my neck.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± Coop chuckled, once again feeling kinship with the old guy. ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ll take you home with me and give you a little garden. How¡¯s that sound?¡± Coop persisted, definitely seeing the hermit like a grumpy stray cat. He only received more grumbling in response.


    ¡°What should I call you, anyway?¡¯ Coop wondered, not wanting to keep calling him old man. That was a designation reserved for Jones back home.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me at all.¡± The man insisted.


    ¡°I can name you.¡± Coop generously offered.


    ¡°Please do not.¡± The man quickly insisted.


    Coop shrugged at him, finally turning his attention back to the Primal Constructs and the nearest control point. The Elites looked ready for battle. He hummed to himself, reconsidering his goals in the face of the new developments.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Coop wanted to kill monsters, and normally that was a desire without any real drawbacks. There was hardly a scenario where his actions would become an issue. However, the Primal Constructs assaulting the territory beneath Shinjuku Gardens were developing into a rather unique case.


    The forward army of approximately three quarters of a million Elite Primal Constructs had arranged themselves into rectangular formations across the first control point. They were facing Coop, shields up, while their supporters generated bubble-like mana shields that rotated across the length of the field, lighting up then fading away while adjacent ones restarted the process. While the humans migrated to the column, the invaders had relocated to the objective and prepared for battle.


    The way Coop saw it, there were two obvious negatives to defeating the rest of the alien invaders. The first was that it would give Shinjuku Gardens a better score, one that still might beat Ghost Reef¡¯s, if barely. He could leave it alone and guarantee that his tiny island settlement would once again come out on top of a Settlement Event. Ghost Reef was currently number one, even after the final scores were calculated.


    Coop shook his head, thinking that the score wasn¡¯t a real problem as much as he was looking for excuses. He could just stop his grind if the scores actually became close, and that was if he decided it was more important to place first than it was to actually achieve a complete victory.


    The second issue was that he was helping people that had clearly demonstrated themselves as antagonistic toward him and what he still saw as his people. Even though Coop had a faction now, his repeated denotation as Unchosen Champion hadn¡¯t disappeared. In fact, the Lighthouse was meant to be a beacon for the Unchosen even more than for all humans, so throwing them out was a bit like an attack upon himself.


    But even that wasn¡¯t a good reason to stop and spare the invaders. Coop just wasn¡¯t that spiteful. Leaving experience on the table and reducing his own progress in order to complicate other peoples¡¯ assimilation was about as antithetical an action to his character as he could imagine. Coop wasn¡¯t the type to cut off his nose in spite of his face.


    ¡°Hey, old man, how many people decided to leave instead of joining a faction?¡± Coop reopened the topic.


    ¡°How should I know?¡± The man responded. ¡°Probably a lot since that¡¯s what everyone thinks the sisters decided. They were important to the settlement. I believe many left specifically to try and find them, especially after recent rumors suggested they were down here. The idea of leaving became more appealing to the average person.¡±


    When Coop looked at the old man questioningly, wondering what sisters he was referring to, the hermit shook his head. ¡°Come on, the first thing you asked me was if I was Akari Kitawa, the younger sister.¡± He continued. ¡°They are the main members of the Kitawa party.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Coop muttered. ¡°So that¡¯s why they aren¡¯t here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not exactly why, but it doesn¡¯t matter. The mood of the settlement has been different ever since.¡± The old man added, wrapping up the discussion just in time for more people to join.


    Shouts of ¡°Senior!¡± in the distance had Coop turning toward the remnants of Shinjuku once again, letting the Constructs wait a few more moments. Coop watched as crowds of people noticed that one of the two figures they approached was the old man and were unabashedly excited to see him.


    ¡°Senior! Senior! You¡¯re alive!¡± They cheered while he grumbled so that only Coop could hear.


    The so-called Keepers of the Mountain were mostly Unchosen, and as Coop inspected them, they were on average closer to the old man¡¯s level in the early 200s than to the low 100s of the rest of the soldiers. It was pretty strange that what seemed more like a random cross-section of young and old men and women, of all different social statuses, were more appropriately developed than the actual organized soldiers, but it seemed they had been kept more busy by the assimilation.


    ¡°Senior Warden! Look, I brought your seeds, just in case!¡± A teenager revealed, breaking ahead of the crowd, finally compelling a different expression from the old man.


    The smile that snuck onto his wrinkled face disappeared when he realized the seeds had been stuffed into a fanny pack, mixing together so that it would be impossible to figure out what was what at a glance. He begrudgingly patted the kids shoulder and told him good job, despite his disappointment.


    Coop smirked at the interaction, feeling like it revealed more about the old man than any of his words had demonstrated. Oddly enough, almost everyone else had a fanny pack as well. Some even had multiples clipped around their torsos, stacking them up.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the fanny packs?¡± He wondered, unable to hold back his curiosity.


    The nearest man glanced at the Senior Warden, as if asking for permission before unzipping one of his to show Coop the contents. Dozens of rare jewels glinted in the Underlayer light, swirling with various flavors of mana. They were obviously from a mana well. If everyone carried as many, they might have accumulated more than Ghost Reef had from the Coral Forest.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop acknowledged the collection. He should probably encourage the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to push deeper into the caverns when he made it home.


    ¡°They are the treasures we harvested from the mana well.¡± The Senior Warden explained for Coop¡¯s benefit, leaning onto his walking staff with pride.


    ¡°I can see that¡­¡± Coop mumbled before angling back to the old man. ¡°Are you their leader or not?¡± Coop tried to get some clarification.


    ¡°No!¡± He responded immediately. ¡°But they would get in my way if I didn¡¯t keep them organized.¡±


    Coop raised an eyebrow and the man that had revealed the treasures nodded at Coop¡¯s query, confirming that the old man was in fact the leader, whether he liked it or not.


    Coop chuckled to himself at the weird dynamic. He let himself relax a bit, thinking maybe this particular group of people were alright. Coop was calming down until a young lady holding a little triangular flag caught his attention in the back of the crowd. She was one of the few not paying him or the Senior Warden any mind. Coop noted what she was paying attention to, feeling his eyebrows furrow.


    Further behind the rest of the people was a train of small children, all holding hands with each other. Several more of the unbroken chains started from various flag-bearing adults, all in the back of the crowd. They had been sent to the rear, protectively, in case Coop was hostile to them. Each child wore a red baseball cap and had a solid yellow backpack, many of which had live animals poking their heads from the top. Little shiba dogs and tabby cats peeked over the shoulders of kids barely older than preschoolers.


    The sight was cute, but it instantly changed Coop¡¯s mood. The Underlayer wasn¡¯t a place for children. Who would send them into the abyss like that? It had him rethinking the mercy he had granted the Shinjuku soldiers.


    ¡°Hey, Senior.¡± Coop addressed the old man once again, grinding his teeth a bit, subconsciously. ¡°Should I go kill all those Chosen?¡± He asked, feeling the heat rise within him. He could mistjump up their chasm and be back before the event ended, he just needed an excuse. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t need to leave your mountain.¡±


    The Senior Warden grunted before speaking, as if the idea amused him. ¡°Seems like a bother.¡± The old man responded, angling his face toward Coop as he realized the seriousness of the question, while sensing the Champion¡¯s confident bloodlust. ¡°Not all of them deserve death. Plenty of them are just trying to conform to an evolving society.¡± He added, realizing he should discourage what had seemed like an impossible action.


    ¡°They were pretty intent on having you dead, sending you to me.¡± Coop noted, still annoyed.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less.¡± The man declared.


    It was Coop¡¯s turn to grunt at the conversation. He turned back to the Primal Constructs. In the end, of course he was going to clear the aliens out, no matter how it impacted anything else. Coop couldn¡¯t think of a worse feeling than leaving such a long journey unfinished at the last second. Nothing would be as unsatisfying as that. Besides, they would make a decent outlet for his rising bloodlust. Once all of the monsters were gone from the Underlayer, the danger would be diminished so that it wouldn¡¯t be that bad of a place for supervised kids.


    Coop nodded to himself, deciding to get on with it. ¡°Why don¡¯t you enjoy your reunion while I finish off the invaders?¡± Coop suggested to the Senior Warden, already turning to walk away.


    Coop disappeared into a burst of mists as he mistjumped to his leftover shield, where it was sitting in the middle of the Primal Construct army that had reclaimed the first objective. The Senior Warden hadn¡¯t even had a chance to express his desire for solitude.


    When Coop reappeared, flickering through the world of mists, behind the strictly formed lines of Primal Constructs, he stopped holding back and went into action. He¡¯d been on the verge of combat for a bit too long.


    From where he appeared on one knee, he swept his sword across the legs of the nearest metallic enemies, then rolled forward, getting his feet underneath his body where he could bring the blade up and bisect a Spite Construct from behind.


    As the two halves teetered toward the ground, emitting a stream of mana smoke, Coop stood tall, taking an aggressive stance while his sword and shield melted away and a heavy morning star manifested in the grip of his hands.


    The elegance that he had developed on the first batch of Primal Constructs made way as the end of the heavy mace planted itself onto the ground with a splash of dirt, sounding like metal hammering earth. Coop imagined all of the burdens bolstering the weight of the manifestation.


    ¡°Just keep it simple.¡± Coop reminded himself, heaving the ethereal weapon toward his right shoulder and stepping forward.

 Chapter 298: Pillar of Heaven

    Coop¡¯s ethereal morning star smashed through a fortified Field Boss that skittered along the surface of the ground, using its many legs to navigate the battlefield with unsettling efficiency. It had surreptitiously crawled into range, using the cover provided by the parties of Elites to try and catch its target by surprise. The monster bore its pointed mandibles, aiming to drill into its victim, only for the heavy mace to catch it unprepared, sending shards of its metallic body splashing in all directions. All eleven primary legs were splayed out beneath the pressure, but the center of its body was completely annihilated as if it had been banished from existence.


    A shockwave erupted from where the dirt received the strike, too slight to have a real physical impact on the battlefield, but strong enough to momentarily clear the air in the immediate vicinity of the combatants. All of Coop¡¯s more dramatic movements had enough gravity to be framed by smoke and dust, as if he was dragging the heavy atmosphere with his most powerful swings.


    The tough shell of the monster hardly slowed the momentum of the crashing slam he had brought down before the fanged mandibles could snap shut. A streak of mana accentuated the path toward the earth, conveniently highlighting his actions for those who were too slow to accurately observe. Coop imagined that the weight of the mace was further fortified by the weight of the abyss, watching as dark ribbons streamed behind the weapon before he reloaded for more thumping attacks.


    Sweat dripped from the Champion¡¯s brow as he jerked the ponderous weapon back out of the shallow crater and shifted his attention to the nearest party of Elite Primal Constructs. They rushed his flank with reckless abandon, seeking to capitalize on the death of a boss monster, praying that it had at least been enough to distract their target.


    Coop had been making smooth progress through the final army of the invaders, steadily moving across the control points representing Shinjuku Gardens on the surface with practiced ease, almost like he was savoring the last meal of experience he would have in the Underlayer Event. He whirled on the aggressors, already aware of their movements, predicting their actions after developing such a familiarity with the Primal Constructs that he didn¡¯t even need Presence of Mind to understand their intentions.


    Combat with the manifestations of alien invaders was a straightforward challenge, one that Coop willingly embraced as yet another grind. If only everything in life was so simple. He had been introduced to more than half a dozen societies as he circumnavigated the globe, and he didn¡¯t even want to start thinking about the many differences they would need to address or the disagreements that would have to be overcome.


    Instead, he just wanted to focus on what he saw as a common denominator to their problems: the Primal Constructs. They weren¡¯t so much of a problem for him and his friends, but they were the catalyst for the population dynamics across the globe. The first step in getting everyone on the same page was to rise above the alien invaders. At least, he thought so, recognizing that it was almost certainly a drastic oversimplification of a complicated apocalyptic scenario. Hopefully, someone else could iron out the details on his behalf.


    Coop grunted as he prepared another strike, concentrating on utilizing all of his Strength, engaging his entire body as he moved. In order to compensate for the necessarily slower attacks, he was intent on transforming every collision into a moment of absolute disruption. Each individual swing impacted entire groups of enemies, directly and indirectly, like a giant fist slamming a plate-filled table. All of the dishware was rattled even if they avoided being shattered.


    The end of the event was within reach, and Coop was making the most of the last batch of monsters, flexing the central core of his stats in Strength, Body, and Mind. The final battle had become a celebration of his uppermost advantages as a way to compensate for the mental baggage that had piled on.


    Coop blasted the entire party of constructs with a single crunching slam, then repeated the motion of lifting his mace out of the dirt, while turning to another assault. He could sense that it was the end - the time to sprint for the finish line at the end of a marathon.


    As the conclusion approached, time slowed and Coop embraced Inheritance of the Mists, not bothering to specify a single attack to empower. He intended to keep this last possession going until he completed the task of destroying the rest of the Primal Constructs.


    Regardless of the settlement on the surface and the people who had control, defeating the Primal Constructs was the one burden he was happy to bear. Coop would see it through. He wouldn¡¯t be discouraged by exhaustion, frustration, or politics.


    While the thoughts crossed his mind, the possession took place. Coop¡¯s figure was cloaked in swirling ethereal energy and a mixture of his Spectral and Abyssal manas cascaded through the pure mana of the Underlayer, concentrating directly behind him. Otherworldly light emanated from the billowing fog, letting individual rays escape here and there while rising higher and higher.


    The air grew heavy with tension, and the ground trembled once, then twice, as if a giant was setting its feet before taking on a challenge as the Apparition manifested an earthbound presence. A deep hum echoed throughout the tunnel, stifling all other sounds, and even the Primal Constructs, slowed by Coop¡¯s perception, seemed to hesitate in the presence of a paragon.


    The mists kept unfolding, clouding a portion of the enormous tunnel that reached all the way to the distant ceiling, incorporating the vaporous rivers while engulfing the final control point as well as all the areas surrounding it. A colossal shadow descended across the battlefield, growing darker as the behemoth emerged from the swirling mist, features still clouded by the deteriorating fog bank.


    Coop, watching the Constructs in front of him instead of the manifestation behind him, was still fully aware of its arrival. He could feel the mental weight pressing down on him, gradually increasing as the Apparition entered the world, using the Mistwalker as an anchor. Compared to a single empowered attack, where the presence was fleeting, this one settled into his mind, delving deep into his spirit, and made itself comfortable.


    At Coop¡¯s flank, a titan revealed itself from the clouds, letting the vapor stream from its body. As the mists cleared, a towering, muscular figure, with skin the color of ancient marble, bleached by eons, and eyes burning like pools of molten lava, filled the spacious cave as if it was a small tunnel.


    A violent gust of wind swept forward, pushed by the manifestation¡¯s mere presence in the real world. Coop, though he was completely dwarfed by the giant, stood firm, skin and mace slowly transforming while his hair was disheveled in the gale.


    While the Apparition of the Pillar of Heaven made its ponderous existence known to all, Coop felt an additional physical weight that pressed down onto his shoulders, added by the possession. At first, the increased weight threatened to topple him onto the ground, but he braced himself, flexing his abs as he bent under the pressure and his feet sank into the soft dirt.


    He felt the tension build in his legs. His calves and quads vibrated, but he successfully kept himself upright, maintaining his confident posture. The heaviness was like a physical manifestation of his mental burdens, but somehow it felt right. A small smile crept onto his face as he clenched his jaw and successfully carried the weight. He wished it was always so easy to address his problems. If all it took was power and stamina, he was perfectly suited to fight through. His muscles burned as his spirit ignited.


    ¡°You have impressed me, human. Enduring these small trials is true strength.¡± A ponderous voice resonated in his head, low enough to shake the foundations of the Earth. Despite the force present within the words, the cadence was gentle, as if it was considerate of Coop¡¯s relative mortality and precarious position beneath such weight.


    Coop thought he detected a hint of melancholy as well, and he tried to hold back his own conflicting thoughts. Over time, he had grown to appreciate the position he had carved out for himself, regardless of the responsibilities that often came with it. If his ¡®trial¡¯ ended up being to defeat manifestations that invaded the planet, he would consider it good fortune. Frankly, he would have done it for free, so long as he was able.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°Even trivial burdens become difficult when drawn out over time.¡± The Apparition continued, sagely. ¡°But remember, the weight of an entire world is not meant for mortals.¡±


    Coop wouldn¡¯t deny the manifestation¡¯s words, especially given the building fatigue through the Underlayer Event, but he still thought he was in relatively good shape. He had companions that shared his burden and clear limits on the responsibility he willingly accepted. His foundation was sturdy.


    He glanced up, gazing into the source of the shadow that was being cast upon the whole battlefield, prepared to argue about his ability. The Apparition had appeared as a titanic figure of stone, larger even than the Azure Colossus. It was hunched over, holding a sphere so large it appeared to clip beyond the Underlayer¡¯s ceiling. From the right angle, it would seem like the titan was holding up the Underlayer itself.


    Even Coop, with his untraveled lack of culture, recognized the depiction of Atlas, condemned to hold up the heavens and sky by the gods. Coop thought that maybe he should set his ego aside, considering there might not be another entity more suitable to comment on burdens.


    ¡°I will lend you some of my strength, little hero. Wield it well¡­¡± The giant added, shifting the gigantic sphere from one shoulder to the other without a change in expression. ¡°...If you can.¡±


    Coop glanced back at the Primal Constructs, now converging onto his position as the possession finalized and he felt the weight on his shoulders increase even further. He heaved his transformed morning star, struggling to move it at all. The mass of the weapon was already pushing him beyond his ability.


    He gritted his teeth, letting a growl escape. For a moment, he grew concerned that the burden might actually be too much. The stone-infused weapon manifestation had become a test. Could he exceed his current limit or was he supposed to recognize when enough was enough to avoid overexerting himself. The morning star rose a foot off the ground before he had to drop it.


    Coop kicked the first pair of monsters away with a low kick directly into the center of a triangular shield meant to bash him into the ground, then took a massive breath of air before dragging the mace up again. He could feel the veins in his neck bulging as he tilted his head up, willing the weapon to move. Was he going to have to abandon the possession? This was too much.


    ¡°Embrace the weight. Accept the burdens for they are part of your journey.¡± The Apparition continued, watching him struggle like he was an ant that had been endowed with a sugar cube.


    Coop halted his struggle and punched another Primal Construct that had drawn too close, sending his fist straight through its metallic head before he redoubled his effort to retrieve his weapon with a better grip.


    ¡°Find balance. Seek equilibrium.¡±


    Coop hissed as the weapon came off the ground, rising to his hips, then planted a foot forward, lunging underneath the weight. He recognized that the titan wasn¡¯t talking about the morning star, but that didn¡¯t mean the advice couldn¡¯t be applied in more ways than one.


    Coop felt the mental barriers collapsing one after the other as he pushed his body far beyond realistic physical limits. It was like peeling the layers of an onion, revealing new depths of internal possibilities. Mana leaked from his pores as it flowed through his muscles, giving his entire body an ethereal aura similar to those of his manifestations.


    ¡°I acknowledge your perseverance.¡± The Apparition stated, approvingly.  ¡°Remember your purpose.¡± It added.


    Coop snarled as the weight of the mace continued to increase. He hissed through his teeth as air escaped his lungs. Of course he remembered his purpose! How could he forget? He was surrounded by the last set of Primal Constructs preventing him from returning to Ghost Reef. The Lighthouse was waiting for him to come home.


    But then, once both of his hands, one gripping the bottom of the weapon¡¯s handle while the other slid beneath the bulging stone head, elevated beyond his head, the weight went back to being reassuringly comfortable, like he had broken through another major threshold in his own mental limits. He threw his right hand up, shifting his torso and stepping forward while swinging the ponderous weapon into the path of a rushing Bane Construct, wielding its dual sword arms like the blades of an oversized pair of scissors.


    The torso of the monster was obliterated, and Coop leaned back, still firmly holding onto the mace. He swung his weapon, twisting to the side as other Constructs closed in, believing he had finally given them an opening to take him down while he struggled with his own weapon.


    The Apparition of the Pillar of Heaven granted Coop vast superhuman strength, far beyond what even his absurd stats established, but it was a struggle for Coop to allow his body to use it all. His muscles were pushed to their limits, screaming for him to stop and rest, but he forged onward. It was as if the possession had taken his already ridiculous stack of attributes and multiplied them to impossible levels. He could feel all the power surging through his being, and he willed his body to adapt to the change, seeing the level of strength as a precursor to what he would eventually wield himself.


    Small tears formed where his skin stretched and mists leaked from the tiny wounds as he proved to be an inadequate vessel for so much power. But they were actively being sealed by marbled stone, marking solid striations all across his body.


    In the meantime, his morning star had lost its spikes, transforming to a manifestation of solid marble, becoming a smooth shape that mirrored the celestial sphere held up by Atlas. The veins of the opulent stone were the color of Spectral and Abyssal mana, frozen within the altered manifestation.


    Coop took it and smashed his opponents. All those in the same region of the Underlayer as the possessed Revenant felt the rhythm of his attacks. Muffled booms shot through the tunnel. It was an incomparably larger chamber than the pearlescent caverns beneath Ghost Reef, where he first embraced his modified morning star and broke through his mental limits, but the beat was the same.


    After he bulldozed through hordes of invaders, the shaft of his weapon landed on his opposite shoulder, hard enough that it would have killed him before, but instead it allowed him to reset his grip and swing again, rushing ahead as if he was a wrecking ball among clay statues. The monster exploded into fragments at the mere touch of Coop and his mace.


    Beyond strength, Coop also gained incredible durability. His gladiator armor had melted away, absorbing into his skin as it transformed to match the Apparition while filling the tears. He was entirely reinforced by stone as he really got into the flow of battle. His shoulder was as effective as his weapon, but he was unwilling to let the mace go, seeing as it a symbol of his responsibility based on the possession¡¯s words.


    Coop¡¯s weariness disappeared as he witnessed the unbelievable stamina of Atlas, who would hold the celestial spheres for all of eternity without succumbing to exhaustion. In comparison, Coop¡¯s responsibilities were quite simple. 111 years was nothing compared to an eternity.


    For the moment, Coop reentered the zone and evolved into a walking catastrophe. His meteoric slams cracked the earth, forming pools of magma within the condensed craters, not because he was excavating the planet, but because the pressure on the dirt was so extreme it liquified beneath the head of the mace. The shockwaves from his attacks became earthquakes that toppled the walls of the final fortification, sending aftershocks resonating through the tunnels.


    One side swing sent countless Primal Constructs flying hundreds of feet through the air, flopping like ragdolls. They arced with such density, they formed waves, like errant splashes after someone slapped the water at the beach. Coop marched forward, occasionally charging with his shoulder in order to gather enough opponents to make another sweeping attack worthwhile.


    The overhand slams culminated in thumps that brought crowds of the invaders to their knees, while the ones that received the brunt of the blows were vaporized. Coop feasted on the low level enemies, anticipating few opportunities in the future to experience such a disparity between himself and a mass of opponents.


    Coop demonstrated the enormous gap between his progression and those expected by the assimilation. He had started far beyond what was expected, but he took the difference and ran away with it. Now, he was something else. The Pillar of Heaven seemed to approve, watching silently as Coop proved that his bedrock was solid.


    It was finally time to end the event, and with one conclusive leaping slam, he annihilated the last of the Primal Constructs within the Underlayer, freeing the fourth control point with a possessed attack that rocked the cavern.


    Dust drifted from the ceiling, in response to his effort, but the way it caught the Underlayer¡¯s illumination, it could have been mistaken for a confetti drop. If the system wouldn¡¯t give him an over-the-top celebration, Coop could make himself seem like a grand prize winner through his own efforts.

 Chapter 299: New High Score

    With no more enemies remaining in the Underlayer, Coop flopped to the ground and laid on his back in the middle of the transitioning control point. He released himself from the Inheritance of the Mists, bidding the Apparition of the Pillar of Heaven farewell, though with the way Coop was connected to the mists, it seemed like they were never really gone.


    The massive sigh that escaped Coop¡¯s lungs caught him by surprise. He knew he was tired, but he hadn¡¯t realized just how much the exhaustion had permeated to his core. It should have been obvious, given the mission he had accepted for the Underlayer Event, but the power disparity had deceived him.


    It didn¡¯t exactly help that the comedown from wielding the strength of Atlas hit him like a truck. He groaned as the hangover sapped his strength and thin mists leaked from the reopened wounds in his skin. He felt haggard. Thankfully, the other objectives had been captured by the crowds of people brave enough to witness his battles, but the last one was his to claim.


    He took a few seconds, just watching the ring of light gradually change colors while glittering debris fell across the underground. The vaporous mana clouds of the Underlayer were slowly recovering after experiencing unprecedented levels of turbulence from his slams all the way on the ground. For a while, there were no thoughts running through his mind.


    His shallow breaths were the only sound to reach his ears. They were urgent, like he had been on the verge of drowning, though he felt no discomfort. WIth no more monsters on his agenda, the agitated energy he hadn¡¯t realized he was holding onto seeped out of him. He had no more strength to suppress it.


    It took a few minutes, but eventually, his body calmed down. Coop, feeling like the dirt was surprisingly comfortable, decided to relax for a while longer. There was no more rush, right? Without moving, he checked the leaderboards, finally at a point where they wouldn¡¯t change again until the event completed.


    Underlayer Event Settlement Scores:


    <ol>


    <li> Ghost Reef - 147,344,759 (x1)</li>


    <li> Neon Park - 5,819,973 (x13)</li>


    <li> Nyiragongo - 5,765,266 (x13)</li>


    <li> Shinjuku Gardens - 5,713,684 (x25)</li>


    <li> Aotearoa New Zealand - 5,229,358 (x5)</li>


    <li> Silvervalley - 5,121,756 (x11)</li>


    <li> Gangcheon - 5,105,138 (x15)</li>


    <li> Can Gio - 4,496,012 (x11)</li>


    <li> Englischer Garten - 4,460,000 (x8)</li>


    <li> Ordesa - 4,150,000 (x7)</li>


    </ol>


    First, Coop double checked his math, making sure that Ghost Reef had overcome the challenge assessment of Shinjuku Gardens. He had decided in the middle of battle that he was all clear, but without taking the time to count, he wasn¡¯t completely confident in his arithmetic.


    ¡°Barely.¡± He muttered after calculating Shinjuku Garden¡¯s final score.


    In the end, it had actually come down to the last army of Primal Constructs. Coop breathed a sigh of relief that it had worked out.


    The only way Coop could have improved their score would have been to move even faster, but the speed that they had completed the Underlayer Event was already absurd. According to the timer that had been ticking down in the background, there were 387 hours remaining. They still had roughly one third of the original 1111 hour timer to go.


    Scrolling through the list of settlements, Coop decided he really couldn¡¯t find any significant faults with the progress of his own shard. Ghost Reef¡¯s raw score was shockingly close to the total of all the other settlements on the entire planet combined. The difference was essentially a few million here and there from factions like Neon Park and the Assembly of Settlements that had forces gaining their own points before he arrived. The small settlements across Asia accounted for another small chunk, but the largest difference came from New Zealand.


    He moved on to the individual scores, still waiting for his final control point to convert to blue.


    Underlayer Event Individual Scores:


    <ol>


    <li> Coop - 104,026,482 (+18,505,578)</li>


    <li> Charlie Seraphin - 3,216,957 (+687,861)</li>


    <li> Camila Alvarez - 1,645,328 (+459,316)</li>


    <li> Gibson - 1,532,711 (+356,736)</li>


    <li> Emmanuel Seraphin - 1,409,957 (+277,393)</li>


    <li> Jessica Littenberg - 1,377,410 (+289,584)</li>


    <li> Buck Cleary - 1,278,823 (+0)</li>


    <li> Jose Molina - 1,182,841 (+215,713)</li>


    <li> George Prado - 1,074,785 (+177,316)</li>


    <li> Tiny Cleary - 971,559 (+0)</li>


    </ol>


    Coop raised his eyebrows in surprise at his own score. Compared to the settlement overall, it was actually lower than expected, though either way, it was objectively insane. In retrospect, he hadn¡¯t realized just how much of an event the residents of Ghost Reef were having. They really had been sharing the burden.


    Without their significant contributions, he would be rushing to reach the next continent and make up ground on Shinjuku Gardens. He shuddered at the thought, fatigued enough as it was, still lying in the dirt.


    He supposed that if the human geography of Asia had been different, and more of the surviving population had been residents of various settlements, he would have been able to run the score up significantly more. That the largest continent on the planet had nearly the smallest resident count messed with expectations. Without the score he had accumulated in Africa, he would only have gained like 15 million more points than the residents of Ghost Reef.


    As it was, the group that had gone up the west coast of North America hadn¡¯t had anything to do for quite some time. Shane¡¯s party and the Cleary brothers must have been back home by the time Coop reached Vietnam.


    The other group had cleaned up two or three settlements since he had last checked on them, but even they were probably on their way back. He supposed it was his turn to head home. The thought made the relief finally settle in.


    When the control point pulsed blue, Coop smiled to himself and sat up. His intermission had concluded. He initiated a stretch, but as soon as he got to his feet, a new set of notifications appeared, halting his motion. They were messages that he wasn¡¯t expecting so soon.


    ¡°Huh?¡± He expressed his surprise as he scrolled through them. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    [Settlement Event: Underlayer - Complete]


    [Temporary Leaderboards Finalized]


    [Settlement Winner - Ghost Reef]


    [Score - 147,344,759]


    [Individual Winner - Coop]


    [Score - 104,026,482]


    [Rewards - Distributed]


    ¡°Dang, already?¡± Coop questioned as a pair of spotlights highlighted his position in the dirt, the only ones visible in the entire region.


    Coop was caught standing in the middle of the last control point as the settlement event abruptly ended. Previously, the Siege Event had waited for him to essentially declare victory by touching Ghost Reef¡¯s civilization shard and confirm the end, but the Underlayer Event was done as soon as the Primal Constructs lost control of the final objective.


    He supposed that made sense, given that the civilization shards weren¡¯t the subject of the conflict this time around. The Underlayer had been a challenge to defeat or weaken future invasion on the surface of their territory. By taking complete control of the underground layer, humans had completely prevented the Primal Constructs from establishing their strongholds.


    It hadn¡¯t occurred to him until the moment the event ended, but it was possible that failing to achieve a total victory over the aliens would have triggered another, different event on the surface. The scenario of back to back events that build off of each other seemed entirely within the realm of possibilities for the assimilation. Without Primal Construct strongholds manifesting on the surface, maybe a little vacation was starting instead.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Coop certainly hoped for some downtime, but in the back of his mind, he thought he might be asking for too much. One settlement event did not represent the entire assimilation.


    Was the event ending without his input even convenient? Coop wasn¡¯t sure. He still had to figure out how to get home. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit crestfallen that if they were getting a vacation, he would waste a portion of it on even more travel. He¡¯d had enough with the endless dirt and barren caverns. If the event was ongoing, he definitely could have captured several days for rest.


    Worse yet, he wasn¡¯t with his friends as they undoubtedly celebrated. He closed his eyes and imagined the cheers rising across Ghost Reef and sighed.


    Coop shook his head at his relatively weak complaints, considering the alternative of planetary invasion or humans being unable to conclude the battles before the timers expired. He was just tired and looking for reasons to grumble. The minor dilemma of his travel plans wasn¡¯t something to get hung up on and he could always encourage his own celebration.


    For the moment his concerns were irrelevant because the pair of spotlights, representing the rewards for himself and Ghost Reef, intensified. The lights isolated him in the dirt and as he focused on the beams, his eagerness ramped up. The prizes for his endeavors were manifesting right before his eyes.


    Before he received the honors, he tried to temper his expectations for the Underlayer Event rewards. The Siege Event had been a unique case, where the rewards were disproportionate to the standard thanks to the excessive challenge that Ghost Reef underwent. The equivalent of a Faction Founding Chip simply wasn¡¯t in the cards. In fact, there simply were no equivalents within the galactic community. Ghost Reef had already received the ultimate prize.


    The main bonus of the settlement events was buried within the experience gained from combat, and Coop had absolutely done an extraordinary amount of digging. In one month he had practically doubled his level, which had previously been accumulated over the course of more than four months, and it wasn¡¯t like he had been taking it easy during the first period. The rate that he had gained levels was already unprecedented. It was that advantage that had allowed him to move even further into pioneering heights.


    But still, even with all the experience gained, Coop greedily watched as the reward manifested in front of him. Any additional advantages would be welcomed. As the frontrunner, the pressure to maintain his pace was just as high, if not higher, since he had no points of comparison anymore.


    He hummed, hoping for the best. A small portion of the beam of light blurred, growing brighter as it became opaque, then melted into a small bubble before revealing an object. A miniature disk solidified in the air, hovering in front of him while slowly rotating as if it was on display. It was close enough in front of his chest that he could reach out and grab it, which he did, as soon as it seemed ready.


    Coop was already Identifying the small disk as he carefully grasped it in his fingers, unable to suppress his excitement for another upgrade to the settlement. Ghost Reef had been stacking them up throughout the assimilation, and they would certainly be handy if they were really going to accomplish becoming a proper bastion for humanity.


    The disk had red and blue swirls on its flat surface, matching the now faded control points that had been scattered throughout the Underlayer. The settlement reward for first place in the Underlayer Event was a territory buff called Mana Funnel. Once applied to a civilization shard it would alter the settlement so that it would actively draw mana from the Underlayer instead of passively.


    Coop grunted, feeling like it wasn¡¯t the best thing they could have received. He supposed it could come in handy if they needed to develop a lot of structures through the system at once. They would be able to avoid the bottleneck that Empress City had pressed through.


    If the population of Ghost Reef continued to expand, they would have needed to keep up with production demands by constructing additional mana generators. It seemed like this would eliminate one of the major limitations on growth. It might not be a flashy reward, but Coop could see it being practical in a way that made it more valuable than anticipated.


    He continued analyzing his notifications, seeking out his personal rewards.


    [+1000000 Basic Credits]


    [You have acquired a new title!]


    Coop passed right over the now unimpressive one million credit prize, but his eyebrows shot up at the title. He had forgotten how good the first place title had been the first time around. He hoped it was the same. Unable to keep his expectations suppressed when it came to increasing his stats, he hurriedly reviewed the title, ¡®Underking.¡¯


    Underking - First Place during an Underlayer Event.


    Adds +10% to Selected Attribute.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Coop exclaimed.


    It was huge! Coop pumped his fist as he directed the title to apply to his Mind attribute. Aside from all of his passive skills redistributing additional bonus stats based on how much he invested into Mind, putting points into Mind was also becoming more and more efficient. Another +10% pushed his multiplier up to +35%. Every three levels of investment into Mind was basically giving him four levels worth of stats which were then multiplied throughout the other five attributes.


    Coop opened up his status, feeling rejuvenated by an increase in hundreds of attribute points at once.


    [Status]


    HP - 14849/31760


    MP - 10592/61020


    Class - Revenant (Level 482)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 181)


    Affinity - Spectral, Abyssal


    Race - Human (Rank 1)


    Faction - The Lighthouse


    Strength - 125 (+6102)


    Agility - 125 (+3051)


    Body - 125 (+3051)


    Mind - 4520 (+1582)


    Intelligence - 125 (+6102)


    Acumen - 125 (+3051)


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion IV, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper II, Slayer XI, Dauntless, Stacked, Defiant, Siegebreaker, Mindbender, Valor XXIV, Dedicated, Dynamo, Underking


    Skills (Active) - Mistwalking


    Skills (Passive) - Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension, Clarity of Purpose, Reverence (Rank 10)


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (22/50), Upgrade City to Metropolis


    Basic Credits - 16,111,836


    Coop couldn¡¯t help but giddily laugh as he added up his stats. There were over 28,000 in total. By the end of the Underlayer Event he reached 5,600 levels worth of stats. He had, without a doubt, realized his goal of pushing his stats so high that his baseline would rise to those granted by skill multipliers.


    The Underking title had piled on 400 additional levels of stats in one go. It was no wonder he felt refreshed. The most immediate burden had been lifted with the conclusion of the event and now he had his stats boosted more than any single time before. Normally, he felt like looking at his stats was basically meaningless beyond making sure the numbers were going up, but putting them into the context of levels really changed his perspective. He was a monster.


    He opened up the regular leaderboards, curious how the others had fared relative to his own gains.


    Day 153


    <ol>


    <li> Coop (Level 482)</li>


    <li> Charlie Seraphin (Level 325)</li>


    <li> Camila Alvarez (Level 319)</li>


    <li> Gibson (Level 304)</li>


    <li> Buck Cleary (Level 296)</li>


    <li> Jacqueline ¡®Jackie¡¯ Simpson (Level 292)</li>


    <li> Emmanuel Seraphin (Level 290)</li>


    <li> Shane Peters (Level 290)</li>


    <li> Madison Seraphin (Level 290)</li>


    <li> Jessica Littenberg (Level 289)</li>


    </ol>


    Despite defeating exponentially more enemies, Coop¡¯s overall lead had barely changed. While he had nearly doubled his level, the other residents of Ghost Reef actually more than doubled theirs. They were approaching the extreme pace of two levels a day over the course of the assimilation that he had been so proud of before.


    Coop scrolled through the list, finding familiar names all throughout the top 1,000. Other than Ghost Reef¡¯s residents, only select individual powerhouses of settlements across the world held onto their ranks. Platinum, Tzultacaj, Jackson Hobbs, Sila Tupua, and Safiri were all there, but others like Alex Nova, Hai Yun, and the Kitawa pair had fallen behind Edith Buford and the other regular residents that had joined Ghost Reef over time.


    ¡°Crazy¡­¡± He observed, feeling proud and impressed not just with his own progress but with all of his friends as well.


    While he went through the different system windows, his audience drew closer. They were keeping their distance, but the exiled members of Shinjuku Gardens were observing him, watching him shake his head and pump his fist to himself in the middle of nowhere. They probably thought he had lost his mind.


    All the objectives had disappeared, emptying the Underlayer of one its only defining features. Coop took a long look at the way he came, having to imagine the edges of a tunnel given the width of the cavern.


    It was definitely time to head out. He turned toward the blind old hermit and his followers, considering his options. Should he double back and reconnect with all the people he had briefly met, now without the urgency of defeating monsters, or should he forge ahead and hopefully arrive home sooner? He supposed either way, he would take these exiles for a stroll, at least for the first segment as he tried to go home.

 Chapter 300: The Underking

    Somewhere in the Underlayer, in the company of an unweathered stone pillar, half a dozen arguments welled up from a group of despairing individuals. The column stood like a silent witness, roughly the width and length of a football stadium while they debated amongst themselves. The pillar, with its mana dense atmosphere and the sprawling landscape of unspoiled dirt was indistinguishable from a thousand others that occupied the underground layer. There was nothing special about this one in particular.


    For the parties present, the conclusion of the event had come suddenly, accompanied by the earth trembling such that they braced themselves in the shadow of the stone monument. They were still acclimating to the scenario as a whole when it abruptly ended.


    They hadn¡¯t decided on a new goal after escaping their previous predicament, let alone a way to achieve it. The quakes at the end of the event reignited the debates that had been ongoing for several days while they assessed the situation.


    A few among them saw the underground layer as an opportunity to try and return to homes they had been forced out of. They believed they hadn¡¯t fought hard enough to stay within the safety of settlement territory, and now that they had experienced what the untamed world was like, they dreamed of returning.


    Others believed they could utilize the tunnels to reach new places where they could integrate themselves without the challenge of negotiating with the same people who ostracized them in the first place. For them, a fresh start was far more appealing than begging for a second chance among those that had been responsible for their expulsion.


    Both sides agreed that surviving without a civilization shard was not their best option and hoped to find a way to get themselves back into tamed territory. However, the largest bloc of exiles refrained from the debates, quietly following the lead of their mistress.


    Ultimately, Hai Yun held the most authority to make such decisions on behalf of the group, her attendants somehow still completely loyal to her judgment, but the truth was that she had mentally checked out, completely smothered by the burdens of leadership and survival. Instead of acting as an arbiter for the troupe as she had in the past, she gazed off into the distance, only half listening to what went on around her, as taciturn as the stone column.


    She wasn¡¯t sure if anything they did even mattered anymore. To her, it seemed clear that the assimilation was an exercise in misery. Every option was futile, with adversities designed to eventually overcome the will of all humans. The civilization shards were merely prolonging the experience.


    The last leg of their journey had caused them to fall behind in levels, so it felt like the possibility of them affecting change had disappeared. At this point, they really would be seen as nothing but a burden to those they would have offered to help. In spite of their combat experience, thousands of others had easily surpassed them.


    She was growing more and more convinced that humans didn¡¯t even deserve to survive. At every turn, they had only made the already apocalyptic hardships more difficult, throwing their kin to the wolves based on arbitrary differences that were hardly relevant to their survival as a whole. There was too much baggage harbored within the souls of humanity.


    She shut her eyes for a moment, somehow maintaining her mask of neutrality and wondered if all of their struggles had been a waste of effort. When she opened them again, she watched the hazy flow of mana far off on the horizon. It seemed like an invitation to surrender to the currents of destiny.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid!¡± A voice rose above the rest. ¡°There¡¯s no reason for us to go back unless you intend to stain your blade with their blood.¡± Akari Kitawa shouted at her older sister, who stoically gazed in the direction of Shinjuku Gardens. The middle sibling was always the noisiest. Her raised voice attracted plenty of attention.


    ¡°Calm down, Akari.¡± Seki Kitawa tried to mediate, having been the one to suggest utilizing the Underlayer to reach yet another settlement. Though he also thought they should leave Shinjuku Gardens behind for good and seek out a new base, he still understood both of their perspectives. ¡°She¡¯s just worried about the people we left behind.¡±


    ¡°Screw ¡®em!¡± Akari responded. ¡°The ones who matter can take care of themselves, the rest are the problem. You heard Miss Hai Yun¡¯s scouts. They threatened to kill them! They drove them away without even listening to a word they had to say. If I go back, it¡¯ll be to teach them a lesson about threats they won¡¯t be able to forget.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know.¡± Seki agreed, trying to calm the fiery sister as much as he could. ¡°I don¡¯t think we should go back either. Our connection is completely gone at this point.¡±


    ¡°We should go back and at least see how they fared at the end. They might need our help.¡± Reina finally chimed in, voice not as firm as expected. It seemed like she knew that what she was saying would only invite more conflict.


    ¡°You were exiled.¡± Akari stated coldly. ¡°Let go of some of those responsibilities already.¡± She proposed, gazing at her sister with an expression filled with pity.


    Reina seemed a bit more downcast upon hearing the suggestion, as if she didn¡¯t know what to do without such clear duties. She was someone that took her obligations seriously, diligently pursuing commitments, and always met expectations. With the collapse of civilized society, she had lost her primary lodestone and was sent adrift.


    Hai Yun felt for her. She didn¡¯t know what they should do either, but she was finding it harder and harder to bother opposing the flow of the assimilation. Humans would end up at each other''s throats no matter where they went. At best, they could look out for each other, but that would only take them so far.


    Her weary eyes found the rest of the Kitawa party. The paladin and the gangster shared identical expressions of forlorn indifference. Like her, their morale had seeped out of them. It seemed like among the caravan of ostracized people, only a few other than the three siblings had some hope left in them, and they were mostly the people who had decided on a simpler purpose, much smaller than saving their homelands or the world itself. Hai Yun¡¯s personal retainers were among them, driven to keep her safe, and were the only reason she hadn¡¯t surrendered to the apocalypse just yet.


    ¡°Look, the event ended. That means the invaders beneath Shinjuku Gardens have been dealt with, so the people aren¡¯t in any immediate danger.¡± Seki continued trying to get his sisters on the same page by addressing the eldest.


    Reina¡¯s face subtly shifted, like she was unsatisfied with trusting the notifications and wanted to see it for herself. Considering the information that the scouts had brought back, Hai Yun couldn¡¯t blame her. It seemed impossible for the vast armies of invaders to have been defeated in a matter of days unless a natural disaster had occurred, and besides, the humans were equally a threat.


    Maybe, before they continued on their journey, Hai Yun could send her scouts back out for their peace of mind. It would only delay them a few more days. It wasn¡¯t like they had any pending appointments.


    Reina looked like she would suggest something else, but before the main argument could continue, Irina surprised everyone by snarling like a rabid animal. Everyone quieted, suddenly turning toward the easily forgotten companion of Hai Yun.


    Irina was always restrained until it was time for a fight, when she became something else. At the moment, she was facing away from the group, crouched as if she was about to pounce. Dark claws grew from her hands as she prepared to go into a frenzy. Her actions put everyone on high alert.


    In the next moment, a pole implanted itself in the dirt, some 20 yards away from the now silenced caravan. Hai Yun¡¯s eyes narrowed, mostly confused by the sudden appearance of a mysterious object.


    Whispers of black smoke and ghostly green ether seemed to leak from its surface, and Hai Yun immediately understood Irina¡¯s distaste. There was nothing that girl hated more than the Undead.


    Hai Yun squinted in the distance in an effort to trace its trajectory, but her eyes had to keep going farther and farther. At the edge of the horizon, numerous figures had barely appeared. It was enough to form an army, and it was expanding across the entirety of her vision. She found herself moving automatically, mana flowing through her limbs as she stood and faced the next impossible challenge. Whether it would be their last mattered little.


    ¡°Prepare yourselves.¡± Hai Yun directed, impossible to avoid the responsibilities of her position, despite how she had become a shell of herself. It seemed like a decision had been made for them.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Mists engulfed the pole, demanding her attention away from the horizon before a man appeared. A cloud of thick fog spilled down his form, bouncing on the ground like a liquid before evaporating into the dirt. He was grinning happily, dressed like he had just arrived at the beach rather than a battle. ¡°Hi!¡± He started, a single hand raised. ¡°If you need- Whoa!¡±


    The unarmored man barely avoided being caught by surprise when Irina sprung into action, viciously counterattacking the potential assault. She had already transformed into the demonic creature that slept inside of her, baring fangs in an oversized jaw, with wicked claws that sought to gut her target.


    Hai Yun winced as she prepared herself for the blood and gore that would follow Irina¡¯s attacks, but to her amazement, the girl¡¯s wrist was snatched mid swipe, then she was caught by the throat and lifted off the ground. Her jaws gnashed, audibly snapping in the air, and her free hand¡¯s claws raked the man¡¯s forearm, seeking to break bones. Instead of dismembering him, the vicious nails only left long scrapes that didn¡¯t even bleed. Mists leaked from the wounds instead.


    The man¡¯s eyes swept across the caravan while he held the enraged girl like she was a wild animal, as if he was assessing them all, and despite the attack, it was only after he had taken a good look did his expression sour.


    ¡°Banshee.¡± He spoke quietly, while Irina flailed in an effort to free herself from his firm grip, his eyes darkening dangerously. The puppy dog-like excitement he had started with disappeared, and as his words were vocalized, magical armor sprung into existence, formed from more mists. The beach goer suddenly became a warrior with an overwhelmingly bloody presence to match. This man was a conqueror.


    ¡°Wait! We can¡¯t!¡± Seki cried out, the first to properly detect the man¡¯s aura, but it was too late. Mana was flowing throughout the caravan and his sisters were the first to take action.


    Akari appeared from the man¡¯s shadow and attempted a series of assassination strikes. The stranger calmly avoided each slash, despite them all coming from behind while he focused on the girl in his grasp. His movements were so subtle, it made it seem like Akari was simply missing, slicing the air centimeters from the man¡¯s skin. A slight lean, a shifting step, a small dip of the shoulder, and he dodged everything while Irina did her best to tear through his armor and eviscerate him with her feet, quickly discovering that it would be impossible.


    The sky was darkening when Akari first took action, and everyone except for Hai Yun was already moving. The attendants took defensive positions as Hai Yun delved into her own powers while others sought to support the Kitawa party. The man was severely outnumbered, but he showed absolutely no hesitation in the face of unified opposition.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you Undead have any piece of Earth.¡± The man ominously declared to Irina, grip tightening enough that her attacks transformed into a desperate effort to escape.


    Midnight snuck into the Underlayer, painting the landscape with a deep blue veil. It wasn¡¯t exactly darkness, but only dim ambient light lingered within the imitation of nightfall. Irina¡¯s resistance had already grown feeble.


    The domain settled upon the stranger while Akari attempted to distract, though it was Irina¡¯s mere existence that had successfully consumed his attention. A sliver of light cut through the gloom, forming the last lunar phase of the moon, arcing with a shallow curve that sliced through the thick atmosphere with enough power to cleave a mountain top. It was a proven ultimate attack, lethal, even to the most powerful invaders.


    Reina Kitawa¡¯s Gaze of the Waning Moon sought to cut the stranger in half, from his shoulder to the ground, but in the moment before he was killed, a round shield appeared in the hand that released Irina¡¯s wrist. He accepted the blow with nothing but solidified mists. Rather than being sliced, he was smashed backwards in a shower of sparks that flashed through the darkness. He released Irina to collapse into the dirt, now motionless, as he was forced to respect the ultimate attack.


    The sharp dinging sound echoed across the dirt layer, and the man slid backwards, digging a long trench with his feet, but never losing his balance despite being pushed more than 30 feet away from his initial position. He peered over his shield, staring at Reina with a look that was unexpected. Instead of rage or fear, he admired the blow, despite its intention. He was intrigued.


    At the same time, Reina dropped her oversized sword, the reverberation of mana from the blocked attack breaking her grip, cracking the blade, and sending her falling backwards even before the shockwave knocked the weaker members of the caravan to the ground. But even if she hadn¡¯t successfully delivered a fatal blow, she had given her sister an opening.


    Blood red droplets were already falling as the deep blue of the domain faded to a foreboding gray. The blood moon had appeared in place of the waning crescent, and Akari was upon the stranger, savagely cutting with her dual blades, one longer than the other, but both shining with ominous crimson.


    A dozen cambered petals flourished, forming a bloody flower, but each was easily caught by the shield, despite aiming for vital areas across the intruder¡¯s entire body. Before the first crash had left their ears, the man¡¯s spear manifested in his other hand and he used the end to sweep across Akari¡¯s ankles, bypassing the golden shield that had popped into existence to protect her chest. The sweep flipped her in the air, then as she hovered at the apex of her fall, he smashed the spear down, catching her with the side. The strike landed with enough power to explode the paladin protection and smash her into the dirt before the pull of gravity had any effect.


    The domain shattered with Akari¡¯s undeniable defeat and the illumination of the underground flooded the battlefield like a flash of light.


    ¡°No! Stop! Stop!¡± Seki was shouting, but the violence drowned him out, and Akari¡¯s boyfriend was already unleashing his spells while others squinted in the renewed light.


    The first shot was one of his high velocity line drives. It streaked across the space, burning with a red fire that left a smoking trail. The attack seemed impossible to dodge, but she had her doubts after seeing how easily Akari¡¯s speed was countered.


    To her surprise, the man didn¡¯t dodge it at all, opting to catch the flaming projectile with his bare hand after dropping his shield. He held it, as if demonstrating an ¡®out¡¯ before crushing it in his palm. The next dozen curve balls followed impossible paths, whipping from all different directions at angles beyond 60 degrees. All of them simply smashed into the dirt, sending splashes in the man¡¯s wake as he casually strolled to the side, somehow calculating the absurd trajectories while redirecting his focus to someone else.


    He had repositioned to target the hidden support among the party, and once he locked eyes with Reina¡¯s fiance, he aimed his spear and threw it directly at the paladin¡¯s chest. The spear shot with such speed, it made the previous fireballs seem sluggish, screaming through the air like a bullet.


    All of the Paladin¡¯s emergency defenses went up immediately. First, the Barricade of Light exploded into shards, then, the Aegis of Salvation, the Blessing of Dawn, Greater Holy Barrier, and finally, the Bulwark of Reason all shattered, one after the other, sending shockwaves of divine mana that sent bystanders flying. None managed to slow the spear. The last shield was the one he held in his hand, but compared to the skill generated protection, it was practically decoration. The man was doomed.


    But before the physical shield crumpled beneath the missile, the spear stopped, caught by the man who had thrown it as he suddenly teleported to its location, and redirected its path. Instead of hitting the shield, he swung it sideways, and sent the paladin flying with a body blow that undoubtedly crushed his ribs.


    At the same time a dozen shield-bearing ghosts leapt from portals of mists, turning the singular warrior into the commander of a squad that had cleared a gap in the heart of their formation. Finally, Hai Yun was ready and she already found her chance.


    Her twin dragons erupted from the clearing in the ground, her two fingers pointing upwards as she tried to catch the man by surprise. The snake-like manifestations created a lightning inferno that melted the ghosts away before revealing their elemental wings, but the man stood firm, extending both arms out from his sides and facing the sky, like he was enjoying a pleasant summer shower.


    Flames licked his skin and purple lightning jumped across his limbs, arcing between gaps, but he was miraculously unaffected by the extreme magic damage. In fact, he was smiling as he was bathed in deadly attacks. The expression that should have been filled with pain, demonstrated appreciation instead. He was having fun?


    At the same time, mists mixed with the smoke of the fires, rising higher and higher as the updraft of her dragons dragged the air upwards and whipped up a storm with their momentum. But to her surprise, the vaporous haze suddenly collapsed, defying the physics of her manifestations.


    It was like a stage curtain had fallen, revealing a 300 foot tall hologram of a gorilla, planting its feet with enough force to shake the ground, proving that despite its translucency, it was solid. The ghostly manifestation locked glowing eyes with her before hammering its fists into the ground on either side of its summoner.


    The sudden appearance of what Hai Yun could only describe as a mythical essence sent her attendants tumbling to the ground with its aura alone. Smoke and dirt flew in a wave, carrying the helpless people away, clouding the battlefield even further while the firepower of the combatants disturbed the Underlayer. The man stood alone, in the eye of a spiritual storm produced by the mere presence of an apparition, unbothered while the auras pounded the caravan.


    She desperately sent her twin dragons spiraling together in the sky, pouring all of her mana into the manifestations and uniting their strength before turning them around to attack from above. They shot across the sky, trailing a whirlwind of black smoke as the fire dragon¡¯s wings burned, highlighted by flashes of purple lightning crackling where her other dragon soared.


    Her brow was furrowed in concentration as she fought to keep the dragons formed, in spite of the erosive pure mana in the air. Her fingers were rigid as she carefully guided her manifestations closer together, but the ape leapt toward them, flying through the air and reaching out to snatch them each by the neck.


    The dragons were too slow to escape. The giant monster crushed their incorporeal throats, dismissing her ultimate attack with a clamorous roar as it slammed back into the ground and turned toward her, still aggressively standing upright. Hai Yun¡¯s mana fizzled while the ape pounded its enormous chest with thumps that sent even more dirt flying, proudly demonstrating its absolute dominance to its cowering audience.


    Hai Yun fell to her knees, letting the shockwaves crash into her. She realized that this was it. The power this man wielded was far too overwhelming. Death had finally caught them.

 Chapter 301: Forgiveness

    Hai Yun squeezed her eyes shut, ignoring the sounds around her. She sat on her knees with her head down, completely depleted, unable even to weep. The burdens of leadership had already exhausted her emotions. The lives she had become responsible for would be lost, but in the end, that¡¯s what they had all expected. What more could she have done?


    She had exhausted her mana in an ultimate attack that had been snuffed out with hardly any effort by their opponent, just as he had negated all the others. Without any resources to manipulate her spells, she was less than useless, and ultimately, she was a liability. Physically, she was nearly as weak as she had been as a regular human, regardless of the levels she had gained during the assimilation. It was exactly as pathetic an end as she deserved. She only hoped that her ineptitude would be forgotten, left to rot in the dirt, along with her existence.


    She was full of regrets, but she did her best to let them go before she was killed. A single tear ran down her cheek as she wished that she could have been better for the sake of her attendants. The trust she had been given had never really been earned.


    But minutes went by and death didn¡¯t come. It wasn¡¯t until she was physically lifted off the ground and placed on her feet that she came back to her senses. The person that had brought her back to the present was the very same man that had defeated them all.


    She blinked, eyes bloodshot, simply confused while his hands firmly held her arms until she put her feet down.


    ¡°You¡¯ve had a hard time, huh?¡± He observed, seemingly understanding everything at a glance.


    He pulled her into a generous hug, evoking gasps from her nearest dirt-covered attendants as they slowly recovered, dragging themselves back toward the battlefield. Her face felt warm as the rest of her tears finally came.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you did a good job.¡± He added as he released her. ¡°The kid Seki explained enough for me to get the picture. I¡¯m gonna need to talk to the Banshee, I mean Irina, but we¡¯re all good.¡± He stated as if whatever happened was somehow already water under the bridge.


    He put one hand on her shoulder and used his other to pull her limp hand between them, then placed a wrapped chocolate in her palm, before nodding to himself and walking off to speak to others. She stared at the chocolate for a long time, wondering where it had even come from and what it meant.


    ¡°Mistress?¡± The young girl that had been her attendant since the beginning spoke quietly, dirt caked in her hair from tumbling away in the blasts. When Hai Yun turned her head, glad that the girl had survived, still carefully holding the chocolate, the girl continued. ¡°He¡¯s inviting everyone to come with him to Ghost Reef, he says he¡¯s Coop¡­ from the leaderboards.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Hai Yun managed, throat scratchy, unsure of what to say.


    The girl kept going, smiling in a way Hai Yun hadn¡¯t seen before. ¡°He said we¡¯re all welcome to stay in his settlement if we want. And he said he¡¯ll do his best to keep us safe. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s great?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Hai Yun ineloquently expressed her skepticism. Safe? What was that? They were on the verge of being crushed by overwhelming power just minutes ago. Every single day brought more disasters. What was her attendant talking about now?


    She glanced over at the man who was going one-by-one to speak to the people he had held back from instantly killing, though they hadn¡¯t realized it until afterwards. Reina Kitawa was having her wrists wrapped by her fiance before they began interacting with him, clearly slightly uncomfortable by his approach. After all, the members of the caravan had not been holding back when they joined Irina in an effort to kill the stranger, but he had thrashed them while handicapping himself in an exhibition of patience beyond realistic. It made Hai Yun question just how many fights he had experienced prior to meeting them.


    In seconds, Coop was nodding encouragingly at Reina¡¯s fiance, fully engaged with the man while complimenting his shield barriers with dramatic hand gestures, then he was pointing toward the horizon, explaining something to Reina with a big grin on his face. When she heard whatever he was saying her neck practically snapped as she strained to see, then she reached to embrace Coop before stopping to bow deeply several times while he timidly tried to get her to stop.


    Afterwards, he went with the pair to Akari and her gangster boyfriend, who both seemed keen on maintaining animosity toward him. Hai Yun¡¯s eyebrows rose as she watched him win the delinquents over right before her eyes. While Reina¡¯s fiance healed Akari, she went from staring daggers at Coop, to proudly showing him her mismatched pair of swords. Her boyfriend went through the same process, ending up presenting the patches he had sewn into his jacket for Coop to unabashedly admire.


    Coop and Irina had the longest conversation, but neither attacked the other, so it seemed like they had come to some understanding. Unbeknownst to Hai Yun, Irina was actually Chosen of the Departed, a faction of the very same Undead that she held such animosity towards. She had abandoned the quest they had given her, uncomfortable with converting live humans into her personal thralls, and joined Hai Yun¡¯s caravan instead.


    Irina was wrestling with how her alien faction had transformed her. She detested how a permanent choice had been thrust upon her without her full knowledge. Though she had been changed into a monster, she clung to her last bits of humanity, even while other humans detected something was off about her. Before her chance encounter with Hai Yun, everyone she met immediately condemned her, instinctively deducing that she was an abomination.


    Hai Yun and her people had offered her tolerance, but Coop offered her a chance at redemption, so long as she renounced the membership to her faction, an option Irina hadn¡¯t known was available, but eagerly accepted.


    Meanwhile, Coop wasn¡¯t affiliated with the Undead at all, and Irina had jumped to conclusions just because he had a mana affinity that was deceptively close to those of her sponsors. Apparently, it wasn¡¯t the first time such a misunderstanding had occurred, and Coop was quick to offer forgiveness. If anything, he seemed to enjoy the exhibition of skills, and was proud of Irina for her defiant spirit as well as all the people willing to back her up.


    While they spoke, the army that had been following Coop caught up. Their arrival turned out to be an unplanned reunion as they weren¡¯t an army at all, but actually civilians that Coop had previously offered to protect.


    The blind hermit and the Keepers of the Mountain that had fought alongside Hai Yun and the others in the Sacred Mana Well appeared among the crowds that followed Coop. They left Shinjuku Gardens, following the Champion of Ghost Reef, and had collected more and more exiles from the super settlement as they went.


    Hai Yun learned that when her scouts interacted with the soldiers of Shinjuku Gardens, it triggered an event where thousands upon thousands of people heard news that the Kitawa sisters were nearby in the Underlayer and collectively sought them out. An ultimatum had been issued to the residents of the settlement, and the possibility of joining the Kitawa sisters made the option to leave more appealing, with many groups taking the plunge into the underground.


    Then, as Coop united with the Keepers of the Mountain and marched south, they overtook the wandering refugees, who were lost in the Underlayer, and pulled them into his orbit. He had approached Hai Yun¡¯s group with the intention of adding them to the parade, though he was making a point of approaching each group alone, just in case anyone turned out to be hostile, in order to protect the civilians that had come under his care.


    To Hai Yun¡¯s understanding of human nature in the assimilation, Coop¡¯s actions made no sense. Why would anyone anchor themselves with the weak and helpless? She struggled to make sense of his motivations, but she followed along all the same, such was his momentum.


    For the first time in the assimilation, Hai Yun was untethered from the burden of leadership. Though the caravan continued to look to her for guidance, she simply followed Coop, wondering how this whole charade would all end. Naturally, she was still pessimistic about what the future would bring. She couldn¡¯t imagine a place for them, but she tried to enjoy the respite while they explored the Underlayer together, waiting for him to send them packing. It didn¡¯t seem like they would be enslaved, but certainly they would be turned away at some point.


    A few days later, they reached the Aotearoa New Zealand settlement and another reunion took place. Evidently, a small group from Ghost Reef had arrived in time to help the local Maori-inspired warriors clear the last objective of their invasion, forming a bond between the two successful settlements through shared combat.


    Following the unspoken leadership of their Champion, even the regular residents of Ghost Reef were quick to make friends and offer help with no strings attached, completely diverging from the experiences of Hai Yun throughout the assimilation. From her perspective, it seemed careless and unsustainable.


    Coop was surprised to find his own companions for reasons Hai Yun didn¡¯t understand until she learned that they needed to walk for at least another week in the Underlayer before reaching his intended destination. The residents from Ghost Reef had fought their way across an entire continent, two if they counted passing beneath Antarctica, though they hadn¡¯t found any more monsters until reaching New Zealand. It was a journey that could dwarf her own extensive travels, and they had done it in a much smaller amount of time, with such little effort, it seemed comparable to a simple hike.


    Hai Yun continued to observe, doing her best to reinforce her mask while she had the chance. It all felt unreal.


    Coop chatted with everyone, but he always kept it far more casual than she had ever experienced. When he spoke to her, he showered her with compliments, calling himself a big fan and built her back up in ways she didn¡¯t understand she needed. Her position on the earliest leaderboards, as the strongest Unchosen, had left an impression on the Champion of Ghost Reef. As far as he was concerned, he considered her in contention for the strongest on the planet based on that performance alone, and introduced her to who he believed was her biggest rival: an extremely shy, but kind, girl named Charlie. Apparently, he hoped they would become friends.


    He did the same with others, bringing Akari and her boyfriend to a woman named Camila while talking about cousins that weren¡¯t present and how funny it was that there was a whole genre of baseball bat wielders in the assimilation. It seemed like Coop really enjoyed learning about the skills of everyone else.


    Under Coop¡¯s guidance, Reina had her fiance swept up by the doctor of Ghost Reef, and within one day, the paladin was already referring to her as his sensei. The good doctor used the respectful paladin to draw a contrast with the way Coop spoke so casually to her, causing her large husband to chuckle to himself. They joked together in a manner that made it difficult to remember Coop¡¯s position as someone who wielded enough strength to annihilate them all.


    Hai Yun was swept along, feeling strange about what she learned of Ghost Reef. It was like their leader didn¡¯t take anything seriously, or like he didn¡¯t acknowledge the apocalypse at all. She would have believed they hadn¡¯t experienced any hardships, but the other residents happily shared their ordeals. The stories were unbelievable, to the point that she wasn¡¯t sure if they were simply made up, but their powers reflected their experiences. The reason she was no longer on the leaderboards was that these people had never stopped grinding.


    Meanwhile, by her count, they were confidently inviting almost one million people, mostly exiles from Shinjuku Gardens, but also some from New Zealand and various places across South America, to their admittedly tiny settlement. She was worried they were underneath some collective delusion. No matter how strong they were, they couldn¡¯t possibly accommodate such an influx of people. Much smaller numbers had been too much for much larger settlements to tolerate. She anticipated a collapse.


    As more days went by, Hai Yun found an opportunity and cornered the doctor, seeking answers from the one among them that seemed the most sensible. ¡°Why is he doing this?¡± She had to ask.


    ¡°Doing what?¡± Dr. Seraphin wondered.


    ¡°Taking all these people to your settlement.¡± Hai Yun clarified. ¡°It will only invite problems, won¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just a sweetheart. You¡¯ll get used to it.¡± Dr. Seraphin promised.


    Hai Yun couldn¡¯t accept such a simple explanation. ¡°But won¡¯t this put too much pressure on your base? Shouldn¡¯t you prioritize your own survival over helping others? You¡¯ve fought hard to establish yourselves. Why risk it all on strangers that will certainly throw off your harmony?¡±


    To Hai Yun¡¯s surprise, the doctor laughed at her honest concern as if she was misguided before answering. ¡°Helping is the whole point of our survival.¡± When she discerned Hai Yun¡¯s confusion, she continued. ¡°Look, one way or another, Coop has helped literally everyone that ended up in Ghost Reef, including myself and my family, sometimes in ways he doesn¡¯t even realize. In return, we¡¯re helping him. That¡¯s all.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    While Hai Yun found the explanation unsatisfactory, she left it alone. She found herself preparing for the catch as the crowds migrated across the Underlayer, and she wasn¡¯t alone. Most of the people that the residents of Ghost Reef intended to offer sanctuary formed a vast, weary parade that huddled together as they crossed the desolate wasteland, sharing unspoken traumas. Their faces bore the scars of their experience in the assimilation, marked by hardship and recognition that they were too weak, with eyes containing a mix of fear and desperation. It wasn¡¯t only Hai Yun that had forgotten what hope felt like.


    The residents of Ghost Reef were supportive, gently offering encouragement while easing them into the idea that life wasn¡¯t only suffering, no matter what alien invaders tried, but they were so few relative to their guests that the message failed to take root.


    Ten days from when Hai Yun first met Coop, they finally arrived. A flicker of light pierced the steady underground illumination, shining like a solitary beacon in the tunnels. Hai Yun shielded her eyes after it had faded, before recognition set in and she took a second look.


    A spotlight rotated around one of the massive stone pillars in the distance, a thousand feet up, advertising itself like the world¡¯s largest lighthouse had been built into the stone, watching over the sea of dirt. It rose from the heart of the earthen wasteland, painting the dark soil with a streak of silvery brightness, casting long shadows when it reached the refugees, before the light continued on its steady rotation.


    Hai Yun¡¯s heart skipped a beat, feeling disbelief while Coop¡¯s eyes twinkled at his first hint of home after a long trip around the world. Beneath the light, around the entire base of the enormous column was the first structure any of them had seen in the Underlayer, a place supposedly unfit for such permanence. Star-shaped fortifications had been erected in a radial pattern with extensive outer earthworks all the way around the massive stone column. The walls stood out against the dark dirt of the Underlayer, the color of crema nova marble, smooth enough to reflect the rotating light protected in the center and tall enough to be a problem for even the largest of the Prime Constructs.


    Remembering that the columns were already enormous, easily as wide as the largest football stadiums, she realized that the fortress had to be even bigger with the distance deceiving her eyes. It was as if it was prepared with the intention to face all the invaders of the Underlayer at once and not just survive, but be victorious. It was an ambition she didn¡¯t understand.


    Sentries had spotted the crowd before they had laid eyes on the walls, and multiple small squads had already been dispatched to greet them, but the parade had more or less halted thanks to the confusion and disbelief of its members.


    Once the sentries realized that this particular set of refugees was led by Coop and the residents of Ghost Reef, all sorts of people appeared from the fortress to welcome them home.


    Hai Yun and the other refugees eventually followed along, slowly succumbing to the enthusiasm of Ghost Reef, unsure of exactly what they were being pulled into. Seeing was believing, but it all felt like a mirage. They hadn¡¯t believed the stories of Ghost Reef¡¯s organization and realistically anticipated most of the stories told by residents would be exaggerated, but their expectations were flipped. The residents of Ghost Reef had seemingly downplayed their accomplishments to an enormous degree.


    Multiple large gates, tucked deep into the fortress between each of the pointed embankments, were opened wide, inviting them to enter. As they approached, hundreds of locals greeted them with friendly smiles and welcoming words as if this was a regular scene for them.


    Coop noisily greeted some people that had specifically come to see him, including someone who he was particularly excited to see named Marcus. Before Coop left, he grabbed a particularly large man and pointed directly at Hai Yun, singling her out among the massive crowd that was filtering into their underground city, as if he had been keeping tabs on her.


    Moments later she was confronted by a pair of bear-like humans. They loomed over her until one elbowed the other.


    ¡°Miss Hai Yun?¡± The one on the left started shyly, the recipient of the elbow.


    ¡°Yes?¡± She responded, several of her attendants drawing protectively around her, all having to angle their necks to gaze at the faces of the pair.


    ¡°The boss suggested we be the ones to give you a tour!¡± The second announced. ¡°You see, uh, we¡¯re big fans!¡±


    ¡°Fans?¡± She wondered, having heard something similar from Coop.


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± The first exclaimed before holding out a pen and a stack of papers. ¡°I¡¯m Tiny Cleary, and this is my brother, Junior Cleary. Before we start, could we have your autograph?¡±


    Hai Yun glanced at her nearest attendant, but they were as flabbergasted as she was. ¡°Sure?¡± She accepted the pen and wrote her name, then watched as the two showed each other with extremely satisfied expressions, transforming their image in her eyes from actual bears to teddy bears.


    Next, they led her through the smooth tiled streets of the underground fortress, quickly explaining that everything was actually made by hand because the Underlayer caused severe erosion to mana-based structures. It was so shiny because it was all brand new, built up over the last few weeks alone. Their words quickly became too technical for her to follow as they explained the processes, but she nodded along, not wanting to diminish the excitement of the large tour guides.


    They guided her and a smaller group of her followers through their teleportation system, to which Hai Yun couldn¡¯t help but express her doubt, but they reassured her, encouraging them all to try it together.


    A minute of solitary darkness had Hai Yun recalling the week spent climbing through the cave that the Kitawa party had explored on their deserted island, eventually discovering the chasm. It had been a long nightmare.


    When light reached her eyes again, revealing a dream, she gasped in shock.


    ¡ª


    Warm humid air enveloped Hai Yun like a soft blanket as she witnessed the breathtaking panorama of a welcoming town center built in a tropical paradise, surrounded by sturdy fortress walls. Though the fortifications were smaller and older than the ones in the underground, something about them held significance, as if their age proved their determination.


    Turquoise waters sparkled in the sun and palm trees swayed gently in the breeze, shading blooming flowers while hummingbirds and butterflies hovered back and forth. It was completely free of the devastation and violence the rest of the world experienced. With her own eyes, she witnessed the proof of the haven created by the walls and those who guarded them. It still seemed unreal.


    A row of market stalls, occupied by humans, aliens, and ghosts were interacting with a steady flow of curious newcomers, a wide canal at their backs. A single enormous ship that would have dwarfed her antique merchant ships was idle at the side of an extraordinary walking bridge, dozens of cannons being diligently cleaned. A group of children were leaping from the bridge into the water, laughing like they didn¡¯t know about the apocalypse before climbing rope ladders onto the elevated wooden decks of the ship. Pirates on board were encouraging the antics.


    On the other side of the bridge, a stone pavilion glowed invitingly, with people relaxing on benches and stone seats, drinking from coffee cups and conversing with a casualness that left Hai Yun utterly confused.


    The most prominent sign from the nearest stall read: ¡®Weary from your travels in the Underlayer? Come try a Rejuvenating Elixir! Free of charge for a limited time!¡¯ A cartoon slime person stirred a cauldron on the side of the bold letters. The human worker sat in a lounge chair, feet up on the counter as they relaxed in the shade. Something about their posture said a lot about the atmosphere of the town, despite bustling with what seemed like tourists.


    The second shop advertised a service in equally colorful letters. ¡®Need custom furniture for your new home? Commission Jane Lancaster Today! Trained by Balor himself: Satisfaction is Guaranteed!¡¯ A woman, that must have been Jane herself, was actively sculpting an artsy coffee table from a stone slab within the second stall.


    Hai Yun blinked as she took in the buildings all along the street that followed the canal, before spotting the ocean¡¯s horizon in the gap of the outer wall, at the end of a series of palm trees shading the street. Somehow, it wasn¡¯t nearly as scary as the ones she had traveled on, with all of the ghostly sailing ships dotting the horizon. When dolphins jumped from the water in the distance, she almost laughed, so clearly was the scene a figment of her imagination.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, Miss Hai Yun, we¡¯ll start with the Crafting Quarter!¡± The two Cleary brothers suddenly appeared from a separate runed portal, guiding her group away from the more crowded city center. ¡°That¡¯ll give you some ideas for what kind of profession you might want!¡±


    Hai Yun was swept along for hours, feeling like she was hallucinating. She was gifted new clothes to replace her worn gowns by an alien, the handful of retainers that hadn¡¯t been left behind for the tour received sets of leather armor the salesman called Ghost Reef Standard Issue with bonuses that would apply if they became residents, aliens and ghosts introduced themselves and invited her to join guilds and clubs, and eventually she found herself inside a cheerful tavern, eating a complimentary meal served by a handsome demon. It was the second time she had eaten in the entire assimilation, the first time being a single chocolate.


    While she ate, trying to sort through all of the overwhelming things she had seen like she was a rural tourist visiting a major city for the first time, a wraith appeared and handed the two Cleary brothers a packet of documents. They sorted through them while she did her best to savor the stew they had recommended.


    ¡°Well alright! Congratulations Miss Hai Yun!¡± They suddenly announced. ¡°Nice! The masons are getting fast!¡±


    ¡°What? Huh?¡± She sputtered, completely forgetting her elegance, unsure if she had missed something.


    ¡°You and your people have been granted floor 18.¡± Tiny briefly explained. ¡°Looks like Coop personally vouched for you, so you got approved immediately.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll let you go check it out when you¡¯re done eating!¡± Junior happily suggested.


    When they left the tavern, it was growing dark. There was some commotion near the central gazebo, beneath one of the flowering orchid gardens hanging beneath a trio of thick palm trees.


    Tiny laughed when he realized what it was. Coop was passed out on a bench with a black cat on his chest. One hand was hanging over the edge and a dog was beneath his idle fingers, tail still beating the intricate stone path with enthusiasm.


    ¡°Dude is out cold!¡± Junior exclaimed in a hushed whisper, not wanting to disturb the scene.


    Passersby were trying to decide what to do, but those that knew Coop and the animals warded them away, letting the Champion do what he pleased, and the Cleary brothers led Hai Yun back to the teleporters, beneath the enormous tower where she had first arrived. They made her promise to visit their research barn and sent her off.


    Another short trip in the solitude of darkness and she appeared inside a gently glowing cavern. Magical lamps had been set up, lighting up the area with a pleasant golden hue that was reflected on the smooth stone pathways that had her recalling an ancient city in the mountains, wet from melting snow.


    Behind her, a wide, spiraling ramp extended up and down a huge chasm that had a visible flow of mana swirling upwards. There were four separate landings on this floor alone, lined up with level portions of the ramp, criss-crossing with each other as they led to other levels without interrupting the view of glowing mana.


    She was standing in the center of a rectangular courtyard, one of four symmetrical plots surrounding the chasm, that each acted as an open air foyer to an extremely wide chamber, housing the teleportation runes that Ghost Reef used to travel around their settlement. Each section was separated by gently glowing pillars, but were connected by a wide circular boulevard, making it seem like the chasm was the focal point of four shared spaces. The chambers themselves were lined with hundreds of simple, multi storey, stone carved apartments that were embedded in the walls, each with a lamp marking the entrance invitingly.


    Exploring the empty neighborhood in the same chamber as her were the rest of her attendants, as well as all those lost souls that had joined the caravan and survived through their ordeals. They were relaxing on stoops or gathered in groups, and Hai Yun heard laughter from them for the first time ever.


    Irina was the first to notice her presence, and she skipped over, wearing a brightly colored sundress, hair brushed for the first time since they had met, held behind her shoulders with a white ribbon. She looked like a completely different person.


    She smiled at Hai Yun happily, revealing her perfectly normal features, and Hai Yun was stunned by her youthful beauty, having grown used to her disheveled appearance. Irina turned to the side and shouted into the empty space. ¡°Virgil! Here she is!¡±


    One of Ghost Reef¡¯s wraiths appeared with a woosh, dressed in something like a butler¡¯s uniform, though his ephemeral appearance left his legs mostly absent while the rest of him was transparent.


    ¡°Greetings, my Lady.¡± He addressed Hai Yun with a polite bow. ¡°I have been assigned as caretaker for this floor. If there is anything you or the other residents need, structures rearranged, or any problems that arise, please let me know immediately. Advancements in our professional architects have resulted in extensive possibilities for each level, so your wish is my command. The only limitation is that we cannot expand up or down to avoid encroaching on the other floors.¡±


    Hai Yun glanced up, but the curved ceiling was easily over a hundred feet above. She hadn¡¯t even noticed it, despite the time spent in the expansive Underlayer making her accustomed to wide open spaces.


    ¡°The Keepers of the Mountain are our neighbors up above.¡± Irina noted. ¡°No one is below, yet, and apparently none of the floors are anywhere close to full either.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Hai Yun couldn¡¯t help but ask the girl. The gloomy person that was barely containing a demon was gone, replaced by a hope-filled nymph-like being.


    ¡°I abandoned my faction and lost the title they had granted me.¡± She looked at the ground shyly, rubbing the tip of her slipper on the smooth stone. ¡°My class is still the same, so the way I fight won¡¯t exactly change, and I received a curse, but I just have to redo 33 levels to get rid of it ¡®cause Coop paid for the rest. Now I don¡¯t have to worry about permanently transforming into something not human!¡± She beamed at Hai Yun as she spoke.


    Hai Yun hadn¡¯t realized that was an option, or that anything in particular was wrong with Irina other than what was wrong with all of them. They were going through an apocalypse. Hai Yun looked around and wondered if even that was true. Ghost Reef was seeming more like a fairytale.


    Irina giggled before deciding to give Hai Yun a moment. She skipped back over to one of the other groups before they explored the interior of a building. Others gathered with their families, relieved for the first time in months.


    ¡°Virgil? What is this place?¡± She wondered.


    ¡°Your new home, if you want it.¡± The floor caretaker responded.


    ¡°Home?¡± Hai Yun whispered, testing the word while feeling like her mask would never recover.

 Chapter 302: Sweet Dreams

    The serene harmonies of gentle winds flowing off the sea soothed Coop down to his core. Outstretched palm fronds swayed in the light ocean breeze, reacting to oscillations in the ephemeral currents, and bathed the island with a musical salve that fully immersed his mind in tranquility.


    Coop was in a state of consciousness somewhere between dreams and reality, enjoying the natural wind chimes and subtle bustle of his tropical home while all of the stresses of his life completely washed away. He needed what was essentially a full reboot after being confined to the oppressive and stagnant underground layer for over a month. Weeks of fighting, sporadically interrupted by days of traveling in the magical equivalent of solitary confinement had done a number on his state of mind. It would be hard to overstate how much he missed his home.


    With the conclusion of the Underlayer Event, Coop returned to Ghost Reef and recounted his journey for all of his advisors. It felt like a rare occasion to have everyone together and the Town Hall became a hive of activity, filled with welcoming faces. The end of the event had reunited all of the residents for the first time in almost 100 days and Coop hadn¡¯t been the only one with information to share.


    Coop made sure to provide every detail, whether relevant or not, of his interactions with strangers across the planet, knowing that he had barely scratched the surface on his own. While Neon Park¡¯s alliance was a known entity, the European Emergency Community had only made contact as a result of sending scouts to Ghost Reef after meeting Coop. Then there was the Assembly of Settlements in Africa, who no one had really met, though Coop had forced his way into networking with their champions, the Grand Horde, who sought a much closer connection with Ghost Reef after meeting the Avatar of the System, and their hostile, alien influenced counterparts in the Abundant Grasp.


    Coop also told his advisors about the individual settlements that either had no presence in the Underlayer and were not a part of one of the known major alliances, like Zahamena and Wakatobi, and the ones that had forces who encountered Coop in the underground, such as Can Gio, Gangcheon, and Shinjuku Gardens. There was a whole assortment for his advisors to sift through, and that only included the ones he had personally visited.


    The armies of Ghost Reef had done their own networking, connecting with the Twin Settlements of the Navajo and Apache, the larger alliance of the Pacific Republic which was centered around Silvervalley and protected the west coast from Mexico to Canada, the 20 individual settlements in South America with various levels of presence in the underground, and finally the lone powerhouse of a settlement in New Zealand.


    Adding on the existence of forces like the Jaguar Sun in Central America, or even Bobby Jon and the Swamp Lord in the Everglades, and the collective population of humans painted a picture of survivors spread thinly across the entirety of the planet. Coop wasn¡¯t sure how they would fare with connecting them all, but if anyone could get the ball rolling, it was Ghost Reef¡¯s assortment of advisors and residents.


    They listened carefully to Coop¡¯s recollections before they made their own assessments, and in the end their principal suggestion for the next step had been for Coop to take a break while they reorganized. He had already accepted that he wasn¡¯t someone who would ignore good advice, so he took the opportunity to relax without argument.


    There were more than two weeks before the admittedly flexible date of the meeting between coastal alliances in Kansas as they prepared to subjugate the Fallen Zone. With access to the Underlayer, what would have been a long and potentially dangerous trip to the Heartland would be majorly simplified for all parties. Ghost Reef had time to make preparations and get their own affairs settled before departing.


    The chance to take a break finally released the tension that had been behind Coop¡¯s forward motion, and once he stopped, he was done. It felt like he was decompressing after a deep dive in the ocean, such was the thickness of the mana within the ley lines and the pressure that he had been under. He had been cramped, despite the expansive caverns that he wandered through, thanks to the crushing weight of responsibilities he accepted for the event. As soon as he returned to Ghost Reef he experienced a sense of relief that couldn¡¯t be properly described. He was exhausted and could finally wind down. The next time he had the bright idea of trying to save the entire world, he¡¯d remember to think twice about his ambitions.


    The simple fact that he had solid ground beneath his feet, rather than the soft dirt, was a delightful change that instantly elevated his mood. After having his thoughts cluttered with worries, he finally found a sense of peace outside of chasing the grind, with Ghost Reef acting like an anchor for his mental state. The salt in the air was a balm for his soul. The tropical sun purified his spirit. The steady waves provided a peaceful chorus of solace. It was good to be home, no matter how brief.


    Sunny found him as soon as he was free of any ¡®official¡¯ duties and was absolutely determined to make up for all of the lost time that should have been spent rubbing his ears. Coop obliged, sitting on a bench outside of the civilization shard¡¯s citadel after applying the event¡¯s settlement award. The next thing he knew, he was gradually waking up from what he assumed was a short and well-deserved nap.


    Subtle pressure on his chest kept him in place, purring too quietly to be fully audible, but vibrating enough to be soothing. Coop wasn¡¯t ready to get back to work anyway, so he stayed still, resting his eyes while the rest of his body slowly powered on.


    People came and went, conducting their business, exploring the shop-lined avenues, or finding their own places to enjoy the quiet ambiance. Coop felt like this was when Ghost Reef was at its best. With nothing urgently demanding action, the natural vacation destination was allowed to really shine. He dozed in contentment with the pleasant thought.


    ¡°Hey, who¡¯s that?¡± A curious voice wondered, pausing a pair of kids on a trip to the coffee shop while Coop¡¯s consciousness gradually returned to him.


    ¡°Shh! Don¡¯t wake him.¡± The second child warned in a hushed tone after a brief pause as they investigated their friend¡¯s question. ¡°That¡¯s the real, actual Champion of Ghost Reef.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Him?¡± The first kid questioned skeptically. ¡°Why¡¯s he sleeping on a bench? There¡¯s so much room on our level¡­ he¡¯s not homeless is he?¡± They openly asked.


    ¡°When I was on the tour with mom, they said he just does that kind of thing sometimes and not to worry about it.¡± The second kid whispered, trying to get their companion to lower their voice. ¡°Give him a break. Remember the Event scores?¡±


    The first child hummed as if they were appraising something. ¡°Hmm¡­ I only saw a mess of craters he made in one of his battles. It made it seem like the surface of the moon.¡± He giggled under his breath. ¡°I thought he¡¯d be bigger.¡±


    ¡°Watch it! The cat is really protective. She won¡¯t let anyone get too close.¡± The second hissed as the first sought to assess Coop a little closer.


    ¡°He¡¯s got a guard cat? That¡¯s so cool.¡±


    ¡°They say she¡¯s the biggest powerhouse on the island. I wouldn¡¯t mess with her¡­¡±


    Coop took a deep breath, as his consciousness fully returned. He realized that it was about time he got up since it seemed like he was making a scene by taking a nap in the southern courtyard.


    According to what he had heard from Jones, there were a lot of new people populating Ghost Reef. He probably shouldn¡¯t laze about in public and give them a bad impression before they got to know his habits a little better.


    He slowly stretched his arms over the edge of the bench and let a groan escape as his stiff shoulders extended.


    The second kid gasped when Coop moved. ¡°Eep! You woke him up!¡± She exclaimed, still whispering.


    ¡°Hey!¡± The first voice sputtered in surprise. ¡°Why are you running?¡± He shouted, pausing to quickly apologize to Coop before chasing after the footsteps of his companion.


    Coop glanced at their retreating forms before they angled down one of the garden-filled alleys and fled out of sight into the block¡¯s interior park. He chuckled, shaking his head before gazing up at the red-tinged sky, wondering what time it was.


    When he sat up, he shifted Jett, cradling her on his shoulder and yawned dramatically. ¡°Is it dusk or dawn?¡± He wondered, searching for clues in the sky through watery eyes. Jett had no reaction aside from one uninterrupted purr.


    He rotated his neck before rubbing the sleep from his eyes and nodding to himself. ¡°I needed that.¡± He admitted, feeling a lot better after resting for a bit.


    A notification was flashing in his peripheral, indicating that his Dedication would begin diminishing due to inactivity. He grunted, surprised that such a message about an individual skill was even a feature, though the threat was enough to get him moving again. Sethrak''s Abyss was so demanding: always hungry.


    ¡°Speaking of which¡­¡± Coop responded as his stomach growled.


    There was no one in his immediate vicinity, seemingly out of some unspoken respect for his nap. He thought that was considerate of them, but someone probably should have just woken him up. Sunny was off making friends elsewhere, despite being the one that had chosen the spot in the first place.


    He glanced back up at the sky, noting that the bulbous clouds were an unusually deep crimson, a color that was slightly different compared to the numerous scenes he had appreciated in the past. Eventually, he confirmed that night was approaching and it was a rare ruby sunset by finding a hint of the setting sun reflected off the top floor of the library.


    ¡°Damn.¡± He muttered. ¡°How long was I out?¡± He was pretty sure it was morning when he first took a rest. Had he slept all day?


    He stroked Jett¡¯s coat and wandered toward the Clumsy Shark just as the street lamps magically flickered on. The Cleary Brothers¡¯ fairy lights had been used to connect each of the elevated lamps, criss-crossing above the main street and giving the whole strip an additional soft glow that reflected off the detailed stone on the ground while highlighting the facades of the numerous shops.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Coop took another deep breath and soaked in the sights, glancing at the illuminated dome of the Town Hall on one end of the fort all the way to the main gate on the opposite side. The palm trees that lined the canal helped carry the tiny lights from the main bridge to either side of the settlement, where the outer circle was equally brightened. Still, the golden hues weren¡¯t enough to drown out the stars.


    People were off on sunset strolls, and Coop spotted phantoms casually sitting on the tops of the outer walls, feet hanging off the edges, while other people took in the elevated views as if it was their first time. It still seemed like a quiet town, but the actual ratio of humans to phantoms had changed in a perceivable way. There were many new faces visiting the stalls and streaming in and out of the venues established along the canal streets. Comparatively, the ghosts were few and far between.


    Physically, Ghost Reef hadn¡¯t changed too much, but it was gradually getting taller. The single storey shops were now multiple floors, some even matching the tavern in terms of volume. It seemed like the alien residents, now that they had put down roots, were really committing to the settlement.


    It was a good thing too, because according to his advisors, Coop had really outdone himself in terms of recruiting new residents. While his networking was intended to leave a mere impression on all those he interacted with, for the purpose of giving his diplomats as much leverage as possible in the future, his invitations to seek safety at Ghost Reef had been more effective than anticipated.


    The first people to arrive were actually from Neon Park. Small groups and families had come to Ghost Reef more out of curiosity than necessity, but not all of them intended to simply be tourists. They were easy enough for Jones to individually assist with only a few aides.


    Next, the first large group of true refugees came. Almost 3,000 Icelanders, more than half of the total number remaining on the surface without a civilization shard, trekked through the Underlayer, carrying all the belongings they could strap to themselves, and guiding a whole generation of lost pufflings that were too young to be tossed off any cliffs. The entire journey had been long, thanks to their undeveloped connection from the surface to the Underlayer, but once they started traveling through the underground, they were assisted by Neon Park and eventually the armies of Ghost Reef¡¯s subordinate settlements, which by that point, had secured the already claimed objectives of Neptune¡¯s Bridge and Empress City.


    Derek about had a fit, terrified that Ghost Reef would be taken over by vikings while the vast majority of the local human residents were off fighting alien invaders. Only a few hundred had stayed at the base of the giant pillar, slowly developing better construction methods for the underground, but luckily, Marcus had already established clear methods for processing influxes of people in the months before the Underlayer Event. The residents of Ghost Reef were well-prepared and they worked together to get the Icelanders settled in.


    Still, if not for the presence of the 10,000 phantoms, 5,000 wraiths maintaining the settlement, and a portion of the naval crews, they would have lacked the manpower to accommodate so many at once, creating a logjam of people waiting for permission to visit Ghost Reef from the Underlayer. They followed the same processes they had with the cruise ship full of refugees from Empress City, making sure that anyone with the intent to stay understood what Ghost Reef was about while filtering anyone who might seek to do harm. The Icelanders were already used to the demands of survival being high, having been struggling without a shard at all, so volunteering for jobs that would help secure their new home was not an arduous request in their eyes, especially when they were offered so much support.


    After the large influx from Iceland, for a brief period, Ghost Reef only had a steady stream of individuals and small groups coming from Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and the Amazonas Brazilian state. People who had wandered into the Underlayer regardless of their situation on the surface and met the armies of Ghost Reef received similar invitations to those that Coop was freely extending. Though they were mostly just in pairs or similar parties, altogether, the numbers were adding up.


    Later, delegations from the European Emergency Community and the Twin Navajo and Apache settlements arrived. By that point, the fortress around the base of the pillar was taking shape, but the mirrors they would use to form the mechanism that would define the underground lighthouse hadn¡¯t been installed just yet.


    It wasn¡¯t until the army led by Shane¡¯s party returned that the seven-pointed star fort was completed and the main light feature was introduced by the Cleary brothers. By then, Ghost Reef¡¯s admittedly small human population had already quadrupled.


    Thanks to the planned expansion into the pearlescent chambers, there were no issues with housing or space in general. The most ambitious merchants on the surface were already organizing franchises, hiring newcomers to be their representatives on lower levels. However, the settlement¡¯s mana was already becoming a problem. Construction was forced to slow, relying instead on the individual efforts of Balor, Jones, and the other citizens that happened to specialize in stone-shaping related classes or professions.


    The residents of Ghost Reef were never completely idle, and thanks to being trapped within their territory by the mana dome, they were focused on physical development of their home for the time being. Those who couldn¡¯t use the magically granted abilities used simple physical labor to help, and found plenty to do while introducing the newcomers to the island, fighting monsters in the darkness of the underground to clear the way, or adding the personal touches that gave Ghost Reef its character.


    The second layer of Ghost Reef was reserved for the expansion of their surface plan, which was becoming a rough template for other levels to follow. It would be the first of many additional underground communal areas, spaced evenly between what could end up being hundreds of layers, occupied by new residents. As a result, the stonemasons were transforming the unused space in the pearlescent chambers into a version of the gardens and parks on the surface, feeling like they had something to prove regarding the natural beauty of the underground.


    As Coop understood it, the chasm, with its extensive mana flow, was able to sustain all sorts of plants, but the first level was being filled with vegetation that was tolerant to limited natural light, just in case. Peace lilies, snake plants, and an extraordinary variety of ferns were already flourishing around the glowing pillars while philodendrons, spider plants, and english ivies were secured along terraced ceilings that once hid the swarms of ambushing Ruin Excavators.


    Dripping water features formed calm stone-lined ponds and fed into flowing rivulets among the spreading plants, where, unbeknownst to the project managers, hidden animals found their own sanctuaries. Reef creatures that were tolerant to fresh and brackish waters discovered private hidden grottos, and hermit crabs, various invertebrates including snails and baby octopus, horseshoe crabs, young puffer fish, fiddler crabs, and tiny peninsula cooter hatchlings could already be spotted in the crystal clear stone pools between the wide leaf-lined boulevards.


    The main roads had been laid out in the same spoke and wheel patterns as the surface, except they were roughly three times as wide to make sure the layer still felt spacious. With the many different species already moving in, it was becoming a wildlife sanctuary before any kind of merchant expansion. The few shops that were popping up catered to the visitor¡¯s experience, offering refreshments, snacks, tours, and souvenirs. The new residents were already using the second level for casual wilderness hikes without leaving the absolute safety of the fortress, subconsciously afraid of losing the sense of comfort provided by being within Ghost Reef.


    The entire sixth level was generously offered to the Icelanders, despite their absolute inability to fill it. They already had a leader who volunteered to essentially become a governor for the four pearlescent chambers on their level.


    The single layer could comfortably house one or two million people, more if absolutely necessary, so they had plenty of space to spare with only a few thousand residents. Their own specialty shops and services were popping up while others were being coordinated with the ones on the surface. The artisanal stonemasons responsible for the second level had even begun forming the equivalent of hot springs, by popular request of the newest residents.


    Thanks to the efforts of the original residents, the Icelanders were already sending their Pathfinders back to Iceland to bring news of their treatment in Ghost Reef, inviting those who had stayed behind to make the trek to safety, since it was turning out better than they could have possibly expected. Word was spreading throughout the underground as more people celebrated the merits of the island settlement.


    Meanwhile, Jones was preemptively organizing many more levels. His intent was to be ready to house literally the entire surviving population of Earth, in the off chance that Coop had somehow convinced them all to show up at their proverbial doorstep.


    Multiple wide ramps circled the chasm, stopping at a landing in each of the four chambers on every level. Even if no one used them to traverse the entire network of levels, they would establish a physical connection to the neighboring floors that the runed teleportation circles lacked. Since they were building communities, each level would develop their own unique characteristics and reasons to visit, and walking up or down a few rungs would be no problem for any of the residents.


    The underground levels were coming along nicely, delving deep, but the limitations of mana was slowing down the construction of standard buildings. Excavating was another job humans could do on their own, so they were working their way down with diligence, ahead of the main projects, while experimenting with their own aptitudes for construction.


    With the return of half the residents that had left, processing all the people who came to Ghost Reef looking for protection was as smooth as anyone could hope for it to be. Ghost Reef was growing by more than its original population every day, on average, with various upticks representing specifically organized groups that formed caravans and arrived all at once. It was barely three weeks after the first groups arrived and they were approaching a quarter of a million people.


    By the time Coop returned with the settlement reward from the event, Ghost Reef was officially over 20 levels deep, with three times as many floors prepped and ready with stairs and runed portals. Each floor was cleared of monsters, and a mana pylon was being used for insurance, but constructing them was an additional expense they were struggling to keep up with before Coop arrived.


    The Mana Funnel upgrade they had earned with their first place result in the Underlayer Event completely solved any potential bottlenecks with mana. It was perfect timing, since, while the steady stream of refugees had continued throughout the event, Coop brought a huge influx of approximately a million people from Shinjuku Gardens all at once, with potentially more trailing behind from all the other places he visited.


    Coop chuckled to himself at the memory. The parade through the underground had just sort of formed naturally. As he opened the door to the tavern, he was thinking he should probably apologize for giving so much work to Jones and the others without any advanced warning.


    ¡°Our Champion returns!¡± Maeve exclaimed a greeting that put all eyes on him just as he crossed the threshold. She was hauling a set of seven mugs, three in each hand and one raised in her normally hidden tail. The acceptance of the human residents had given her the confidence to let go of her simple disguise.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s about time!¡± Balor shouted, slamming his own empty mug down on the bar before approaching Coop, growing rather serious as others raised their own drinks toward him. ¡°You should know lad, dormancy is the same thing as death for the ageless. I know you did a lot, but be aware of inertia.¡± He suggested, raising his stone hand to pat him on the arm. ¡°Don¡¯t want to end up like a stone at the bottom of a hill.¡±


    Coop smiled at his first alien friend. ¡°Were you worried? It was just a little nap.¡±


    ¡°A little nap?¡± Maeve interjected after serving the drinks. ¡°It¡¯s been almost a week!¡±


    Coop played along, smiling away until he realized she was serious. ¡°Wait, really?¡± He asked, his smile wiped off his face.


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s been busy, running all over the place to get things organized. They left us with a message for you, knowing you¡¯d want to eat after you woke up.¡± Maeve continued. ¡°Once you¡¯re ready, stop by Neptune¡¯s Bridge to make sure they are holding up before meeting Marcus and Shane in the Heartland. Ask Jones for directions before you leave so you don¡¯t get lost.¡±


    ¡°Wow, still doubting my pathfinding ability after I circumnavigated the entire globe?¡± Coop mumbled. ¡°Such little faith.¡±


    Maeve glanced over at Desmond, who was cleaning a mug with a white towel, to have him back her claim. He responded without taking his attention away from his task. ¡°You have 9 days. That should be plenty of time. Have a seat and eat first.¡±


    Coop shook his head, shaking off the surprise. ¡°I actually slept through my entire break?¡±


    ¡°Hah! You sure did!¡± Balor exclaimed, leading him to the bar where Jett had a spot already prepared. ¡°Like a rock, I¡¯m telling you.¡±

 Chapter 303: Layovers

    Jones helped Coop aim the tip of his ethereal spear toward where they believed Empress City should be located relative to their shared position. The pair stood together atop the modified northern outer wall of Ghost Reef, at the highest point of the fort, above where the bat colony had relocated. Somehow, miniature dunes of fine sand managed to form gentle waves on the leeward side of the solid stone foundations, making the walls seem like they had risen straight out of the coral rock below.


    Coop and Jones were doing their best to triangulate the perfect angle by squinting at the  horizon and pointing into the distance, debating with each other about Coop¡¯s mistjumps. Jones was feeling more pessimistic about Coop¡¯s travel plans, but Coop was back to his unconcerned self, trusting that things would work out as long as he pushed forward.


    Coop had spent an extra night in the settlement, unable to skip a shower and a trip to his bed when he was so close, after catching up with the alien residents and those of his friends that weren¡¯t too busy with their own tasks. A tiny almost week-long nap had really thrown his sense of time for a loop. It seemed like he had just finished a major event, but somehow a bunch of days had come and gone, so he had to make do with a single night in his lighthouse before setting off. It was fine. That was all it took to restore his island vibe.


    It was the morning of Day 171 in Earth¡¯s assimilation, and he was embarking on a journey once again. He was preparing for another long period of travel, taking advantage of all the practice he had in the Underlayer to hopefully shorten the trip into more comfortable chunks. Thankfully, this time around, he was sticking to the surface, letting everyone else occupy the endless dirt plains of the underground. At least there would be some varied scenery for him to see as he went.


    ¡°You got the trajectory?¡± Jones confirmed, sounding particularly unsure about the plan.


    Coop shrugged. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, old man. I¡¯ll aim high.¡±


    Jones shook his head, disappointed with Coop¡¯s levity. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m afraid of. If you overshoot Florida and end up too far in the Atlantic, I don¡¯t think even you could survive for long.¡± He added, rather morosely.


    Coop wasn¡¯t as worried. ¡°Oh c¡¯mon, if I end up swimming around for a while, I¡¯ll make friends with a sea monster and bring it home.¡±


    Jones scoffed. ¡°As long as you can keep it fed, do whatever you want.¡± He responded, knowing when he couldn¡¯t win.


    ¡°You need to aim fifteen degrees to your left if you don¡¯t want me fishing you out of the drink.¡± Admiral Kayla interjected, causing both Jones and Coop to take heed and reignite an intense round of pointing and squinting, like two old men supervising a simple road repair.


    Kayla, the queen of the pirates and siren of the seas was standing behind them both, with Sharkbait at her side, picking at her nails with a knife while watching them from the corner of her eye. Among those present, she was certainly the expert with regard to navigating the seas, but she let the guys have their debate.


    ¡°That look good?¡± Coop asked, adjusting ever so slightly to aim for a particular cloud in the distance that more or less marked the path he thought needed to follow. As long as the wind didn¡¯t blow too much, the cloud seemed like as good a landmark as he was going to get.


    ¡°Close enough.¡± Kayla stated with a slight smirk as she sheathed her blade, causing her gold bangles to rattle softly. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to ride with us? We¡¯re following along to find more suitable Gulf ports anyway, just in case we need to open a flank on the Fallen Zone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve gotta give this a shot eventually.¡± Coop argued with a tilt of his head toward the horizon.


    Kayla gestured for him to do as he wanted. ¡°Don¡¯t see why, when we¡¯ve got this many good ships and willing crews.¡± She mumbled before turning rather serious as her eyes settled on the clouds he would be aiming for. ¡°The skies have been foreboding recently. Could be a storm brewing. You should be careful.¡±


    ¡°No worries.¡± Coop reassured his friends. ¡°Let¡¯s see how this goes.¡±


    He hopped forward, finding the right gait before planting his foot with a thump that unsettled the loose sand on the stone walls. He launched his spear as far as he could, hopping on his other foot before his momentum carried him over the side. The wind whipped his hair as the spear shot into the sky. The angle was particularly high, and the group watched as it ripped through the subtle crimson lingering within the blue sky before penetrating the pinkish cloud he had aimed for.


    ¡°That¡¯s gonna be far short.¡± Jones noted.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll readjust in the air.¡± Coop turned away from the horizon and continued the conversation with Jones as if he had all the time in the world.


    Jones extended his finger toward the missile, refusing to tear his attention away from its flight. ¡°Don¡¯t mess around, you¡¯ll miss the apex.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯ll see you later, old man.¡± Coop bid the caretaker goodbye.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold down the fort.¡± Jones promised, as if it even needed to be said. The man was a devoted caretaker to the island even before the assimilation had begun. Despite the apocalypse, some things hadn¡¯t changed.


    Coop nodded at Kayla and her first mate.


    ¡°The Tempest Fleet will be in your wake.¡± Kayla promised with a silent confirmation from Sharkbait.


    With their farewells exchanged, Coop activated his mistjump, recalling the pathways of his original Retribution and Salvation skills in a way that wasn¡¯t completely conscious, similar to muscle memory. He flickered through the world of mists, barely catching a glimpse of the monochromatic world before reappearing with a burst at his ethereal spear, as if he had taken a single step forward. When he looked down, already being pulled by gravity, a warped outline of the peninsula that was once Florida was far in the distance ahead of him, shrouded by wispy clouds.


    Jones was right, he wasn¡¯t close at all, but he had time to adjust, having developed his travel speed such that he was more like a stone skipping along the surface of the world of mists. In the past, Coop was more like a package strung to a rocket, being dragged forward by his ethereal manifestations, but becoming a Mistwalker evolved the experience.


    As he drew closer, the landmass became more visible. Lush vegetation contrasted with the blue waters of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, creating the vibrant image of wild marshes  and thick forests, outlined by fringed barrier islands and cream colored sandbars. The vast wetland ecosystems had spread from coast to coast, interrupted only by the expanded Lake Okeechobee and the countless deeper channels within the river of grass that caught the reflection of the pink touched sky as they flowed toward the edge.


    The Florida Keys appeared like a thin, curved line of submerged reefs, the dry land inundated with water and reclaimed by reenergized corals. While Coop knew there weren¡¯t any civilization shards along the strip, he could imagine settlements on stilts, bridging the gap between Ghost Reef and Empress City if human civilization ever really recovered.


    As for his specific destination, he couldn¡¯t pick out any human development at all. It took him a dozen more mistjumps before he would even land on solid ground, then half a dozen to find the airport. The surrounding city had been transformed into a blocky jungle, with most of the unclaimed buildings metamorphosing into the foundations of pioneering vegetation if they stood at all.


    Only the ringed airport was thoroughly landscaped, with humans actively taking care of the interior sections as opposed to letting the greenery run wild with mana-fueled growth. Once Coop spotted the gleaming new construction, he zeroed in, shooting toward his destination in less than half the time it would have taken normally, though it was still longer than simply relocating to the civilization shards via the Champion skill.


    Coop landed near enough to be seen by the gate guards, and contrary to his past visits, he was let in without any problems. By this point in the assimilation, his reputation preceded him, and most of Empress City was fresh off their return from the Underlayer themselves.


    It barely took two minutes after he crossed the threshold of their protective gates before someone was leading him to Jackson and Fabiana while someone else ran ahead to let them know he had arrived.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Champion Coop!¡± Jackson welcomed him from outside the former airport¡¯s main terminal, in a courtyard that had formed in the shared space in front of the guild halls. ¡°Did you come to check on us?¡± He asked with a smirk eagerly forming on his face, clearly in a good mood.


    ¡°Sure did.¡± Coop responded with a friendly grin, inspecting the Champion of Empress City as he approached.


    [Human (Level 228)]


    [Wild Mage (Intelligence)]


    [Member of the Lighthouse]


    [Red (Challenger)]


    ¡°How did it go?¡± Coop asked, though judging by Jackson¡¯s demeanor and level, everything went well on the surface while the rest were in the Underlayer.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say you missed the party.¡± Jackson declared with a big smile. ¡°The Swamp Lord¡¯s territory continues to expand throughout the Everglades, and there are no more Field Bosses to be found.¡± Jackson continued. ¡°The volunteers we sent into the Underlayer are extremely jealous. Those of us who were subjugating the swamps had way more action while they ended up being the equivalent of signposts displaying the number of miles remaining to Ghost Reef.¡± He laughed.


    Coop rubbed the back of his head. ¡°I feel kinda bad, but we had no idea exactly how the event would play out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine. They still got a hero¡¯s welcome when your fleet of ships carried them back. We celebrated for three days and toasted your name the whole time.¡± Jackson continued, clearly still riding a high from their first major victory over the alien invaders.


    Fabiana cleared her throat, having some business with Coop and trying to prevent her partner from too much frivolousness. Coop wondered if that was how his advisors had to negotiate around his own whims.


    ¡°I have to ask about Ghost Reef.¡± She began. ¡°We¡¯ve heard about how many outsiders are moving in. Are you going to be able to handle it?¡± She questioned, always the serious one. ¡°Should we expect to absorb the overflow?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s under control.¡± Coop answered. ¡°In fact, as I understand it, the third level is reserved for residents of Empress City. So, if things get out of control out here, we¡¯ll have room for you too.¡±


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t look down on us.¡± Jackson urged. ¡°We¡¯re getting stronger too.¡±


    Coop chuckled as he saw that the rebels that had risen up against the Endless Empire hadn¡¯t completely lost their edge. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not, but who would say no to a vacation home?¡±


    ¡°Certainly not us.¡± Fabiana declared on behalf of them both, and Jackson quickly changed tone.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± She bowed her head slightly, ¡°Champion Coop, we wish you luck at the Summit. Unfortunately, we were directed not to keep you long. Neptune¡¯s Bridge is a bit desperate for your visit.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Coop was surprised, mostly because it seemed like everyone knew his itinerary before he did. He supposed it was the consequence of oversleeping by a few days. ¡°Do they already know I¡¯m coming?¡±


    ¡°Without a doubt. The boardwalk is a bit of a hike, but we are fully connected now.¡± Jackson pointed out. ¡°Plus, the Ghost Reef messengers are all over the place, popping out of the ground like prairie dogs as they explore the Underlayer.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Coop was surprised by how much the residents of his little settlement had done after the conclusion of the Underlayer Event. It seemed like they had been taking action even before he made it back.


    ¡°The siege of Neptune¡¯s Bridge was halted by the mana dome during the event. They had a break for the first time, but as soon as the dome fell, they had a surge of enemies.¡± Fabiana added. ¡°We tried sending reinforcements, but the nature of their defensive chokepoints prevents additional numbers from making much of a difference. Their walls are already saturated with towers.¡±


    Coop nodded, understanding that she was encouraging him to avoid wasting time. ¡°I guess I better get going, then.¡± He accepted, resummoning his spear.


    The pair bade him farewell, stepping back as he launched the weapon into the clouds once again.


    Coop left the organized city behind, following the boardwalk from the air. It was an unbroken path that began beyond the city limits, lined with alligators and patrols of soldiers, weaving through swamps, grasslands, and forests. Occasionally, he spotted a variant of the Primal Constructs struggling in the mud, but they were never long for the world, with humans and animals constantly on the lookout.


    The monsters that spawned away from the established path had a chance to survive for a longer period, but the effect of the Swamp Lord¡¯s territory diminished their ability to evolve, drastically slowing them down. The humans and animals that were occupying the Everglades would have to neglect the invaders for a long time before they developed into more advanced threats, and presumably, during that time the forces of the Lighthouse would continue to advance at an even faster rate. Coop thought things were looking good in Florida.


    Coop followed the trail all the way to the Swamp Lord¡¯s base, the old alligator farm that was home to Bobby Jon and a collection of reptiles, easily finding it as the most significant outpost along the path. When he landed in the main animal pen, Bobby Jon practically jumped out of his skin.


    ¡°Wha! Ha-! Damn!¡± The alligator wrestler sputtered as he choked on his drink.


    ¡°Oh, it''s the boss-man. You scared the spit outta me.¡± Bobby Jon stated as he recovered.


    ¡°My bad.¡± Coop apologized. ¡°I just wanted to see how it was going.¡±


    ¡°No skin off my back. It wasn¡¯t half as bad as when your messengers climbed out of the darkness of the missile silo like the devil himself. But we got used to that real quick, isn¡¯t that right Dorothy?¡± He continued, patting the albino Swamp Lord on the snout.


    ¡°How are the other animals?¡± Coop queried, curious about the collection of creatures he assumed were involved in some sort of independent conspiracy to save the Everglades.


    ¡°Well, most days they¡¯re all accounted for.¡± Bobby Jon admitted, leaving Coop feeling a bit concerned. ¡°I¡¯d say there¡¯s always enough to entertain any guests. We¡¯ve been gettin¡¯ a lot more visitors these days. It¡¯s been real nice, but I heard my neighbors up north are struggling somethin¡¯ mighty.¡±


    ¡°Dang.¡± Coop muttered. ¡°You heard that too?¡±


    ¡°Of course. They¡¯re my neighbors after all.¡± Bobby Jon stated like it was obvious.


    ¡°Alright. Before I go, did you hear anything about Ghost Reef?¡± Coop wondered.


    ¡°Sure. Heard there¡¯s a whole mess of people out there now, and if things get bad I can take shelter there, but c¡¯mon brother, I ain¡¯t leaving. No hurricane had me packin¡¯ up, and no aliens are gonna drive me out neither.¡± Bobby Jon responded rather predictably.


    ¡°Well, if it comes down to it, you know where to go, right?¡± Coop confirmed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, ol¡¯ Dorothy will be by my side. You just take care of everyone else.¡± Bobby Jon suggested.


    ¡°You make it sound simple.¡± Coop chuckled.


    ¡°Well, if you need it, I believe we got room for a few hundred inside the silo, so long as they don¡¯t drink my beer. You can send some my way if your place gets too full.¡± The alligator wrestler generously offered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Coop agreed before bidding farewell, though he wasn¡¯t sure if Bobby Jon was aware of the actual scale of things.


    Coop mistjumped over the rest of the swamp, flickering in and out of corporeality while leaving splashes of mist at each juncture, like the footsteps of a ghost sprinting across the landscape. He followed the boardwalk as the path skipped from grassy patch to hardwood island, noting the various species of heron, ibis, and other wading birds that rested on the edges of the wood planks, relaxing in peace thanks to the culling of Primal Constructs. If they were challenged by the respawned alien invaders, they were all plenty strong enough to take care of things. The alligators were relatively less the further north he went, but that didn¡¯t mean the monsters were unchallenged by other species.


    Pretty soon, the trail reached an old pine forest with spindly trees that stretched high into the sky. Coop was forced to rise higher and higher to avoid their thin canopies. The height of the trees was completely disproportionate to the coverage of their crowns, and the trees swayed dramatically in the breeze, casting thin shadows on the long needle straw and pine cone covered ground.


    Once he surpassed the center of the slash pine forest, he caught his first sight of an unexpected sea blocking his route to the north. The strip of ocean that separated Florida¡¯s peninsula from the rest of the continent had been undersold to him. He angled down toward the shore, where the boardwalk transitioned into a simple dirt trail and eventually connected with a bleached stone bridge, protected by a set of lookout towers.


    Coop landed in the center of the road, directly below both towers. Small clouds of dust burst from his feet, but the trail was packed solid, compressed by frequent traffic.


    ¡°Phew!¡± He expressed his relief at making relatively quick work of the trip. What once would have taken many days had been reduced to less than one.


    A pair of faces peeked over the edge of each of their towers, hiding from view as an ethereal commando airdropped into their vicinity.


    ¡°That¡¯s him for sure.¡± He heard them whisper on one side.


    ¡°Where¡¯d he come from?¡±


    ¡°No idea¡­¡± A whispered conversation took place in the right tower.


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly like the messenger said.¡± Another observed from the left side.


    ¡°Champion Coop?¡± The second in the left tower finally spoke directly to him while the others murmured to each other.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Coop responded. ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± Coop responded, rising up from his crouch and standing straight while propping his spear onto his shoulder as he gazed at the seemingly endless bridge.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been hoping you¡¯d come.¡± The guard declared.

 Chapter 304: Needle in a Haystack

    A once serene sanctuary of towering pines, flowing rivers, and rocky outcroppings had been transformed into a chilling, unpleasant domain. Winding trails weaved between jutting boulders, overlooked shallow, stone-filled creeks, and were criss-crossed with moss-covered fallen logs. They were untouched, lying dormant, ever since the assimilation began. The air was heavy, contaminated with alien mana that shrouded the region in a murky gray, and what should have been clear, sparkling water was black and syrupy.


    This was a place that had been lost to the native inhabitants of earth. The Fallen Zone had become well-known to humans all across the continent, mostly due to the tremendous amount of territory it had swallowed up. It was exactly as unwelcoming as advertised.


    All of the human alliances in North America were touched by the edges of the shadowy domain. The Primal Constructs had successfully developed their own massive stronghold, north of Neptune¡¯s Bridge, and expanded across the American South, from the Atlantic Coast in the Carolinas to the arid Chihuahuan Desert in West Texas and Northern Mexico. It was a shadowy mark that swept through the continent.


    Monstrous variants of the forces that made up the alien invasion were belched from the darkness of the forests, constantly pushing their borders in a clear corollary to the Swamp Lord¡¯s strategy, but with a much different motivation. They were manifestations of external conquest: a metallic army of darkness intent on destroying the surviving humans.


    Neptune¡¯s Bridge stood like a bulwark against the swarms of monsters for the Lighthouse territory. The residents fell back to the end of their bridge, and used elevated platforms and towers to pick away at the swells of invaders. Hundreds of ships from the Tempest Fleet provided support while thousands of ranged soldiers chipped away at the enemies, day and night, in an unending battle with strict rotations that had been adapted from the experience of Ghost Reef during the Siege Event.


    Still, even with the extensive defenses constantly engaged with the metallic alien creatures, the most robust individual invaders managed to reach the towering gates before they were fully depleted. They scraped, scratched, clawed, and smashed the white gates, but human engineers burned their mana to prevent them from breaking. So long as the damage never exceeded the rate the locals could repair, the perilous balance was maintained.


    The tops of the walls were riddled with holes, like they protected the sentry towers from machine gun fire, though the monsters only rarely applied ranged attacks. Humans were actively restoring the fortifications while standing side-by-side with others who rained spells upon the river of invaders.


    The nautical settlement had been undergoing a one-sided Siege Event for months. While the situation had become precarious enough for them to seek to abandon their settlement in the past, the reinforcements and reorganization from Ghost Reef had prolonged their defense, giving them a second wind that had carried them a few steps further into the assimilation. Ultimately, the reinforcing tactics were no longer adequate after the Underlayer Event concluded.


    The only reason they had sustained the defense for so long was the way the monsters funneled into the long, narrow bridge, subjecting themselves to miles of steady ranged assaults. The defenders feared that blowing the bridge would result in a wider scale expansion across the sea, as the obvious path to their settlement provided a release valve for the enemy domain. Rather than finding relief in a full separation from the shore, they worried about losing the one advantage keeping them alive all this time.


    By forcing the monsters into a zig-zagging obstacle course, lined with towering defenses, the forces of Neptune¡¯s Bridge were able to hold out for significantly longer than if they stood toe-to-toe with the invaders. Traps were repeatedly reset, impediments established, and simple anti-siege tactics were spread across the length of the bridge, forcing the invaders to weave back and forth along the already extensive distance. Not even an inch was given without resistance. It was a classic game of tower defense.


    As the monsters became stronger, so did the defenders, and gradually, an equilibrium was established through blood and sweat. The current problem was that the monsters had continued growing while the Underlayer Event occurred, but the residents of Neptune¡¯s Bridge had a welcomed break while trapped inside their settlement¡¯s mana dome.


    The break was a double-edged sword, because while the local residents enjoyed the reprieve from battle, they had fallen over a month further behind the monsters in terms of experience. They hadn¡¯t actually participated in the event, so they didn¡¯t make any individual progress while the monsters frenzied outside of their territory. When the dome vanished, the resultant surge had pushed farther along their bridge, and the following waves kept the pressure on. An inch lost among miles was difficult to assess on its own, but consistently, over the course of days and weeks and months, the lost ground accumulated.


    They hoped that Coop would offer them a small release from the pressure, and the person his people had left in charge of Neptune¡¯s Bridge was unafraid of criticizing his tardiness. Hali, the teenage Champion of Ghost Reef¡¯s subordinate settlement, greeted him without any pleasantries.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time you showed up.¡± She stated, arms crossed, acting like a forgotten younger sister that Coop had left behind after going off to college. When he first arrived, though she was happy to see him, she maintained a facade of disappointment in his neglect.


    Though he wanted to pat her head and reassure her that she hadn¡¯t been abandoned, she practically chased him out of her settlement, telling him to come back after he¡¯d done something about the scourge that infected the northern shore. They were falling behind, despite having levels that rivaled all but Ghost Reef¡¯s original residents, thanks to the constant combat that they had undergone.


    Hali was over level 250 herself, but despite being a master of stealth, she was no longer capable of exploring the forest, countered by environmental damage and overleveled enemies. The monsters that appeared on their doorstep were already level 350, and only defeated through persistent chains of attacks and skill combinations as they trudged across the winding course established on their miles long bridge. The scary part about the Fallen Zone was that, as far as they knew, these high level monsters were merely the forerunners for even more developed enemies hidden deeper within.


    They presumed that, like the simpler Infestations and Hives, an individual monster was at the center of it all, and it would naturally be stronger than what they saw on the fringes. A Siege Boss of a higher level than ever before was a real possibility.


    Coop was sent off without a tour of the gleaming, floating, bleach-stone city, despite his interest in the organization of their multi-layered levels and connecting elevated bridges. He only got a short look at the bustling canals, where hundreds of his own phantom ships came and went, docking to switch crews for battle, undergo temporary repairs, or ferried Lighthouse faction members throughout their network of ports.


    Hali didn¡¯t have much to say other than wanting to make sure Coop held up his end of their bargain. That she was glad he had come was obvious, but she avoided saying it outright. Before the Underlayer Event¡¯s conclusion, Neptune¡¯s Bridge had been satisfied with the support provided by the Lighthouse, but afterwards, they needed a shot in the arm to bring them back up to speed. They were floundering, caught by surprise by the monster buildup, and would eventually be drowned beneath the flood of Primal Constructs if nothing was done.


    They weren¡¯t asking Coop to clear their bridge, as it would simply be filled once again. They wanted him to hit the monsters where it hurt, in a way that might slow the production of more enemies for a period of time until the subjugation armies of the coastal alliances could have an impact. That meant sending him deep into the unexplored wilderness. His mission was to hunt bosses or lieutenants that might force the domain to halt its expansion while it expended mana on promoting interior replacements.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Coop was happy to oblige. He set off, feeling confident in his ability to punish the Primal Constructs for their invasion. His experience across the Settlement Events had earned him that much. But after several hours of traveling and searching from above, he was forced to shift his exploration to foot. The forests, mountains, swamps, and rivers all seemed inexplicably dormant.


    As the day waned, he was already running out of ideas for discovering his quarry. He wasn¡¯t sure what he was missing. Finding an individual boss monster in an area that covered thousands of miles was like searching for a needle in a haystack. His assumption that there would be something to guide him had been a bit too naive.


    A veil of natural mist hung low in the old coniferous forests where Coop was conducting his search, rising from between thick fern stalks, and obscuring the floor while casting eerie shadows upon ancient trees. The air was heavy with the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves. But more than anything, it was suspiciously quiet.


    The stillness was only briefly interrupted by the rustle of branches as the few unseen creatures that survived within the domain skittered here and there. The mournful hoot of an owl echoed from deep among the thick tree trunks before a second more distant creature returned the call. Even the animals were curiously absent.


    From within the forest, the sun only appeared like a pale sickly orb, struggling to pierce the gloom enforced by the domain. The weak light barely filtered through the dense foliage, drawing unsettling patterns on the forest floor. The canopy shifted as if warding away trespassers with subtly threatening gestures. Danger hung in the air.


    It wasn¡¯t only the scenery that stifled the sunlight. The thick blanket of mana that hung on the entire region was like a frozen storm cloud that warded away hapless wanderers. Braving the gloom was clearly inviting violence and even animals seemed to understand, having mostly fled the region.


    A snapping twig or the sudden racket of leaves crunching left a sense of unease to any who dared to trespass, even the Champion of Ghost Reef. He felt unseen eyes watching as he intruded upon the well established domain of the Primal Constructs.


    To Coop, the scariest part of all, was that he hadn¡¯t detected the auras of any enemies at all. When he flung himself deep into the domain, he had expected the monster density to increase, with levels rising as he drew closer to the epicenter of the fallen territory, but instead, it seemed completely empty, at least on the surface. His plan to follow the density to its core had failed before it had even begun.


    [You resisted Punishment: Trespass]


    A repeated notice appeared in his system messages. Roughly once every minute a minor damage event occurred, but his magic defense was so high, he resisted it over 90% of the time. Otherwise, he took less than a hundred damage as acidic energy condensed on his armor before evaporating with a fizzle.


    While he had obviously entered an official domain, he hadn¡¯t been offered any quests, as if the system was suggesting that he was too late to suppress the invasion. This domain wasn¡¯t meant to be defeated. This was a portion of the planet fully claimed by the planetary sponsor, and it had been done without the prefabricated fortifications revealed in the Underlayer.


    The Fallen Zone managed to make Coop uncomfortable, and he had fully expected to be beyond such challenges with his ridiculous level and overpowered build. He had tried multiple strategies to draw some opponents out, but it was like he was only chasing shadows.


    Boldly announcing himself had accomplished nothing. Sneaking through the forest yielded nothing. Relying on Fog of War uncovered nothing. Running headlong through the underbrush, leaping across creeks, caught nothing by surprise. Mistjumping in erratic patterns found nothing. Eventually, he settled on a systematic search, by foot, checking every corner of the massive territory with his own eyes.


    However, he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that he was being hunted the entire time. It was like a primal fear had been unlocked, and no matter what, his subconscious was both terrified and exhilarated. Some ancestral survival instincts were awoken while he was in the gloomy forest, somewhere in what he imagined was approaching the Mississippi River, maybe still in what used to be Alabama or Tennessee.


    Presence of Mind had him in a state of hyperawareness, where every sound, every leaf rattle, and every shadow appeared to be a potential threat. His heart pounded in his chest, and his breath came in short silent gasps while all of his senses were heightened. His neck was on a swivel as he tried to detect anything to explain the sense of becoming prey.


    He was alone, in a vast, unfamiliar wilderness, hundreds and hundreds of miles from any other human, in the domain of something else, something that really felt alien. As he quietly stepped through the forest, taking soft steps, eyes wide as he desperately tried to find an enemy, a twig snapped behind him.


    Coop spun, trusted ethereal spear ready, but when he turned, nothing was there. Despite himself, he felt a cold sweat on his brow. He was convinced that it wasn¡¯t his imagination playing tricks on him. Something really was out there, getting closer, and he couldn¡¯t detect it. At this stage of the assimilation, with his completely unexpected level, what could possibly evade him?


    He could feel its eyes on him, watching his every move, and the fear it generated was almost tangible. The weight pressing down on his chest was different from the anxieties and responsibilities he had already overcome. It was an ancient fear that had sent humans on various paths of survival, long ago.


    The hunted feeling was a reminder of human vulnerability that he had somehow been unable to outgrow and maybe never would. Somewhere deep down, it made him glad to know he was still human, but that didn¡¯t mean he wasn¡¯t growing desperate to turn the situation around.


    He abruptly spun, hair rising on the back of his neck, despite not hearing any sounds, trying to catch his stalker by surprise. But there was still nothing. He scowled at the shadows, peering into the bushes before scanning the jagged elevated branches, reaching through the shade like broken claws.


    At this point, he just wanted to confirm his instincts and prove that something was there. He knew he wasn¡¯t crazy. It made no sense for the forest to be empty of native wildlife. He had seen time and time again that earth¡¯s inhabitants were fierce survivors that wouldn¡¯t give up so much territory for no reason. Something was absolutely stalking the Deep South, but whatever it was, it carefully avoided his detection.


    Darkness was falling upon the already dim forest as the sun began its descent. The shadows grew longer, warping their forms into what seemed like grotesque marionettes. Coop continued his search, footsteps muffled by softened fallen leaves. He moved cautiously, through the undergrowth, slowing down as fear impacted his motions.


    As he rounded a bend in the trail, avoiding a low cliff-face, he found a natural clearing framed by giant trees. He kept his eyes on the forest, pausing for a few moments before he pressed forward. He hesitantly left the cover of vegetation, walking through a tall grass filled with sticks and stones. There were no sounds other than his own breathing and nearly silent footsteps as the blades he stepped on gradually recovered their upright stance. The lack of any animal calls or even insects only added to the sense of foreboding. Then, he froze, an urgent warning appearing in his subconscious, realizing that something was amiss, as if raw killing intent was in the air, violating his subtle Fog of War, like an aura scraping against his Presence of Mind.


    Suddenly, a needle whizzed through the air, and Coop used Vaporform to barely avoid catching the tip through the back of his neck. The missile shot through the mists, creating a swirling path of turbulence, as it pierced the air where he had been in a flash.


    Coop¡¯s instinctive activation of the ability caused the projectile to smash into the old bark of a grand tree further ahead of his position, leaving a tiny hint of green acid as it shuddered to a stop.


    While still in the world of mists, Coop whirled on his attacker. The monochromatic world of mists inverted many of the colors, highlighting the flows of mana. Still, he saw nothing.

 Chapter 305: The Hunted

    As the daytime temperature faded, a light ground fog further coalesced within the forest. An even coat of vapor radiated from the earth. It was far more noticeable than the light wisps of spectral energy that constantly trailed the Mistwalker, but the two combined to add a haunting feeling to the area occupied by the Revenant of Ghost Reef.


    Coop stalked through the grassy clearing, steps disturbing the initial thickening of natural mists as if he was wading through shallow water. He was slowly turning his head side to side as he scanned the edges of the dusky forest beneath scowling brows. Nothing moved. The motionless branches seemed to lean over the empty space, threatening to suffocate the clear area with grasping, moss-covered fingers. They certainly didn¡¯t help with the ominous atmosphere.


    In the background, craggy rock walls, covered in lichens, were barely visible in the darkness, marking the foundation of further levels in the forest. The buds of flowering spiderworts, clinging to the loose soil caught in natural grooves, had already closed up, and were waiting until the next morning to expose new purple petals to the shady domain. Up top, dwarf oaks occupied the exposed surface of cut sandstone glades, where other trees failed to grow. The obstructions made portions of the forest feel confined, despite the rolling canopies and weaving, overgrown game trails that he had been following.


    The dark crimson sky above was gradually filling with thousands of shimmering stars, revealing them one at a time as the red sun faded in the western sky. These were the last moments of half a day spent in the somber domain of the Fallen Zone where he had been stalked and eventually attacked. Coop wasn¡¯t looking forward to the night.


    He was staying alert for more projectiles as he finished crossing the open clearing in an unspecified forest within the Deep South. A combination of Presence of Mind, Fog of War, and good old fashioned human instincts magnified his senses beyond normal limits, but the forest continued to reveal nothing. It was as if the domain was emptied just for him.


    The lack of any obvious enemies was far from a consolation for his fraying nerves. In fact, it had the opposite effect. He couldn¡¯t relax, feeling like he was simple prey for a much more sophisticated alien predator. The unease seemed justified given the physical attack that had eventually come. It was like he was being toyed with. He would have much preferred a simple grind against increasingly difficult monsters. Standing toe to toe and skirmishing with the invaders was much more his style.


    Once he reached the old sycamore that had caught the needle-like spine meant for his neck, he turned back and slowly rotated, carefully scanning the clearing. Detecting nothing, he checked the needle, tilting his body to the left and right to carefully observe the only physical clue of his experience in the Fallen Zone. At least he could confirm that he wasn¡¯t just paranoid.


    A pitch black ice pick was embedded into the tree, surrounded by a small, inch-wide section of scorched bark. He rubbed his fingers along the tree, confirming that the bolt hadn¡¯t had anything extra packed into the attack. It really seemed like a simple bolt, fired from a crossbow, or maybe a blowgun, tainted with a touch of the domain¡¯s acid.


    The needle itself was as thin as his pinky, and roughly half as long as his forearm. It had no embellishments along its surface and didn¡¯t have any sort of projections that would help it stabilize in flight. He couldn¡¯t imagine the creature it came from based on so little, but it had to have been relatively short range.


    He flicked it, testing to see if it was reactive, but it only rang like he tapped an empty glass bottle, muffled by being embedded inside of a solid wooden base. It appeared to be nothing more than a solid metal spike. He turned back, lining up with its trajectory, and retraced its path with his eyes, raising a hand up to keep it straight.


    On the opposite side of the clearing, another large sycamore tree, easily twenty feet in diameter, interrupted the flightpath. Either the needle had been shot from within the clearing at shockingly close range given his inability to detect his assailant, or it had some special properties that allowed it to pass through one tree and not the other.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Coop wondered what he was looking for, finally engaging his thoughts with something other than the primal fear of being hunted.


    He tried to collate everything he knew about all the variants of the Primal Constructs. He had fought 22 different types of regular monsters throughout the assimilation, and while they all seemed to have one gimmick or another, they were never particularly strategic. At most, they knew how to take advantage of the one tactic they were best designed for and nothing more. Even the Elite Primal Constructs appeared to be incapable of true, flexible adaptation, concentrating instead on group tactics for simple, one-dimensional objectives.


    As the monsters evolved into more advanced forms, like Field Bosses and eventually Siege Bosses, they remained simple, though they also became more actively territorial. Coop wouldn¡¯t say that any of them had ever demonstrated particularly strategic or intelligent behaviors.


    Many of the regular variants took advantage of ambushes, digging themselves underground and popping out at the last second, like the hovering Primal Kites or the ant-like Ancient Vanguards. Others, like Ruin Excavators and Ruin Nebulas, ambushed from above by hiding in the tops of caves or among tree branches before they struck. Some monsters also concentrated on forming groups, whether they created small packs or entire swarms. The formations helped them optimize the applications of debuffs or crowd control. Few simply idled within their territory like the Ancient Defenders, slowly expanding their range as their numbers increased, and most that did were stacked in terms of Strength or defenses for their levels, like the Ancient Piercer variant from the Siege Event and the armored Ancient Devourers of the Mangrove Forest, respectively.


    There was only one that Coop had fought which had an active stealth ability. The Ancient Prowlers, outside of the Ghost Reef¡¯s fort, were nearly impossible to detect before they started moving, and even then, he had only ever been able to spot them with the careful application of Presence of Mind and Fog of War revealing how they impacted the surrounding environment. The way they depressed the sand or displaced his fog were the keys to preemptively finding them.


    Could he be dealing with a higher level version of the Prowlers? The ones that he was familiar with didn¡¯t fire projectiles, instead biting and clawing for minimal damage while applying a stacking vulnerability debuff that would quickly become dangerous if not accounted for. Whatever was stalking him was certainly different, but the actual mechanism of its camouflage was probably similar, assuming it was actually a Primal Construct.


    Coop yanked the spine out of the tree with a thunk, wondering if maybe he was actually interfering with the territory of some native wildlife instead. It was the wrong part of the country for porcupines, but maybe something similar had shot at him. Maybe the needle was a feather¡¯s quill, from some kind of evolving bird.


    A closer look at the spine proved that it wasn¡¯t formed through any sort of biological process he was familiar with. It was a black metal, exactly like something he would expect to come from one of the Primal Constructs. That was enough for him to decide he was in the right place. As he turned it around in his hand, feeling moderately surprised by its heaviness, it began to disintegrate, turning into dust before floating away as a fine smoke of mana.


    Coop grunted as he wiped his hands, convinced that it had come from an alien invader, and backtracked through the clearing. Though he had been slowly exploring the forest with a fine mist trailing by his side, he rechanneled Fog of War with a heavier investment of mana. He intended to fill the clearing and conclusively search for any more clues. If there was anything present, he would find it.


    Now that he had something to investigate, he felt like the tide was changing. He wanted so badly to make the hunter feel like the hunted.


    The clearing in the forest became thick with dense spectral mists, thicker than any domain he had created in the past. His mana pool had grown so extensively, there was hardly a comparison. If not for Presence of Mind, even he would be lost. The suppression of Fog of War was so thorough, he thought it might develop its own mental stunning effect as victims trapped inside would lose track of their own limbs.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°Try something now.¡± Coop whispered into the mists, feeling like he was smothered by a pillow despite being at home in his domain within a domain.


    He walked along the path of the needle, searching for additional clues with the aid of his Fog. He knew it wasn¡¯t a bullet, and he wouldn¡¯t find any casings, but he thought he might find some grass disturbed, a rock out of place, or a stick broken. Certainly, he wouldn¡¯t find something as obvious as a tunnel, but it wouldn¡¯t hurt to check.


    Other than the temporary atmospheric changes, the area seemed almost completely natural. If he had gone for a night time wilderness hike in Eastern Missouri before the assimilation, he imagined the ecosystems would have been largely similar.


    For Coop, the area was far more rocky than he was used to, with more actively flowing rivers and creeks and variability in elevation. The leaf cover was different, with what felt like far more fallen leaves packed onto the ground and piled up around old tree trunks. The trees themselves were much larger than any he would have seen back home. He supposed hurricanes were less frequent this deep into the mainland, and were less about wind and more about rain.


    In the end, he didn¡¯t really find any conclusive evidence that anything had been in the clearing with him. The subtle disturbances in the ground could have been caused by himself or even just been natural occurrences. He noted an upturned rock with lichen growing on the wrong side, stained with mud after being depressed for a long time before, a broken twig with both halves still in place, and several places where the grass hadn¡¯t quite sprung back up after being depressed by weight.


    Coop was really running out of ideas. He flexed his grip on his ethereal weapon, staying calm as the helplessness threatened to reignite the fear he was trying to chase away. He kept silently asking what in the world was out there.


    He decided to try resetting the scenario, much like a battle that wasn¡¯t going his way. Would the hunter be as cautious if it lost track of its prey?


    He threw his spear into the distance, and shortly afterwards, activated Vaporform. He became one with the thick Fog of War while visiting the world of mists. The obstructing vapor was a crystal clear window for his senses, but he simply waited, watching the clearing through the unusual perspective. Solid objects were highlighted by the flows of mana, some glowing slightly more vividly with their own internalized pools. The sky was unlit besides the distant haze of a mana barrier in space, but the trees were the boldest shapes of all. They were towering monstrosities, fearlessly grasping at portions of the domain as if to say they weren¡¯t going anywhere.


    Coop didn¡¯t move, aiming to confuse his hypothetical stalker. He hoped they would assume he had left with another mistjump and blow their cover in an effort to catch up. He doubted it would work, believing that they were already gone, but on the off chance that it did, his spear joined him in the world of mists, resummoned among the clouds already flowing through the clearing.


    His mists shifted at the fringes with the natural flow of wind, settling like a downy blanket so thick it could contain its own internal air currents, and Coop tracked it all. Coop was essentially a part of them, watching as mana interacted with the world, outlining physical objects and concentrating in particular places, either being absorbed by individual stones or blades of grass, or bunching up as the energy failed to further inundate a particular tree. As small currents flowed, he could actually see how more dormant mana in the air was activated, building a small amount of momentum before bouncing against obstructions.


    As Coop patiently waited, draining his own mana with Vaporform in a hypothetical game of chicken with his hunter, if it was even there, he let his senses surf with the waves of mists. He had grown increasingly comfortable in the world of mists, even capable of anticipating how individual ripples would paint the surface of objects.


    That was when he finally noticed something.


    Coop didn¡¯t wait a moment longer, immediately dropping Vaporform and blasting his spear into the sheer outline of what appeared to be a simulacrum of a slender suit of gapless armor. The ethereal weapon smashed into the creature, abruptly pulling it from its stealth state.


    The creature was so soluble to mana it had actually allowed his misty domain to flow through its own body. If not for an astronomically slight change in the gradient of mists as they condensed at its borders, he would have never noticed.


    With a rush of wind and mists that pulled the leaves from the ground and tore them from the nearby branches, the spear blasted through the air and plunged into the darkness before colliding with the nearby cliff. It carried his target all the way beyond the edge of the clearing. The willowy monster was pinned by the spear directly into the wall, far above the ground. It was so perfectly aligned with the two sycamore trees, Coop had the sense that the creature hadn¡¯t moved a single time after firing the needle at his neck.


    The monster may have been able to approach a state of equilibrium with the flowing Fog of War, but the solidified mists of the spear, enhanced by mana from the Abyss, firmly struck its torso as it flew. The creature had been lifted off the ground, and carried through the air by the missile, then suspended against the rock wall, like an insect tacked by a pin, not having any opportunity to react to Coop¡¯s realization of its presence.


    Its elongated legs were rigidly splayed out, metallic heels pressed against the stone while both arms grasped the impaling spear shaft as if it was desperate to have it removed. Coop was already moving forward, following the momentum of his throw on foot.


    The monster kicked its legs against the rock, a dozen feet off the ground just once before it fell, but not because it had freed itself. Coop recalled his spear back to his hand as he lunged forward, killing intent fully ignited. The monster dropped, suddenly released, nearly touching the ground before Coop smashed the tip of his recalled spear so hard into the body of the monster, it crumpled into a hole that formed in the solid rock wall on the opposite side. A miniature stone avalanche marked the spot, splashing down as mana smoke escaped the carved fissure, pulverized stone transformed to a fine dust.


    As the monster dissipated, Coop yanked his spear out and stepped away from the clattering pebbles, taking note of the dark metal shell, perfectly matching the needle that had been fired at his neck, as it reflected the slightly red moonlight from its surface. He hadn¡¯t had time to identify the monster¡¯s aura before he attacked, reacting instinctively to the identification of a threat, but he knew a Primal Construct when he saw one.


    This was a replica of the Elite Primal Constructs he was already so familiar with, except with thinner, elongated limbs, a less pronounced head, and an outer layer of shiny black skin. While there was no obvious weapon, he already knew they could fire projectiles, and their active camouflage was unbelievable, covering far more senses than just vision.


    Coop grunted as finally had an answer to what was stalking him, causing all of his survival instincts to constantly go off. He checked his notifications to finally get a name.


    [You defeated Elite Primal Insurgent (Level 416)]


    ¡°Right. No wonder.¡± Coop mumbled, genuinely impressed by the level of the creatures in the interior of the Fallen Zone. At the same time, the warning that his Dedication was subsiding disappeared, apparently satisfied with any experience gains whatsoever.


    He was still shaking his head as he turned around, finally armed with the knowledge of what was out there, but as his eyes gazed upon the clearing once again, moonlit fog halfway dissipated, nine of the tall, slender, pitch-black creatures were staring back at him in a loose semicircle, hunched as if their featureless heads were slightly too heavy for their thin bodies. All of them had lost their stealth when their companion was caught by surprise, perhaps because the camouflage was dependent on some kind of an array that had been broken, but he still hadn¡¯t noticed them standing within his Fog of War.


    He blinked at them, mouth still slightly ajar from the notification, and they stared blankly back, triangular heads and thin mannequin bodies reflecting the sanguine night like dark polished chrome.


    Coop felt a chill run down his back, but he gripped his spear and prepared to defend himself. It was about time the Fallen Zone saw a proper brawl.


    ¡°Bring it on.¡± He barked, breaking the silence while brandishing his spear with renewed vigor.


    The monsters surprised him, turning on their heels and bounding in different directions away from the clearing, deeper into the forest, and away from him.

 Chapter 306: The Hunter

    Could the manifestations of Primal Constructs experience fear? It was a question that Coop couldn¡¯t definitively answer on his own, though he was pretty confident the answer was no.


    Based on all of his time in the assimilation, he was comfortable accepting that minions were effectively mindless and manifestations were only marginally more sophisticated, always fighting to the death in simple ways. They were all more like pieces in a board game than individual beings, using their particular set of attributes to claim territory and ultimately conquer the planet at the behest of their masters, one space at a time. They had a finite number of moves and usually only a single defined behavior. However, this new variant left him wondering about the limits of their complexity.


    An Elite Primal Insurgent bounded through the underbrush, zooming through the subdued afternoon within the southern Appalachia periphery, barely touching the ground as its long legs desperately pushed forward. Dry leaves swirled in its wake before a separate set of relatively heavy steps stomped them back into the mud. The way the monster moved seemed to demonstrate that these particular specimens understood a compulsion for self-preservation, if not actual fear. It clearly had no desire to be caught by the haunting mists that had infiltrated its domain.


    The hinges in its legs were more flexible than the human knee, able to bend both forward and back, and it fiercely sought to leverage its physical advantages over its pursuer. Each step was practically a long jump compared to a normal human¡¯s gait, and it was so light on its feet, it left no footprints. Even if it did, its limbs narrowed to a point that they would have been unrecognizable to a tracker. There was no trace of its path, and if it could create a gap it would be nearly impossible to rediscover its location thanks to its unparalleled stealth. It sought obstacles as it twisted around trees, trying to break line of sight, running like a bipedal deer with a predator nipping at its heels.


    Coop was that predator, his breath steady, as he rushed behind the monster. He was far less elegant than the alien, lacking the perfect precision that allowed it to pick out lines through the forest with the absolute minimal clearance necessary to rush forward. It hardly touched a single obstruction, avoiding anything that would slow it down in the slightest. Coop smashed through bushes, bounced his shoulders off tree trunks, and slapped leaves out of his way as he pioneered a cross-country track, his brows furrowed, and jaw clenched.


    Fully stretched out, the Insurgent could easily grasp branches that were 15 feet above the surface, but it concentrated on speed and stealth to escape, staying extremely low to the ground with an impossible forward lean that pushed the limits of gravity. It cleared boulders by millimeters and slid across logs like the warped replica of an olympic hurdler, cast from a black glass that seemed to amplify its shadows.


    No matter how fast it whipped through the thick forest, sweeping across trickling rivers with a single extended step, or weaving between gnarled old tree trunks to confuse its pursuer, solid steps inevitably followed. The persistent cadence of thumping footsteps overlayed with breaking branches, crushing leaves, and unencumbered deep breaths were practically designed to produce fear.


    Coop was loud and clumsy compared to the sleek alien, but he was persistent. Human endurance was already an inherent evolutionary strength, but combined with his attributes, stamina, and resolve, he fully expected to run down the metallic alien, no matter how long it took. He imagined himself alongside the prehistoric human hunters that would have chased dangerous prey with nothing but a spear, exhausting them to the end, and worked to make those ancestors proud.


    The Insurgent vaulted up a tree-lined outcropping, seeking the uppermost cliff while demonstrating impossible athleticism in picking out the narrowest of ledges to touch. It clearly believed the surge of motion would grant it a moment of solace while the human pursuer climbed up. The wave of mists that trailed behind its hunter, engulfing the low vegetation while promising doom would have trouble scaling the rock wall.


    A few moments after it paused in the shade a complete silence fell on the forest. Not even the wind was blowing. The distant blue ridges seemed to wait, anticipating more from the competition between human and alien, but all else was quiet.


    However, the silence didn¡¯t last. The edge of the crest exploded as the hunter¡¯s spear plowed through the lip of hardened rock. Amidst the debris, the Revenant appeared from a burst of mists, adamantly refusing to fall behind. Dust and gravel scattered across the outcropping as the real monster turned his head, eyes locking on the alien invader with unbroken focus.


    The Primal Construct spun to escape, failing to comprehend exactly how much the roles had been flipped. It desperately sought refuge within the gloom of the expansive oak-hickory forest that had been swallowed up by the murky alien domain, but it had paused for too long, letting the human close the gap and draw near enough to lunge into melee range with the encroaching ethereal mists.


    The alien burst back into motion after turning away, desperate to avoid the clutch of wispy fingers, but instead of accelerating back to its maximum speed, it immediately collapsed, unable to put weight on its forward leg.


    It rolled along the ground before bouncing into the trunk of a late blooming dogwood tree where it was able to look back, its shining shell marred with scrapes and smudges as white petals floated around its position. The spear was jabbed into the ground where it had stumbled, pinning one of its legs into the stone topped surface, dismembering it. The limb was still twitching as it struggled to find leverage on the surface of the outcropping before disappearing beneath the cloak of vapor.


    Coop marched forward, ahead of the wave, still steady, despite the cross country marathon he had been running for nearly a full 25 hours. He resummoned his ethereal round shield and calmly crushed the head of the crippled Elite Primal Insurgent, all business about the brutal task. It was a routine he had repeated many times in the course of this hunt. By this point, he was well aware of the habits of these monsters.


    He was already prepared for the needles, fired from nearby stealthed Insurgents, letting Fog of War embrace him like a jacket. These Elites shared an important similarity with the Prowlers back home in that they waited for others to exhaust themselves before continuing the exchange, creating a gauntlet for their opponents that went beyond individual parties, spreading to all the monsters hidden within the region.


    As far as they were concerned, their compatriots were merely bait, gladly sacrificed for the benefit of executing the perfect surprise attack, while extracting every bit of energy from their prey as possible, but they failed to account for human persistence.


    Even more than their attack patterns, the individual monsters were always leading him to more packs, waiting in their stealth states. This wasn¡¯t his first successful chase, but the hundredth, and the thousandth kill. He hadn¡¯t forgotten his mission for Neptune¡¯s Bridge, and he was using the patterns of the monsters to travel deeper into the Fallen Zone. Some kind of boss monster was almost certainly waiting for him.


    If he didn¡¯t find a boss monster, he was softening the interior of the expansive domain, which would hopefully draw the perimeter inwards and give those human defenders fighting on the edges some temporary relief from the persistent assaults. No domain could continue expanding if it underwent such an onslaught, or lost control of its center, so if nothing else, he was hindering the continued growth of the alien territory while he spent time on the hunt.Stolen novel; please report.


    But Coop still expected to find a boss monster, treating the Fallen Zone like any other  domain. In the past, they always had preliminary kill requirements, so he saw no reason to believe the more calcified version would change the normal conventions, with or without a quest to delineate the rules. Until he learned otherwise, he would trust in his previous experiences.


    A single needle passed through the air, penetrating the layers of mists, but failed to find its target, despite being perfectly accurate and seemingly impossible to react to. The projectile collided with a stone beyond the arena with a crunch and splashed a small amount of vivid green acid that glowed in the reddish murk of the Fallen Zone before ineffectively fizzling out.


    Coop immediately moved to retaliate, passing through Fog of War like a wraith while keeping his Vaporform skill activated. He translocated along the exact trajectory of the projectile, guided by Presence of Mind, parallel to the edge of the ledge, and moved directly in front of the stealthed monster. He had been anticipating the repeated pattern of timed attacks, and recognized the slight signature of a hidden Insurgent within his personal domain. The monster¡¯s doom was only inches away, and it had no idea.


    The combination of Vaporform and Fog of War allowed him to relocate in an instant, essentially Mistjumping without the use of his weapons and armor, cutting out flight times in exchange for limiting his range to the mists themselves. There had been no need to burn large portions of his mana pool on summoning apparitions with Inheritance of the Mists, so he had been free to generously wield his other skills. He found the new combination to be rather terrifying.


    When he returned to the physical world, the monster had no time to react before it was lifted off the ground by a one-armed spear thrust. The weapon penetrated its torso from point blank range as Coop manifested from the mists with no warning whatsoever.


    The Insurgent¡¯s stealth failed upon receiving critical damage and Coop could see his own reflection as he used his other arm to swing his shield, edge first, and decapitate the vulnerable enemy, sending its triangular head clattering into the trees. He drove the spear toward the ground, smashing the rest of its body, and shattering it into shards of black smoke.


    He was still looking down at his kill, glowing in the spotlight of a level while the remaining members of the monster pack appeared, knocked out of their stealth formation by the loss of one of their packmates. They were all standing along the edge of the outcropping, stationary sentries within the misty forest, and all but one was greeted by an ancient phantasmal spearman, leaping from the mists with absolute killing intent.


    [You defeated Elite Primal Insurgent (Level 420)]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [You defeated Elite Primal Insurgent (Level 417)]


    [You defeated Elite Primal Insurgent (Level 422)]


    ¡­


    Compared to his time spent in the Underlayer, the levels were honestly not that bad. Level 487 was his new high water mark thanks to the Insurgents, but some things never changed, and Coop was eager to hit higher echelons. The enemies made up for their relatively sparse numbers with significantly higher levels and elite status, but he had still only gained five levels in a full day of hunting back and forth across the forests. It wasn¡¯t bad, but he was spoiled after his time spent in the underground, where such constant combat would have resulted in several orders of magnitude more kills.


    The last survivor of the pack ran, barely registering what had happened and why it had been spared. It crashed into the underbrush as it gained speed before settling into the smooth rapid pace that defined their sleek movements. Coop raised his head, dismissing his notifications as he leaned forward to give chase.


    Coop turned the alien hunters into his prey for another full day after, steadily traversing through the Fallen Zone in several southern states. As the red sky continued to darken at the end of the second day of his grind, and third in the domain, he had covered another 500 miles of zigzagging forest on foot, hounding the Primal Insurgents until they led him to the eastern shore of the new Mississippi Sea.


    A spear tore from the edge of the darkening forest, ripping through the air with unstoppable momentum as it left the mists behind and entered the open space of a black sand beach. It crossed a hundred yards of empty air before striking its exhausted target. Another Elite Primal Insurgent was impaled by the ethereal weapon. Coop took his time, head on a swivel as he returned to a wide open area, shield manifesting from a swirl of mists that flowed from his position. When he finished the crippled invader off, he was already bracing for the inevitable retaliation.


    But the attacks had ceased. Coop was left waiting near the edge of a large body of water, a sleek mechanical alien disintegrating into black dust at his feet. He looked around, noting that the forest had stopped hundreds of yards away from the water, forming a rather ugly stretch that was nothing like the tropical shores he was familiar with. It was a shame for any beach to be in such a state and it immediately made him feel indignant toward the assimilation.


    The water was viscous and black while remaining uncannily still. Each slight wave left a thin line of white foam that lingered on the dark sand before the liquid sank beneath the surface, cycling back out into the body of water. To say it was unappealing would be an understatement. It was like an oil spill had polluted the former river.


    Coop rubbed his foot on the ground, wondering if calling it sand was even correct. It was more like rich dirt interspersed with smooth round stones, lacking the fine granularity that gave a beach its distinctive appearance. He suspected that the actual substrate had been dragged out from deep underground when mana activated on the planet. The color was strange enough, but he knew there were volcanic beaches out there that were of a similar gradient. It was the lack of anything else that made it particularly unusual.


    The vegetation that might linger at the edge of such a river was completely absent, as if the section of land had been scoured clean, all the way up and down the shore. His were the only footsteps that had marred the wavy ripples that spread as far as his eyes could see. There was no evidence of any animals braving the waterfront, seeking a drink in the suspicious water, and he couldn¡¯t see the other side, the opposite coastline appearing too far beyond the horizon.


    He propped his spear onto his shoulder, wondering if that was it for the Insurgents. Perhaps the last to flee had no other packs to turn to, and Coop had successfully wiped them out after it led him to a dead end. Unfortunately, defeating thousands of the Elite monsters had only provided a total of ten levels. He wouldn¡¯t have said no to more, greedy for progression as he was, but what he was really looking for was their boss.


    ¡°Careful what you wish for.¡± He reminded himself, glancing toward the setting sun as it painted the sky a crimson red that bled into the surface of the water.


    He had time before he needed to chase the horizon and head to Kansas. He considered whether or not he should head back to Neptune¡¯s Bridge to see if defeating so many Insurgents had any immediate effect. He wasn¡¯t sure if an enormous domain like the Fallen Zone would contract at all, even after so many of its core inhabitants were defeated, but grinding had never really failed him, so he remained hopeful. In the worst case scenario, he could return to the edges in order to hunt the weaker regular variants of the Primal Constructs for a few days and see if that led him anywhere.


    Coop rested for the moment, enjoying the strange bloody sunset as it crept across the cloudless sky over a blackened sea. It felt like he was standing on the edge of an alien ocean on a completely different planet. The more familiar forest was far behind, and the domain continued to be eerily silent, as if it lacked sufficient atmosphere. There were no crickets or cicadas buzzing in the distance, no frogs chirping, no birds calling. It was just Coop, his spear, and a light fog that always trailed behind.


    As Coop appreciated the strange solitude, the inland sea started to bubble. At first it was subtle, far enough from the shore to be unnoticeable, despite the stillness, but the disturbance grew, becoming more violent as the seconds went by. He couldn¡¯t help but laugh. It seemed like he wouldn¡¯t be lonely after all.


    The last Elite Primal Insurgent hadn¡¯t led him to a dead end, but rather to the next enemy. Perhaps it would be the Field Boss version of the Insurgents. Coop watched, anticipating a logical escalation to the challenge of the Fallen Zone.

 Chapter 307: The Omega

    Coop stood on the dark colored beach beneath an even darker sky, his stance a picture perfect depiction of defiance. It wasn¡¯t an ideal location to be caught standing, as he was completely exposed to the elements, but he didn¡¯t shy away from the uncertain situation.


    He squinted into the dim evening light, ready for whatever would come next. His gaze was unshaken, partially obstructed by sweat soaked hair, but he kept his chin up and his breath steady. His motivation was a simple refusal to allow the Primal Constructs to fully reclaim their place as a frightening enemy, no matter how entrenched their strongholds, or formidable their tactics.


    The last remnants of the angry crimson sunset reflected off the viscous sea, making the body of water seem like it was an enormous pool of murky blood, still in the process of congealing after being drained. Compared to the pleasant sunsets of Ghost Reef, which painted the sky delightful colors at the end of a fulfilling day, the Fallen Zone provided an ominous spectacle to kick off the next phase of his little adventure. It was as if the entire setting was trying to warn him that he wasn¡¯t a welcome guest to the domain, but the scowl on his face said, ¡°Too bad.¡±


    While there was hardly any wind, the waves had started to pick up even without such obvious encouragement, increasing in intensity as if something huge was brewing from below. There were no obstructions Coop could use to hide himself from detection, and aside from turning around and running back into the forest, there was simply nowhere to go.


    He wasn¡¯t interested in retreating anyway. After millions of individual instances of combat, he had grown into someone that was able to confidently face challenges with his head held high and shoulders set. The butterflies that came before a physical contest had retired sometime between grinding Slayer titles and exploring unfamiliar jungles. Survival during the assimilation was a simple series of battles, nothing more and nothing less.


    Upon entering the Fallen Zone at the behest of Champion Hali and the Neptune¡¯s Bridge settlement, he had spent far more time than he would have liked just trying to understand the lay of the land. Once he caught the scent of the local Elites, he had refused to let it go. He was the one seeking this confrontation. He wouldn¡¯t abandon it at the last moment just because it got a little weird.


    Hunting the monsters throughout the core of the domain had led him to the alien coastline of the Mississippi Sea. Naturally, he expected to encounter the Insurgent Field Boss, but he hoped that his hunt wouldn¡¯t end there. A Field Boss was too insignificant to have established control over a territory that covered a dozen states. Surely, something bigger was behind the curtain and pulling the strings. He figured there would be a Siege Boss hidden somewhere within the Appalachian forests, at the center of it all. A Field Boss would merely be another step on the ladder, but hopefully this one would lead him to the next rung. In his mind, the Siege Boss was his final goal for this particular test.


    Coop watched as bubbles of escalating size swelled and burst on the surface of the viscous sea. He was feeling the heaviness of his spear increase as he boosted the mana within his ethereal weapon. Black abyssal mana sparked to life as spectral mists leaked from his skin, originating in his shoulder, running down his triceps, across his forearm, and used his fingers as a bridge into the ethereal weapon. The spear was crackling with energy as the volatility of his manifestation reached its peak.


    Meanwhile, the sea continued to boil until it roiled like a cauldron hanging above an uncontrolled bonfire. The turbulence was expanding from a singular column of froth nearly a hundred yards away from the shoreline until the water churned for as far as the eye could see. Whirlpools started to gather, scattered among the frothing bubbles, and Coop raised an eyebrow.


    The expansive reaction in the water yielded his first doubt that this would merely be a Field Boss. It seemed too large, more like the Siege Boss he was looking for, but if it was something unexpected, it wouldn¡¯t matter in the slightest. If anything, a surprise escalation would actually be a good thing. He could have the impact he wanted on the Fallen Zone sooner than he had hoped. Hundreds of Siege Bosses had already been defeated by Champion of Ghost Reef. One more, even with a higher level, was hardly cause for undue concern. He dug a toe into the sandy dirt, seeking a better footing for his opening attack.


    While he waited for the first appearance of the monster he was challenging, the air started to buzz, physically reacting to the watery upheaval. The vibrating energy reminded him of the moments before the Yucatan settlement¡¯s civilization shard imploded, when the settlement¡¯s mana had concentrated upon the shard. He didn¡¯t think that level of influence was completely unexpected for a wild Siege Boss, so he continued to keep an eye on the water, suppressing the instinct to panic and flee the unknown. The churn had finally expanded to the air, building until it started creating gusts of wind that sent splashes of sand crashing across the shore before being hammered by another blast from the opposite direction.


    The haze that infected the entire region seemed to concentrate upon his position on the beach, covering the barren area in a blanket of oppressive pressure, apparently laying out the red carpet for a Siege Boss that wouldn¡¯t be long for this world if he had any say in the matter. The stars were shrouded in the murky gloom that characterized the domain, while the red sunset flickered with the last moments of the day, sending individual beams flashing through the soupy atmosphere while reflecting off the increasingly violent waves on the sea.


    Coop rotated the heavy spear in his hand, feeling the ridges in the knurling rub against his palm. He was growing more impatient with every whipping gust that disheveled his hair. He used the edge of his shield to rub the side of his jaw, wondering if all of this introductory excitement was even necessary.


    The mana of the domain crashed into his aura, a threat beyond normal human senses, but it broke like storm waves against a sea wall. He was an immovable object against all the energy twisting through the domain. Coop imagined himself representing a lighthouse within the Fallen Zone, though he had no intention of remaining a passive monument of resistance. It seemed like this boss believed he was so insignificant, it could do whatever it wanted, feeling no urgency to meet its challenger.


    He took a deep breath before pursing his lips and nodding to himself as he came to a conclusion; he was unwilling to wait any longer. He heaved the volatile spear into a ready position, planning on punishing the Primal Construct boss for indulging itself with such a telegraphed entrance.


    It was quite odd, given the established nature of the Elite Primal Insurgents, that their boss would implement an opening tactic that contrasted so wildly with their own patient ambushes. Coop grunted to himself, refusing to grant so much grace to something he intended to kill. If the invader didn¡¯t want to take the initiative, he would gladly take it for himself.


    Rather than continue to lazily entertain the preliminary appearance of his opponent, he sought to claim the opening strike. He planted a heavy foot onto the gritty ground, sinking slightly beneath the heaviness of the overwhelmingly dense spear, then launched it high into the sky, fully extending his arm into the gloom with a pinched exhale through his flexed abs. The ethereal missile shot through the darkness of the approaching night, dragging a dusty contrail that glinted for a few moments longer with an angry red reflection before being completely lost to his sight.


    The water continued to churn for a few seconds, patterns uninterrupted. Murky waves had grown large enough to break, dotting the surface of the black water with small white caps that oozed with vivid green, all across the sea. The air vibrated so that Coop¡¯s ears buzzed uncomfortably while mana pummeled the beach like it was the approach of a building tropical storm. Then, without any further warning, the heavy spear that he had thrown cut through the surface of the water, barely adding its own splash to the turmoil. It landed directly above where the first bubbles had formed in a perfectly placed shot, but for another second nothing more happened.


    A moment later, as the spear blasted deeper into the sea and struck something with enough solidity to trigger the mana explosion beneath the dark surface, a gout of white water erupted from the sea. Ethereal shrapnel that rapidly dissipated into mists before gravity could pull them back down enhanced the explosion of thick liquid, carrying the substance high into the black sky. The droplets of water glittered with red as they were caught in the wind before falling, almost in slow motion.


    Coop peered into the chaos borne from his attack, ignoring the splashing water as he sought signs of his opponent while resummoning a second spear for a repeat of the orbital strike. He was aware that he hadn¡¯t defeated whatever was coming due to the lack of notifications, but he wasn¡¯t discouraged yet. That would have been too easy anyway. The attack would have been enough to split one of the Underlayer Siege Bosses in half, but this one would obviously be a higher level.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Before he stepped into another throw, the surface of the water seemed to warp, still covered in white foam from his explosive attack. The foam slid off the rising shape while the water held together like superheated glass. A bulbous figure arose from beneath the unbroken surface, too large to be immediately recognizable beyond its size. It shot upwards, growing and growing, like a smooth mirror-like mountain being born between tectonic plates, causing Coop to step back as he tried to keep its entirety within his field of view despite the distance.


    He adjusted the aim of his second spear, losing the confidence he had in predicting what his opponent actually was, and sent a line drive as it continued to rise. A wave of water preceded what must have been a limb as it sideswiped his spear, sending it careening off to the side with its own momentum.


    As the bulge in the water widened, he recognized shoulders attached to a head that was already approaching the height of an entire Siege Boss. Coop started to feel real doubt in his actual abilities like he hadn¡¯t felt in a long time.


    Water draped the surface of the monster, clinging to it like a shadowy cloak that had been printed onto its skin. It matched the Elite Primal Insurgents, with their polished black shells, the only color present reflected through hints of red from the sky. Then, it raised both of its arms, confirming that it was a humanoid creature with familiar shaped limbs. From Coop¡¯s perspective, It seemed intent on pulling itself from what looked like a swampy lagoon full of molasses.


    However, rather than rising higher and revealing more of its body, the torso of the giant leaned forward while the arms were slammed down toward the beach. The limbs were like a pair of impossibly large, felled trees, their canopy of leaves replaced by fists, clenched tightly in preparation for slamming the earth. Coop only had a split second to gape at the spectacle, realizing he was in the presence of yet another titan, one that clearly wasn¡¯t on the side of humanity.


    In the end, Coop did end up retreating, backpedaling as his eyes were drawn to the ridiculously large forearms that sought to crush the coast. Luckily, the arms didn¡¯t extend far onto dry land, attached to the boss monster¡¯s shoulders which hadn¡¯t been able to move far from their original position off the shore. The enemy was fixed to its position in the sea, with only its upper torso breaking the surface of the dark water. Still, it towered above the beach.


    Coop stumbled when the black metal limbs slammed into the coast, causing an enormous tremor and sending tidal waves of black sand and water across the shore. Coop raised his shield to protect his eyes, and by the time the clatter of debris slowed enough for him to peek above the edge, the monster had removed its arms, spreading them out to the sides, palms up, as if it was assuming the position of an orchestral conductor as they were greeted by an adoring audience. Its featureless face angled up toward the sky, as it reveled in a silent applause to its arrival. Coop inspected the tremendous Primal Construct, unsure if Siege Bosses were truly meant to become like this.


    [Region Boss: Omega Construct (Level 450)]


    [The Last]


    [Manifestation of the Primal Constructs]


    Coop grunted at the creature¡¯s designation, spear returning to his sand-covered hand. While Coop acknowledged the new tier of enemy, not a Siege Boss at all, he had no time to come to terms with the escalation in scale. The monstrous boss was still moving, raising its right arm and extending its fingers while a storm of murky mana engulfed its digits. It pinched its fingers together and a moment later a familiar black metal needle manifested from the swirl of mana, magnified in size by a thousand times. It held the gigantic needle carefully between its fingers before it dramatically flicked the implement across the sky, like it was a wand, twisting it as if to write some calligraphy, culminating with having the tip pointed directly at Coop¡¯s position.


    In the shallow water between Coop and the Region Boss, thousands of the smaller Elite Primal Insurgents appeared. Rather than dropping stealth, they had been summoned by the main enemy as easily as Coop could cast Retribution and summon an ethereal weapon.


    Coop glanced at the Omega Construct as its smooth head angled back down from the sky, finally facing him. A pair of enormous, pupiless, rectangular eyes slid open on its otherwise featureless face. They glowed with a sinister red and were fixed upon his position, laser focused on the one that had torn through its domain without an invitation. Then another pair opened beneath the first pair, and a third pair beneath the second.


    Coop exhaled as he launched his third heavy spear at the center of the creature¡¯s face, utilizing all of his enhanced strength to grasp the initiative that seemed to be slipping away. Unlike most of his most recent encounters, this was clearly one that would challenge his level of power. The spear ripped through the thick atmosphere, an even more powerful line drive that would blast a hole directly through the faceplate of the partially revealed boss.


    When the spear landed, too abrupt to be intercepted, it exploded on the exterior of the monster as all six eyes flickered shut, sending an ethereal smoke cloud blasting past its features. As the mists and shrapnel disappeared, following the momentum of the throw behind the point of contact, the Omega Construct remained completely motionless. The fact that it wasn¡¯t collapsing in a wreck of twisted metals was already enough to know that Coop hadn¡¯t done the damage he had hoped.


    For a moment the stillness of the oppressive domain returned, and Coop stared into the many unblinking eyes of the titanic manifestation as they opened back up and his spear solidified in his hand. It seemed to stare back, looming over the backs of an army of slender polished constructs who hadn¡¯t yet moved to engage. The look of disgust that marred Coop¡¯s expression had come unconsciously, but the rage he felt toward the alien invader burned all the same. It didn¡¯t seem like the monster felt anything at all, but it had lured him to its den and already shaken off three of his most powerful attacks. It reminded Coop of a time when he lacked the firepower to decisively end things, but that was essentially a lifetime ago. He was different now, or at least he thought so.


    The Omega Construct responded by jabbing its oversized wand toward Coop. Coop reacted instantly, and while he prepared to evade the aggressive move, planting his foot into the sand, the wand abruptly stopped. At the same time, a thousand Insurgents fired their own needles from the palms of their hands, as if directed by the motion, and Coop only had a split second to raise his shield and dive toward his side, onto the ground, in an effort to avoid the bulk of the coordinated attack after rapidly changing directions.


    Even though his evasive maneuver was successful, he was still bombarded by projectiles. His shield transformed into a pincushion, protecting his most vital areas as he swung it across his body, but his flesh was also struck dozens of times out of a thousand attacks.


    Coop stabbed his spear into the ground and used his empty hand to rip a needle from his thigh and another from his bicep, flicking them into the ground where they immediately began disintegrating as he stood back up, ignoring the rest. Mists leaked from the wounds in his body as additional acidic magic damage events were resisted and further debuffs were prevented by his Infusion skill. Still, just the needles had caused the most significant amount of damage he had taken in recent memory. He was coming to the realization that he was actually in danger.


    He yanked the spear out of the ground and used it to snap the needles embedded in his shield before slamming his foot into the ground and blasting the weapon toward the boss. He aimed to bypass the army of Insurgents with a mistjump that would put him on the shoulder of the giant Region Boss where he could summon one of his more heavy hitting melee weapons and show this creature just what it would require to shake off the Revenant¡¯s attacks.


    He flickered across the battlefield, reappearing in an instant, but as soon as he burst from the mists, he was caught by a reflexive backhand. It swatted him away like an annoying fly that buzzed too close to an ear, shattering his shield into tiny fragments while easily preventing him from beginning his assault.


    Coop rocketed back toward the beach, smashing into the dark shoreline with an explosion of dirt and sand that sent debris halfway back to the forest. He crashed through the surface, leaving behind a deep trench that began filling with the dark water as he stumbled back to his feet and shook the dirt from his hair.


    The arm that had smacked him was larger than a city bus and had moved at least as fast as he could. The pained grunt that came unbidden from his throat caught him by surprise, almost as much as the counter.


    He spat the sand from his mouth, taking a moment to reconsider his approach as the Elite Primal Insurgents drew closer in leaping bounds. This wasn¡¯t a fight he would be able to end so easily and he¡¯d rather not be slapped around by such an enormous enemy if he could help it. Some credit was due to this Primal Construct.


    Instead of reengaging immediately, he stood straight and shut his eyes, raising his spear while his broken shield regenerated in his offhand, much larger than before so that it could protect his whole body. He was imagining his own army of phantasms to support his efforts against the Region Boss. If a battle of attrition was what it would take, then that¡¯s what they would get.

 Chapter 308: Breaking Barriers

    Rows of spectral gladiators slammed into the beach, one after the other, their greaves driving into the ground as a prelude to their formidable presence. They were solid manifestations that had come to this plane of reality at the beckoning of the Mistwalker himself, forming a bulwark of resistance deep within the Fallen Zone. Dark sand, dirt, and gravel splashed in waves as they arrived and shifted into strict formations.


    No words were necessary to establish a level of organization that would have taken years of training to execute so flawlessly. They interlocked their rectangular shields with the metallic clangs of iron and steel, immediately prepared to engage with the alien army that sprinted across the sand toward their position. Their opponents were long-limbed creatures with glassy shells smoothly masking their mechanical nature. They pressed forward, the desire to kill the phantasmal spearmen exceedingly obvious.


    The warriors carried the same will as Coop, staring the approaching enemies in the face with grim confidence behind shining faceguards and polished ancient iron spears. Ethereal mana drifted from their positions, blurring the details that would make them individually identifiable, forever guaranteeing they were nothing more or less than nameless phantasms ready to fight to the last man.


    The Elite Primal Insurgents barely disturbed the surface as they rushed forward, gliding across the shallow water and moving up the wide sandy shore, always precise with their steps, even in an all out attack. In contrast to the more immediate threat in the Insurgents, the giant figure of polished glass at their backs blasted disorganized waves of furious mana across the battlefield, and high into the air, as if it was performing a pyrotechnic show of black fireworks from the center of an entire stadium filled to the brim with spectators.


    As Coop decided on his simple plan, the murky mana that the boss was expelling began to take shape. It was forming an expansive dome similar to those summoned by other Primal Constructs, except that it was completely opaque, like an oppressive polished shadow, gradually encroaching on a weakening light source. The dark reflective surface was like a distant smoky mirror, matching the skin of the Insurgents and the boss itself, and the images it projected were clouded by the haze of shadows that filled the domain.


    The shield covered an area appropriate for the Omega Construct¡¯s ¡®Region Boss¡¯ title, claiming a massive portion of the Fallen Zone as a personal domain. It was comparable even to the mana domes that isolated the civilization shard territory during settlement events, so much area was covered. The boss was guaranteeing the confrontation that Coop had initiated, preventing the intruder from any real chance of escape.


    The Omega Construct continued to cast even after the dome took shape and solidified, keeping Coop¡¯s attention, jabbing its black baton back and forth as if encouraging its minions to smash against the meddlers within its domain. The Region Boss was frantically conducting its army to crush Coop and his phantasms like they were insects invading a sacred place. Coop grunted. Obviously, he intended for his squad to be even more difficult to remove than simple bugs.


    Coop had stretched Legacy of the Mists to call upon 90 phantasms, barely leaving enough durability for his ethereal spear to continue being usable. The last time he tested his manifestations, he had a limited capacity to summon phantasms, where if he called upon 100, his weapons would shatter, dismissing the phantasms as well. It had been a long time since then, and he had gained hundreds of levels and even a new affinity that transformed his relationship with mana in ways that he hadn¡¯t been forced to test just yet.


    His most recent challenges had not pushed his power level so much as they had stretched his coverage. The erosive pure mana of the Underlayer had also prevented his phantasms from existing long enough to summon more than a few dozen at a time, but the Fallen Zone was a different matter. The Omega Construct promised to rekindle his need to find his limits and push through them.


    Coop, despite taking a few licks as he initially overestimated his superiority, was game. His wounds still leaked mists, but he was more than ready to fight at his best. He knew the challenges would just keep coming before finding this Region Boss, and he could feel the heat rising from his shoulders as the excitement for battle burned within him. His nostrils flared as he smiled toward the towering six-eyed face that glowed red, high in the darkness, more like an ominous building than an intelligent being, that had risen from the depths of the blackened sea.


    Two armies, one much larger, polished like black chrome, and the other, a smaller group of heavily armored ghosts squared off in what would be a battle between worlds. The collision was only seconds away as the Insurgents chewed through the gap with leaping bounds.


    A wall of misty red and gold shields, forming a testudo, braced to receive the first of the abnormally aggressive Insurgents while a tide of fog rose from the ground. Coop was happy for the opportunity to go all out, channeling a massive Fog of War even while his phantasms took their positions and planted the bottom of their shields into the soil with strictly regimented motions.


    The stage was set, the battlefield decided, with both commanders stationed on opposite sides. It would be a cage fight with no option for either side to retreat.


    The army of phantasms was less than one tenth the size of the wave of Insurgents, and the Omega Construct was far more intimidating than the Unchosen Champion of Ghost Reef, but that made no difference to the combatants. They would contend with each other on multiple fronts, whether it was through domains, minions, physical strength, or real durability. Coop would stand toe-to-toe with the most oppressive Construct yet.


    ¡°The bigger they are...¡± He muttered to himself, shaking his head at the absurdity of the situation. He was just some guy, and the Omega Construct was clearly a conqueror of planets, but he intended to use it to teach the galactic community yet another lesson. Coop shrugged to himself, knowing what had to be done, keeping his eyes on the enormous opponent.


    In the moment before the first of the Insurgents clashed with the bolstered spearmen, the first wave of aliens vanished in coordinated groups, activating their stealth in waves representing linked parties, suddenly throwing off the timing of the phantasmal defense. The Insurgents bypassed the long spears, seeking to get close and use their pointed, black glass arms to stab at the necks of the ghostly warriors standing in their way.


    The first line turned into chaos as the phantasms did their best to expertly adjust for the sudden deceptive movements of the Insurgents, covering for fallen comrades and retaliating with precise counters that crippled the aliens, but Coop was distracted by the Region Boss at the back. It was gathering more clouds of mana around its baton, and even if he hadn¡¯t seen such a reaction in the past, he would have known something was coming. Charlie had taught him to be wary of such cascades of mana just by her own demonstrations of strength, so while the battle lines fell into chaos, he was focused on the opposite commander and the flow of mana around its instrument.


    His Fog of War was a highlight within the darkness, creating a screen for the phantasms to shift within, while also subtly revealing the motions of the Elite Primal Insurgents. They flickered in and out of sight, utilizing their camouflage to add an element of surprise to their stabbing motions, but they were displacing his Fog ever so slightly as they did so, and the second line of shields were already adapting. The phantasms were even more in tune with the world of mists than Coop was, and they adjusted far more promptly to the presence of invisible stalkers than he had. An equal number of spears impaled the slender alien warriors when compared to the amount of ghosts that collapsed into mists by the second round of attacks.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Still, they needed to be even better, considering just how outnumbered they were. Legacy of the Mists cost Coop zero mana, so replacements would be brought as soon as his attention was back on his platoon of warriors, but at the moment, he had to contend with a giant arcing orb of trailing smoke, reminiscent of a flaming trebuchet shot, flying over the beach from the sea. The Omega Construct fired its attack from the tip of its wand, swinging the tool like it was weighed down with an immense pressure before launching the orb. Coop risked his army to counter it, stepping into a quick spear throw to act as an intercepting surface-to-air missile.


    The spear blasted through the murky atmosphere, painting a trail of mists as it dragged bits of Fog of War high above the beach. It moved a hundred times faster than the mana bomb it was meant to intercept and when it connected with the bulbous shot, Coop worried that the low durability spear would be outright destroyed. If he lost his weapon, it would remove his army with an action meant to preserve it. Instead, his spear surprised him, piercing the arcing projectile with ease, blasting even further toward the top of the dome before Coop resummoned it back to his hand.


    A brief flash of acidic green lit the beach as the dark magical attack burst like a smoke-filled balloon, sending enormous gouts of murk in different directions above the battlefield, further clouding the area, but it hadn¡¯t drawn close enough to cause direct damage. It only had an indirect effect, sending a shower of acid rain that sizzled on the phantasmal armor while drawing the gloom contained within the region even closer. The rest of the world beyond the battlefield seemed to disappear, leaving the beach where the fighting was taking place like an island of fog as the oppressive domain swallowed them up.


    Only the six red eyes remained visible from a distance, like a menacing beacon that Coop already knew he would try to use for target practice. The forest at his back was lost to his senses, shrouded in the darkness.


    Coop resummoned his spear, casting Legacy of the Mists enough to add a new line to the back of the phantasmal formation. He noticed that his spear seemed as solid as ever, despite what should have been a significant loss in durability. He had held the ethereal weapon in his hands enough times that the weapon was as familiar to him as his own fingers. Any weakness in the manifestation would have been immediately detectable the same way the roughness of a grain of sand rubbing on the tip of a finger would be obvious.


    It might have been the worst time for an experiment, but he told himself that necessity was the mother of invention. He added a few more phantasms, pushing the number to 99, and still couldn¡¯t detect any diminishment of his spear. It should have deteriorated to one percent of its normal durability, but as he tossed it with one hand, then squeezed it until it creaked from the pressure, it seemed fine.


    He turned his attention away from the six eyes, instead focusing on the battle closer to his person, and summoned one more phantasm. The consequences he was most worried about didn¡¯t come about. His spear didn¡¯t shatter and his ghostly soldiers didn¡¯t disappear, but there was something noticeably different about his spear after the last summon, and he didn¡¯t have to be as familiar as he was with the ethereal manifestation to detect it.


    The ratio of spectral mana and abyssal mana within the spear immediately began to change, like a lava lamp being flipped upside down. No longer was it in equilibrium. Instead, a darkness he associated with the Void seemed to take hold, transforming the ghostly wisps and aquamarine energy that leaked from the surface of the weapon into a blackness that was even deeper than the Primal Construct domain. His armor followed suit, draining ghostly energy in favor of foreboding blackness.


    Coop tested his weapon for a moment, adding more mana in order to increase the density, just as he would if he was making a heavy, but non-volatile spear, and found that other than the aesthetic change, it worked as expected. He stepped into another throw, slamming his foot into the black sand, launching a missile over the heads of the phantasmal spearman, directly at the face of the Omega Construct.


    The giant boss monster raised a forearm to protect its eyes, intending on smacking the spear away, just as it had blasted Coop back across the beach when he tried to mistjump onto its shoulder. When the thrown projectile struck the massive glassy limb, the heft of the missile caught the boss, and Coop, by surprise.


    The attack was still easily blocked, but the gigantic arm recoiled as if it was unable to fully reject the energy put into the prodding spear throw. It was as if the weight of the spear was even greater than normal, and not by an insignificant degree. As Coop recalled the intact spear to his hand, he wondered if the weight was an inherent property of mana touched by the abyssal affinity. It didn¡¯t actually feel heavier to him, but it was his own mana causing the change. His spear had inherited the weight of the abyss, but when he tried to add even more phantasms by casting Legacy of the Mists, nothing happened. The abyss was clearly a realm separate and distinct from the mists.


    Still, the minor change was clearly not enough to properly damage the boss. It had already resumed waving its wand around to form another blast. Coop allowed the Omega Construct a moment to cast, shifting his attention back to the battlefield between the two commanders. It seemed like he and the Region Boss could more or less cancel each other out, but the battle between phantasms and Insurgents was more pliable, and when it came to actually defeating the Omega Construct, Coop¡¯s idea for how he would get it done would work best with the support of as many phantasms as possible.


    Coop launched his abyssal spear into the frontline, catching a stealthed Elite Primal Insurgent through the head before he mistjumped directly into the thick of it. The teleport worked as expected, but the world of mists seemed vibrant, almost electrified, vibrating as he flickered through. He thought maybe his ethereal mana was bordering on becoming overencumbered, but as long as his effectiveness didn¡¯t diminish, he would happily push every aspect of his build to the limit. No matter what the battle dictated, Coop was always at his best when he was brawling and this was a fact he was fully aware of. Standing in the back just wasn¡¯t his vibe.


    He immersed himself in what he did best, occasionally blasting the Region Boss¡¯s ranged attacks while he became a whirlwind of carnage. The Insurgents used their long arms in an effort to catch him by surprise, whipping through the air like the vipers, but Coop was much closer to the Region Boss than he was to its Elite troops.


    His spear struck back, and with enough force that he didn¡¯t simply impale their mechanical bodies, but he annihilated them. When one of his spear thrusts connected with his targets directly, there wasn¡¯t anything left but a cloud of mana smoke that momentarily masked his next moves. There was a pressure behind his attacks that was difficult to fathom.


    The Region Boss continued pulsing waves of mana as it struggled to manage its own army while launching periodic ranged attacks, only for them to be countered by the Revenant¡¯s spears. When it finally tried something new, sending a tidal wave up the beach, Coop dove forward, bypassing Elite Primal Constructs in order to smash, shield first, into the wave.


    The enormous splash was momentarily highlighted like a glowstick of neon green as the concentrated acid inherent in the Region was dispersed with a burst of energy. Coop managed to crush the energy in the wave, snapping it in half with his oversized rectangular shield, and as the black water fell, his spear exploded through the remnants.


    The missile seemed to catch the Region Boss by surprise, smashing directly into one of its eyes. The boss had its head flung backwards, and when it slowly returned its gaze toward its opponent, its upper leftmost eye had a web of cracks that marred the solid red rectangle with fingers of black.


    Coop spun back into the Insurgents, feeling like it was only a matter of time before he could break through the barrier represented by the Omega Construct.

 Chapter 309: Edge of the Abyss

    One hundred and one warriors fought on the broad coastline of the Mississippi Sea, kicking up gritty dirt with powerful lunges and calculated cooperative defenses. They were swarmed by black glass covered enemies that were twice as tall, with limbs twice as long, who sought to abuse their stealth abilities and gouge out the vital areas of their opponents. Their slender arms terminated in spear-like hands and were perfect for slipping past defenses to pierce exposed flesh. More frequently, they were shattered by the unyielding counter attacks of the disciplined phantasmal gladiators and sent back into the surrounding gloom as nothing but gouts of black mana smoke.


    The collisions of pointed glass blades clashing with steel shields sent sharp clangs across the battlefield before being smothered within the encroaching darkness. The rattling of armor and shifting of mechanical joints inundated the makeshift arena, with the steady breathing of the Mistwalker at the forefront of it all. It was a condensed pocket of chaotic violence within an enormous and oppressive domain that threatened to suffocate the small area of fog.


    The immediate area around Coop had transformed into a dreamlike chamber, where only a small portion wasn¡¯t subsumed by the shroud of the Fallen Zone. Coop and the phantasms were like toy figures spotlighted on a foggy stage, completely surrounded by an impenetrable darkness that had been gathered together by the Omega Construct as it failed to make more direct contributions to the battle. Looming above the combatants were its six menacing eyes, the only reminder that there was more to the world than fifty square yards of barren beach, obscured by a murky haze and ringed by empty void.


    Together, the phantasms whittled the Elite Primal Insurgents down, always beneath the watchful red eyes of the Omega Construct, ominously stationed within the darkness above the black water. Its efforts to support its minions were repeatedly thwarted by the abyssal spear of the Revenant until it was forced to alter its strategy. No longer were arcing blasts of turbid mana sent toward the skirmish. Instead, it waved its wand around in the darkness, causing the glow of its eyes to flicker when obstructed by its limbs, occasionally jabbing forward with enough force to create a gust of wind felt on the battlefield before another wave of Insurgents appeared from outside the pocket of fog.


    They would fire their needles, sending a wave of thousands of projectiles that were inevitably blocked by the large rectangular shields of both Coop and the phantasms. One or two might slip through, wounding a limb, or embedding into a torso, but they weren¡¯t enough to weaken the overall formations, especially because the Revenant was always the most exposed and therefore attracted the most focus. The constant flow of enemies was less of a threat and more of a source of mana and health once he was in the flow state of a satisfying grind. Any injuries incurred were almost immediately recovered as he fought with an intensity unmatched by Construct or phantasm.


    Coop kept a close eye on his phantasmal companions, preventing them from dropping too low in numbers at any point from their own injuries. Over time, despite cutting down innumerable Primal Constructs, the human intruders were completely surrounded by the alien enemies. They were forced to defend from all angles, including leaping stealthed strikes from above, as if they were an individual squad that had overextended themselves into the middle of an enormous enemy army. They were simply outnumbered by too many Insurgents, and even as Coop picked up speed and destroyed their opponents out front, more came rushing from the darkness at the sides, as if to demonstrate there was an unlimited supply of manpower for the Primal Constructs.


    The Omega Construct had its own strategy, one that unexpectedly had multiple layers. The threats of basic combat were obvious, but the mind games were a surprise. Even though it clearly had a limited number of Elite Primal Insurgents it could use at one time, much like the maximum capacity of phantasms granted by Legacy of the Mists, it created an atmosphere that made it seem like the enemies were endless, infinite, and inexhaustible. The full extent of the alien army was impossible to discern at any single point, as their opponents could only perceive a limited area, and the numbers of visible Insurgents were constantly fluctuating. They danced in and out of stealth and more were always bounding from the perimeter, attempting to flank, or assaulting them from above. It was clearly a ploy to crush morale as much as it was to mask their movements.


    Any opposition couldn¡¯t afford to lose too many individual fighters, lest they quickly be overwhelmed, so Coop made sure to be responsive with casts of Legacy of the Mists, holding on until the balance shifted back into his favor. No matter how many enemies were thrown at him, so long as he kept the mists flowing, his shield up, and his weapon moving, there was a chance that he would turn things around. If there was any individual person in the world that wouldn¡¯t be overwhelmed by fathomless numbers, it was the Champion of Ghost Reef. Coop had never been one to be frightened or discouraged by unendurable challenges. He just took them one step at a time.


    Fog of War played an integral part in preventing his phantasms from being swallowed up by the darkness. As the battle pressed upon them, constantly threatening to push beyond their limits, Coop incorporated Vaporform more and more. It was his best way to discern the hidden Insurgents who were constantly trying to generate ambushes upon him and his soldiers. The combination of Vaporform and Fog of War could effectively replace his mistjumps, so long as he remained within his domain, allowing him to flow with the mists himself, sweeping across gaps like a wraith, reappearing wherever he pleased in the misty domain. The tactics were slowly growing more and more natural to the point that whether he was in or out of the world of mists didn¡¯t matter so much. He¡¯d keyed in on the Insurgents so that they couldn¡¯t hide from him any longer.


    While Coop focused on the immediate battle, he couldn¡¯t help but feel some sense of gratification as his platoon of phantasms racked up the kills and the experience built up. The fact that he couldn¡¯t see a light at the end of the tunnel made absolutely no difference to him in the moment to moment battle. He crushed the glass heads of nearby insurgents with the edge of his shield while piercing their torsos with the black tip of his abyssal spear, then spun to sideswipe another with the shaft of his weapon, all with an inappropriate smile imprinted on his face as he eagerly anticipated the next level.


    This was exactly the type of encounter he was conditioned for. At first his manifestations were barely hanging on, forced to adjust to the stealth abilities of the Primal Insurgents, but as they grew comfortable with the abilities of their opponents and Coop personally joined the fight with his own growth, they built momentum, and the battle became a satisfying challenge to tackle. It was definitely not the reaction the Primal Constructs would have hoped for, but they hadn¡¯t understood what they were dealing with when they committed to taking over Earth in the first place. If the Omega Construct listened closely, it might occasionally hear joyous laughter in between clangs of glass and steel. Forget about manipulating morale and generating hopelessness in the face of an unfathomable enemy; they had successfully presented a worthy challenge that piqued Coop¡¯s engagement to its maximum. His battlelust sparked joy.


    The phantasms may have been outnumbered, but they proved themselves to be a difficult force to crack. The grind provided by the Omega Construct was good enough to satisfy both Coop and the nagging sensation of his Abyssal Dedication. Each level made himself just a little bit stronger, but those small gains were also applied individually to all of the phantasms as well, essentially multiplying already multiplied bonuses a hundred times, and as the fight went on, the momentum kept building in the ghosts¡¯ favor. It was only a matter of time before the Omega Construct would be the focus of their efforts, and Coop couldn¡¯t help but grin at the thought.


    As the tide slowly but inevitably turned and the number of Insurgents diminished, Coop prepared to lead his companions forward and enact his overwhelmingly simple plan to defeat the main boss. However, before they got to that point, they were surprised by waves of new enemies. Field Bosses of every variety charged through the darkness, still wet from crossing the dark sea or covered in broken branches, mud, and damp leaves, as they single-mindedly heeded the call of the Region Boss and dove into the fray. The Omega Construct had clearly been in the process of signaling an alarm to its subordinates while doing its best to keep its challengers occupied.


    The Field Bosses were welcomed to the battle by the Mistwalker using the power inherited from the Mists. If the Omega Construct had believed the Revenant was already at his limit, it received a nasty surprise. Enormous elemental attacks evaporated the swollen figures of Field Bosses, even as they backflipped into massive slamming attacks, rattled tails to generate surprise stunning strikes, or howled to apply non-targeted debuffs.


    Coop had his own tricks up his sleeves, and in this case they came in the form of bursts of god-like power, demolishing his targets and tearing gouges in the domain of darkness that surrounded the battlefield. The blasts unveiled small portions of the forest, the rest of the beach, or the churning black sea while the gloom of the Fallen Zone struggled to reform in the gaps, slightly weakened each time. Maybe he undersold himself a bit by recognizing that he was just some guy compared to the planet conqueror of a boss, because he could also be a conduit for the history, dreams, and nightmares of an entire planet through his connection with the Mists.


    Time was a concept lost in the frenzy of this battle. Normally, Coop was always conscientious of his time-to-kill as efficiency was a major factor in his grinds, but the zone that had encroached the arena strangled his senses. For a long time, the only question was whether or not Inheritance of the Mists was off cooldown. If it was, he embraced the power of entities he was relatively familiar with, like Ares or Azrael, and others he was being exposed to for the first time, like the giant beaver monster, Wishpoosh, an enormous earthen colossus, Ullikummi, and the horrifying elephant serpent, Grootslang. The Field Bosses of the Fallen Zone traveled thousands of miles only to be executed upon their arrival.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    The Omega Construct couldn¡¯t possibly respond to the powerful mythical beasts cooked up by humanity¡¯s collective imagination and experience. All it could do was send simple variants of the Primal Constructs into the awaiting jaws of a curious species¡¯ many attempts to explain the unknown. Even at nearly equal level, they were essentially fodder for the Mistwalker to chew up and spit out.


    Coop fought on, preserving the phantasmal spear and shield testudo formation by eroding the assaults of enemy reinforcements while also periodically blasting his spear beneath the menacing red eyes, toward the darkness enshrouded torso of the boss, just to remind both himself and his opponent exactly what the goal was. He wasn¡¯t fighting against an individual enemy, nor was he grinding the variants of the Primal Constructs. This had become a battle against an entire alien domain that had been inscribed onto the surface of Earth, and he had every intention of winning decisively. It didn¡¯t matter if the system decided this was Construct territory. He would excise it like the cancerous tumor it represented.


    The Fallen Zone may have seemed empty while he explored its interior, but that was only because he had bypassed the extensive layers of enemy spawns. The assault on Neptune¡¯s Bridge had merely been a small portion of a much wider effort by the aliens to expand in all directions. Coop¡¯s foray to the center of the Fallen Zone had finally drawn enough attention to drag everything to the defense of its leader, the Omega Construct, and the grind it created was glorious.


    For all Coop knew, he could have been fighting for weeks by the time the oppressive domain had withered enough to reveal the waves of the sea once again, but when it did, he pressed forward as if the real battle was just beginning, as fresh as he had been when he first stepped up. He dared the Region Boss to personally retaliate, putting himself into range of the massive black glass arms. It was a personal challenge in the midst of a much grander fight.


    The Omega Construct complied, as it had no other choice but to respond to the Revenant¡¯s provocation, though the scene was different than what Coop would have expected when he first arrived.


    Coop stood in front of the phantasms as they continued to fight encroaching Elites and the occasional Field Boss, in an effort to march forward, but he wasn¡¯t exactly the ghostly gladiator that matched the manifestations of Legacy of the Mists any longer. The image he had of himself had to change with his current transformation.


    Darkness bled from his aura, matching his deep black spear and abyssal shield. The spectral mists were confined to his Fog of War and 100 summons leaving him with the infinite depth of the abyss whenever he stepped beyond the world of mists. It wasn¡¯t a reflection of his mana pool so much as it was an extension of his redefined affinities. The weight of the depths had fully inundated his more generic manifestations, seizing the opportunity to paint the Revenant in new colors that almost seemed to absorb the limited light in crushing darkness.


    The ethereal wisps that emanated from his equipment had changed into abyssal fumes, dark as the deep sea, where the wavelengths of visible light are long scattered by depth. The fumes didn¡¯t just float into the atmosphere and disappear, either. Instead, they sank to his feet, like a fine shower of black water. Tendrils of shadow leaked from his blackened charcoal manifestations, a hint of the direction that his path was taking.


    The Region Boss had awoken him to the edge of the abyss, finally revealing the path that had been eluding him for so long in its demand for reverence. Coop succumbed to the feeling, getting a small taste of his personal eldritch power whenever he blasted an Insurgent with his spear and shield.


    When the Omega Construct slammed its arm down, seeking to squash Coop into the dark sand, he hesitated for a moment before he sprinted to the side and flickered away in a preplanned mistjump that baited the arm into the center of the battlefield. The hesitation was like the call of the void, as he was tempted to test his shield against the city block-sized fist.


    As soon as the arm landed, the phantasms finally disrupted their unbreakable formation, rushing to land attacks on the looming boss while its limb was in range. They committed to suicidal attacks, enacting Coop¡¯s simple plan to stack the passive effect of Clarity of Purpose. Coop¡¯s Acumen passive skill allowed his subsequent attacks to ignore a tiny portion of the defenses of his targets. There were never enemies that survived long enough for what had become his least useful passive effect to contribute. At least, that was until the Omega Construct had appeared as an opponent.


    A hundred phantasms jabbed their spears into the glassy metallic arm, repeating the motion with no regard to their personal survival, seeking to reduce the defenses of the robust Region Boss to as close to zero as possible. As a result, the Omega Construct had its powerful defenses shredded such that its armor would be worthless in a test against the Revenant.


    The boss reacted surprisingly quickly, yanking its arm out of the ground as if it had been stung by a swarm of fire ants, and as it did so, it used its opposite arm to send a tidal wave of the black water, tainted with acid, toward the shore, as it had a hundred times before, but never with such urgency. Individual phantasms embedded their spears into its metallic flesh and were carried away, still stabbing, doing as much damage as they could before they lost their grips and were killed by the corrosive damage. Their rectangular shields fell into the turbulent water with dramatic splashes before dissipating back into mists, but the boss seemed to stumble backwards, jerking away as much as it was able.


    Then, through the wall of water that rushed onto the shore, sweeping away the pursuing invaders that had suddenly been left behind, the abyssal spear exploded through, like a missile penetrating a concrete bunker. The projectile blasted directly in between the top two glowing eyes on the monster¡¯s face with a supersonic velocity that was driven by the hyped up Revenant and his fixation on reaching the conclusion.


    The spear crashed through the Omega Construct¡¯s forehead like a bullet, exiting out of the top of its glass skull, carrying a giant chunk of metallic viscera from the back of its head due to the angle that it had been thrown from.


    Coop mistjumped into the darkness, directly above the Region Boss, at this point utilizing the tactics he had perfected in the Underlayer, and called upon Inheritance of the Mists.


    Meanwhile, the tidal wave swept the beach clean, destroying the remnants of the battle between phantasms and Constructs. The entire battlefield was a soup of fog, ethereal mists, fizzling acid, mana smoke, and steam, but Coop had penetrated the darkness in order to engage the Omega Construct.


    Time slowed while Coop swung down, and he was possessed by a silent apparition of the Headsman. The coalescence of human executioners mirthlessly guided the edge of his axe down, accepting this role as one meant to be done without emotion. It was his duty to claim this scalp and mete out punishment.


    Red sparks exploded from the collision as the axe split the mechanical head down the middle, gouging deeper through the cavern created by his spear throw, and the glowing sinister lights flickered off, one pair after the other. The boss hunched forward as it sank back into the dark water, and Coop fell with it, releasing himself from the possession as he splashed down into water and smoke, receiving a flood of notifications as he went.


    [You defeated Region Boss: Omega Construct (Level 450)]


    [+1382285 Basic Credits]


    [+1 Gift of Suffocating Despair (Unique)]


    [+1 Mark of Haunting Pursuit (Unique)]


    [+1 Blackened Soul of Glass (Unique)]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Skill options available.]


    [You have acquired a new title!]


    When Coop splashed back to the surface, spotlighted by a burst of new levels on top of dozens gained previously, the first thing he noticed was the return of the stars. Countless specks of light twinkled down on Earth from behind the planetary shield after the glass dome had shattered.


    The second thing he noticed was the way mana flooded the atmosphere, clearing the gloom and washing out the darkness in the water as the domain that had been carefully curated by the Omega Construct collapsed. Mana from all ends of the region appeared to rush back to the source in the Mississippi Sea in order to dissipate.


    As he waded back to the empty shore, the last thing he noted was the way the excess energy began fusing as if something threatened to rip the fabric of reality in order to enter his world.

 Chapter 310: Reckless

    Coop took his place back on the hazy beach, alone with nothing but his shield, spear, and ethereal armor. He kept his eyes on the rippling rift as it hovered just above the surface of the water, off in the distance. The flat plane of light was steadily growing brighter while bursts of white sparks surged to life all around it, creating tiny rainbow flashes as they drifted away.


    A steady flow of energy was being sucked into the disc, seemingly from all directions and Coop found himself squinting as his eyes watered while he observed the flow. He rubbed his eyes, feeling like he had when he had activated Vaporform within the Underlayer. The ley lines had been an avalanche of mana that were difficult to look at, and he felt a similar discomfort after his extended battle with the Omega Construct even when he was outside of the mists. He did his best to ignore the migraine-like sensation behind his eyes.


    The rift sent streaks of illumination into the depths of the sea or floating off into the clouds, lighting up the darkness with flashes of heavenly pillars as it absorbed concentrated mana from the region. The color of the light reminded him of the spotlights granted by the system whenever he gained a level, but as it faded, it bled into all the colors of the rainbow instead of simply dimming to nothingness.


    Without a doubt, he knew it would be a portal that would hail another Icon of Mana, though it didn¡¯t seem to represent one of the three he was already acquainted with. If he wasn¡¯t already familiar with the process, he would have doubts, as it wasn¡¯t nearly as ominous as the others, but knowing what he did about the Eradication Protocol put him on high alert.


    The first Icon that appeared after the defeat of the first Siege Boss, Irrevocable Condemnation, was a parasitic creature of black oozing corruption; the white heavenly colors he was witnessing this time didn¡¯t fit its profile. Monolithic Destiny was the second that appeared after the blood curse siphon to cure Jones, and it was a massive demon of stone and blood, much too large to fit through this disc of light. The third was Inevitable Conclusion that had been summoned by the ritual initiated by the Avatar of Huracan, and it was a monster of sand and manipulation, but not the smooth colors that were dancing around this portal. Whatever this one was, Coop intended to welcome it to Earth as he had all the others: with a firm rejection of its presence.


    He took a deep breath, fully prepared to continue fighting. The Omega Construct had managed to hold him off for days with a steady barrage of powerful enemies while being a tank itself, but it hadn¡¯t truly weakened him in any way. His Reaper title was too much of an effective counter to any powerful enemies that incorporated minions into their strategies.


    Even in terms of fatigue, it was nothing compared to what he had experienced in the weeks spent in the Underlayer. The Primal Constructs had long been relegated to fertilizer for his development. Even the Region Boss had only managed to temporarily slow him down. This Icon would be meeting Coop at his best, immediately after he was satisfied by an appetizer consisting of the strongest enemy the world had ever seen.


    His resummoned shield and spear had already recovered their equilibrium as well. They were expelling reassuring wisps of ghostly spectral mana as well as bits of the blackened abyssal energy in equal measure, in what had become a natural balance. He found the harmony between affinities comforting.


    During the time he spent wielding primarily abyssal affinity in his manifestations, he had felt a change within himself, or if not a change, it had been a revelation of something that had been shifting over time being exposed by the temporary imbalance. The yin and yang of Spectral and Abyssal affinities had broken.


    Coop squeezed his eyes shut, trying to get his vision to return to normal, to no avail. He spared a glance at the palm of his hand, feeling like the subsumption of his spectral mists had been wrong. He didn¡¯t know exactly why he felt that way, but the whole situation reminded him of the tickle in his brain when he had first experienced the flavor of eldritch power that came with the abyss. The painful transformation he had undergone in order to defeat the Lich had been initiated by a similar invasive wrongness. It was like something had been growing inside of him, and it made him both nervous and uncomfortable to recognize such a possibility, as if it threatened to fundamentally change him in ways that abandoned his previous progress. He shivered at the thought.


    A quick assessment of his level 500 skill choices offered the same series of Dedications he had seen almost a dozen times before, but the one specific to the Deep Dweller was highlighted and practically jumped out of his vision. Even though he already knew his choice, something about the eagerness of the normally standard text put him off even more than the uncanny feeling in his gut. It was like multiple warning lights were flickering on and off in the back of his mind. At this point, he knew better than to completely ignore them, even if he ended up plowing through the alarms to reach the next echelon of strength in the future.


    However, selecting what promised to be such a transformative skill immediately before another fight just seemed like a bad idea in a way that was different than in the past. Even then, he didn¡¯t like making such commitments without the peace to imagine as many possibilities as he could.


    ¡°Not yet.¡± Coop muttered as he dismissed the skill choices for the time being. He recognized he was already at his current best. His present status had to be enough to repel the Icon of Mana¡¯s early arrival. There was no reason to gamble.


    He sighed as he thought about the palm trees at home. They were always a reliable audience for his thoughts when it came to shaping his build. All he wanted to do was relax on his beach and take his time working through his ideas, but the assimilation was constantly keeping him busy. Someday, if he worked hard enough, he¡¯d earn the luxury of lounging in the sun and listening to the waves again. But first, he had monsters to deal with.


    Coop could see the energy that was gathering, as if hints of mana had become visible to him. He scowled at the growing white rift that floated just above the surface of the water, the source of the vacuum that concentrated the mana in the region. The disc didn¡¯t represent a Primal Construct that felt entitled to his planet just because they had won an auction before the natives were even aware of the rest of the galactic community, but he hated it all the same.


    Icons of Mana represented the power that was behind the curtain of the galactic community. In his opinion, even if they were simply forces of nature, they were the greater evil. If not for their persistent suppression, some species somewhere would have already shaken up the universe long before humans were assimilated.


    He squeezed his spear, fired up to get the fight started, but whatever his opponent was, it clearly needed a few more moments to form. Coop scoffed at the Icon¡¯s need for higher mana concentration. He checked his titles instead, seeing what he had gained and what had changed after reaching another massive level threshold.


    Defeating the world¡¯s first Region Boss granted him the Stalwart title. The title rewarded him with a ¡®Boss¡¯ status equal to his highest ranking kill, making him immune to the handicaps normally applied by superior beings so long as he matched or surpassed their rank.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Coop raised an eyebrow at the description, suddenly confused. ¡°Was I being handicapped?¡±


    He wondered if that was why it had always seemed like the more advanced monsters were getting more stats per level. There was some kind of hidden multiplier constantly being applied by the system to give them an advantage. As far as Coop knew, he would have been classified to the same rank as a ¡®regular¡¯ monster variant before, since he was just a normal, Rank 1 human, meaning Elites, Field Bosses, Siege Bosses, and Region Bosses would all have been steps above him.


    Now that he had defeated a Region Boss and received the Stalwart title, he wondered if that meant in a hypothetical assimilation where the Lighthouse was the planetary sponsor, would they have to fight a manifestation of Coop as a Region Boss? It was an amusing thought, but he had forgotten he was already the Champion of his settlement, which had its own separate ranking system that he had been consistently advancing. In the end, he wasn¡¯t sure how he would be categorized by the system at all. It seemed like there were several options.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    In any case, the Stalwart title had been the final piece of another title, along with the titles for defeating the world¡¯s first Field Boss and Siege Boss. Dauntless, Defiant, and Stalwart were all fuel for a new title called Reckless which had the simple description of doubling the effect of any boss titles acquired.


    Both of Coop¡¯s eyebrows rose this time, because both Defiant and Dauntless were hugely impactful to his experience in combat. Defiant increased his damage to bosses by 100% and Dauntless had increased his body¡¯s Durability to the point that he had rarely met an opponent that could truly incapacitate him.


    ¡°My damage will be tripled against bosses?¡± He shook his head in awe, realizing that it could be even more, depending on how the now erased rank handicaps had applied. It seemed like while he was carefully forging himself into a boundless skirmisher through his skills and progression, his adventures had been picking up the pieces to transform him into a real boss hunter as well.


    He felt better about delaying his skill choice until after he defeated the Icon of Mana, considering the Reckless title would be a bigger individual upgrade to both his offense and defense than virtually any of his skills had been in the past. It was rare that something that didn¡¯t interact with his web of stat multipliers would have such an enormous impact, but there it was. It was a huge damage increase that also benefited his other sources of multipliers without diluting them.


    Coop chuckled at being designated reckless. It really seemed reckless to have been at the forefront of so many tiers of combat, but it was only natural as Champion of Ghost Reef. Clearly, it was worth the effort, because more than just getting stronger, he was being officially recognized for his achievements. He wouldn¡¯t rest on his laurels, though. There was plenty more to do.


    His eyes twinkled as he watched the rift in the sea, growing a bit excited to flex his progression. The white portal was now bright enough to create a glowing haze across the sea, lighting up the horizon the way a major city added light pollution to an otherwise dark night sky. The stars were invisible once again, but this time instead of being shrouded by shadows they were drowned out by a soft glow.


    Finally, in a flash of light that originated from the rift and climbed high into the sky, a figure appeared. Coop had to squint into the brightness before his eyes adjusted enough to take in the figure of an angel, hovering above the glowing sea, a clear depiction of holiness. He blinked as he hesitated, not wanting to attack the Avatar of the System if she made a surprise appearance in a slightly different way than before.


    However, as he focused on the newcomer, it quickly became apparent that this wasn¡¯t the beautiful Lyriel imitating a celestial being to ease her presentation for the rebels against mana. This thing was a monster in the biblical sense. Its features were all wrong, disgusting, and horrific. Coop inspected its aura, suppressing the unexpected revulsion he felt in his chest.


    [Region Boss: Fatal Reckoning (Level 500)]


    [Vision of Extermination]


    [Icon of Mana]


    The monster wasn¡¯t exactly the pure white it had seemed at first. It was pale, like a corpse, and its multiple pairs of wings were gray and decayed with rotten colorless feathers that hardly moved the air. Rather than flapping, they all hung limply while the creature hovered in the air on its own magical power.


    At the same time, random pebbles, globs of water, and boulders also hovered, as if gravity itself was unsure of its own consistency. Small stringy waterspouts and dust devils appeared all throughout the area. Tiny motes of white popped into existence, lighting up the beach, the sea, and the forest. When one of the motes drew close to Coop¡¯s face, he absently swatted it away, only to have it sting him. He glanced at the back of his hand, noting that a welt was forming. He squeezed his hand, frustrated by the minor injury from something so insignificant.


    The Icon¡¯s power was far beyond any of the others Coop had encountered, and it thoroughly inundated the region, but it felt foul. Its mere presence was enough to transform the previous domain into its own, and it hadn¡¯t consciously moved a finger or even shifted any of its sealed eyelids open.


    While it was humanoid, it had four arms, all wrapped around its torso. It had two pairs of eyes and a single larger eye in its forehead, though its head was lumpy and misshapen. The eyes were all closed. Like the feathers, its hair seemed to belong to a corpse rather than a living being. It was gray and stringy, catching the light so that it seemed silver. Thousands of the stinging motes were appearing across the landscape, concentrated around its position.


    Its flaking lips spread wide, the first movement it had made. They spread much further than they should have, revealing pointed teeth, stained black, and serrated like a shark¡¯s. Then, all the eyes opened at once and began moving independently of each other, rolling around within the gaunt deformed skull, taking in the atmosphere until one after the other, they settled on Coop.


    Then, it laughed cheerily, the sound echoing as if it was a crowd all laughing together rather than an individual monster. Coop was so unsettled he glanced around, making sure it was just the Icon making the sound and not an army of regular people that had suddenly been summoned and possessed. He swore he could hear children giggling, men and women chuckling, and elderly people wheezing, all overlayed by something monstrous.


    ¡°Wonderful/Joyous/Jubilation!¡± A crowd seemed to shout in exultation, unable to make up its mind. ¡°We have Arrived/Awakened/Ascended once again!¡±


    Coop shifted his feet, gathering his senses as he remembered what this thing actually was: something he needed to kill.


    ¡°Let us Celebrate/Consecrate/Consume! This world is Ripe!¡± It concluded, voices finally uniting on the last word, like a chorus finding harmony. It made Coop¡¯s hair stand on end.


    Coop¡¯s spear shot forward, breaking the sound barrier enough times to sound like a rapid fire burst of a machine gun. Mists expanded like wings along its trail, condensating from the illuminated atmosphere. The tip was so sharp, it sheared the air and passed forward with minimal resistance, preserving the enormous amount of Strength Coop had put behind his throw even while cleaving the tiniest of motes. He had already met one enemy that could withstand his attacks, if this one could do the same, he intended to make it work quickly to do so.


    In response, the monster raised one of its four arms, revealing another eyeball in the palm of its hand. The tip of the spear smashed into a flat circle of mana that hummed like an electrical transformer and appeared inches in front of the wide open eye. It was only the size of a frisbee, transparent, and thin as paper. Somehow, the pure white circle of protection was strong enough that Coop witnessed his spear crumble in on itself, destroyed by its own momentum, though the mana at the point of collision turned from white to a dazzling neon pink for a moment as it dissipated excess energy.


    Coop looked closely at the mana shield, wondering if he would be able to break it. The formation was surrounded by dozens of runes that rotated in rings, all in alternating directions, and as the palm eye in the center of it locked onto Coop, he felt a chill run down his back.


    The monster spread the rest of its arms, then floated directly toward Coop, deceptively fast, drawing all the way into melee range while Coop¡¯s quick cast of Retribution summoned another spear. The motes followed along, as if they were all tethered to the Icon at different distances, and Coop felt himself bombarded by a thousand tiny pangs. All it took to ignore the pain was for him to flex, bracing himself for a collision.


    ¡°I have Returned/Rebirthed/Responded to rectify the error of your existence.¡± The voices came without its mouth moving and all the eyes in the palms of its hands opened wide, pupils vibrating, as it reached forward, like it wanted a hug. ¡°Embrace Me!¡± It screeched with a thousand echoes.


    Coop bashed the hovering monster with his shield, too close to properly thrust his spear, but another circle of protection manifested, blocking his attack with another flash of pink, and all he managed was to move himself backward, through more of the floating motes.


    He set his feet, digging his toes into the sand, surrounded by floating rocks and debris that just hovered silently, lacking the violence that normally resulted in such an eruption of power. However, every tiny sting was ticking away at his health, making it clear exactly how the Icon of Mana could win.


    The monster seemed unperturbed, calmly continuing its pursuit, but Coop was in position to actually fight, and he prepared to do so desperately. The uncanny monster, an abomination of angels and death had immediately triggered every survival instinct he had.

 Chapter 311: Fatal Reckoning

    Coop firmly planted his left foot, generated torque through his hips, and braced his right arm as it supported his spear. His jaw was clenched tight as he incorporated every muscle in pushing his weapon forward, not wanting to leave any doubt about his own limits when compared to his target. The spear attack was aiming to sever the Icon of Mana¡¯s right uppermost wing, just beyond the shoulder of the monster.


    He kept the Icon of Mana at his absolute maximum range, just hoping to puncture its defenses by a few inches at most, so that he could call upon an apparition and decisively end the exposed monster. But it was constantly driving him backwards, causing him to draw circles in the sand while he struggled in what seemed like a one-sided fight. The monster kept seeking to embrace him, as if it barely recognized him as a threat, with a constant chatter of many voices demanding that he join them in the ultimate unity of death.


    Meanwhile, Coop was taking tiny amounts of chip damage from the motes of energy that accompanied the monster. It was as if the Icon was designed to carefully lower his health until reaching a specific threshold that would weaken him just enough to fall into its embrace. It was a strategy that would never work on someone conditioned to fight without limits, like a Revenant,  but that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t painful.


    The tip of his ethereal weapon exploded with energy as the creature flicked an arm into its trajectory and halted the attack. Another circle of protection appeared with an electrical hum, originating from an oversized eyeball centered in the palm of its outstretched hand, as if it had intended to catch the spear with its pupil before it was obstructed.


    A cloud of black and gray mists wafted across the Icon of Mana¡¯s form after the spear and runed circle collided, a display of the momentum Coop had created with his effort. The backdraft was highlighted by a flash of electric pink light and the sound of raw energy that buzzed through the atmosphere.


    Several of the floating rocks in the vicinity were sent flying by Coop¡¯s expenditure of strength and a blastwave exploded from the crash of the spear ramming against the magical shield, physically impacting the battlefield. The wave chased the fleeing debris, but the shield was unmoved.


    Coop was prepared for the result, and was already jabbing at a different angle with a hissing grunt. He flexed his abs and forced himself to twist down as he contracted his torso while preserving as much strength as possible, aiming for the creature¡¯s withered left thigh, where its unused legs limply dragged through the air.


    The spear moved so fast that the blastwave from the first strike was still building when the second blastwave began, sending a repeated pulse of black sand flying from where the combatants met. Coop didn¡¯t manage to bypass the defense of the creature with his rapid attack, but he did succeed in forcing a new circle of protection to form behind a second palm eye, and he was already recoiling to stab again.


    As the monster shifted forward, constantly muttering overlapping strings of barely coherent but vaguely threatening words from a thousand different voices, Coop edged backwards, thrusting his spear at the same time in an effort to preserve his aggression.


    A shout exploded from his throat as he was forced to abandon his firmly planted stance by the encroachment of the monster and he strained his upper body in order to maintain the pressure and compensate for disengaging his lower body. He aimed for the largest eye embedded in the creature¡¯s forehead with a backward leaping thrust, almost as far from his previous strike as possible. Sweat sprayed from his hair as he put everything he had into the attack, only for it to be blocked by yet another circle of protection, revealed by a third palm eye.


    Each time he struck one of the defensive manifestations, the pure white mana flashed a bright neon pink and the runes twirled around the outer edges in rapid succession, like they were working hard to solidify the shield specifically against the composition of his spear. The only note that Coop made was that the monster used its hands to summon the runed circles, but it only had four arms.


    Coop was a simple guy. His initial strategy was to try and overwhelm the defense of the Icon of Mana with his own Strength by destroying the first shield with a single blow. When that didn¡¯t work, he tried the same thing, but faster, and when that didn¡¯t work, he switched to his current tactic of racing to see if the boss could keep generating shields as fast as Coop could attack. He might just be smashing his head against a brick wall, but there was at least a little bit of tactical nuance in his instinctual battle tactics.


    His fourth attack broke the assumed pattern of distant attacks. Instead of the obvious attempt to exhaust the apparent limited number of shields, as he expected his opponent to anticipate, he planted his foot back down when he landed in the sand and rammed his weapon straight back at the creature¡¯s face, testing how the boss would react. This time he aimed for its mouth, wondering if the voices would continue if the black toothy smile was smashed to bits.


    The third circle of protection shifted a few inches down, doing its best to catch the spear in its center while its color struggled to return to the pure white of an unblemished shield. It slid in front of the misshapen head as the monster adjusted its hand, then flashed hot pink across the alien features as the shield successfully blocked Coop¡¯s fourth attack.


    Too many eyes were locked on Coop as he pulled his weapon back. They made him feel even more uncomfortable than the simple fact that he was being rather easily matched by the Region Boss ranked Icon of Mana.


    Despite his discomfort, he kept going, fully intending to continue escalating his pace, adding more of the tricks he had accumulated during his many battles until the monster was dead. There was no other outcome he could envision, even while his health constantly ticked down one point at a time as he crashed through the barrage of motes.


    He squeezed the spear as he recoiled, straining against inertia, and stabbed again, this time aiming all the way down at the Icon¡¯s right ankle, floating ten inches above the sand. He was blocked by a fourth circle of protection, and for a split second, he wondered if he had already check mated his opponent. All four palms were supporting separate shields, as the first hadn¡¯t yet disappeared during the series of rapid-fire attacks.


    The spear blasted forward again, moving even faster, beyond what he had believed were his limits, empowered by the sense of opportunity. The tip aimed dead center, in between all four of the still fading shields. Coop jabbed at the exposed pale chest of the floating corpse of a creature. The spear moved with all of his might while all four palms were protecting different places, the first still raised high to protect a wing, the second over the left thigh, the third in front of its face, and the fourth below the right knee. Coop engaged every muscle fiber in his being, forcing his bonus stats to shift into Agility, as he tried to take advantage of the chance he had created.


    He was too slow. The arm protecting the monster''s face shifted down fast enough to receive a third powerful attack on the one shield. It buzzed with energy even louder than before and with an angry fuchsia glow that burned the runed patterns vividly in Coop¡¯s vibrating vision. The Icon wouldn¡¯t be easily undone by a simple test of stats, but that didn¡¯t mean Coop couldn¡¯t win.


    Coop shuffled his feet in the sand, sliding a bit further to the back and side, finding the ideal distance even before the flash of pinkish light had faded. He conceded that he wasn¡¯t fast enough to bypass the defenses in such an obvious way, just as he wasn¡¯t strong enough to simply crush them in one blow. Instead, he concentrated on the one circle of protection that had already received three devastating attacks, wondering if he could wear it down with repeated efforts.


    His recoiled spear and unused round shield transformed into a heavy two-handed axe as he raised them both over his head, then crashed down as if he intended to split the Icon of Mana down the middle, just as he had aimed for the head of the Primal Construct Region Boss. The shining ethereal edge crashed into the same circle of protection, blasting another wave of mana across the battlefield as the monster protected its forehead.


    When he slammed again, the monster simply used its superior reactions to bring a different hand up to block, stymying Coop¡¯s effort to concentrate on the single shield, but he didn¡¯t need to give up on the tactic. His next swing came as a backhand, aiming for the upper left arm, forcing the monster to either use the potentially weakening shield to defend or dramatically spin around as none of the other arms could respond without tangling with his target.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    In response, the Icon finally revealed that it had its own powerful offensive capabilities, giving up on the embrace. The two arms on the opposite side each pressed forward, palms out, as if they were shoving the air itself into an individual mote that happened to be in the way. Coop felt the rainbow energy before he saw it, as it caught him on the right side of his ribs.


    He flew backwards, spinning like a top for what felt like more seconds than the actual fight had lasted before he crashed through the trunk of one of the many trees in the forest. Steam drifted off his blistered skin where a blast of rainbow colored mana had slammed into him and gouged a massive gap in his normally reliable armor. A single mote had been filled with energy and discharged, transforming the small stings into a devastating attack. He stumbled back to his feet and blinked the sweat out of his eyes, telling himself that they weren¡¯t actually tears of pain.


    Despite all of his magical defenses, there was no way he could just shake off this Icon¡¯s pure magic attack like he had so many others. Dark blue, purple, and yellow dust seemed to float from his raw, blistering skin before fading in the night air. The fact that he was back on his feet was a testament to all of his collective progression, but he had been blown away to an extent that the Icon seemed to have lost interest in the fight.


    He stumbled back toward the beach, tripping over roots and rocks before he made it back to the dark sand of the barren battlefield. He resummoned his destroyed ethereal armor and returned his reliable spear to his hand, filling it with mana as he went.


    The monster kept chanting things to itself, sometimes argumentative, sometimes in agreement, but as far as Coop could tell it wasn¡¯t actually an intelligent being. It was more like a collective imitation of sentience, though it appeared to recognize its purpose, almost like a program rather than a lifeform. It was weird, but it didn¡¯t matter. He wanted to kill it more than he wanted to understand it.


    ¡°A new Dawn/Beginning/End is here! We must bathe this world in our Cleansing/Burning/Healing embrace!¡± The monster continued, hovering above the beach as it drifted along the coastline, checking divots and craters as if it was searching for the perfect place to build a nest. It was a rare level of coherence in the monster¡¯s words.


    Coop¡¯s spear shot across the cleared beach, leaving an enormous wake of sand as he sought to re engage in the duel, a bit frustrated to be so easily ignored. One of the eye palms intercepted the shield, but the resulting shrapnel as the volatile missile exploded, crashing all across the beach, obstructed the monster¡¯s reaction for a moment in a cloud of mana and erupting sand. Even before the atmosphere cleared, the neon pink light was clearly visible within the haze.


    Coop sought to follow up, mistjumping right back into melee range before summoning his one handed hammer to bash the shields some more. He was confident that one good opportunity without the shields was all he needed.


    A massive gout of misty mana exploded as the head of his blunt weapon was caught by yet another circle of protection. He growled as he committed to a continued rapid fire sequence and further probing attacks while he searched for an opportunity to expand his tactics.


    ¡°Your prayers have been Heard/Answered/Heeded! Now, you will understand their Meaning/Consequences/Arrogance!¡± The voices shouted as Coop¡¯s hammer whistled through the air and crashed into a series of shields, drowning out the utterances with the buzzing energy. The monster seemed entirely focused on his attacks despite a thousand conflicting dialogues happening at once.


    Coop¡¯s only response was to grunt as he quickswapped to his morning star, hoping the wider area of contact might be enough to gouge out one of the Icon¡¯s eyes and therefore reduce its efficacy. The shields flashed with lights that were slower to fade, transforming the beach to a pink-themed nightclub as they caught his powerful swings and strobed with color to the beat of Coop¡¯s attacks. Bursts of mists behaved like a fog machine, and the tiny motes glittered through the air.


    When the monster tried to counterattack, Coop sidestepped the blast, prepared for such a move after seeing it once before. It wouldn¡¯t work on him a second time. He let a mosaic of colors bypass his torso, then attempted to crush the extended arms with a powerful slam of his heavy mace.


    When he was blocked yet again by one of the free arms, he called upon Legacy of the Mists, and a phantasm attempted to flank the monster. A blue-robed monk stepped forward through a splash of mists, seeking to land an overhand strike that would crush the monster¡¯s wings, but the last of the monster¡¯s arms twisted in an impossible angle, as if it broke its own bones and tore ligaments in order to block the surprise attack.


    Coop and the phantasm both landed their attacks at the same time, and the monster blocked both, using separate hands. The shield flashed neon pink when it blocked Coop¡¯s attack, but the other flashed yellow-green against the phantasm, forcing the runes to rotate in the opposite direction. They dealt different types of damage, so it seemed the shields were challenged in different ways.


    Coop summoned another five phantasms, and they subconsciously coordinated with each other to leap in and out as they pummeled the boss before the motes could eliminate them, drumming the shields with morning stars of various ethereal materials. Circles of protection flashed lime green and highlighter yellow over and over, with the boss swinging its arms around at impossible velocities, as if it was setting a world record at some arcade rhythm game. Then, a circle glowed pink when Coop tried to land his own attack, forcing another blastwave across the coast.


    At first, the monster tried to embrace the phantasms, promising Salvation/Conversion/Deliverance as it had with Coop, but the phantasms burst into mists when touched by its unearthly energy. The Icon seemed to recategorize the opponents and quickly ended the rest of the offensive with an energy blast that completely deleted the phantasms on one side and forced Coop to dive out of the way on the other.


    ¡°Feeble/Weak/Pathetic attempts at defiance. This is a Divine/Righteous/Necessary correction!¡± The voices continued in an unending lecture that most of the time made less sense than the ramblings of the insane.


    ¡°Shut up already.¡± Coop panted, raising his morning star above his head.


    He was hoping to find a way past its defenses before he started empowering himself with an Apparition, worried as he was about failing to break through the Icon¡¯s protection and leaving himself without any further responses, but if it came down to a simple test of strength, he would just have to go for it. He saw it as his last card to play, and he wanted to hold onto it until he was sure it would make a difference, or he was desperate enough to have no other option. He was drawing closer to that level of desperation as he accumulated ten thousand instances of damage from the motes.


    Before he cast Inheritance of the Mists with the simple request for destruction, he kept skirmishing, using every trick he could think of to try and exhaust his options. Quickswaps and mistjumps, baiting its attention with his ethereal swordsmanship, and coordinating multiple attacks with phantasms didn¡¯t get him much further than the straightforward slams at the beginning of the engagement.


    However, something finally broke when Coop and a phantasmal spearman both thrust their weapons at the forehead eye of the monster in a synchronized attack that eschewed part of both of their strengths in favor of precision. The level of coordination was borderline impossible, but thanks to Legacy of the Mists, Coop could push into difficult to comprehend heights. The Icon raised a hand to block, and the eye vibrated as a white circle of protection appeared.


    When both speartips hit the shield at the exact same time, instead of a flash of color as the runes spun, the circle shattered into tiny shards of mana, glowing in a medley of colors only after it fractured, as if they broke a rainbow into pieces. It seemed as though the circles of protection were only able to defend a single instance of damage at a once.


    Coop didn¡¯t hesitate, despite the sudden opening catching even him by surprise. He drew upon the Inheritance of the Mists, slowing down his perception of time as the Icon¡¯s fingers closed around the destroyed palm eye, seeping black blood from its ruined socket. The monster¡¯s misshapen head turned too far, as if it was breaking its own neck, revealing another face where its ear should have been, this one not smiling at all.


    Coop was still holding his spear, thrusting it forward, directly at the turning head as the possession took place. He didn¡¯t feel anything within him change as the apparition manifested, though he could sense a stimulus to destroy the evil dead, and once it was complete, his spear did transform. It had gained a certain unique heft, the balance changing into something rather useless for melee while it took on a metallic appearance more akin to a pipe than an ethereal manifestation.


    The flow of time seemed to resume as soon as the end of the weapon was about to touch the sickly skin of the Icon of Mana. Coop gritted his teeth as he braced himself for contact, feeling like his possession had fizzled and he was only going to land a regular attack with a slightly modified and blunted weapon, despite the reservation of mana taking hold. If his attack wasn¡¯t enough, he would simply keep trying, though wasting his ace was discouraging. That¡¯s what it meant to fight like the Revenant.


    The metal tube rang against the forehead of the second, scowling face of the creature, depressing its wet sickly skin. Before the monster could recoil from the force, a loud ¡®Boom!¡¯ rang across the beach.


    Coop flinched as the spear recoiled into his shoulder and the multi-faceted head of the Icon of Mana exploded into a wave of black ooze. His ears rang from the unanticipated blast and his eyes burned from the shock.


    The headless body of the Region Boss ranked Icon of Mana fell to the ground limply, followed by bits of alien gore splattering into the sand and water in the distance, and random gray feathers that tore from its wings slowly drifted down on their own. Coop flashed in bright light as the fight came to a shockingly abrupt ending. It wasn¡¯t exactly the thunder he would have expected from Inheritance of the Mists, but the result was more than adequate.


    Meanwhile, a montage of bright colors scattered all across the beach, a disorganized jumble of mana being released by the rapid decomposition of the monster. Coop just stood still, barely keeping his balance for a moment longer, wide-eyed and momentarily deafened, subconsciously waiting for a next phase that clearly wouldn¡¯t come. His health was low, and his body had been completely pummeled, but he had won decisively.

 Chapter 312: One with the Abyss

    Coop fell to his hands and knees, crying out in agony as pulsating tendrils threatened to rip out of his bruised skin from the inside. Through his blurry vision, he watched in horror as prehensile stems bulged beneath the surface, creating ripples that flowed across his forearms, surging and twisting until they reached into the back of his hands and caused his fingers to twitch uncontrollably.


    It was the kind of awful sensation that he never could have imagined before experiencing himself. He was living a nightmare that was so unreal it would have woken him up if he was so lucky to have been asleep. Coop gasped as he dug his fingers into the sand, refusing to let them be dominated by the pain.


    On some level, the tendrils calmed down as he mentally struggled to stifle their progress, though they continued to wriggle, as if he was a newborn babe exploring the use of his limbs for the first time. They were already a part of him.


    He was in shock that such torment had been his reward. He had done this to himself after becoming the first to overcome a Region Boss and then also successfully defeating the Icon of Mana that came afterwards. Briefly, he was riding the highest of highs, recognizing his accomplishments after taking a beating from the motes of power, then he was brought low by his own volition. It felt like it would have made more sense to have been infected by the Icon, but this was the result of his own progression, having been initiated long before he entered the Fallen Zone.


    Tears of black blood poured from his eyes and hissed when they fell onto the dark sand as the abyss gradually became his dominant affinity, threatening to erase his Dynamo title in favor of something completely new. Spectral mana was swirling from his sweat-soaked pores, being expelled from his arched back as it was replaced and Coop heaved and spasmed.


    He could feel himself changing, and he was terrified of what he would become. Flashes of the mutant undead abominations he had met in the past painted a gruesome picture that he wanted no part of. It seemed like he was on the verge of becoming an eldritch abomination instead, but rather than be gifted such a thing from an experienced faction, he had earned it for himself.


    The abyss within had been born through his voracity for progression. His steady pursuit of experience gains had passed all the tests necessary for the system to take notice and acknowledge his efforts. The unending hunger of the Deep Dweller had been a parallel representation for his unwavering desire to progress. The series of Dedications had established a borderline impossible gauntlet, but he had defeated millions of enemies to cross thresholds and pioneer a new path previously unexplored within the galactic community as the system struggled to interpret the records of humanity.


    The unique combination of human imagination and his own steady forward momentum was forging a completely novel route for utilizing mana. It threatened to climb straight out of his body, shedding his past self to metamorphose into a completely new species.


    ¡°No!¡± He roared, vocalizing his choice as prompts repeatedly buffeted his muddied vision, demanding that he complete his evolution and abandon humanity for something fresh, different, and potentially more potent. The system had long played at uplifting basic entities into new species, and Coop seemed to have made himself its most recent project. He wasn¡¯t in need of such an uplift, and he didn¡¯t want it. He was doing everything in his power to express that.


    ¡°Cancel!¡± He gasped, seeing the consequences of the transformation as unacceptable, especially after the Mists had already shown exactly how invaluable his connection to humanity could be. How many times had he proven the formidability of humanity? Why did he have to leave it behind?


    ¡°I won¡¯t!¡± He shouted through a hoarse voice, reinforcing his resolve in any way he could. He wasn¡¯t even sure why it was so important to him, but it always had been, just as he meant to preserve the environment around Ghost Reef as much as he could, he didn¡¯t want to change into something unrecognizable, creating a schism between himself and the place he held dear.


    Even if a new primary affinity could be better, it wasn¡¯t what he wanted. He couldn¡¯t sacrifice that much just to gain new racial passives, even if they promised the potential of dominion over immeasurable depths of the sea and deep space, as if humanity couldn¡¯t conquer those frontiers for itself. There were prices he wasn¡¯t willing to pay for personal progression, and losing his humanity was certainly one of them.


    All he wanted was a few new skills to synergize with the ones he had already mastered. His build was already uniquely his. He had no real regrets with how it had come along and he was doing everything in his power to preserve it as it was.


    In the aftermath of his battles with the Insurgents, the Omega Construct, and the Icon of Mana, Fatal Reckoning, he had selected his level 500 skill. Aside from the nasty bruises and many punctures covering his body, he was in excellent shape compared to how he usually felt after such a challenge, and it seemed as though his mission to diminish the Fallen Zone had been a resounding success. He rewarded himself with seeing where his skill choices had taken him.


    It was only another rank of the passive skill, Reverence, taken through his stacking Dedication to Sethrak, the Deep Dweller. The fictional eldritch being pieced together by the system had already received 10 stacks of Coop¡¯s newest passive, and Reverence rank 11 would be the culmination of the long project. He figured it would finally be complete and his next choice would be the start of the path, so he was excited to review many skill choices while he mistjumped the rest of the way to the continental summit.


    His curiosity overwhelmed his sense of unease toward the passive skill, but he had no time for regrets. He was fighting through the pain to decline the offerings. His other notifications still lingered in his vision, as he was too distressed to dismiss them.


    [You defeated Region Boss: Fatal Reckoning (Level 500)]


    [+2145814 Basic Credits]


    [+15 Voidstone (Legendary)]


    [+1 Jar of Liberated Souls (Trophy)]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    ¡­


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Skill options available.]


    ¡­


    [Congratulations! You have unlocked a unique Racial Evolution.]


    ¡­


    [Become One with the Abyss?]


    ¡­


    [Abort Evolution?]


    ¡­


    [Accept Penalty?]


    ¡­


    [Pay Fee?]


    ¡­


    Coop had no idea what he was doing, but he was so committed to the idea of being human and fighting for his little island so that humanity could continue on that he still resisted. The struggle was ingrained into his subconscious. The evolution was his own doing, an achievement for unprecedented success in combat against the planetary sponsor, but he reserved the right to refuse.


    As he rushed through the prompts, spitting up black blood while he drove his fingers deeper in the sand in an effort to brace against the agony, mana suddenly exploded from his body, cascading as it touched the atmosphere and spread throughout what had been the battlefield. Rather than seeping from his pores as the spectral mana had, the exposed concentration of mana erupted from his being, completely disproportionate to his physical form.


    A portion of the mana smoke from every monster he defeated from the point he had taken the first Dedication before the Underlayer Event, all the way until the Icon of Mana he had defeated in the Fallen Zone, escaped from his being. It felt like his soul was being torn asunder, but he couldn¡¯t do anything but hang on. Millions of kills worth of skimmed experience were expelled from his body, forming black clouds that contoured over the land and bloomed toward the stratosphere.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    The smoke rose high into the sky, like a volcano had erupted, continuing to spread until it could have been comparable to the domain of the Omega Construct itself, but less controlled, as it was rapidly dissipating while it fled into the air. Then, after what seemed like ages, it all abruptly ran out, as if he had been a wet torch that suddenly extinguished, and Coop retched up the last of the black gunk that had been building up inside of him in mind-boggling concentrations.


    He leaned back, putting his weight onto his feet until he fell backwards onto the sand, surrounded by dark stains, and covered in splotchy purple bruises, blood, sweat, and grime. He felt truly weak compared to his normal self as the world spun beneath him.


    There was another new notification, but he spent a few minutes just catching his breath, completely unable to move, like he had just broken a horrible fever, entire body aching. He struggled just to barely hang onto his consciousness. He watched through vibrating eyes as the smoke clouds swirled together as their remnants were slowly siphoned over the water.


    When he finally built up the resolve to check his new notification, it was another repeated message that he had new skill options available, even though he had just taken the last rank of Dedication. The sound of disgust echoed from his throat, but his following cough was weak and filled with pain.


    The mana smoke condensed at sea level like an enormous thunder cloud, back toward the location of the start of his encounter with the Omega Construct. He refused to entertain the idea that another Icon of Mana would appear as a result of his own actions, but the thought lingered in the back of his mind enough that he decided he had to check the prompt and prepare to retreat, no matter how quickly his consciousness was slipping away.


    He groaned at the thought of more skills like the Dedications. The idea of another skill made him feel nauseous, like the smell of the exact type of food that had previously caused horrible food poisoning.


    While staring up at the sky through still blurred double vision, as if his pupils had been slightly dislodged, knowing he couldn¡¯t let it rest, he willed himself to concentrate. The whooshing sound of mana whipping across the Mississippi Sea drove him to do something, considering he might have to run for his life from the billowing smoke soon enough.


    Coop was aware that he was in no shape to fight, or even move for that matter. He had to check to see if he had an out in the form of a new skill. He took a deep breath, still lying motionless halfway up the beach, flat on his back with his legs bent underneath, like the victim of a shipwreck, and opened the skill options. When he was presented with enough text that he had to scroll down, then scrolled some more, the ghastly expression on his face transformed to one of giddy excitement, if slightly delirious from agony and exhaustion. Finally, he could take a single step on the Path of the Abyss.


    For the first time in hundreds of levels he was able to access a full list of skill choices. He found it within himself to remember enthusiasm, despite the stars popping up in his vision, as he finally read through Mind-based Abyssal skills available for his build. He had active skills to sift through, like Tidal Fury, Abyssal Blast, Thalassokinesis, Drowning Darkness, Depth Charge, Call of the Void, Leviathan¡¯s Strength, Sunken Grasp, Pressure Command, Horror Kraken, Lurker of the Deep, Ghost Tide, Fathomless Chains, and Nightmare Nova. Then there were passive skills, like Deep Sea Vision, Awakened Depths, Forbidden Lore, and Depths of Madness.


    Coop tried to read through them all, unable to physically move a muscle, and found each of them appealing in their own ways, especially when compared to his previous 11 sets of choices. He could easily see uses for almost every single active skill. However, it wasn¡¯t until he read through the final passive skill in the list that he knew what he had to choose.


    Depths of Madness was a passive skill that directly influenced his Mind stat, making every point of Mind double in potency. Now, at first it didn¡¯t seem like a big deal because all that meant was that it would drastically improve his mana pool and magic defense: two aspects of his build that were already far beyond everything else he had going on. However, the fact that it was a Mind-based passive skill was appealing in of itself.


    Coop had already received the Mindbender title for collecting 5 of 6 Mind-related passives. What would happen if he completed the set? He would have one passive skill for every attribute in his status. Coop was sure it would either upgrade Mindbender or give him another title. If it was half as valuable as Mindbender had been, it would be worth taking over all the other choices. But either way, he doubted it would suddenly rejuvenate him to the point that he could battle another Region Boss ranked Icon of Mana. In fact, none of his options appeared to be a ''get out of jail free¡¯ card, and judging by the flow of mana, that might be exactly what he would need if he lingered much longer. It was time to leave, one way or another.


    He painstakingly rolled over so that he could work his way back to his feet and begin his retreat, starting with pushing himself onto his hands and knees. He was facing away from the storm of mana that had formed on the surface of the sea, sending waves of energy as it struggled to coalesce. Coop was fully intending to flee as soon as he got up, no matter how slow he was. As long as he could make it back to the treeline, he should be okay to regroup.


    The weakness he felt in his body was worse than the first times he used Inheritance of the Mists and he groaned as he came to the realization that he might need to crawl. Having new skills available had filled him with too much optimism. He took a deep breath and started to drag himself, willing the crashing sounds and flashing lights to just be mana doing weird things and not another portal with an enormous monster crawling into Earth¡¯s assimilation.


    His eyes landed on the treeline, but he was still seeing double, or rather, he was seeing two distinct versions of everything at the same time, and they blurred over each other as he strained to focus, never completely aligned. Looking at anything in particular felt like it would give him a headache, so he squeezed his eyes shut and did his best to move forward, crawling his fingers through the sand inches at a time before dragging one knee, then the other.


    After a few feet, he was already breathing heavily, shivering, sweating, and clenching his jaw as he struggled. The nasty bruises that spread from his right hip, up to his chest, and wrapped around to his back throbbed with every rapid heartbeat, and other parts he hadn¡¯t even recognized were injured by the Icon of Mana refused to cooperate with his efforts, forcing him to drag a leg, and gingerly rest a shoulder. Lights sparked into his sight like fireworks, but they weren¡¯t caused by mana, he was just on the edge of consciousness.


    He knew he was in trouble when an actual heavenly light drenched the dark beach in celestial hues. He had no mana to be drained, nor any manifestations to be destroyed, but when his ignored notifications trembled and disappeared, he knew something had arrived.


    Given the battle he had just been through, he was sure it was Fatal Reckoning. Earth must have drawn that much closer to the Eradication Protocol, giving the Icons free reign to return immediately after their defeats. He let himself fall onto a hip so that he could roll onto his side and face the boss, raggedly breathing like he was actually on the verge of death. The treeline was a bit too far to reach in his condition before he was noticed.


    Even without mana, the beauty of his Revenant build was that he was never completely helpless. He would be able to fight until the moment he really died, even if it was only as a summoner of phantasms while he used his ethereal manifestations as a crutch to prop himself up. At first, he tried to recall the tool demonstrated by the previous apparition, thinking that a shotgun could be the answer to all his problems, but he was cruelly reminded of the limitations being levied upon him when Retribution failed to yield salvation.


    The ability of apparitions to breach such restrictions, as relics of the akashic record of Earth, was unfair, but then again, that was the reason humanity was being branded for destruction and the Eradication Protocol would take place. They, as a species, violated the guardrails around the galactic community. If it really came down to it, he would risk another possession, calling upon an apparition, even knowing that he might truly break down trying to wield such power in his current state. He felt true gratitude that he hadn¡¯t let his build go, trading it away for the system¡¯s ambiguous promises. Who knows what kind of constraints would have been introduced.


    His always reliable spear manifested in his hand, spectral and abyssal mana in perfect balance, and with the help of gravity, he jammed it into the sand, leaning against it as he faced what really might end up being his final fight. His last stand would be from the sandy ground of an ugly unnatural beach, but for Coop, it was enough that it was a beach at all.


    ¡°Human!¡± A sweet voice echoed quietly from the sea, gently reaching his ears as the angelic being floated toward him, gown defying gravity along with her flowing hair.


    He squeezed his spear and imagined the valiant army he hoped would buy him enough time to recover just a bit more. Though he felt no shame in retreating, he fully expected to have to fight to the end this time.


    ¡°Coop!¡± The voice continued enthusiastically, obviously excited to recognize him. He paused at hearing his own name, squinting at the vibrating silhouette of gold and blue. ¡°Quickly! Invite us to your faction!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Coop choked, throat dry, sounding like he was on the verge of more than just passing out.


    ¡°We wish to join the Lighthouse! Invite us before the window closes!¡± She continued, glancing over her shoulder to look at the sky before looking back at him. It was confusing how she was referring to herself in the plural form, just as the Icon of Mana had, though she spoke with only one beautiful voice instead of thousands.


    ¡°Ugh! Why is it that you are more disgusting each time we meet?¡± She whined as she got closer. Coop would have shrugged if he could.


    She let herself drop to the ground, kneeling next to him. ¡°Do you not recognize me?¡± She asked, still speaking rapidly before uncharacteristically placing a hand on the back of his head to ease his burden and her other gently on his chest.


    ¡°It is Lyriel, the Avatar of the System. This is Palisteon, offspring of my navigator.¡± She gestured toward her neck, leaning her head slightly to the side. Coop squinted and noticed what seemed like a worm huddling against her fair skin, appearing genuinely fearful of falling from her shoulder.


    ¡°We have come to reinforce you humans, but you must invite us to your faction before time runs out.¡± Lyriel continued, encouraging Coop to hurry as gently as possible.


    Instead of wasting energy on responding, he complied, mostly just glad he wouldn¡¯t need to fight after all.


    [Unknown (Level ??,???) has become an ¡®Initiate¡± level Entity of the Lighthouse]


    [Unknown (Level ?) has become an ¡®Initiate¡± level Entity of the Lighthouse]


    Coop confirmed the invites as his strength finally left him and he fell unconscious, hearing Lyriel whisper in the distance that it was fine; he could rest easy with her at his side.

 Chapter 313: Depths of Madness

    Coop used both hands to cup some river water and soak his face, but his hands lingered just a bit longer than necessary. Both palms gingerly rested against his cheeks, covering his eyes with his fingers as droplets fell down. He wasn¡¯t sobbing, but he certainly felt like he should.


    After a few moments, he released his face, letting his hands sink back into the chilly river, and took a steadying breath. He watched his reflection in the ripples as the surface settled down. Staring back at him was, thankfully, a regular, basic human.


    It looked like he had gone one too many rounds with a heavyweight prize fighter without knowing how to properly guard. The side of his lower lip was swollen with a small split, he had the two worst black eyes he had ever seen, and the puffiness of his right cheek made his nose look crooked. One of his ears had a tear at the top, and a long strip of his skin had split somewhere in his scalp and ran halfway down his forehead. And that was just the physical damage to his head.


    The irises of his eyes now had subtle stripes that hinted at supernatural spectral and abyssal energy, not completely different from the patterns in the manifestations of his weapons and armor, and his vision hadn¡¯t cleared up one bit since declining his position as the Abyssal One. It seemed like mana was interfering with his eyes after having his head struck by a few too many attacks during his bouts with boss monsters. All in all, in spite of everything, he was still happy to see his appearance. He was beaten, but not an abomination.


    All of the wounds on his body would heal with unbelievable efficiency, thanks to mana. Of course, other than some small acid burns and a few dozen puncture wounds, the vast majority of the damage had been caused by the Icon or his canceled evolution, both of which had also been the result of mana. Coop would have to call it a wash at best.


    Knowing that he would heal didn¡¯t make it any easier to take such damage. He winced as he gingerly tested the edges of some of the more egregious bruises on his torso. If he didn¡¯t have the opportunity to rest and relax, being repeatedly beaten to a pulp every day would probably break him. It was no wonder the idea of grinding monsters was such a hard sell in the beginning.


    However, the physical effects of a few big fights weren¡¯t the reason he was barely holding back the tears. The pain of his battered body was nothing compared to the initial anguish at seeing his status for the first time after he woke back up. Normally, when regaining consciousness, he would have expected the nightmare to end, and yet here he was, living it.


    He took a deep breath and resumed cleaning himself, careful not to be too rough with the bruises that had appeared all across his body from the thousands of collisions with the Icon¡¯s offensive aura or around the puncture wounds from the projectiles of the Insurgents. He sat in the crystal clear water of the Mississippi Sea, still feeling exhausted. He looked more like a train had run him over than any other time in his life, but the real damage had been to his mental state. It was like his momentum had finally been halted and he didn¡¯t have an obvious path to break through.


    The two newest members of the Lighthouse watched from a distance, having their own discussion about the situation they had put themselves in, occasionally stealing glances at Coop that he imagined were filled with wonder. The little worm guy had started wriggling in the sand, back and forth, so that its oversized puppy dog-like eyes were each visible one after the other as it turned. It was making sounds that were similar in a way to a kitten, except it always ended with a ¡®P¡¯ sound. It seemed like it could only say variations of ¡®Mwoop,¡¯ but Lyriel understood its meaning just fine despite the system failing, or refusing, to translate for Coop.


    Coop splashed more water into his hair and gently worked his fingers along his scalp, still thinking through everything that had happened in the aftermath of the defeat of another Icon of Mana. According to Lyriel, he had only fainted for a few hours. Apparently, pushing himself to rise to the challenge of another boss fight so soon after canceling a physical evolution was beyond even his limits.


    ¡°At least for now.¡± He declared, trying to find the internal strength to regain his momentum and push forward, no matter how impossible it seemed.


    Looking at things in their totality, it wasn¡¯t that bad. In fact, Coop could easily make an argument that the penalties he had received might actually be a good thing in the long run. For one, the loss of 11 million credits was completely negligible, especially after he gained more than that in the Omega Construct fight alone, so he could easily pass it off as nothing.


    Then there was his racial status. He had assumed that declining an evolution was choosing to remain unchanged in a simple binary, yes or no choice. However, he had actually been affirming his humanity with his decision to avoid changing. The system appeared to recognize his selection, though how it would come to play was unclear. He just knew he was glad to be human.


    Still, the idea of opening his status again made him feel like he might be sick. It was like his heart dropped to his stomach at the mere thought. The real cause for concern was that the experience penalty he had received was massive. It displayed itself in red next to his level, revealing his punishment as (-250). Had he really committed such a crime?


    According to the description of his penalty, his level would be locked to its current position, unchanging until he gained the equivalent of 250 levels. Instead of gaining levels as he progressed, he would chip away at the penalty, diminishing it one level at a time until it was gone.


    It would have been a tragedy under the best of circumstances, given his urge to keep growing, but it was even worse when he considered that the assimilation hadn¡¯t kept up with his pace. Diminishing returns would trap him on a treadmill with no rewards. He winced as he worried about inevitably losing his position on the leaderboards, or at least taking a massive hit in his lead. He had no idea how long it would take to recover. His momentum was forcefully stolen from him and he need only look at Vronk of Caisalya to recognize how devastating it could be, though they were far more extreme examples.


    He sighed, putting his hands back into the water with a splash. Thankfully, the mana that had concentrated in the area had all but dissipated, and the air and water were back to normal. It seemed like he had done a number on the Fallen Zone. In fact, the domain was gone, replaced by the regular untamed wilds of the world, where civilization shards failed to reach and Primal Constructs roamed freely.


    ¡°Mission accomplished, I guess.¡± He muttered, dejected tone doing nothing to lift his own spirit.


    He shook his head, doing his best to put his experience prison sentence out of his thoughts and concentrate on the important choice he had to make regarding Depths of Madness. After he woke back up, selecting the ability presented him with two sub-options, illustrating the reward for finally completing a full set of Mind-based passive skills.


    With either choice, he would be altering the skills that had been the foundation for all of the stat manipulating shenanigans since his first skill selection at the start of the assimilation. It was a big reward for his dedicated investments.


    Mind Over Matter, Adamance, Practical Application, Arcane Comprehension, and Clarity of Purpose were all on the table, combining with Depths of Madness and awarding him the choice of evolution. Completing the full set of Mind-based attribute passives had unlocked the type of major change that gave him decision anxiety while provoking his imagination for buildcraft. He carefully read through both options again, not wanting to make a mistake with such valuable portions of his build, even if he was agonizing about his future of leveling at the same time.


    The first choice was Mindful Mindlessness.


    ¡°There is extraordinary Power within the Process of Elimination.¡±


    Mindful Mindlessness would combine all of his attributes into one: Mind. There would be no more distribution of his stats, bouncing around bonuses where the other attributes, like Strength and Agility, were downhill from his investment in Mind. They would all be pinned to the exact value of Mind. He wouldn¡¯t even have a choice where his stats went, since Mind would be the only option left, though he already automatically placed them there anyway.


    As he understood the evolution, the attribute section of his status would be cut down to a single line, only displaying the Mind stat as it would completely take over. In a way, the simplicity spoke to him.


    Thankfully, the passive effects of Mind Over Matter, Practical Application, and Clarity of Purpose would be preserved at their current values for his current abilities, so the biggest potential downside was at least partially alleviated. Everything from mistjumping to Legacy of the Mists would still have a mana cost of zero, half of the health damage taken would be distributed to his mana pool, and all his current skills would allow further attacks to ignore a portion of his target¡¯s armor.


    From what Coop could tell, Mindful Mindlessness was purely positive for his current build and position within the system. It would increase his total stats from all sources by doubling his effective Agility, Body, and Acumen so that they were equal to his current Mind total. At the moment, they were approximately only half the value. That meant even his Slayer titles would contribute even more stats than they did before, and his collection of profession levels would be that much more valuable. The only other factor, in terms of gains, to be aware of, was that his Mind stat would actually be unchanged relative to his usual investment, but he would gain total stats, even while he was penalized.


    Coop muttered to himself, thinking Mindful Mindlessness sounded really good while idly scrubbing his upper back. Of course, it had to be, considering just how difficult it was to unlock. Six synergistic skills between multiple paths was heavy. To him Mindful Mindlessness seemed like the perfect choice, as a capstone, if his entire build was 100% complete. He continued rinsing with the clear water as he imagined a future with the first choice, before eventually moving onto the second.


    The second option was Quantum Insanity.


    ¡°A God does not Play Dice.¡±


    Quantum Insanity would make it so that every class level granted 10 unallocated attribute points.


    That was it.


    There were no other changes to how his skills worked or which stats factored into his build. The secondary effects of his passive skills would act as they always had, potentially breaking future abilities if he could conquer his experience penalty and actually receive another choice.


    Quantum Insanity would simply double his standard investment into Mind, though it wouldn¡¯t apply anything to the other sources that had contributed to his massive amount of attributes in Slayer titles and his profession levels. So, not exactly double, but certainly a massive increase.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    From a raw stats perspective, Coop¡¯s quick math revealed that Quantum Insanity didn¡¯t fall behind Mindful Mindlessness unless his other sources contributed more than double the number of stats that he gained from levels. That meant that at the moment, if he had Quantum Insanity, he would need the equivalent of 50 Slayer titles, Scavenging over level 1,000, or some other combination of the two that he wasn¡¯t near at all, for Mindful Mindlessness to beat it. Even then, his raw Mind stat would still be higher with Quantum Insanity. Mindful Mindlessness would only overtake the total stats with extra Agility, Body, and Acumen at first.


    Still, if he worked through the penalty with Mindful Mindlessness, he might actually end up with that kind of ratio of Slayer titles and profession levels. He shook his head at the dilemma he found himself in.


    ¡°Is it better to be Insane or Mindless?¡± Coop wondered as he rubbed his blurry eyes.


    How many Slayer titles could he even get in total? No matter what, he already had every intention of collecting them all, but realistically, how many Primal Construct variants were on planet Earth? There was a limit to them, but there was no limit to his class level, or if there was, it was unknown. In the long run Quantum Insanity had to be the choice.


    However, there was a major caveat to Quantum Insanity and it was one that would have had him recoiling in disgust if not for the level penalty he already had. Coop closed his eyes as he confronted the worst information in the world. His level would be reset. He wouldn¡¯t even get new skills until he reached unconquered level thresholds as he¡¯d already claimed the previous ones. If a 250 level punishment was a long sentence, Quantum Insanity would apply it swiftly through a death penalty by actualizing the condemnation and cleaning the slate.


    But before Coop spiraled once again at the thought of his progression woes, he forced himself to recognize the positives. He was in a world where the highest level monsters outside of very specific developments were around 250 levels his inferior at best. He had just conquered the center of the Fallen Zone, the last known location on Earth that he could realistically hope to sneak out significant gains in levels. At over level 500 in half a year, he was getting too far ahead of the assimilation to keep growing.


    Unless the Settlement Events started triggering more frequently, there were more Fallen Zones out there that were unknown to Ghost Reef, or he started hunting down his fellow humans, he simply didn¡¯t have any realistic ways to maintain his pace. Only the Slayer quest rewards would be giving him levels until the next major event, and there was no way they would match up to defeating a Region Boss in a domain full of Elites or a hundred million invaders during a siege or conquest.


    Ultimately, he believed whatever he temporarily lost by taking Quantum Insanity, it would be negligible in the short term, and would actually reward him in the long run. Were hundreds of levels even a big deal if he was working toward tens of thousands? He couldn¡¯t help but imagine receiving this choice at level 25,000. From that perspective, it felt fortunate to reach such an inflection point so early.


    Besides, Coop reminded himself that he would still have his profession levels and Slayer titles with multipliers and bonuses. His dream of using his profession to have a sneaky power level would finally be realized, though this wasn¡¯t exactly how he had hoped it would come about.


    The real loss was on the leaderboards, but as he stared at the hazy horizon, he wondered how long anyone could really stay ahead of him. He¡¯d be chasing after them from the jump.


    Despite himself, a smirk appeared as he considered the challenge. He would be smurfing in real life with his entire build intact. How many level ones had the kind of combat experience he already accumulated, with more than a dozen titles granting combat bonuses and stats that would already rival people with hundreds or thousands of levels?


    Even without his class levels, he would have almost 10,000 total stats before his passive multipliers just from titles and profession levels. Who on the leaderboard could say they had more? Coop blew air out of his nose, finally recognizing just what a stat monster he had become. With Mindful Mindlessness, he would have to gain 250 levels before progressing beyond his current high water mark, but at least with Quantum Insanity, he would be able to feel the progression the whole time.


    The more he thought about it the more he convinced himself that he could make Quantum Insanity work. He would rebuild his momentum so that it couldn¡¯t be stopped. After the Continental Summit, he was just going to grind Slayer titles unless some emergencies popped up, might as well get levels from kills at the same time, right? He did his best to put a positive spin on the situation.


    If he took Mindful Mindlessness, it would look like he was taking it easy, not actually advancing for however long it took him to gain another 250 levels while already dealing with diminishing returns of experience. After he presented himself to the rest of the world in the Underlayer, it would feel like a betrayal to the image he tried to cultivate.


    Was disappearing altogether that much better? He supposed he was still Champion of Ghost Reef and the Founder of the Lighthouse, so virtually everyone he knew would immediately know that he was still alive. He doubted most of them would even bat an eye that he was up to something strange.


    He hummed as he stood up from the shallow water, still a bit unsteady, but recovering much quicker than if he had lacked the extraordinary durability granted from his doubly effective boss titles. He rubbed the residue from his thighs and hamstrings, knees, and calves. His state was about as good as it would get, but he still hadn¡¯t come to a conclusion on what would be the best way to proceed.


    Quantum Insanity had to be the choice for Depths of Madness, but the question now was how he would break the news. Should he just make the choice or should he wait until he had a chance to discuss it with some of his advisors?


    He imagined what their suggestions would be, recognizing that they would encourage him to focus on making sure to gather enough strength to keep serving as the backbone for everything they were building with the settlement and the faction. His advisors always supported his progress.


    He shrugged to himself, concluding that like a bandaid, he should just rip it off. He opted for Quantum Insanity and tilted his head up toward the sky as he opened his status, still feeling a bit sick about the whole situation.


    [Status]


    HP - 4855/16269


    MP - 12409/60075


    Class - Revenant (Level 0)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 202)


    Affinity - Spectral, Abyssal


    Race - Human (Icon)


    Faction - The Lighthouse


    Strength - 125 (+2990)


    Agility - 125 (+1495)


    Body - 125 (+1495)


    Mind - 2215 (+775)


    Intelligence - 125 (+2990)


    Acumen - 125 (+1495)


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion IV, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper II, Slayer XI, Dauntless, Defiant, Stalwart, Reckless, Stacked, Valor XXIV, Siegebreaker, Underking, Mindbender, Insane


    Skills (Active) - Mistwalking


    Skills (Passive) - Depths of Madness


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (22/50), Upgrade City to Metropolis


    Basic Credits - 15,984,044


    The red text declaring his experience debt had vanished, leaving him to look closer at the rest of his slightly altered status. His grimace as he braced for the disaster faded a bit as he reconsidered a bit of his hesitancies.


    The fact that his mana pool only decreased by around 2,000 total points managed to draw a slightly amused expression back to his face. Depths of Madness may have been a rather weak passive skill compared to his others, but doubling the potency of his Mind stat was well-timed. The reduction of his magic defense and mana pool would both be negligible to the point where he doubted he would notice even if he tried.


    The rest of his stats were roughly halved, which, admittedly, was a harsh change. But even with that handicap, he was still a force to be reckoned with. There were still over 14,000 stats in his sheet, or nearly 3,000 standard levels worth of gains. He chuckled in disbelief, wondering if the system had made a mistake. He may have regressed to the point where he was too weak to repeat his conquest of the Omega Construct or a Region Boss ranked Icon of Mana, but he was almost exactly as strong as he was at the start of the Underlayer Event, which was to say, he was extremely strong.


    Normally, he hated the idea of a New Game+ but this was more like a respec than a reset. Of course, since he was happy with his stat allocation, he had no reason to redistribute his stats in a different way, so it really ended up more like a money laundering scheme, except with his Mind attribute instead of cash. Now, with Quantum Insanity, he would be doubling his gains for every level.


    Other than the obvious level change, he also had his race rank change from a simple number to ¡®Icon.¡¯ The result of affirming his humanity was a simple change in designation. Knowing what Icons of Mana were, he assumed the system was recognizing his commitment to humanity, though it didn¡¯t seem to have any tangible effect at the moment. Perhaps he wouldn¡¯t be offered any more racial evolutions, but that wasn¡¯t something he would lament, not particularly interested in the first place.


    His titles also seemed to have shuffled around, with a few disappearing altogether. Dynamo was gone even though he still had two mana affinities, but he wondered if that meant he had fully internalized the balance. The Insane title represented Quantum Insanity, and Depths of Madness encompassed all of his previous passive skills as well as its own effect.


    All in all, the damage hadn¡¯t been as severe as he anticipated, but it had taken him back to the power level that he had been immediately before he had started the gauntlet of Dedications. He scoffed as he recognized just how much he had benefited from the underground grind. He hadn¡¯t been thrown back to the days of grinding Ancient Defenders on the beach at all, though he was no longer above such an adventure.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The thought of Ancient Defenders had him humming as he realized just how many paths of progression were now opened up to him.


    He had one more thing to check before he moved on. How would the leaderboards look without him hogging the top spot?


    Day 178


    <ol>


    <li> Charlie Seraphin (Level 330)</li>


    <li> Camila Alvarez (Level 323)</li>


    <li> Gibson (Level 305)</li>


    <li> Buck Cleary (Level 300)</li>


    <li> Platinum (Level 294)</li>


    <li> Jacqueline ¡®Jackie¡¯ Simpson (Level 293)</li>


    <li> Emmanuel Seraphin (Level 291)</li>


    <li> Tiny Cleary (Level 291)</li>


    <li> George Prado (Level 291)</li>


    <li> Imara (Level 291)</li>


    </ol>


    434,455,901. Coop (Level 0)


    It seemed like the end of the Underlayer Event had created a lull in the world¡¯s progression. For the most part, his friends had barely leveled, and a few non-Ghost Reef residents had retaken places in the top 10. Platinum from Neon Park and Imara from the African Assembly of Settlements were continuing to race while the rest of the world appeared to be resting and recovering after the long settlement event.


    Then there was Coop¡¯s ranking. He wondered if he was actually in last place. He supposed he must have been, since he was the last person to reach level 0, so even those who hadn¡¯t started leveling would be above him. In any case, his position was probably the best guess they ever had at the current population of the world. Even if he leveled up, he¡¯d try to remember the number and relay it to his advisors.


    In the meantime, he realized it was Day 178! That meant the Omega Construct had actually held him off for something like 7 days, forcing Coop and his phantasms into an extended grind with the units of its domain. In retrospect, that was kind of amazing.


    Even the Icon of Mana that had peppered him with bruises had only actually fought with him for a period of minutes before having its head blown off. Region Bosses were pretty serious, and with his new Reckless title, he was their equal.


    ¡°A level 0 Region Boss. Imagine that.¡± Coop muttered as he waded through the water back toward the shore.


    He still needed to ask Lyriel some more questions. He wondered if she had any answers.

 Chapter 314: Hungry Hungry Humans

    Coop shook the water from his hair, then wiped off his shoulders and flicked his hands dry before he began his approach toward the Avatar of the System and her worm-like companion. Even he would put a bit of effort into his appearance when it came to the Avatar, though in his case, that just meant drying off a bit.


    As Coop walked back up the shore, barefoot, shirtless, and covered in bruises, he watched as the tiny alien creature leaned back and forth, like it was dancing to a slow mysterious rhythm. Lyriel seemed mesmerized, gazing sadly at the little alien through her white blindfold, lined with shining gold runes.


    Coop couldn¡¯t see her eyes, but there was something about Lyriel that made him assume they would be enchanting, like she embodied the exact elegance and attitude to give off the aura of a fictional elven princess. She was beautiful and commanding, even at a glance.


    He knew she leaned into that impression, holding herself up with the posture of a royal, and clothing herself in the kind of fabrics that might be donned by a goddess while leisurely meddling in mortal plights from the heavens. Light itself appeared to soften when it caressed her flawless skin, providing a celestial glow that established a clear separation from her earthly surroundings.


    Even gravity seemed hesitant to affect her. She floated above the ground, preventing her toes from touching the sand while her blonde ponytail hovered across her back. The twin sheer white cloths attached to her shoulders swam through the air in such a way that they could easily be mistaken for a set of beatific wings. Were they scarves or capes, maybe sashes, or veils? Coop had no idea, but even by his unsophisticated judgment, her outfit was understated yet majestic.


    It was almost offensive that Coop had mistaken the ghastly Icon of Mana, Fatal Reckoning, for a similarly angelic being. Lyriel was on a completely different plane of existence. He¡¯d be sure not to mention that he had considered whether or not the abomination of mana was her before he started fighting. Somehow, he felt like that was a fact better kept to himself.


    Coop broke her trance once he got close enough, still dripping from his river bath. ¡°What¡¯s the little worm doing?¡± He queried, asking about her companion with a gesture. No matter how magisterial she seemed, no amount of refinement could overcome Coop¡¯s nature.


    She flicked her head up, like she had forgotten he was there. She stared at him for a moment, unoffended that he clumsily glossed over her pretenses, almost like she had been anticipating his simple lack of grace, but still judging him regardless. After a moment of solemn silence, she spoke, answering his question clearly. ¡°He is weeping.¡± She stated, golden bangs masking her own expression.


    ¡°Huh? Why?¡± Coop wondered, looking down at its bowing dance. There were no tears, but its large round eyes certainly seemed sad.


    ¡°It is the first time in more than 20,000 years that any of his species has touched a planet, felt real gravity, or experienced a natural atmosphere. It is a momentous and sad occasion. This is essentially a mourning ritual for all of those who didn¡¯t make it to the point where they could return, no matter how fleeting his time will be.¡± She explained.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Coop looked back down. ¡°I see.¡± Coop mumbled quietly, nodding his head.


    Coop had only been really steeped in the struggle for less than six months, so he wouldn¡¯t even try to relate. He understood that they had suffered an impossibly long time, especially considering how much he missed home after just a matter of days. Never being able to go back would be hard enough that he didn¡¯t really want to imagine it.


    ¡°Is he going to be alright?¡± Coop wondered, watching as the simple dance continued. He doubted that if he was in their situation, he would be.


    ¡°For a time.¡± Lyriel responded, sounding equally regretful. She glanced up toward the sky and squinted slightly before shaking her head. ¡°For a time¡­¡± She repeated a bit quieter.


    Coop scratched the back of his head, trying to decide how to approach the two newest alien recruits to the Lighthouse. In typical fashion, he just asked what he wanted to know. ¡°So, uh, what are you doing here? Aren¡¯t you stuck now that you signed a contract with the Lighthouse?¡±


    Lyriel turned to face Coop once again, staring from behind the blindfold, no longer in the same rush as she had been on each of her previous visits. ¡°I have decided to aid more personally in humanity¡¯s ordeal.¡± She proclaimed. ¡°You will find that I am quite formidable, though I alone will not be enough to save your species during the Eradication Protocol.¡± She clarified, confident enough to be unafraid of seeming boastful.


    Though she was maintaining an air of unimpeachable superiority, Coop couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the situation. He felt like he had asked a professional basketball player if they were any good at shooting hoops, but that hadn¡¯t been what he meant. His laughter wasn¡¯t the reaction she expected.


    Her brows furrowed at his frivolity. ¡°What is so funny, human?¡± She demanded with a bit of acid in her tone.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just that I asked you to help when we first met.¡± Coop shrugged. ¡°Just thought it was funny, remembering how you laughed like it was an impossible request, but here you are. I¡¯m glad you can help after all. We¡¯ll need it right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, my circumstances have changed rather dramatically. My mission was halted and my preference is to take action.¡± She clarified. ¡°Besides, our presence would have guaranteed that the forces of mana would take an interest, so interference was an unfavorable notion. At this point, it makes no difference, as you are interesting enough for them on your own.¡± She smirked at him, apparently finding his appearance amusing. ¡°Truthfully, I doubted your ability to open the window even once more, but you continually impress. Well done.¡±


    Coop smiled at the praise, unsure if it would ever get better than that from the so-called Avatar of the System. ¡°I killed a Region Boss, then an equally ranked Icon of Mana called Fatal Reckoning.¡± He put his hands on his hips and gloated a bit.


    ¡°I suppose that explains the¡­¡± She extended one perfectly manicured finger toward Coop and flicked it up and down. ¡°...stains.¡±


    Coop looked at the worst of his blemishes, a purple bloom that covered the right side of his torso where he imagined his ribs should have broken without his multiple layers of reinforcement. The Icon had blasted right through his armor in that spot.


    ¡°They were the first and second Region Bosses to die on the planet.¡± He argued, not letting her take the wind from his sails. ¡°And I killed them back to back.¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t misunderstand me, human. To defeat a Region Boss is remarkable. Depending on its character, even I might struggle against certain variants, regardless of level differences.¡± Lyriel admitted. ¡°For your planet, so early in an assimilation, it would have been an unprecedented achievement for a million warriors to succeed. To do it alone is quite amazing.¡±


    Coop couldn¡¯t help but beam at the analysis. It seemed like he really had done something amazing.


    She glanced back down at Palisteon and spoke on his behalf as well. ¡°We are grateful for the chance to accomplish our goals, and they have been made possible through your intrepid actions. However, it is not a good sign for Region Bosses to be capable of existing on your planet this early in the assimilation at all, let alone one that is followed by an Icon of Mana.¡±


    Coop had an expression that said ¡®what else is new?¡¯ It seemed like par for the course to have enemies advancing too quickly in Earth¡¯s assimilation.


    ¡°The Primal Constructs had established their own domain and it was uncontested for as long as we were aware of it, could that be why Region Bosses showed up early?¡± He tried justifying their appearances.


    ¡°It¡¯s unlikely for such factors to have made enough of a difference on their own. A Region Boss is far more likely to develop on Day 17,000 than Day 170.¡± She continued, passively assessing Coop as she spoke. ¡°I suspect that you humans are the cause.¡±


    Coop frowned at how the blame was being placed. ¡°What did we do?¡±


    Lyriel flicked one of her hands gently to the side while placing the other on her hip. ¡°It is merely conjecture, but I would postulate that mana is being more rapidly distributed by your actions as a whole. Humans could be bringing the end upon themselves.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Coop grew a bit defensive. ¡°Kinda feels like you''re saying it''s our own fault?¡±


    ¡°No, I do not mean to assign blame. It¡¯s more like your species has acclimated to the pressures of the assimilation in a truly remarkable way, and with far greater numbers than normally witnessed. It would be difficult to identify another comparable planet that developed this way, even among the Exiles.¡± She nodded toward Palisteon as he swayed back and forth. ¡°Neither mine, nor his, had internalized the situation well enough to reach this point, this early, and as you know, both of our species qualified for the Eradication Protocol.¡±


    ¡°Dude, like 95% of us are already dead.¡± Coop concisely pointed out, remembering his current rank on the leaderboards. ¡°There¡¯s no way we could call that a positive performance.¡±


    ¡°It is an unimaginably better result than 500 of you humans huddled around your last civilization shard, crying out your final goodbyes to the world.¡± She stood her ground with the authority of experience. ¡°That was, of course, a real possibility when confronted by the Primal Constructs.¡±


    ¡°How would we even have that kind of impact, anyway?¡± Coop wondered, conceding to her observation and questioning her conclusion from a different angle. He had seen the ley lines in the Underlayer for himself and there was no way he could affect that avalanche of energy.


    ¡°In countless little ways.¡± She responded. ¡°Defeat a monster, release its upcycled mana. Cast a spell, expend your personally cycled mana. The concentration increases bit by bit on its own, and little by little through its use. Activation is a simple reaction.¡±


    Coop frowned at the explanation. ¡°But, if you¡¯re talking about Region Bosses after 50 years, and we¡¯re seeing them in 6 months, wouldn¡¯t we be pushing through the entire mana build-up of the assimilation in basically one year? That seems way more than bit by bit¡­¡± He struggled to accept what she was saying.


    She just looked across the sea, assessing the red-tinged horizon with a serious expression for a few seconds.


    ¡°Have you not noticed?¡± She wondered, refacing Coop with her blindfolded eyes.


    ¡°Noticed what?¡± Coop wondered, following her finger as it indicated back toward the horizon. Even though it was morning, he thought that they would probably have another bloody sunset in the evening.


    ¡°The atmosphere has changed. The passive concentrations of mana have been much higher each time I have visited. At this point, the air around us is at least as dense with active energy as it had been beneath your mana dome during my first visit. Even those unseasoned by mana should be able to perceive the change.¡± She observed. ¡°It¡¯s an incredible development.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°Incredibly bad, maybe.¡± Coop shook his head, feeling like the problems just kept coming. He was so focused on the Fallen Zone, he hadn¡¯t really considered the small changes elsewhere. ¡°Could we stop it somehow?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, no, absolutely not.¡± Lyriel adamantly objected. ¡°If such progression is truly the result of your species¡¯ actions, it would be miraculous news. The proportion of power would be more in your favor than during any other Eradication in our recorded history. Earth¡¯s inhabitants have done well to prepare thus far.¡±


    Coop squinted at her. From his perspective, humans weren¡¯t that progressed at all, especially when he compared them to the contracted aliens. Other than a few select groups, he really didn¡¯t have that much faith in their ability to rise to the occasion, and that doubt extended to himself after his most recent build progression.


    The way he saw it, the more time they had the better. People really needed to get up to speed the way his own residents had, but many of them hadn¡¯t even heard of the Eradication Protocol yet. Things might be moving too quickly.


    Lyriel was suggesting the Icons would come at a specific power level, no matter what the timing was, but if humans were so active they were pushing the timeline forward, it meant that they were also making their own gains in the process, accumulating a larger piece of the pie of mana. Basically, if they did nothing, the Icons of Mana would still come and be equally powerful, but humans would be weaker in comparison for a lack of experience.


    Coop¡¯s simple mind was imagining hungry hungry hippos, consuming marbles of mana. After a certain number were gone, the threshold for the Eradication Protocol would be met, so the more his hippos had in their possession, the better.


    Coop scratched his head aggressively. ¡°I don¡¯t really get it, but I¡¯m not in a position to stop grinding anyway.¡± He admitted.


    He joined Lyriel in staring at the horizon, trying to see what she could. The reddish sunsets and pink clouds weren¡¯t so drastic that they couldn¡¯t have been caused by natural forces. Even Admiral Kayla saw the red skies and attributed them to potential storms rather than supernatural elements. He supposed there really was a haze settling on the entire planet, not just within the various domains.


    ¡°Six months though?¡± Coop questioned.


    ¡°It will be more than that, though even I can¡¯t be expected to pinpoint fate.¡± She reassured him.


    Coop frowned skeptically, unsure if he really trusted her judgment. Six months was enough time for a lot to happen when looking back at what the planet had already gone through, but it didn¡¯t seem like nearly enough. Would they be okay?


    Coop didn¡¯t like the idea of Earth being changed by mana, but to his eye, things weren¡¯t that far gone. It was looking like it would still be a bright sunny day, one filled with potential. Coop hoped it would be productive.


    Lyriel was the one to break their shared silence. ¡°Could you explain specifically what you have done to have been penalized in such a way that you lost consciousness and ultimately regressed? Your original claims were unclear.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t really do anything. I just refused a racial evolution.¡± He responded.


    She raised an eyebrow. ¡°And how did you earn this evolution, specifically?¡±


    ¡°I dunno, it just happened after I took the eleventh Dedication passive skill.¡± Coop shrugged.


    ¡°What?¡± Lyriel cut off any further explanation with a sharp laugh of shock that drew his attention away from the horizon. ¡°Dedication skill? You completed a mana crucible and walked away from the baptism?¡±


    ¡°Uh, not really? At least, I don¡¯t think so. I just kept leveling up, hoping for some cool new skills, then refused to become some kind of nightmarish tentacled abomination.¡± Coop brushed her off, ignoring that she was always using terminology he was unfamiliar with.


    Lyriel was looking at him more closely, seemingly aghast. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a crucible actually being completed. Normally, they collapse after a few ranks as the individual fails to satisfy the evolution, and the individual returns to their normal path.¡± She turned back to Coop and reassessed him for a moment. ¡°You couldn¡¯t have actually completed one. It would require an impossible amount of mana. I can¡¯t even begin to envision it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right, maybe it was something else. I am back on the path I expected, sort of, anyway. Once I catch back up at least.¡± Coop tried to concur, adding a few caveats. ¡°It did release enough mana to open your window, or whatever it is you needed to beam in, though.¡±


    ¡°You jest!¡± Lyriel exclaimed, leaning forward. ¡°I thought you said the defeat of Fatal Reckoning expelled the mana.¡±


    ¡°No, that was me, after it was dead and I picked my skill.¡± Coop continued, not sure why she was growing so animated. ¡°I suppose some of its mana was probably still floating around since I didn¡¯t wait long.¡±


    ¡°A single individual should not be capable of such an accumulation¡­¡± Lyriel grew quieter, folding her hands together as she seemed to contemplate the possibilities, then retrieved Palisteon and placed him on her shoulder, his dance completed.


    Coop waited for a moment, nodding at the little worm to acknowledge his mood before adding his own two cents. ¡°I mean, it seemed like the Dedication was skimming my experience during the entire last event. I killed something like a hundred million Elite invaders, then it all got released at once. The actual amount didn¡¯t seem that radical to me. It even looked like the mana smoke released by destroyed monsters.¡±


    Lyriel was still staring at him from behind her blindfold. He tried assessing himself, but he felt unchanged. He was still equally hungry to progress, especially given his deflated level, so he doubted it was the influence of the Dedication that had driven him. Knowing that twice as many attributes awaited him was like a cat being teased by catnip, he was as eager as ever. Another hundred million Primal Constructs wouldn¡¯t be bad, but he¡¯d prefer if they started at a lower level so that he could scale with them all over again.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Coop¡¯s eyes widened as a thought occurred to him. ¡°Does that mean I have even more mana inside of me somehow?¡± He looked down at his hands, a bit nervous about pressure building up, thinking of his volatile spears. ¡°I won¡¯t pop will I?¡±


    Lyriel shook her head. ¡°No, that¡¯s not¡­ Well, I suppose you would provide quite a large amount of experience if you were defeated by someone else. To be honest, I can¡¯t even properly evaluate your status, let alone estimate your level. You are a vessel of contradictions. Clearly more powerful than you should be, but presenting even weaker than is realistic.¡±


    Coop grunted at her assessment, feeling a bit hopeful about his progression. It seemed like Presence of Mind had improved to the point that even the Avatar of the System couldn¡¯t detect his current level. That was quite an accomplishment in of itself, though it might have more to do with his class level being completely out of sync with the rest of his build. Perhaps she was seeing it accurately and not believing it. He didn¡¯t think it was worth lingering on his current level, given how he planned to climb through the ranks anyway.


    ¡°What level do you think I am?¡± He wondered.


    ¡°Levels are merely a construct, but you seem to be anywhere between 0 and 200 or so. A respectable amount at the top end for your assimilation, but behind where I would have been.¡± Lyriel concluded.


    ¡°Heh.¡± Coop didn¡¯t clarify, flipping the subject instead. ¡°What level are you?¡± He asked, ignoring that it was probably inappropriate.


    Before she joined the Lighthouse, attempting to inspect her aura yielded nothing but garbled text, but after she joined his faction, he could read a single line and nothing more.


    [Entity of the Lighthouse]


    He thought it was pretty strange, almost like she was borrowing official recognition through his faction when she would otherwise be completely outside of the system. It made him wonder about all sorts of things, from her skills to her status and relationship with mana.


    ¡°We have no level as we are disconnected from the system.¡± She clarified, confirming one of his suspicions. ¡°However, I expect I would be the equivalent of someone over level 80,000 given that I survived the full 111 years trapped on my stolen planet.¡±


    ¡°And you can just use mana, despite its, uh, animosity toward you?¡± Coop questioned.


    ¡°So can you.¡± She responded rather enigmatically. ¡°It is the forces of mana we should be alert for, not so much mana itself, though it is the root of everything we must correct.¡±


    ¡°You being here really isn¡¯t going to make things worse, is it?¡± He continued, feeling like she should reassure him of that much.


    ¡°Things will get much worse, with or without our presence.¡± Lyriel added with a sway of Palisteon from her shoulder.


    ¡°Hm.¡± Coop grunted. ¡°Alright, I guess.¡± He nodded to himself, ready to start building momentum all over again. He had a new target level to chase too, though he wouldn¡¯t admit that to her. ¡°Well, we better get going, but what¡¯s your plan? You gonna come with me? Need directions to Ghost Reef? Do you need to get more experience or something?¡± Coop asked the Avatar, growing keen to get moving himself.


    ¡°We will accompany you.¡± She answered. ¡°We have no choice in the matter, especially given your state.¡±


    ¡°Cool.¡± Coop was fine with the company. ¡°I¡¯m assuming you won¡¯t have any trouble keeping up.¡±


    Lyriel scoffed as she nudged Palisteon. ¡°I should hope you would be mobile enough to return to the ark independently, given its importance. I can keep up with that much.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Coop exclaimed. ¡°That reminds me. What the heck is an ark and where¡¯s that key?¡±


    Lyriel slowly turned back toward him, then gently placed her hand against her forehead and took a deep breath, in her through her nose. ¡°I consistently overlook what I am dealing with when we meet.¡± She sighed under her breath with familiar exasperation. ¡°I suppose I should be satisfied that you received the message at all.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I got the message, but it just confused me.¡± Coop continued. ¡°Why does everything you say seem so cryptic?¡±


    Lyriel looked askance at him. ¡°I cannot be sure what will trigger a reaction from you primitives. I have to carefully consider my words so as to avoid creating negative feedback. That¡¯s why there is a script.¡±


    Coop just shook his head at her. ¡°Well, that¡¯s enough of that. You¡¯re stuck here in the dirt with us now.¡± He spread his arms out, smiling, as if revealing all the dirt, mud, and sand. ¡°Time to get off your high horse, Lighthouse Initiate. Just explain it to me simply.¡±


    Lyriel, a goddess, and possible physical manifestation of the system as far as the galactic community was concerned, just seemed disheartened by how far she had fallen, but the truth was that this was an elevation in status. As a branded exile, she was even lower than an assimilating species. If she had fought against the wretched misery of her existence before, she could keep going. She clenched her jaw as she committed herself to this last chance.


    ¡°The last time I visited you in particular, I gave you the key.¡± She stated confidently.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re mistaken.¡± He interrupted her. ¡°The last time we met you told me you would prepare a key that could free us all, but that was a long time ago.¡± He rubbed his sideburn with a single finger. ¡°Are you sure you aren¡¯t mixing me up with someone else? Do all humans look the same to you or something?¡±


    She shook her head tersely. ¡°No. I mean after that. You had defeated something in the midst of a sandstorm and released enough mana to open a window.¡± She stepped forward and grabbed Coop¡¯s hand, causing him to flinch in surprise at the second time she initiated physical contact. She isolated his ring finger and gently pressed, revealing an actual ring. ¡°I gave you the key that time.¡± She stated, releasing his finger.


    ¡°What the¡­¡± Coop flipped his hand around to look at it. He tried to feel it with his other hand, but it felt like it wasn¡¯t there at all. ¡°That¡¯s been there this whole time?¡±


    ¡°It should open an entrance to the ark.¡± She continued. ¡°In theory.¡± She added.


    ¡°In theory?¡± Coop repeated.


    ¡°It has never been done before, but you¡­¡± She shook her head as she corrected herself.


    ¡°No, we will find out if redemption truly lies inside once the Eradication Protocol begins.¡±


    ¡°What ark, though?¡± Coop continued, still surprised to have had a magic ring on his finger this entire time.


    ¡°You have already gazed upon the one on this planet hundreds of times, I¡¯m sure.¡± She smiled at him, a sight pleasant enough to make birds sing, if there were any present. ¡°It is hidden within a mountain of crystallized mana, large enough to scrape the sky even after embedding itself deep below the surface of the planet.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Coop eyed her suspiciously. ¡°Oh¡­¡± He muttered as he realized he actually did know what she was talking about.


    ¡°When the Eradication Protocol begins, we must attempt to get inside. Until then, we should gather as much strength as possible in order to temporarily withstand the fully charged ley lines.¡± Lyriel declared.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t we go now?¡± He wondered, unafraid of pestering a goddess.


    ¡°It is inert until the Protocol starts, otherwise we would have explored it long ago.¡± Lyriel shared as patiently as she could.


    Coop hummed to himself before turning away. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s talk about it on the way. I¡¯m supposed to be at a meeting where we decide how to deal with the Fallen Zone.¡± He looked around for a second at the calm domain. ¡°Guess I messed that up a bit.¡± He trailed off as they faced the Mississippi Sea together.

 Chapter 315: Hovering and Hiking

    It turned out that Coop¡¯s travel speed was quite a bit higher than that of the Avatar of the System. She couldn¡¯t keep up with his ability to completely bypass obstacles, combined with the fact that he consumed no resources while flickering across the landscape.


    Coop¡¯s ability to step through the world of mists, shifting himself by way of spectral mana was exceptional, especially when bolstered by his excessive investment into multiplying his stats such that his Strength and Agility were both absurd relative to his supposed power level. Lyriel was immediately frustrated by the vast gulf between expectations of a meager level 0 and the reality of mistjumping.


    Coop had met and fought other humans that had similar mobility skills and those experiences had deceived him into thinking that he wasn¡¯t so special. However, according to his new alien companion, it was extraordinary among the broader galactic community. She suggested that most factions would have nurtured him into a powerhouse the way the Endless Empire had supported Charlie and Camila.


    Despite the previous encounters with Coop, Lyriel had never actually seen him in action. Each time she visited Earth she interfered with the local mana, preventing him from demonstrating his skills, but it didn¡¯t take long for her to get the picture.


    The second time he teleported away from her, after they crossed the Mississippi Sea, just to lean on a tree and wait for her to catch up, was enough for her frustration to boil over. She scolded him like he had escaped a leash and nearly ran into traffic. He struggled to convince her that he wasn¡¯t that helpless.


    She was loath to admit that this primitive human had already surpassed one aspect of her capabilities, but it was clear as day that his skill was superior to her ability to hover long distances. Despite mistjumping requiring more physical effort to accomplish, due to Practical Application, he even saved on mana relative to her skills and his stamina allowed him to keep going indefinitely. She couldn¡¯t help but be knocked down a peg.


    Lyriel made the executive decision that they would hike together instead. She made it seem like it was a matter of convenience, but after the way she reacted when he left her behind, he knew that she was mostly worried about him being defeated by remnants of the Primal Constructs lingering within the former domain while separated from her. The fact that he had absorbed a penalty and was weakened by the repeated battles with Region Bosses as well as canceling his eldritch evolution left her feeling rather protective of the leader of her newly joined faction. He thought it was surprisingly considerate of the prideful alien, though she seemed completely incapable of actually expressing herself without the lens of haughtiness.


    Coop pretended not to notice, playing along with her whims, though he couldn¡¯t help but feel at least a little smug about how he abused his Retribution and Salvation skills. To this day, he wasn¡¯t completely sure whether mistjumping was an intended interaction or just something made possible by the ethereal weapons being protected from disarmament combined with his unique set of starter titles and willingness to experiment.


    ¡°No need to gloat, little human.¡± Lyriel bristled as Coop watched her smoothly glide across the grassy Great Plains, finally closing in on their destination.


    Coop raised his eyebrows, the picture of innocence, in response to her unprompted comment. He merely needed to jog to stay by her side.


    ¡°I know what you are thinking as clearly as that yellow star rises above your planet.¡± She added. ¡°A simple creature like you cannot disguise their internal reflections from someone of my stature.¡± She continued, flicking a finger toward him, drawing a wide smile from Coop.


    The more he got to know the so-called Avatar, the more he was able to see through her attitude. She was always good for a pompous reaction that Coop had gradually learned wasn¡¯t entirely real. He imagined that she had played this character for so long it had bled into her normal self. Her disposition wasn¡¯t as bad as she made it seem at first glance and he couldn¡¯t really fault her for some manner of defense mechanism considering the circumstances of her entire existence, but that didn¡¯t mean he¡¯d treat her differently to others.


    ¡°It¡¯s Champion Coop to you, my little initiate.¡± He chided her, causing her to scowl at his correction.


    Coop laughed at her reaction toward his insistence that she use his clearly superior title. It wasn¡¯t something he normally would have done, hesitant as he was to pull rank, but he didn¡¯t mind giving her a taste of her own medicine every once in a while. He wasn¡¯t the only resident of Ghost Reef that had never really bought into her posturing, and even now, he looked at her the same way as the other independent contractors that had previously joined the Lighthouse. She would be a comrade-in-arms, with her fate interwoven with humanity¡¯s, but she wouldn¡¯t have joined them without a lack of better options.


    She had spent a long time under the guise of the Avatar of the System, a being so enigmatic they had mistaken her for a goddess, and as it turned out, she was genuine royalty before mana wiped out her planet. The last princess of her people had become a simple Initiate to the freshly formed human faction. It was quite a step down, but Coop hoped she would feel as safe and at home as all the other members.


    As they traveled, Coop goaded more and more bits of information out of her, chipping away at her guise. He learned exactly what it meant to be an exile to the galactic community, and how having the system and its connection to mana presented during the assimilation only for it to be ripped away was traumatic, to say the least. They had to relearn to walk, essentially, still surviving with mana while being pushed away, using tech that wasn¡¯t even theirs, on a mission that had been passed down to them.


    Becoming an Initiate of any faction was quite the step up when compared to her actual lack of standing, though it came with the downside of having to survive not only another assimilation, but an Eradication Protocol as well. It was a situation that would have been devastating for everyone involved if not for Earth already attracting the attention of the Icons of Mana. As it was, the additions of Lyriel and Palisteon had no impact on the destiny of humanity outside of the positive reinforcement they established.


    He got the sense that she and her companion must have been extremely desperate to subject themselves to the whole nightmare scenario once again. Lyriel seemed to view Earth as her last stand, where she would accomplish her goal of freeing the universe from the yoke of mana or die trying.


    After only a few days with the Avatar, Coop doubted even the atmosphere of Ghost Reef would be able to break through her underlying cynical forlornness, but it wasn¡¯t like he intended to let any of his companions die. Now that she was a member of his faction, it seemed appropriate to extend that courtesy to her as well, no matter her personal strength, ambitions, or death wishes.


    Coop, Lyriel, and Palisteon slowly made their way across the American South, from the core of the Fallen Zone until they reached the Midwest, forcing Coop to move at their pace. Ground that he could have covered in a single day ended up taking almost three.


    After crossing the Mississippi Sea and setting off on their journey, they crossed what had previously been the Arkansas Valley between the Ozarks and Ouachita Mountains, noting the empty ruins of Little Rock after it had been swallowed up by regrowth. The surviving signage describing the trail from beneath a blooming magnolia tree was the only reason Coop didn¡¯t get them lost in the mountains.


    While Lyriel dealt with nearby invaders, Coop stumbled upon huge swathes of wild blackberry bushes that had taken over the sunny portions of the town. He shared some of the berries with Lyriel as a small reward for her diligence. Amusingly, she didn¡¯t know what to do with the handful of fruit, eating so low on her priorities it didn¡¯t even occur to her as an option. She made an unpleasant face after Coop convinced her to try them, but Palisteon wiggled with happiness when he had his share.


    As they left Arkansas behind, Lyriel carried one of the sweetly scented white magnolia flowers for a long way before letting Palisteon have it as a snack as well, attempting to satisfy the worm-like creature¡¯s freshly ignited passion for eating. It seemed like the petals were at least as tasty as the berries in the mind of the tiny alien.


    They cut through Oklahoma, but Coop struggled a bit with actually charting their progress, being completely unfamiliar with the land. At least he was confident they were going in the correct direction.


    On the second day, Lyriel stopped them beside the ruins of a crashed airliner, the front half of the fuselage the only part remaining. She was flabbergasted by the broken technology in the cockpit, comparing it to space-age tech that she had only become familiar with after becoming an exile. Coop had to explain how they used airplanes to travel, but she struggled to accept that the hunk of metal had been capable of flight, despite the evidence of the crash landing extending across the ground. Without the use of mana, she couldn¡¯t make sense of it at all.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    It wasn''t until they reached what Coop would describe as a painted desert inside Gloss Mountain State Park, where there was a surviving sign indicating their location, that he had any idea where they had ended up. Lyriel halted their progress once again, this time wary of the creatures flying high in the sky. She admitted that natural flight was nearly as rare as Coop¡¯s teleportation.


    As they ventured away from the center of the Fallen Zone, they had seen nothing but Primal Constructs at a relatively high density, leading to Lyriel frequently gliding into small battles. It wasn¡¯t until Oklahoma that they spotted scavengers openly occupying the skies, causing Lyriel to fear an assault until Coop explained that they were just vultures.


    The fact that they had high levels threw his companion for a loop, despite being aware of canines and felines on the planet. The variety of life was difficult for her to fully accept, but Coop happily started recalling as many animals as he could identify. His descriptions were aided by the occasional presence of cottontails and jackrabbits, or bobcats and coyotes, raccoons, squirrels, armadillos, box turtles, snakes, bats, songbirds, waterfowl, wild turkey, various raptors, and larger species like pronghorn and mule deer. The further they traveled, the more they saw.


    Even though the Fallen Zone had been exclusive to the Primal Constructs, the Elite Primal Insurgents had failed to completely eliminate competition with wildlife. The edges of the alien domain were a warzone even in places outside of human strongholds. Lyriel was clearly uncertain, but the evidence was in their levels.


    When they spotted a level 640 black bear chewing the throat out of an Elite Primal Construct variant in the distance, Lyriel had them pause their journey, refusing to explain until it was long gone.


    ¡°Are you sure you are the principal species?¡± She had ultimately asked Coop, perplexed by the presence of so many other examples of what could have been planetary luminaries.


    Coop could only shrug, only having the ecology of Earth as a guiding example. The diversity was clearly unusual in a broader sense. He wondered if that was part of the reason for the advanced mana concentrations that she had blamed on humans when she spoke with Coop on the shore of the Mississippi Sea. There were far more than just humans calling this planet home.


    Eventually, they made it into Kansas. The windswept prairies had more trees than Coop expected, but he was basing his expectations on the Wizard of Oz and random clips of tornadoes he had seen on the internet. They probably weren¡¯t the most thorough sources of information.


    Lyriel was like one of those homing pigeons that could read the magnetosphere of the planet, but in her case it was entirely based around mana. As they drew closer to the civilization shard in the Heartland, she was able to triangulate the direction they needed to follow, ensuring that they wouldn¡¯t get lost, as if Coop wasn¡¯t doing a good enough job.


    Coop would have just launched himself into the air and searched by sight, though his eyes were still bothering him, even days after the battles had ended. He would have known if he went too far once he ran into the Rocky Mountains, but if someone asked him to describe the geographic differences between Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, he would have struggled. Given the meeting that was occurring, he assumed he would have noticed the large numbers of people congregating around the settlement, but Lyriel simplified his plan.


    Traveling as a group was slower than if Coop had been able to really let his spear throws rip, but he enjoyed the company for what it was. Lyriel was a wealth of information and Palisteon was like a kitten, but one of the furless sphynx cats rather than a ball of fluff. He was cute in an alien way.


    Unfortunately, it seemed like they would be arriving at the Heartland a bit late. Coop couldn¡¯t blame his new companions entirely, considering the extended period he had spent fighting the Omega Construct. If he had shaved a few days off that battle, they would have been right on time. He figured it would be fine.


    When Coop complained about his eyes, after all the rest of his injuries had faded, Lyriel suggested that it wasn¡¯t the damage that altered his vision. He should have healed otherwise. After some explanation for when his symptoms began, she guessed that Coop had actually opened up a better connection with mana during his battle with the Omega Construct in particular, when his affinities fell out of balance. He experienced an ebb and flow that was impossible for those with only a single affinity and had incorporated some of the effects, almost like seeing light for the first time. She was essentially applying the same ability to guide them toward the nearest civilization shard and it was how she could gauge the progress of the planet without any instruments.


    In order to demonstrate her theory, she removed her own blindfold and let him look into her eyes. Just as he expected, they were positively enchanting, but that wasn¡¯t the point. She wanted him to recognize the glowing silver and gold flecks in her irises. They were evidence of her own affinities being what she described as overcharged. Lyriel provided a lecture about how mana was truly everywhere, within everything, and everyone.


    Of course, Coop already accepted this, as the system was guiding them to use skills and they clearly drew power from within, depending on the ability. How else would he explain his own skills or those of his many companions? If mana was an actual physical element, it tracked that their mana pools were measurements of internal concentrations, or at least he thought so.


    It didn¡¯t matter too much to Coop exactly how it all worked. That his messed up vision could become advantageous if he could somehow get it under control before it faded was the kind of information he wanted. For the moment, it just felt like he needed glasses, or that still had a concussion from banging his head against a tree, but Lyriel claimed that she could help him get used to it in the future.


    In the meantime, as they traveled together, she demonstrated a small fraction of her abilities by defeating the countless lingering monsters of the Fallen Zone. Much like in the Yucatan, the destruction of the local domain hadn¡¯t wiped out the monsters that contaminated the land. The same Primal Constructs that assaulted Neptune¡¯s Bridge were scattered all across the continent, contending with the local animals and putting pressure on the nearest settlements.


    Lyriel hovered across the ground and generated a shimmering wall of sparkling white, silver pearl, and iridescent gold mana around her person, forming a cylinder of rather terrifying magical force. She poked and jabbed her construct in such a way that each of her actions were empowered by the energy. The monsters were lanced with searing spikes of mana emitted from her pointed fingertips, completely vulnerable to her superior status. She actively guarded their route, preventing Coop from engaging in any combat, like an overprotective older sister.


    Lyriel claimed that he needed to fully recuperate, and that Palisteon needed time to acclimate to the planet, but it seemed like even she was overly concerned with his class level. She couldn¡¯t fully understand how his penalty had been actualized, but she was advanced enough to detect that his progression had been manipulated because his power didn¡¯t match his level. She took it upon herself to protect them all, in spite of his protests.


    After a short time, even she began to call the formerly calcified domain the Fallen Zone, though that was a purely human term. To her it was merely a region that had been claimed by the planetary sponsor, a purely standard situation during an assimilation. It was a natural development following the transition of hot spots into Infestations, Hives, strongholds, and beyond. If they had a globe, she would have colored each of the territories controlled by a specific faction in different shades. The Primal Constructs would be massive splotches that covered wide sections of the Earth while each of the settlements would be marked as separate individual bubbles.


    For anyone watching the progress of Earth¡¯s assimilation, the loss of such a large percentage of the planetary sponsor¡¯s territory would be a source of great confusion. Normally, the sponsor is essentially participating in a massive land grab. They don¡¯t usually get reversed, but Coop had done something unusual by clearing the Constructs out.


    Lyriel¡¯s overprotectiveness gave Coop a chance to make his own plans, and he had some ideas for advancing his build in the future, starting with the Ancient Defenders. Previously, his first levels, and in fact, virtually all of those that had followed were simply him grasping at every opportunity as soon as he recognized them. They came in bursts as he pushed himself to rise to the challenges that appeared in the way of Ghost Reef¡¯s survival or progression. It had taken him six months to climb past level 500. It was an excellent result, but he felt he could do better. Far better.


    Depths of Madness had brought a level reset, and while he wouldn¡¯t be building in a new direction, he could embrace his experience and knowledge in order to maximize his efficiency far more than he was able during his first iteration. That was part of the reason why Coop didn¡¯t resist Lyriel¡¯s insistence on behaving like his bodyguard. He was saving his first levels for the specific leveling route that had developed around Ghost Reef, among the monsters that he had already completed Slayer quest chains on.


    When he had concluded there was nothing he would change about his progression, he wasn¡¯t entirely accurate, because there was one aspect about his leveling that had always bothered him, but had seemed like a step of efficiency that was impossible to ascertain given the demands of the assimilation. Completing a Slayer quest always gave a level. Whether he was level one, one hundred, or one thousand, each stage of the quest chains bumped his class up by one.


    In a perfect world, he wouldn¡¯t complete any Slayer quests until there was no other option to gain experience. That way he would avoid the redundancy of premature diminished returns and reach the absolute maximum level available to him within the assimilation. Even if it slowed the whole process down slightly, it would theoretically give him a higher end point.


    Of course, that perfect scenario for leveling was still impossible because it ignored the most limiting factor of all: time. The Eradication Protocol and the amount of time it would take to hunt down last minute Slayer quests meant that he couldn¡¯t possibly wait long enough to perfectly maximize his level, but that didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t improve in his first leveling experience. He was envisioning a pure, relentless grind, followed by hunting down new variants of the Primal Constructs.


    Lyriel assured him that there were many months yet before she believed the Eradication Protocol would fully activate. That didn¡¯t mean that Icons of Mana would simply wait to arrive, as had been proven several times already, but it did mean that Coop could focus on efficiently gaining his levels, at least in the beginning.


    Coop smiled to himself as he wondered just how far he could push his leveling speed, knowing that he could delay the gradual slowdown that had only been prevented through the timing of special events. Could he grind even faster without Siege Events and Fallen Zones bolstering him beyond the natural resistance of increased experience requirements? He thought it might be possible and he couldn¡¯t wait to get back home to get started, but first he had to let some people know that the Fallen Zone was dead.

 Chapter 316: Blast from the Past

    Marcus, the Viceroy of Ghost Reef and chief diplomat of the Lighthouse, stared at the peculiar flock of pink flamingos. He was perpetually astonished by their presence. The kitschy plastic lawn ornaments were the last choice of decor he would have predicted for such an important gathering, but there they were, in all their flamboyant glory.


    He had already attended countless conferences, fundraisers, and meetings in his lifetime, but representing Ghost Reef during mana¡¯s assimilation had sent him to the most unique venues by far.


    The pink decorations established an entire flock, grazing at the edge of an artificial turf yard. The unnaturally green, plastic grass floor just added to the uncanniness, like they were attending the continental summit within a dreamlike scenario of overexposed colors. The setting was a time capsule, displaying a surreal imitation of 1960s suburban Americana, slapped into a rural farmland.


    Marcus sat in a white plastic chair, flimsy and brittle with age, near an idle barbeque grill that was positioned on a generous concrete patio and beneath a conspicuous air filter. The three opposite walls were painted with the depiction of a white picket fence, separating the fake lawn from images of large grassy fields, filled with happy cows in the distance, and dotted with large solitary trees that provided islands of shade.


    The ceiling was covered in soft lights while portraying blue skies and white clouds, as if it was a summer afternoon, no matter the season or time of day. A single large vault door led back to the rest of the facility, positioned in the center of the one wall decorated with the picture of an idyllic post-war household. There was even a picture of an apple pie cooling on the window sill of the kitchen, steam drifting in an imaginary summer breeze.


    Marcus subtly shook his head, finding the bunker itself slightly more unnerving than the recent developments that had put many of the other attendees into a mild state of panic.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad, as far as safehouses go.¡± Arthur opined, standing over Marcus¡¯s shoulder, like a mix between a butler, secretary, and bodyguard, clearly detecting the Viceroy¡¯s bewildered observations of the place. The fact that the proper old man, and intelligence advisor of Ghost Reef, had a point of reference for safehouses wasn¡¯t suspicious at all.


    Marcus smiled, doing his best to stifle a laugh that would have conflicted with the general mood of the rest of the attendees. This was the designated VIP area, separate from other communal areas of the underground complex that had been built beneath a red barn at the side of a cattle ranch somewhere in the western portion of Kansas. The company was overly serious thanks to their special status and all of the official matters regarding the Primal Constructs and Fallen Zones that they had planned to discuss for the last several days.


    Of course, Marcus had opened with the more detailed explanations of what they knew regarding the cataclysmic Eradication Protocol, advertised the purpose of Ghost Reef¡¯s unique level of effort, and extended a preliminary invitation of proper cooperation with the rest of humanity through the Lighthouse faction. They had all previously been given a brief one-line introduction from either Coop or one of the growing number of experienced Ghost Reef ambassadors, but this meeting had provided the first detailed reveal of the plans already in action and the mysterious bits of information they had pieced together. It had been a serious string of topics and the audience were essentially the leaders of the post-mana world.


    Marcus had gone on to individually meet with each and every official representative, keeping the message simple and straightforward. The Eradication Protocol was a real threat, as evidenced by the preliminary appearance of Icons of Mana, and in order to have a fighting chance, the best way was to have the settlements join the Lighthouse in order to benefit from the faction¡¯s aura throughout their territories. Failing that, Ghost Reef would be a shelter, and anyone willing to help bolster their chance of survival would be welcomed.


    Given the topics, a certain level of sobriety was appropriate, which was why the decor was so incongruous.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to appreciate the interior design choices after helping plan our own underground.¡± Marcus quietly confessed. ¡°The vastness of each level is incomparable, and the decor¡­¡± He shuddered involuntarily.


    Arthur chuckled under his breath as Marcus avoided speaking too harshly. ¡°To be fair to the late architect¡¯s original vision, I believe pink flamingos were in vogue at the time of construction. Perhaps the generations that inherited the project weren¡¯t quite so passionate about modernizing the property.¡±


    Marcus hummed. ¡°I suppose so.¡±


    The rest of the facility wasn¡¯t quite so meticulously beautified, remaining much more utilitarian, designed for safety and longevity first. Unfortunately, they were prepared for the wrong type of invasion. The apocalypse had been driven by magic and aliens rather than nuclear weapons and conflicting economic policies.


    When Marcus first arrived at the Heartland settlement and was led to a simple wooden hatch door, like they were going to be waiting inside of a tornado shelter, he had grown skeptical of the accommodations. However, once inside, it became obvious that one of the past members of the community had been an extreme doomsday prepper for what must have been decades. A small town could have survived a nuclear winter inside the underground complex that had been dug beneath the grazing fields of one of the local families. Fallout wouldn¡¯t have been a problem, but Marcus thought the pink flamingos might cause the residents to go insane before they ran out of supplies. Still, his skepticism transformed to begrudging amazement at the dedication necessary to complete such a project.


    The rest of Shane¡¯s party, aside from Arthur, remained outside, along with the massive coastal armies, planning and coordinating for the subjugation mission that had been the initial reason for the meeting in the first place. The purpose had evolved with the conquest of the Underlayer, and now Marcus was among the most eclectic collection of representatives he could have imagined. What should have been a collection of commanding officers had transformed into a diplomatic summit.


    Ghost Reef had sent messengers across the globe, networking, and also spreading last minute invitations to the meeting while mapping the underground. Thanks to the impressions left by Coop on the invitees, most promptly accepted. By his count, of the approximately 230 surviving settlements, all but 50 were already represented in some form or another.


    As they allotted time for more people to arrive at the impromptu meeting and allowed for private discussions of the new information to take place, the primary topic had shifted to the unexpected developments of the Leaderboards.


    Gangcheon, the super settlement located in South Korea that had consistently held one of the top three ranks in the world had disappeared from the list entirely. The obvious conclusion was that it had been destroyed, but the timing had been totally unexpected. The Underlayer Event had barely concluded, and a brief time of relative peace had begun. The smart money was on human conflict as the cause, but it was possible Primal Construct encroachment had eventually succeeded, though the details of basic variants overwhelming a settlement of millions were difficult to imagine. Humans everywhere had proven more capable than that.


    Ghost Reef¡¯s scouts had already visited the settlement and made a solid connection with Champion Ho-jung and her faction of loyal associates. The Korean leadership company was even invited to attend the summit, but they had declined due to other internal obligations, which now appeared more urgent than they had let on. It seemed whatever they had to deal with boiled over quite severely.


    Among the settlements spread across the world, Gangcheon¡¯s leadership were among the most amenable to developing a closer connection to Ghost Reef and preparing for the future, even openly willing to promptly join the Lighthouse as individuals if not as a settlement. It would have been a shame to lose them, but Marcus could scroll through the individual leaderboards and conclude that they hadn¡¯t been wiped out. The important names that had been relayed to him, Ho-jung, Sang-hoon, and Min-jun, were all still alive, at the very least. Whatever disaster had occurred was strictly limited to their civilization shard. He was sure that Ghost Reef would hear about it soon enough.


    However, the fate of Gangcheon was merely an opening salvo of developments seemingly designed to generate panic among the diplomatic attendees. After their resolve had been chipped by the difficult to accept Eradication Protocol and they wrestled with the idea of submitting themselves to the authority of the solitary human faction in the Lighthouse, a growing source of hope had vanished. When Coop disappeared from the individual leaderboard, it was like Christmas was canceled. The mood within the bunker sank like a rock.


    Some were alarmed, but others seemed to harden their resolve as if the responsibility of championing Earth had fallen onto their shoulders. It was a wake up call for those who saw themselves as rivals to the Unchosen Champion, as if it was now up to them to step forward and represent humanity.


    Thankfully, Marcus and Arthur were not the only members of the Lighthouse that could see Coop was still alive who were present for the meeting to help avoid more panic. Platinum and Neon had also officially joined the faction, along with their enormous settlement and its subordinate shards. They were able to corroborate their stories while representing the northeast alliance. The pair were fielding even more questions than Marcus as they engaged with two dozen diplomats from Europe. Even with the knowledge that Coop was alive, Platinum was among those who seemed ready to carry the torch on his behalf.


    Then there was the Flame Knight ambassador, Javier, who had come along with Marcus and the others on behalf of Empress City. He was another member of the lone human faction and had interacted with Coop more than most. He was busy consoling the soldiers on the surface, along with the rest of Arthur¡¯s squadmates as they came to terms with Coop¡¯s assumed absence.


    There was also Mateo and Tzultacaj who had come to represent the Jaguar Sun, though they were also already members of the Lighthouse. Neither of the pair seemed to fit in with the crowd, but their insistence that nothing could kill Coop was a source of relief for several others. Tzultacaj and Sila Tupua were quietly bonding over their shared experience tapping into ancestral powers, each clearly willing to rise to the occasion if necessary, much like Platinum.


    Lastly, the representatives in exile for Shinjuku Gardens, the Kitawa party, were in attendance, split between the surface and the flamingo yard. They had joined the Lighthouse after settling into Ghost Reef, and for their first contribution, had made the trip to the Heartland to aid with the Primal Construct subjugation action. Reina and Seki Kitawa were reassuring the representatives from the Can Gio settlement, recognizing that while they had a lot of catching up to do, their party would continue to grow in its capacity to exceed expectations.


    All in all there were enough people to alleviate some of the growing anxiety at the apparent loss of the highest level human from settling in, whether true or not. Coop was alive, despite what the individual leaderboards would have others believe. It had only been two days since his level cratered, and as far as most of the world knew, he was dead. The fact that he was still among the ranks of the Lighthouse and maintained his position as Champion of Ghost Reef proved, at least to those who knew him, that he was simply facing some new challenge. They could at least prevent anyone from preparing a funeral.


    When one of the other attendees made eye contact with Marcus, he nodded back, inviting him to have a seat. ¡°I don¡¯t understand how you can remain so calm.¡± The Great Khan spoke as he made himself comfortable at the opposite end of the outdoor table, keeping his voice low so as to avoid stirring up more dread from the others present. At this point, introductions and topic setting were unnecessary. ¡°Something terrible must have happened and she was counting on him.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°We can clearly see that he still holds his position in our faction and settlement.¡± Marcus responded with an oft repeated refrain. He glanced at Arthur from the side of his eye. ¡°I¡¯m sure whatever he is doing, it¡¯s going to lead to even more progression. That¡¯s just how he is.¡±


    Arthur simply nodded, silently agreeing as he stepped away. Arthur¡¯s operatives had already begun their investigation of the dominant Asian faction, modeled in a way after the Mongol Empire, and so far, found few reasons to deny their effort to grow closer to Ghost Reef and join the Lighthouse.


    The Great Khan and his generals seemed to be genuine in their desire to cooperate with Coop in particular and they had done an excellent job avoiding internal factions from forming within their members, though the end result was steady loyalty toward their own leaders and no one else. Ultimately, the two parties still needed to work out the details, but it seemed like several underground levels of Ghost Reef would soon be occupied by portions of the massive nomadic armies as they transferred through the Underlayer and escorted their crafters from their scattered tiny settlements to the greater safety at the core of the Lighthouse faction territory.


    ¡°But this is completely unheard of, is it not?¡± The Khan continued, wanting an explanation as much as anyone else.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be the first time he¡¯s done something unheard of.¡± Marcus responded, watching the tiny muscles beneath the older man¡¯s eyes as they sized him up.


    It was clear upon their first meeting that both of them were comfortable at the negotiation table. The Great Khan came from some sort of corporate background that had been forced to navigate the difficult political realities of being sandwiched between what had been Russia and China in the old world, and of course Marcus had been a rising politician.


    Marcus found the man refreshing. Instead of dealing with alien or magically influenced people, or even the nonchalance of Coop, the man who was considered a Khan was exactly the kind of person Marcus had experience with. His concerns, goals, and requirements were all predictable, though never openly stated, with one major caveat. He had a different perspective on the Avatar of the System compared to the conclusion that Ghost Reef had landed on.


    The Great Khan saw the Avatar as closer to the being that she outwardly projected, as that of an infallible goddess. He didn¡¯t actually believe she was a deity, just that she was an individual that was powerful enough to be the equivalent of such an entity. Since she appeared to be on the side of humanity and was actively promoting Ghost Reef when she had the chance, they were currently on the same page, but the reason the Grand Horde wasn¡¯t already being processed into the Lighthouse was that Ghost Reef¡¯s advisors, like Coop, had too many questions about the Avatar¡¯s motivations.


    As far as they knew, she was behaving in a way that was too similar to the sponsors of individual Chosen, even if she might represent an unofficial faction. Ghost Reef already had a strict policy regarding factions motivated to take the planet, and whether or not the Avatar was somehow the unofficial equivalent remained partially unknown. However, that wasn¡¯t the excuse they had provided to the Khan, instead focusing on the conflict between the Grand Horde and the Abundant Grasp. Nothing between the pair of negotiators was ever completely straightforward.


    ¡°Is he always late to such important events?¡± The Khan wondered, glancing around at the mingling world leaders, and noting Coop¡¯s rather painful absence.


    Marcus chuckled. ¡°He runs on island time, that¡¯s for sure. He and I are in alignment when it comes to the goals of our settlement and the mission of humanity¡¯s future, and I am here.¡±


    ¡°Well, I hope you won¡¯t stand on ceremony for too long when it comes to my army. We have made it clear where we stand, and you won¡¯t get anywhere talking with the Abundant Grasp.¡± The older man continued, still advocating for the complete abandonment of over one hundred civilization shards despite what a valuable resource they were to the galactic community as a whole, as if he knew that their loss wasn¡¯t the real reason Ghost Reef was holding back.


    ¡°They certainly haven¡¯t been cooperative, but they still represent what we have determined to be the second largest group of people on the planet, only less than your Grand Horde.¡± Marcus flipped one of his hands. ¡°Imagine if they were suddenly amenable to cooperation and wished to move into our home. We can¡¯t completely abandon that many people, no matter how misguided they are at the moment.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wasting your time.¡± The Khan continued, having a sore spot touched. ¡°Leave them to their own devices. The Avatar will sort them out if she deems it necessary.¡±


    ¡°If even a few from their walled cities become refugees, that would be better than none. The least we can do is spread word of the Eradication Protocol and leave those with a better disposition with the opportunity to seek safety in the haven that we have worked so hard to build.¡± Marcus countered.


    The Khan smiled, easily catching the implication. ¡°Refugees are a completely different matter, but I guarantee that none from their faction would willingly step away from the taste of authority they have been given. The rest have been my Horde¡¯s primary source of recruitment for the last few months, so I understand your inclination. Besides, my people will only help. They won¡¯t get in the way or start problems where there aren¡¯t any. They understand the stakes of the assimilation for humanity. I wouldn¡¯t allow them to maintain animosity toward those that join our side.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Marcus agreed. ¡°And sending your legion of Earth Shamans to help with construction efforts will lay the foundation for our bond going forward.¡±


    The Great Khan nodded. ¡°They successfully opened the way to the Underlayer once. There¡¯s no one better to help with your infrastructure projects. I¡¯m happy to cooperate, so long as you hold up your end of the bargain.¡±


    Marcus could only nod as he noticed the sponsor of the entire meeting approaching the table before he could reassure the Khan that they understood the pressure of their shared deadline. Both parties were specifically preparing for the Eradication Protocol, having been warned directly by the Avatar of the System.


    ¡°I¡¯m not happy with you.¡± General McCallister sighed as he placed his hands on the table and leaned toward Marcus, causing Ghost Reef¡¯s Viceroy to sit up. The Great Khan simply leaned back, like he was stepping away from the conversation, but his eyes were clear, intent on enjoying the show.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m well aware, General.¡± Marcus responded, unintimidated by the military man.


    ¡°There¡¯s a time and place for chit chat and gossip, and it isn¡¯t on the eve of an important battle.¡± McCallister muttered like a disappointed parent. ¡°I don¡¯t appreciate you hijacking my mission. And I especially don¡¯t appreciate injecting your political agendas into our operation.¡± He continued, clearly frustrated by the lack of action on the Fallen Zone.


    ¡°As you have stated, several times.¡± Marcus carried on. ¡°Though it was never my intention.¡±


    ¡°And now we have been delayed even further, all while the Fallen Zone pulses and fades, spewing monsters, transforms, erupts, then grows far too quiet.¡± He tapped the table, clearly holding back his frustration. ¡°We should be halfway to Fort Worth by now, but you¡¯d have us continue to wait for a dead man.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not me directing anyone else. If others want to meet Coop, that is their own prerogative. Besides, I¡¯m sure he has a good reason to be late. Perhaps he ran into some trouble while securing our subordinate settlement on the way, but I¡¯m sure he will bring you valuable intel about what he saw on his journey.¡± Marcus argued. ¡°Either way, you¡¯ll likely be glad to avoid starting without him.¡±


    ¡°No individual is that important.¡± McCallister firmly concluded.


    ¡°To be completely fair, he has already saved the world half a dozen times, potentially more, depending on your stance toward alien factions taking control of the planet.¡± Marcus pointed out, recognizing the likes of the Zombie Lord, the Lich, and the Icons of Mana as global threats, not to mention the Endless Empire and Sapphire Armada, and the Underlayer Event. ¡°If anyone is that important, it¡¯s probably him, though I expect he would simply agree with you.¡±


    McCallister growled with simmering misdirected frustration before he turned away and addressed the room. ¡°We¡¯re moving at dawn, tomorrow, regardless of any absences. If you are planning on contributing, I suggest you prepare yourselves.¡±


    His declaration yielded various levels of appreciation, ranging from a sarcastic salute from Mateo to respectful nods from the representatives of the European Emergency Community. He left the room, shaking his head to himself as his own secretaries followed in his wake.


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s quite prickly.¡± The Khan observed, raising his eyebrows at Marcus.


    ¡°They always are.¡± Marcus chuckled.


    The truth was he rather appreciated General McCallister as well. The man had no time for false idols, heroes, or gods. He was following a simple, logical priority list, starting with his own backyard and slowly expanding his sphere of protection as he secured more and more allies. He was all in on humanity as a whole and intended to do everything in his power to preserve it in what was essentially a strategy of impersonal triage. That underlying attitude was an asset that would help Ghost Reef, but the guy would need to learn how to take a vacation before he would feel comfortable on their island. In the meantime, Marcus hoped to get his settlements into the Lighthouse.


    Before Marcus could provide the Great Khan excuses for the leader of the Pacific Republic, the tornado sirens started ringing across the settlement.


    ¡°More Field Bosses?¡± Someone from the African delegation questioned, sounding annoyed. The warnings had gone off several times in the few days they had all been present. The Heartland settlement wasn¡¯t exactly bordering the Fallen Zone, but it was close enough to catch strays as monsters sought to expand the domain, and it had been happening more and more frequently.


    Marcus stood, exiting the room to retrieve his new unique scepter and join the battle without any hesitation. Despite being an important diplomat, he was from Ghost Reef. Being combat-ready was as natural as relaxing during downtime.


    Arthur joined him as they jogged down the long steel-grate corridors, lined with dormitory style rooms, before passing through an armory of old world rifles, and finally emerging from the nondescript entrance.


    To their right, legions of soldiers were camped out among the fields in orderly tents, representing the west coast from Mexico to Canada with over two million individuals. On their left, around half as many fighters had arrived from the New England settlements. Both groups had been resting after the long march for about a week, but the break had been repeatedly interrupted by skirmishes of varying severity.


    High level Primal Constructs constantly emerged from the gloomy domain as it pressed on The Heartland shard¡¯s territory. Most had been taken care of by the more enthusiastic individuals, like Platinum and Imara, but some required larger contingents of combatants.


    The Fallen Zone was a volatile domain that constantly sent Elite or more advanced monsters into neighboring territories, always probing for expansion. Their experiences, though limited, had left them with a profound level of respect toward the threat of alien invasion. The Primal Constructs from that domain were dangerous.


    The alarms continued going off while Marcus sought clarification for what they were facing. Eventually, General McCallister gave him the answer from his command center. Three entities of ¡®unknown¡¯ rank were approaching the edge of their territory from the south.


    ¡°Unknown?¡± Marcus sought clarification.


    ¡°Ranks we have never seen before.¡± McCallister specified with a grim look on his face. ¡°That means three hostiles beyond Siege Bosses are on their way.¡± He frowned at Marcus. ¡°We must have lingered here too long. They noticed us.¡±


    Marcus looked beyond the flaps of the oversized tent, into the dusky distance of the Fallen Zone. He wasn¡¯t sure if he agreed with McCallister¡¯s assessment; the Primal Constructs were rarely so tactical, but either way, it looked like they would be fighting without Coop after all.

 Chapter 317: Rank and File

    Marcus wielded his unique scepter in one hand as he stepped toward the front of the battlelines. He activated his base abilities and liquid gold mana condensed on the pommel of his weapon, dripping with thick globules that shone with a reflective illumination. The droplets evaporated before touching the ground, revealing themselves to be splashes of an almost spiritual molten fire. The effect established the impression of a weapon crafted from sacred flowing metal.


    Others parted ways for him, silently yielding to his determined steps. His relatively small entourage composed of Shane¡¯s party followed close behind. Most of the people present were subordinates to the representatives of their settlements and were apprehensively awaiting further instructions. The tornado sirens stirred them into action and word spread that an ¡®unknown¡¯ rank boss approached, but many were waiting for directions. They had already faced Elites and Field Bosses with enough regularity that it wouldn¡¯t have been such a big deal, but an unknown boss drew the likes of Neon and Sila Tupua out from the bunker. Marcus intended to be at the forefront along with them if there would be a major confrontation.


    Though it was late in the evening, the settlement was lit with countless different lights beyond his own glowing weapon. It was the site of a massive conference and the staging area for the upcoming effort to subjugate the notorious Fallen Zone. None who had made the journey had done so without bringing their own forms of security, so there were many different warriors with a wide range of equipment and skills present.


    There was a sense of competitiveness carried on the dry winds of the sweeping plains. Each group wanted to prove their own credentials against the Primal Constructs, especially in the absence of Ghost Reef¡¯s Champion: the Siegebreaker and Underking. There were more than a few individuals among the crowds that believed they would fill the role of strongest on the planet, and there were even more politically inclined representatives who were encouraging their strongest fighters to step up in order to establish leverage over the rest. They all still underestimated Ghost Reef.


    Marcus could feel his energy magnified after cycling through his weapon and into his bones before expelling from his body like a sparkling vapor, giving his head and shoulders a delicate aura of yellowish flame. Though he was an important figure, the Viceroy of Ghost Reef, and one of the leading officials of humanity¡¯s only established faction, he was more than capable of contributing in a fight. Since Coop wasn¡¯t present, he would take it upon himself to continue to build their reputation on his behalf, holding down for his friend while others jockeyed over his perceived role.


    At his side, Shane organized his party in order to support the Hierophant. The buffing and debuffing domes that Shane channeled were enormous, providing tangible benefits to hundreds of thousands of soldiers within his range, making it clear that the way they were positioning themselves was not just for show. The Dragon Knight and Tomb Blade revealed avatars of flame and bone as they prepared an opening salvo to follow Marcus¡¯s lead. His level might have been low for a resident of Ghost Reef, but Shane¡¯s party was still the strongest, if only by a hair compared to Gibson¡¯s party.


    The confident organization of the highest level party present incited the participation of other groups. They stepped forward, taking their own positions in the front, not wanting to be left behind and maybe trying to make a good impression on Ghost Reef for the future.


    The five squads of special forces from the European Emergency Community took their positions beyond Arthur, checking their equipment and giving each other hand signals when they were ready. Of all the different groups, they were dressed in the most modern seeming equipment, looking exactly like anonymous operatives prepared to breach an enemy enclave with warriors in kevlar armor and scouts in ghillie suits.


    Rather than craft something completely new, they had adapted pre-mana kits to function with mana. They had full face masks and what must have been modified night vision goggles hiding their individual features. Overall, their getups rivaled the looks of the Ghost Reef Standard Issue armor created by Garod himself, but they lacked the bonuses that were provided by the grandmaster crafters of the island settlement. Still, they were consummate professionals with far more experience than most humans when it came to conflicts of life and death and there was little hesitation once it was decided that they would participate by their non-combatant handlers.


    They contrasted with the individual champions of the Assembly of Settlements, who relied on no equipment whatsoever. Imara, the champion of champions, generated a personal whirlwind that whipped dust into the air while one forearm flared with deep red fires up to her elbow and the other flashed dark blue with bursts of electricity. When she clapped her hands together, a shower of embers and sparks cascaded from between her fingers before falling toward the ground. Another warrior shadow boxed at her side, in nothing but boxing trunks and knuckles protected by tape, while the other had water swirling between his fingers. Behind them a man that looked like a professor seemed ready to merely observe, though mana was physically flowing through his feet, up his body, and into the sky. They clearly brought a different level of combat experience that Marcus expected would be a mistake to ignore.


    Similar to the soldiers of the EEC, they had their own leaders to answer to, but Marcus had immediately recognized that their dynamic was slightly unusual. The group that prepared to fight at his side were far more influential than the diplomats that had come to represent the pseudo-government of their settlements, but the fighters had no interest in attending the meetings between settlements, leaving that to the supposed leadership. They were the group with which Marcus had made the least progress because of their lopsided framing. It was clear that fighting at their side would be for the best.


    Then, there were the commandos of Can Gio. They watched silently, stoically waiting for the opportunity to assess their opponents before committing to any particular stance. Collectively, they appeared more like fishermen or farmers at a glance, carrying long bamboo poles or short rusted blades, dressed in ragged pre-mana clothes, mostly barefoot or wearing worn sandals, with woven hats and patient demeanors. They were out of place on the open fields of Kansas, but that didn¡¯t mean they were helpless without their well-practiced guerilla tactics. One of their scouts appeared to argue with his own shadows at their backs, the only one of the group to have his eyes anywhere but the horizon.


    The Great Khan stood behind them, along with a pair of his generals. One was dressed neatly with a dark manicured beard, a tightly wrapped turban on his head, and a long curved blade strapped to his back while the other was completely blanketed in beige cloth coverings, holding a staff with a falcon perched on top, raptor eyes glowing an icy blue. Though the Grand Horde had brought a cavalry army, the nearest underground connections to the surface did not accommodate horses, so they remained in the Underlayer awaiting the return of their Khan.


    The Apache warriors at their side had been given a wide berth by the others as a storm of crows fought over space on the squad leader¡¯s head and shoulders. He completely ignored the chaotic mob of birds as they flocked around him, standing as patiently as the commandos nearby. The smaller black birds kept a close eye on the adjacent falcon, unafraid of the predator, revealing a touch too much intelligence in their gazes. They squawked and cawed, hopping with their wings spread wide as if challenging the predator to try something so that they would have an excuse to exercise their avian dominance and tear it apart with their numbers.


    On the other side of Marcus, Reina Kitawa had drawn her own oversized sword, keeping her eyes closed as she seemed to meditate with the weapon in front of her face. It was as if she was moments away from entering a tournament bout while her pink-haired sister rebelliously twirled the smaller of her two distinct blades and boisterously laughed with the leather jacketed gangster of their party.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Beyond them, Tzultacaj raised his ancient axe so that he could catch a bolt of purple and red lightning that erupted from the clear sky. It sent a wave of deafening thunder rolling across the plains, and jagged fingers of blood red electricity dancing through the fields. Many people flinched at the eruption of sound, but even more barely acknowledged it, as if it wasn¡¯t intimidating at all. Marcus wasn¡¯t afraid to admit that it was certainly intimidating, but Reina Kitawa hadn¡¯t even opened her eyes.


    Sila Tupua was the closest to the forceful blast and was among those completely unsurprised by the lightning. He already had a giant apparition of war standing directly behind him, arms crossed and head tilted back. Sila¡¯s own eyes sent individual turquoise flames above his head and his tattoos blazed with mana. A trio of his companions glowed equally bright as they empowered themselves with ancestral power that flowed through their tribal markings.


    The mixed New Zealander party also included a pair of what Marcus assumed were the Australian rangers, kitted out in wide-brimmed hats, bandanas, loose long-sleeved shirts, lightweight jackets, and long pants tucked into sturdy combat boots. He had been briefly told about the difficult evacuation of the continent as Primal Constructs encroached on the few Australian settlements from strongholds deep in the Outback. The New Zealanders were present in Kansas specifically to determine if they had their own massive Fallen Zone in Australia to deal with, already well-networked thanks to their interactions during the Underlayer Event with one of Ghost Reef¡¯s armies.


    The growing line of warriors, stepping up to face the unknown, peered into the distance, spotting unimpressive enemy figures as they slowly approached the edge of the settlement from a grassy highway, barely at the edge of the horizon. The representatives of humanity wouldn¡¯t underestimate the danger of an ¡®unknown¡¯ rank boss, but these two didn¡¯t seem to be in the same league as the Siege Bosses that had become familiar to the warriors of Earth, at least in terms of size. Marcus kept watching, seeking the third, but unable to find it.


    Further down the flank of the human warriors, Platinum revealed her own glowing staff of pure light after forming a matching visor that made her look like a cyberpunk valkyrie, taking her place in front of Neon Park¡¯s army as they mustered themselves. At her side, Champion Neon rolled up a single sleeve, as if to show off the building radiation within his upper arm. He made no effort to provide orders to his soldiers, already passing word to his subordinate leaders that they would organize into offensive plan: delta. The organized chaos of Neon Park was unique in the vast gulf that existed between disciplined leaders and the rest of the rabble, especially when compared to the rest of the factions.


    In front of the Pacific Republic¡¯s army, on the opposite side, Alex Nova flexed hard, building his own empowerment while small rocks vibrated around him, on the verge of hovering into the air at his side. His power exploded upwards in bursts, as if he was crashing through new boundaries one at a time, sending his hair upright and making it seem like he stood at the center of a giant flickering firework. Cole Walker and Ashton Cliff, the other powerhouses of the west coast prepared themselves from either side of Alex, with one wrapping himself in layers of purple shadows while the other collected chaotic poisonous vapors in his palms while half a dozen others floated over each of his shoulders. General McCallister paced up and down his army, shouting specific instructions to individual soldiers as if he knew the roles of each and every one of them.


    The two armies couldn¡¯t have been more different, but there were plenty of reasons for both of them to have survived this long. Neither was obviously flawed, but they leveraged different aspects of strength among their populations.


    Marcus assessed those who had risked traveling across the globe to attend this meeting and found himself genuinely impressed. If there was any group of people that could rival the accumulated power of Ghost Reef, this was it. They surpassed what had previously been the most powerful collection of individual warriors in Hai Yun¡¯s caravan, drawing from almost every corner of the globe with much larger numbers than the ill-fated group.


    If he was only observing, he would almost feel bad for their opponents in the upcoming confrontation, but he would be at the forefront, and he had to put on a good show. He aggressively stepped forward after already claiming the center, and Shane followed him in lockstep. They would meet the two monsters away from the buildings to avoid damage to the hosting settlement and hopefully the third would reveal itself in due time.


    Coop¡¯s absence had opened the door for many different people to step up. Others fell in line, making it clear that they would be a united front for the next echelon of challenge within the assimilation. Marcus couldn¡¯t help but feel optimistic about what that said for their collaboration efforts. It seemed like a positive reflection of the previous discussions among the leaders. Actions spoke much louder than words.


    However, before they closed the distance anywhere near what would be necessary for a proper battle, or even preliminary ranged attacks from the elevated snipers and their mana-modified rifles, one of the boss monsters activated its own empowerments. It was a clear response to the collection of human warriors preparing for battle.


    A column of rich shimmering mana, flecked with brilliant gold and gleaming silver, shot into the sky. It was translucent, but shining bright enough to light the clouds far beyond the surface across the entire region. It reached so high it seemed to threaten to reach the planetary shield far beyond the atmosphere.


    Marcus wasn¡¯t the only one who tilted his head up to admire the impressive spotlight of energy, wondering just what they were facing. Gasps and quiet curses could be heard across the armies before suddenly being smothered. Simultaneous to the spotlight, a wave of power exploded from the boss¡¯s position on the ground, cascading across the plains in all directions while pinning the grasses to the surface as it shot forward.


    When the wave smashed into the soldiers of humanity, barely half a second after it appeared, almost every single person flinched or stumbled, and many fell to the ground. Marcus raised his scepter in front of his face, shielding his eyes from the dust carried by the blastwave as Arthur braced his back with one hand, barely preventing themselves from toppling over, despite being a massive distance away from the enemies on the horizon and partially shielded by Shane¡¯s mana dome.


    Marcus met Arthur¡¯s eyes, then looked over at Shane, silently wondering if they should retreat. He didn¡¯t want to vocalize it, destroying the burgeoning cooperation of such a wide swathe of humanity, but whatever that thing was, they were not ready for it. If that was the level of the Fallen Zone, they needed significantly more time to prepare themselves. The murmuring that started elsewhere seemed to agree.


    The empowered monster seemed to be gliding forward, increasing its pace, aggressively approaching the human armies without any hint of fear. Rather than being intimidated by their display of power, it seemed motivated to respond on behalf of its partner, hovering like a magnet that was growing increasingly closer to its object of attraction.


    Marcus held his position in spite of himself, though he felt less like he was leading the charge and more like he would be the first to be run over by a careening semi truck. He could admit to feeling intimidated, but this was a bit more than he had signed up for. He clenched his teeth as he did his best to channel the confidence of their Champion.


    However, before the monster was close enough to be fired upon, a missile smashed into the center of what would become the battlefield. Its velocity had been so high, Marcus hadn¡¯t even noticed its approach until it was already staked into the ground, preceding a series of sonic booms. It sent a wave of dirt as it dislodged debris from the packed soil. For a moment, all eyes were on the surprise totem.


    Marcus wasn¡¯t the only person to recognize the projectile. Shane actually laughed in relief and Arthur sighed with exasperation. A surprising majority of the human warriors that had stepped up to face the unknown boss were suddenly presented with a weapon that they were well-acquainted with, one way or another.

 Chapter 318: Birds of a Feather

    When Coop manifested from a splash of mists in the center of an empty field outside of the Heartland Settlement, abruptly confronting the massive collection of human warriors, the preparations for battle had already ceased. All of the fiery aggression had been doused by the overwhelming power displayed in response, then the appearance of a familiar Champion, briefly thought to have been dead, extinguished any battlelust that remained. The growing competitiveness was replaced by general confusion.


    Marcus noted that Coop arrived with his aura fully unleashed. It sent a wave of subconscious fear through the people present. Marcus recognized the crushing, oppressive atmosphere it created, hinting at an unrelenting, reckless ruthlessness that clashed with the actual personality of the one at its center. The aura alone would have been enough to give any overconfident individuals pause before they sought to steal glory, but the fact that so many of the most prominent warriors were so quick to stand down at the mere appearance of his spear swept any overly ambitious thoughts away. There were enough people present who recognized the signature abilities of Ghost Reef¡¯s Revenant to halt any potential opening strikes. Instead, they questioned what he was doing there and what was with his timing.


    Still, Marcus cast his aura inspection skill, Thoughtful Guidance, to gauge the state of the fallen Champion. He sought whatever clarifications he could get as soon as possible.


    [Icon of Humanity (Level 0)]


    Marcus felt his jaw slacken in surprise, expecting to find only one thing, and not exactly seeing it. It should have said ¡®Human.¡¯ Icon was a scary title in their experience.


    ¡°Where did that come from?¡± He muttered under his breath, wondering if the change was what had caused his level to change.


    Marcus¡¯s skill only received a single line in response to touching Coop¡¯s aura, but it wasn¡¯t because it was unable to retrieve information due to being insufficiently leveled relative to the target. The fact that it worked as expected was confusing enough by itself, as it confirmed that Coop had actually somehow undone his level, but failing to retrieve any other stats on a low level made no sense.


    The lack of any further lines of information meant that every single one of Coop¡¯s stats were higher than his own, which raised a dozen more questions regarding the legitimacy of the level designation. Marcus had no idea how to parse the existence of one line and lack of others, but at least it confirmed that Coop wasn¡¯t weak, despite what his level implied. Apparently, his intimidating aura was more true to his status than anything Marcus¡¯s ability explicitly revealed.


    Coop already had his hands held out to discourage any conflict, knowing he needed to calm everyone down before something bad happened. He looked like a lion tamer, shouting ¡®Hey, now! Hold on a sec!¡¯ but he was facing well over two million humans, and all had been primed for battle. It seemed easy for something to go wrong.


    Where the previous engagements with Primal Constructs from the Fallen Zone had only required small portions of the warriors to be at attention, the ¡®unknown¡¯ had drawn them all to arms. They had formed a loosely convex line in preparation for significantly outnumbering their opponents, and Coop ended up in the center of it all.


    Marcus reacted first, having already been positioned at the forefront of the combat lines and in the middle of the formation, doing his best to help extinguish the situation . ¡°Coop?¡± He queried, breaking the tense atmosphere, confirming that it was really him. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain in a minute, just, everyone relax while I calm her down. She¡¯s kinda overprotective.¡± He spoke quickly, before seeming satisfied that no one would attack and turning away to intercept the still rapidly approaching boss monster.


    Marcus glanced at Shane and Arthur, but both offered no attempt to explain the Champion¡¯s actions, simply accepting his words for what they were and waiting to see what would happen next. The collection of warriors stayed quiet, chewing on Coop¡¯s instructions for a few seconds before they started murmuring a thousand different questions.


    It only took a minute before General McCallister marched across the battle lines to confront Marcus, intent on demanding an explanation.


    ¡°Well?¡± The General spoke gruffly. ¡°You mind sharing with the class what in the seven hells is happening?¡±


    Marcus wasn¡¯t sure what to say, but he was keeping his eyes on Coop, who had reached the other figure while it was still a great distance away, blocking their path and forcing them to stop. He was apparently having a conversation, as he gestured back and forth.


    Marcus strained his eyes, trying to get a better look at the hovering being, feeling like it reminded him of the goddess that had set Ghost Reef on the path of preparing for the Eradication Protocol, but she couldn¡¯t be wandering around on their planet, could she? As far as he knew, she was merely a projection that could only briefly appear, relaying some questionable guidance before returning to wherever she came from. If she was traveling with Coop, that meant something considerable had developed.


    He glanced at the General, and put his hands out in a gesture that admitted he had no idea. ¡°Coop tends to make strange friends.¡± He offered neutrally. ¡°Most recently it was a bunch of alligators.¡±


    The leader of the Pacific Republic just looked at him like he was getting tired of dealing with such nonsense, but the fact that almost every other group was standing down left him on something of an island. It was clear that if he acted, he would be on his own. He and his teams would just have to wait with everyone else, submitting to Coop¡¯s care.


    ¡°My mana scouts claimed they were designated boss monsters.¡± He pointed out, though he had seen with his own eyes that at least one of them seemed to be human.


    Marcus didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s a boss ranked human?¡± He offered, though no one seemed to be able to corroborate his estimation.


    It didn¡¯t take Coop much longer to conclude his chat with the other ¡®monster.¡¯ Once they were done, they just moseyed across the rest of the field, completely unintimidated by the collection of humans awaiting them. Marcus supposed that was to be expected, given Coop¡¯s normal attitude.


    The boss that had seemed like it would wipe them out without breaking a sweat hovered along with Coop, and as she drew closer, Marcus confirmed that it actually was the Avatar of the System. Obviously, she had no real reason to be hesitant in front of the gathering of humans. She was far beyond them all, as evidenced by her cavalier presence. If Coop was casually indifferent, she was simply confident in her superiority, with good reason.


    Her angelic appearance was crystal clear, fed by her own carefully curated aura. She was positively glowing and Marcus had to repeatedly remind himself that she wasn¡¯t really a goddess. It was no wonder the Great Khan was so dutiful toward her. Marcus had forgotten the effect of her presence since he had only seen her the one time at the end of the Siege Event, and by that point in their struggle everyone in Ghost Reef was operating on fumes.


    In his previous life, Marcus had once been trained in the etiquette of meeting a real life queen, and he couldn¡¯t help but subconsciously tap into the conditioning, viewing Coop as her temporary retainer. He cleared his throat and reminded himself that she was an alien. She wouldn¡¯t recognize his manners, no matter how proper.


    Curiously, Thoughtful Guidance described her as an Entity of the Lighthouse, and like with Coop, it was only a single line. The real surprise was that it had worked at all.


    The entire army of humans held their breath, feeling the same way about being in the presence of a higher being and drawing upon their own histories in deciding how to yield to her authority. Many looked back and forth at each other, averting their eyes from her graceful beauty while trying to decide if they should kneel. Somehow, among the remaining humans, there was a universal hesitance toward submitting to anyone else, as if to survive and succeed in the assimilation to this point had required a certain amount of willful unruliness. The representatives of the Jaguar Sun didn¡¯t even consider it, but the EEC seemed to regard the utility of tactfully yielding as they gathered more information.


    It wasn¡¯t like it mattered. Marcus was pretty sure if she wanted them to kneel, she would have forced them all to the ground. He couldn¡¯t wait for Coop to explain whatever adventure had pulled the Avatar from the stars.


    Even General McCallister was silent, squinting at the Avatar suspiciously. The poor guy appeared to be having his foundational beliefs challenged. Marcus was about to whisper something to him about their skepticism regarding the actual holiness of this goddess, but it seemed like he didn¡¯t need to. McCallister was solidly on the side of human independence. The way he squeezed his jaw and clenched his hands reminded Marcus of the way Coop greeted the Avatar the first time around: with his fist swinging for her jaw in order to free everyone from her spell.


    Then, as various internal mental struggles ebbed and flowed, the image of unerring superiority was simply broken. Coop ruined it by placing his hand on her forearm and gently, but firmly, forcing her to walk on the ground at his side. He leaned over to her and seemed to quietly remind her of something, almost like the parent of a child that was going on stage for a concert or play for the first time. She complied, tilting her head down slightly before stopping and putting her hand out in a silent demand that he hold her hand in support.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Coop glanced at her with uncertainty, then laughed under his breath, drawing a scowl from her. Rather than explain anything with words, their little interaction had been more than enough to open up a potential new dynamic between humanity and the Avatar of the System, one where they were closer to equals.


    When they drew close enough to address the crowd, she spoke first, clearing her throat with a royal sounding ¡°Ahem!¡± before sweeping her gaze across the battleline. It was clear she was assessing them from behind her runed blindfold.


    ¡°Greetings proud heroes of Earth!¡± She began, projecting her voice such that it was beautifully clear to everyone present. ¡°I, the Avatar of the System, have appeared before you bearing a message of warning and hope! You will all- ack!¡± She suddenly stopped, interrupted by Coop.


    The Champion of Ghost Reef shouted an explanation before anyone could question what was happening. ¡°Sorry about that everyone! She was just gonna tell you about the Eradication Protocol, which I¡¯m sure most of you have already heard about.¡± He scowled at the Avatar as if she betrayed his trust before he continued. ¡°Anyway, she¡¯s not really some kind of spokesperson for the system, her name is Lyriel and she¡¯s the newest recruit to the Lighthouse. Her planet went through the Eradication Protocol and she survived, and it¡¯s a similar story for her little friend, Palisteon. I¡¯m sure they will be helpful in the future.¡±


    ¡°You lack suitable elegance, little human.¡± She grumbled at Coop, barely audible in the silence that had followed.


    ¡°You¡¯re way too pretentious. And telling people they are going to die isn¡¯t a good way to make friends.¡± Coop argued back in a loud whisper, causing even Marcus to raise his eyebrows. ¡°We talked about this.¡±


    ¡°You cannot fathom my intentions.¡± She asserted, but he rolled his eyes at her, having recognized her spiel from their previous meetings.


    Even though Ghost Reef had immediately doubted the legitimacy of her claims, there was no denying the fact that compared to them, she was ultra powerful. But here was Coop, reduced to level 0, completely indifferent toward the disparity between them. Marcus decided that it really was rather typical of him.


    ¡°What about the Fallen Zone?¡± General McCallister spoke up. Impressively, he was remaining on mission regardless of the many distractions and developments around them all.


    ¡°It is done. This weakling destroyed the core monster.¡± Lyriel announced, directing them all to Coop. ¡°Then he destroyed an Icon of Mana that would have swallowed your planet in harmonious drones if it had been given the opportunity to do so. After that, he defied the system, received a penalty, and thinned the barrier that separates your world from the galaxy, creating a window for my arrival.¡± She continued, sweeping her blindfolded gaze across the collection of humans. ¡°The planetary sponsor has lost this foothold.¡± She finally declared when no one properly reacted, as if encouraging adoring cheers.


    ¡°Huh?¡± The General grunted in confusion while countless others questioned individual parts. ¡°It¡¯s done?¡± ¡°What core?¡± ¡°Drones?¡± ¡°Icon of Mana?¡± were all repeated across the armies. ¡°It¡¯s over?¡± more people wondered, as they parsed her words, feeling like they hadn¡¯t even started.


    Coop seemed to detect the growing sense of bewilderment and quickly spoke up to mollify the confusion.


    ¡°There¡¯s plenty of monsters for the subjugation effort to hunt, but I killed the Region Boss at the center.¡± Coop clarified. ¡°If you ask me, the whole domain could use a thorough sweep to prevent more Infestations.¡± He concluded, encouraging the warriors, General McCallister chief among them, with the knowledge that there was a job to do. ¡°Should probably place a bunch of Mana Pylons too¡­¡± He added as no one responded.


    Coop looked around, recognizing people all over the place. It seemed like it finally hit him that he was holding up a major united effort that topped anything he had witnessed before. He scratched the back of his head, suddenly feeling anxious after a dozen other more appropriate opportunities to do so had passed right by.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let me hold you up!¡± He offered. ¡°Uh, Marcus, could we talk?¡±


    Arthur stepped forward. ¡°Right this way, Champion.¡± He bowed, directing Coop toward the bunker.


    The weird atmosphere finally broke, with conversations and questions erupting all over the place. The Great Khan rushed to politely greet Lyriel with a bowed head, professing that he had fulfilled his promise while Platinum demanded to know what Coop was up to since she intended to surpass him in levels in a fair competition. Tzultacaj offered words of congratulations to Coop on a successful hunt while Mateo vocalized his stream of consciousness regarding the Revenant¡¯s apparent level and how he thought that would impact their chances of survival. Members of the European delegation attempted to draw Lyriel¡¯s attention with polite queries regarding an official audience. It went on and on until Coop was kneeling among the pink flamingos, impossibly amused by the decorations.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a real bird either.¡± Lyriel rejected Coop¡¯s explanation as they continued holding their own private conversations in front of the rest.


    ¡°It totally is.¡± Coop endorsed the lawn ornaments. ¡°And so was the Greater-Sage Grouse we spotted on the way here.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Lyriel contended before cooing at the worm on her shoulder. ¡°Absolute nonsense.¡± She repeated. ¡°Neither of those creatures could possibly exist. The first was a creation from some sort of summoner and those are clearly the result of humanity¡¯s overactive imagination.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just like this system,¡± Coop insisted, ¡°completely underestimating the power of natural selection.¡± Without turning around, he called over his shoulder to his Viceroy. ¡°Marcus! Do you think they¡¯ll let us take one of these home?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we can ask.¡± Marcus sighed.


    Meanwhile, three dozen diplomats from around the world jockeyed for position close enough to listen in on Coop¡¯s explanations to his advisors about what had happened. Marcus could only do his best to signal for Coop to avoid revealing too much, but he doubted Coop would listen or care about oversharing.


    To his surprise, Coop stuck to the explicit facts of the Fallen Zone, keeping his personal developments to himself. Arthur and Shane helped by asking clarifying questions that kept all the information specific to what would help the subjugation mission. Lyriel stuck by Coop¡¯s side, making herself seem unapproachable and successfully avoiding the many attempts to solicit her attention simply by ignoring them.


    When the representatives of Ghost Reef were finally left alone, later in the night, after Coop dragged them back to the surface for some fresh air, Marcus got more serious. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡± He asked Coop, finally able to reveal that he was equally confused by the events surrounding his friend. ¡°Are you able to recover your levels?¡±


    Coop shook his head, but he didn¡¯t seem sad or discouraged as he gazed somberly at the stars. ¡°Nah, I¡¯m gonna head home-¡± Marcus almost choked in fear as he jumped to the conclusion that the Unchosen Champion was retiring. Coop looked at him funny as he finished his sentence. ¡°...and I¡¯m gonna re-level even faster than before. My original levels are gone.¡± Then he pointed at Lyriel as she cooed at her tiny alien companion. ¡°They¡¯re like contracted residents, so I need to escort them back to our territory anyway. They can¡¯t go on their own.¡±


    As they talked more, it became clear that they didn¡¯t need to worry about Coop as much as they had believed. When they saw his level drop, they had naturally been concerned, but Coop explained that his reset had been an exchange that he guaranteed would make him even more powerful by doubling his stats. Really, they had no choice but to trust his judgment. They would be focused on building the broader alliance and preparing for the Eradication Protocol anyway. He just needed to continue fulfilling his role as their Champion. If that¡¯s what was happening, they had no reason to question him.


    It was with renewed trust that Marcus accepted another series of meetings with different world leaders, setting up an overnight office in the second floor of one of the nearby barns to answer their questions. Most of them were simply making efforts to confirm that they were in the good graces of Ghost Reef and its Champion, especially after the grand reveal of Lyriel as their newest ¡®asset.¡¯ If Coop¡¯s power level had motivated them to attend the summit, Lyriel¡¯s had made their commitments to cooperate, or at least avoid opposition to the Lighthouse concrete. The real test would be in properly checking each and every person that was now willing to collaborate and unite.


    The only one who met with Marcus and remained doubtful of their legitimacy was the representative from the Assembly of Settlements. It wasn¡¯t General McCallister, who was more like Coop in the sense that he kept a firm separation between survival and politics. No, it was a man named Brehanu Yosef Fekadu, the temporarily appointed leader of the Assembly, someone who could be replaced by another at any given moment. Marcus watched the man¡¯s pointer finger as he bashed the air with it like it was a stick and spoke down to him as though he had seen how a king would behave in a movie and was doing his best to imitate it.


    ¡°You claim that your Champion is such a great and valuable figure, but he can¡¯t even take a few minutes to properly greet the administrator of the greatest alliance on the planet?¡± The man continued, practically begging for gentle assurances from Marcus. Rather than project confidence, he merely seemed insecure. ¡°Where is he? I heard he made a big show of arriving late, but he hasn¡¯t come to salute me!¡±


    Marcus turned away to stand in front of the open window, as if he would watch the sunrise instead of answering the man. In front of the barn, Coop was caught in a gentle headlock by the shadowboxer from the African settlements. He was laughing as the boxer gave him a noogie, frustrated by Coop¡¯s complete indifference toward his perceived strength. Apparently, even at level 0, Coop was too strong for the other champion to defeat in a duel.


    Others from around the world were watching and laughing at the spectacle. Platinum and Neon leaned against a fence with Alex Nova, the former bus driver Tomb Blade was trying on one of the European operatives''s goggles, the Great Khan¡¯s robed general was quietly speaking with Reina Kitawa, Sila Tupua appeared to be giving advice to the Can Gio scout that was always accompanied by multiple shadow clones, and the entire African delegation had encircled Coop and the boxer.


    ¡°He¡¯s busy with more important matters.¡± Marcus concluded, momentarily jealous of the role Coop had carved out for himself, but then he imagined all the fighting and shuddered.


    He turned back to the spokesperson and continued. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me more about Nyiragongo and these rivers? If we can cross the Atlantic, do you think we¡¯ll be able to bring ships all the way into the interior?¡± He redirected the conversation to something more productive.


    Lyriel had warned them that relying on the Underlayer was a fool¡¯s idea, given how the ley lines would become charged at the initiation of the Eradication Protocol. If people lacked the proper constitution or otherwise waited too long, they would be eroded away like actual mana manifestations. That tiny bit of information meant that Marcus would need to revise their plans regarding evacuations for the rest of the planet. He sighed at the thought, but he was glad it had been mentioned early, before most of the other settlements had even agreed to join the Lighthouse.

 Chapter 319: Unorthodox Cultivation

    ¡°Look! What¡¯s that?¡± Lyriel grabbed Coop¡¯s shoulder and pointed to the shallows they were leaving behind, eagerness communicated through both her voice and grip.


    This was a query she had already repeated hundreds of times as they crossed the continent on a shared hike through the American South. She seemed intent on keeping it up, even as they sailed away from the mainland. Her fingers gently squeezed, as she silently insisted he answer.


    Coop checked her latest find, taking a second to rub his eyes with his knuckles as she dragged her perfectly manicured finger across the water, tracking the creatures that she wanted him to see with her opposite hand. It took a moment before he recognized what they were looking at, but he squinted through his watery eyes to avoid missing them. It didn¡¯t help that the water was deceptively turbulent, despite its glassy appearance at the surface, with underwater currents battling against inevitable tides and constant waves, all tinged with agitated mana.


    At first, it looked like three polka dot kites with long tails drifting through the water, but Coop recognized the creatures soon enough to answer. ¡°Three spotted eagle rays...¡± Coop finally responded, raising his eyebrows at the sight, but failing to match his usual genuine enthusiasm. The animals were swimming in formation, cruising along the sandy bottom, unbothered by the churn, leaving a trio of sediment trails across the seafloor before they were lost in the murk.


    ¡°And that? Over there?¡± Lyriel swept her pointed finger to a different spot, shifting her focus to a break in the water where a thousand tiny ripples danced together like pin drops on the smooth surface. It was almost as if an isolated sun shower specifically targeted a barrel-sized area with invisible droplets.


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Coop blinked, fighting with his double mana vision. ¡°School of minnows.¡± He eventually concluded, recognizing the slight shimmer of tiny scales as they surged in unpredictable directions near the top of the water.


    Though it had been nearly a week since he finished the fight with the Omega Construct Region Boss, his damaged vision lingered. He was slowly getting used to the sensations, though it was still frustrating, especially when his eyes involuntarily fought to focus, watering as they strained. It felt less like he was seeing double or that lines which should have been stationary were vibrating, and more like he had a bunch of extra floaters in his eyes that just happened to line up with the edges of solid objects. At least they lined up most of the time. They were something that his mind would eventually be able to sift through with enough practice, according to Lyriel.


    He was thankful for that, because he had already had enough of feeling like he was on the verge of a headache, tripping over things he should have noticed, and missing the small details in his surroundings without applying Presence of Mind. At the same time, he was occasionally distracted by random flashes and random noise in the air, like he was spotting ghosts out of the corner of his eyes, causing him to flinch out of the way when nothing was really there other than tiny eddies of air turbulence. Overall it was an annoying, but relatively minor nuisance, like he needed a new prescription on a pair of scratched up glasses.


    If he hadn¡¯t been traveling with someone as powerful and protective as Lyriel, he probably would have struggled in at least a few more situations. Of course the benefits of having a goddess as a companion were at least partially offset by his inability to mistjump and cut the travel times way down. Being in unfamiliar territory while partially hindered made the issues that much more irritating. He would survive, but it only added to an underlying anxiety that was slowly building in his chest.


    To him, it seemed pretty clear that this was not a new ability granted by the system, but rather something he had to develop independently, whether through brain damage or mana exposure. He had to give the system some credit, considering it was able to grant all sorts of other skills without the painful learning curve of channeling, manipulating, and adapting to the use of mana. For some reason, this mana sight was more of a cultivated talent, one that only came with a particular familiarity with specific affinities under precise circumstances. In his case, extended use of Vaporform to walk among the mists while exhausting his spectral mana on phantasms seemed to have been the trigger. He was mostly joking with himself about contributions of brain damage, but who really knew?


    The whole situation had him reconsidering the explorations of mana that the Ghost Reef residents had been undertaking. With the knowledge that the Eradication Protocol would attempt to sever them from the system, more and more of his companions had been testing the limits of their skills, learning to draw on the pathways taught by the system without its guidance. Testing affinities and experimenting with internal and external mana concentrations were all a part of the process. Even Coop had previously come to the conclusion that the system was simply providing training wheels with its skills. He frequently applied what he considered to be muscle memory to access abilities without consciously activating them, essentially bypassing the system.


    The whole experience with his eyes had him thinking about mana in general and made him increasingly curious about Lyriel¡¯s relationship with mana in particular. She seemed devoted to the system, holding it up as the ultimate authority, but had been forced to survive completely outside of it. She heavily utilized mana while detesting its very existence, blaming it for excising her from the community and wiping out her species. At the same time, she described mana as an unthinking, emotionless force of nature. Coop knew better than to challenge such personal and tragic convictions, but it all seemed rather contradictory.


    Coop looked at the apparent relationship between the system and mana and ended up with more questions than answers. The system guided those assimilated into the galactic community along its own traditional paths, subtly discouraging further experimentation beyond its conventional philosophies by providing a clearly delineated path of least resistance. That the most curious and innovative species were filtered out during the assimilation seemed rather convenient. But even when the limits were pushed, the system seemed able to fabricate paths on the fly, subtly maintaining its position as the arbiter of mana. At least, that¡¯s how he understood what the Path of the Abyss had set upon him.


    So, were the Exiles, like Lyriel, just unorthodox cultivators trying to find their way back into orthodoxy? They continued to wield mana without the system¡¯s guidance or approval. Was the system representing merely one technique to utilize mana when there were surely countless others? Despite having the Avatar of the System around, Coop felt no closer to really understanding the relationships between the system, mana, and the lifeforms caught between.


    Meanwhile, mana was a neutral element, seemingly accessible to anyone in several different ways. To blame it for the framework of the galaxy was kind of arbitrary. No one blamed the atom for the atomic bomb, or at least Coop didn¡¯t think anyone did. He felt like the Icons of Mana and the armies they would bring were the appropriate recipient of his animosity, but mana itself was actually not that bad, though he would never admit such thoughts to Lyriel.


    ¡°What are those?¡± Lyriel continued with her game, aiming her delicate finger toward a familiar flock of noisy birds swooping behind the ship. She wouldn¡¯t let her curiosity be outdone by Coop¡¯s, easily recognizing when he was lost in his thoughts. He¡¯d probably get wrinkles if he didn¡¯t adopt more neutral expressions.


    ¡°More seagulls.¡± Coop played along with the Avatar. He was sure that she could recognize seagulls, but he understood that she was distracting his tumultuous mind while forcing him to grow familiar with the sensations of his particular form of spectral sight.


    ¡°Wondrous.¡± She concluded with a wistful tone, the genuineness making him wonder if she actually hadn¡¯t been able to identify the flock of birds.


    He watched her face closely, wondering exactly how much she really knew and how much was just guesswork. She detected his attention from behind her blindfold, and gave him a slight smile before she turned away, causing the tip of her pointed ear to bounce ever so slightly from where it poked through her loosely tied hair.


    She was still scanning the horizon for anything else she could draw his attention to, unbothered by the uncomfortable humidity in the air. Her rather intense, domineering aura seemed to also act as a buffer, providing her with a pocket of controlled atmosphere that prevented her from being disheveled by wind or heat. The sun was already mercilessly reflecting off the water, promising that the day would be a hot one, making Coop a bit jealous of her unconscious energy. The breeze was weak, and the ship relied more on the flow of currents to propel itself away from the coast than its hanging sails. It felt like they were sailing through an oven, with heat rising all around them, and minimal airflow offering relief.


    The water swirled with individual underwater rivulets that rushed into the gulf from the mainland. They carried inland sediments and made the water cloudy, subtly churning the surface as if there was a silent battle between the salt water waves and fresh water rivers, creating a brackish mix all along the southern shores. The clash almost brought his thoughts back to the conflicting ideas surrounding the system, but he had other more immediate concerns.


    Normally, Coop would have enjoyed exploring the habitats within the Gulf deltas, seeing how the natural environment had replenished itself, and if the native animals were thriving or struggling, but at the moment he was mostly just eager to get home. If he was going to restart his leveling journey, he wanted to do it in a better way.


    It had been another two and a half days with Lyriel and Palisteon as the trio hiked back toward the Gulf of Mexico, and Coop¡¯s patience was wearing thin. It had nothing to do with the company, as the more he grew accustomed to Lyriel¡¯s real personality the less disconnected and arrogant she seemed. It wasn¡¯t because of his eyes either, as he could physically see the improvements as time went on. Obvious progress like that was an easy motivator to keep going.


    Coop was really growing anxious about restarting his grind and the expectations he had created for himself. The thought caused him to quietly groan, rubbing his eyebrows with his hand as he tried to suppress the stress he had blatantly created for himself.


    As he parted ways with those that had gathered at the Heartland Settlement, caught up in their gungho excitement to progress and claim their place in the vacuum he had created on the leaderboards, he left them with a promise.


    ¡°Bet I¡¯ll do it again.¡± Coop remembered his exact words as he responded to Platinum boasting that she would take his spot, beating everyone else to level 500, after Safiri claimed Coop was done for, that he was old news, and it was time to retire for real. ¡°I¡¯ll hit 500 twice, before anyone else makes it once.¡± Coop had declared.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°Agh. Why did I say that? I could have finally returned to a normal schedule.¡± He slid his hand down his face lamenting the loss of a perfect staycation in Ghost Reef.


    Safiri, Platinum, Mateo, and several others had managed to find his real weakness. The competitiveness that was hidden deep beneath his casual nature. It was the other half to his simple desire for progression. For Coop, progression and competition were concomitants of internal motivation that fed upon each other. They were some of the underlying forces that had him constantly chasing experience. Seeing his name on the leaderboards was a simple source of undeniable satisfaction.


    Coop¡¯s desires had been enough to manifest an entire evolution. The system, whatever it actually was, had decided that he was touching upon the undying hunger of the Deep Ones imagined by humanity. It seemed like it was fair to say that Coop had a bit of an appetite.


    He saw that familiar hunger reflected in the eyes of those visiting the Heartland Settlement. From Sila Tupua to Layla Itunu, Bao Nguyen and ¡®Super¡¯ Supitaya, Alex Nova, Tzultacaj, Seki Kitawa, and all the rest; they all awakened the same powerful internal drive to not only survive, but thrive. None of them had made it this far into the assimilation without a spark that kept them motivated, but Coop¡¯s level reset was the final impetus for them to really go for it and fuel that fire.


    Looking at the other representatives of humanity made it obvious that Coop wasn¡¯t special at all. Even his own companions from Ghost Reef stoked the same flame, or else it would have been impossible for them to maintain their statuses. He had put them on notice when he could have been like a shark in the depths, lurking until it was time to strike.


    Coop let his head drop at the memories, remembering the slight smile Tzultacaj had given him, how Imara¡¯s eyes bore into him, recognizing that he had poked the bear, so-to-speak.


    ¡°So many bears.¡± He muttered.


    Instead of steadily progressing during his future days, eating regular meals, exploring the developments of his home, and sleeping in his own bed each night, he had made a bombastic claim that would actually require maximum effort. Before, he had been looking at the climb he needed to make as something he could do steadily, sneaking himself back into striking range while the rest of the world set their own pace. It would have taken an initial burst to rise back into the pack, but once he was close to maybe a hundred levels behind, he could have just cruised with two or three levels a day, just chasing down Slayer titles, to reclaim his position.


    The only deadline he had to worry about was the Eradication Protocol, which Lyriel was keeping a blindfolded eye on, but because of his boastful promise, he would have to put the pedal to the metal. His competition had upwards of a 300 level advantage over him. He figured he had around three months if he wanted to prove to himself and to the others that he could actually reach level 500 before anyone else. He wouldn¡¯t put it past Alex Nova or Tzultacaj to gain 200 levels in 90 days. They could probably even do it in less if the subjugation of the Fallen Zone remnants were rewarding enough.


    He wasn¡¯t completely without advantages and he was still confident in his build, but he had actually taken what could have been a relatively leisurely time between settlement events and turned it into another trial. He shook his head despondently, doing his best to convince himself that he was just trying another way to be motivational. It seemed like it would work, but it had put the onus of progress back onto him.


    But he had a plan that could take advantage of his prior experience. If he just stuck to the plan, his words wouldn¡¯t have been empty. He could definitely be far more efficient than he had been the first time around. All he needed to do was save new Slayer quest chains until he was brushing against the diminishing returns of regular experience from combat.


    Once the more convenient grinds slowed down to the point that he was no longer gaining on his competition, he would start hunting down new variants for their Slayer quests. That way, he would bolster his progress, delaying the inevitable slow down in experience gains by supplementing his progress with the levels granted by quest completions. It was the easiest way to circumvent the largest hurdle in climbing the ranks at the top.


    The first time around, he had needed the boost in stats granted by Slayer titles to turn his regular attacks into the equivalent of manaless skills right away. Stacking stats had been essential. Now, he already benefited from those investments and he could afford to be more prudent with his experience gains.


    However, sticking to the plan was already driving him crazy. He had just been hiking across the country instead of gaining levels, essentially avoiding experience, while the others began their subjugation mission. He wanted to get started already!


    Lyriel watched his internal struggle, obviously amused and enjoying his pangs of distress, before finally speaking up. ¡°You have to get stronger anyway. The forces of mana won¡¯t be so kind as to hold back on your behalf.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Coop sighed, calming down a bit under her withering attention. ¡°But now I gotta get like 5 or 6 levels a day for several months to reach my own goals.¡±


    Lyriel¡¯s laugh was always pleasant, even when it was filled with mockery. ¡°5 levels a day, consistently? Impossible. You have no chance. Give up now and focus on something more reasonable. It is not wise to have unreasonable goals. Trust me on that.¡±


    Coop just frowned at her lack of sympathy. ¡°It doesn¡¯t help that I have to chaperone you across a thousand miles of wilderness. Couldn¡¯t you have learned some better movement skills along the way? It¡¯s not that hard, you know?¡±


    ¡°You¡­ Oh! What¡¯s that?¡± Lyriel was distracted by another unfamiliar animal that fluttered between them, her tone completely changing mid-sentence.


    Coop watched its unpredictable path across the small ship for a moment, taking a calming breath before responding to her question. ¡°That¡¯s a monarch butterfly.¡±


    ¡°Ah! How lovely!¡± Lyriel expressed with child-like enthusiasm that seemed stolen from Coop¡¯s usual attitude.


    With the destruction of the Fallen Zone, wildlife that had been missing from the different regions sprouted up from hidden enclaves to the point that at first Lyriel was hesitant to continue their journey. There were too many threats to her level 0 Champion.


    It took some convincing for Coop to prove that the animals weren¡¯t necessarily members of hostile factions. In fact, most of them were as independent as he had been before founding the Lighthouse, and many were only hostile toward the Primal Constructs for invading their territory, indifferent to the temporary presence of travelers like them so long as they didn¡¯t encroach on their space. He had to plow forward to prove his words, causing her to chase after him when he left the subjugation armies behind.


    Lyriel eventually recognized the extreme biodiversity as a feature of Earth, proud of Malsteron¡¯s correct readings on the planet. Having so many different creatures was an endless source of amusement and fascination to both herself and Palisteon, and Coop ended up spending the majority of his time identifying animals on their behalf.


    Paying attention to the wildlife calmed him down while acting as practice for his eyes, so it wasn¡¯t all bad. In fact, if he hadn¡¯t started a competition with all the others, it would have been his ideal manner of travel. They were able to explore environments he hadn¡¯t ever seen before, to which Lyriel relentlessly scolded him for being unfamiliar with parts of his own planet. Though he knew she was underestimating the variance across Earth, he took the criticism to heart, especially since it was coming from someone who was forced off her own planet, never to see it again.


    Despite his frustrations, he soaked the scenes in as much as he could, keeping the idea that he might never have another chance to do so in the back of his mind. Once they passed through the steady plains of the Heartland, they made quick progress through Blackland Prairies that rolled into post oak savannas and the Piney Woods. He imagined all the people who had overlooked the uniqueness of their local environments, just passing through on highways, never really appreciating what they had in their backyard. It was a shame, but he still hoped he would be able to preserve it all for those who might survive.


    Even though he confidently chose their direction and led Lyriel through the environments, he had no idea how they would actually find Admiral Kayla and her ships in order to catch a ride back to Ghost Reef. They didn¡¯t exactly have a designated rendezvous point in the uncharted lands. When they reached the Gulf Coast, two days after leaving the armies behind, Coop had been surprised to find a boat waiting for them. He wasn¡¯t even sure exactly where they were, somewhere near a completely flooded Houston, he guessed.


    Kayla had somehow anticipated his location so perfectly, he thought he was hallucinating the ride for a moment. However, that wasn¡¯t exactly the case. The Tempest Fleet had thousands of ships scattered across the coast, ready to shuttle people across the Gulf. This particular corvette was acting as a taxi that would take himself and Lyriel to board the Eye of the Storm.


    Once they exchanged ships, transferring to Kayla¡¯s vessel, Coop relayed a message from Marcus and Shane, requesting that she have her fleet prepare to ferry people across the Mississippi Sea in the coming weeks. Now that the domain had been destroyed, humanity intended to reclaim as much lost territory as possible, and the main geographic challenge would be overcome with Ghost Reef¡¯s navy.


    The South, west of the Mississippi, was currently full of millions of human hunters, seeking out the Primal Construct variants that might have hoped to redevelop the neglected area into their stronghold, much like Empress City¡¯s earlier successful efforts through the Everglades of Florida. General McCallister had split the vast armies into smaller squads after Coop provided much needed reconnaissance on the previously hazard-filled alien domain.


    Upon learning that the Elite Primal Insurgents, the passive damage effect of the domain, and the previously unknown core boss had all been removed from the equation, General McCallister and Champion Neon shifted their strategy to cover more ground. They recognized that the collection of strength in the Heartland was more than enough to conquer regular variants and come together when greater threats were discovered.


    Instead of rolling together, driving toward the heart of the Fallen Zone as a singular force while securing their path back to the edge, they were casting a wide net that would allow them to simultaneously suppress the invaders on a grand scale, squeezing the remnants into a tighter and tighter territory. At the same time, the animals that were returning would be incidental allies, reclaiming their native territory from the aliens that had forced them into hiding in the first place. Still, they all anticipated a long campaign.


    After the arrangements were made, Kayla had them plot a straight shot back to Ghost Reef. She didn¡¯t even need to ask about Coop¡¯s level. It seemed like anyone that knew Coop could take one look and recognize that he was in the mood to get grinding as soon as possible.


    The familiar bells ringing across Ghost Reef¡¯s harbor set Coop into motion while Lyriel found herself awestruck by the scenes as they approached the fort. The island had evolved, developing into a real fortified bastion compared to the last time she had witnessed it and she peppered Coop with questions regarding the choices that had been made.


    When they reached the dock, Coop had Jones give Lyriel the tour, and sent a dozen wraiths off to start a series of quick meetings with various residents that would be able to help him maximize the efficiency of his upcoming grinds. He wanted to make sure things would move quickly once he got started.

 Chapter 320: First Phaste

    ¡°You know what?¡± Coop spoke to himself as he cast Retribution and his spear manifested from a swirl of mists that seemingly appeared out of nowhere, solidifying at the exact moment that his hand snapped shut. ¡°Let¡¯s just say I gave everyone else an extra week, just as a little favor.¡±


    He stared at his spear with a determined look as he watched abyssal mana leak between his fingers. Both of his affinities were comfortably in equilibrium as he prepared for the grind. He firmly nodded to himself, silently reiterating his assertion as he stepped off the stoop of Ghost Reef¡¯s lighthouse.


    Six months into the assimilation, and he was essentially redoing day one. He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle cynically at his current state of affairs.


    The fine sand of Ghost Reef¡¯s western beach greeted him like a long-lost friend. As he gazed upon the scenery, he couldn¡¯t help but smile at the palm trees that had regrown in bunches, creating pockets of shade along the crisp white beach. It was nice to have an excuse to be back, no matter the circumstances. His first targets were all along the smooth stone path that weaved through the sparsely vegetated dunes. It was something like a reunion between old rivals.


    Ancient Defenders had become the starter enemy for anyone initiating their leveling journey on Ghost Reef, as infrequently as that happened these days. Coop had carefully reviewed the leveling guides created by the Adventurer Guild, including the color coded map overview that indicated the expected levels of monsters in each of the various zones. It was a detailed accounting that he would adapt for himself. There were certain monsters he intended to save for later as they still held Slayer quests for him to complete. Instead, he would start by focusing on the ones that he had already defeated thousands of times.


    He rotated his shoulder, glancing at the small audience that was in attendance to see him off. They supported him in their own ways, with a shy thumbs up, wagging tail, or a sly smirk.


    Coop had spent the night meeting with different residents of Ghost Reef, making sure that he was taking advantage of every possible benefit as he restarted his leveling journey. It would have been easy to feel discouraged, but even a passing analysis would reveal that this was turning into an opportunity. The fact that he would be getting twice as many stats per level should have been enough incentive, but adding on the possibility to even partially correct any perceived deficiencies in experience was icing on the cake.


    The first time he leveled in the earliest days of the assimilation, he was stumbling through the process, clueless as to what the system had in store for humanity. There was no guidance for someone like him. Aside from knowing that he needed to get stronger, he had no idea how he was meant to do so.


    This time, he had the entire infrastructure of a well-organized and rapidly growing settlement available to back him up. That wasn¡¯t just a small benefit. To put it in perspective, Ghost Reef was the hub of a true galactic faction, fledgling as it was, and factions were meant to be the ultimate authority on individual advancement. Chosen relying on their sponsors were thought to be the most advantaged individuals within an assimilation, for example.


    Through Coop, the Lighthouse sought to prove its advantages. At the moment, Coop had nearly 20 different buffs, whether granted from edible consumables, well-rested bonuses, or individual abilities of support-based residents. They would obviously benefit his journey in ways he hadn¡¯t been able to enjoy the first time around.


    He had over 100 different elixirs, phials, potions, flasks, and tinctures crafted by Elder Olani and Sojjah the Alchemist stored in his inventory. The consumables weren¡¯t only meant for emergencies either. They expected Coop to be chugging the expensive resources at every opportunity, maintaining special limited-time bonuses as much as possible.


    He had all the stacking perks for being within the settlement¡¯s territory after completing every bonus objective he had ever been offered while collecting city titles earned by the residents. Collectively, they added more bonuses than he cared to account for, but they would do everything from improve his combat efficiency to increase the capacity for experience gains.


    Then, he had the entire contingent of skills that made him a Mistwalker. If nothing else, this would be a demonstration of the collection of skills he had accumulated as a Revenant as he walked the Path of the Mistwalker.


    And most importantly, he had his own personal combat experience, an asset that was unrivaled among the humans of planet Earth. If the Ancient Defenders had been an appropriate challenge for himself and Jones back in the first days, they were going to be a simple launchpad this time around.


    A discordant strum of a guitar broke his focus and he turned to Derek to see what he wanted. He was leaning against the outer wall of the tall structure of the lighthouse, making sure to be in the shade.


    ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want me to bring everyone else out?¡± The slowly reforming Bard questioned. The guild had established a robust system of support, including healers, buffers, and guides that could escort new members through the various monster zones, effectively powerleveling when necessary.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± Coop answered, not for the first time. ¡°This won¡¯t take long.¡± He concluded, trying not to be offended. How could he possibly need help with the first monster variant? Ghost Reef had successfully stifled their progress so that every single one was below level 10 and many never exceeded level 1.


    ¡°Usually takes new recruits a few weeks to get into the swing of things.¡± Derek suggested, plucking a few more strings.


    ¡°Do I seem like a new recruit?¡± Coop wondered, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°Your level sure does.¡± Derek pointed out.


    Coop sighed. ¡°Alright, dude.¡± He shook his head, not letting his buttons be pushed.


    Charlie and Camila were sitting on the steps with Sunny, taking a break from grinding deeper in the underground to watch the start of Coop¡¯s race, but the rest of the burgeoning city had barely heard the rumors that the Unchosen Champion was back. That he would be releveling among them was the expected gossip of the day. It was only a matter of time before everyone knew, and he intended to be well onto his journey before that happened.


    While Charlie seemed to be her usual self, Camila was in a unique outfit, looking like she belonged in a cubicle-filled office instead of a monster ornamented beach. She had a pair of glasses perched on the tip of her nose, causing her to tilt her head forward to watch Coop from above the edge of the frames. Her jacket was already off while her collared dress shirt was actually fastened by small black ribbons instead of buttons, and tucked into her knee-length pencil skirt. Her legs were crossed and the high heel shoe on her elevated foot was hanging from her toes as if she already regretted the fashion choice.


    She had her hair pinned in a tight bun instead of her usual ponytail and she tapped a pencil against her cheek, waiting for Coop to give her a number to write onto her clipboard of paper. She was acting as the first official record keeper for Coop¡¯s rank as he leveled up. They thought it might be vaguely useful information, but she had really just taken the role to try a new custom outfit crafted by Erasimus Doomthread.


    Before Coop stepped forward, she had been giggling at Charlie¡¯s interpretation of Coop¡¯s plan. She shook her head back and forth, unable to fully contain herself as she remembered her companion¡¯s words, causing her hooped earrings to bounce against her neck before bringing it back up. ¡°Never thought I¡¯d hear Charlie call Coop a twink.¡± She commented, reigniting the Aeromancer¡¯s flustered embarrassment.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    ¡°B-but that¡¯s what he is, if this was a video game¡­¡± Charlie kept trying to explain the niche terminology to Camila.


    ¡°I dunno, he¡¯s got way too much definition in his abs, and his shoulders are too broad. Look at him Charlie, he¡¯s more of a hunk right?¡± Camila teased her friend. ¡°Give us a flex, Coop.¡±


    ¡°No! I mean stop!¡± Charlie cried, averting her eyes and putting a hand across her face, though Coop accepted the confidence boost regardless.


    Coop chuckled. ¡°Okay, that¡¯s enough of that, I¡¯m gonna get started.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget to shout your rank.¡± Camila reminded him with a jab of her pencil.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try, Miss Alvarez.¡± He responded, though if he got into the zone, he thought he might forget.


    Charlie spoke up as well. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Coop. I¡¯ll make sure to hit 500 first, if you can¡¯t do it again.¡±


    Though she meant to reassure him, Coop couldn¡¯t help but feel like he had another serious rival to watch out for. He checked the leaderboards one more time before he started.


    Day 185


    <ol>


    <li> Charlie Seraphin (Level 333)</li>


    <li> Camila Alvarez (Level 327)</li>


    <li> Gibson (Level 307)</li>


    <li> Platinum (Level 306)</li>


    <li> Buck Cleary (Level 301)</li>


    <li> Imara (Level 298)</li>


    <li> Emmanuel Seraphin (Level 295)</li>


    <li> Jacqueline ¡®Jackie¡¯ Simpson (Level 294)</li>


    <li> Junior Cleary (Level 292)</li>


    <li> Sila Tupua (Level 292)</li>


    </ol>


    432,448,550. Coop (Level 0)


    Coop called the number out to Camila as his ethereal armor manifested across his chest, wrapping him in a swirl of mists to match his spear. He stared at the first Ancient Defender, skipping forward before planting his foot into the ground with a heaviness that substantiated his assertions regarding his stats.


    The spear glided off the tips of his fingers, flying true while immediately sending a shot of satisfaction through his brain as his Haunted title approved of his form. Despite being the first attack of his restarted grind, he hadn¡¯t forgotten what to do.


    It wasn¡¯t his hardest throw, as he was pacing himself in a way that was designed to be sustainable for literally millions of repetitions. Still, the spear blasted through the tropical morning, shooting through the air like a rocket, displacing loose grains of sand as if a hurricane gust was following its path.


    The Ancient Defender had no reaction. It simply evaporated as the spear annihilated its core and continued across the shallows without losing speed, sending a rooster tail of water high into the air. Coop recalled the spear to his hand as he flashed with his first level, already checking his notifications and rank to give to Camila.


    [You defeated Ancient Defender (Level 4)]


    [+5 Basic Credits]


    [Congratulations! You have leveled up!]


    Adding 10 free attributes to his Mind stat instantly drew a smile to his face. He was excited about the potential growth that was about to begin.


    ¡°Oh, this¡¯ll be good.¡± Coop spoke under his breath, feeling the fire ignite within him.


    ¡°What the hell?¡± Derek muttered at the same time, looking at Coop like he had been lying to all of his friends about his status change. ¡°How can you be that strong?¡±


    Coop looked back over his shoulder and shrugged. ¡°3,000 Strength?¡± He offered, causing all the eyebrows present to rise up.


    432,448,550. Coop (Level 1)


    ¡°432,448,550.¡± He announced, realizing that his rank hadn¡¯t changed. ¡°I guess there are no level 0s on the leaderboards at all.¡± He concluded, stepping toward his next target.


    It was clear he would need to adjust his strength to better match his opponents. There was no use in expending excess energy, and more importantly, he didn¡¯t want to be running around the beach like he had back in the first days of the assimilation. He needed his spear to act as a reasonable mistjump target as well as deadly projectile.


    He took a deep breath, smiling to himself as his lungs filled with the salt air. It felt good to make such minor micro adjustments to his tactics rather than stressing about more advanced enemies. Even though it seemed like he enjoyed all the grinds equally, a single kill on this one had reminded him how much more enjoyable they could be.


    His spear continued to rip through the air, annihilating Ancient Defenders as the sun rose higher in the sky. The level gains came quickly at first, but they rapidly tapered off given the relative experience of his opponents, but that was all part of the design.


    Coop shouted his ranks to Camila, finding the incremental changes on the leaderboard surprisingly small. He overheard Jones discussing it with the girls, theorizing that there would be a normal distribution of levels, with significantly smaller groups of people at each end of the spectrum. They would be able to plot it rather accurately, assuming Coop could outpace the entire planet enough to snapshot their levels.


    Coop smiled at the thought of climbing the ranks that quickly as he skipped through the mists. His Ancient Defender grind culminated in something akin to what Camila would have accomplished with her Interceptor speed. He swept across the beach, chasing a perpetually flashing spear as it rocketed between enemy spawns. It was easier to track his progress by watching the bursts of mists than it was to strain the limits of their eyes to follow the sudden redirections of the laser-like spear.


    After a single hour, Coop was throwing the spear at seemingly empty positions, timing the arrival of the missile with the exact pixelated collection of mana representing the respawn of the next Primal Construct. There was no way to go any faster without creating downtime, but Coop wasn¡¯t anywhere close to strained.


    Instead of settling on the pace dictated by the monsters within the first zone, he extended his route, incorporating the second zone into his first grind. The tamed Primal Kites had a range of levels that extended only a handful above the Ancient Defenders, from 5 to 15. While Coop wanted to limit his targets to the most level appropriate variants, his potency demanded that he cast a wider net.


    Coop¡¯s mana sight allowed him to see the minor disturbances of their electrical domes as the Kites hid beneath the sand of the shallow waters beyond the beach. That meant he could go directly to them.


    Before much longer, he was launching his spear straight across the surface of the water, mistjumping as soon as the missile crossed above a Kite, and redirecting the tip of his weapon straight down at the same time that the monster attempted to initiate its ambush. The result was him impaling the invaders while they were still underground, like disarming a landmine by stabbing it in the head.


    The benefit of incorporating the Primal Kites in his first grind was that their territory encompassed the entire fort, following the shallows around the whole island and beyond. There were thousands of them available to be farmed, though not all were properly domesticated by the Adventurer Guild, so he stayed close to the fort.


    Through the afternoon of Day 185, Coop was flickering across the shallows, crossing the busy channels of ships as if they were stationary obstacles. Each time he teleported to a new spot and stabbed into the ground, a gout of water shot in the air, splashing from the combined force of his spear and the monster bursting toward the surface. In between his targets, the spear left a line of disturbed water, drawing strange patterns that could only be seen from the air or the walls of the fort.


    He couldn¡¯t help but make a spectacle of himself. It was an unintended side effect of his lack of hesitation in combat actions. Though the growing audience of sailors and sentries were really observing the after effects of his appearances.


    Along the beach, bursts of mists would chain across the sands, then a jagged circle of watery bursts would circumnavigate the island before the cycle restarted. Word spread that Coop was home, and he was taking action.


    Coop continued to acclimate to his route, increasing his efficiency in ways that seemed impossible. On the beach, he started to line up Ancient Defenders, letting his spear shoot through a target and continue, reaching a second, third, and sometimes fourth target in one line drive that spanned hundreds of yards.


    The people watching from the walls of the fort cheered louder each time the number of monsters tagged by a single throw went up, but the limited patrols of the Ancient Defenders meant that it was exceedingly difficult to line too many of them up at once. The fact that he was unwilling to pause for even a quarter of a second before deciding on his next target meant that he had to be hyper aware of the entire cadre of monster spawns in order to even land a double kill, let alone a triple and beyond.


    Though it seemed mentally demanding, he actually found it extraordinarily fun. It was nothing compared to keeping track of entire armies of Elite Primal Constructs as they rotated into his mists from all directions. When his spear crunched the targets, he was practically overwhelmed by the satisfaction.


    Coop was making short work of the first levels, but he had a long way to go if he was going to reclaim his spot at the top. It seemed like the process would be something of an escape for the Champion of Ghost Reef.

 Chapter 321: Vaporform

    The first day of Coop¡¯s grind was coming to a rapid close, but he had no intention of pausing just because the sun was setting. He wasn¡¯t ready to rest after such a brief 12 hour grind.


    As time passed, Coop¡¯s companions rotated in and out, leaving him with a series of new people waiting to record his rank after Camila and Charlie. First, Tiny Cleary hung out with a handful of wraiths for a few hours, discussing mana affinities, then Jonah from the Clumsy Shark brought a library tablet to read in the shade. Afterwards, Gibson reviewed his own future hunting plans with his party while they shared an early lunch together. They were replaced by Maeve, who carefully assessed Coop as he came and went, better able to track his actions and status than most, eventually approving after a few rotations. Next, Fred Brown the architect sat with Balor, discussing one of the more complicated construction projects they were undertaking on the lower levels before Amanda and Mikey B took over, sharing a hammock to take a break from all the travel they had done in the Underlayer, and later, Laurie brought a pair of the other new mothers and had a playdate in the sand with their young children while she held the clipboard. They all spared a few hours of their day, taking a break from their normal responsibilities to keep an eye on Coop.


    The information revealed through climbing the ranks on the leaderboards wasn¡¯t really that interesting or important, especially not so much as to include so many important members of the Ghost Reef community, but they were showing up almost like they intended to chaperone Coop while his level was low. They didn¡¯t admit it, but they were all just a little worried that he was more vulnerable than usual. The fact that he had started with the most basic of monsters was some consolation, but like Lyriel, even the people who knew him the most wanted to make sure nothing catastrophic happened while he pushed himself to catch back up. Everyone was just a bit overprotective of the Champion as if they were returning the favor for all of his previous efforts. He was probably still the strongest person on the planet, but even he couldn¡¯t escape his babysitters.


    Mixed in with the familiar faces that came and went were residents who Coop didn¡¯t personally know, though he recognized that they had been around for a while and had become trusted members of the faction. They made themselves comfortable in the shade near the lighthouse, relaxing in hammocks or sitting on the steps, listening to the waves until Coop reappeared. Each resident understood that he was hyper focused on his hunt, so Coop made peace with his lack of manners when he didn¡¯t stop to get to know each and every person who was supervising his progress.


    Recording his ranks wasn¡¯t exactly exciting work, because even at Coop¡¯s extraordinary speed, he was contending with monsters that were at an appropriately low level relative to his status. The levels tapered off as the day went on and by the time the red sunset took hold, he could already feel the ceiling for experience gained from Ancient Defenders approaching. He wasn¡¯t exactly power leveling himself so much as he was speed running. That meant that his opponents only provided the limited experience of beginner monsters.


    The way he saw it, there was a window where specific hunting targets were the most efficient. If he sought targets that were too advanced, he wouldn¡¯t be able to take advantage of all the experience earned despite the theoretical challenge. If he sought targets that were too weak, he wouldn¡¯t be rewarded enough to make progress. The limitations imposed by the system and the real physical constraints toward absorption of mana combined with escalating requirements per level meant that level gaps in both directions were an impediment to efficient progress.


    Even in the hypothetical scenario where he could hunt individual level 10,000 monsters, assuming he would succeed in defeating them, he wouldn¡¯t leap so far ahead in levels due to the restrictions placed by the system smoothing out the rewards and the physical limitations of mana absorption, transference, and integration. On the other hand, if he could instantly kill 10,000 level one monsters, he also wouldn¡¯t make significant progress after climbing enough ranks beyond them as they provided what might have been exponentially less experience. The sweet spot was somewhere in the middle, leaning in the direction of slightly higher level monsters that more closely matched his own capacity for combat.


    Humans and other assimilated beings could only integrate so much mana at a time, and while normal monsters never exceeded the bare minimum, even defeating the Lich had shown a hard cap even with thousands of levels in difference of raw mana. While the optimal window widened with increases in rank such that Elites, Field Bosses, and Siege Bosses were more rewarding to a larger range as he went up the stack, the system maintained some video game logic that prevented a proper twinked out experience, but that was all fine and dandy with Coop.


    Theoretically, he could hunt down boss monsters specifically, and forge his level ahead by multiples at a time by virtue of their advanced rank relative to his own, but it was much more his style to find a steady beat and march to it. Why not enjoy himself while he blasted through the leaderboards? He was already imposing limitations on his target choices in the name of efficiency, sticking to the monsters he already had Slayer titles for defeating to improve his experience rate later. If he was looking at a pure time investment, he thought it made sense for him to stick with what he had on hand rather than to move further afield and explore the unknown on the hunt for specific boss rank opportunities. The trade off in travel times would swing the efficiency gauge back to his current strategy.


    The ultimate authority with regard to experience gains was his personal class level as opposed to the level of his opponents. Ideally, he would always be fighting monsters that were exactly one or two levels above his current position. Unfortunately, that level of fidelity was impossible without wasting significant time picking and choosing fights. He wasn¡¯t willing to be that exact. Coop compromised by sticking to the brackets established by Ghost Reef¡¯s Adventurer Guild.


    Coop¡¯s plan wasn¡¯t complicated, but it took into account the resources he had available. Ghost Reef provided the opportunities, and he would simply take advantage of them. If he could complete the first phase of his plan before his competition made significant progress, he would be well on his way to catching back up. This initial grind was simply resetting the foundation, and he had expected it to take the first month at least. However, it was possible that he had underestimated himself, but he would wait until a full day had passed before making any further judgments.


    With the simple goal of progressing his levels, Coop had easily entered a state of mindless meditation where there were no extraneous thoughts. The only considerations that passed through his brain were specific to the moment to moment actions that he was taking.


    He needed to hit the perfect timing for every mistjump, his aim had to be immaculate, and the amount of strength applied to each action required exact precision and muscle control. The consequences of any lapse in concentration would be simple, minor issues that didn¡¯t really matter, but he couldn¡¯t help but apply all of his energy to ironing each and every one of them out until the routine was perfect.


    Each circuit around Ghost Reef¡¯s fort improved in tiny increments, so slight, the spectators hardly noticed. It was only those that watched him early in the day, then returned in the evening that could really feel the difference, and even then, it might have taken a stopwatch to truly recognize the improvements. Many would never think to watch so carefully, being new residents of Ghost Reef, completely unaware of Coop and his habits. They simply admired the spectacle that he created.


    In the grand scheme of things, losing a split second while readjusting a specific attack was hardly remarkable, so it made sense for others to fail to take note. However, repeat the same mistake a million times, and he really could be adding days to his total grind. He¡¯d rather not unnecessarily waste that much time when extra days could be better spent relaxing on the beach.


    When he was fully engulfed in the flow of momentum created by his actions, optimizing the timing of his fingertips releasing the spear with the exhalations of his breaths, he was at his best. This was the natural evolution of the time he was running around on the beach with no skills at all, just poking the alien invaders with his first simple manifestations, teaching himself how to thrust the spear without losing power in the extension, learning where to target the monsters by exposing their glowing weak points, and perfecting the first most basic actions when planting his foot and rotating his hips under the guidance of his Haunted title. He had come full circle with the Ancient Defenders. Compared to his past self, he was a completely different warrior.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Unlike his battle with the Omega Construct, where he was engulfed within a domain of darkness, Coop¡¯s blinders were self-imposed this time. He barely registered the audience of residents on the walls and docks anymore. They came and went, taking breaks to eat meals while entertaining themselves with his grind.


    They cheered for the Unchosen Champion, already growing confident that he wouldn¡¯t be weakened for long after observing the physical manifestation of his determination. It didn¡¯t take them long to overcome the initial shock of his level reset, and witnessing his progress for even a few minutes was enough to harbor some doubt that the leaderboards were a proper measure of strength at all. Coop barely recognized their attention, solely focused on spiking his spear into the Primal Kites as they triggered their explosive ambushes, planting his ethereal flag into the crown of their metallic heads, then forcefully pulling it back out as he planted his foot for another throw.


    Coop was demonstrating the full realization of a build that had been specifically curated from day one to excel in one specific style of combat.


    In his opinion, all of his success outside of grinding had been incidental to the initial design. He could defeat bosses and outduel others because he had focused on becoming a perpetual combat machine, brawling and skirmishing on an infinite scale. He had better travel abilities because he wanted to eliminate downtime, not because he had meant to become a scout or a speedster. He was unimaginably durable because resting to recover resources was wasted time. The story of the Revenant was always one about grinding.


    But everyone could benefit from incorporating some of the principles he had followed. That was the message that had permeated throughout Ghost Reef. Their success could at least be partially attributed to the acceptance of efficient repetition: the concept that practice makes perfect. The idea wasn¡¯t much of a secret, but it was often overlooked in regular life. The rest of the world was certainly getting on board, realizing that they shouldn¡¯t just wait for specific opportunities to come to them in order to advance, despite what the alien sponsors had advocated. They could create their own beneficial situations, just as Coop had. Seeing him in action was a demonstration of the possibilities. Anyone could do it.


    Coop didn¡¯t mean to advocate for any particular philosophy, but he had inadvertently proven the advantage of simply outleveling or overpowering their challenges with raw stats. There wasn¡¯t any specialization necessary if it was possible to simply progress beyond the expectations of their overseers. If he could do it, so could they.


    As the sun set, his circumnavigation of the fort had become a wall of splashing chaos. As he flashed into the presence of Primal Kites and simultaneously summoned two or three phantasms to copy his actions on the nearest ambushing monsters, he broadened his coverage. The split seconds spent staking the ground with his spear, then sending it to the next hidden enemy were dramatic flashes of violence hidden in the wake of his patrol, repeated by ancient ghosts of equal potency.


    The jagged circle that had been connected by his laser-like throws had become thicker, at least three splashes wide in most instances, as he sought ways to multiply his efficiency with the many tricks accumulated over millions of battles and hundreds of levels. He had evolved so much that the battle with such simple monsters was a completely different game.


    The red sunset gradually darkened, and the layer of clouds that rolled across the ocean highlighted the mana in the air. Only the enormous shadow of the alien mountain in the distance contrasted with the crimson veil, casting its outline upon the bottom of the clouds.


    When night fully arrived, Coop stopped.


    He had gained more than a level per hour, but that really was only the beginning. The Ancient Defenders and Primal Kites had been checked off his mental list. It wasn¡¯t his grind that concluded, but his rotation.


    He planted his feet on the dunes in front of the main stone wall of the fort, and a massive wave of mists burst forth. He covered the interior of the island with Fog of War, letting it spill into the wide moat outside of the fort, forming his domain as the next stage of his grind was initiated.


    The sneaky Ancient Prowlers claimed their leveling zone in the darkness of night, active only when the conditions benefited them the most, but this night they were greeted by the thick mists of the Revenant. Rather than panic, the monsters remained perfectly still, assessing their surroundings for potential victims of their pack-led ambushes, relying on their advanced camouflage to turn the tide back in their favor. Though they were similar levels to the Primal Kites, they had a higher minimum level at 10, and had a denser concentration of spawns that would lend itself to even quicker kills. Coop was sliding up the scale.


    The invaders perceived nothing but the thick vapors that whispered of Earth¡¯s legacies. They utilized more than the typical senses recognized by humans, looking through the lens of mana to perceive auras beyond sight or sound, but the aura-sense was of no help. Coop had his own form of impenetrable camouflage within the domain of Fog of War. He was no different than a mere breath disturbing the swirls of mist.


    The mists started to periodically flash as an ethereal blade manifested directly from the clouds, carried by wisps that only solidified into the form of the Revenant at the point of collision.


    Coop weaved across the dunes in Vaporform, fully utilizing his improved ability to perceive mana to ambush the ambushers. His trajectory was impossible to follow as the combination of Fog of War and Vaporform allowed him to be everywhere at once. It was only when it was time to strike that he reclaimed his physical form from the mists and revealed his ethereal short sword to the opponents. His personal domain had become far more deadly as he adapted to his own evolved skills.


    Unfortunately for the spectators, the presentation of his abilities had concluded. From the perspective of the residents on the walls or near the lighthouse beyond the edges of his domain, all they could see was a fog bank that lingered on the interior of the island. It shrouded the scrubland and caught the limited light of the moon and stars in its ethereal surface, seeming like a smooth white-tinged smoke, but the action that occurred beneath was hidden beneath the cloudy veneer.


    The first day¡¯s show was over, but the grind continued. The Ancient Prowlers were cleaved in groups of five, one after the other, as Coop haunted their spawning zone. He burned his mana aggressively, living within the vaporous world, maintaining Fog of War, and actively using Vaporform regardless of its heavy resource cost.


    The real test of this grind was in sustaining his tactics. He pushed himself to kill the monsters faster and faster, trying to reach an equilibrium through his Reaper title. It was an impossible task, but he had suspected it would be difficult before it had begun. The monsters lacked the resources to rejuvenate a mana pool of 60,000. It only took an hour for Coop to start running low enough to encourage another adaptation.


    He had a simple, if surprisingly greedy solution: expand the domain. He spent more mana letting Fog of War spread across the island, hungrily consuming more and more real estate. It pushed until it was flowing along the surface of the shallow marshy waters within the Mangrove Forest, twisting between the lanky roots that entangled the zone. The fact that his maximum mana pool was undiminished, despite the level reset, was something he intended to leverage to its fullest.


    Loud splashes echoed between the branches of the overgrown mangroves. The aquatic forest was coated in mists while Coop baited the local monsters, ethereal trident held ready, adding more variants to his grind, and bolstering his ability to sustain Vaporform while going after the Prowlers. The mangroves represented a break from his wraith-like movement, pinning him in place while he lured the Primal Serpents to action.


    His plan for the night was as simple as his plan for the day. He would rotate between the dunes and the mangroves, pushing to see how far he could climb before he allowed the first full day to conclude.

 Chapter 322: Exceeding Expectations

    ¡°You¡¯re crazy, man.¡± Derek mumbled before yawning dramatically. He rubbed one of his knuckles against the bridge of his nose before shaking his head, as if he was disgruntled about being awake at all. It was obviously too early for him, though he had reappeared by the lighthouse in a surprising display of diligence.


    Even Derek was working hard. He wasn¡¯t sleepy because he had just woken up, but because he had been pulling an all-nighter to help make sure Coop¡¯s progress wouldn¡¯t have any unnecessary delays before transitioning into the mana well. Coop had enlisted all sorts of people into his personal restoration project, and Derek was meant to play an important role in clearing the way for the second phase of his plan. The duration of the first phase depended on Coop¡¯s progress, so Derek needed to keep track to see if the Coral Forest would be ready for the Champion¡¯s return.


    The sun was still in the process of rising, with the air hanging onto some of the limited chill of the previous night. It helped that the majority of the island had been blanketed by the vaporous domain of Fog of War, but it was only a matter of time before the heat reclaimed its place, front and center in the tropical environment. The disconnected mists were rapidly fading in the morning light.


    Coop didn¡¯t bother acknowledging Derek, eagerly checking his own status after his first full day of grinding since his big reset. While he could sense that the results had been dramatic, there was something especially validating about seeing the system quantify his progress in numbers.


    [Status]


    HP - 19205/19205


    MP - 2204/71820


    Class - Revenant (Level 35)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 221)


    Affinity - Spectral, Abyssal


    Race - Human (Icon)


    Faction - The Lighthouse


    Strength - 125 (+3591)


    Agility - 125 (+1795)


    Body - 125 (+1795)


    Mind - 2660 (+931)


    Intelligence - 125 (+3591)


    Acumen - 125 (+1795)


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion IV, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper II, Slayer XI, Dauntless, Defiant, Stalwart, Reckless, Stacked, Valor XXIV, Siegebreaker, Underking, Mindbender, Insane


    Skills (Active) - Mistwalking


    Skills (Passive) - Depths of Madness


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (22/50), Upgrade City to Metropolis


    Basic Credits - 17,649,186


    Coop squeezed his fist, flexing his forearm as he took a deep breath, proud of the progress a single day had brought. He could feel the difference, imagining the mana flow through his veins even if that wasn¡¯t exactly how it worked. The difference in Strength was massive by itself, and that was in spite of the diminishing returns in practical gains. The first day may have only been the start, but it was genuinely a huge recovery in his status.


    For context, it hadn¡¯t been until he had defeated the Zombie Lord and conquered the deep-sea oil rig that he had reached level 35 the first time around, and that had only been after three weeks of the assimilation. Back then, he had been assured that his leveling rate was off the charts, having already climbed near the top of the leaderboard for the first time, but compared to his speed now, everyone on Earth had been positively lethargic. In one day, he had recreated the same progress and doubled the amount of stats gained, thanks to his first abyssal skill, Depths of Madness, and his fully realized Path of the Mistwalker. They were both absolutely massive evolutions to his build, marking distinct inflections points in his progress.


    To put his gains in another way, in a single day of obsessively focused grinding around Ghost Reef, he had exceeded what guided Chosen were able to do with the help of the sponsoring factions over the course of the entire initiation phase of the assimilation. A month with faction trainers and facilities couldn¡¯t even come close to matching up with the Revenant of Ghost Reef. Derek was at least partially correct. He had made crazy progress.


    35 class levels and 19 profession levels combined for more than 2,500 total stats after all was said and done, and it hadn¡¯t even required him to come face to face with death. All the optimizations he had made toward grinding couldn¡¯t have paid off in a grander way. The excitement of his progress had him practically vibrating to keep it going, but he had already defeated well over a hundred thousand monsters.


    He hadn¡¯t expected to still be that fast when he had parcelled the different phases of his plan. Between target acquisition, travel times, and actual execution, he had still been defeating each monster in less than a second, all under conditions that were less ideal than having masses of enemies funneling themselves into a battlefield where he could cleave them down. The results definitely exceeded his predictions. Coop couldn¡¯t help but be impressed with his build, even while recognizing that he was barely getting started. Crushing thousands of regular variants in a non-event scenario was far beyond his expectations.


    This was meant to be the moderated portion of the process for reclaiming his levels, where he would be on the hunt for optimized routes and set the stage for future Slayer grinds. He had intended to ease the added pressure of slowing down at higher levels by controlling the level of challenge as he went, but he might be forced to just skip straight to the end at this rate.


    He glanced at Lyriel, who was standing behind Derek, in the doorway of the lighthouse, beside a pair of newly added plastic pink flamingos that framed the interior of the entrance. The look on her face said more than any further words. He thought she might actually be scared of his potential, if only he could see her eyes beneath the blindfold to confirm.


    ¡°5 levels a day seemed out of reach, huh?¡± He gloated a bit, unable to pass on the opportunity when it came to the arrogant Avatar of the System.


    ¡°You are a truly terrifying creature.¡± She responded, sounding entirely serious instead of playing along.


    Coop smiled at the commendation before amending her statement. ¡°Terrifying for my enemies.¡± He suggested, drawing a snort from Derek.


    Lyriel had spent the previous day exploring the facilities of Ghost Reef while being introduced to various important personnel. Many people were unavailable due to the expansive diplomatic efforts being conducted by the leaders at the same time, but people like Jones, the Cleary Brothers, Gideon, and Madison were in attendance. Then, there were all of the contracted aliens who had committed to the Lighthouse faction in the same way that she had. They remained within Lighthouse territory at all times, while making sure that the faction wasn¡¯t set upon by outside forces.


    The contracted aliens and the Avatar may have seemed like they had come from completely different realities, with Lyriel being branded as an exile by the Eradication Protocol, and the rest technically being a part of the galactic community, but the majority of Coop¡¯s alien recruits were similarly ostracized even if it hadn¡¯t been quite so official. The main difference was that people like Maeve and Vronk were still able to access the system, even if they had no faction backing them, or in their cases, controlling them. In terms of the community, they were equally distant, though Lyriel occupied a strange space where the aliens could potentially regard her as the god-like figure she presented to the humans due to their lack of inquisitiveness toward the origins of power.


    However, the alien residents of Ghost Reef had already been severely influenced by the humans to the point that they questioned the artificial hierarchy enforced by the factions, and Lyriel was pretty quick to respond to their gentle probing by letting her mask drop, even without Coop goading her to act normal. She didn¡¯t have the patience to maintain the facade for long after spending a bit more than a week with Coop constantly challenging her image.


    Upon visiting Ghost Reef, she had been forced to interact with more people over a longer period of time than she had in untold millenia. By the end of the day, she was exhausted on a level difficult to comprehend. Normally, she would have only needed to keep up appearances for a matter of minutes before she would be done with her presentation, but now that she was stuck on Earth, there was no use in maintaining her role as Avatar of the System at all hours. Coop had made her one of them.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Still, going from such an isolated lifestyle to being bombarded by friendly, but pointed, questions regarding the unknown future had been an ordeal for her as well. Both Lyriel and Coop had been grinding, but in his opinion, using his spear to defeat monsters was the more entertaining role. Rather than accept her own accommodations, she retired with Palisteon to Ghost Reef¡¯s lighthouse where she would be relatively alone.


    Coop was just glad Lyriel seemed to be adjusting well enough. He imagined it wouldn''t have been easy to go from near total isolation and disconnection from the broader universe to the welcoming atmosphere of Ghost Reef. It certainly could have been overwhelming.


    Lyriel took his satisfied expression to mean that he thought she was joking about her assessment of him being terrifying. ¡°No, you really do not belong in the galactic community. I don¡¯t know about the rest of your humans, but you specifically were meant to be an exile.¡± She reiterated.


    Coop shrugged, feeling a bit like she was simply recognizing his desire to be left alone on his beach. He was inclined to self-exile if the opportunity eventually came.


    ¡°More of a hermit, I think.¡± Derek chimed in.


    Coop tilted his head to the side, raising his eyebrows slightly as he accepted the more accurate assessment from someone who knew him a bit better than the beautiful alien. He nodded, thinking hermit was a more appropriate title.


    ¡°His very existence would disturb the harmony of the community. To turn such a mundane activity into an achievement worthy of recognition by the system does not align with normal expectations. It is abnormal. An abomination.¡± She tilted her face toward the fort as she continued. ¡°The state of this settlement might be proof enough that branding humanity is the correct choice. The assimilation is an apocalypse ¨C a desperate experience, horrible, and terrifying as the weight of the galaxy suddenly presses upon lone worlds. There should be no room for frivolity and comfort, and yet¡­¡± She gestured toward the fort. ¡°That¡¯s the majority of your development. How much of that is a reflection of its Champion and how much is a species-wide identity, I cannot say. However, that much adaptability is a deviation, to be sure.¡±


    Coop could feel her stare from behind her blindfold as she let her gaze fall upon him. ¡°There are individuals living here who have attained significant triumphs, but they have only done so through feats of galactic proportion. That World Beater that prefers to bake blue bread is a perfect example. But you¡­¡± She shivered as if she was a bit too close to a venomous snake. ¡°You engage with these pathetic manifestations,¡± she pointed at an Ancient Defender that was milling around on the shore, ¡°and grow your status like that? In such a short time? It is unnatural.¡±


    ¡°Okay, now you¡¯re going overboard.¡± Coop argued. ¡°Pretty much anyone could do what I just did. You¡¯re just being fooled by my class level. My actual power level is as high as it was at the start of the Underlayer Event, so these invaders just happen to be a cakewalk.¡±


    Both Lyriel and Derek looked at him skeptically, not arguing against him, but obviously not accepting his position.


    ¡°C¡¯mon.¡± Coop voiced his mild exasperation as they silently ganged up on him. ¡°You could do that too, Derek. All I did was kill a few hundred thousand low level monsters.¡±


    ¡°Not a chance.¡± He responded. ¡°I couldn¡¯t even clear this beach right now, even two hundred levels above them.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s just an ability limitation, not like some restriction on your potential.¡± Coop continued.


    ¡°No, dude. You¡¯re an actual freak.¡± Derek doubled down. ¡°It took me weeks of partying up for the Ancient Defender Slayer title. That¡¯s only 16,000 kills and I¡¯m a support class that¡¯s in high demand. There¡¯s a reason why everyone else hunts in shifts, takes breaks, parties together, or trains extensively with Ledwidge. It¡¯s ¡®cause they haven¡¯t lost their minds, unlike you.¡± He aimed a thumb over his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m with the pretty alien. We might be excessively adaptable, like she said, but you¡¯re crazy.¡±


    Lyriel nodded in agreement, finding common ground with the dubious company. It seemed like even at her indefinable power level, she doubted her capability for the specific task of an extended grind.


    Coop grunted. ¡°I don¡¯t see the difference, I¡¯m just rushing through the process. The whole settlement is basically boosting me with all the work that has gone toward optimizing the territory. Besides, I¡¯m taking a break now, right?¡± He glanced back and forth between the two. ¡°It¡¯s practically the same.¡±


    Derek shook his head, giving up on convincing the literal Icon of Humanity that he was anything other than some beach bum lighthouse keeper. ¡°Well, I¡¯m afraid if you keep this up, phase two of your plan might need to be delayed a bit. The Mana Well will not be ready when you are. Even with the help of Lady Hai Yun and her supporters, we¡¯ll need weeks to reach the bottom, at least, given the mutations we¡¯re encountering.¡±


    Coop clicked his tongue in disappointment, not wanting to go straight to Slayer grinds so soon. ¡°What level are the shrimp monsters?¡± He wondered, hoping there would be a bridge available for him to connect his planned phases.


    ¡°They all still match their levels with the day as they appear, so they¡¯re approaching 200 when they first rise up, then grow roughly twice as fast if we leave them alone.¡± He put his hands out. ¡°We haven¡¯t been able to tame the zone, unlike the settlement territory, so it just continues to escalate with the assimilation.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess I could stick to the top level for a while, then make my way down to help.¡± Coop adjusted his plan a bit, feeling like he had such a good start, taking extra time elsewhere was no problem. ¡°Either way, I don¡¯t want to skip to the Slayer grinds until after the Mana Well.¡± He clarified.


    ¡°The monsters on the deeper levels are presenting as question marks, even for Charlie and Camila.¡± Derek stated. ¡°I don¡¯t know if even you should come down until you¡¯re above, like, 450. The environments just seem to feed them more mana the further we go.¡±


    While Coop felt like he could be more flexible than that, given his well-established potency, he took the Bard¡¯s assessment seriously. If he wanted to avoid Slayer titles until after he fully explored the Coral Forest Mana Well for experience opportunities, he wouldn¡¯t be able to exclusively grind level 10 Ancient Defenders and Primal Kites, level 15 Ancient Prowlers, or level 25 Primal Serpents, Ancient Devourers. Climbing the ranks would take way too long.


    His other, higher level options were the Primal Trackers around Empress City, Ancient Vanguards and Primal Lurkers in the Everglades, or else the even higher level Ruin Nebulas and Ruin Tracers in the Yucatan Peninsula. Neither option was a part of his original plan, since he was specifically avoiding travel times as well as leaving the support of Ghost Reef too far behind. Still, it could be done.


    He supposed paying the Jaguar Sun a visit wouldn¡¯t be a problem, and he was sure that the monsters in the region that had already provided Slayer titles would be higher level than the ones in the vicinity of Ghost Reef¡¯s fort, but he didn¡¯t want to commit to such an adventure until he absolutely had to.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± Coop promised, thinking there was a chance he could stick to Ghost Reef¡¯s offerings without prematurely hitting up the invaders with Slayer titles available. ¡°The Ruin Excavators might still get me there.¡±


    Before he left for greener pastures, he had at least a few more days worth of progress awaiting him around the island. The Mangrove Forest could comfortably provide 10 or 15 more levels before exhausting the local variants, and then there were the tunnels that extended beyond the various levels of their underground expansion. He couldn¡¯t let the Ruin Excavators miss his reunion tour and if he stuck with them for a while, he should be able to put himself within striking range of the weakest mana well monsters.


    ¡°Alright, man.¡± Derek muttered, angling to wade back out to the Mana Well. ¡°Before I go, what¡¯s your rank?¡± He asked.


    Coop checked the leaderboards after exactly one day had passed.


    Day 186


    <ol>


    <li> Charlie Seraphin (Level 333)</li>


    <li> Camila Alvarez (Level 328)</li>


    <li> Platinum (Level 308)</li>


    <li> Gibson (Level 307)</li>


    <li> Imara (Level 303)</li>


    <li> Buck Cleary (Level 301) </li>


    <li> Emmanuel Seraphin (Level 295)</li>


    <li> Sila Tupua (Level 295)</li>


    <li> Jacqueline ¡®Jackie¡¯ Simpson (Level 294)</li>


    <li> Sefu (Level 293)</li>


    </ol>


    424,064,129. Coop (Level 35)


    Coop read his rank outloud.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Derek grunted. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean that¡¯s it? After all of that about how crazy I am?¡± Coop challenged.


    ¡°I dunno.¡± Derek continued. ¡°Just thought you would have climbed a lot more after leveling so quick.¡± He took a second to read the previous ranks. ¡°I guess you passed almost ten million people. That¡¯s kind of a lot.¡±


    Coop wasn¡¯t really sure what to make of it either, but he just assumed that the humans that had survived this far into the assimilation were making consistent progress. The fact that there were almost ten million survivors at less than level 35 was kind of amazing, though they could primarily be accounted for as citizens within the largest settlements. Virtually no one in Ghost Reef was that low, and if they were, it wouldn¡¯t be long before they progressed further.


    ¡°I figure most people who have survived are keeping up with the progression of untamed basic monsters at the very least.¡± Coop suggested. ¡°So the ranks should really start moving once I hit 150 or so, right?¡±


    ¡°Makes sense to me.¡± Derek replied, glancing up at Lyriel.


    ¡°Of course, the weak will be the first to fall.¡± She confirmed. ¡°It is not their fault, but that is the way of things.¡± She stared them both down from behind her blindfold as they looked at her like she had said something wrong. ¡°You realize four hundred million is an extraordinary number, though, don¡¯t you? I believe it would be difficult to find entire planets anywhere in the galactic community with such excessive populations. If even four thousand survive the full duration of the Eradication Protocol, it would be miraculous.¡±


    ¡°Sheesh.¡± Derek responded. ¡°What a downer. I¡¯m gonna get out of here before she really kills the mood. Take it easy out there.¡± Derek declared sarcastically before bidding the Champion farewell with a wave over his shoulder.


    Lyriel watched him go for a few moments before speaking again. ¡°I only speak the truth.¡±


    Coop climbed the steps of the lighthouse, gently moving past Lyriel as he sought the comfort of home. ¡°I think we all know, but we¡¯re working hard to defy expectations. The truth is that we would like to be doing even better.¡±


    Lyriel followed him inside, questioning the unrealistic goals of humanity as they went. Coop did his best to explain the human spirit after gently forcing her to step back when she trailed into the shower enclosure behind him.


    He was going to clean up, take a power nap, then head to the Clumsy Shark to refresh as many buffs as possible before resuming his grind. He figured there would be two hours of downtime before he started up again.

 Chapter 323: The Eternal Spear

    It was still early in the morning of Day 186 and Earth¡¯s doomed assimilation into the galactic community rolled on. The sun was shining, the pigs were swimming, the owls were hooting, the pelicans were soaring, and the main streets of Ghost Reef were chock full of human activity. Future challenges failed to cast a pall upon the tropical settlement and its residents.


    Coop had checked in with a handful of his closest friends and was ready to get back to his hunt. As he strolled toward the heavy steel front gate, he made note of exactly how busy the settlement had become. It was one thing to hear about the changes, but it was another to experience them firsthand.


    People were passing in and out of the many established service buildings, ordering, reserving, and collecting as many mana-based resources as the in-house masters could produce. Different groups called out to each other, divvying supplies among themselves, and sharing alternatives that circumvented obvious limitations in available inventory. They loaded their hauls up in teams, manually carrying them to their various underground destinations along the chasm. Rather than panicked urgency, they demonstrated the diligence of a cooperative community preparing for a well-forecasted natural disaster.


    This wasn¡¯t a unique situation either, as it had been occurring on a daily basis ever since the expansion efforts into the underground had been initiated. Only the scale had increased over time. With the results of the Underlayer Event, their endeavors had grown explosively.


    The expansion efforts had gone from what was more of a side project for a small portion of the already limited resident population to something akin to a settlement event, where each individual of the increased population found ways to contribute. What had started as a simple proposal being conducted by Charlie, Jones, and Balor in the beginning was now being worked on by many, many more. It wouldn¡¯t have been an exaggeration to say that the entirety of the population had been participating in the effort, adding their hands to personally contribute to Ghost Reef just like how the original residents had built up the fort at the top.


    Coop figured it was a convenient way to demonstrate that they were all in it together. Rather than having an obvious dichotomy between the new and old, they were cooperating with each other to establish a place that they would all protect.


    Thousands of residents, new and old, were working hard on what seemed like an equal number of individual construction projects. They funneled through the teleportation stations or up from the ramps with empty packs. They gathered supplies and coordinated plans from various hubs, heading back down the ramps and teleporters with tools and materials that would aid their collective vision in coming to life. The settlement was continuing to expand downward, then outward, at a pace that was escalating day by day as personnel arrived and expertise increased with the aid of mana.


    It was quite the contrast when compared to the slow, deliberate growth of the original top layer of Ghost Reef. As Coop and Jones developed the courtyard of the old stone fort, they had focused on individual projects, one at a time, making sure to efficiently use the space as much as possible while establishing a cohesive series of neighborhoods. When Marcus joined in, the careful considerations had continued, setting a relatively slow pace of approval and construction. The results spoke for themselves, as they had created a template that the rest of the settlement held up as an example of what they could do. The old stone fort and its courtyard had become the model home at the start of a picture-perfect development, but on what was a city-wide scale instead of limited to an individual unit.


    While each level was being designed independently, there were certain patterns being carried all the way down. The similarities were centered around the connecting teleportation hubs, landings for the physical ramps, and the initial carved apartment-like housing developments. Outside of those models, each layer was building its own characteristics that would reflect the new population as it moved in, and rather than a wheel a spoke pattern, the individual layers were broken into chambers, shaped like a four-leaf clover. The clearer division allowed for multiple styles to exist on the same level. Once they were closer to completion, Coop believed he could have spent months just exploring the different layers, but for the time being, he hadn¡¯t visited a single one.


    The expansion into the underground layers was following almost the exact same pattern of construction as the surface, at least if only looking at one single chamber at a time, with individual groups collectively focused on one project before moving on to the next. The layer governors were doing their best to follow the lead of the surface, creating mixed neighborhoods that would enrich the lives of their residents while leveraging the unique cultures they represented. There was a constant stream of them seeking council from the other leaders and architects of the settlement in the Town Hall.


    The main difference in periods of expansion for Ghost Reef as a whole was that there were already upwards of 400 chambers through 100 levels being outlined and settled, with more being added every day. They were all simultaneously going through the different stages of development that the surface had already gone through, laying out the thoroughfares and positioning important public features as they initiated construction.


    Ghost Reef was finally transitioning into a settlement with a population that reflected its established power, and it was working hard to maintain the same quality of life for every new resident that the previous ¡®generations¡¯ had enjoyed. Most of the time, the change in population was hard to notice if only investigated from the walls of the fort, the lighthouse, or the beaches, with most of the population distributed throughout the different underground layers. However, early to mid morning was not one of those times.


    Coop made note of the many unfamiliar faces, most of whom couldn¡¯t recognize him without the visual aid of his ethereal gear or the presence of his distinct unsuppressed aura. For the moment, he was really just another resident with a level that was well below average, apparently heading to the beach in his bathing suit. He weaved between idle groups, giving a quick greeting, as they occupied the benches, sharing breakfast pastries and coffees with each other while watching the queues that extended from the quarry or the lumber mill. Despite so many underground levels being developed, for the time being, the surface was still a central hub for many others.


    Certain materials were simply impossible to collect from anywhere within the territory of the tiny island. The vast majority of supplies could be substituted through a combination of stone and magic, but there were certain aesthetics that humans naturally preferred, and a touch of the familiar aided in the transition to moving to a new place. Thankfully, comfort was still high on the priority list for Ghost Reef, so they were free to make every effort in making their new homes pleasant, but that meant that some specialty items required trips to specific workshops, and those were primarily located within the original fort.


    While the system cooperated, they were stocking up from the easiest sources of what they were considering exotic resources. Lumber was a major one, but there were other specific ores, metals, minerals, and dyes that could pretty much only come from the workshop buildings and their system-granted upgrades that had been established by the independent contracted aliens. They distributed a portion to the workshops that had already opened up on the lower levels, but it was still easier for many to simply access the source directly.


    The fledgling trade networks between the subordinate settlements simply couldn¡¯t keep up with the escalating demand, though the merchant ships of the Tempest Fleet were on a constant rotation between the territories. There just weren¡¯t that many active mines or miners, farms, and lumberjacks in any settlements on the planet, as busy as they were contending with Primal Constructs.


    Empress City and the Corozal Outpost were basically the only places with individuals or guilds promoting growth through professions, and even then, the supplies produced were primarily from solitary workers seeking their own progress and credits. The rate of expansion in Ghost Reef had exploded thanks to the Underlayer, and its rapidly increased demand was impossible to match through conventional means with the current state of the planet.


    Alternatively, specific classes were able to produce some materials. There was a group of Druidic casters that spent much of their days producing their own specialized wood to be used for furniture accents, but they couldn¡¯t cover the entire chasm¡¯s demand. The metallurgists had a much easier time, but even they still struggled with specific precious metals. Geomancers had ways to manufacture necessary minerals, but everyone was on the same early portion of the learning curves.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Every profession master had established their own following of apprentices among the humans, but Ghost Reef¡¯s residents had primarily focused on combat, with professional work left as activities closer to beneficial hobbies meant to bolster their stats than full-time careers. Resource generation was primarily left to the alien residents, who had already established roles within mana-based societies and could better scale with the increased demand.


    However, the limitations on the supply chains didn¡¯t slow down the overall project. For the most part, people simply shifted their focus toward the many other tasks available. There was plenty to do when simultaneously establishing the foundations of essentially 100 cities and counting. The individual laborers in the underground were gaining profession experience at rates previously unseen while more and more people joined in on the communal project. The short term goals for the settlement had adapted to accommodate the more immediate priorities of development.


    At first, they were simply trying to make enough room for an unknown number of potential refugees, according to estimates of Earth¡¯s current population made by Jones. With the additional support of several different factions, most significantly the Grand Horde, they had expanded the already ambitious project, intent on making use of the entire layer between the surface and the Underlayer, regardless of current demographics.


    An army sent by the Great Khan had been working their way through the core of the underground path. These Earth Shamans planned for the spiral ramp that Jones and Balor had established to extend much further. It was only a matter of time, measured in weeks at most, before the star fort in the Underlayer would be directly connected to the fort on the surface by more than just teleportation runes.


    In order to match their expansion, the vast majority of combat was also taking place underground. The cavernous tunnels that extended beyond the chambers hosted countless monster spawns, many of which had been neglected outside of a few intrepid individual hunters who couldn¡¯t have possibly reached every corner. Jett and the bat colony had done a number on the hidden threats in the darkness, but in order to establish safety for each layer of Ghost Reef, the underground regions needed to be fully cleared, backup mana pylons placed at each hub, and phantom guard rotations established to keep the immediate caverns controlled.


    The subterranean areas were similar to the surface in that way, where the zones of territory needed to be properly maintained to prevent further monster development. Each layer was basically its own fort, connected to other forts above and below. The different layers also had what were essentially their own grind zones if people ventured beyond the barriers of the pearlescent chambers and explored the external tunnels. After the Underlayer Event, these were the areas that had become the most popular grind zones for the more advanced residents. Those who weren¡¯t delving deeper into the Mana Well were exploring the cavernous subterranean territories.


    At least, that¡¯s what Coop had been told as he refreshed buffs and quickly ate his breakfast before the first and second days of his grind. It sounded like an incredible effort was underway, but he was sticking to the surface for a bit longer.


    He bee-lined through the dunes, heading for the second set of grind zones established by the Adventurer Guild. Today, he promised that the underground layers wouldn''t be the only place boasting such rigorous amounts of combat.


    As Coop approached the Mangrove Forest of Ghost Reef, he was determined to individually transform it into another nexus of activity. He posted up near the core of the habitat, following the street-sized branches deeper and deeper into the woods. It only took a matter of minutes before he was feeling the stickiness of the humidity, but he loved the heat. The harsh environment was exactly as it was meant to be. He closed his eyes and made it his own, calling upon the mists to manifest his spear and shield as his Fog of War swirled around him.


    From the outside, the mangrove forest seemed calmer than ever. Sure, the mangroves hid much lower level threats than those in the underground, weak enough that few residents found it more than a boring chore to keep under control, but Coop had entered the window where the zone¡¯s monsters were an appropriate level for his personal quest for growth.


    As a result, the forest was eventually engulfed in ethereal mists. The giant trees disappeared within a cloud that lingered on the surface, ignoring the heat of the day and the pounding sun as if it was completely immune to dissipation.


    While Coop fought, the vaporous domain slowly expanded, growing larger and larger over the course of the morning, while the streets of Ghost Reef were still crowded. The domain started with a large section in the center of the forest before greedily flooding the rest of the marsh with mists. The wisps of fog climbed higher and higher through the stretched branches of the mana-infused trees until they reached the highest peaks of the canopy and tumbled down the edges, eventually splashing against the dunes and disappearing within the hot sand or gliding across the mangrove dotted ocean on the eastern portion of the island.


    It was no small feat to swallow up the overgrown mangroves. They were massive, completely unlike how they had been before mana infused them with unrealistic growth. They covered most of the eastern coast of the island, crawling beyond the land and far into the shallows, extending the island much further than before the assimilation had begun, and yet the fog coalesced across the entire frontier.


    Coop¡¯s mana pool had never been as high as it currently was, and he flexed the growth he had experienced, dumping nearly 70,000 points of mana into Fog of War just to get it started, then fought with the drain as he hunted the Primal Serpents and Ancient Devourers that made the ecosystem their spawning grounds.


    Coop avoided applying Vaporform as a cost-saving measure to his resources for this second day of grinding, but he built an army of phantoms to hunt the monsters on his behalf. It was a trade of mobility in favor of coverage and it resulted in an almost leisurely grind compared to the first, only requiring him to wade through the water and attract fresh spawns of Primal Serpents so that he at least made some personal contributions to his experience.


    There was no one recording his ranks this time around, as they had ultimately decided that a simple daily update would provide more than enough data for their reports. Recording every rank had obviously been a ploy to provide Coop with some supervision, but the first day had proven that they not only had nothing to worry about, but Coop was still firmly worthy of being called their Champion.


    Day 2 of Coop¡¯s grind went swimmingly. Due to his almost constant absence in recent times, he had underestimated the impact of some boosts provided by Ghost Reef. The biggest surprises were hidden among the city titles that had been a bonus reward for one of the settlement upgrade quests.


    As Coop waded through the marsh, sloshing through mucky water, he continued summoning ancient spearmen from the monochromatic world of mists. The day went on and somehow the durability of his weapons were never exhausted. He ended up with over 250 spear wielding phantasms scouring the canopies for Ancient Devourers. The heavily armored monsters were no match for their magical damage, but the actual army of ghosts that had formed was a complete surprise to Coop.


    After some reflection, he decided the culprit was primarily the Eternal Spear City title. It was a martial title that had been granted to Ghost Reef among many others. The main benefit of the title in particular, was that it increased the durability for the spears of residents within the shard¡¯s territory.


    Coop had assumed it would only increase it by a few points, or a small percentage of the total 100, but for whatever reason, he was able to keep dragging ancient warriors from the mists to help him on his grind. It was way too powerful and ultimately he had to assume that there was some hidden synergy being triggered between the fact that his ethereal spear was created from spectral mana and the settlement itself had a spectral affinity thanks to the very first bonus objective he had completed. The relic that glowed from the top of the lighthouse, bathing their territory in familiar energy, seemed to be bolstering Coop¡¯s own manifestations beyond expectations.


    Either way, exercising his Mistwalker abilities while within Ghost Reef¡¯s territory revealed some rather significant home field advantages. Coop would be strong on his own, but the settlement would be a force multiplier for its residents that couldn¡¯t be underestimated, and he was chief among the beneficiaries.


    Coop spent both the day and the night within the mangroves, just slowly meandering through the swamp, checking out the fringes of the forest, as he took care of the Primal Serpents. His phantasms patrolled the wide tree branches, and he was constantly listening to the splashes of dislodged Devourers as they had their creepy grips loosened from the elevated branches. The arrangement of this particular grind was about as perfect as it could get.


    He thought about skipping the break suggested by his allies and advisors and keeping the grind going for another few days, considering how effortless the mangrove forest had ended up being, but ultimately he decided to stick to the plan. The point was to avoid diminishing returns on experience, afterall. Sticking around for too long would defeat the purpose.

 Chapter 324: Hidden Hegemon

    Coop stretched his shoulders as he strolled along one of the beachside pathways that circumnavigated Rock Key. He was letting the footpath guide him away from the overgrown mangrove forest, around the edge of the island, where the open beach transitioned into low dunes. Coconuts had been lined up all along the trail, acting like a miniature retaining wall that kept most of the sand off the custom stepping stones, but the rest was swept by the passing feet of regular phantom patrols and human hunters intent on keeping Ghost Reef safe. Other than individual pioneering trees, no taller than Coop¡¯s chest, he was passing through open land with a clear view of the rest of the island, from the lighthouse to the fort.


    At the moment, the air was completely still. Coop¡¯s calm motion was the only real disturbance without any breeze sweeping across the shore and penetrating the interior. The dunegrasses were static patches, almost like they were asleep, waiting for the day to begin, and the stunted trees further inland were patiently waiting for day to break.


    Coop triggered the start of the day¡¯s activity with his mere presence. Land crabs waved their larger claws toward him, almost like they were beckoning him over, before rushing into their holes when he incidentally got too close by just following along the path. Roosting birds paused their sleepy preening to watch him go.


    It was early enough in the day that the sun hadn¡¯t fully risen beyond the sea on the eastern side of the island. When he glanced up, the sky was a mixture of deep blues and purples, streaked with long wispy clouds of red and pink. The stars were still visible in the darker portions of the sky, though they weren¡¯t nearly as bright and numerous as they had been throughout the night. In only a few more minutes, the last of them would fade and the first light of dawn would shine across the horizon.


    The ocean ahead of him mirrored the sky, reflecting the increasing change of colors, its surface shimmering with the subtle glow of the day to come. Only two ghost ships were moving on the western portion of the island, their small wakes establishing the only visible waves anywhere on the horizon, extending what could have been miles behind each. One ship was quietly leaving the port while the other cruised through the main channel to dock in the harbor. Neither used the bells, easily able to coordinate between themselves with sight alone. It seemed like it would be a bit longer before the island was properly awake.


    The gentle lapping of the waves on the beaches was too quiet to discern and the palm fronds hung idly in the stillness, but the early birds were starting to break the silence. They chirped and cooed, announcing themselves as they started the day. Coop appreciated the enduring tranquility, catching the last glimpse of it as he ended his second full grind. He had concluded a bit earlier than the previous day, accepting that the level gap he had created between himself and the Serpents and Devourers was growing a bit too large to stick around.


    He took a moment to look back, past the mangrove forest, to where the sky was quickly being painted by the colors of a vibrant sunrise, heralding the start of another excellent day. He couldn¡¯t contain the contented smile at being home once again. He missed being able to appreciate fleeting moments like these. He took a deep breath, looking forward to cleaning up, resting a bit, and then doing it all again.


    Following along behind him, exiting the wall of undiminished mists that had encased the mangrove forest, were dozens of spear-wielding phantasms. They stepped through the fog bank with confidence, like victorious warriors returning home from battle. A parade of them formed, ever increasing as he had gone a bit overboard with the support of the Eternal Spear city title.


    His many lingering manifestations made it seem like it was a shift-change at a major factory. The night shift was done, and they were heading home after a hard day¡¯s work. If not for their ghostly appearances and varied cultural representations, they might have really been mistaken for old-timey coal miners, coated in ethereal dust as they were released for the day. The sabre-tooth tiger pelts, egyptian helmets, and ancient armors gave them away as something completely different.


    The ghosts drifted away, returning to the mists one at a time, reflecting the time since their last kills and Coop opened his status to see just how much he had gained once he was the last man on the trail.


    [Status]


    HP - 21500/21500


    MP - 4460/81000


    Class - Revenant (Level 57)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 245)


    Affinity - Spectral, Abyssal


    Race - Human (Icon)


    Faction - The Lighthouse


    Strength - 125 (+4050)


    Agility - 125 (+2025)


    Body - 125 (+2025)


    Mind - 3000 (+1050)


    Intelligence - 125 (+4050)


    Acumen - 125 (+2025)


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion IV, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper II, Slayer XI, Dauntless, Defiant, Stalwart, Reckless, Stacked, Valor XXIV, Siegebreaker, Underking, Mindbender, Insane


    Skills (Active) - Mistwalking


    Skills (Passive) - Depths of Madness


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (22/50), Upgrade City to Metropolis


    Basic Credits - 19,675,717


    ¡°3000.¡± Coop acknowledged his base Mind stat, always happy to see the numbers going up, and especially satisfied when catching whole numbers as he collected more attributes.


    However, his excitement was partially repressed. Only 22 class levels was somehow a disappointment. He supposed it was because he was unfairly comparing it to the ridiculous 35 he had gained in the first day, but he was still sure he could do better. The gain in profession levels had increased, from day to day, going from 19 to 24, in contrast. He felt like that indicated a more successful hunt, at least in terms of raw number of kills.


    Obviously, he had lingered in the Mangrove Forest too long. Maybe a half a day would have been sufficient, but once he had Fog of War rolling with hundreds of phantasms from his boosted Legacy of the Mists, it felt wrong to dismiss the domain and move on while he could still squeeze out more progress. In terms of kills, it had been an extremely efficient setup, probably as close to a king of the hill-style grind from the Underlayer as he could ever hope to recreate with the spawns of regular variants on the surface.


    He was almost stubborn enough to go back and see exactly how many levels he could force out of that particular leveling zone, like he would conduct a limit test for experience yields. As long as he was gaining more than five levels a day, he was absolutely crushing it, and diminishing returns hadn¡¯t suppressed his growth that much just yet, but he knew that he would be shooting himself in the foot by lingering in one place for too long. He couldn¡¯t tunnel-vision on a single farm area when there were others within his optimal window elsewhere in his territory.


    Coop shook his head at himself, identifying the minor misjudgment and expelled it from his thoughts in the future. He wasn¡¯t the same Revenant as he had been when he first explored these hunting areas, desperate for every minor gain to increase his future chances of successful battles. His tendencies needed to better reflect his advancements.


    ¡°I need to be more aggressive.¡± He asserted with the rising sun at his back, already casting long shadows through the twisting mangrove branches across the rest of the island.


    The actual number of levels he had gained was enormous, far beyond even his personal hopes and dreams, but that didn¡¯t matter. His goal wasn¡¯t to barely meet some arbitrary total, like 500, and call it a day, nor was it to wring out as much experience from any particular set up as possible. The greed for progression that he harbored deep within his heart demanded that he gain all the levels, not just some of them, and the pressure of the Eradication Protocol demanded that he do it with some measure of efficiency. The competition to reach 500 had given one arbitrary deadline, but becoming as strong as possible over the long term lacked such restrictions. He couldn¡¯t push his limits if he allowed himself to be satisfied by a single route so easily.


    Internally, he felt the drive to progress burning. He hadn¡¯t lost his hunger, but he also remembered the key to longevity. A short break and a bit of routine would pay dividends in the long run, and no matter how fast he went, he was focused on long term goals. If he couldn¡¯t defeat fully empowered Icons of Mana, who would care if he was the strongest human, and if he couldn¡¯t stand up to the elders of the galactic community, what would it matter if Ghost Reef rose from the ashes of the Eradication Protocol.


    For the third day of his grind, he would head underground. Supposedly, the range of levels that Ruin Excavators provided was much wider than any of the other leveling zones found around Ghost Reef. There were portions of their populations unaffected by the taming effect of shard territory, having existed in the caverns before the civilization shard sufficiently spread its territory to influence them.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Coop nodded to himself, mission reaffirmed, and focus solidified. He would do his best to maximize the benefits of his downtime, seeking the mental reset that wasn¡¯t always available on extended challenges. He knew that if he didn¡¯t, he would reach a level of exhaustion that hurt his efficiency, just as he had in previous challenges.


    When he entered his lighthouse, Sunny perked up, having still been on the verge of waking up. Coop sat down, seeing the perfect opportunity to follow through on his promise, and took a few minutes just rubbing the retriever¡¯s head, scratching behind his ears, and smoothing the fur down his back. He hummed in satisfaction as Sunny enjoyed the attention.


    When that was done and they were both pleased, he headed for another shower. Shedding the dried salt, caked on muck, and mana smoke residue from his skin left him feeling fully relaxed.


    Lyriel was passed out in his bed, one arm stretched across the empty space while her opposite forearm rested over her eyes. The blindfold was hanging from one of the bedposts. He snorted at the complete vulnerability of the Avatar of the System, protected only by a bedsheet and half folded bed cover. He never imagined she would take him up on the suggestion to try properly resting, but judging by the wheezing, she was in a deep sleep.


    Before leaving her alone, he nodded at Palisteon, who was playfully hopping along the headboard. Just the day before, as she questioned how Coop spent his downtime, he had been trying to explain the benefits he saw from napping to Lyriel, regardless of how mana conducted all of the physical processes necessary to keep them going. She had been quick to dismiss his suggestions, skeptical that such a waste of time would be worth indulging. It seemed like he got through to her in the end, or maybe she thought she could experiment in secret. He chuckled to himself, like he caught her hand in the cookie jar.


    On his way out of the lighthouse, freshened up and ready to go, he scooped up Jett, who had appeared just outside the front door. He flipped her against his chest, supporting her in his arm like a cradle while scratching her chin with his other hand. She probably wanted to go to bed herself, but Coop wanted to selfishly claim some of her free time as well.


    He carried her with him as he crossed the island once more, this time from south to north, in order to visit the fort and have an early breakfast in the tavern before all the workers gathered at the service buildings for another round of resource gathering. Jett didn¡¯t make a single sound of protest, just serenading them both with a low purr that Coop translated as tolerance of his actions. He inspected her aura, out of curiosity, knowing that she was a consistent performer when it came to hunting.


    [Awakened Cat (Level 523)]


    [Sentinel of Shadows (Agility)]


    [Venerated of the Blessed Mau Collective]


    [Sharp, Dark, Silent (Hidden Hegemon)]


    ¡°You beast.¡± He muttered, rubbing his thumb from her forehead to her nose, causing her eyes to squeeze shut. ¡°How dare you beat me to 500?¡± He whispered.


    Coop thought it was a good thing the leaderboards didn¡¯t intermingle all of the different species. He was afraid he wasn¡¯t much of a contender if they considered the many animals out there, grinding even harder than he was. He checked his place, knowing he¡¯d have to leave it with whoever was working the tavern.


    Day 187


    <ol>


    <li> Charlie Seraphin (Level 335)</li>


    <li> Camila Alvarez (Level 330)</li>


    <li> Platinum (Level 311)</li>


    <li> Gibson (Level 309)</li>


    <li> Imara (Level 307)</li>


    <li> Buck Cleary (Level 302) </li>


    <li> Sila Tupua (Level 299)</li>


    <li> Sefu (Level 296)</li>


    <li> Emmanuel Seraphin (Level 295)</li>


    <li> Alex Nova (Level 295)</li>


    </ol>


    401,836,309. Coop (Level 57)


    He wasn¡¯t exactly sure what to make of his rank. Only something like 30,000,000 people were below his level which made him wonder exactly what the average position would be. If they went by galactic standards, only the highest levels would manage one level per day, but that was a benchmark that was only accurate in the earliest period, one that even Earth had already left behind. Realistically, they should be much lower, but with humans in particular, he had higher expectations.


    To him, it made sense that the benchmarks would quickly become useless. There were too many variables between different planets, species, and planetary sponsors to compare them all equally. But given that levels were a roundabout way to measure concentrations of mana and Lyriel suggested they were in a sort of competition to gather as much as possible before the Icons of Mana could use it for themselves, he thought the apparently high average level of humans was a good thing. He hoped that as many people as possible were ahead of the one level per day threshold. Charlie and Camila were still closer to gaining two levels per day than one.


    Meanwhile, a handful of the individual powerhouses participating in the subjugation effort around the former Fallen Zone were climbing into the ranks of Ghost Reef residents. At first, it had only been a few who had also spent enough time fighting within the Underlayer to have avoided falling too far behind, but the appearance of Alex Nova represented a change that demonstrated the experience opportunities in the wild untamed lands. At the moment, residents of Ghost Reef were at a minor disadvantage, not having any special event bolstering their levels.


    In the past it wouldn¡¯t have been a problem, as their diligent efforts to gain levels wouldn¡¯t have been matched elsewhere, but times had changed, and more humans than ever were chasing the gap that Coop had left at the top. Of course, he was too, and with over 50 levels in two days, it felt like he had a clear shot at making it back to first. His momentum was coming back.


    Once he entered the Clumsy Shark, he was happily greeted by Maeve. She noticed his barely suppressed excitement and leaned into him as she guided him to a seat. Gibson and two members of his party welcomed him to their table, as they prepared for their own early start.


    ¡°You gonna make a push?¡± Coop wondered, referring to how Gibson was falling behind Platinum and Imara was gaining on him.


    Gibson shook his head. ¡°No. We¡¯re sticking to our normal schedule. We¡¯ll see if others have the legs to keep up with our regular pace.¡±


    ¡°Where are you hunting that you can keep getting steady levels?¡± Coop wondered.


    ¡°We really only have two options if we stay home. Either the Mana Well or exploring new caverns in the underground.¡± Gibson explained. ¡°Either way, it''s a long trip before finding things appropriate for our level.¡±


    Coop raised his eyebrows, surprised that the underground caverns had that many opportunities. ¡°There¡¯s that much stuff down there?¡± He questioned.


    Gibson nodded as he put his drink down. ¡°There¡¯s bound to be a limit, but we haven¡¯t found it yet.¡±


    ¡°What about for me? Any secret spots around level 75?¡± He asked, drawing an exchange of looks between the experienced party members.


    Coop kept Jett in his lap as he ate, receiving guidance from the company as to where they thought he should hunt in the underground specifically. The Adventurer Guild had precise guides, even for the caverns, but they stuck to fully explored locations to avoid putting new recruits in overly dangerous situations. When it came to the caves beyond the pearlescent chambers, there were only a few outlined, covering approximately the same amount of area as the grind zones on the surface for each bracket, but if Ghost Reef¡¯s population was leveling in the darkness of hundreds of layers, there was bound to be more.


    Gibson and his party members cooperated with Coop, giving him plenty of information and options. They were the foremost experts in this particular exercise, after all. Gibson had turned the corner in terms of power by tapping into the Light in the same way that Coop used the Mists, and he had learned how to do so as his party explored and tamed the darkness on behalf of the settlement.


    ¡°Whenever you reach one of the more open caverns, you¡¯re gonna want to stick to the left most passages.¡± Gibson reiterated after explaining one of the many options and their top recommendation for his particular level bracket. ¡°That''ll keep you circling the central chambers in a wide loop. None of the bigger ones are directly connected to the safe zones. There¡¯s always intermediary zones to use as landmarks.¡±


    The stern lady nodded along before adding her own soft suggestion. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you take someone along to guide you back when you¡¯re done?¡± She wondered, thinking of a lifeline for Coop in case he wandered too far, but Gibson shook his head.


    ¡°He won¡¯t need it.¡± Gibson declared. ¡°I know it used to take us two weeks to go all the way around that section, back when we first started clearing the caves, but it¡¯s only a few levels down. I have a feeling our young Champion here will have no issues.¡±


    ¡°You saw him tear through the Kites, right?¡± The other party member added. ¡°Bet it¡¯s more like that than our sluggish progress.¡±


    Coop shrugged between spoonfuls as they looked to see how he took their input, not particularly worried himself. Unlike the sinkholes he had explored in the Yucatan, he wasn¡¯t worried about getting stuck in Ghost Reef¡¯s territory. If he couldn¡¯t figure out how to navigate his own backyard, he didn¡¯t really have any business exploring the rest of the world.


    They had ultimately settled on sending him to a circuit only six levels down from the surface, close enough that teleporters weren¡¯t really necessary, and there were apparently dozens of routes leading back to the main chambers. This was an area where the Ruin Excavators would range from level 50 to 75, but he could either expand his loop or move to a lower location to find slightly different ranges that escalated in predictable segments.


    If he went too far away from the central chambers, the monsters would be higher level, but they would also be mixed with some of the other variants that formed nests in the darkness. Coop was still hanging onto the idea of saving his Slayer quests until he had something more like 200 levels under his belt, and probably many more if he could properly dig into the Mana Well.


    ¡°What about the darkness?¡± The other member of Gibson¡¯s party spoke up.


    Coop glanced at Gibson, curious what he meant.


    ¡°I usually call upon The Light to provide illumination.¡± The party leader explained. ¡°There is a network of chambers that have been installed with mana-powered lights. That¡¯s where most parties go to hunt, but if you¡¯re covering more ground you might be passing through sections that don¡¯t have such installations.¡± Gibson frowned as he considered a unique issue for someone like Coop, who was planning on locking down an area that had occupied the entire settlement for a period of time after the Siege Event by himself.


    ¡°If that¡¯s all it is, I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Coop told him not to worry. ¡°I¡¯ve got a bunch of elixirs, but my aura skills are also probably enough by now.¡± He continued, thinking his mana sight would likely also come into play. If he could detect the Primal Kites with just his eyes, he thought he might be able to do the same for the Ruin Excavators in the darkness.

 Chapter 325: Midnight Sun

    Coop made use of the central teleportation hub beneath Balor¡¯s Tower to travel down to the sixth level of Ghost Reef, skipping a short hike in favor of instantaneous traversal. The runed portals really felt like the first pieces of proper ¡®manatech¡¯ seen by humanity. Everything else, like the various notification displays, the fort¡¯s giant defensive shields, and all of the contracted resource production buildings were distinguished by the authority of the system. The portals were created by Balor with the help of Jones and other humans, all residents of Ghost Reef.


    Prior to the portals, mana was mostly being utilized through the research of the Cleary Brothers and their assistants to recreate what humanity had lost. Everyday conveniences provided by electricity, like refrigeration, air conditioning, and light were substituted with equivalent inventions that were instead powered by mana. But teleportation was something genuinely new.


    Coop supposed he should have given more credit to Garod and the other crafters. They had developed suits of armor and weapons with the kind of features previously only imagined by humans. The sleek almost sci-fi equipment had blended genuine tech advancements through the use of mana, but still, for Coop the teleporters represented a significant step forward. The difference between reactive displays and automatic countermeasures compared to actual teleportation was immense.


    As he selected his destination, he mentally prepared himself for the temporary suspension of his senses, focusing on where he would end up instead of imagining the existential horrors that magical teleportation actually symbolized. Coop took a deep breath and closed his eyes before the runes circling his feet fully activated.


    The sparsely populated layer of the settlement that would be his destination had become home to the group that was surviving in Iceland without a civilization shard before the Underlayer Event. Since they were among the first to settle in the underground layers of Ghost Reef, they had already been developing the pearlescent chambers into a proper municipality, starting with the section they had decided to share among themselves. Only a few other scattered smaller groups had joined them in the other three chambers so far because most larger groups were granted their own layer, at least as long as Ghost Reef had the space to spare.


    According to his companions, the new Icelandic recruits were proving themselves to be valuable members of the faction. Each and every one of them were fierce survivors who had refused to die, despite the assimilation insisting that they were hopeless. Lacking a civilization shard and having minimal sponsorships due to their relative isolation hadn¡¯t been enough to throw them into despair. They were a reserved bunch when the residents of Ghost Reef introduced them to the island, but as soon as they were comfortable, they proved to be genuinely friendly.


    When it came to settlement missions, they were already matching the prior residents in participation, enthusiastic as they were to contribute to the community. If a request to defeat a certain number of elites in a specific zone was posted, they were always willing to take part, joining the residents to secure the island. As the settlement expanded downwards, more and more subjugations were necessary, but new residents were stepping up. It was a rule that was especially true for those making their home on the sixth level.


    Their experience in combat was extensive and they weren¡¯t afraid to make contributions toward difficult vanquishing efforts in either the underground or the mana well. The fact that the settlement itself was peaceful had been a major change for them, but the tropical island wasn¡¯t lacking in action to keep them busy.


    The Icelanders had been under challenging conditions before, lacking the taming effect of any official territory, but the chance encounter with Coop had presented them with an opportunity to survive that they wouldn¡¯t let pass them by. If that meant fighting for their new home, then that¡¯s what they clearly intended to do.


    The past experiences kept them combat ready while their willingness to contribute prevented them from growing stagnant in the more comfortable atmosphere. Their levels were lower than the previous residents of Ghost Reef on average, but their actual battle experience was comparable. They simply lacked the structured leveling paths that had formed around the tropical settlement as well as the major settlement event opportunities that had boosted Coop¡¯s companions to the forefront of the assimilation.


    Instead, the Icelanders were forced into erratic battles as waves of Primal Construct variants formed and spread across their home territory, seeking to turn the remote island into another alien domain while evolving into higher ranking invaders. The thought made Coop a bit wistful for another settlement event, as that would be an even more efficient way to boost his levels compared to grinding mere normal monsters ¨C the lowest on the proverbial mana-food chain ¨C though that might make his competition with the other heroes of Earth a bit too easy. At least he could be confident that Ghost Reef would benefit in that scenario.


    The new recruits were battle-hardened in ways that were comparable to the Jaguar Sun. The main difference was that their opponents had been primarily alien, rather than human, and that had engendered a certain level of cooperation that had worked out in Ghost Reef¡¯s favor. If there were still groups around Earth that weren¡¯t entirely on team Humanity, preferring to work for their own benefit, the group from Iceland was not among them. They had been forced into fighting the alien invaders exclusively and they had never experienced the type of human conflict that tainted much of the rest of the world. Like Coop and Ghost Reef, their isolation had benefited them in unpredictable ways.


    Ghost Reef had incorporated a contingent of mana-wielding vikings, but their contributions weren¡¯t limited strictly to combat. For the first time since they lost their settlement, they could build something new, rather than simply subsisting under the constant threat of Primal Construct incursions while their previous infrastructure eroded around them. If the fort on the surface was a template that the rest of the underground was following, the sixth level was proof that it was a model that could be successfully followed. When he had decided on heading to their level, his companions had been excited for him to see what they had already built.


    When Coop arrived he was momentarily bewildered by light and color. On his way down, he had been anticipating the relative lowlight of the pearlescent chambers, maybe bolstered by simple mana-based torchlight. Instead, he craned his neck, shielding his eyes with one hand as he gazed upon an impossible bright sky once the darkness of the teleport was lifted. He could actually feel the heat of the sun on his raised forearm, a large contrast compared to the ambient temperature of the air.


    ¡°What in the world?¡± Coop muttered, completely stupefied by what he was seeing as his eyes adjusted. His expectations were high, but he thought something wasn¡¯t right. A chill ran down his spine as he was confronted with a noticeable drop in temperature, one that he was absolutely not acclimated to. It must have been 65 degrees fahrenheit ¨C much colder than the underground beneath Ghost Reef would naturally reach.


    He slowly stepped forward, clearing the runed landing, head still tilted up at the wide open sky, confused by his unmet expectations. Wasn¡¯t he supposed to be underground, six layers down? Had something gone wrong with the teleportation runes? He shivered as he remembered his nervousness on his first trip down, but Balor had assured him the whole process was foolproof. And yet, here he was, clearly in the wrong location.


    He had laid his eyes upon a sky that was like nothing he had ever seen before and he felt a moment of fear, adrenaline surging in a wave through his body, as he considered whether or not he had suddenly found himself far from home. Was that possible?


    ¡°...Excuse me? Sir?¡± Someone tried to get Coop¡¯s attention, and when he finally tore his eyes away from the strange lights in the foreign sky, he was greeted by a friendly man that had been loading supplies into a simple rustic cart. ¡°Are you lost?¡± The man wondered, silently offering to help Coop if he was.


    ¡°Where am I?¡± Coop finally asked, looking past the man at a quaint village with people coming and going from painted buildings colored in various hues of pastel blue and white with baskets filled with goods. A group of children played in a small patch of manicured green grass separating a residential home from a small commercial shop, giggling and shouting as they chased each other in circles.


    Was it time travel? This seemed like a place untouched by the assimilation. Coop looked back up at the bright sky, as if it would provide some bearings. The sky was filled with hues of pink, orange, and yellow. The sun seemed familiar enough as it rose above what seemed like the horizon, but when Coop looked closer, it seemed to shimmer, like he was gazing upon a panoramic scene through a thin translucent film.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Beyond the vintage buildings of the relatively dense village, designed with a minimalist aesthetic, with clean lines and simple forms, a landscape of rugged mountain peaks framed the sunrise, catching twinkling illumination on their snowy peaks. Cloud formations that Coop had never witnessed before established dramatic patterns across the sky, looking like hovering shelves of soft white cloth, as the weather was influenced by the unique geography in the distance.


    Coop could only gape at the dramatic scenes, caught completely off guard when he didn¡¯t find himself in the pearlescent chambers where he had grinded in the past.


    ¡°Ghost Reef¡­?¡± The friendly man responded, seemingly concerned that he might be dealing with a person that was completely lost. ¡°Sir, are you alright?¡±


    Coop looked skeptically at the skyline, feeling like the Champion of Ghost Reef would recognize his own island. ¡°There¡¯s no mountains like that on Ghost Reef.¡± Coop pointed out. ¡°No clouds like that either.¡± He stated, using his finger to point at the strange rectangular formations adding depth and texture to the vibrant sky.


    ¡°Ah, I see. Is this your first visit to the settlement? I believe most of the layers are incorporating some form of sky window by now.¡± The man turned to check out the clouds that had disturbed Coop the most. ¡°We chose to display the sky from our home. Lenticular clouds like that aren¡¯t so unusual in certain places of Iceland.¡± He glanced back at Coop. ¡°I suppose it¡¯s especially strange because of the midnight sun. It doesn¡¯t quite set during the summer months, so the time of day might seem off.¡±


    Coop squinted at the sky, finally realizing that he had been duped by some kind of massive art project. It had really felt like he had stepped onto a completely different planet when he emerged from the teleportation, but it was just a scene from Iceland projected from the walls of the cavern through some framework of mana. It was an impossibly dramatic display of how humanity was taking control of mana for their own applications.


    ¡°That¡¯s insane.¡± He muttered, thinking he needed to ask the Cleary Brothers about it, before shaking the shock off and facing the helpful bystander.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the man chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m just thankful we voted against including the dynamic weather package. I won¡¯t miss the wind.¡± He continued.


    Coop was still staring at the sky, mumbling about how insane the idea of underground weather was. He thought that maybe he needed to visit more of the layers. How would rain work?


    ¡°Do you need me to contact someone?¡± The man continued, voice gently questioning, but Coop was slowly internalizing the changes and getting back to his normal self.


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine. Could you point me toward the nearest passage? I¡¯m here to grind.¡± Coop responded, somehow feeling motivated by the developments of the settlement.


    The man nodded slowly, glancing across the central hub as if he was contemplating how much to share before answering. ¡°Sure, but don¡¯t you want to wait for the rest of your party?¡± The man finally responded, showing a bit too much concern.


    ¡°It¡¯s just me.¡± Coop answered. ¡°That way?¡± He asked, pointing toward what seemed like an active volcano perched beyond a series of stone apartments at the furthermost point of the village. It happened to be where the man had glanced.


    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s still quite dangerous for lower levels beyond the central chambers.¡± The man conceded, frowning as he seemed to check Coop¡¯s aura, finding whatever he saw a bit confusing.


    ¡°Cool.¡± Coop smiled at the helpful resident. ¡°Thanks.¡± He added as he marched away, still stealing glances at the spectacular sky.


    He was really curious how the vast holographic expanse would transition to the real smooth stone walls that should be at the borders. He crossed what seemed like a simple marketplace, judging by the signs posted above their doors. People were already just living their lives, gathering fresh ingredients to take to their homes or getting ready for the day¡¯s work. Coop hadn¡¯t expected the lower levels to have already established themselves quite so much, but it was like seeing the fort after months of development. The survivors were doing what they could in the face of the assimilation, and their adaptability was dramatic.


    As it turned out, the transition from holographic display to proper caverns was pretty slick, making Coop feel like he was entering a single track canyon that had been carved into volcanic rock before becoming the actual tunnels of the underground. The craggy landscape smoothly converted to the real stone walls in a way he wouldn¡¯t have noticed if he wasn¡¯t already looking for it. A pair of phantoms nodded at Coop as he crossed the threshold beyond the village, recognizing the Champion long before he was close enough to greet. The sentries that normally watched the walls of the fort had spread all the way down into the underground, making sure the actual living areas were safe from respawning monsters.


    When Coop looked back after walking a bit further, it felt like he was inside of a tunnel that had been carved into a mountain, the end of which led to an open air town. Honestly, the deception was almost too good. He thought it might be better if the sky actually looked like it was being seen through a window or something, otherwise there was something uncanny about being underground and not being able to sense it properly. He thought he¡¯d mention it to Jones the next time they had a chat, though he doubted he was the first person to provide such feedback.


    He kept moving forward, noting how even the air began to change as he drew further from the safe zone. The atmosphere warmed, growing thick with the scent of damp earth and notes of something faintly metallic, transitioning about as far as possible from the crisp mountain air in the village. He could hear trickling drops in the distance and more than a few scattered clicks that he knew to be monsters testing their claws.


    The walls lost their pearlescent sheen as he went, but there were a series of magical torches set up, providing a calm yellow light that emanated from rechargeable glowing crystals, leading the way deeper and deeper into the heavy darkness. He skipped the initial main cavern and its many smaller offshoots, avoiding the completely tamed sections where mushrooms were being cultivated beneath the torchlight and the invaders that wandered into the light were too weak even for Coop¡¯s diminished level.


    The second large cavern was where he would start, but he estimated that it was more than a mile from the central chasm before he arrived. When he stepped beyond the edge of the transitional tunnel, he was surprised by the vastness of the chamber. The ceiling was lost in the gloom while individual stalactites reached down from the unseen heights. Their damp tips caught the remnants of luminescence that bounced through the tunnels, and Coop wrinkled his nose at the thick stench of sulfur that drifted through the space. Angular ramps might have led him up or down, but he knew from the instructions relayed by Gibson to stay at this particular depth.


    Basically, there wasn¡¯t much on the layers above, since he had moved beyond the edge of the actual island and was beneath the many miles of shallow reefs and sandbars that wrapped Ghost Reef. The first five or so levels were the safest when it came to monsters because they lacked the same horizontal scale as the lower levels. That didn¡¯t help Coop much since he was actively on the hunt, hence how he ended up on the sixth level to start.


    He didn¡¯t move any deeper, already knowing that the swarm of Ruin Excavators that were waiting for unsuspecting adventurers to wander into their ambushes were exactly what he was looking for. This particular variant had always been among the most annoying to deal with, but Coop had far more tricks than the first times he contended with them.


    First, he summoned a pair of one-handed hammers, opting for a rare case of dual wielding. Next, he channeled Fog of War, filling the cavern with a layer of thin mists. The scattered illumination from previous chambers hit the vapors and spread evenly, giving the ghostly mana a strange golden glow that revealed the full shape of the stone walls. The underground chamber was like a jagged tear in the ground, gaping before the Revenant like a monstrous maw, teeth of stone and throat of darkness.


    Coop stepped into the stationary jaws, testing the senses of the Ruin Excavators that were hidden in the ceiling, and as expected, they responded immediately. They launched themselves from their anchor points, slamming downward with cruel intentions, while others immediately responded with a frenzy, but Coop was ready. He slipped into Vaporform, dispersing his presence into Fog of War, and let the first actors smash into the ground, taking his time in stepping aside.


    The alien invaders had time for a fleeting moment of confusion before a pair of claw hammers manifested from the wispy mists, solidifying into proper weapons of war as they crushed their carapaces into fresh divots in the stone. Coop¡¯s attacks echoed through his fog, slightly muffled before reaching the edges of his domain, but the burst of action was enough to cause the entire wall of mists to surge forward, then draw backwards with each attack, like a cloud of smoke in front of powerful subwoofers. Coop¡¯s Strength wasn¡¯t to be underestimated.


    He slipped back into Vaporform when the first volley of pneumatic stingers shot toward his position, then reappeared adjacent to the culprits, hammers first. It only took a minute for the first batch of 50 monsters to be taken care of, but Coop was already considering how to speed up the process, moving to the next hidden nest in the same chamber. What he needed was a more convenient way to trigger all of the ambushes and create a melee that he could properly take advantage of.


    However, before Coop could continue with his initial experiments, a party of humans approached his domain, the leader of which carefully tested the mists with a single finger. A moment after they reached the chamber, Coop manifested from the fog, using Vaporform as an instant teleport from the dark center to the edge. He stepped forward, exiting his domain with scattered vapors still clinging to his armor, to see what was the matter.

 Chapter 326: Bronze Rank Party

    When Coop was fully immersed in his various spectral manifestations, the proximity his class had with the Undead was never more obvious. An ominous, supernatural fog that seemed to have a mind of its own, filling a specific cavern of an already dark and menacing cave system set a heavy atmosphere. It seemed threatening, penetrating even his normal obliviousness, and that was before any intruders were impacted by the disorienting effects inherent in the Mind-based skill.


    Then, Coop, decked out in ethereal gladiator armor like the specter of some warrior forgotten by the sands of time after being unceremoniously killed in an ancient arena, simply appeared, with no proffered warning, from a swirl of ghostly mists within the fog, completely silent. The wispy domain went undisturbed, as if to accommodate his tenebrific presence in the gloom, but his armor caught the dim illumination as he shifted his weight, his movement demonstrating his readiness to the trained eye. Even the way he carried himself hinted at the deadliness of becoming his enemy. A hundred million instances of combat left a subtle mark on every action he took, from the way he stood to the way his eyes moved.


    If anyone was unprepared for meeting the Revenant of Ghost Reef, it had to have been like being confronted by an evil wraith, hungry for revenge. For once, Coop leaned into the menacing ambiance, highlighting the danger of being in his presence by keeping his expression dispassionate rather than familiar. Normally, this was the moment that he provided a friendly greeting, waving with as disarming a smile as he could manage in order to try and make his potential new friends comfortable.


    The curious strangers all flinched as he caught them by surprise, but the pair that were carrying mana-torches held onto the light sources with some amount of discipline that seemed commendable. Coop eyed each of them from just beyond the edge of his Fog of War, letting the silence linger just a moment longer before speaking.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± Coop ventured after concluding they wouldn¡¯t jump straight to combat, merely asking a simple question instead of greetings to maintain some of the weight of his presence behind him. He slowly stepped completely into the light and propped both hammers up, one elongated stem on each of his bare shoulders, as he investigated the party that had interloped on his hunting ground.


    A quick inspection of their auras revealed that they were all members of the Lighthouse with levels around 150. He raised an eyebrow as it had occurred to him that they could have been under the impression he was weak given the current nearly one hundred level disparity between himself and each member of their group. That would be a deadly mistake to make, for them, but he let his fog drift across his armor, just in case, adjusting his grip to draw their attention to his weapons and remind himself of the real measure of his power in his Mind stat.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you.¡± One acknowledged with a relieved laugh, finally breaking the tension Coop had built while the others grumbled about the fright he had given them. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s the Champion, you guys. Show some respect.¡± He added, knocking one of them on the back of the arm as they complained, trying to get the rest of his party into shape.


    ¡°We¡¯ve all heard so many stories, it¡¯s pretty exciting to meet you in the flesh.¡± He directed at Coop, unperturbed as if the menacing aura was a part of the lore surrounding their Champion. ¡±Sorry about them.¡± He gestured toward his mates. ¡°They¡¯re just antsy about our quest.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Coop asked, still unsure about their purpose.


    He had only been in the caverns for a total of 10 or 15 minutes, so he doubted anyone had missed him that much. They couldn¡¯t have been looking for him specifically, and if any of his companions needed him, they would have sent an actual messenger wraith. He was still well within the confines of Ghost Reef¡¯s territory. If they had a quest, it shouldn¡¯t have anything to do with him.


    Initially, he had been wary of bandits as the scenario reminded him of the early days when every encounter was a potential combat situation. A lone individual off in the dark would have been a good target for a mugging, especially in the chaos of the initial assimilation, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case this time around. They hadn¡¯t followed him into the caves while he was distracted by the skybox in the central chamber, but instead had stumbled into him as they went on their own way.


    Coop frowned as he wondered if he had been outside of the sanctuary of Ghost Reef for a bit too long. It had been a long time since he had to be so pessimistic about meeting strange humans, and that was especially true within the territory of his settlement. The phantoms were all capped out at nearly level 5,000, so the level of security was unparalleled, even compared to before the assimilation. He relaxed a bit as he concluded he had let his imagination get the better of him through no fault of his current company.


    ¡°We¡¯re on our way to complete a mission for the Adventurer Guild and some guy back there warned us that a low level adventurer had gone off on his own, so we were keeping a lookout.¡± The leader explained innocently. ¡°We tried to tell him that Mick and Joanna ¨C those are the phantom sentries on duty right now ¨C wouldn¡¯t just let anyone wander out, but he wouldn¡¯t listen, and insisted that someone might be in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Coop mumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed as he realized he had been the one causing a scene.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t recognize your domain, so we weren¡¯t sure if it was safe to enter.¡± The leader continued, seemingly just happy to be there. ¡°That¡¯s why we were loitering around in the dark.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s safe, just a bit of fog.¡± Coop muttered. He hadn¡¯t realized it might actually get that busy around his once sparsely populated settlement. ¡°Even if it gets really thick, the Standard Issue Armor is supposed to have some countermeasures built into the helmet.¡±


    One of them tapped their equipment to give it a shot and Coop stepped aside, giving the whole party a chance to move on. ¡°Sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem, Champion.¡± The leader seemed genuine enough. ¡°I¡¯m Moe, by the way. We¡¯re the Metal Eagles party. Currently aiming for a Bronze Rank promotion with the Adventurer Guild so that we can get permission to enter the top layer of the Coral Forest.¡± He elaborated as he presented his friends. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose I could entice you to join us temporarily. We¡¯ll split the reward evenly ¨C 1,500 credits for us and 1,500 credits for you. Seeing you in action would be worth the cut and it would still be a decent day¡¯s work.¡± He continued, hushing the grumbling from one of the torch bearers.


    ¡°Nah, that¡¯s alright.¡± Coop chuckled. ¡°But out of curiosity, what is the mission like?¡± Coop asked, letting his interest bubble up.


    ¡°We gotta defeat 250 Ruin Excavators of level 70 or above.¡± Moe explained, presenting quite a bit of pride at taking on the challenge.


    Coop raised his eyebrows, wondering if there would be a punchline. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± He finally asked, barely suppressing his incredulity. There were more than 500 Ruin Excavators in his Fog of War, though he wasn¡¯t sure of all their levels. Was the Adventurer Guild just giving away credits?


    ¡°They¡¯re one of the trickier enemies, so the rewards tend to be higher for less kills.¡± Moe explained, unaffected by Coop¡¯s surprise.


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop acknowledged the truth of his statement, agreeing that they were a bigger pain than most. ¡°How do you keep track?¡± Coop questioned. He couldn¡¯t imagine the honor system being applied, but that¡¯s what came to mind first.


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    ¡°The quest just ticks up?¡± Moe ventured, unsure of exactly what Coop was asking. ¡°The Adventurer Guild uses the faction to give us an official quest. I can even share it with you.¡± He added, seeming excited about the chance of roping him in.


    ¡°Sure, let me see.¡± Coop responded and Moe¡¯s focus broke as he interacted with his display. Shortly afterwards, Coop had a notice in his display.


    [You have a new quest!]


    The notification popped up, and sure enough, when he checked his status, he had a quest that needed him to defeat 250 Ruin Excavators of level 70 or above.


    ¡°Well look at that. Cool.¡± Coop muttered, impressed with the incorporation of the system and faction. ¡°So if I get a kill, will it count for all of you as well?¡± He sought clarification. ¡°Like some kind of communal assignment?¡±


    ¡°Yep! As many people can join the mission as we want, but the end reward won¡¯t change when we turn it into the guild, so it makes sense to keep participation limited to avoid diluting the prize.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Coop nodded. Now that he had the quest in his status he couldn¡¯t just ignore it. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll help out.¡±


    ¡°Hang on,¡± One of the other party members interrupted. ¡°You¡¯re only level 57.¡± He looked at the party leader. ¡°He¡¯s only level 57. How¡¯s he gonna help? Seems like he¡¯d just get in the way, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± Coop couldn¡¯t help but be amused, though he didn¡¯t want to brag by correcting the guy¡¯s presumption.


    ¡°Dude, have you never heard of the Unchosen Champion?¡± One of the other party members questioned, giving an expression of pure bewilderment.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯ve heard, but those are just stories, right?¡± The skeptical member continued, seeming slightly apologetic toward Coop, but rightfully disbelieving what he had heard as simple rumors.


    ¡°Those stories barely paint the whole picture.¡± Moe insisted while the other party member agreed. ¡°Guy is a true veteran.¡±


    ¡°What stories?¡± Coop wondered, but they just laughed like it wasn¡¯t really their place to share with the person who had lived through them.


    ¡°The ¡®Siegebreaker¡¯ play is my favorite.¡± The party member that had tested the fog eventually offered after deactivating her helmet..


    ¡°The heck is that?¡± Coop questioned with a chuckle.


    ¡°It¡¯s about how you single-handedly defeated the world''s first Siege Boss.¡± She explained. ¡°The actor that plays you does an excellent job.¡±


    ¡°What the¡­¡± Coop muttered, as he came to the realization they really were serious.


    ¡°Theater Thursdays are the best.¡± They concluded, leaving Coop further perplexed.


    He had no idea what day of the week it was, or even if they still applied given the perceptible changes to Earth. That there was a theater in Ghost Reef was also a surprise, though he imagined actors getting profession experience somehow, it hadn¡¯t even occurred to him that such activities were going on. It was like a tiny sample of the confusion the aliens felt when they looked at humanity as a whole. How did they have the time for such extracurriculars ¨C the assimilation was the apocalypse, wasn¡¯t it?


    Coop shook his head at himself, wondering if he needed to buy a calendar for the lighthouse. He felt a little bad about his earlier suspicions toward the so-called Metal Eagles, but he recognized that he had simply lost some of his own naivete over time. Mostly, he was too innocent for his own good, but he supposed he had grown a bit more as the days went on. He wondered if that was a bit sad actually, but he took solace that Ghost Reef was hanging onto its status as a safe haven that would defy the heavens, even with an influx of strangers. Besides, so long as he continued gathering his strength, he could afford to be a bit innocent sometimes.


    With his participation eventually agreed upon, he ended up asking what their strategy to defeat the Ruin Excavators actually was, and they willingly explained, hoping to determine a way for him to get in on the action. Using a blade, they sketched the different phases of their tactics, revealing a step-by-step process to follow.


    They had a complicated method that required careful baits and retreating if they didn¡¯t pull exactly the right combination of monsters. By the end of the explanation, Coop was honestly a bit lost, so he offered to demonstrate his own strategy. They hesitantly agreed, worried about backing him up without a thorough overview of his tactics beforehand, though half of the party members were just excited to see him in action. He insisted that the rest could just observe.


    Coop melted back into his lingering domain, and baited the entire rest of the monster spawns within the chamber through a series of flickering teleports. The Primal Constructs launched themselves from their nests, crashing into nothing as he had already moved on, but the action goaded the rest of their companions to join in on the commotion. After a short period of setup, the cavern had become a mess of bewildered monsters, having wasted their primary advantage on chasing a ghost. They milled through the fog, aggressively searching for their target, though the nearest potential enemies were safely beyond the entrance to the cave.


    Then, with the help of Vaporform, Coop began to reappear among the multitude of monsters. He pummeled the swarm of Ruin Excavators with his dual hammers while completely avoiding their tail blasts and claw strikes. Each crashing slam whirled through the foggy air, drawing painterly streaks of glowing aquamarine before a burst of dark mana smoke erupted from the annihilated targets.


    Rather than attempt to properly engage his unpracticed offhand, Coop smashed both hammers down simultaneously, double striking every time he left the safety of his mists. He was effectively doubling his target acquisition, though he wasn¡¯t exactly doubling his speed. It was still quite a bit faster than wielding a single hammer on the armored foes.


    In slightly less than 10 minutes, Coop had defeated over 500 monsters and completed the quest in the process. Truthfully, he had barely broken a sweat, and he was still updating the specific strategies he would use on this particular variant, but with the cavern clear, he could take a moment to reflect on how it went. He wasn¡¯t completely satisfied with the speed that he triggered the monsters, but his Haunted title had already helped adjust how his offhand could better mirror his mainhand. He¡¯d have to experiment with different ways of attracting the Excavators¡¯ attention, but it was a decent start that showed quite a bit of promise for his initial gearing choice.


    When he returned to the presence of his temporary companions, Moe was encouraging the rest of his party, pointing out that they too could get that strong if only they had the same dedication to practice. He was making them commit to training with Ledwidge twice as much and joining the ranks of the top parties as soon as possible. Most of the parties Coop heard them mention had names like the Secret Lotus, the Circle of Obsidian, and other fantastical descriptors, but others just sounded incidental. The Seraphin was literally just Charlie¡¯s family name, and the Gardening Club was almost certainly the original herbalists of Ghost Reef. Still, the top was occupied by Shane¡¯s party and Gibson¡¯s party, neither of which had a specific name.


    Coop broke up the motivational discussion to see if he lived up to the rumors. ¡°So? What do you think?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the theater is capable of the special effects necessary to do your ¡®thwip¡¯ ¡®thwip¡¯ stuff.¡± Moe concluded. ¡°It¡¯s like a more controlled phantom-step, but that you can linger in the fog is what makes it unique.¡±


    Coop let them praise him for just two more sentences before it grew to be too much and he started to feel embarrassed. In the end he insisted on returning to his hunt.


    They left him with a series of apologies and expressions of gratitude, promising to repay the favor, and though they offered to let him keep the entire quest reward, he firmly declined. He had received more credits from Scavenging the kills than he would have received anyway, and ranking up through the Adventurer Guild didn¡¯t seem like something he should worry about at this point, though he thought it was cool such a progression system had been created.


    Once Moe and the Metal Eagles were gone, Coop moved through the left tunnel into the darkness, seeking the next chamber to really start his grind.

 Chapter 327: Silent Meow

    The territory of Ghost Reef had increased considerably at various points during the assimilation, but when it came to population, it had never experienced a period of such explosive growth. The previous influxes of refugees had seemed massive at the time, especially compared to the relative population of the island, but they hardly compared to the past month of change.


    Ghost Reef was undergoing an unprecedented shift. New faces had become a fact of everyday life and new corners of the territory were constantly being claimed and developed, just waiting to be explored by those with enough curiosity.


    Instead of a single burst of territorial expansion driven by an upgrade to the settlement, the current accruals were added piece by piece in an effort to keep up with the population increase. Mana pylons were daisy-chained one layer at a time in patterns that overlapped with the range of the civilization shard, and new people were already gathering all the way down the string of safety, assembling fresh bastions as they went, and they were often full of treats.


    The venerated lighthouse cat, Jett Black, of course, was chief among those who kept track of every bit of progress. She thought it was about time more outlanders recognized the excellence of the carefully chosen and thoughtfully organized realm. As they built, she certified and approved, accepting their tributes and collating who would join her personal attendants.


    There were countless meritorious individuals. She was supremely glad that word had eventually reached the ears of worthy countrymen. A grand reveal had been long overdue. Ghost Reef would claim its place as a laudable sanctum for the people of Earth; a place for all to rest their eyes, free from the incessant disturbance of life¡¯s many nuisances.


    The Underlayer Event had triggered a golden age, and Jett was hard at work making sure that everything progressed smoothly under her steadfast supervision. A kingdom was meant to have subjects, and a proper queen regnant should be responsible for her citizens. Ensuring that their lives were pleasing was her chief duty, just as it had been even before mana activated, she was awakened, and the assimilation began. That there were many more souls she was taking responsibility for was a matter of course. Anyone of her stature should be prepared for such grandiose obligations.


    She had grown enough to reflect upon her past self, recognizing that even then, when she was a much simpler existence as she hunted pests and was pampered by her attendants, she had been properly fulfilling her duties. Not much had changed to her recollection. She was merely more effective and the intruders more insistent, but at the same time, there were more individuals willing to indulge her company and support her efforts.


    The settlement had come a long way from the original trifecta of residents. None of Jones, Coop, or Jett could have imagined what the lonely island would become, but of the three, Jett may have been the most comfortable with the changes. She was completely satisfied with the evolution of her realm. Things were progressing splendidly.


    Jett continued to carefully monitor her expansive territory, diligently patrolling hard to reach places on a routine that pleased her well-honed instincts. Gazing upon the wild frontiers and imagining how they would improve once her territory caught up had become something of a delightful hobby. It had been many nights since she concentrated merely on the lighthouse, but she had no regrets toward the changes.


    She had been blessed with multitudes of new attendants, and they worked busily to make sure Ghost Reef was worthy of her presence while paving the way for future pilgrims. She couldn¡¯t help but feel content. Her claws were sharpened, her fur was brushed, and her stomach was full. Life was good.


    However, there had been a glaring absence in recent times, one that had increasingly stuck in her craw. The one blemish on the perfect mural was that her primary attendant was frequently sent afield. Even when he returned it was only for a brief period before he was off again. If there was one point of contention she had, it was that he was not home nearly enough.


    Joyously, this time seemed slightly different. Her first attendant had returned from another period away from the lighthouse, but when he did, he was different. She couldn¡¯t quite pinpoint the reason why, but when a proper cat¡¯s curiosity was stirred, it was difficult to restrain.


    Though he was finally fulfilling his domestic duties, refamiliarizing himself with the regions of pests that were already under control, she continued to fret. Even weaving through the shadows and crunching her fangs on the necks of the intruders in the underground left her unsatisfied. In the end, she couldn¡¯t help but return to his side and investigate.


    She was concerned that her first attendant had been damaged. She couldn¡¯t explain his dedication to revisiting previously conquered enemies, and wherever he went, he seemed to have other attendants acting as minders, subtly showing concern for the one that had taken care of the rest of them for so long. It made her worry as well. The small bit of anxiety she felt was unpleasant as it marinated during the first days of his return.


    So when the opportunity to investigate presented itself, in a rare break from routine, she took it. Jett accompanied Coop during a pause in his hunts, then followed after him as he went into the underground in search of level 50 to 75 Ruin Excavators. He had been guided by one of the more enterprising parties of treat providers, so she knew where to go, but the reason continued to evade her. The opponents were weak to the point of being unsatisfying, their shells not hard enough to provide the satisfying resistance felt through her claws, but her attendant sought them anyway. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder why.


    She was there, in the shadows, observing her loyal attendant as he fought on behalf of another fresh group of new residents. She listened as the so-called Metal Eagles giddily recounted the unbelievable feat they had witnessed when her first attendant casually completed their assigned task, and she followed as he continued to explore the darkness for the first time when they left.


    Jett wrapped herself in the impenetrable cloak of umbral darkness, strolling through the vaporous fog that swirled in the aftermath of her devotee¡¯s battles, undetected even to the champion of the mists. The black cat was simply that subtle. She was as close to undetectable as imaginable, and unless her whims left her wanting attention, she would stay undiscovered. No one else had accompanied her attendant, so she skipped her daily nap in order to supervise from the shadows. The mixture of curiosity and concern left her feline instincts fully stimulated.


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    What she witnessed caused her tail to involuntarily flick back and forth at the tip, swinging her unique black ribbon in the gentle breeze of the underground. She was coming to the realization that she had been underestimating her first attendant. He had been working hard while he was away from home, honing skills that she found most pleasing. Approval for her champion came promptly.


    Even though he was contending with some of the weakest underground monsters, he was progressing right before her eyes. In a single day, he exploded past many different thresholds, flashing white spotlights with such frequency that she might not have needed extraordinary senses to map the jagged caves. Even a human, lacking whiskers, relying solely on their eyes could have used the light to keep their feet steady.


    Her attendant was gradually speeding up as she witnessed him, testing the boundaries of Excavator detection, memorizing the ambush patterns, and responding with Agility that managed to impress the Sentinel of Shadows. If she wasn¡¯t mistaken, he had already surpassed her martial prowess when it came to dismantling the weaker monsters. She recognized his achievement and was glad for it. His victories were as satisfying as her own.


    Her champion optimized a route, snaking through the darkness in a large loop that he repeated dozens of times, picking up speed as fog lingered throughout what could have been miles of unremarkable caverns. He flickered in and out of place, completely removing himself from any plane that Jett could detect, reappearing in a new location, already destroying the intruders even as she shadowstepped along his path. She had to admit, he was quite special.


    Jett recognized that she could certainly teach him a thing or two about elegance and grace, but he was not lacking for enthusiasm. He dual wielded a pair of bug mashers, aggressively engaging with the dangerous monsters with a wide smile on his face whenever he manifested a physical form. Somehow, the expression did nothing to diminish the focus in his eyes. That they both subtly glowed with specks of black and ghostly light was another clue toward how the assimilation had pressured him to develop.


    For a brief period on the first day, Jett felt some pangs of guilt, realizing that she hadn¡¯t done enough to shield her first attendant from the dangers of life. She hung on to that failure until he completed his first day¡¯s worth of circuits. He finally spotted her when she left the shadows on the surface of their island home, in the middle of the fort, and he swept her up as if nothing was wrong, showing the same affection he did every time she let their paths cross. His intense warmth was as infectious as the giddy happiness of their smelly mutual companion, Sunny, who diligently protected the lighthouse in their absence.


    She let him pamper her to his heart¡¯s content, recalling his experience in the underground to another group of residents, all of whom showered him with more advice. After gaining more than 25 levels in less than 20 hours, he was already planning his next mission. Jett was worried that he was pushing himself too hard, but he still took the time to bathe and sleep in one of the upstairs bedrooms of the Inn. She thought that as long as he did that much, it was probably fine, but like a flame in the lighthouse, she fussed that he would burn out.


    When she woke up the next day he was already gone, but after a series of her own teleports, she detected the familiar fog that he dragged with him whenever he was in combat. He had already established another circuit, and she carefully traced his steps until she was in position to supervise once again. No one could hide from her, so long as they remained within her territory.


    The second day was much like the first, except he was deeper in the underground, fighting the same variant of monsters, but ones that were slightly higher level than the previous swarms. The increase in levels provided no additional difficulty to his effort, and if anything, his swings were smoother, his speed more natural, his strength less taxed, as if he had grown disproportionately compared to the enemies. Level 100 intruders were crushed even faster than the level 50s the day before. His power was like a landslide, building in intensity as it collected debris.


    Jett put the rest of her duties temporarily on hold, instead fulfilling an unspoken promise to make sure her first attendant continued to be safe. Perhaps she was worrying too much in her old age, but it didn¡¯t feel right to leave a child alone in the dark, no matter how much of it was actually firmly her own. As far as he knew, they only reunited when the days were over and he had gained another burst of levels.


    After each day of battle, he was tainted by the mana smoke expelled by the hundreds of thousands of monsters he defeated, sticky with sweat, and drenched in the aroma of damp caves and eroding minerals. He would eat and wash it off, sleep, and do it all over again. While Jett valued routine, her primary attendant took it to an almost unhealthy extreme.


    On the fifth day, Jett silently cleared part of the way, preventing her attendant from stumbling upon a nest of the Primal Fiends that he intended to avoid. She didn¡¯t completely understand his preferences, but she could respect that he had a clear path to follow. Her small contribution would make his path that much smoother, so she was glad for the opportunity to do it. Like the other attendants that came through the underground before, there were many who played a part in the champion¡¯s routine.


    He was rapidly approaching the limit of the Ruin Excavators within the unofficial confines of territory claimed by the residents of Ghost Reef. Jett recognized that in order to continue, he would need to diversify his diet, including some of the more hidden variants further in the darkness, or otherwise taking a different tack. She waited to see what he would do.


    The rate that he created spotlights of heavenly light, designating his advancing levels, were slowing noticeably. Contrary to what Jett viewed as reason, his only response to the natural deceleration was to intensify his hunt rather than move to more fertile grounds. He was competing with fundamental rules that even she failed to comprehend, no matter how advanced her instincts became. He struggled and clawed, exerting himself as if he believed he could break through, refusing to accept limitations, compensating for the inherent impeding forces with his own strength of will.


    It was inelegant, but Jett couldn¡¯t deny the results. The Ruin Excavators had never experienced such a thorough suppression. As the days passed, she was convinced that her supervision was unnecessary, but she continued to shadow her attendant, mostly out of curiosity rather than worry. What would he do next? Each time she woke from a nap, the question rang in her head, before she tracked him down and observed his new circuitous route for the day.


    Rather than continue with the simplest escalation, proceeding deeper into the caverns, her first attendant started to double the distance he covered. As the levels of his targets escalated, the window that they provided experience grew wider and wider, so it wasn¡¯t necessary to simply ignore the previous day¡¯s targets. He began to cover more and more ground, eventually making it comparable to her own expansive patrols, but in her case, she only passed through them one time, but he cycled back and forth, over and over, as if possessed by a drive that could only compare to hearing the faint scratching of a pest in the crawlspace, just out of reach. It had to be captured, no matter what. She understood.


    It wasn¡¯t until the seventh day that he broke his routine, stopping long before even night had fallen. His abrupt departure from the pattern caught Jett by surprise. He dismissed his pair of weapons and shouted in celebration, accompanying the noise with a series of fist pumps that seemed to indicate a successful hunt had been completed.


    Jett¡¯s nose twitched, causing her whiskers to bounce as she followed him back toward the nearest underground settlement. She supposed she should spare some attention for the rest of her attendants now that she had satiated her curiosity. Her first attendant was as diligent as ever.

 Chapter 328: Phase One Complete

    Coop slowly emerged from the sweeping darkness that filled the larger monster-infested caverns, over 100 layers beneath Ghost Reef. The monsters were well under control after experiencing a grind session with the Champion, but his formidable presence maintained a frightful atmosphere for the underground hollows.


    A haze of abyssal mana made it seem like the shadows were clinging to his form as he stepped forward. If anyone witnessed his current appearance, he might have seemed like a glowy-eyed evil spirit originating from the Earthly depths, born from black smoke and ghostly vapors, but the satisfied smile on his face contrasted such an assessment. His satisfaction was unmistakable, though there was no audience to share it with.


    He took a deep breath and stretched his shoulders, his half-lidded eyes only partially focused in the darkness. He had let his increasingly comfortable mana-sight and Presence of Mind substitute for his regular senses in the harsh environment of pitch darkness, using the unique setting to train in more ways than one. The dim glow from his irises were barely perceptible, but anyone that looked close enough would detect the small evolution that had aided him in adapting to the subterranean habitats so comfortably.


    He was pretty tired, but he wouldn¡¯t say he was exhausted in the way that some of his more demanding adventures had made him. Physically, he was in peak shape. The mental fatigue that was slowly building as he spent day after day in the maze of caves surrounding the chasm was also well-managed, but even with regular breaks, it was impossible to completely resist the psychological drain. Reaching a milestone in his levels was a welcome salve that took some weight off his shoulders.


    He had plenty of motivation to keep going, whether it came from a sense of duty, desperation, or competition, but repeating the same actions over and over, hour after hour, day after day, eventually took a toll, even on him. The days and nights spent in the darkness had started to bleed together. Technically, he had changed settings multiple times, briefly visiting a wide variety of developments on the way, but the majority of his time was spent in dark caves. All of the underground had been formed by the same geological forces when mana activated, and as a result, he was hard-pressed to notice many significant differences from one day to the next. The redundancy of the monsters he was deliberately hunting didn¡¯t help.


    The Ruin Excavators were essentially the same, no matter where he fought them. Giving them 25, 50, or 100 more levels increased their stats, but not their habits. They still ambushed and swarmed, utilizing their abilities with slightly more Agility or Strength, applying debuffs that were marginally more potent if compared to a constant baseline. But even that was a stretch, hardly perceptible relative to his own gains within the same span. With each level, Coop was growing distinctly stronger, and the monsters couldn¡¯t compare even if given twice as many levels per iteration. Doubling his stat gains and then multiplying them across his status was simply unfair.


    Ruin Excavators, like most of the Primal Construct variants, were a simple puzzle that had already been solved. Each pack was a bit like doing a 10 piece jigsaw puzzle ¨C not particularly complicated ¨C and moving to the next group was like taking it apart and doing it over again. It was still satisfying to complete, and placing each piece provided a certain gratification with the tactile response and physical exertion, but some variety would have been nice, even if it was just a different piece of art or some variance in the number of segments.


    Coop chuckled at the thought, wondering if maybe he should feel embarrassed about finding a puzzle for babies entertaining, but he wasn¡¯t ashamed at all. His happiness wasn¡¯t conditional on outside judgments.


    But there was a limit to such spartan amusement, even for Coop. To make matters worse, there were new frontiers, unexplored caves, and alternative monster variants just on the edge of his expansive monster rotations. If he wandered just a bit off course, he was almost guaranteed to find something new and unfamiliar. His desire to explore fought to distract him, and he only avoided going off course by remembering that the mana well was next.


    The edges of the underground complex, expanding from the chasm and its pearlescent chambers, had only been explored in a few select places, where intrepid adventurers had made a point to uncover if there was an end at all. That meant that if Coop was so inclined, he could have gone on an expedition to discover new rock features, different alien variants, and even pioneering native life, but he already had a mission. Unfortunately, it would be a bit longer before he could allow himself such distractions.


    Coop was well-suited for putting himself into a hyper-focused mindset while grinding, where his consciousness was zeroed in on the kind of micro adjustments necessary for iterating on the same basic tasks as he sought an impossible level of efficiency. Such intensive concentration wasn¡¯t for everyone.


    However, his simple but persistent pursuit toward maximization of his actions was, like experience gains, subject to diminishing returns. He wasn¡¯t even shaving off fractions of seconds any more. If anything, when it came to Ruin Excavators, he had stopped making progress toward improving his efficiency days prior. Even optimizing his routes through the caves had started to blend between the days, with the environments exhibiting similar characteristics that carried throughout the depths. Instead, he had merely been fighting to avoid slipping backwards and losing milliseconds as small amounts of fatigue or distraction threatened to interfere with his concentration and therefore his grind. Comfort and intensity were poor bedfellows.


    If only he could remove the deadlines from his self-improvement project, he might have the most productive post-mana hobby of all time. He felt like the additional pressure created by the deadlines was the enemy of his satisfaction. It was as though he wasn¡¯t allowed to just be content with a smooth grind. He had to keep pushing in order to not only win the race to 500, but also prove that modifying Depths of Madness with Quantum Insanity and resetting his level to 0 was the correct choice. He had to become stronger than he would have been if he fought through the penalty and continued from where he left off after conquering the Fallen Zone.


    Of course, every time he hit a new level and applied 10 attribute points to his Mind stat, his confidence in Quantum Insanity was reinforced. There was no way he would underperform when he was gaining stats at such an accelerated rate. But even if he made satisfactory improvements, he still had the Eradication Protocol to contend with. The threat was always there, lingering in the back of his mind, applying pressure that manifested into anxiety which transformed into fatigue. He chased it away with progress, but then questioned if it was enough.


    Shaking his head at himself, he stepped into the dim light, leaving his abyssal haze to blend with the mists, and approached the scattered mana torches that lined one of the passageways. They would lead him back toward civilization. Not just any civilization, he reminded himself, but the one that he had helped build and was growing like crazy. He could certainly feel a bit of pride toward Ghost Reef. His hard work had earned a bit of a respite.


    His skin reflected the low light, slicked with sweat, the damp air, and misty vapors. The remnants of Fog of War lingered in his wake, the last wisps dissipating as he skipped across the jagged rock floor, avoiding cracks and gaps that led deeper. He dismissed his weapons when he finally landed on the smoothed pathway managed by the residents and phantoms.


    Coop marched through the rugged caves, eventually passing carved chambers and fledgling lichen farms, lit by mana crystals, feeling better and better as he went. He was beyond satisfied with his progress so far, and though he wasn¡¯t even halfway to the first finish line, it was only a matter of time. He checked his status, feeling stronger, faster, and tougher than ever before.


    [Status]


    HP - 36890/36890


    MP - 121995/142560


    Class - Revenant (Level 200)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 415)


    Affinity - Spectral, Abyssal


    Race - Human (Icon)


    Faction - The Lighthouse


    Strength - 125 (+7128)


    Agility - 125 (+3564)


    Body - 125 (+3564)


    Mind - 5280 (+1848)


    Intelligence - 125 (+7128)


    Acumen - 125 (+3564)


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion IV, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper II, Slayer XI, Dauntless, Defiant, Stalwart, Reckless, Stacked, Valor XXIV, Siegebreaker, Underking, Mindbender, Insane


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Skills (Active) - Mistwalking


    Skills (Passive) - Depths of Madness


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (22/50), Upgrade City to Metropolis (Complete)


    Basic Credits - 40,566,827


    Coop sucked air between his teeth, somehow still caught by surprise as he acknowledged his absurd mana pool. ¡°142,000¡­ What in the world?¡± He mumbled to himself.


    That was just a ridiculous amount, and given his thoughts on what the system was representing with its calculations, it was difficult to wrap his head around. They were all creatures of mana after it activated on the planet, but he was becoming more and more attuned in ways that seemed like no one fully understood.


    Coop couldn¡¯t help but ask himself if there was a limit to their capacity to access mana. A brief contemplation as he strolled through the dimly lit passageways led him to conclude that if there was, it would be astronomically high.


    They had limited knowledge as to what mana actually was, but they had been operating under the presumption that it really was a physical thing bonded on an atomic level to all matter. If that interpretation was close to accurate, and a single point of mana represented an individually activated mana particle, then he couldn¡¯t imagine how high the numbers could actually go. How many atoms were in the human body? Were they even limited to their own cells? Coop wondered what else would be impacted by the physical existence of mana. Was that why experience gains worked the way it did? Could it be influenced by physical forces? Was that why geography seemed to create mana-rich and mana-poor locations that the invaders sought and avoided? Could it be contaminated? Was it the contaminant, spreading as it accumulated in different environments?


    He shuddered as he felt a dam break in his mind, releasing too many questions all at once that he simply didn¡¯t have the bandwidth to address. There were too many unknown variables to even begin considering what were essentially existential questions for the galactic community. For Coop, all that mattered was that he continued to progress, and clearly, he was moving forward in leaps and bounds. He only needed to look at his mana pool to confirm that much.


    The reason why he was calling it a day so early was that he had reached level 200. He was high enough level to leave the variants that he had already slayed for their quests behind. The first phase was done and the top level of the Coral Forest Mana Well was within his grasp as he firmly entered their window of levels. He eagerly anticipated another inevitable boost as the unique elite mana creatures provided another avenue of growth.


    The limits of normal monsters became more and more obvious as he jumped through tiers of experience. He had gone from gaining easily over 30 levels per day in the optimal setting, to struggling to reach beyond 15. Fighting the same monsters in the same environment while sliding the window forward had given him a chance to eliminate many other variables outside of relative level, but he was still feeling the pressure to push more and more to meet the same thresholds as he and his opponents reached higher points.


    Entering the mana well would have his enemies move up a rank, maintaining Elite status instead of just being normal monsters, so he expected them to represent a nice boost in experience gains per kill. If only there was a way to have a boss rush, a scenario like when the Region Boss of the Fallen Zone had thrown so many Field Bosses into the fray, then he could face opponents even further in status and gain that much more experience with each enemy defeated. Unfortunately, it seemed like Elites would be the highest rank available to defeat en masse.


    He had successfully avoided any new Slayer titles on the way, and he was one step closer to finally granting himself permission to seek them out. The only mission left was the second phase of his plan, where he sought as much quick experience gains as he could from the mana well. It would certainly be a massive jump toward his first goal in reaching level 500 before anyone else.


    He had to recognize the insane increase in his profession levels as well. Finally digging into a proper grind on regular variants had provided an absolute bonanza of material loot and small credit rewards. Scavenging was absolutely exploding as a result. If there was one downside to entering the mana well, it was that his profession gains would take a backseat. He almost didn¡¯t want to give up the current ratio that had appeared in his status, but he reminded himself that it was only a temporary routine. Once he was actually hitting up the Slayer quests, his profession would be suitably rewarded once again.


    The real show stopper in his status were his attributes, naturally. He had already surpassed his previous high point when he had eclipsed level 500 after fighting the first Region Boss. In fact, he was officially stronger in every aspect when compared to before his level was reset by Quantum Insanity. His class level hadn¡¯t recovered, but that didn¡¯t matter aside from dictating the level of his grind targets and his placement on the leaderboards.


    ¡°So far, so good.¡± Coop concluded, feeling like the first phase of his rebuild was coming to a successful close.


    He dismissed his status, then paused, his step hesitating, as if he subconsciously realized he had missed something after going through his standard routine. He reopened his status in the next second. One word on an oft ignored line had caught his eye. ¡®Upgrade City to Metropolis (Complete).¡¯


    ¡°Well, damn.¡± Coop muttered, caught by surprise after missing the notification among hundreds of thousands of other messages while he defeated monsters. ¡°Guess I better turn that in.¡± He concluded.


    Somehow, the settlement upgrade quest that had seemed the most impossible had ended up requiring the least amount of work to complete. At least it had been easy for him. He was sure Marcus and the other advisors to Ghost Reef had been toiling away while recruiting ever since the Underlayer Event was wrapped up. Coop couldn¡¯t help but shake his head as the settlement itself developed alongside him.


    The upgrade quest lacked a bonus objective and most of the previous rewards seemed to have been designed to help establish a proper settlement in the future. Coop wondered if the later stages would be less rewarding simply by virtue of the system assuming that the civilization shard was already well founded. Still, every little bit helped.


    He shrugged to himself as he remembered that he would also get an upgrade to his Champion title at the very least. The quest completion was practically free, so he wouldn¡¯t complain, though rather than taking no effort, it was more like he was able to harvest from the personal expenditures he had committed in the earlier stages of the assimilation.


    Beyond the personal benefit, the settlement would expand further and they would be less restricted by the shard¡¯s mana limits as those would increase as well. Other than that, the only other tangible benefit he could think of was that the phantoms would have their maximum level increased yet again, though it had been so long that he checked up on them he actually had no idea what their current limit was and whether they had already reached it.


    He¡¯d really spent a lot of time away, focused on external threats and conditioning himself to be ready for more. Unfortunately, it seemed like neither the assimilation nor mana had any intention of giving him a break.


    It was fine. He nodded to himself, as he curled his wrist while clenching his fist, feeling the tension build in his forearm, like a small reminder of the rewarding self-improvements that he was currently receiving for his diligence. He checked the leaderboards to see how his competition was doing.


    Day 194


    <ol>


    <li> Charlie Seraphin (Level 350)</li>


    <li> Camila Alvarez (Level 340)</li>


    <li> Platinum (Level 338)</li>


    <li> Imara (Level 327)</li>


    <li> Sila Tupua (Level 325)</li>


    <li> Gibson (Level 320)</li>


    <li> Sefu (Level 318)</li>


    <li> Shane Peters (Level 315)</li>


    <li> Toby Jackman (Level 314)</li>


    <li> Azizi (Level 313)</li>


    </ol>


    154,829,252. Coop (Level 200)


    While Charlie had managed to gain a steady two levels per day, despite her advanced level, all those who were participating in the clean up of the remnants in the Fallen Zone had received three or more. He knew the residents of Ghost Reef were contending with significant diminishing returns, or were forced to hunt in untouched locations further afield from the settlement, but they were still putting up respectable numbers. It was the rest that were a moderate surprise.


    Coop grunted to himself, feeling like he more or less expected select individuals to accelerate their experience gains by approximately so much, but he hadn¡¯t really believed that so many were capable. There weren¡¯t just a few people blasting ahead, but actually hundreds just in the top 1000. The top end of the leaderboards was shifting, and they were even progressing faster than anyone from Ghost Reef, though most of them had lots of ground to cover to catch up with the steady growth of his residents.


    Still, he had to admit to being impressed, but then again, when he looked at his own progress, his confidence was reinforced. He had been grinding for almost 10 days, and had gained roughly 20 levels a day since then. Of course, the fact that he had level appropriate enemies to focus on was a big part of his speed, and he had finally surpassed the level that regular variants would be expected to reach without other factors influencing their growth. That meant from here on out, grinding normal monsters would slow down as the gap between his and their levels increased.


    Of course, that¡¯s why he had planned to seek out alternatives. The next time he hunted regular monsters, it would be in pursuit of the levels granted from completing each step of the Slayer quest chains rather than experience from defeating his targets. And before that, he could still claim more levels in the Coral Forest as their accelerated growth and increased rank would widen the window for him to take advantage of their experience.


    His rank had already surpassed half of the remaining humans, which matched their expectations. It seemed like the residents of Ghost Reef boasted a higher floor than the rest of the world and if he were to make a guess based on his own progress, he would say that they were roughly 100 levels higher than the rest.


    Coop hummed, wondering if his new leveling route ended up being successful enough, maybe they could encourage more people to follow it. It was something he would keep in mind as he climbed his way back into the top of the leaderboards.

 Chapter 329: A Friend of Life

    As the rough walls of the caves gradually smoothed out and Coop approached the pearlescent chambers at the center of the subterranean zones, he noted the distant echoes of people hard at work. The banging of hammers, what could have been drilling, and the shouts of workers organizing with each other drifted through the tunnels, aided by the reduced obstructions of an undeveloped level.


    Coop found himself intrigued by the difference in textures as he moved closer to the chasm beneath Ghost Reef. The contrast between the pearlescent chambers and their adjoining tunnels with the more naturally formed caverns was pretty significant, even to his untrained eye. It seemed as though the Ruin Excavators had been attracted to the source of mana that the chasm represented and their collective actions had progressively eroded the surfaces, sanding down the rough rock the closer they drew to the center, especially bolstered by the Field Bosses that had formed before human parties entered the darkness.


    The direct connection between the surface and the Underlayer made the chasm a funnel of energy that the Primal Construct invaders sought out. In order to evolve into more advanced forms they needed the increased concentrations of mana, and especially at the start of the assimilation, the chasm was certainly a potent source. Their attraction led them to carve out their nests directly beneath the fort, eventually culminating in an early Infestation with a Field Boss that Coop had encountered when he first explored the basement with Jett.


    Meanwhile, the expansion of Earth had left vast gulfs within the crust of the planet, and the resultant caverns were more jagged, as if formed from natural tectonic movement that should have occurred over millions of years but had instead appeared overnight. While Coop hunted monsters in the darkness, it felt like he was really exploring complicated cave structures that had never been seen before. Once he was back in the smooth tunnels, it gave the entire underground a different feel, like the difference between a wild forest and a cultivated garden.


    Eventually, he made it back to the edge of the traditionally lit cavern, the glow of the smooth walls shining slightly brighter thanks to the extensive use of small mana torches. This particular level was barely developed, having only been assigned to a new group of residents in the last few days. Despite that, they were exceptionally organized, having become refugees all together. They had committed to joining Ghost Reef long before they arrived and to be fair to their limited progress, it was over 100 levels beneath the surface.


    Rather than the frameworks of their first new buildings, they almost seemed to be working in reverse, constructing smaller furnishings before even their foundations. Instead, executive groups reviewed plans and others sectioned off what Coop could only imagine to be the future location of relatively large structures.


    Coop was spotted quickly, and he could see the fact of his presence spread like a wave through the workers until it reached someone that had apparently been looking forward to greeting him. The way the message passed so smoothly through the assemblage left him somewhat impressed, considering this group was large enough to be granted all four chambers of the layer at once. They were well-coordinated. His mere presence triggered a pause in all of the construction, replaced instead by a surge of movement.


    ¡°Chairman Coop!¡± An outspoken man called out as he waved and led a small group of professionally dressed individuals through the parting crowds of more eclectic workers. If Coop looked closely, he could see how their clothes had been frayed, singed, torn and repaired, but he respected that they were conscious of outward impression, though he really couldn¡¯t relate.


    ¡°Chairman?¡± Coop questioned in response, confused as to how he got that particular title. It certainly wasn¡¯t one from his status.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The man confirmed as he settled in front of Coop with his hand out to shake, two people flanking him, each with their own entourage trailing behind. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again.¡± He added with a wide smile on his face as Coop took his hand.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Coop happily agreed, regardless of any actual recognition on his part. ¡°Um, sorry, who are you again?¡± He asked as they shook, assuming he should have remembered and feeling a bit ashamed that he didn¡¯t.


    The man at his side, who curiously had one arm immobilized within a cast, laughed out loud at the question. ¡°Hah! I knew it.¡± He leaned over to the woman on the opposite side and nudged her. ¡°I believe your Sang-hoon overstated his relationship with the world famous Coop.¡± He slapped the other man on the back. ¡°Never change, old friend.¡±


    ¡°Bah, don¡¯t speak nonsense, Min-jun. Not all of us can be idols like you, with such annoying, excuse me, ¡®charismatic¡¯ personalities.¡± The first man responded drawing an unaffected laugh from the other. The man that had greeted Coop first stepped back to be shoulder to shoulder with the others as he reintroduced himself. ¡°I am Head Secretary Cho Sang-hoon. We met beneath Gangcheon during the Underlayer event.¡± He bowed his head slightly before expertly directing Coop¡¯s attention to his two companions. ¡°This is Representative Che Min-Jun, former singer turned director of our entertainment division. Don¡¯t let his pretty face charm you.¡± He indicated the injured man who bowed his head, eyes squeezed shut with a brilliant smile. ¡°And this is President Na Ho-jung, formerly the Champion of Gangcheon.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± She stepped toward Coop and shook his hand as well.


    ¡°Nice to meet you too.¡± Coop responded, surprised by the firmness of her grip. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, why former Champion?¡± He asked.


    A quick inspection of their auras revealed impressive levels, all above 250, which was comfortably within the broader range of Ghost Reef, far ahead of the global average, and barely outside of the top 1000. He supposed they had to be special to establish one of the largest settlements on the planet and their levels were proof enough.


    ¡°Gangcheon is no more.¡± Na Ho-jung responded rather dispassionately.


    Coop tilted his head to the side. ¡°Gangcheon is no more?¡± He repeated in surprise.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. There was an internal conflict with one of our subordinate factions.¡± She explained, realizing that Coop was unaware through his reaction. ¡°We underestimated their commitment to their alien sponsors. When we confronted their treachery after the Underlayer was secure, they sabotaged the civilization shard in an act of terrorism once they realized they couldn¡¯t face us directly.¡± She gestured to the many workers who were arranging the open-air workshop tables into long strips. ¡°These are one third of those who were in Korea and chose to align with our company rather than the Knights of Time.¡±


    Coop found himself wincing at the quick explanation. First of all, there was a massive number of people who would have been displaced if one of the largest settlements on the planet fell just like that. It was lucky Ghost Reef was able to pick them up. Second of all, the fact that there were still people committing such unhelpful actions when they had other major threats to worry about frustrated him deeply. He added another faction to his mental list of potential enemies.


    He shook his head in frustration. How was the nature of the assimilation not obvious at this point? He supposed that, despite it being obvious, there would still be people seeking to use the circumstances to their advantage, even if it meant they had to act selfishly. There were plenty of people who saw chaos as opportunity.


    ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Coop glanced beyond the group of three, at the masses that had collectively stopped working, spread through all four chambers, as they shuffled what seemed like tables around. ¡°This is one third?¡± He confirmed, eyeing what could have been an army that matched the others he had seen throughout the assimilation. ¡°What happened to the rest?¡±


    ¡°Correct, Chairman.¡± Sang-hoon answered, arms folded behind his back. ¡°This is the top of the three floors assigned to us, so the rest are spread in the other two layers. We didn¡¯t leave anyone behind, don¡¯t worry. We will make sure to bring Ghost Reef major success to prove the investment in us is worth it.¡± He proudly boasted.


    ¡°How many people stayed with those Knights of Time?¡± Coop had to ask, shocked by the massive number of people that had already become residents.


    ¡°Though they have roughly an equal number of people, they are composed of dozens of competing organizations. Unlike us, they lack a singular executive structure and further internal strife will undoubtedly continue.¡± President Ho-jung responded, focused entirely on giving Coop accurate answers rather than diplomatic ones. ¡°We have shared all the details of who and what they represent with Ghost Reef¡¯s advisory board.¡±


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Coop nodded, suppressing his surprise that so many people were involved. Despite being confronted with the incredible progress of Ghost Reef, it seemed like the first time he was getting a clear picture of just how much was happening without his involvement. Millions of people had become part of Ghost Reef, just like that, and at the same time, millions more were out there. Humanity had received a devastating blow, but there were still more than 400,000,000 people all struggling in their own ways, experiencing adventures that probably weren¡¯t too dissimilar to his own. It was crazy to think about.


    ¡°Well, welcome aboard.¡± Coop offered, not wanting to ruin what had seemed like a positive mood while realizing that even just Ghost Reef was too much for a single individual to really oversee.


    ¡°Please, would you share a drink with us?¡± Ho-jung requested, directing Coop to the long bar-like tables that had been arranged when he arrived. ¡°It¡¯s something of a tradition for the entire company to toast to a new Chairman¡¯s success.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I really should get going¡­¡± Coop tried to escape, but it was clear right away that they wouldn¡¯t let him avoid participating. There were probably two million people in this layer alone, waiting expectantly. They hadn¡¯t been constructing their first buildings as much as they had been creating a temporary party venue while outlining their future projects in one grand plan.


    ¡°We won¡¯t take much of your time.¡± She insisted. ¡°Let me pour you the first drink.¡± She offered as she slid a small shot glass onto the table that had appeared right behind her and her companions.


    Someone handed her a large green bottle and she held it in both hands to pour. When the glass was filled she lifted it and held it up almost to Coop¡¯s chin, practically forcing him to take it with a tenacious smile, the kind that revealed a hint of stubbornness that didn¡¯t seem worth crossing.


    As Coop took the glass, she continued. ¡°Maybe you haven¡¯t had soju before, but it¡¯s what we call a friend of life. We didn¡¯t bring enough for everyone, but we monopolized the Brewmaster for the last several days to make sure they could supply our demand. It was a worthy expenditure to start our connection on the right foot.¡±


    Coop looked around, holding the shot glass between his fingers, realizing how much they were anticipating his participation. He shrugged and took the shot, not wanting to disappoint, and found the drink slightly sweet compared to what he expected.


    People cheered as he put the glass down on the table and started pouring drinks for each other all across the makeshift courtyard. They were toasting to each other, clinking their glasses together, as they downed the shots. ¡°To the future! To success! To the Chairman!¡± and before Coop knew it, there were a dozen more women insisting that they pour his next drink while Min-jun, the suave entertainer waved them over.


    Coop¡¯s mere presence on the 101st floor had triggered a massive party as the huge group of mostly Korean refugees acknowledged a turning point in their shared experience of the assimilation. It didn¡¯t take too long before Sang-hoon arranged for his escape, recognizing that Coop must have had other responsibilities, but it wasn¡¯t until after he had taken half a dozen more shots. Even with mana, he was feeling it a bit as he bid farewell to Na Ho-jung and the other Directors and accessed a teleporter to the surface.


    He strolled through the warm evening atmosphere, crossing Balor¡¯s Bridge while better understanding how much was happening beneath his feet. As he went, he got the attention of a messenger wraith and arranged for them to bring Jones to the citadel. Meanwhile, he took his time, watching people come and go before entering the citadel.


    It was too early for the sunset, but the sky was already tinged with a deep pink, unevenly spread from horizon to horizon. To the west, the sky was blue, but directly above Ghost Reef it was closer to purple, and the darker eastern sky really demonstrated the concentrations of mana.


    While he waited for Jones to join him, he wondered if maybe he should visit all the different levels. Who knew what kind of customs he was preventing by being absent. He chuckled to himself still feeling the warmth in his stomach when Jones arrived.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Jones wondered, having been inside of the Town Hall when Coop sent him the message.


    ¡°Settlement upgrade is ready.¡± Coop responded, a smile plastered on his face.


    ¡°Already?¡± Jones asked, smiling back in reply to Coop¡¯s infectious merriment. ¡°What exactly have you been up to?¡±


    ¡°Some of our new residents introduced me to soju.¡± Coop explained, not drunk, just a bit happy.


    Jones laughed. ¡°Ah, be careful with that one. A bit too smooth for its own good. I suppose they were the ones that put us over the top? We needed 10% of the global population within our territory and our subordinates.¡±


    Coop shook his head, amazed by the growth, and frankly, a bit scared. ¡°Jones, are we actually responsible for 43,000,000 people?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all responsible for each other.¡± Jones reflected. ¡°No need to think about it too much. Do the upgrade. I¡¯m sure it will help.¡±


    Coop nodded as they walked up the ramp into the citadel. Once inside, he approached the civilization shard and went ahead to turn in the upgrade quest, placing his hand on the subtly glowing shard, converting Ghost Reef from a City to a Metropolis.


    He hissed through his teeth when he reviewed the requirement, forgetting about the 125,000,000 credits he had to spend, but when he pulled them from the settlement¡¯s coffers, the total number they had accumulated didn¡¯t even move. Ghost Reef was quite wealthy thanks to the failed attention of the galactic community. Coop turned the quest in and waited for a moment as the shard hummed, glowing brighter as it charged up.


    After a mere second of preparation, a pulse of energy built from the shard, traveling straight through solid objects as it created a visible field of tamed, spectral flavored mana. It might have been the alcohol, but he thought he detected a whisper of the abyss as well, perhaps reflecting his own influence as Champion. The energy palpitation outlined where the settlement territory both originated from and extended to, blasting outward with a relatively subtle glow. It expanded in all directions, illuminated with a ghostly aquamarine that often appeared in the twilight hours around the island, quickly pushing beyond what Coop could see, rising higher into the clouds, and cascading down the chasm.


    These days, they weren¡¯t as concerned with the primary territory established by the core civilization shard since they were bolstering the area with a constant stream of mana pylons. The primary territory was buffered by hundreds of what were essentially Outposts and even subordinate shards once it reached the mainland. Still, Ghost Reef¡¯s territory expanded so that there were no longer any gaps between the island and the majority of the Everglades. The oil rig pirate base was also fully connected, well-within the perimeter of their new territory. Even the Yucatan Peninsula was just barely beyond the edge of their official holdings.


    As Coop admired the overhead view of their settlement, a second pulse suddenly echoed from the lighthouse, like a reverberation as the energy returned back toward its origination. Then a pillar of mana climbed into the sky from off the shore, slightly beyond the sandbars, expanding into the clouds before losing momentum and trickling back down with sparkles of black and green that evaporated still thousands of feet in the air. The light spread across their territory, like a fountain illuminated from below. It was the gentlest firework display he had ever seen, though he only witnessed it through the angled windows in the top corners of the citadel at first.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Jones wondered, equally curious about the surprise reaction.


    Coop wandered away from the shard, with Jones following, and leaned out the southern doorway of the citadel to gaze over the roof of the coffee shop and watch the fountain of mana as it glittered in the diminished sunlight. It seemed to have emerged from the mana well, but he couldn¡¯t see beyond the fort walls to confirm. Nothing they had ever done before had interacted with the pocket domain created by mana, so he had no reason to anticipate the settlement upgrade to have anything to do with the Coral Forest. Its entrance had been within their territory since the beginning, more or less, but the well¡¯s own source isolated it from the rest of the world.


    Coop hummed to himself as other residents and phantoms watched the occurrence gradually fade away, until it seemed as if nothing had happened at all. Coop wasn¡¯t sure what to think of it. At first he wondered if he was only seeing it due to his mana sight, but the fact that other residents stopped what they were doing to take it in seemed to indicate otherwise.


    ¡°You saw that too, right?¡± Coop thought to make sure.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Jones answered, having followed him out. ¡°It didn¡¯t seem dangerous, but it¡¯s quite unlike the system to provide any festivities, is it not?¡±


    ¡°Pretty weird.¡± Coop muttered, but the mana well was his next destination anyway. He¡¯d be sure to investigate any other changes after he confirmed the obvious ones.


    His title went from Champion IV to Champion V, adding a modest number of flat stats across the board. Instead of granting +100 to all stats, it now added +175. He always underestimated the Champion title, but +175 to all stats was more than 1000 total, and that was before the portion allotted to his Mind stat was redistributed by his passive skill. It was nothing to look down upon.


    He went through a dozen new City Titles, all providing minor bonuses that may not have seemed significant, but would be spread to millions of individuals. The settlement itself also gained four additional Guard Captain slots, and indicated that it had increased Guard Captain Alaric¡¯s level limit from its previous cap at 5,000 to 11,111. Coop blinked at the notice, suddenly feeling a little bit inadequate about his own gains. The haunted armor manifestation was actually insanely strong and now he would have four friends?


    ¡°Sheesh.¡± Coop muttered, before explaining why to Jones.


    When he was done, Jones wanted him to reveal the next quest. As Coop read it outloud he realized its impossibility. In order to upgrade the settlement from a Metropolis to a Global Capital, Ghost Reef would need to have 100% of the global population of humans to be residents of itself and its subordinate shards.


    ¡°Well.¡± Jones muttered. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s even more unlikely than this was.¡±


    Coop just nodded along. ¡°At least we can save the three billion credits it would cost.¡±


    Jones chuckled. ¡°Not like we can¡¯t afford it.¡±

 Chapter 330: Second Phase

    Coop finally made his return to the Coral Forest. It was actually something like the fifth time he had entered the strange natural domain, so he believed he knew what to expect before he leapt beyond the edge. The unfamiliar sights that hailed his arrival had other ideas. His expectations were overwhelmed as soon as he crossed the threshold between Ghost Reef territory and the confines of the mana well. All of his senses were flooded by curiosities, and that feeling extended to his mana sight, sending his new sixth sense into overdrive, making it feel like he was submerged in a sea of clear energy, the density of which actually matched the ocean. The place was unlike any other on the planet.


    When Coop leapt down the physics-defying hole in the sea and landed on the first prominent coral platform, he had to stop and admire his surroundings. He stood in the exact center of the waterfall, on top of a rough surface that displayed an impossibly deep purple, pockmarked by vivid shades of blue and green carved throughout, as if revealing more layers hidden within the structure. The whole thing was periodically highlighted with brilliant flashes of neon, like mana was bursting to life from within the formation at random points across its surface, providing focal points of concentrated energy. Before even looking past his feet, he had already caught himself absently oohing and aahing.


    The one platform blew his memories away with new fascinations seen from a new perspective. Though the mana well had been physically preserved to almost exactly how he remembered it, he had somehow forgotten the staggering scale and intensely alien sensation of being among the open-air deep-sea environment. Water splashed onto one side of the coral from the waterfall, flooding its spiral pattern and sliding down its edges like an illuminated waterslide, concealing the full extent of its growth below. The water flowed through the flat twists of the platform while falling past the other edges before being caught by other grooved structures of varying shapes and designs.


    When he tore his vision away from the surfaces and glanced back up at the sky, following the unbroken cascades of salt water with his eyes, he felt himself shaking his head in awe. The skylight was surrounded by smooth glassy flows of salt water falling until they collided with eager coral heads. It altered his perspective so much, he almost couldn¡¯t recognize the red-streaked heavens. It was the second time he had felt like he was transported to another planet after returning to Ghost Reef, and both times had been an exhibition of Earth itself. Humanity¡¯s home really was special.


    When he finally tore himself away from the artful display and moved on from the literal first platform of the Coral Forest, flicking his hair back after crashing through the thin shower of water to enter the domain proper and follow a clearly demarcated path, he continued to be amazed by every structure and motion. Delving into the limestone ceilinged caverns reignited his excitement and admiration just a moment after he thought he had calmed himself down and was ready to move forward.


    He was presented with a massive natural promenade filled with fingers of crystalline coral that curved over each other, shimmering and refracting light in unexpected ways at each branch. Eerie patterns of light poured through the thick atmosphere, casting soft dancing shadows along the ceiling and walls after splitting through prisms of translucent coral rock, briefly revealing tiny cutaways and dark narrow tunnels that had been formed by smaller pioneering creatures. The fluctuations of color cascaded through the well like a submerged light in a nighttime pool. The surfaces that caught the light were all layered, with corals growing on top of each other such that the actual limits of the domain were difficult to really discern by sight. Even with the eager, mana-empowered growth, the scale of the domain was completely undiminished. He was a tiny figure in a forest of giants.


    If he sought the gaps between towering corals, no matter where he looked, his vision would be interrupted by yet another column, covered in other growths, reminding him in a way of the density of the rainforests in Central America and the competition for canopy real estate. The corals provided a kaleidoscope of colors, always maintaining the palette of Earth¡¯s underwater environments, but in the open air, lacking the refraction of the deep sea, they created a visual feast that nightclubs could have only dreamed of achieving. The scenery was all further bolstered by the thickness of the mana in the atmosphere, providing a tangible depth even to the open air between gargantuan coral structures.


    Coop had secretly been expecting to find the mana ignited with power, vibrating throughout the zone, as if it had received its own upgrade after the settlement interacted with the mana well in a new way, but not much had really changed. If anything, it was calmer than he remembered.


    Still, as he looked back at the sheer cascade of seawater that rained down in a perfect ring from the connection to the surface, he felt as if his nostalgia for the sense of exploration he had felt when he wandered into the Coral Forest for the first time was fulfilled. The changes that he could detect weren¡¯t caused by the settlement upgrade at all. The Coral Forest was simply a growing, evolving biome, and the Adventurer Guild had left traces of their presence for him to follow.


    Filter-feeding tentacle blooms sprouted from glowing anemones beyond the lip of the platforms, pulsating with almost hypnotic patterns of dim light, so subtle, they seemed like hallucinations if witnessed through peripheral vision. Their objective wasn¡¯t to capture smaller organisms, but to maximize the mana harbored in their soft bodies and it seemed as though the undulations were effective in that aspect.


    Floating creatures tucked themselves underneath the caps of coral heads like bubbles, embedded in tiny caverns that might have formed small treasures, letting their jellyfish-like tentacles hang in the breeze of the dense atmosphere. They were hosting what must have been symbiotic algae or bacteria that generated energy from mana. Smaller crustaceans and even some cephalopods skittered into hiding places, having found ways to not just survive in the relatively dry undersea environment, but make homes in the coral environments. The surface of the coral platforms, though formed as if they belonged on the bottom of the deep sea, was more like a series of tide pool shallows. They were covered in puddles, formed in exposed coral rock, with sea water constantly dripping from above.


    The currents that flowed through the thick domain remained, seeming like wispy gusts of damp wind carrying small clouds of bioluminescent phytoplankton in a soup of concentrated mana. They pushed through giant sea fans that slowly drifted back and forth, large enough to wrap entire buildings, absorbing what they could from the zephyrs sweeping across the abnormal reef. Coop squinted as he watched clouds of light drift into the distance, spinning around each other, combining, then splitting upon the surface of a particular angular coral that could have matched the size of the largest ships in the Tempest Fleet.


    Coop stuck to the center of the largest coral platforms, crossing city-block sized platforms, not wanting to risk touching the growth on the edges, where unfamiliar filter feeders might have developed their own defense mechanisms. In his previous life, he had done enough diving and subsequently brushed against the wrong patch of seaweed only to find himself stung or itchy to know he didn¡¯t want to mess around too much. He only leaned over the edges where gaps had been created, glancing into the abyss of blue and red structures that expanded below.


    The dominant corals were primarily inverted, allowing him to stand on the mana-reinforced calcium carbonate structures without interacting with the colonies of coral polyps within. They were incredibly solid, seeming like they would never erode away. They forced everyone else to accommodate their presence rather than be engineered by outside forces. Even now, with much greater Strength than he had the previous times he visited the well, he really doubted his ability to even scratch their surfaces, let alone break pieces off.


    He followed a clearly outlined trail, created on top of the surfaces, weaving across flat, plate-like platforms as the path drove through the top layer of the mana well. Loose rope bridges had been constructed across bottomless gaps, accounting for shifts caused by potential growth of either anchor point with plenty of slack. Coop bypassed them with quick mistjumps, deciding that subjecting himself to the jungle gym apparatuses was an unnecessary experience. Many of them didn¡¯t even have planks to stand on, but were instead just three-rope bridges meant to be held while sliding feet across. The mana well clearly wasn¡¯t for the faint of heart.


    Despite the efforts of the Adventurer Guild, the Coral Forest was naturally a dangerous place, and that was before considering the mana-infused monsters that evolved in the depths below. However, even as Coop progressed deeper into the dark blue and ocean-green haze, he didn¡¯t run into a single aggressive creature. He had anticipated at least a few of the elite shrimp monsters lingering along the trail, but the top layer was excessively quiet. Other than the clicking and popping of cavities expanding and the trickling of seawater carving through the porous rock formations, the domain was rather calm. The only other living beings were actual animals rather than either invader manifestations or mana mutations, and they seemed mostly confused by Coop¡¯s presence.


    Coop continued on his journey, keeping his eyes peeled for anything dangerous or valuable. He took his time progressing through the domain, admiring the scenery, while moving toward the human-installed base near the massive pyramidal coral colony that he had first used as a grind spot. He knew it had been transformed into an open yard, like he would have expected to find outside of a barracks, except instead of a military facility the main structure was clearly more of a casual clubhouse.


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    He made it all the way to the grand platform where the Last Chance Saloon had been built without a single combat event, and even then, he hadn''t run into any seasoned residents on the hunt either. However, outside of Derek¡¯s lair and one of the Adventurer Guild primary outposts, there was a storm of activity. It seemed like all the residents that had been actively hunting within the mana well were gathered together because the settlement upgrade had disrupted their quests. There were at least 250 people who had congregated on the park-sized purple platform.


    Coop weaved through agitated parties, going mostly unnoticed in the crowd as they concentrated on sharing their experiences with each other while discussing the mana well. As he went, he overheard their conversations and gathered bits and pieces. The settlement upgrade had actually influenced the mana well rather abruptly, completely resetting the concentration of mana within the domain. It sounded like the pulse had basically sucked up the stagnant mana within the domain, carrying it into the depths in one big rush. For a brief period, the mana well was empty before mana began to recirculate, flowing up from the unreached depths and causing the external display he had noticed with Jones.


    The whole domain had almost immediately returned to normal, but the mana-infused creatures had temporarily disappeared, literally being swept away in the pulse of mana. The abrupt change caused the locals to play it safe and return to their headquarters while runners sought the groups that lingered in their hunting zones. He heard a few considering the idea of a tsunami, as if the mana and the mutated monsters had pulled back right before they formed a massive wave. Others considered what could have siphoned the mana away, worried that an Icon of Mana had taken the opportunity to make an appearance in one of the deepest unexplored corners of the well.


    Coop was finding the zone extremely similar to the state it had been months prior because the main difference, the concentration of mana, had essentially reverted. He suspected that the atmosphere would have been even thicker with mana if he had visited before the settlement upgrade, more akin to the Underlayer than its current state.


    As Coop entered the modest bar, feeling like it was better fit to be a beachside shack than the headquarters for the mana well, he quickly found some familiar faces lit by the mana-powered wall sconces. At the end of the bar, Emmanuel and Madison were discussing the implications of the whole event with Derek while other guild members took attendance on a large board that accounted for every party active within the domain. Coop noted that only a few were missing, but there was no panic just yet as they had been the groups pushing the deepest layers that anyone from Ghost Reef had explored. They were the most competent and highly ranked parties and they had the largest amount of ground to cover before being able to confirm their safety and presence.


    ¡°It sure is odd, but we¡¯ve never had monster respawns exceed a standard rate. Their complete disappearance doesn¡¯t automatically mean something huge is coming, Derek. Quit being such a baby.¡± Madison seemed to have taken control of the situation as though it was her usual stomping grounds.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, at least we can retreat to the surface. I¡¯d rather gather information from the Clumsy Shark than at the edge of the action.¡± Derek whined. ¡°This is no place for the administrator to be.¡±


    Madison scoffed at his poor attempt to retreat from his responsibility. ¡°The Coral Forest just became an official pocket domain of Ghost Reef, whatever happened is bound to be a positive development.¡± She argued. ¡°Why would we be punished for upgrading?¡±


    Derek squeezed his eyes shut as she made her point. ¡°Ugh, I know, but the problem is we¡¯ll run out of alcohol if everyone returns to base at the same time...¡±


    ¡°There it is.¡± Emmanuel muttered.


    ¡°What?¡± Derek responded. ¡°It¡¯s a serious issue. Imagine what hundreds of unsatisfied powerhouses might end up doing. We could wind up with absolute chaos, or worse, an actual business conference.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to take a day off while we figure out what happened.¡± Madison declared, placing her hands on her hips.


    ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Derek conceded with an exasperated sigh before pointing over her shoulder. ¡°Look, Coop is here anyway. He can take over.¡±


    ¡°I am here, but I am not taking anything over.¡± Coop confirmed as he approached the bar where they had positioned themselves, Derek among the glass bottles on the inside and Charlie¡¯s parents standing between the last two stools on the outside.


    ¡°Damn, already level 200?¡± Emmanuel commented, stepping over to grab Coop¡¯s shoulder and squeezing the way a personal trainer might test to see if he had been slacking off. ¡°Impressive, big man.¡±


    Coop nodded with a smile. ¡°Thanks. Figured I¡¯m ready for the mana well, but I upgraded the settlement on the way. Didn¡¯t think it would cause any problems like that. My bad.¡±


    Derek shrugged like he wasn¡¯t the one trying to use the changes to take a break. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal.¡±


    Madison spun her head, already scowling at Derek. ¡°What do you mean ¡®no big deal?¡¯ After all that talk.¡±


    Derek shrugged. ¡°It was worth a shot.¡±


    ¡°You are such a pain in the ass.¡± Madison declared while others among the Adventurers within earshot nodded.


    Rather than providing a buffer for his wife, Emmanuel simply agreed. ¡°You really are.¡±


    ¡°Look, Coop is here!¡± Derek repeated, trying to distract them as he realized he was on the losing end of their argument.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me.¡± Coop responded. ¡°You¡¯re on your own.¡±


    ¡°Wow, dude. After all that work we did trying to make sure you could enjoy all the blessings and advantages of our mana well and you would just abandon me like that?¡± Derek replied. ¡°I feel like that¡¯s not a good way for the leader of our settlement to behave.¡±


    ¡°Do you actually have anything for me?¡± Coop wondered, having already overheard enough from the other residents to guess that the mana well was potentially a bust for his experience gains. And that was before he considered Derek¡¯s reliability.


    ¡°No idea.¡± Derek answered. ¡°We were gonna keep you around the coral colony until Hai Yun made it to the bottom, but unless you just want to wander around the environment, you¡¯re not gonna accomplish much.¡±


    ¡°Is Hai Yun already back to fighting?¡± Coop wondered. He hadn¡¯t been sure she would willingly enter combat ever again, let alone only a few weeks after he met her at her lowest in the Underlayer. She probably deserved retirement even more than he did.


    ¡°Dude, she is so awesome.¡± Derek commented a bit too sincerely. ¡°She rolls 150 deep, and they have their own internal and external rotations so that she is the only one constantly in combat. It¡¯s no wonder she was whooping you in levels in the beginning.¡±


    ¡°She was whooping everyone on the planet.¡± Coop pointed out, trying not to be singled out.


    ¡°We are just waiting on her squad at this point. They haven¡¯t returned yet, but there shouldn¡¯t be any monsters, even beyond the fourth level after that energy pulse.¡± Madison added. ¡°Hopefully, they¡¯ll be back soon to let us know if anything strange happened further down. If monsters are respawning, they would have been in the perfect place to see them moving up the levels.¡±


    ¡°You might as well just wait with us.¡± Emmanuel suggested. ¡°I doubt there will be a shuffle in monster locations, but they¡¯ll definitely have their level reset.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡± Derek questioned.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Emmanuel asked, restarting another discussion where Derek tried to convince them that everything would go wrong.


    Coop considered his own plan. He had already declared his first phase of releveling complete, having surpassed the natural levels of local monsters that he had hunted in the past. He had intended to avoid venturing beyond his previous conquests by shifting his focus into the mana well for phase two, hoping that would carry him a few hundred levels on its own, if not more. Afterwards, he would be free to complete every Slayer quest chain he could find, pushing through the diminishing returns of on-kill experience with the level rewards for the quests.


    If there was nothing for him in the Coral Forest, he would skip straight to phase three, where he started to focus on the incomplete Slayer quests. Ideally, he would get closer to his competition before he reached that point, but it was nice to have a clear path forward, regardless of extenuating circumstances.


    Hopefully, Hai Yun and her people would bring good news. In the meantime, he intended to continue as planned, with at least some grinding in the Coral Forest, even if it was for less time than expected.

 Chapter 331: Strange World

    ¡°Okay, Coop, you ready for this? Here¡¯s what we got prepared for you.¡± Derek began, flipping a poster board that had been positioned on a simple stand behind the bar. The front side displayed ¡®Derek¡¯s Drinks of the Day (no refunds),¡¯ but turning it around revealed a complicated diagram full of information. Scattered papers broke loose as he dramatically presented the board, but he ignored them as if shedding the excess notes was fully intended.


    They were moving forward with the original game plan because someone had spotted the shrimp monsters rushing back up the coral colony, clearly intent on claiming the best spots to bathe in mana. The return of familiar opponents was a relief, and the Adventurers were already preparing to get back to their hunting grounds in order to complete their assigned missions. Meanwhile, Derek decided that was a good enough signal to bring Coop up to speed and have him join in on the taming of the Coral Forest, mostly because it allowed him to avoid any further responsibility while dealing with emergencies.


    ¡°Lights!¡± He shouted at no one in particular, but someone from the guild jogged over to a corner of the shack and pointed a lampshade toward him, providing a small highlight on the surface of the board. For a moment, Coop had no idea how to feel about the mood, but it seemed like Derek was going for a snappy presentation like he was the mastermind behind some kind of heist. It was certainly a choice.


    Coop rolled his eyes before he scanned the illustrations on the board, connected with red strings, recognizing just two of half a dozen potential enemies with lines drawn to their three dimensionally represented habitats. They were color-coded and arranged on a chart that was meant to designate the different layers of the Coral Forest like a multi-tiered map coming in from the side. The monsters were further categorized for danger levels and had specific details regarding their attack habits, preferred environments, growth factors, and individual behaviors.


    Coop grunted, surprised to find more or less all the information he could have hoped for. If it wasn¡¯t for the mana in the Coral Forest being flushed by the settlement upgrade, the grind would have started immediately just from the details on the board. The new shrimp monsters were exactly in his range. Plus, the deeper variants established clear tiers based on their depth, and would have provided a smooth path all the way to level 500 if all the information was correct. The Adventurer Guild had done good work, establishing and maintaining a route into the depths.


    ¡°First of all, for shorthand, we just call ¡®em by nicknames.¡± Derek slapped his finger against the drawing of a familiar shrimp monster as he took control of the presentation. ¡°One That Hunts, regardless if it is of the Feast or of the Hunger are Hunters, the One That Waits we call Crabs, ¡®cause Waiters didn¡¯t sound right for such a big scary monster. Then we also have Gulpers, Chompers, Gliders, and Faders.¡± Derek introduced, tapping his hand against the board with each character, drawing further down the representation of the well as he went. Coop was sure the nicknames could have been better, but it was Derek they were talking about. He was just glad he had put any thought into his role.


    ¡°Our original plan was to push the guild members to establish a tamed path through as much of the mana well as possible, both for your sake and theirs to create a few proper zones for you to take over while your level rose.¡± Derek faced Coop. ¡°We knew your greedy ass would monopolize the hunting areas for a while, so it was the last chance for many people to get some extra experience in before they were forced into an early vacation. But also we wanted to give you an opportunity to familiarize yourself with some of the other variants at their lowest potential level, which as you know, typically, but not always starts equal to the number of days in the assimilation. Some of them seem to get levels in secret before claiming their territory, but they aren¡¯t found until the lower layers. From there you could explore further out to find higher level monsters of the same type.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not that greedy.¡± Coop mumbled, taking issue with the assertion that he didn¡¯t know how to share.


    ¡°No questions until the end of the presentation!¡± Derek cut him off, earning another eyeroll.


    ¡°Even you won¡¯t be able to fully suppress the areas we have reached, and we estimate that only 10% of the mana well has been initially explored, let alone mapped. The whole place just keeps revealing more area, and we haven¡¯t found a hint of it ending.¡± Derek explained.


    ¡°Lady Hai Yun brought a bunch of experience with mana wells, having started her leveling journey in one, and also being a major part of the group that conquered the first one, but even she has been surprised by the depth of the Coral Forest. Apparently, the one that she fully explored was only four levels, but we¡¯ve already detected six, maybe seven, and that ain¡¯t the bottom.¡±


    ¡°How can it be that big?¡± Coop wondered.


    ¡°Seems like the core is still shifting, moving away from Ghost Reef and deeper as it goes.¡± Madison added. ¡°It¡¯s not very fast, but it''s steady.¡±


    ¡°I said no questions!¡± Derek reiterated like a disgruntled professor. ¡°But yes, it seems like the seed of the well hasn¡¯t completely lost its momentum after crashing into the planet.¡± He whipped his finger against the board once again as punctuation.


    ¡°Now, for the enemies. We planned to have one arena on each level for you to get a sense of each monster type. We¡¯ll skip the first levels, as you are already familiar with the coral colony and the Hunters. The second level is made up of massive coral stages where a single Crab sits like a king. They lack the monster density to make them worthwhile for your style.¡± Derek explained confidently.


    He tapped the picture of the pudgiest enemy, almost like a green-scabbed baby hippo, with a twisted face. ¡°The first that you haven¡¯t seen, found in the algal mats of the third floor are the Gulpers. Don¡¯t underestimate their cute, almost pig-like features, with their squat legs and round bellies ¨C these are ranged attackers that spew sticky globs of a ropey, partially digested material. It doesn¡¯t just weigh you down either, but applies a damage over time as it eats through surfaces with acid. Gulpers will bathe in the disintegrated juices of their victims, so if you hunt them, expect to find them lounging in small pools among the algae mats.¡±


    ¡°We think they¡¯re mutated sea cucumbers.¡± Emmanuel added, enjoying the presentation despite him and his wife regularly hunting in the Coral Forest already. ¡°Bizarre right?¡±


    ¡°Ahem!¡± Derek slapped his board to stifle any further conversation.


    ¡°Next are the Chompers, who seem to have an intense rivalry with the Gulpers, often attempting to claim the algal domain and move up the Coral Forest layers. They are mostly found within the dark tubes of the fourth level, waiting in the shadows before leaping forward and chomping on their targets. They have oversized jaws that don¡¯t seem to completely shut, and way too many, extremely sharp teeth.¡± Derek shot a look at Emmanuel. ¡°They are kinda like eels with tiny pointed legs that allow them to climb around and pin things while they chew on them. Their jaws almost shoot out of their heads when they bite, so don¡¯t underestimate their reach.¡± He added before Emmanuel could contribute anything.


    ¡°They have an extendable pharyngeal jaw.¡± Madison explained a bit more.


    ¡°That means they bite you twice.¡± Emmanuel clarified, shuddering if he had a bit too much experience on the wrong end of their teeth.


    Derek continued before any further conversation could take place. ¡°Gliders are huge flying creatures that live among the hanging seaweed jungle. Despite being in the open, their camouflage makes them particularly difficult to spot, even when you know what to look for. When they attack, they have a combination of abilities. The first is a ranged gas-like attack that is meant to disorient and slowly weaken its victims. The second is a slashing blade-like attack where they use their wings to cleave at blind spots. And before Emmanuel says anything, they have an obvious resemblance to manta rays.¡±


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    Emmanuel smiled and nodded.


    ¡°Lastly, the Faders. These guys are where we¡¯ve been stuck. They occupy an area that¡¯s really hostile, we¡¯ve come to call the Coral Abyss. They have what seems like an active stealth that no one has been able to pierce. Only the biggest, highest level of these monsters are ever visible. They¡¯re probably mutated octopuses, which is scary enough, but giving them even more advanced camouflage was just cruel.¡± Derek concluded. ¡°Even if they were reset, I don¡¯t think you should head down there until you can¡¯t get levels anywhere else.¡±


    Emmanuel and Madison both seemed to agree. ¡°No one has defeated one yet, and the only ones that actively fight are the ones that are so high level, no one has been able to get a read on them.¡± Madison continued.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± Coop acknowledged. ¡°But I¡¯m definitely gonna check them out.¡±


    ¡°Of course you will.¡± Derek commented before being interrupted.


    ¡°Hai Yun¡¯s back!¡± An adventurer who had rushed ahead let everyone at the bar know. ¡°She¡¯s bringing a bunch more people though.¡±


    Derek clicked his teeth. ¡°We haven¡¯t gotten into the strengths and weaknesses of each monster yet!¡± He complained. ¡°Let¡¯s go see. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s just her crew. Most people settled on five-man parties but she insisted that there was no need to split up her coalition.¡± Derek continued as he led the way toward the open gathering space on top of the coral platform.


    As Hai Yun crested the opposite edge, more and more people were revealed. She was boldly leading the way for a large number of familiar looking guards, all dressed in Ghost Reef Standard Issue Armor with crafted weapons instead of ancient blades and whatever meager defenses they could scrabble together. Hai Yun¡¯s group had their equipment significantly upgraded, but she maintained her own custom elegant battle-gown, clearly distinguishing herself from a common soldier.


    But that wasn¡¯t all. Hundreds of phantoms also followed along, and as her guards ceased their progress, she led a handful of the phantoms through the observing adventurers and toward the makeshift underground headquarters for the Guild.


    When she noticed Coop, she quickly adjusted her focus, giving him her undivided attention. She bowed her head in front of him before speaking.


    ¡°Greetings, my Champion. I have escorted these phantoms from the lower depths. They claim to be the leaders of new allies, but if I have made an error in judgment, say the word. I will repel them to my dying breath.¡± Hai Yun declared, keeping her eyes down and voice firm.


    ¡°You can just call me Coop, Lady Hai Yun. And I¡¯d prefer it if you didn¡¯t do anything unnecessary to hasten your dying breath.¡± Coop responded, doing his best to match her demeanor. He thought he was getting pretty good at it, actually.


    ¡°Then call me Yun.¡± She suggested, head still politely bowed.


    ¡°Sure. Yun it is.¡± Coop responded, ignoring the small group of phantoms that had joined her for the moment. ¡°Are you comfortable in Ghost Reef? You don¡¯t need to push yourself too much.¡±


    ¡°It has already become home.¡± She answered, a small smile sneaking onto her face. ¡°We are honored to be able to contribute.¡±


    ¡°Alright. As long as you''re happy.¡± Coop replied, glancing at Madison to see if she had any thoughts, but the good doctor was shaking her head at Coop with a cryptic look on her face.


    ¡°You¡¯re about as dense as Derek is irritating.¡± Madison muttered.


    ¡°Hey, why am I catching strays all of a sudden?¡± Derek wondered.


    ¡°Because you¡¯re irritating.¡± Madison repeated before getting into even more detail.


    ¡°Not my fault he¡¯s obsessed with fighting.¡± Derek continued, bravely trying to get a word in when Madison had something to say.


    Emmanuel patted Coop on the shoulder while the other two argued again. ¡°We worry about you sometimes, kiddo.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy to get stronger and help protect my home.¡± Hai Yun declared adamantly, ignoring the side conversation, and obviously tired of lacking an anchor point within the assimilation.


    Coop was glad he had run into her group in the Underlayer because he believed they were exactly the type of people that deserved the security that Ghost Reef could provide. He inspected her aura, wondering if one of his main rivals was already back, based on her conviction toward progression on their behalf.


    [Human (Level 253)]


    [Eternal Empress (Intelligence)]


    [Initiate of the Lighthouse]


    [Chaos, Order (Celestial Duality)]


    Coop was impressed by her level, she had worked hard to catch up, considering that all the time she spent between conquering her first mana well and arriving in Ghost Reef had been completely unproductive. Even compared to those participating in the subjugation mission of the former Fallen Zone, she was leveling faster.


    Then there was her combination of affinities. As far as he knew, they were complete opposites. Coop couldn¡¯t help but feel curious about her class and what kind of skills and paths she was offered, but as he let Presence of Mind identify her aura, he also checked the phantom¡¯s presence at her side.


    [Spectral Human (Level 1)]


    [(Mind)]


    [Abyssal Phantom of Ghost Reef]


    The much more modest aura was completely out of place in the mana well. In fact, it would have been out of place anywhere in the assimilation, though Coop was one to talk, having only recently been level 0. The completely unimposing ghost was clearly brand new to the assimilation. Coop couldn¡¯t help but put his attention on the unassuming sailor.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Coop ultimately asked.


    ¡°My name is Diego Sousa.¡±  The phantom responded obediently.


    ¡°And where did you come from?¡± Coop wondered curiously, checking out his getup and trying his best to place it. He was wearing clothing that was definitely from a different era, including a doublet and hose.


    ¡°Funchal, on Madeira, though my last trip was one of discovery.¡±


    Coop shook his head, lacking the geographical knowledge to know where Funchal was. ¡°I mean how did you end up here, in the Coral Forest Mana Well?¡±


    The ghost didn¡¯t seem sure how to respond. ¡°I was summoned after assenting to become reinforcements for Ghost Reef. Before that, I was shipwrecked near a small island in the summer of 1248 when a storm caught our convoy by surprise.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Coop grunted, equally unsure. ¡°Well, that¡¯s good. I mean, not the shipwreck, but that you¡¯re here.¡± He corrected himself.


    The original phantoms had been a reward for completing the first bonus objective while upgrading the settlement. There hadn¡¯t been any bonus objectives this time around, but it was beginning to seem like all the previous bonuses had all been improved when promoting Ghost Reef from a City to a Metropolis. He supposed a new batch of phantoms had come from beyond Ghost Reef¡¯s original territory now that they had expanded hundreds of miles beyond their previous limits.


    ¡°How many of you are there?¡± He asked, remembering how Gideon had been returned with plenty of specific knowledge about the other phantoms and the assimilation itself, while lacking the history between his death and resurrection.


    ¡°250,000¡± Diego answered.


    ¡°250¡­ holy crap.¡± Derek muttered. ¡°No wonder all the mana got sucked up.¡±


    Coop laughed in disbelief. ¡°Jones and I spotted other changes, like the increase to the number of Guard Captain slots, but the population has been changing so much we didn¡¯t even notice. We definitely would have been looking for 250,000 ghosts if we had known.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great news.¡± Madison added modestly. ¡°We should escort them to the fort. I bet Ledwidge is gonna have a fit.¡±


    ¡°The monsters are also returning.¡± Hai Yun interjected. ¡°I would prefer to continue hunting if possible.¡±


    ¡°Okay. How about we have the Adventurer Guild get the phantoms situated while I get started down here?¡± Coop suggested.


    ¡°Have at it.¡± Derek agreed. ¡°I deserve a break anyway, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Totally.¡± Madison sarcastically agreed.

 Chapter 332: Coral Theater

    Hai Yun revealed the route that would take them on their journey toward the lower levels, guiding Coop into the depths of the Coral Forest along with her massive entourage. Though she hadn¡¯t spent much time in Ghost Reef¡¯s mana well, she had already established her proficiency within such alien formations, having been one of the primary individuals who conquered the first mana well on the planet. It was one of the few achievements that Coop hadn¡¯t accomplished himself, not that it had ever been on his radar.


    Her experience combined with the knowledge base generated by the residents of Ghost Reef created a level of comfort in the challenging domain that sent her group to the top of the charts for the Adventurer Guild. The same could be applied to Irina, the reformed Banshee, and the Kitawa party, but for the time being, Hai Yun was the one seeking to validate her acceptance into the Lighthouse by contributing within the Coral Forest. The others had taken on their own missions in the subjugation of the Fallen Zone or by joining the residents in the expansion project of the fort.


    Together, Coop and Hai Yun¡¯s party left the main platform, using the coral colony as a temporary walkway before leaving it to be reclaimed by the Ones That Hunt. Coop watched as scattered monsters rushed from the depths, climbing up the coral exteriors, hoping to initiate their expedited growth before the real competition set in. It wouldn¡¯t take long before the dominant pyramid shaped coral was a well-stocked hunting ground for the Adventurers of Ghost Reef.


    If he had known that the Coral Forest would be reset, he wouldn¡¯t have been so conservative toward his return. If the monsters were deleveled back to their base values, he could have entered at least 50 levels sooner, but then again, he never would have predicted the consequences of the settlement upgrade. They had traded an energized leveling zone for a massive boost of reinforcements.


    Coop followed as Hai Yun led the way down a wide spiraling pathway that curled in on itself before spinning away from the larger colony, like a frozen party streamer, bypassing the few scrambling monsters that stuck to the core of their desired territory. The coral offshoot collided with the base of the purple coral platform, carving a small tunnel before emerging from the other side.


    As Coop entered the tunnel, the weight of the structure could have fooled him into believing he was following some kind of grand mountain pass. Thick walls and a solid ceiling pressed on the narrow space, giving substantial heft to the experience. The breezes that constantly flowed through the mana well were rejected from the tunnel, making it seem like an isolated cavity that clearly delineated two different atmospheres, like an airlock on a larger ship.


    Dim light emerged from familiar wall sconces, lighting the way, but the small crystals that powered the illumination had been influenced by the environment. Instead of a warm golden color, the lights flickered with blue and green energy, giving the path an eerie alien appearance that matched the rest of the mana well. Jutting edges cast long shadows along the walls, and Coop glanced at his guide, but she seemed completely at ease, making him wonder if the sense of foreboding was unique to his imagination.


    When they reached the opposite end of the purple platform¡¯s broad base, after descending within its interior, moving back into the open air felt like stepping onto the balcony of an unnecessarily tall skyscraper. Wind rushed upward, clearly visible as it carried dense clouds of faded turquoise mana toward the upper level of the Coral Forest, rising as if it was more buoyant than the rest of the atmosphere. The strip of coral beneath their feet blocked the turbulence, making the flow of mana seem like an interactive art feature, barely separated from their position.


    Coop couldn¡¯t help himself, sticking one of his hands out into the current, as if he was a child letting his hand glide in the wind of an open car window. He watched as his fingers left long strips in the upward current before the mana coalesced back together far above. All sorts of smaller bits of debris and tiny creatures cycled throughout the mana well, sinking in other portions then rising back to the top through such elevators where he guessed they hoped to get caught by the horizontal currents in the upper levels. Other coral platforms created an erratic ceiling that was only partially masked by the haze of mana, making it difficult to determine exactly how deep they had gone.


    Once the path was back in the open atmosphere, it became lined with scattered patches of regular-sized sea anemones. They made themselves at home in the cupped coral formations that sprouted along the edges of the route. The way their tentacles clustered, superficially resembling flowers bouncing in the brisk upward breeze, made the track seem something like an alien garden, lit by soft, moody lights, in a vast overgrown forest. The thick mana was similar to the kind of light fog that might settle in the shade of a forest canopy, but the way it drifted from beneath, thinning as currents extended its reach toward the different ceilings was unusual.


    Steam and tiny bubbles were rising from below as well, making it seem like they were walking through dying clouds that never quite coalesced once broken by the lower corals. When Coop glanced up, he thought there must have been a distinct barrier between the top layer that he was most familiar with and the next layer that they were heading into that was delineated by these currents of mana. When he tried to see other formations on the same level as they walked, it was like peering through a shifting curtain of thin white cloth, wafting in a breeze. He could only focus on the long spiraling coral as they followed its exterior and all the smaller growths that had found suitable surfaces to colonize on the sides.


    The path swung away from the coral colony and underneath the rest of the platform used by the Adventurer Guild while angling further down into the Coral Forest. Seaweed-esque strips were hanging from the bottom of the platforms, filling the few gaps not occupied by corals as if they sought to bathe in the trapped clouds that couldn¡¯t quite reach the upper level. Bodyguards led the way, watching the blades of seaweed above, peering over the edges at their sides, and protecting the rear, leaving Coop to Hai Yun¡¯s personal company.


    The level of security they provided made it seem like Coop was strolling through some kind of artistic landscape feature, the type that an eccentric business tycoon might have installed to impress visitors with a one of a kind experience. He thought it kind of ruined the sense of exploration he normally felt when venturing into the unknown. It was a bit too safe, not that he felt like complaining.


    He ended up checking on the auras of the various bodyguards, feeling curious while lacking the sense of danger that usually kept him on his toes. At first, he thought they were surprisingly weak. On the whole, the entourage was often 50 to 100 levels beneath Hai Yun, meaning they were really just barely high enough level to contribute within the mana well. Monsters in the most generous nooks and crannies would easily outpace them, becoming too dangerous to individually challenge.


    Of course, that meant they were all around Coop¡¯s level, and given their combination of confidence and dedication, he wouldn¡¯t question their abilities just as he wouldn¡¯t doubt his own. Still, when he noticed Hai Yun idly gazing off to the other side, fidgeting with her gown, he decided to ask her about her combat strategies with such a large group of people, wondering if it was more like the defensive Siege tactics he had experienced or small group strategies with overlapping roles. As if she silently detected his attention, she turned toward him as well.


    ¡°Do you¨C¡± ¡°How do¨C¡± They both broke the silence at the exact same time, speaking over each other before abruptly stopping to let the other continue.


    ¡°My bad, you¨C¡± ¡°Apologies, I¨C¡± They repeated their exchange and Coop laughed out loud as Hai Yun covered her smile with the back of her hand. He was struck with the vision of two kids on their first date, young enough to have to be chaperoned by their parents. The fact that Hai Yun had over 100 guardians just added to his amusement.


    ¡°I was just wondering how you actually hunt with so many people.¡± Coop finally cleared up his thoughts, somehow always focused singularly on the grind.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Hai Yun expressed her surprise. ¡°In that case, we can demonstrate.¡± Hai Yun directed his attention forward, where a group of her guards had already stopped, awaiting their leader.


    They were flanking what was effectively the end of the path, though it actually split, weaving further down and around yet another massive coral formation, before narrowing to smaller ribbon-like points that would be impossible for a person to traverse. He supposed they had made it to the second level, though if it was just him, he would have jumped off the edge up top and reached it in seconds.


    The platform was a dozen feet below the edge of the path, but the Adventurer Guild had anchored a simple knotted rope between the two. Ahead, a massive table coral had grown in tapered layers, giving the edge of the platform the same appearance of grand steps, leading up to a centered top level where One That Waits was doing its thing: waiting.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Coop recognized the mutant hermit crab monster, protected by an oversized shell that imitated a bubble-like helmet, and swirled with barely concealed vapors, like it was actively capturing the mana clouds that filled the second level atmosphere to consume at its leisure. It was as large as a small elephant, and Coop let Presence of Mind sweep across its aura, unable to suppress the imaginary hearts in his eyes at the sight of a potential grind target.


    [One That Waits (Elite Level 201)]


    [(Body)]


    [Of The Restraint]


    Coop nodded at the monster, glad to confirm it was perfectly within the bracket of levels he hoped to find. The fresh spawns in the mana well would be ideal for his current self. The real test would be how long they could match his pace.


    On the opposite edge of the platform, behind the idle monster, was a series of gigantic pillar corals that didn¡¯t quite reach the top layer to join the other fully matured coral platforms. They framed the platform with an imposing background of dark green, shrouded in mists of mana, turning the platform into a natural grand cathedral. In the distance, he could barely make out similar coral platforms through the mana clouds, each occupied by a single crab monster. This level seemed to be an intermediate place, not quite sunken enough to be entirely distinct from the coral platforms of the first level, but far enough to be largely different in terms of terrain.


    One look at the environment and Coop could tell why Derek and the others had decided his grind was better suited for other locations. The monsters were excessively sparse. Even mistjumping wouldn¡¯t save the second level from its obvious deficiency in monster density. He grunted as he tamped down on his eagerness.


    On the other hand, he could see why they called the second level the Coral Stages. Each monster stood in the center of the dominant table corals like they were at the top of a set of auditorium stairs. The bulbous coral platforms of the first level gave the impression of luxurious ornamented ceilings and the stalks of stone that propped them up were like majestic columns that could have held up private balconies for the ultra rich and famous. The Ones That Wait were dignitaries in their own empty amphitheaters.


    Hai Yun had sauntered forward while Coop assessed the arena, and after leaping through the thin curtain of rising mana that separated the path from the stage, she began climbing the steps. Two dozen of her guards followed directly behind her while the rest took up the perimeter, all with serious looks on their faces. Obviously for them, battle was not the time for fun and games.


    Coop politely observed as Hai Yun and a portion of her entourage engaged with the defensive monster. Her many companions filled half a dozen different roles, but none of them were damage dealers. The primary attacks all came from Hai Yun¡¯s manifested elemental dragons. She was the crown jewel of their entire apparatus.


    In the meantime, there were teams of guards who distracted the monster with melee attacks, but one look made it clear that they had taken skills that transformed them into pure tanks, focused on keeping enemy attention, but dealing little damage. It was a vision of what the Revenant could have been if Coop had one-dimensionally focused on survivability.


    The rest of the entourage was similar in that they had concentrated entirely on supporting Hai Yun, whether it was through enhancement of her summons, buffing her person, redirecting resources toward her, or keeping protective spells on the tanks. They rotated among themselves, forming vast arrays of flashy spells while making sure that they never lost any individual contribution, whether it was the tanks, healers, batteries, or other supporters. Only Hai Yun was consistently engaged in combat. The rest were small parts of much larger invocations.


    Rather than think of Hai Yun¡¯s tactics as a rotating 25 person party with a single figure at its helm, it was more like four or five manifestations of power coordinating together to maximize their effects. Hai Yun was solely responsible for one, but the others were equally important and guided by groups. Coop had the answer to his question in that they had found a way to pack simple party dynamics with the power of cooperative synergies.


    They had clearly ended up with a specialized hypercarry composition where success or failure was entirely contingent on Hai Yun¡¯s ability to defeat the monster in a timely manner. Coop turned his attention to the massive group that accompanied her to battle and recognized the pressure that she was under, even in this rather controlled scenario. It was no wonder she had felt so much responsibility for those that joined her caravan. Without her, he doubted they could function whatsoever. They had so thoroughly committed to specific roles, they would have been borderline useless on their own.


    Coop smiled to himself as he watched the battle, finding himself amazed by their coordination. It was carefully contained such that they didn¡¯t waste energy, much like how he often conserved his stamina for future engagements, but it was so precisely attuned, he couldn¡¯t help but admire their proficiency. The crab-like monster struggled to escape their confinement, recognizing the danger that the lone damage dealer represented, but it was constantly rebuffed by individually empowered attacks. Individual weapons exploded in illumination, glowing among the squad of tanks as they shared each other''s power and generated magical manifestations.


    After a few minutes the monster entered a frenzy, smashing heavy mace-like claws against bracers and gauntlets of the tanks, dislodging golden motes from their protective formations, but failing to push them out of the way. At the same time, the elemental dragons flashed through the gaps created by the disciplined guards, remaining a reasonable size for their particular opponent.


    Hai Yun hadn¡¯t channeled so much mana that her manifestations were gargantuan avatars of elemental divinities, instead keeping them closer to the size of lizard-like stallions. They smashed against the armored monster, scorching and shocking with debuffs before committing to attacks with more finality.


    After several more minutes, when the monster was finally defeated, Hai Yun turned to Coop, sweeping her fingers over her shoulder as the dragons disappeared.


    Coop nodded with approval. ¡°I see. Very impressive. You must really trust each other.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Most of these soldiers had been the personal escorts for my grandfather. They have been fighting together since Day One.¡± She explained. ¡°I am an inadequate imitation of his leadership, but I have done my best to avoid letting them and their families down.¡±


    Coop caught several of her bodyguards subtly shaking their heads at her words, disagreeing with her underestimation of herself. They obviously thought highly of her, and though it wasn¡¯t his place to say, by his judgment they were more than happy to dedicate themselves to her safety. If they weren¡¯t, Ghost Reef was a wide open opportunity to seek something new, but none of them had left.


    He could easily envision a future where the members of Hai Yun¡¯s caravan found places within other groups around the settlement. Their specialized builds would be a boon to the various parties that hunted monsters within Lighthouse territory. Meanwhile, Hai Yun had the type of build that could anchor the broader defenses of the fort, much like Charlie. Coop was glad they were already feeling at home.


    Coop briefly contemplated all the different ways he had seen humans rise above basic use of the system. There were the combination attacks he had seen from pairs like Sunny and Jett, Charlie and Camila, and Platinum and Neon. There were broader arrays like the ones Hai Yun¡¯s guards implemented, but he had also seen such tactics among the phantom soldiers and smaller groups of casters. He had seen the physical manipulation of mana through sacrificial tools, magical idols, rituals, and tattoos, especially among the Cult of Chakyum, but also by Sila Tupua and the warriors of Aotearoa New Zealand. There was also the deep connection few were able to establish with animal companions, like Juliana and her jaguar Felix or Wangmo Thaye and her falcon. Then there was the broader cultural power that he himself used through the mists, though Gibson did the same with the Light, and Tzultacaj through blood. Mana was surprisingly dynamic once looking past the surface level skill activations and stat distributions provided by the system.


    ¡°Shall we continue?¡± Hai Yun prompted as he stared off into space, proud of humanity¡¯s creativity.


    ¡°One sec.¡± Coop responded, breaking off the train of thought before turning and squinting at the nearest coral stage, hidden within a few hundred yards of rising mana clouds. He wandered closer to the edge of the platform as he found a suitable target.


    His spear manifested in his hand with a swirl of mists, and he stepped into a powerful throw, stomping onto the coral to firmly establish the foundation of his attack. The ethereal missile shot forward, sliding off his fingers as his body leaned forward, and spun with his backswing. The spear pierced the atmosphere like a drill, leaving behind an expanding cavern of clear air that marked its path from Coop¡¯s position across the Coral Forest in dramatic fashion.


    When the spear connected with the shell of the One That Waits, the monster shattered like a porcelain doll, leaving shrapnel to splash across the stage, colliding with the adjacent stone columns, and dissipating into tiny streams of mana.


    [You defeated One That Waits (Elite Level 203)]


    [+2023 Basic Credits]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Fortune Seeker (23/50)]


    ¡°Okay.¡± Coop dismissed his spear. ¡°Now I¡¯m ready.¡±

 Chapter 333: Algae Bog

    As Coop descended from the upper levels of the Coral Forest, through dense shapeless clouds of mana, the visibility of his surroundings was severely reduced. Before long, he could only see the individuals on his immediate right and left, but the ropes they held onto extended into a washed out void of vague shapes and undecipherable features, above and below. The shroud of mana created a whiteout condition that they had to pass through before they reached the third layer of the mana well, some distance beneath the coral stages.


    Hai Yun and her entourage stayed quiet, moving charily, not wanting to attract the attention of monsters before they could stand on their feet once again, and Coop followed suit. He was left with nothing but the ambient noise of the bizarre environment clicking, dripping, and shifting, the subtle sounds of boots finding traction on the coral rock edifice, suppressed breaths, and the friction of leather sliding on ropes, along with his own overactive imagination. Coop tried to focus on rappelling alongside grim-faced bodyguards, unable to detect where they would end up, but envisioning the type of horrors reserved for an odyssey. The next level could have been 10 feet or 10 miles away, for all he could see.


    It didn¡¯t take long before Coop was bombarded with a powerful smell wafting up through the damp fog, causing him to wrinkle his nose and check on the reactions of the others. The air was thick with the scent of soggy vegetation, but his companions seemed to expect the stench, not pausing in their descent whatsoever. It was an aroma somewhere between drying seaweed and damp piles of leaves ¨C not exactly rotten, but clearly meant to be submerged.


    While they descended further, the fumes of mana started to reflect a miniscule amount of color. A nearly imperceptible green reflected on the bottom of their feet, as if the edge of the domain was nearly at hand. No matter how hard Coop stared down through the vapors, it still seemed like hanging off the side of a natural limestone skyscraper in the aftermath of a damp blizzard. He found himself feeling thankful for the solid coral as it was the only anchor for his senses while they traversed between levels.


    The third layer of the mana well represented a massive departure from the majestic coral structures up top. They bloomed and spread, building upon each other to create imposing configurations and epic towers, covered by other natural growth. The mana clouds seemed to have stripped the surfaces of the stacked coral, and as a result, the forms reflected a desire to quickly emerge from the top. The corals transformed themselves into pillars that climbed beyond the third layer with urgency.


    Coop hadn¡¯t been anticipating such variety within the strange domain, believing that they would simply be fighting on more coral platforms all the way down the mana well. Apparently, the dominant characteristics of the Coral Forest were drastically different as the elevations changed and they moved further away from the entrance and therefore the surface. His imagination drew a picture of an inverted mountain, leaning far to one side, and the hanging mana represented the end of the tree line. Depth and elevation were intertwined considering the mana well was essentially a deep sea environment, with vaporous mana replacing liquid ocean, but the variation still came as a surprise.


    He glanced back up, feeling thankful for the lack of actual water and the pressure that would have come with it. A haze of light struggled to pierce the thick canopy of low-hanging mana clouds, refracting throughout, bright enough to make him squint if he took his eyes away from where his fingers slid down his rope. It was like a fog bank formed on the third level, floating up into the second where it drifted between corals and was caught among the stronger currents of the uppermost level.


    Giant pillars loomed among the clouds, a lingering feature from the platforms up top where the corals had raced back toward the surface as the mana well dragged them down. Coop could catch glimpses of the neighboring columns if the fog shifted just right, making it seem like they were midway through a city built atop the clouds. Before Coop even put his feet down, he was already in awe toward the distinct habitats of the Coral Forest.


    Hai Yun had led him to a series of ropes that allowed them to repel down the exterior of one of the coral pillars that climbed straight through the mana well. While they descended through the mana, Coop hadn¡¯t been able to see much beyond his own nose, but it cleared up once they were a dozen feet from the ground.


    Despite the vast open air, interrupted by nothing but sporadic coral columns, the fog made it seem like the level had a very low ceiling, merely eight feet above the surface. He felt like he needed to apologize to Derek and the other Adventurers even though he had never actually complained about the limited progress they had in conquering the mana well. The place was not exactly conducive to straightforward exploration and mapping. He shook his head as he glanced over his shoulder and took in the scenes.


    Ambiguous light filtered through the haze, reflecting with an emerald green underlight that was unique to the algae that defined the third level. He had been briefed on the variety of habitats, but he still hadn¡¯t been mentally prepared for how distinct they were. Corals no longer dominated the skyline. Shadows danced across the writhing surface as Hai Yun¡¯s bodyguards detached themselves from their ropes, hopping off the coral, revealing the treacherous nature of the algal mats existing at this particular depth, and apparently nowhere else.


    Coop let himself drop as well, and he nearly collapsed as soon as the floor flexed beneath his weight. What seemed like liquid mana sloshed just below the surface. Thin streaks of bright green and yellow mana smoke leaked from between the algae weave that formed the top layer, absorbing into the cloudy ceiling and dispersing into the white clouds further above, giving the white haze the minimal green and yellow color he had noticed on the way down.


    Coop felt like he was a relatively seasoned explorer, happy to navigate the unknown with his own brand of excitement, but the treacherous terrain had him stumbling with his arms out, struggling to maintain his balance in spite of any perceived experience. Each footfall sent ripples across the spongy surface, the silence broken by the squelch of air leaking through the mats and a distant hissing that made him subconsciously nervous for what might lurk below. If he tried to stay still, the floor just kept sinking, and he wasn¡¯t brave enough to let himself descend past his own knees for fear of being unable to get back out. The third level of the mana well was like walking on top of an enormous underfilled waterbed, with a surface that threatened to break beneath his weight.


    The knotted algae formed a surreal bog of shifting islands and sudden quagmires, pulsating with the unseen monsters that inhabited the region. It was dominated by different shades of green, ranging from yellowish to brownish, with a few pops of dark red phyllophora mixed within. The Ones That Graze, or the Gulpers as the Adventurer Guild called them, claimed their nests within the algae, letting themselves sink until they were flush with the shifting surface. The distinct but subtle hissing, resembling that of a tiny leak in a car tire, was actually the monsters as they doused themselves in the available mana, seeking to gain levels.


    They weren¡¯t invisible, but they were a challenge to see, having a scaly camouflage that would have been at home in the swampiest sections of the Everglades. Algae draped from their armored skin folds, finding the living surface to be a suitable substrate for further growth. Hai Yun kindly took the time to reveal her method of finding them, which involved a combination of creating turbulence in the bog and triangulating the subtle hissing. Her bodyguards shifted their weight in unison, like a synchronized gymnastic routine, sending waves across the algae bogs that exposed the waiting monsters by bouncing up and down with the rhythm of the viscous mana beneath.


    The Gulpers, like the Ones That Hunt, were viciously territorial, and when it came time to fight, they galloped on top of the bog-like algae mats, creating their own massive waves with their heavy bodies and thick legs. Rather than keep their feet beneath their fat bulbous bodies, their legs were splayed out slightly, giving them an amusing bow-legged appearance that forced them to drag their bellies through the algae. It seemed like the perfect adaptation to prevent themselves from sinking straight down, turning them into boats on a grassy sea.


    But the monsters didn¡¯t necessarily charge directly into melee. The aggressive rushes were mostly feints designed to force their opponents to think twice about closing the distance. It was a difficult choice for their challengers to make, given how challenging it was to build momentum while lacking a rigid surface beneath their feet.


    Gulpers were more interested in spitting nasty projectiles of balled-up chewed algae than skirmishing with their opponents. Rather than the distinct green that permeated the layer, their attacks were bleached a sickly yellow and the first time Coop blocked one with his shield, he found that they were shockingly corrosive.


    The Gulper¡¯s ranged attacks were like softball-sized spitballs of algae drenched in a super potent acid. Blocking them was almost useless as they ate straight through even Coop¡¯s ethereal shield and when they connected, they splashed such that it was difficult to avoid being affected by the corrosive spit anywhere else.


    Obviously, they needed to be dodged, but the flexible floor made it extremely difficult to change directions. Hai Yun¡¯s entourage compensated with numbers. Those who were targeted did everything they could to avoid being struck, and in doing so, completely lost any momentum they could have used to reach the monster. Meanwhile, those who weren¡¯t targeted were free to continue forward and force the monster onto the defensive. The carefully arranged teams had to be increased in order to compensate for the inevitable failure of every individual to reach their target.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    The Gulpers seemed vulnerable to being outnumbered, but they didn¡¯t completely lack countermeasures. Once in melee range, they continued their hissing, sending lines of spittle erratically from their open mouths. It was essentially a point blank area attack that forced all of Hai Yun¡¯s tanks to take defensive postures until one of her elemental dragons swooped from the clouds of fog and scorched or shocked their target. Compared to the Ones That Wait, the fights were shorter, but far less controlled. The chaos meant that it was necessary for the bodyguards to rotate at a higher rate and they were essentially anchored to a central location where the majority of the entourage congregated and recovered. Luckily, the coral column they had climbed down was decorated with hanging benches, providing a staging area for the third layer of the Coral Forest.


    Since the density of monsters was deceptively high, with one or two floating within the bog every 20 yards or so, Coop started his own grind beyond the pillar. Hai Yun and her entourage claimed one small section where they had landed while Coop roamed into the distance, exploring the extent of the algae mats. He was pretty sure they extended for miles, but they were deceptively dangerous to cross.


    Vast gulfs randomly appeared between islands of algae, and narrow rivers of a seemingly bottomless soup of mana led to the lower levels. Both hazards were nearly impossible to discern from eye level, hidden as they were by algae growths that flowed in waves wherever he explored. He had to be careful not to go too fast lest he prematurely send himself into uncharted waters within the layers below.


    He only encountered a handful of the enormous columns of coral, but he really couldn¡¯t move as freely as anywhere else he had explored. Each of the pillars was covered in thousands of smaller growths, providing a habitat that reminded him of epiphytes in the rainforest. The underwater equivalent of ferns, orchids, and bromeliads, which attached themselves to the exterior of tree trunks, absolutely blanketed the calcium carbonate columns. They were trapped between the algae layer and the scouring mana clouds above, but they made the best of their relatively narrow habitat.


    In order to hunt the Gulpers, Coop had to adapt the way he physically moved through the domain. He literally couldn¡¯t run due to the liquid characteristics of the bog, and mistjumping into range left him overly exposed to the spitball projectiles without the ability to adjust. Dodging was out of the question and blocking was too inefficient for the type of grind he wanted. Instead, he had to traverse the environment in a completely novel way. He sort of galloped across the mats, taking heavy steps that waited for the pushback of liquid resistance before launching him forward. It was almost like running on a loose trampoline, but one that lacked any proper bounce.


    By manipulating the mats with his own strength, he created a large wave to follow, momentarily exposing the Gulpers to attack as it passed them by. Coop couldn¡¯t get into melee range himself due to how dependent he was on the momentum of his artificial waves, so he relied on his own ranged attacks. Drawing a phantasm from the mists to surprise the Gulpers became his method of engagement.


    Coop settled into a pattern where he established a wave, springing in a single direction with just his short sword. When a Gulper was dislodged by his forward wave, angry and hissing in his direction, a phantasm would leap from the mists, catching them by surprise with a swift strike from behind that sent them back into the mana pools in silence.


    Once he determined the weaknesses in their scaled armor, it only took a single phantasm to defeat one monster. Coop would push a wave across miles of bog, maintaining his trajectory the entire way. Phantasmal swordsman would burst from the clouds, catching any monsters within his narrow sweep of the environment until he reached an obstacle that forced him off track and ruined the wave. It was a bit like a farming simulator, where he had to drive a tractor across misshapen fields. Any enemies with a straight path that was as wide as his phantasm range would be harvested for their experience.


    When he lost his wave, he had to slowly build another and start again. He really felt the challenge in his quads more than in the combat. After hours of the dramatic bounding, his legs were burning with a fierceness that made him worried he would collapse and be dragged below. The experience he was gaining motivated his effort, and he dug deep, but in the end, the bog defeated his stamina.


    He only lasted half a day. If he didn¡¯t take a break, he would be reduced to crawling across the soggy fields of algae. At the end of one of his long rotations, he sat on the hanging benches that decorated the main pillar back up to the second level and massaged his own legs.


    Coop was among a hundred other exhausted bodyguards, some looking slightly better than others as they waited for their turn in Hai Yun¡¯s rotation. Coop may have defeated the Gulpers at a rate that was hardly comparable to the large entourage, as it was many multiples more, but to Hai Yun¡¯s credit, she hadn¡¯t stopped when he had. She may have defeated fewer monsters overall, and she had to share the experience with all of the bodyguards that contributed to each of the kills, but her determination wasn¡¯t inferior to Coop¡¯s. There was good reason she had been a dominant figure on the leaderboards, and it would be a mistake to disrespect her capability. He inspected her aura, almost as curious toward her progress as his own.


    [Human (Level 265)]


    [Eternal Empress (Intelligence)]


    [Initiate of the Lighthouse]


    [Chaos, Order (Celestial Duality)]


    Coop huffed, impressed by her growth. Though they had spent more than a full day together in the mana well at this point, they had really only been on the hunt for half the time. She had managed 12 levels in that period. He shook his head, realizing that even compared to those subjugating the Fallen Zone, she was growing at an amazing rate.


    Even her henchmen had gained around five or six levels each, which put them shoulder to shoulder with Platinum and the others in terms of progress. Putting the right people in the mana well really created amazing results. He checked his own status, wondering how he compared.


    [Status]


    HP - 40508/40508


    MP - 154035/154035


    Class - Revenant (Level 234)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 417)


    Affinity - Spectral, Abyssal


    Race - Human (Icon)


    Faction - The Lighthouse


    Strength - 200 (+7701)


    Agility - 200 (+3850)


    Body - 200 (+3850)


    Mind - 5280 (+1996)


    Intelligence - 200 (+7701)


    Acumen - 200 (+3850)


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion V, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper II, Slayer XI, Dauntless, Defiant, Stalwart, Reckless, Stacked, Valor XXIV, Siegebreaker, Underking, Mindbender, Insane


    Skills (Active) - Mistwalking


    Skills (Passive) - Depths of Madness


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (24/50), Upgrade Metropolis to Global Capital


    Basic Credits - 58,422,843


    Coop nodded his head, happy to see that he had blasted off with yet another explosive number of levels. 34 was massive, especially when considering it hadn¡¯t even been a full day of active combat. The Gulpers¡¯ pseudo Elite status more than made up for the slightly reduced speed that he could clear them out when compared to the normal monsters he had been hunting during phase one of his plan.


    The algae mats of the third level in the Coral Forest were definitely an excellent grind zone. Derek had been right to send him down rather than keeping him up top. It was just too bad his legs weren¡¯t quite ready for the unique type of exertion. Then again, there were more depths to explore.


    The new rank of the Champion title rounded out his base stats nicely, two new varieties of monster added two more tags to Fortune Seeker, and he gained almost 20,000,000 Basic Credits defeating mana well monsters. It was a good start to the second phase of ¡®operation reclaim first place¡¯ on the leaderboards. He checked to see how his competition was doing.


    Day 195


    <ol>


    <li> Charlie Seraphin (Level 353)</li>


    <li> Camila Alvarez (Level 344)</li>


    <li> Platinum (Level 344)</li>


    <li> Imara (Level 334)</li>


    <li> Sila Tupua (Level 332)</li>


    <li> Sefu (Level 326)</li>


    <li> Gibson (Level 321)</li>


    <li> Shane Peters (Level 320)</li>


    <li> Alex Nova (Level 318)</li>


    <li> Tzultacaj (Level 318)</li>


    </ol>


    71,914,911. Coop (Level 234)


    Everyone was making insane progress. It had only been around a day and a half since he last checked, but people had gained 5, 6, 7, even 8 levels. Coop really had lit a fire beneath the warriors of humanity, and all he had to do was disappear from the leaderboards. He was climbing his way back, and it was all going so much faster than he imagined, it actually made his head swirl as he considered his trajectory.


    If he had done as he planned, keeping the grinds more casual so that he could properly enjoy his home on Ghost Reef while exploring all the new venues and layers, he wouldn¡¯t be catching up at all. The progress of all the others was too much to have been taken so lightly.


    It was the end of the 10th day of his grind and it had been less than 3 weeks since his level reset. He wondered how much longer it would take before he was back at the top. It certainly wouldn¡¯t take the months he had originally envisioned. If there was any doubt lingering in the back of his head whether or not he could catch up at all, it was long gone, especially now that he was in the mana well.


    He let himself take a breather to get his legs back before he coaxed Hai Yun to lead him to the next layer of the Coral Forest. He couldn¡¯t wait to see what else was hidden in the abyssal depths of their local mana well.

 Chapter 334: Experience Sponge

    The route to the fourth layer of the Coral Forest was about as straightforward as it could get. It required minimal active involvement, unlike the previous long hikes and challenging descents. All they had to do was go a bit further down and they would arrive at their destination. It sounded easy enough.


    Hai Yun directed Coop to just let himself sink through one of the nearby gaps in the algae, adjacent to the primary coral column, where the boggy mat had been dispersed by previous Adventurers. Before he took the plunge, they only warned him that while it was the quickest way down, it was unpleasant and he should brace himself for the landing.


    Coop shrugged at the explanation, feeling like no matter how much they tried to elaborate, he would have to experience it for himself. It was enough that they assured him that it really was the way. They didn¡¯t seem like the type to try and play pranks. He surprised them by volunteering to go first, eager to satisfy his sense of adventure and see things for himself.


    When he gave the passage a shot, attempting to test the gap experimentally, he was immediately confronted with the fact that he couldn¡¯t even tread water within the completely insubstantial barrier. Coop did his best not to panic as he was pulled below and fully engulfed in a soup of mana. It was more like the clouds at the top of the Underlayer than the pool that he expected. He couldn¡¯t imagine how any Adventurers had pioneered the path as his face submerged and he completely lost sight of the third layer.


    The thick stratified pools beneath the layer of algae weren¡¯t exactly liquid, despite their apparent density, and flailing limbs did nothing to provide leverage. There was no buoyancy to be had when sinking through the almost foam-like mana that the algae and the Gulpers both feasted on. Without any breeze or friction, blinded by the environment, his actual velocity was completely up in the air, and without any perspective, he couldn¡¯t determine if he was moving at all.


    He had to imagine himself sinking, and without either the sense of gravity or any buoyancy whatsoever he almost immediately lost his sense of direction. It was disorienting, to say the least. Simple as the path was physically, it was a mental challenge that simulated drowning in a milky bath of condensed mana.


    Coop had enjoyed free-diving among the reefs of Ghost Reefs before the assimilation began, and he hadn¡¯t shied away from pushing himself to go relatively deep as he explored old shipwrecks and curious coral formations during the more peaceful times. Passing through the mana barrier reminded him of reaching the depth where his body would achieve neutral buoyancy.


    While swimming, it was a distressing sensation to suddenly realize he wasn¡¯t floating anymore, especially because it only occurred once he was approaching 30 meters down in the deep blue ocean. It always made the surface suddenly seem too far and his breath too limited. To  immediately have that sensation combined with being effectively blind and deaf within the mana pool was the kind of scenario that gave people nightmares.


    It wasn¡¯t until Coop was sinking through the layer that he actually understood the algae mats above. The boggy fields were the Coral Forest equivalent of a thick, mana-infused sargassum patch. The mana that floated up from the lower levels was forced to pass through a giant strainer of floating seaweed, causing a build up underneath the barrier. There was nothing substantial below the surface, providing a foundation for the rootless algae, meaning that Coop was actually falling.


    When Coop emerged on the opposite side after just a few seconds of blind descent, he almost face planted onto the ground, flipped around as he had been by the barrier and his ineffectual struggles. He caught himself with his arms, feeling the slight springiness beneath his palms, and pushed himself back to his feet. His ethereal shield solidified first, only to find himself presented with almost pitch darkness when he cast his eyes forward and found his footing.


    He squinted into the abyss, listening for any sounds as his eyes failed to detect anything beyond the subtle turquoise wisps that drifted from his shield and still manifesting sword. His ears contributed little, as the fourth level was nearly as silent as it was dark.


    A low hum permeated the air, a bit like central air moving through large commercial ducts, but it was otherwise completely quiet. No hissing, no clicking, and no dripping could be heard in these caverns ¨C just the ambient thrum of air flowing through seemingly vacant spaces. Coop¡¯s relieved breathing after escaping the mana cloud was almost too loud in comparison.


    The area would have been completely black, except that as he peered into the shadows, a pulse of grayish, silver light burst along the walls of his new environment. It faded like the flash powder used in old-timey cameras, almost as fast as it had appeared, moving deeper into countless grottos throughout the structure that he had landed within. It wasn¡¯t quite bright enough to blind his darkness acclimating eyes, but it had revealed more than he could see before.


    The tremor of light gave him a vague impression of the space that was aided by residual radiance scattered upon specific surfaces. Certain sections of the environment seemed to absorb the light deeper than others, immediately darkening, while a contrasting framework casted a subtly glowing mesh, lingering a few moments longer. The dim, fading illumination reminded him of the glow in the dark stickers that never really worked when he was a kid. Coop blinked a few times, feeling the urge to investigate further. It was yet another exotic location that begged him to explore. He loved it.


    Coop wandered forward as others from Hai Yun¡¯s entourage joined him, managing to comfortably land on their feet, unlike himself. Coop let Fog of War supplement Presence of Mind as he investigated their surroundings, but his misty domain was almost immediately pulled away by a subtle but insistent current. Still, it helped him get a better sense of the area.


    Above his head was something like an open cave entrance that buried itself into the familiar clouds of mana that had dominated the third level¡¯s borders. When he looked up, he felt the notion that he was an ant peering beyond nested tunnels in the ground as thunderclouds thickened above.


    The foggy mana was a dull gunmetal gray when viewed at this depth, but the slightly brighter shade did nothing to illuminate the cave and its many porous openings. Thin strips of the mana were being siphoned away from the ceiling, drawn through the narrowest tunnels like some kind of physics lesson on passive ventilation. The caves were like strange varieties of overlapping straws sipping on the ice cream float of mana above, eventually building up to another pulse that scattered his Fog of War completely.


    ¡°Weird.¡± Coop muttered to himself as the second burst faded, unable to contain his observation as he re-channeled more mists.


    It wasn¡¯t like any cave he had seen or heard about, and since the assimilation began he had explored more examples than in the rest of his lifetime. If not for the evidence left behind by the Adventurer Guild in the form of ladders and ropes, he would once again be questioning if he had ended up in the right place. Everything was so alien.


    The caverns didn¡¯t seem like they had been formed by lava, ice, or water, but instead appeared rather organic. As he took a better look with the aid of his other skills, he realized that rather than being inside a cavern or a cave, it would have been better categorized as a large cavity within some kind of asymmetrical growth.


    The shape of the openings were more like the tunnels of an anthill and rather than incidental openings to the outside, it was completely porous, with smaller and smaller hollows, as if the entire purpose was to absorb and funnel mana from its exterior deeper into its core. From openings large enough for himself and the entire entourage to stand in, to pinhole sized spots, every surface was a jumble of intertwined cavities. Meanwhile, the interior walls were encrusted with a fibrous skeleton that intersected like the threads of a hammock, revealing the spongy porous surface of the habitat beneath while glowing ever so slightly.


    In fact, spongy was the perfect description. Coop remembered one of Charlie¡¯s past projects, where she described how sea sponges survived in the waters around Ghost Reef and it finally clicked.


    Coop investigated further, running his hand along the nearest wall, and came to the conclusion that the fourth level of the mana well was dominated by the sessile filter feeding marine invertebrates that had previously been tucked among the corals on the surface. He and the others were inside an absolutely gargantuan living sea sponge, bordered by other individual growths. It wasn''t just anchored to any particular substrate either ¨C it was the substrate, occupying a massive space within the Coral Forest and large enough to claim its own level. He was standing within a giant maze of spongy walls, with cavities that dared him to explore the darkness, but he remembered that there were monsters skulking about and impatiently waited for the rest of his companions to arrive.


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    He was eventually joined at the front by Hai Yun and a handful of her bodyguards as they were funneled into the interior of the gigantic porous sea sponge after sinking through the thick mana clouds. In the periodic flashing lights, he caught sight of the gray mana flowing through thousands of different cavities, revealing just what the sponge was feeding on. He was thankful that it wasn¡¯t carnivorous, shuddering as he imagined how they had offered themselves up to the simple creature. The functional cavities varied in size dramatically, some large enough for a dozen people to stand side by side while others were too narrow to even fit his forearm.


    His eyelids were pinned as wide as they could go as he struggled to fully take in his surroundings. Hai Yun warned him to be wary of the many porous tunnels as their next opponents hid in the darkness, waiting for them to get close enough to launch an ambush, and he took the message to heart.


    Her bodyguards demonstrated, keeping quiet as they took the lead in baiting the first monsters from their cubby holes. In doing so, they caused the creatures to break the silence, revealing a horrendous jaw of snapping teeth that easily rivaled the worst of the Ones That Hunt on the top layer of the Coral Forest. They were nasty, jagged things, built like a vicious trap rather than a proper mouth, following irregular lines like the thorns of a plant more than teeth meant for chewing. Every attempted bite was accompanied by a growling release of air, like a dog trying to bark with its snout held shut.


    Worse yet, the so-called Chompers were much larger creatures than necessary, with elongated bodies that had adapted to fit within narrow crevices while completely filling them, like corks in a bottle sealing as much mana for themselves as possible. They had narrow pointy limbs that were only necessary due to being out of the water that they kept tucked in before exiting their burrows.


    Other than the spindly little legs, Coop could easily see how they must have mutated from moray eels. Some were close to the size that he expected from such an animal, with the largest specimens approximately 8 feet long and maybe 75 pounds, but then there were individuals that exceeded his imagination after inhabiting the densest mana currents within the habitat, mutating into unnaturally large abominations.


    A 30 foot, 1,000 pound beast shattered the bodyguard¡¯s tactical formation, causing their array to fail when it shot from its tunnel-sized burrow and smashed into the shield manifestation, like a missile of teeth and slime. Coop was forced to get involved while Hai Yun staked out her party¡¯s position, and as Coop stared into its gullet he forgot about eels and imagined the largest anacondas ever recorded. It was massive and clearly willing to swallow them up if given the chance.


    Within their gaping maws, past the first row of teeth, was another jaw, clearly designed to prevent anything caught from escaping, and as they jousted, he was forced to contend with smaller snapping bites as the interior teeth reached forward as if trying to get a premature taste. He wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there were even more sets of teeth within these creatures, not that he had any intention of finding out. Though they seemed to have adapted to eat each other, where size mattered most, it didn¡¯t mean that a human couldn¡¯t be consumed.


    Coop ended up spinning away to get the leverage necessary to cleave the monster¡¯s head, using his superior Agility to leap off the wall after the creature pushed forward with the loss of resistance. Despite its abnormal size, its actual level wasn¡¯t too far beyond the other specimens. Coop was able to defeat it with relative ease, but only after he worked out a way to contend with its bulk and send its mana swirling through the rest of the sea sponge.


    These monsters were like a living embodiment of a spear thrust and Coop, of all people, was familiar with the mechanics behind such an attack. As long as he could bypass the initial bite, he could see a clear path to victory, but that was only possible if the arena was wide enough, and these monsters clearly had a tendency to find a suitably sized cavity for their physical specifications. Or rather, they grew to fill the space they occupied. He¡¯d hate to meet one large enough to fill the main tunnel that they followed as it would be like a steamroller of teeth. He had no idea how they would overcome it. Running away seemed like the best choice.


    After the first oversized monster was defeated, Coop took the lead as they sought the specific chamber Hai Yun¡¯s entourage sought to inhabit. While they moved, Coop was already focused on developing the strategy of his grind.


    There was no way for him to land an opening strike on the Chompers as they stayed deep within their hideyholes, so he would need to use himself as bait, drawing them out before counter attacking. This was a place where someone with liquid or gas based abilities could thrive, but a straightforward duel was out of the question due to the narrow confines of the sea sponge cavities.


    It wouldn¡¯t be a problem for the Revenant, as he was plenty durable, so long as the largest specimens didn¡¯t catch him by surprise. With his shield, he caught their lunging assaults, their teeth sending sparks into the darkness, adding another set of flashing lights within the internal cavities of the giant sea sponge. Otherwise, from the others¡¯ perspective, Coop¡¯s swings were only highlighted by brief exposures of lights, like what would happen if a camera was operating at very low frame rates, revealing a timelapse of the action but missing the finer detail.


    Once they were settled in and the bodyguards finally started to carefully fill the silence with some hushed conversations and prepare their rotations, Coop wandered the tunnels on his own, planning his routes while keeping the base in mind. He found the Chompers to be a more straightforward puzzle than the Gulpers, mostly because the challenge was primarily in how to deal with their sudden, powerful attacks, and how to counter attack them before they escaped into other narrow channels. The physical demand was something he was far more familiar with. Countering a monster that preferred to ambush was well within his wheelhouse thanks to the habits of many different variants of the Primal Constructs.


    The field of floating algae on the third layer was just too much of a unique environment in comparison. The inside of a giant sponge was similar enough to other caves that Coop was already mentally prepared to adapt. He permitted himself to be aggressive in the darkness, recognizing that once he defeated the most dangerous of the monsters, his rotation would only speed up as weaker specimens claimed territory.


    The creatures of the Coral Forest probably respawned as fast as those from any other domain, following cryptic rules established by the physics of mana itself, but the difference was in how they were distributed throughout the region. Instead of spawning within the territory that they occupied, they mostly spawned elsewhere, migrating before they fought to claim real estate, finding a balance between the locations they were naturally best suited for and the places with the most mana flowing throughout. The end result was something similar to specific levels, but it wasn¡¯t as stratified as he and the Adventurer Guild tried to make it out to be.


    Any of the monsters could potentially establish itself elsewhere in the mana well, but they each had natural advantages that landed them in specific habitats. The Chompers borrowed many characteristics from real eels that provided key adaptations to dominate the interior of the giant sponge. Their elongated bodies allowed for movement through tight spaces, their slimy skin reduced friction within the narrow crevices, their powerful jaws and teeth gave them an advantage in forward facing ambushes, and their nocturnal habits eliminated the negatives regarding the otherwise detrimental darkness.


    Coop could imagine finding them on the coral platforms, but they would be exposed to flanking while bathing in the mana currents, lacking the surprise factor of the smaller crevices, and would basically lose too many advantages to succeed. The Ones That Hunt might get eaten within the sponge, but they would have a much better chance against the Chompers out in the open.


    The Coral Forest really was like a natural ecosystem. In the oceans of Earth, it was normal for different species to spend different stages of their lives in a variety of habitats. Mangroves, for instance, notoriously served as fish nurseries. Coop wouldn¡¯t be surprised to learn that the juvenile creatures of the mana well were more evenly distributed than the fully matured individuals indicated, riding the currents in planktonic forms before having the opportunity to grow.


    But the stratification of the mana well didn¡¯t only represent changes in environmental factors. It also meant changes in mana density. The monsters of the mana well were growing at variable rates depending on their location, based on macro and micro variables like fluid dynamics and meteorological conditions that were insurmountably complicated for someone like Coop to put together. He could see it within the sponge itself, following the flow with his own Fog of War would lead him to the best possible locations, but he couldn¡¯t imagine analyzing the entire domain and making forecasts.


    Coop cleared monsters out, taking his time at first before settling into a proper grind with a route that kept him moving through the darkened tunnels for hours. It was only a matter of time before the returning Chompers would be low enough that he would seek out untouched hunting areas, but until then the giant sponge actually ended up leaking a combination of mists and mana clouds rather than absorbing it all. Coop was on the hunt.

 Chapter 335: Human Resilience

    Coop flickered through the darkness for hours, letting the moments blend together as he was absorbed by the grind. Physically, the demand was much more conventional than it had been on the algae bog, so he was well-prepared for the exertion. He was able to push himself to establish a proper extended hunt, but the environment itself was still somewhat of a hindrance that stifled the absolute top speed he had been able to demonstrate with his ability to take down the Primal Constructs on the surface.


    He incorporated short-ranged mistjumps to speed up his rotations through the narrow corridors, but because of the enclosed, twisting environment, every move was unique. The difference was in where his focus lay. He couldn¡¯t ¡®solve¡¯ the location and concentrate entirely on combat because the minutiae of every decision demanded reconsideration every time.


    Instead of being entirely immersed in his attacks, matching his exhalations with physical exertions, he was racing through a dynamic maze-like habitat that required constant adjustment. Rather than speeding through a closed course circuit with enough consistency to move to the back of his attention, he was constantly engaged with solving the puzzle of reducing travel times. He leaned into corners, flashed across gaps, ran along walls, dodged unanticipated obstructions, defeated ambushes, and let his fog choose the next corridor. There was no calm zen in this grind. It was more like chasing the Elite Primal Insurgents through the Appalachian forests than racing around Ghost Reef¡¯s fort.


    However, despite all of the small challenges he had to overcome within the fourth level of the mana well, each marginally slowing him down, the fact that he wasn¡¯t having any particular weaknesses exposed meant that he was moving at a consistent speed. The rate that he was actually defeating monsters was slightly slower than when he was on the woven algae fields, but unlike on the third level, the interruptions to his momentum were minor rather than forcing him to completely stop and restart. It was to the point that random adjustments were a part of the pattern. He was able to keep it going indefinitely.


    When Coop was on the hunt, routine was everything. The repetitive behavior of a grind and his willingness to sink his thoughts into nothing but his actions were what allowed him to optimize his motions. The more he kept at any particular task, the more it was refined. It was a theme that had bled from his personality into his build, with skills designed to be augmented with practice, whether it was through his Haunted title or Practical Application.


    Coop, despite his designation as Icon of Humanity, still firmly believed that there was nothing in particular that made him special. But if there was one thing, it was the zombie-like devotion he applied to grinding. Rather than become frustrated with the process, he embraced it, and more specifically, enjoyed it. He couldn¡¯t help but giggle to himself as he perfectly cut a corner, incorporating the momentum into his next attack, or bypassed a ramp with a premature shield toss as he cleaved an enemy, shaving a millisecond from his intercombat movement. He was like a very deadly child playing hide and seek with thousands of unsuspecting partners.


    From the perspective of a Chomper, he was quite terrifying. Delicate fingers of fog would tentatively explore their burrows, silently scouting ahead while a giddy madman cackled in the darkness, disturbing the air currents some distance away. They would have a few seconds with the curious spectral mana before what they thought was prey would encroach the aperture of the crevice.


    With their territory invaded, they would strike at the fleshy and seemingly distracted target, undulating their bodies to shoot beyond the threshold of their personal tunnel, mouth agape, only to have their front teeth shattered by a solid ethereal manifestation halting their momentum like an immovable object. In the moments after that, depending on their size, the Revenant would flash through the darkness, inevitably finding a way to behead them with a burst of violence that filled the narrow corridors.


    The entire engagement might last one or two seconds, but the time spent engaged in combat was also time for Fog of War to continue flowing. Three additional targets would be acquired even before the first was defeated. Coop was once again in perpetual motion.


    He kept up the grind, completely enraptured by the hunt with a passion that was palpable. The darkness, punctuated by flashes of pulsing silver light, insisted that he concentrate on mana and auras rather than his eyes. The stifling of his normal senses had aided him in slipping into the focused meditation that made him seem out of his mind, and almost crazed, to his companions. He was focused on shaving off milliseconds from each engagement, cutting corners in the dark cavities, and otherwise maximizing the efficiency of patrolling the Coral Forest sea sponge.


    Coop couldn¡¯t be stopped, but he did eventually escape from his mindless meditation, as he recognized that repeatedly defeating monsters within the same burrows would send him into diminishing returns territory. It was an error that he had already decided he wouldn¡¯t make again after enjoying the Mangrove Forest for half a day too long at the start.


    Now that he was fully within phase two of his plan to relevel, he had no intention of wasting time on repeating mistakes, no matter how minor. Phase one was the time for leisurely setting himself up to shoot forward. Phase two was the slingshot. Phase three would be the cleanup, where he put the final touches on his progress and anticipated further challenges within the assimilation.


    He let himself wind down, but it had been his longest individual grind since restarting in Ghost Reef, and he was still feeling good. The sea sponge was basically the equivalent of the coral colony inhabited by the Ones That Hunt. It was an enormous monument within the mana well, encompassing thousands upon thousands of hideyholes for the local monsters. Coop was sure that, if he had given the Chompers more time, he would have uncovered a boss equivalent near the center, but because the mana well had been reset with the settlement upgrade, the Chompers were still jockeying for position, just like the mutated species on the upper levels.


    Unlike the Hunters, the eel-like Chompers didn¡¯t duel for position. They were much more civilized in that they grew as large as possible and simply consumed their opponents. The sea sponge was almost completely devoid of actual combat as the superior Chomper was decided in one bite.


    Even the Gulpers had engaged in their own ranged battles where they lobbed spitballs at each other as a way to spread their own territory into wider and wider circles, but the Chompers barely fought at all. It was Coop that had brought the fight to the vast majority of the sponge, and once he decided it was nearly time to move on, the darkness settled back into near silence, with a calm ambience of air flowing through the wider corridors, pulled by the deliberate shape of the sponge to let mana spread throughout.


    While the Chompers sought the best possible crevices, the real winner of the whole territory was clearly the sponge itself. This wasn¡¯t so much a territory filled with individual hotbeds of mana, but one gigantic mana bath for the sea sponge. Like the corals that dominated to the point that they became structural for other smaller habitats, the sponge was closer to their equivalent than to the other creatures inhabiting the well. Coop supposed that in a way, so were the algaes of the third level, though for some reason he considered them different, despite the same alien influence. Both corals and sponges were marine invertebrates, but the complex marine algae present on the third level was basically seaweed, more like the diatoms and phytoplankton that flowed with the currents of mana and provided bioluminescent ambience than animals being integrated into the system by the assimilation.


    Coop wasn¡¯t sure where mana drew the line, but to him it seemed like vegetation and geological formations, as they knew them on Earth, were incapable of joining the galactic community as assimilated Chosen, but most of their animals were another matter. Even creatures as simple as barnacles had been sponsored. Coop thought the line must have been drawn somewhere between animals and plants, and he personally saw algae as something firmly on the plant side of things. The fact that people like Balor, Caisalya, and Sojjah were included in the galactic community made him wonder if it was a sliding scale based on individual planets, but who could know? He wasn¡¯t the one playing at god. That was the system. Either way, he didn¡¯t think any less of his stone, plant, and slime friends, but he didn¡¯t think Earth would spawn their distant cousins.


    Clearly, with his grind winding down, the distracted thoughts had returned. He made his way back to the main chamber, near the top of the sponge where they had entered, and where his companions were keeping a base, so that he could take his personally mandated break.


    Coop took a seat among Hai Yun¡¯s resting bodyguards, noting a few new faces had joined them. Runners from the Adventurer Guild were there to relay some messages. Apparently the new phantoms were settling in with the guidance of the previous generations and adventurers were returning to the Coral Forest. Coop gave them a simple response to take back, simply stating that they were all good and would be on their way further down soon.


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    Hai Yun had led a party through a tunnel known to wrap back on the main chamber that they were using as a camp, so she would be back shortly. The guards shared some field rations while Coop relaxed on the firm spongy surface, laying on his back with his hands folded behind his head so that he could watch the mana flowing across the ceiling from the clouds beyond. It was surprisingly nice. He enjoyed the moment of peace.


    The tunnel they expected Hai Yun to arrive from periodically burst with a fiery illumination, sending embers all the way back to where the rest of the company was waiting. No one flinched as the powerful sorceress demonstrated her own capacity for destruction in the narrow corridors. That the fire dragon had been summoned to clean up their quarry was expected. Its absence would have been more notable than the explosions of violence.


    Coop shook his head, still impressed with her abilities. He had previously believed that the flexibility of the Revenant was one of the foremost advantages he had claimed during the assimilation. There were hardly any situations that truly negated his capabilities, whether it was due to the abilities of opponents or features of the arenas. He really thought he could always find an answer within his first set of skills, no matter the challenge.


    Seeing Hai Yun and her entourage engage with such a variety of challenges had him rethinking how he defined his flexibility. The truth seemed to be that humans themselves were resilient, adapting to the assimilation with such equanimity they had actually ruined what was supposed to be the apocalypse. Hai Yun and her bodyguards were a perfect example, having addressed the foremost challenge of their starting point, tackling a mana well while Coop and Jones were poking at Ancient Defenders with machetes and rakes.


    The poise that humans demonstrated in the face of change was shocking to the broader universe. It seemed like the primary reason they would ultimately face exile from the galactic community was their adaptability more than anything else. The factors that would trigger the Eradication Protocol were merely evidence of their inclination to flourish regardless of imperfect conditions. For whatever reason, that was a problem for the system.


    Coop acknowledged that it wasn¡¯t so much that his Revenant build was flexible, it was that it was generic. He was flexible. His humanity really was the advantage he had been leveraging the whole time, same as everyone else.


    Coop grunted as his perspective changed a bit, gaining an appreciation for not just humanity but all the species that had evolved to survive on planet Earth. Apparently conditions here had been relatively rough compared to the galactic standard, but they had thrived, and that gave them a bit too much power for the system to stay comfortable. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder how many other planets had been denied integration for similar reasons. At the absolute minimum, there were two others, representing Lyriel and Palsteron¡¯s home planets.


    Shaking his head to himself and putting the more esoteric thoughts aside, he checked his status while Hai Yun did her last rotation before he had her lead him deeper into the mana well.


    [Status]


    HP - 42770/42770


    MP - 163080/163080


    Class - Revenant (Level 267)


    Profession - Scavenging (Level 418)


    Affinity - Spectral, Abyssal


    Race - Human (Icon)


    Faction - The Lighthouse


    Strength - 200 (+8154)


    Agility - 200 (+4077)


    Body - 200 (+4077)


    Mind - 6040 (+2114)


    Intelligence - 200 (+8154)


    Acumen - 200 (+4077)


    Unallocated - 0


    Titles - Champion V, Haunted, Ethereal, Reaper II, Slayer XI, Dauntless, Defiant, Stalwart, Reckless, Stacked, Valor XXIV, Siegebreaker, Underking, Mindbender, Insane


    Skills (Active) - Mistwalking


    Skills (Passive) - Depths of Madness


    Quests - Fortune Seeker (25/50), Upgrade Metropolis to Global Capital


    Basic Credits - 80,736,990


    ¡°Seems about right.¡± He muttered to himself.


    He was roughly 70 levels ahead of the newly returned Chompers. Though the window of efficient experience gains widened as his actual levels increased, it didn¡¯t completely disappear. 70 levels was a pretty big gap, roughly double what he had allowed while farming the Ruin Excavators in the underground beneath Ghost Reef, so it made sense that he had started to feel some diminishing returns. Then again, it was unlikely that someone less in tune with the marginal nuances in a proper extended grind would notice the initial tentative change in gains.


    It wasn¡¯t like he couldn¡¯t get any experience from underleveled opponents, but it made no sense to tolerate the reductions when he could almost as easily get an equivalent portion of experience from overleveled enemies. The Chompers would level him with plenty of speed, but once he was in the zone, where he was squeezing milliseconds from each engagement, receiving 90% of the experience he should have was even more of a significant change than an inefficient mistjump or slightly flawed weapon swing.


    The question was how strictly he should heed his instincts in this case. At the rate he was going, he might slip out of the efficiency window in the mana well even before he reached level 500. Would he go straight to Slayer titles when the best he could do was 90% in the mana well?


    Coop scrunched his face, wordlessly recognizing that even at 90% efficiency, the mana well would be better than just about any normal monster grind. What about 50%? He shook his head and shrugged. He would just have to go with the flow and feel it out. He suspected that the pseudo elite nature of mana well monsters would keep them suitable for much longer than most targets.


    Slayer titles were a guaranteed five levels and depending on the environment and monster variant, he expected to be able to complete them in a matter of hours. However, they came with other considerations. Most notable of all was travel times. After he left Ghost Reef, he would need to actively find them, and he was already sure that there would be cases where it would take days, maybe even weeks, to find new variants.


    Remaining within the mana well until he was only gaining five levels a day would keep him in the Coral Forest for what could end up as months. It might easily be enough to hit level 500 first, but it was also ignoring the random opportunities that could exist in the untamed wilds of the surface. No matter what Primal Construct he was grinding, he would almost certainly have more gains than just from Slayer quest chains.


    There could be Hives and Infestations, random nests of Elites, Field Bosses, or even more Fallen Zones. He thought it made sense to go off on his own adventure before truly exhausting the Coral Forest, just like it was logical to leave the Mangrove Forest once it started to slow down. And all of that was ignoring the main benefit of receiving Slayer titles: the stat bonuses. Because of that, he concluded that he wouldn¡¯t linger in the mana well too long.


    Since the monsters within the mana well really only had a floor when it came to levels, he thought returning later, after sections were left untouched for a period of time made more sense than sticking around permanently. The creatures of the mana well grew at an unnaturally fast rate, so they could represent further opportunities to gain levels when there was nothing left among the Primal Constructs. It was only a matter of time before the different invader variants were just unacceptably slow to grow, so it was nice to know that there would still be pockets of enemies capable of providing more experience.


    With his plan coming together, Coop reviewed the leaderboards.


    Day 197


    <ol>


    <li> Charlie Seraphin (Level 355)</li>


    <li> Platinum (Level 347)</li>


    <li> Camila Alvarez (Level 345)</li>


    <li> Sila Tupua (Level 336)</li>


    <li> Imara (Level 335)</li>


    <li> Sefu (Level 326)</li>


    <li> Layla Itunu (Level 326)</li>


    <li> Tzultacaj (Level 323)</li>


    <li> ¡°Super¡¯ Siwarak Supitaya (Level 322)</li>


    <li> Safiri (Level 322)</li>


    </ol>


    12,841,718. Coop (Level 267)


    ¡°Maybe two more days.¡± He muttered. That¡¯s what he thought it would take for him to return to the top 1000.

 Chapter 336: Weeping Forest

    Coop tried his best to guess how they would reach the fifth level of the Coral Forest. As he followed Hai Yun into a tubular tunnel that angled down from the larger cavities of the sea sponge, flanked by protective guards, his expectations for a longer journey quickly changed. The tunnel opened up to some dim light at the end, causing Coop¡¯s anticipation to increase as they drew closer.


    If there wasn¡¯t too much distance, would there be another magical barrier? Perhaps there would be a shroud of darkness they would have to break through, or shifting obstacles that would force them to vault across gaps with perfect timing. There might even be some kind of trial, with a floor guardian occupying a particularly potent mana bath, allowing it to grow substantially compared to the rest of the mana well inhabitants.


    If he was designing a dungeon, there would definitely be more puzzles, as they would be a much bigger pain than simply grinding, but he had to remind himself that the Coral Forest mana well wasn¡¯t really a dungeon. It was more of a natural formation caused by the presence of a mana seed. The structures and monsters were essentially just mutations influenced by a significant burst of growth caused by the introduction of foreign mana. Nothing was by design, but that¡¯s what made it special.


    In the early days, before they had understood that the Eradication Protocol would knock them off the regular path of integration, he had learned that the Primal Constructs weren¡¯t a permanent invasion from the contracted residents. At the end of the assimilation, the manifestations were supposed to disappear, letting the victors keep their territory. The planetary sponsor was attempting to claim ground, but all across the world, and especially in the regions that they failed to take hold, regular mana mutations would eventually take their place.


    In the future, once they kicked the Primal Constructs off their planet, mana would obviously still be present, and it would result in its own local mutations. The Coral Forest was kind of a super potent hyper-progressed example of what might come about after the assimilation concluded. Various natural forces would allow mana to establish its own habitats, creating natural pockets of monstrous growth depending on concentrations of energy. As he understood it, elemental constructs would be the most common, with planetary features concentrating mana and opening up the opportunity for lesser and greater constructs to form.


    At least, that¡¯s what they could have expected if the planet wasn¡¯t already occupied by species that were able to harness mana themselves. In Earth¡¯s case, Coop fully expected regular animals to reclaim their natural habitats, though he wouldn¡¯t put it past them to incorporate some new abilities as they did so. If mutated environments were going to appear on the surface, they would almost certainly be isolated, much like the mana wells that were already in place. He thought it would be nice to preserve the planet as it was, but some amount of change was inevitable, especially with the actual forces of mana scouring the world for remnants of humanity.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Hai Yun stated, presenting a sandy expanse after just 20 seconds of adventure.


    Coop had barely started letting his imagination run free and they were already done. It was a bit disappointing, really. He stopped and looked around, confused by the lack of eventful transition. There was no mana bath, and not even a long rock climb or hike across stone edifices. They literally just walked down a ramp.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Coop wondered out loud, unable to hide his disappointment at the lack of proper presentation.


    In a real dungeon, level transitions should have been more poignant, demarcating a clear evolution of the adventure. The twisting sky bridge of a coral that they hiked to reach the second level was a good start, then the climb through clouds of condensed mana raised the stakes as they ventured toward the third level, and finally the mana bath dunk tank had been a suitable test of courage to reach the fourth. The absence of an adequate gateway barricading the fifth level made the progress seem invalid. Coop¡¯s sense of adventure was unfulfilled. He grunted at reality.


    Rather than acknowledge his bafflement, Hai Yun respectfully ignored his expression in favor of presenting the fifth level of the Coral Forest mana well herself. She shifted to the side, extending her arm forward to draw Coop¡¯s attention to the environment, already anticipating his interest after just a few conversations.


    Coop¡¯s expression lit up as he gazed upon the fifth layer, finally looking past his expectations. The landscape was like a perfectly symmetrical tricolor flag. Dark green on top, nearly black in the middle, and a slightly luminescent, pale yellow quartz on the bottom. Coop stepped forward, glancing at his feet before taking it all in.


    A vast sandy plain extended as far as the eye could see, but it was no desert. The surface was the same consistency as that of a submerged beach. Soft sand revealed tiny ripples like an undisturbed sandbar in calm shallows. It was wet, as if all the water that was percolating through the porous coral rock and across various coral structures accumulated at the bottom and sank past this particular surface.


    The panoramic landscape lacked any obviously unique markers, instead only revealing the anchor points of what might have been thousands of absolutely gigantic corals ¨C clearly the base structures of the branching platforms located up top. There were also scattered sponges and soft corals distributed among the hard corals, but they were few relative to the gargantuan pillars, as if they lacked the strategic advantage of rigidity that benefited this particular deep well niche. Hundreds of different species had cemented themselves in the sandy ground, but all of them reached upwards, quickly masking themselves behind the even more prominent dark green obstruction above.


    In between the mountainous stone trunks, within thousands of feet of empty damp desert, it was as if the sand had been swept clean. The most notable feature of the ground was that it had a slight gradient, tapering lower in one direction, presumably toward the actual core of the entire dungeon-like habitat. Judging by the vastness of the landscape, Coop felt like Ghost Reef was lucky the mana well had been growing away from the island. If it hadn¡¯t extended away, it would have eventually undercut the fort, interrupting their access to the Underlayer and stifling the chasm. The Coral Forest was truly massive, encompassing miles of space. From his position, he got the sense that the entire domain was roughly shaped like a right triangle, though the actual angles would be a closer match for the trajectory of the original meteor that crashed into the shallow reef.


    Despite the grandness of the sandy expanse, he couldn¡¯t actually see beyond the horizon as it was blocked by a curtain of dark green vegetation hovering above the surface, making the thick coral bases seem like the trunks of weeping willow world-trees. It created an artificial ceiling to what was clearly an open area incomparable to any other layer of the mana well.


    While Coop took it all in, the sand seemed to dance with slight, almost imperceptible fluctuations. Dim turquoise light leaked from the Coral Forest floor, shifting with oscillations in the mana that rose through the habitats. It gave the whole region, as large as it was, the appearance of a self-contained nighttime pool, tucked away beneath a lush grotto of manicured willows. Coop had the urge to frolic, feeling like he would inevitably find elves and fairies relaxing in comfortable natural baths.


    ¡°Keep your eyes up.¡± Hai Yun directed, seeing Coop¡¯s delight at the space. ¡°The Gliders attack from above.¡±


    Coop watched streamers of mana rising from the fine sand and finally took in the detail of the willowy forest of deep greens with pops of yellow, red, and brown, growing like a hanging garden. They resembled a beaded curtain with all of the pneumatocysts providing buoyancy and balance.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Forest seemed like a perfect descriptor for the mana well, but his perspective of such an environment had to be flipped. The pseudo willow trees were actual giant blades of what he could only accept as something similar to kelp hanging from far above. A thick canopy of leaves, interspersed with small gaps that hinted at a hidden world of shaded hollows and lissome beds of vegetation, reached toward the sandy ground, as if believing it was an open sky.


    Coop couldn¡¯t help himself, tilting his head to try and look at the hanging forest from upside down. It nearly matched his memories of viewing the Belizean rainforests from the top of a rocky cliff in the twilight hours. Mists seemed to be drifting beneath the canopy, though he knew that in this case, it was a thick soup of mana rising from the depths of the well, leaking through the sands as it started a journey all the way to the coral platforms.


    ¡°Are those growing from the algae mats?¡± He ventured, referring to the hanging seaweed,  though no one could answer for sure. He had his perspective shift once again, reimagining the last three layers of the mana well in reverse.


    The way the sand ramped down, gently, but insistently sloping toward abyssal darkness meant that at the higher points beyond the sponge, the hanging seaweed drew closer and closer to the ground. At the highest point, seaweed, sandy bottom, and solid coral rock met. The nearly right angle of the corner of the Coral Forest closest to both Ghost Reef and the connection to the surface combined various elemental structures like a lazy person¡¯s attempt to clean their room by shoving loose fabrics out of the way. If he was going to mistjump through the layers, his best bet was probably along that interior wall.


    Given the undaunted growth elsewhere, the narrow gap between the surface and the tips of the seaweed made Coop curious what was preventing it from growing even a few meters further down to touch the sand. It was almost like there was a specific depth that established a hard limit, much like how the actual ocean followed a strict gradient based on pressure and light penetration. He wasn¡¯t sure what would cause a similar behavior in the mana well, but he decided it was probably mana, as usual.


    ¡°We usually stick to where the seaweed is more distant from the surface, granting us more time to react to monster attacks.¡± Hai Yun explained. ¡°However, the sand drops off rather abruptly if you move too far in that direction.¡± She added, indicating the darker depths that the low angle of the sandy substrate rolled toward.


    ¡°Gliders and Faders¡­¡± Coop recalled. ¡°Those are the only two left.¡±


    ¡°We have avoided engaging with Faders as they represented an uncomfortable leap in levels. This has been the limit of our exploration. The sixth level was too dangerous for us to continue further.¡± Hai Yun explained, speaking like an official ambassador of the well.


    Coop was already intrigued by the next level, and her warning just made him more eager, but she wasn¡¯t the first person to suggest he shouldn¡¯t take it lightly. Everyone from Derek, Jones, Gibson, Emmanuel, and Madison had the same opinion on how much he should push the Coral Forest. The so-called Faders were a step too far when it came to difficulty. Camila and Charlie had failed to progress further, not even able to determine the enemy levels, and given Coop¡¯s reset, no one wanted him to test himself against them just yet.


    He nodded to himself slowly, hearing the repeated advice in the back of his mind as he closed his eyes, but when he opened them and the abyss was just over yonder, it practically begged him to check it out. With the Coral Forest reset, it was the perfect time to take a peek, but he refrained from giving in until he had exhausted the unculled Gliders. They would give him another boost of levels that he couldn¡¯t just pass up.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Coop stated, getting the message and knowing when to take good advice, even if it was just echoing in his head. ¡°First things first.¡± He agreed, deciding that he had to at least test the grind in front before letting his curiosity get the better of him. ¡°A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, right?¡±


    Hai Yun raised her eyebrows as if she was surprised by his decision, but he didn¡¯t question it. Who knew what the other residents of Ghost Reef were actually saying about him when he wasn¡¯t around.


    After Hai Yun reminded him of the details regarding the native creatures, then demonstrated how her entourage slowly rotated across the region to counter the gas-based attacks, Coop wandered a bit further away from the sea sponge, seeking his own place in the layer. If he was being honest, he would admit that this level actually seemed like it might be easier than any of the others, based entirely on the specs of the enemies compared to his own.


    When he determined his first target, ethereal trident already carried like a javelin about to be thrown, he allowed a split second to inspect its aura before testing the creature.


    [One That Sails (Elite Level 252)]


    [(Agility)]


    [Of The Spore]


    The creature was silently gliding between willowy seaweeds, far bigger than the descriptions had revealed. To be fair, he knew manta rays could be more than 20 feet wide, so even before mana had entered the picture, the potential for size was there. Still, it exhibited a level of graceful agility that made it seem majestic despite its almost ship-like size.


    The hanging seaweed was almost completely undisturbed as the ray weaved across the sky, camouflaged by a two-tone pattern on its underside. To Coop¡¯s surprise, it had detected him before he detected it, and its movement was actually an effort to enter his blindside.


    When he rotated, it subtly changed direction, apparently keeping close track of the limits of his vision. Coop frustrated it a bit by making sure to keep it within his periphery, though he was pretty much locked in on its aura.


    Before Coop committed to the fight, the monster launched a cloud of smoky green gas that was meant to choke him to death, but because Coop had spotted the creature, he shifted out of the way. The gas was a distraction that wouldn¡¯t work either. The magic defense of the Revenant was much too strong to succumb to such weak damage over time abilities, not that he wanted to give it a chance to build up. This was just one encounter in what he hoped would be a series of thousands. Even small debuffs tended to add up when the scale was measured by one of his grinds.


    The monster would have continued to circle, sending more and more toxic attacks from the safety of the canopy until it had the opportunity to dive at Coop¡¯s back. At that point, it would use its broad, flattened hydrodynamic anterior like a guillotine blade to remove his head from his body. Coop didn¡¯t feel the need to compete with the sharpness of its head, nor its pectoral fins. Instead, his goal was to turn himself into a mobile surface to air missile station.


    He retaliated by slamming his bare foot into the squishy sand, planting his weight as he shifted forward and launched the trident up into the canopy of seaweed.


    The monster was impaled in an instant, and even though the throw had been nearly supersonic, Coop had the notification of a kill before the projectile disappeared with his quarry.


    [You defeated One That Sails (Elite Level 252)]


    [+2286 Basic Credits]


    [Congratulations! Your profession has leveled up!]


    [Fortune Seeker (26/50)]


    The hanging seaweed whipped with the wind created by the trident, parting like a patch of silky hair for a moment before returning to normal. Rather than swinging back and forth, the willowy leaves sank back into place, much more similar to something that was suspended in a thick liquid than the open air.


    As Coop was surprised by the behavior of the environmental features, he noted that the upper portions of the gigantic coral pillars, normally hidden within the canopy, almost seemed to liquify after being exposed by the motion of the seaweed. Hundreds of the large Gliders were taking flight, as if he had disturbed a swarm of moths with a sudden flash of light and wind, except these moths were dozens of feet across, almost certainly upwards of 5,000 pounds, and built like solid wedges carrying payloads of gas attacks.


    Coop returned his ethereal trident to his hand and prepared to contend with a swarm of the creatures, happy to avoid hunting them one at a time.